And finally… a prickly customer
Xscape Yorkshire is bidding farewell to its cactus lift, an eyecatching feature at the Castleford leisure destination over the last two decades.
Development work at the centre, including accessibility improvements, mean that the ‘Cas Vegas cactus’ is on its way out, with work starting this week.
Since opening in 2003, Xscape’s 12m cactus-shaped lift has served hundreds of thousands of visitors, becoming a quirky landmark.
Xscape Yorkshire now operates within Landsec’s retail & leisure portfolio.
Work is due to complete in mid-December on a new lift installation. During the removal of the lift and cactus shell, customers are advised to use the escalators located within the foyer of Xscape – a service lift will also be in operation.
Jason Warren, centre director at Xscape Yorkshire said: “As well as allowing customers easy access to the upper levels, the ‘Cas Vegas cactus’ has provided a common meeting point in the centre and has been the backdrop to countless photo opportunities over the years.
“As the countdown to saying goodbye begins, we’d love to see guests share their cactus photos on social media – it’s been seen in birthday party pictures, anniversaries, work events, hen and stag dos, and even marriage proposals.
“And to settle the debate about whether it’s a cactus or a gherkin once and for all, it’s definitely a cactus – in its early days it had cactus spikes!”
A gherkin indeed, we’ve never heard anything so ridiculous.
