Indoor tropical paradise planned for London raises first £150k crowdfunding target within a week – could 'Summerland' be a hit with sun-starved Britons?

January in London could soon involve heat, beaches and fake sunshine instead of Arctic blasts and dull skies, with a planned indoor 'tropical paradise' now one step closer to becoming a reality.

Summerland, described by the creators as an 'immersive festival in a jungle paradise,' hit its first target of £150,000 within seven days on equity crowdfunding website Seedrs.

Now, the designers behind it have reopened the investment doors and are looking to raise more money alongside angel investors.

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Winter paradise? Summerland - an indoor tropical paradise for London - is one step closer to becoming a reality

This second stage of the project requires roughly £700,000. A third injection of money – just over £2million – will come from venture capitalists who have committed funds in principle once the first two rounds are completed.

In total, £185,000 has now been raised on Seedrs for 5.94 per cent equity. It has 113 investors, meaning the average ploughed into it is roughly £1,650 per person.

Deborah Armstrong, the managing director of creative studio Strong & Co and the brains behind Summerland, told This is Money: 'We were surprised by not only how quickly we raised the initial amount but also by how much positive publicity we received. People love Summerland.'

Deborah, who was recently voted the third most influential person in the events industry, does experiential consultancy for agencies like Saatchi and brands such as Merlin Entertainment, which owns Alton Towers and Thorpe Park among other ventures. 

Regular clients include Channel Four and Film Four. She is currently busy designing social media website Twitter's 10th birthday party. 

She is also the co-creator of Shangri-La, the popular after-hours epicentre at Glastonbury Festival popular with revellers.

Summer all year round: The project would see people being able to enjoy tropical climes throughout the year

Summerland will be based in London, but the exact location is under wraps. Deborah told This is Money that it is somewhere with fantastic transport links – three tube stations within ten minute walk of the potential venue.

It will require eight months to build the ambitious project, which will feature a waterfall, treehouses, hot-tubs, beach huts, live DJs and an animated skyline, which will change from day to night.

How likely is it to be built soon? Deborah said: 'We have given ourselves an internal deadline of the end of January to have the second round agreed, that gives us plenty of breathing space to achieve the next steps.

'If round two is not achieved by end January we will simply push the opening back by a year. Having worked on it for three years now, another year makes little difference.'

Summerland is billed as a handy solution for people wanting to escape long, cold winters in Europe, but who don't want the hassle and expense of actually leaving Britain.

January is one of the busiest months for holiday bookings as people search for some winter sun and to escape the blues of returning to work after Christmas.

The indoor summer experience will have two parts. The first, between 9am and 5.30pm, will be for parents and children. After 6pm and until 3am, it will be an adults-only series of parties with additional exotic dancers.

Wish you were here? Summerland could be a hit with families in the day and party goers in the evening

But if built, would it be able to attract repeat visitors, or will it be a novelty?

Deborah says: 'We have no doubt that Summerland will be very popular – the public reaction to it so far has been phenomenal.

'Significantly, we have been getting numerous enquiries from individuals and organisations for tickets to attend the event and tickets are not even on sale yet.

'We are working with one of the top marketing agencies in the country – AKA – who are supremely confident of the appeal of Summerland and let's face it – life is always better in flipflops.

'The programming is designed for repeat custom as we have a variety of different artists and bands performing during each run as well as surprises which we will reveal closer to the time. I'd certainly be there with my family more than once.'

This campaign has been reopened for investment due to the ineligibility of a large institutional investor for Seed Enterprise Scheme relief.

The creators plan to keep the round open until the full SEIS availability has been utilised.

SEIS is a government scheme designed to promote new enterprise and entrepreneurship. It offers tax efficient benefits to investors in small and early stage businesses in the UK. 

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