The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 15
John Finley with Aycliffe Today editor Martin Walker , just before his leap of faith .
Landing pad – thrill-seekers land on top of an old Londonstyle double-decker bus .
Media coverage – The Northern Echo covered the launch of ROF 59 ’ s latest attraction .
Phew ! Martin Walker makes it down in one piece .
Park skyline at speeds of 30-35mph , and suddenly the trepidation turns into sheer exhilaration .
It was over before I knew it and , typically unique for John , I landed on top of an old London-style double-decker bus . Yep , a bus . It ’ s thought to be the only zip line of its kind in the North-East , and it is now open to the general public – as well as team-building classes for local businesses .
“ We wanted to come up with something completely different ,” said John .
“ We ’ ve had the land for a lot of years , and I had the idea when we first launched ROF 59 nearly three years ago .
“ Then came the bus idea . We needed a landing area to be at least five metres up from ground level , and we acquired an old London-style open-top bus , so we secured it into place and renovated it to create a bespoke landing pad . It really is quite unique .”
ROF 59 utilised the expert services of Lancashire-based Entre-Prises to install the new zip line , which is one of many new attractions added to ROF 59 in the last 12 months .
Earlier this year , a 19-metre drop-zone was installed , where daredevil participants must rustle the courage to throw themselves off a platform but land safely to the ground thanks to a harness and a freefall auto belay .
And at the end of 2017 , ROF 59 revealed it had invested £ 350,000 in re-launching its climbing area with five new elements – adventure walls , speed climbing walls , a tower climbing area , mosaic climbing walls and ‘ bouldering ’.
ROF 59 originally underwent a £ 1.1m redevelopment three years ago , rejuvenating the old Presswork Metals building and former World War II munitions factory into a 21st Century entertainment and leisure venue .
The 70,000 sq ft centre now includes the Blitz restaurant , the Bunker bar / lounge , ice cream parlour , events room , trampoline park , adventure walls including the ‘ leap of faith ’, Virtual Reality suite , Battlefield outdoor laser combat , outdoor play area , beer garden , 19m drop-zone , climbing centre and the 200m zip wire .
“ We ’ d love to see the people of the North-
East support what we ’ re doing here ,” added John .
“ We ’ ve created more and more attractions for parents to get involved in , so it isn ’ t just a drop-off point for children , there ’ s enough here to choose from you can either take part in a single activity or stay the whole day and enjoy everything we have to offer for the whole family .
“ We ’ re always trying to come up with new and exciting ideas different from anything in the area and we think this is a genuine first for the North-East .
“ But it won ’ t stop here – I ’ m already thinking of my next new and exciting activity , so watch this space !” John , his family and their team have worked very hard to create a truly unique activity centre on Aycliffe Business Park .
They can take heart from the fact others have copied their ideas – imitation is the highest form of flattery , as they say – but their admirers will do well to emulate this .
The zip wire adds to what is a vibrant and busy leisure destination where people and families can spend most of the day having fun , eating and drinking .
And the zip wire , at the very least , is a must-try for anyone brave enough to have a go .
HAVE A GO
People from 4.5st up to a maximum weight limit of 18st can try the new zip line at ROF 59 , which is priced £ 7.50 per person for one go or £ 10pp for two .
To book , call ROF 59 on 01325 728222 or email hello @ rof59 . co . uk