Kent Wheel – Photo: University of Kent via Flickr
After a few months absence, the Kent Wheel is now back on the Canterbury campus. The Wheel is reported to remain on campus until 15 October, and will open to the public once more from 1 July.
The return of the Wheel has been controversial amongst students, following the report that the Wheel had cost £54,800 for its three weeks on campus earlier this academic year. In a quote from the University Press Office, InQuire was told that the Wheel would cost £7,867 per week for its latest run on campus, but it was not stated whether this figure included security costs.
The University also rejected concerns that nobody would use the Wheel over the summer, while students aren’t on campus, saying “the University of Kent will host over 50,000 conference guests this summer while the Kent Wheel is on campus and we are excited to offer them a ride on this unique attraction during their stay”.
The Wheel has also faced controversy due to the loss that was made over the course of its stay earlier in the year, where costs totalled £54,800, but ticket sales only raised £36,000 for the Kent Opportunity Fund. The University also responded to these concerns, stating that “this anniversary year we have secured pledges of £1.5m to the Kent Opportunity Fund.
“The Kent Wheel is one part of many events and projects taking place this year for our students, staff, alumni, former staff and the wider Kent community, and feedback about the attraction last year was overwhelmingly positive. We are confident that it will make a positive financial contribution to the Kent Opportunity Fund when it has completed its stay – it has certainly captured everyone’s imagination”.
The Kent Wheel is open to the public from 1 July – 15 October, and the price for students is £3.
