The winners of the UK Theme Park Awards 2023 will be determined by combining public votes with scores from our judging panel - find out more about them.
Tom Anstey
Editor In Chief
Planet Attractions
Working as a journalist for the last decade-plus, Tom Anstey has travelled the globe for his dedicated coverage of visitor attractions. Tom currently leads the editorial team at Planet Attractions, which officially launched in December 2020, with the aim of supporting the visitor attractions industry and giving its global community a space to have their voices heard. With a team of world-class writers, industry specialists and social influencers, backed by a behind-the-scenes team of the same calibre, Planet Attractions is creating a wide variety of content for both the B2B and consumer markets.
"To be a member of the judging panel for the 2023 UK Theme Park Awards is amazing! I was in attendance last year for the first in-person edition of the event and knew then that Planet Attractions had to become a part of it. Every single theme park, ride, campaign, spectacle and more that has received a nomination deserves national recognition, so I am happy to be a small part of that."
Chris Belvin-Bailey
Founder
Attraction Source
Chris is the owner and founder of Attraction Source - one of the largest online communities for fans of theme parks and attractions in the UK and beyond, also encompassing the TowersTimes brand. The community aims to bring like-minded people together, whether that be via the websites, social media or in person at one of the unforgettable enthusiast events.
“I'm grateful to have been asked to be a judge for the 2023 UK Theme Park Awards! There's been some incredible new attractions, entertainment, events, marketing campaigns and content created over the last year - so good luck to all those nominated!”
Dawn Foote
Co-Founder & CEO
Katapult
Dawn Foote is the co-founder and CEO of Katapult. An award-winning creative industries leader, she has experience in guest destinations, the cultural sector and strategic collaborations. Dawn is a board adviser for Experience UK. Dawn has worked on everything from International projects, with Atlantis The Palm in Dubai to the global roll out of projects for The LEGO Group & Merlin Entertainments through to a wide range of projects across the UK.
"I'm super excited to be a part of the UK Theme Park Awards judging panel, which will celebrate and showcase the attractions created by our talented industry. It's also wonderful to be coming together, in person, to meet the people behind creating them."
Marcus Gaines
Owner
Ride and Park Media
Marcus has been working in the media industry for almost quarter of a century, working with two of the UKs biggest broadcasters. For the past decade Marcus has combined his lifelong passion for the attractions industry with his video production expertise to form Ride and Park Media. Ride and Park Media specialise in the visual documentation of rides, theme parks and tourist attractions, creating dynamic marketing material for the digital and broadcast world. We offer end to end production, creating attention-grabbing videos and photographs, B Roll for the mass media, engaging training & corporate videos and powerful marketing material design. Marcus' creative expertise has seen demand across the globe, traveling to 15 countries across four continents, capturing rides and attractions for an ever growing family of clients.
"It's a real honour to be on the judging panel of the UK Theme Parks Awards, helping to celebrate the passion, hard work, and commitment so many put in to delivering the very best for guests. And let's not forget the commitment of the theme park fans delivering entertaining content from YouTube to Instagram and blogs to TikToks."
Andy Hine MBE
Chairman
Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain
Andy founded the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain in 1988 with the aims of uniting coaster enthusiasts worldwide, promoting amusement parks as a fun and safe pastime and assisting parks and manufacturers in the pursuit of new attractions. He has worked on many safety campaigns, ride openings and has tirelessly promoted the industry through all forms of media. He has written many articles for various magazines, both trade and high street. In 2004 he was honoured by Her Majesty the Queen of England who awarded him an MBE for his contributions to the industry. Andy is responsible for over 35,000 people visiting UK and European Parks and has taken almost 3000 people from the UK to visit over 100 US parks.
“I am proud to be involved in recognising the achievements of UK theme parks as it is vitally important that everyone knows that the UK can compete with the best that the rest of the world has to offer. Proving that you don’t need to leave the UK to experience some fantastic rides and attractions.”
Paul Kelly
Chief Executive
British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions
Paul has had a 35 year professional interest and enjoyment with Britain's theme parks. His career started as an operator on a ride at Thorpe Park. It didn't take long to get hooked into the atmosphere and energy of that environment. During 15 years at Thorpe Park, Paul worked in all areas of the park's operation. This proved beneficial when taking up the role of Head of Operations for the opening of the London Eye in 2000. After 5 enjoyable years at the London Eye, more theme parks and other visitor attractions became part of a daily routine whilst working as a member of the business development set up for Merlin. As CEO for BALPPA, Paul has continued to work in the theme park and attractions sector and gets to experience the innovation and passion that still drives this industry on a daily basis.
“Being part of this judging team allows me to acknowledge some of the hard work and expertise that goes into the design and delivery of great experiences across the UK theme park sector.”
Mark Locker
Founder & CEO
Attractions.io
Mark is the founder and CEO of Attractions.io, the leading provider of guest-facing mobile apps to the experience economy. A passionate believer that tech can help real-world experiences thrive in the digital age, Mark is a regular speaker at industry events and conferences, showcasing how attractions can use mobile technology to enhance their physical experiences and generate rich guest insights that they can leverage to boost guest spending and engagement. He’s helped the UK’s biggest names, including Alton Towers, Chester Zoo and Butlin's.
“It feels like a natural fit for us to celebrate the achievements of the UK attractions industry with the 2023 Theme Park Awards. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to explore the incredibly creative initiatives that have taken place and honour the hard work that’s gone into making them a success.”
Lawrence Roots
Founder
ThemeParks-UK.com
Lawrence established ThemeParks-UK.com in 2000, making it the longest running website dedicated to UK theme parks and providing an independent guide for 22 years. The website offers a wide range of information on the most popular theme parks in the UK. He continues to produce detailed reviews of new rides and attractions at UK theme parks, but also travels to the US and across Europe to create content for ThemeParks-US.com and ThemeParks-EU.com, launched in 2010 and 2018 respectively.
“Following the huge success of the first-ever in-person awards event last year, it's brilliant to be part of the awards in 2023. I'm delighted that we'll be able to bring together so many representatives from theme parks with other industry professionals and content creators to celebrate what the UK has to offer.”
Beth Whitaker
Editor
InterPark
As a freelance writer and Editor, Beth Whitaker has worked with InterPark magazine for almost two decades, contributing significantly to the title with various topical features, park profiles and industry interviews, before stepping into the role of InterPark’s first female Editor, 18 months ago. Launched in 1995 to provide the theme park and amusement attractions industries with a dedicated, independent source of information, InterPark has grown to become the leading international publication of its kind. Its success has been built upon an understanding of the industries it serves, together with a uniquely trusted voice, a vital quality that makes it an invaluable resource for readers.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to have been asked to take part in this year’s awards and I wish everyone in the industry all the luck in the world."
