 News
23rd May 2008
Alton Towers bans parents from workThe Alton
Towers Resort is banning parents from using PDAs (Personal Digital Assistant)
this May half term in a bid to increase quality family time. It would appear
from research revealed today that kids are fed up with their parents spending
more time reading their emails than having fun with them. Brits work the
longest hours in Europe, meaning that parents are work obsessed and unable to
switch off from their jobs for even a day! Over half of parent’s questioned
– 56 per cent - feel that they can not disconnect from work, as they are constantly
accessible by the office, and 40 per cent head off with bags packed full of work
items including documents to read, PDAs and laptops. Child psychologist
Dr Pat Spungin said; “We all need to use weekend breaks as a time to reconnect
and invest in our most important relationships in order to restore our work/life
balance and put the fun back into going away. "While lots of people
take a break, many are not actually taking a holiday. "It is vital
we learn how to reprioritise and put work into a healthy perspective.” As
a direct response, the Alton Towers Resort will be piloting a “PDA Free Zone”
during May Half Term (May 25th – June 1st inclusive), to encourage parents to
disconnect from the office and reconnect fully with their families. PDA
police will be onsite to enforce the ban and any adult caught using a PDA whilst
at the Resort will be asked to report to one of five “PDA Drop Off Zones” where
they can safely leave their PDA’s for the day. If the scheme is successful,
it will be introduced full time. Russell Barnes, Divisional Director for
the Alton Towers Resort explains; “What we have here is the ultimate short break
location where every member of the family can unwind and have fun. "We
feel it’s so important for parents and kids to focus on nothing more than having
the best possible time, we are prepared to take drastic action to ensure that
parents really leave their work behind!” The Alton Towers Resort, part
of the Merlin Entertainments Group, is home to the UK's best loved theme park
with 2 hotels, a waterpark, a spa, an extraordinary golf course, and nineteenth
century gothic towers. It is located upon 500 acres of Staffordshire countryside
and offers a unique combination of rides and attractions for all ages, from soft
play areas for tiny toddlers to ground-breaking, world-first adrenalin inducing
rollercoaster rides. Where to next? | 
