Park's high ropes course to reopen for half-term

It is hoped the site will be extended by the summer

A Derby high ropes course is to reopen in time for half-term.

Derby City Council had said in January that the attraction at Markeaton Park was "no longer viable" and would be removed from the park.

However, in April, the site was taken on by Belper-based High Low Ropes Course Consulting.

It has now been renovated and is to open to the public as Tree House Trek, with plans to extend it by the summer.

The site was saved by a local company

Director of Tree House Trek, Ali Glendinning, said: "We saw a news article on the BBC and decided it would be a shame for the site to close, and as we're a local company that builds rope courses, we decided to try and take it on.

"We're hopefully going to build in a net system which is like a giant trampoline that should be open for summer", he added.

Al Pearson, operations manager, said: "There are only two or three nets courses in the country at the moment, so if we can have something like that it's a bit of a shining light."

The 30ft (9m) structure was built in 2015 as part of a £3.4m scheme to improve facilities at the park.

It closed two years later due to vandalism, but reopened for one season before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The facility fell into disrepair, and the council was unable to find anyone to operate it until High Low Ropes Course Consulting came forward at the last minute.

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