JCB does 24 machine deal with Diggerland

James Richardson of Greenshields JCB (centre, left) seals the deal with Hugh Edeleanu at JCB World Headquarters

A fleet of 24 JCB skid steers will be entertaining thousands of children for years to come after being purchased for use as attractions at a UK theme park.

The JCB 135 skid steer loaders will be used on the ‘JCB Robots’ driving experience at four Diggerland parks in Kent, Devon, Durham and Yorkshire.

The £650,000 deal was placed through Greenshields JCB and cements a long-standing relationship with Diggerland, which was launched in 2000 by H.E. Services owner, Hugh Edeleanu.

He commented, “The Diggerland theme parks have gone from strength to strength over the past two decades. Visitors young and old continue to be thrilled by the opportunity to operate or ride in JCB machines, whether it is driving the 135 skid steer or digging with a JCB 3CX backhoe loader.”

JCB group managing director global key accounts, Yvette Henshall-Bell added, “JCB machines can be found on every continent across the globe, but being the star attraction at a theme park has to be one of the most entertaining uses we know of. Showcasing JCBs at Diggerland brings the construction world within the reach of operators of the future, which can only be good news for our industry.”

The skid steers will join a host of JCB machines already at the theme park, with attractions such as driving a JCB 3CX backhoe loader, the ‘Groundshuttle’ – a JCB 540-140 Loadall with 15 seats – and being lifted 18 metres in the air in a 540-180 Loadall. The theme park also has JCB 135 skid steer and 3CX backhoe loader racing experiences for adults.