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Wicksteed Park 'frustrated' by live show cancellations

Wicksteed Park Wicksteed Park pavilionWicksteed Park
Wicksteed Park said the first it heard of the cancellation of the events was via the same email received by ticket holders

A theme park says it shares "the frustration and disappointment" of people struggling to get refunds after a series of live events were cancelled.

Wicksteed Park in Kettering, Northamptonshire said it had been let down by promoter M&B Promotions.

The events included concerts by Craig David and McFly, and a comedy show featuring Katherine Ryan, John Bishop and Dara O'Briain.

M&B Promotions said it was "no longer trading and has entered liquidation".

The Comedy In The Park show, along with other events, were originally due to take place in 2021, but were rescheduled due to the impact of Covid-19.

Getty Images Katherine RyanGetty Images
Katherine Ryan was among stars due to perform at the Comedy in the Park show

On Tuesday, ticket holders received an email saying all the events had been cancelled and announcing "the end of operations for both M&B Promotions Ltd and Simple Ticketing Ltd".

In a statement, Wicksteed Park said the first it knew of the cancellations was via the same email.

A spokesman said: "We understand and share the frustration and disappointment of people who have bought tickets and have struggled to obtain refunds from M&B Promotions.

"We have not received any payment of venue fees from M&B Promotions for these events."

The spokesman said Wicksteed Park had had no involvement with the bookings beyond "providing the space for the third-party event".

He said all ticket revenue had gone to M&B Promotions and the park had not received "a set fee for the hire of the venue", which had been due for payment.

"Over recent months we have repeatedly tried to contact M&B Promotions to discuss these events and to try and gain assurances on behalf of those who have bought tickets," the spokesman added.

"Unfortunately M&B Promotions failed to respond to our requests to discuss the situation and our offer to help and support the delivery of these events."

Sway Rider attraction at Wicksteed Park in Kettering
Wicksteed Park in Kettering claims to be the oldest theme park on the UK mainland

In the email, which is reproduced on its website, M&B Promotions said the impact of Covid-19 meant it was "no longer viable for us to continue trading".

The company apologised to ticket holders "who have been let down".

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