Coronavirus Updates

Update 04.11.2020

Following the recent Government announcement that England will be heading into another national lockdown from Thursday 5th November, we can confirm that our parks will be remaining open for access to the tracks, play parks and nature reserves we will be providing takeaway services from our cafes. 

We can confirm that fishing will continue at our parks in line with the updated Angling Trust guidelines. Anglian Water managed Sailing and windsurfing access will also remain open however this will be for members and day launches only. Restrictions will apply to both and we will continue to review all activities in line with the Government guidelines and will continue to update our website of any relevant changes. 

Unfortunately our retail shops (excluding cycling), mini golf and watersports centres will be closed until further notice. 

Thank you to everyone who has respected the new rules we have put in place since we reopened earlier this year. We would like to remind all visitors to continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines during visits to our parks. 

Please visit our park pages to find out what restrictions are in place for Covid-19 before travelling. 

Rutland Water, Grafham Water, Pitsford Water, Ravensthorpe Reservoir, Alton Water, Taverham Mill

 

Update 02.11.2020

Following the recent Government announcement that England will be heading into another national lockdown from Thursday 5th November, we can confirm that our parks will be remaining open for access to the tracks and play parks and we will be providing takeaway services only from our cafes. 

We are continuing to review which activities can remain open in line with the Government guidelines and will update on these once we have confirmation. 

Thank you to everyone who has respected the new rules we have put in place since we reopened earlier this year. We would like to remind all visitors to continue to adhere to social distancing guidelines during visits to our parks. 

Update as of 29.05.2020

We’ve taken the decision to close all of our water parks to the public to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

Our plans for reopening are progressing well and we will be announcing more details in the very near future. However, we remain closed at this time.  This is to protect the wellbeing and safety of our customers, visitors and colleagues.

We would encourage everybody to follow the Government’s advice to social distance and to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.  Thank you for the support.

Update as of 22.05.2020

Our sites are currently closed to the public at this time. We know our leisure attractions are loved by many but protecting the health and safety of our colleagues and visitors is our top priority. We will remain closed over the bank holiday and during half term and would like to ask everyone to please respect the difficult decision we have needed to make.

Balancing the needs and wishes of all our active communities is always a challenge and we are all as keen as each other to get back to some sense of normality. We are working on plans to reopen our parks as soon as we are confident we can do so safely. As a tourism venue, we are unlike a regular park, with additional factors to consider, and we must be certain that we can meet all the guidance on social distancing.

 

Update as of 11.05.2020

Having reviewed the Government’s announcement yesterday, because our water parks are tourism venues and draw large crowds, they will remain closed to the public at this time. 

It continues to be a difficult decision for us to make. We know how much the local community and visitors love our green spaces, but the health and safety of our local communities, visitors and colleagues is our priority.  We must be certain that when we reopen we can do so safely, meeting all the guidance on social distancing. 

We know this will be disappointing news. We are regularly reviewing our position and will continue to update this page with any changes. However for the time being, like the rest of the hospitality and leisure sector, our attractions, activities and recreation services remain closed.  

 

Update as of 22.04.2020

We realise that many of our customers are disappointed about our parks being closed. We do understand how much people love visiting our green spaces and it has been a difficult decision for us to make.

There is a concern that opening our parks would risk attracting large numbers of people from out of the area, who would park in local villages. This has been experienced at other parks and I am sure you have witnessed people travelling outside of their locality in the news.

We also have a concern about risk to our staff, as our parks are a significant size and policing them as per the current government policy on social distancing and exercise would be difficult.

The recent ministerial advice on keeping parks open is more specifically in respect of parks in towns and cities where local communities have less access to gardens and countryside. Typically our parks are rural tourism destinations and, as such, the local communities have access to wider public rights of way networks, countryside and gardens.

We need to encourage people to stay home where possible, exercise locally and observe social distancing measures. For these reasons, our parks will remain closed to public access until the national guidance changes.

We look forward to welcoming you back to enjoy our parks again as soon as we can.

 

Update as of 22.03.2020

We’ve sadly taken the decision to close all of our water parks to the public with immediate effect to help limit the spread of coronavirus.

We had hoped to keep our green spaces open, but the wellbeing and safety of our customers, visitors and colleagues is the most important thing at this time.

We would encourage everybody to follow the Government’s advice to social distance and not travel wherever possible to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

We want to keep you updated with information about how we are responding to the coronavirus situation. Below are the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions in light of our current response.

 

FAQ's

Are waterparks still open?

We’ve sadly taken the decision to close all of our water parks with immediate effect to members of the public to help limit the spread of coronavirus. We had hoped to keep our green spaces open, but the wellbeing and safety of our customers, visitors and colleagues is the most important thing at this time.

We would encourage everybody to follow the Government’s advice to social distance and not travel wherever possible to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.

We’ll keep following that advice until it changes and it restrictions are removed we will happily re-open and make everyone welcome.

 

Are you cancelling all your events and activities?

We are reviewing on a three-monthly rolling basis. This means that any event, including weddings, sports, fishing, etc, up to and including the 30 June is cancelled/postponed unless the advice changes.

 

Are you refunding activities and events?

We recognise that some people may really struggle financially during these uncertain times. With a wide range of activities and events planned over the coming months we recognise that this will be an important question to answer quickly and we are looking for a solution to address this. Finding a solution to this issue on such a large scale isn’t something we have done before and we want to ensure any changes and refunds can be processed as easily as possible. We will be in touch with you as soon as we can with further details.

 

Will I get a refund on my Season Ticket/Permit?

Due to the unprecedented measures taken to control the spread of Corona Virus, COVID 19, which resulted in the closure of our Water Parks to the General Public on March 23rd 2020, below outlines the policies set in place for outstanding season ticket renewal applications and for refunding any monies which may be due to customers who have already paid their permit fees for the period covering April 1st 2020 to March 31st 2021, in recompense for the weeks and/ or months of inaccessibility to the facilities at our Water Parks due to the closure.

 

Car Parking Annual Permit Holders

Annual Permits will be valid for when we re-open, expiry dates will be extended by the period we are closed.

 

Fishing Season Ticket Holder

 

For customers who have paid in full for their 2020/21 Season Ticket;

Once the Park returns to normal operations we will offer refunds for the pro rata amount, equivalent to the number of weeks/ months of lost activity/ access to facilities.

 

For customers who opted for the multi-stage payments;

New ‘set ups’ have been paused from 23/3 and no contact will be made to customers who have requested this but have not yet been completed.

Once the Park returns to normal operations we will contact customers to set up/un-pause/amend the future payments on a pro rata amount, equivalent to the number of weeks/ months of lost activity/ access to facilities.

 

Watersports Season Ticket Holders

 

For customers who have paid in full for their 2020/21 Season Ticket;

Once the Park returns to normal operations we will offer refunds for the pro rata amount, equivalent to the number of weeks/ months of lost activity/ access to facilities.

Customers will have the option of offsetting the refund amount due to them against the April 2021-March2022 Season Ticket/ Permit if they wish or If this is not an option, then a direct refund will be offered.

A full refund may be available if circumstances dictate and the boat (if applicable) is removed from site.

 

For customers who have not made payment for their 2020/21 Season Ticket;

We invite all customers to renew their permit once the Parks returns to normal operations and Anglian Water/ Rutland Watersports will process the Season Ticket on a pro rata basis, dependant on the number of weeks/ months remaining until March 31st, 2021.

 

Access to boats in our Boat Parks

Due to the latest Government guidelines and ‘lock down’ as of 23.03.2020 you will be unable to come to site to collect your craft. Please be assured that once the Government guidelines update and we are in a position to allow access you will be able to request this via email  to rutlandwatersports@anglianwater.co.uk and providing the fees for period up to and including March 2020 have been paid and are up to date, the team will attempt to facilitate a date and time for you to collect your craft; please understand that there will only be a timed window available to collect the craft and the team will be following all distancing guidelines set down by the Government.

Once the craft has been removed from the Park, no return will be permitted until the restrictions are lifted and the Park is back to normal operations.

 

When do you plan to reopen?

We are closing all of our water parks to members of the public to help restrict the spread of coronavirus. This decision has been taken with the Government’s latest advice in mind and we’ll continue to proceed as instructed until advice changes or restrictions are removed.

Our visitors and people are a huge part of what makes our parks a great place to visit so as soon as we can re-open, we will happily welcome everyone back.

 

What about the other activities on site ran by third parties?

To ensure the safety of all parties involved, we have also spoken to the tenants at our facilities and advised them to close effective immediately.

 

Alton Water Campsite Opening Delay

Due to the current Government guidance in place, we have taken the hard decision to delay the opening of the campsite at Alton to keep our visitors and staff safe. We will review the situation at the beginning of May with a view to open on 1st June if circumstances allow.

For customers who have current bookings you will be contacted through email with further details regarding your bookings.

 

Rutland Water Music Festival ** Postponed until 12th & 13th June 2021**

In light of the recent changes in Government advice in response to the developing coronavirus outbreak, we have taken the decision to postpone the upcoming Anglian Water Park Music Festival until the summer of 2021.

We understand customers may be frustrated, but we believe this is a necessary and sensible precaution to ensure the wellbeing of colleagues and festival goers.

With this in mind, we are happy to announce that the festival will go ahead at Rutland Water Park across the weekend of the 12th and 13th of June 2021.

Those visitors who have bought tickets for this year’s event can chose whether to defer their booking until next year, or claim a full refund. Refunds can be claimed here on Eventbrite, but if we don’t hear from you by Monday 31st August, your ticket will automatically be rolled over to next year’s festival.

We look forward to welcoming you all next summer. In the meantime, stay safe and keep up to date with all new developments on our social media channels.