Personally, I’m confident that Castletown will continue to prosper for 3 reasons:
On a broader scale, I also envisage Portland receiving significantly more visitors in the future when the Eden/Jurassica/Journey to the Centre of the Earth Project opens in 2020 and other developments planned on the island progress. There is even a business proposal for a Portland to Cherbourg high- speed ferry in a few years’ time. Of course, the Western Relief Road (or Jurassic Highway as its now called) will be of enormous benefit when it is eventually built. All of these developments will indirectly benefit Castletown.
Conclusion
In three and a half years, I’ve more or less rolled out and completed what I set out to do. Some elements of the multi-faceted project need tweaking and refining (such as the Underwater Curiosity Park [UCP]) and whilst there has been some increase in scuba divers visiting, these numbers are not yet what I hope they will be. When someone takes on the lease of Bosun’s Blockhouse and uses it as a dedicated dive shop and training school in conjunction with the UCP, I anticipate many hundreds of divers will visit each week through the season.
I feel I’ve now done my bit for Castletown. Whilst I still have a number of years of Chairing and growing my business, I’ve achieved what I set out to – that is to ‘put something back’ into society. I’ve kick-started Castletown’s regeneration and I believe it will now pick up momentum.
I will continue to monitor the continued success of what I’ve started and I’m particularly excited at the potential I believe there is in the Underwater Curiosity Park as a national, if not international, attraction.
I wish Castletown continued growth, prosperity and a peaceful social existence for its current and future population and, if this all transpires, as I believe it will, then I can rest knowing that my legacy was, in part at least, responsible.
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