Leaders want to attract more Liverpool visitors to Wirral

Wirral’s tourism industry has seen a major boost, new figures show. The borough’s visitor economy rose by 2% in 2025 and is estimated to be worth £547.5m to the area.

The latest independent STEAM (Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor) tourism research shows the boost in Wirral’s stats coincides with a rise across the Liverpool City Region as a whole where the visitor economy grew to a record £6.834 billion.

The figures have been celebrated by the chair of Wirral Council’s tourism, communities, culture, and leisure committee, Cllr Jenny Johnson, who said: “Wirral has so much to offer, from our coastline and countryside to our heritage, arts, events and attractions. These figures are fantastic news for Wirral and the wider Liverpool City Region, demonstrating the ongoing and growing appeal of our area as a visitor destination.”

Despite the positive numbers, Wirral Council’s heritage champion and vice chair of the committee, Cllr Jerry Williams says there is still a lot of work to be done.

Cllr Williams said: “It’s all very well saying the figures look good for Wirral but the big problem that we have is having the trickle-down factor our heritage sites benefit from the visitors.”

Cllr Williams explained there is still work to do to ensure Wirral can attract more of the people who are visiting Liverpool to come and spend some time on the other side of the Mersey.

He added that Birkenhead Park’s UNESCO World Heritage Site status could be a “key factor” in Wirral’s tourism pull.

From the rich ship making history of Cammell Laird to Birkenhead Park’s pivotal role in shaping New York City, Cllr Williams concluded: “We have a great story to tell, and we’ve still got a lot to achieve.”

The outcome of Birkenhead’s bid to become the UK’s first ever Town of Culture in 2028 will also have an impact on the borough’s earning potential. Birkenhead has been named on a 15-town shortlist after hundreds of competing comunities from across the UK put their respective hats in the ring.

Craig Pennington, the co-founder and chief executive of Future Yard, who is leading on the Birkenhead Town of Culture bid, has explained how being named Town of Culture could provide a major boost to the town’s tourism numbers well beyond 2028 itself.

Mr Pennington spoke at the Wirral Council’s Tourism, Communities, Culture, and Leisure Committee shortly after the shortlist was announced. He explained that the first ever City of Culture, Derry/Londonderry, saw a 19% increase in tourism in the years that followed its time as City of Culture in 2013.

A winner for the Town of Culture is expected to be announced early next year.

Shares of Vishal Mega Mart surged 10% on Monday after the company announced the reappointment of Managing Director and CEO Gunender Kapur for a five-year term. Morgan Stanley said the move eases succession-related concerns and provides continuity to the company’s growth strategy.

Vishal Mega Mart shares surged around 10% to Rs 113.70 apiece on Monday morning, the highest level seen in more than a month. The stock is also on track to record the biggest single-day jump since late April of 2025.

Gunender Kapur’s current three-year term as Vishal Mega Mart’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer was set to expire on June 26, 2027. The company on Friday said that its board of directors, during its meeting, approved the reappointment of the executive for a period of five years from September 1 onwards, till August 31, 2031. He has been redesignated as ‘Founder, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer’ of the popular retailer.

Morgan Stanley on Vishal Mega Mart share price

Morgan Stanley maintained its ‘Overweight’ rating on the shares of Vishal Mega Mart with a target price of Rs 146 apiece, implying a potential upside of more than 41% from the stock’s previous closing price of Rs 103.43 apiece.
The international brokerage said Gunender Kapur’s reappointment as Managing Director and CEO for another five-year term starting September 1, 2026, along with the redesignation as Founder, MD & CEO, eases succession-related concerns and provides continuity to the company’s growth strategy, ET Now reported.

It added that the stock currently trades at 42.8 times its 12-month forward price-to-earnings multiple, which the brokerage considers attractive compared with discretionary peers. Consistent execution by the company further supports Morgan Stanley’s positive view on the stock.
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Vishal Mega Mart share price

Vishal Mega Mart shares have jumped around 6% in a week and 3.5% in a month, although the stock is down 18% in 2026 so far. After hitting a record high of Rs 157.60 apiece in August last year, the stock tumbled over 37% to hit a 52-week low of Rs 98.77 apiece this March.

The stock has, however, recovered more than 15% since then to trade at Rs 113.70 apiece today. Overall, the stock has delivered negative returns of around 26% over the past one year. The company currently has a market capitalisation of around Rs 52,650 crore.

Also read | 10 midcap stocks with massive upside potential of up to 55%! Do you own any?

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Shares of Lalithaa Jewellery Mart continued to surge further, after marking a strong market debut by listing at around 32% premium over IPO price on Monday, with analysts highlighting attractive valuations while noting down the key risks.

Lalithaa Jewellery Mart shares listed at Rs 265 apiece on NSE, marking around 32% premium over the IPO price of Rs 201 apiece. After the strong market debut, the shares of the company rose further to Rs 274.40 apiece, rallying over 36% from IPO price.

The strong market debut comes after Lalithaa Jewellery Mart’s Rs 1,700 crore initial public offering received an overwhelming response, with the issue being subscribed 62.97 times overall between August 17 and August 19. The maiden public issue of the company comprised a fresh issue of Rs 1,200 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of Rs 500 crore by promoter and founder Kiran Kumar Jain.

Grey market estimates vs listing premium

Despite the strong market debut, the listing premium was slightly below grey market estimates. Ahead of listing, the unlisted shares of Lalithaa Jewellery Mart were trading with nearly 37% grey market premium (GMP) over the IPO price, according to sites tracking the unofficial market.
Lalithaa Jewellery Mart plans to use a significant portion of the IPO proceeds to accelerate its retail expansion strategy, with funds earmarked for setting up 10 new stores.

Also Read | Lalithaa Jewellery Mart shares shine on debut, list at 32% premium over IPO price

Should you buy, sell or hold Lalithaa Jewellery shares?

Despite Lalithaa Jewellery Mart’s strong market debut, investors should not ignore the risks, said Shivani Nyati, Head of Wealth at Swastika Investmart. She noted that jewellery retail is highly dependent on gold prices, consumer demand, inventory management and working capital. For the pre-listing outlook, sentiment has been strong. “Low risk Investors can book the profit while the other can hold for medium to long term,” according to the analyst.Since the company doesn’t have any hedging policy, Sunny Agrawal, Head of Fundamental Research at SBI Securities, believes that the exponential growth during the last 2-3 years would have been partially on the back of steep rise in gold prices thereby aiding margin expansion. Going forward, street will keenly watch the sustainability of the margins and growth outlook on the back of deployment of capital for expansion of 10 more stores, he added.

The strong market debut of the company comes after the Rs 1,700 crore initial public offering of the company garnered several ‘Subscribe’ calls from analysts. Ventura Securities had highlighted that the company is a leading mass-market jewellery retail chain in Southern India.

“At the upper price band of Rs. 201, the issue is valued at 11.1x FY26 diluted EPS of Rs.18.0, compared with the listed peer average P/E of 29.7x. The valuation represents a meaningful discount to peers, this combined with the company’s return ratios, regional franchise and store expansion opportunities we recommend a ‘Subscribe’ rating for the issue,” said BP Wealth.

Nirmal Bang meanwhile said that the valuation gap from peers offers a good investment opportunity considering risks related to gold-price volatility and working-capital intensity. With planned store expansion in place and proven strong fundamental record provides long term growth visibility for Lalithaa, it added.

Geojit Investments also had issued a ‘Subscribe’ call for short to medium term investors, given the company’s strong store expansion, industry leading revenue per store, robust return ratios, strong brand, and integrated manufacturing-led retail model.

Also Read | IPO rush continues: 10 issues to raise over Rs 3,500 crore this week

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

Alibaba Group Holding shares plunged as much as 10% in Hong Kong trading Monday after the Chinese e-commerce and cloud computing giant priced a record HK$80 billion, or $10.2 billion, share placement, with the company saying it will direct all of the proceeds toward expanding its artificial intelligence capabilities.

Alibaba plans to sell 710 million new ordinary shares at HK$112.70 apiece, according to a term sheet reviewed by Reuters, representing a 3.6% discount to the stock’s Friday closing price of HK$123. The transaction, launched Sunday, would mark the largest-ever primary follow-on offering by a Hong Kong-listed company, and ranks as the world’s third-largest primary follow-on share sale of the year, trailing only offerings from Alphabet and Intel.

The company was explicit about how the funds will be deployed. Alibaba said it intends to use 100% of the net proceeds from the placement to invest in its “full stack” AI capabilities, a category the company said spans chips, infrastructure, and the development and deployment of AI models, according to multiple outlets including U.S. News and Investing.com. Alibaba did not disclose further detail regarding the specific breakdown of its planned AI-related investments by category, and did not comment beyond its formal regulatory disclosure, according to reporting from WMBD Radio.

The share placement was structured as an offshore transaction not registered under U.S. securities laws, meaning American investors were not eligible to participate in the offering, Alibaba said.

Alibaba Chief Executive Eddie Wu framed the fundraising as a necessary step to secure the company’s long-term competitive position within the global AI race. According to Investing.com, Wu said Alibaba needed to build sufficient computing capacity before it could capture future growth opportunities tied to artificial intelligence, a rationale that underscores the company’s willingness to absorb near-term financial strain in pursuit of longer-term strategic positioning.

That near-term strain has already become evident in Alibaba’s recent financial results. The company reported that its net profit fell 75% year over year during its April-to-June quarter, a decline driven directly by surging AI-related capital expenditure. According to CNBC, the fundraising announcement came just days after Alibaba disclosed that steep profit drop, with heavy AI spending continuing to weigh significantly on the company’s near-term earnings even as executives argue the investment is essential to the company’s future.

Alibaba’s AI ambitions are backed by a substantial, previously announced spending commitment. The company pledged last year to invest at least 380 billion yuan in cloud computing and AI infrastructure over a three-year period, according to CNBC. According to WMBD Radio, Alibaba disclosed during its most recent earnings report that it had already spent nearly half of that three-year capital expenditure plan, while separately stating that the expected payback period on its AI-related investments was improving, falling to an estimated 2.5 years from a previous estimate of three years, a shift the company attributed to surging demand for its AI products and services.

Alibaba’s fundraising push arrives amid an intensifying global race among major technology companies to build out artificial intelligence infrastructure. According to Reuters, cited by Investing.com, the four major U.S. hyperscalers — Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet and Meta — are together expected to spend roughly $725 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, much of it directed toward AI data centers, chips and cloud infrastructure. Alibaba’s Chinese technology peers have similarly ramped up their own AI-related spending; CNBC reported that Tencent’s capital expenditure rose 65% from the previous quarter to 52.8 billion yuan during the June quarter, as that company continues investing in computing infrastructure to monetize its own AI models.

The timing of Alibaba’s capital raise also follows closely on the heels of a significant product release. According to Hokanews, the fundraising announcement came just weeks after Alibaba released its Qwen 3.8-Max model, part of the company’s broader Qwen family of large language models that has become central to its AI strategy across its e-commerce, cloud and enterprise services ecosystem.

Market reaction to the announcement was decisively negative in the immediate term, reflecting investor concern over the scale of dilution and continued capital intensity the placement represents. Coverage from Eastern Herald framed the fundraising as placing the burden of proof squarely on Alibaba’s leadership going forward, noting that while the company had clearly demonstrated its ability to raise substantial capital, the more significant open question is whether that capital, once deployed into AI infrastructure in 2026, will translate into a defensible competitive position by 2028 and beyond, a case the outlet noted “cannot yet be made with data” but “can only be made with commitment.”

The transaction also reflects a broader shift in where major Chinese technology companies are choosing to raise capital for AI investment. According to Eastern Herald, Hong Kong’s stock exchange has seen growing activity from Chinese technology firms seeking large capital raises specifically tied to AI development, a trend the outlet attributed in part to Hong Kong’s exchange authorities streamlining listing requirements and actively courting so-called “new economy” companies in recent years, positioning the city as an increasingly significant venue for this type of large-scale technology fundraising.

With the HK$80 billion placement now priced and the underlying shares set to be issued to non-U.S. investors, Alibaba’s leadership faces continued pressure to demonstrate that its aggressive AI capital expenditure translates into sustainable competitive advantage and, eventually, improved profitability, particularly given the company’s recently disclosed 75% profit decline tied directly to the same AI investment strategy the new fundraising is designed to accelerate further. Investors and analysts covering the stock are likely to continue closely monitoring Alibaba’s coming quarterly results for further signs of whether the company’s AI-related revenue growth, including continued adoption of its Qwen model family, begins to offset the substantial near-term costs associated with building out its AI infrastructure at this unprecedented scale.

John Caudwell, the Phones 4u founder, and Lord Stuart Rose, the former chief executive of Marks and Spencer, have joined a campaign calling on the Chancellor to halt and reverse the creeping taxes that its signatories say punish founders for growing their businesses.

The two are the most prominent of a wave of new backers for Stop the Creep, run by the founder group Helm, which describes itself as the UK’s largest community of scale-up founders. They sign alongside Christos Angelides, chief executive of the fashion retailer Reiss, and Charlie Mullins, who founded Pimlico Plumbers. The campaign says more than 150 business leaders and parliamentarians have now added their names.

The signatories warn of a “death by a thousand cuts” for Britain’s wealth creators. Other backers include Luke Johnson, chair of Gail’s Bakery, Johnnie Boden, founder of the clothing retailer Boden, and dozens of politicians, among them the shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith.

What the campaign is asking for

Stop the Creep makes three demands. It wants the rise in Employers’ National Insurance reversed, the entrepreneurial reliefs that have been cut restored, and a clear, stable roadmap for business taxation set out so that founders can invest with confidence. The campaign’s published case argues that Britain risks becoming an incubator economy, world class at creating businesses but unable to keep them.

Employers’ National Insurance is the sharpest of those targets, and the one with the broadest reach beyond the founder class. Employer contributions are currently charged at 15 per cent on earnings above a secondary threshold of £5,000 a year. The measure has cost more than the Treasury expected: employer contributions in the year to the end of March came in around £4 billion above the official forecast, a £28 billion increase on the year before. When the rise was first announced, the British Chambers of Commerce found that 82 per cent of member firms would reconsider their plans because of it.

A retail veteran on the cost of hiring

Lord Rose, who also chaired Asda and is chairman of Zenith Vehicles, said: “I have been in Business for over 50 years and have never been more concerned about the cost of doing business and building businesses that are financially sustainable for the long term. Employment costs and regulations are now serious impediments to growth and employment.

“Employers’ National Insurance alone took a hundred million pounds a year out of one supermarket. Multiply that across the economy and it is easy to see why investment has stalled. The good news is that this is within the Government’s gift to fix.

“This is not about special treatment. If the Government wants businesses to create jobs and growth, the Budget is the moment to ease the burden on the act of creating them.”

Caudwell’s change of mind

Caudwell, who built Phones 4u before selling his business group for £1.5 billion, switched his support from the Conservatives to Labour at the 2024 general election. He has since said he was “misled” by the party’s pro-business promises. Over the weekend he told The Telegraph: “I do not think the Labour Party is electable”, adding that he would back any party that seeks to turbocharge growth.

Mullins sold Pimlico Plumbers in 2021 and has already left the UK for Spain over the rising tax burden, which is the point the campaign is making about direction of travel rather than about any one measure.

The Budget as the test

The intervention lands as attention turns to Chancellor John Healey’s first Budget on 28 October. Polling of business leaders published by Helm earlier this month found that just 6 per cent consider Prime Minister Andy Burnham to be pro-business, with more than four in five expecting trading conditions to stay the same or get worse.

Andreas Adamides, chief executive of Helm, said: “John Caudwell wanted this Government to succeed. Lord Rose has spent half a century at the top of British business. Charlie Mullins has already left. That is what training entrepreneurs for export looks like.

“When founders of this calibre unite around one cause the Government should listen, because these are exactly the people it needs on side to deliver the growth it has promised.”

Adamides said founders were “ready and willing” to work with ministers on growth. “Andy Burnham says he is pro-growth, and we take him at his word, but his first Budget this autumn will be the real test of this commitment.

“Stopping the creep of taxes on wealth creators, and giving business the certainty it needs to invest, would be the clearest possible signal that this Government wants Britain’s founders to build and succeed here.”

Helm says its members run scale-up businesses with combined revenue of more than £8 billion and contribute £1 billion a year in tax. The average member is the chief executive of a company turning over £21 million a year.

For owner managers outside that bracket, the practical question the Budget answers is narrower than the campaign’s framing. Employers’ National Insurance is a live cost on every payroll, and the reliefs at issue, principally those that reduce the tax due when a business is sold or passed on, are the ones that determine what a founder keeps at the end. Both are set on 28 October.

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Sydney commercial lawyer Joanna Oakey has built her professional profile around a part of business law that can have consequences well beyond the signing of a contract: helping owners buy, grow and sell businesses.

As managing director of Aspect Legal, Oakey works in commercial law with a particular emphasis on business sales and acquisitions, while the firm also advises on contracts, intellectual property, trademarks, brand protection, procurement, employment and disputes. Her current professional profile describes her as a commercial lawyer and deal maker with more than 20 years of experience.

Her work has also expanded beyond conventional legal practice. Oakey hosts The Deal Room and Talking Law podcasts, writes about commercial issues affecting business owners and is the author of Buy Grow Exit: The Ultimate Guide to Using Your Business as a Wealth Creation Vehicle.

1. Business sales and acquisitions sit at the center of her practice

For an entrepreneur, selling a business can be the financial culmination of years of work. For a buyer, acquiring an established company can represent a major investment with significant legal and commercial risks.

Oakey’s practice has a substantial focus on these transactions.

Aspect Legal says it provides specialist advice to buyers and sellers throughout business and share sales and acquisitions, including preparation, legal due diligence, transaction structuring, drafting, negotiation and completion. The firm also says it has advised thousands of local and national business owners as they acquire and exit businesses.

That work can begin well before a sale agreement is drafted.

For sellers, legal preparation may involve reviewing existing customer and supplier contracts, employment arrangements, leases, intellectual property and other assets. The purpose is to identify potential problems before a prospective buyer’s lawyers uncover them during due diligence.

For buyers, the process can involve examining whether the business actually owns the assets it appears to own, whether important contracts can be transferred, whether there are unresolved disputes and whether regulatory or employment issues could create liabilities after completion.

Oakey’s recent writing reflects this emphasis on preparation.

In June 2026, she wrote about six contract problems that business owners should address before selling. The article warned that problems identified during a buyer’s legal review can affect negotiations, including warranties, money held back at completion or earn-out structures.

The broader message is straightforward: The legal preparation for a business sale should not necessarily begin when a buyer appears.

2. She emphasizes getting a business ready before the deal begins

A recurring theme in Oakey’s work is that business owners should prepare for an eventual transaction rather than waiting until a buyer is already at the table.

That can be particularly important because buyers and their advisers can examine a business in considerable detail.

Aspect Legal says its work for sellers can include an independent review of a company’s legal strengths and weaknesses, preparation of documents, confidentiality agreements, sale agreements and negotiation of transaction terms.

For a business owner, seemingly minor legal housekeeping can become significant when the company is being sold.

A customer contract may not contain the rights the seller assumed it did. A lease may have restrictions on assignment. An employee agreement may be outdated. A trademark may not be properly protected. A key supplier arrangement may not transfer automatically to a purchaser.

None of these issues necessarily prevents a transaction. But they can create additional negotiations, delays or uncertainty.

Oakey’s recent article on preparing contracts before a sale makes that point directly, arguing that problems are generally easier to address before a buyer becomes involved.

For business owners thinking about an eventual exit, that approach turns legal preparation into part of the broader business strategy.

It also changes the timing of the lawyer’s role.

Instead of appearing only when documents need to be signed, a commercial lawyer can become involved earlier, helping an owner identify legal issues that could affect the value or attractiveness of the company.

3. Privacy compliance has become a new transaction issue in 2026

One of the most current aspects of Oakey’s work is her focus on changing privacy obligations and how they can affect business transactions.

In July 2026, Aspect Legal published analysis of changes taking effect during the year and their implications for businesses preparing to sell. The firm said changes taking effect July 1 expanded the number of businesses affected by privacy obligations, while further changes scheduled for Dec. 10 would introduce additional disclosure requirements concerning the use of artificial intelligence in decision-making for covered businesses.

For sellers, the issue is not simply regulatory compliance.

Privacy practices can become part of the buyer’s due diligence process.

A prospective purchaser may want to know what customer information the business holds, how that information was collected, whether privacy policies are appropriate, whether data is transferred offshore and what obligations apply to the business.

That means a privacy problem can become a transaction problem.

Aspect Legal made a similar point in July when discussing the buyer’s perspective, saying privacy compliance is increasingly an issue to examine during due diligence.

The development is particularly relevant as more businesses adopt cloud services, artificial intelligence tools and digital customer-management systems.

For an owner planning to sell, the lesson is that the legal value of a business can be affected by how well its information, contracts and compliance systems are organized.

Privacy may once have been treated as an administrative issue. In a transaction, it can become part of the commercial risk assessment.

4. Oakey has made legal education part of her professional identity

Oakey’s public profile extends beyond traditional client work.

She hosts Talking Law, which Aspect Legal describes as a podcast offering legal tips to business owners without the jargon. She also hosts The Deal Room, which focuses specifically on business sales and acquisitions.

The Deal Room has become a significant part of her professional positioning because it focuses on the people and advisers involved in transactions rather than limiting discussion to legal doctrine.

Aspect Legal describes the podcast as Australia’s first podcast dedicated to business sales and acquisitions and says it features industry advisers as well as owners and managers involved in buying and selling organizations.

Oakey is also the author of Buy Grow Exit, a book focused on using a business as a wealth-creation vehicle. Her firm’s profile identifies her as a lawyer, author and podcaster.

That educational focus may matter to business owners because many commercial legal decisions arise before a formal legal engagement.

An entrepreneur considering an acquisition may first want to understand how due diligence works. A business owner preparing for an exit may want to know what buyers look for. Someone negotiating a shareholders agreement may need to understand the practical consequences of different structures.

Providing accessible information can help owners recognize those questions earlier.

Oakey’s LinkedIn activity also shows that she continues to discuss current business issues, including artificial intelligence, business brokerage and the practical challenges involved in buying and selling companies. Her recent posts include commentary around AI adoption among advisers and a 2026 masterclass on buying and selling businesses.

5. Her approach connects legal work with the business lifecycle

Oakey’s career is built around more than isolated legal transactions.

Aspect Legal describes its model as helping growing businesses acquire companies, consolidate and protect their assets and eventually exit in a way designed to preserve business value.

That approach treats legal advice as something that can follow a business through different stages.

At the growth stage, the issues may include contracts, employment arrangements, intellectual property and brand protection.

During expansion, the company may acquire another business or enter a joint venture.

As the owners prepare to exit, the focus can shift to legal due diligence, transaction structures, sale agreements and negotiations.

The same legal foundations can matter at each stage.

A company with well-managed contracts and clearly protected intellectual property may be easier to review during due diligence. A business with unresolved legal problems may face more questions from prospective buyers.

Aspect Legal says it can assist sellers from early planning and structuring through the transaction itself, while buyers can receive assistance with due diligence, structuring, negotiations and post-acquisition planning.

This lifecycle perspective is particularly relevant for small and mid-sized business owners, who may not have in-house legal teams.

The bottom line on Joanna Oakey

Joanna Oakey has built a professional identity around the intersection of commercial law and business transactions.

As managing director of Aspect Legal, her practice covers business sales and acquisitions alongside broader commercial services, including contracts, intellectual property, trademarks, procurement, employment and disputes.

Her current work also reflects emerging issues affecting Australian businesses. Recent publications from Aspect Legal have focused on privacy compliance, AI-related obligations, contract preparation and the practical challenges facing buyers and sellers in 2026.

For business owners, perhaps the most relevant feature of Oakey’s practice is its focus on the period before a transaction becomes urgent.

A business sale is rarely just about signing a contract. It can involve years of preparation, legal housekeeping, negotiations, due diligence and decisions about how risk should be allocated between buyer and seller.

For owners considering their next stage of growth — or an eventual exit — understanding those issues early can make the legal side of the process considerably easier to navigate.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Business owners should obtain independent legal, financial and tax advice based on their individual circumstances before entering into a transaction.

The popular Wiltshire event attracts around 150,000 visitors each year

Behind-the-scenes secrets have emerged as one of Wiltshire’s most visited tourist destinations gears up for a major seasonal spectacle. Longleat Estate has staged its popular Festival of Light since 2014, drawing around 150,000 visitors.

However, beneath the sparkle and spectacle, there are staff to house, installations – including the celebrated singing Christmas tree – to be built and maintained, and vehicles to be accommodated.

An application to Wiltshire Council seeks permission for all three.

According to the report, Longleat hopes to capture the zeitgeist with an illuminated Wooden Horse of Troy – re-popularised by the Hollywood movie hit Odyssey – as part of this year’s theme, Legendary Worlds.

Visitors will be invited to explore the lost city of Atlantis and meet the gods, heroes and monsters of ancient Greece, along with the Vikings and the court of King Arthur.

The festival will run between November 7 and January 10, between 4pm and 8.30pm.

Organisers wish to install temporary surfacing to accommodate parking for hundreds of vehicles, alongside temporary lighting to assist families navigating to and from their cars.

The planning application highlights that guest arrivals are staggered throughout the day, with numbers restricted.

The Estate also seeks to supply temporary accommodation for roughly 70 staff members.

This will comprise seven 10-berth static caravans.

Meanwhile, the expansive coach park will be covered with marquees and utilised for assembling and maintaining the giant lanterns.

The planning application highlights that the Festival of Light has evolved into an “established and popular feature of the Longleat calendar”, contributing to 15 per cent of the estate’s annual visitor numbers.