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Private company called in to rescue Herriot attraction after visitors slump
A PRIVATE company led by tourism specialists will take on the running of an attraction dedicated to world-famous Dales vet James Herriot following a fall in visitors.
Hambleton District Council has agreed to transfer ownership of The World of James Herriot, in Thirsk, to a limited company which will run the attraction in partnership with the Herriot Country Tourism Group.
Councillors rubber-stamped the move yesterday and agreed to award a start-up grant of £97,000 to The World of James Herriot Ltd, which will start running the venue in April.
The company’s director, Thirsk businessman Ian Ashton, who is chairman of the tourism group, said: “It has been losing money and the decision was made that the best way to try and get it to break even was to put it into the private sector where there weren’t the financial constraints that came with it being council-owned.
The opportunity came up and we presented a business plan to the authority and they have accepted it.”
The World of James Herriot opened in 1999 following a £1.4m investment, which was funded through the district council, together with contributions from public and private donations.
At its peak the museum, which covers the life and books of the famous vet and author, who died in 1995, attracted up to 40,000 visitors annually.
Last September the centre welcomed its 500,000th visitor.
However, the Yorkshire Post revealed last year that the attraction was struggling to keep its head above water after it saw a major drop in the number of visitors as a result of the economic downturn.
Just over 8,500 visitors ventured through the doors of the Kirkgate museum between April and June, compared with 13,000 for the same period in 2010.
In an attempt to rescue the venue, Mr Ashton said the company would draw on the expertise of the Herriot Country Tourism Group, which includes 137 attractions and accommodation providers within the Hambleton, Richmondshire and the Harrogate borough.
He said: “The attraction is the flagship of the group and the last thing we want to do is see it close. Hopefully by taking over we will be able to break even and continue to develop the site. We have the skills through the group hopefully to implement that.”
Mr Ashton said it was still early days when it came to future plans for the venue.
However, there were a number of ideas that had been put forward.
Mr Ashton added: “We are planning to look at costs and look at rebranding and remarketing the attraction to hopefully bring it forward and attract more visitors.”
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