14 Nov 2017
Drayton Manor’s Colin Bryan receives honour at Buckingham Palace
BY Alice Davis
The head of Drayton Manor Theme Park in Tamworth, Staffordshire, has collected an OBE for his lifetime services to leisure tourism, his philanthropy, and charity work.
Colin Bryan, whose parents founded the theme park in 1950, received the honour at an awards ceremony held at Buckingham Palace on Friday (10 November).
Bryan has worked at the park since he was a boy, spending time in almost every department – even training as a chef to better understand the food and beverage side of the business.
“It's in my blood so I feel very honoured to receive this OBE," said Bryan. "I still love watching our guests have fun, enjoying themselves, knowing I have played a part in that.
“The park truly is a family affair: it began with my parent’s passion to create somewhere magical for people to visit after the war. It is our whole family’s life works and I couldn’t be more proud.”
On the charity side, Bryan is a patron of KidsOut, and has hosted a charity event for the organisation at Drayton Manor every year for the past 25 years. This year, more than 5,000 disadvantaged, disabled or troubled children got to enjoy the experience.
Bryan is also involved with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Midlands Air Ambulance, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, St Giles Hospice, the National Autistic Society, Alzheimer’s Research UK and Birmingham Children’s Hospital, among others.
Bryan was named on the New Year's Honours list 2017 in January and received the award from Prince William on 10 November.
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