In 1996, H. E. Group Ltd and its subsidiary, H. E. Services (Plant Hire) Ltd, invited customers to an open day in Kent. Many brought their families and pretty soon their children were scrambling all over the diggers, dumpers, rollers and telehandlers to drive and operate them. From this day, the seed of an idea began to grow in Hugh Edeleanu’s entrepreneurial and enterprising mind.

Many were less than enthusiastic about the viability of the idea and counselled against it, but Hugh’s single-minded determination and belief in the project won through.

It took nearly four years of planning and development. Of course, with the proposed new digger themed adventure park intending to cater primarily for families with young children, there were a lot of health and safety concerns to be addressed, considered and overcome.

These hurdles notwithstanding and with H. E. Group’s subsidiary, Masterhitch Europe Ltd having designed and manufactured many of the rides, the first Diggerland Adventure Park opened in April 2000 in north Kent, and was an instant hit… thereby proving all Hugh’s critics and doubters wrong!