Haigh High Ropes: Expression of Interest

Background:

The Haigh High ropes course sits within the regional destination Haigh Woodland Park. The destination is set within Wigan, a 330,000 resident base town within Greater Manchester. The Park is managed by Wigan Council with Be Well (Wigan Council’s in house Leisure & Wellbeing service) operating the High ropes course.

The High ropes course was funded by Wigan Council through a phase one transformation of the park in 2016. The phase one investment also featured investment within adventure play, adventure golf, visitor centre and café , a kitchen courtyard within the Stables complex alongside major improvements to the Parking facilities.

The ropes course is comprised of a low course with 9 obstacles and high ropes course with 11 obstacles including a 40 m zip line. The tower can also accommodate a range of team building activities. More recently Be Well has invested in a jump bag from the tower to add more variety and depth to the product offer. Details of the offer is available via the web link - https://www.bewelloutdoors.co.uk/locations/haigh-woodland-park.htm

The High ropes course at Haigh forms part of a broader Be Well Outdoor adventure offer that combines forest school activities at Haigh, water sports activities at Scotman’s Flash and residential and day activities at Low Bank Ground (on the shore of Lake Coniston).

Haigh Woodland Park is undergoing a major transformation with the benefit of secured Heritage Lottery Funding and secured Government grants through the Levelling up Funding programme. Combined the investment exceeds £50 million. The ambition is to transform Haigh Woodland Park into a cultural destination of national significance whilst retaining the significant local significance and appeal.

Visitor numbers currently exceed 500,000 per year and are expected to grow significantly with the introduction of the cultural and commercial offers within the restored Hall, the restoration of key heritage assets and infrastructure, the realisation of the Woodland management plan and the implementation of audience development plans to expand the reach into current and new audience profiles.

The Opportunity:

Be Well are exploring partnership options to support the evolution of the High ropes product within Haigh Woodland Park.

One of the options we are keen to understand is the market appetite to enter into a long-term partnership arrangement on the principle of an invest, maintain and operate model where risk and opportunity is transferred to a trusted operator whilst maintaining a principle of partnership working within the continued transformation of the destination.

At this stage we are open to a range of options and welcome comment and insight from the market on the scale and type of investment alongside the form and duration of operational partnership.

The future development of the High ropes product within Haigh Woodland Park would require co-ordination with the wider masterplan for the site alongside close co-ordination with the Woodland management strategy to arrive at a suitable phase two product capable of meeting the expected demand whilst being sensitive to the historic landscape.

How to Express Your Interest:

At this stage we are inviting interested parties to enter informal dialogue so that we can gauge the level of interest and shape the next stage of the options appraisal with the benefit of market insight.

To express your interest and to arrange the discussion (on site meeting and virtual meetings can be facilitated) please respond by email to Stuart Holden (Service Lead - Strategic Development and Innovation) at [email protected]. Within the response, please outline the following information:

• Company name, registration number & official address

• Main contact person and their contact details

• Brief details of any sites in which the company operates

• A summary of your interest

The deadline for the response is close of play on Friday 23rd October 2026.