Yorkshire's Magical Winterland in Harrogate reopens

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-30448215

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A Christmas attraction branded a "waste of money" and "lacking Christmas spirit" by some visitors has reopened.

Yorkshire's Magical Winterland, in Harrogate, opened on Wednesday but closed temporarily on Thursday afternoon after numerous complaints.

More than 500 people had also posted comments on the attraction's Facebook page.

Organisers have apologised and said their design team had made "improvements" overnight.

Leanne Potter, who described herself as a "disappointed mummy", told the BBC her visit, with her four-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son, had been "truly awful".

The indoor event is being held at Yorkshire Event Centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

Admission costs £6 for people aged 13 and above, £5 for children aged 2 to 12, and £5 for concessions. A family ticket for four costs £18.

However, activities such as puppet shows, fairground rides and a circus are not included in the admission price.

'Teething problems'

Cat Recchia, from Harrogate, also visited the attraction with her four-year-old daughter.

"I expected there to be some sort of entertainment - some Christmas music, an overall atmosphere - but it was pretty much a warehouse with some fairground rides," she said.

"It definitely was not magical."

Peter Snee, from Yorkshire's Magical Winterland, said: "Obviously there were teething problems with it being the first year of the event."

Mr Snee said the majority of complaints stated that the event was not festive enough and was poor value for money.

"Hopefully now there are a lot more festive things going on and we have included a number of additional features for guests in the entrance fee," he said.

He said information about charges for additional rides and events inside the attraction was clearly advertised.