Newspaper Article – ‘Father’ of Fantasyland opposes fee

‘Father’ of Fantasyland opposes fee

The “father” of Fantasyland, retired Hastings businessman Mr Harry Poppelwell, says he is opposed to a gate charge for youngsters entering the playground and believes service clubs and other community groups should raise funds to defray its operating costs.

Mr Poppelwell, who was president of Greater Hastings when the Fantasyland project was conceived, said it made him sad to think that small children would be charged to go through its gates.

“At no time did I ever contemplate that there would be any charge for children,” he said.

Fantasyland was established in the late 1960s with a major fund-raising carnival and its original attractions such as the castle and the train had been provided from money raised by service clubs, factory social clubs and other community groups.

When the Hastings City Council took over the responsibility for running the ground, Fantasyland “ceased to be what it was always intended to be – a development of Greater Hastings supported by other organisations.”

Mr Poppelwell said the council was getting blamed for its efforts to find revenue for the ground’s operation but the solution could be to approach service clubs and encourage them to provide funds from weekly collections or some other source.

This income could offset the amount the council was proposing to receive by imposing the children’s gate charge, he said.

“It’s a children’s paradise. I think most adults will pay a gate charge but they don’t feel happy about paying for their children.”

Organisers of the petition opposing council moves to introduce a gate charge for children at Fantasyland are amazed at the response they are getting from the public.

The petition, launched on Thursday, has now been signed by just over 3000 people.

“We’ve had a terrific response. People just come up to us and ask to sign the petition,” said Mr Fred Mildenhall, whose wife, Joy, is the main force behind the campaign.

The couple spent all of Friday and Saturday walking the streets of Hastings collecting signatures with the help of a handful of volunteers, and are out again this week.

The petition will be presented to the Hastings City Council tomorrow night.

Photo caption – Mr Poppelwell