Ed Davey enjoys rollercoaster visit to North Devon and calls for action to help South West tourism

A visit to North Devon’s popular attraction The Big Sheep saw Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey ride the rollercoaster, pet a goat and bounce on a trampoline today (Thursday) but he also called on the Government to take urgent action as the UK tourism industry faces a ‘perfect storm’.

Joined by North Devon MP Ian Roome and Lib Dem candidates from across the region, Ed Davey met with Rick Turner, owner of The Big Sheep and chair of Devon’s Top Attractions and Sally Everton, director of Visit Devon, to learn more about the challenges facing seasonal businesses and the wider tourism industry.

During the visit Mr Davey enjoyed the activities on offer at the family theme park by petting a baby goat, riding the Rampage Roller Coaster, Honeypot Bears and The Twister and even bouncing on the park’s giant trampoline.

Above: Mr Davey and entourage have a hair-raising rollercoaster experience. Credit: The Big Sheep

But there was a serious side to the visit too and he called on the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to host an urgent South West tourism summit to address the impact of recent National Insurance tax hikes and the cost of living crisis on the industry.

Above: Ed Davey and North Devon MP Ian Roome meet some of the animals at The Big Sheep. Credit: The Big Sheep 

Big Sheep owner Rick Turner said tourism operators across the South West are experiencing an unprecedented combination of rising operational costs, falling visitor numbers and heading into a ‘perfect storm’.

Mr Turner said: “With minimum wage and National Insurance increases, the cost of doing business has jumped significantly - particularly for seasonal and rural attractions like ours, where the majority of staff are on or near minimum wage.

“Attractions have been forced to offer deep discounts just to keep people coming through the doors, but many can't survive on razor-thin margins. “We've already seen closures across the region and unless there's meaningful change many more could follow.”

Mr Davey added: “Tourism is the lifeblood of many communities across the South West. Not only do these family-run businesses provide joy to people living locally and visitors from across the country, they are the backbone of the economy.

“Family-run tourism attractions have suffered through years of Conservative economic neglect. The cost of living crisis has reduced footfall and left basic running costs spiralling out of control.

“The industry simply cannot afford the additional hammer blow of this National Insurance hike, and frankly they shouldn’t have to. The Government must hold an urgent summit before local businesses are forced to close their doors.”

Above: Who could resist a baby goat? Credit: The Liberal Democrats

Above: Ed Davey with The Big Sheep owner and 'director of the flock' Rick Turner. Credit: The Liberal Democrats

Following the Big Sheep visit, Mr Davey and Ian Roome went on to Chivenor with the Liberal Democrat county council candidates to do some door-knocking for local candidate Graham Bell. After that, they went on to the Barnstaple train station.

Above: Ed Davey and Ian Rome at Barnstaple Station. Credit: Liberal Democrats

Mr Roome said: “It was absolutely brilliant having our Lib Dem party leader, Sir Ed Davey, down to North Devon to give him a proper taste of what we have to offer.

“We chatted with the staff and owners at The Big Sheep about their business and the challenges currently facing the tourism industry - the financial pressures affecting self-catering in particular.

“After the serious stuff, we rolled up our sleeves and got stuck in, bouncing on the jumping pillows, feeding the animals and even braving the rollercoaster. But behind all the fun, there was a serious message: businesses like these are so important to our local economy and bring a massive amount joy to our community.”