The Hunger Games – Bishop's Castle company Jesmonite helps deliver major new theme park celebrating hit film series
The dystopian world of Panem, scene of The Hunger Games, is not likely to be somewhere you'd ever want to visit.
But a theme park has now opened in Dubai which recreates some of the most famous scenes from the box office-busting film series – built with tonnes of Shropshire-made material.
Bishop's Castle-based Jesmonite, via one of its customers based in York, provided tonnes of its water-based building material for some of the thematic elements of the park.
Film production company Lionsgate and Dubai Parks and Resorts opened The World of the Hunger Games park in October in Motiongate Dubai – the Middle East’s biggest Hollywood-inspired theme park.
Two Jesmonite products were used for the "thematic elements" such as sculptures, plaques and external columns which recreated the world of Panem as seen in the four-film series.
The company's technical sales executive Tim Sharman said: "We have man different approved manufacturers who work in our materials across about 30 countries worldwide.
"This enquiry was from a company in York called Paragon, who use our material in things like film sets and leisure parks – anywhere they are creating weird and wonderful features.
"They have used the material for things like columns and entrances and different parts of the Hunger Games zone where guests walk about and experience different things – there's four or five recreations around, whether it's Panem or the different districts."
In the Hunger Games books and films, Panem is a central city which controls various "districts", from which people are drawn to battle one another.
Starring Jennifer Lawrence, the films grossed more than $2.9 billion (£2.17 billion) around the world.
It is not the first high-profile use of the company's material. In the past it has provided its material for magnificent Middle Eastern villas and 6,000 decorative pieces for the £473 million cruise ship Britannia.
More recently, is has been pressed into service making parts for film sets, and had products used on Star Wars: The Force Awakens, and to create mysterious alien landscapes for Guardians Of The Galaxy.
But the company, the second biggest employer in Bishop's Castle, was rocked earlier this year when its managing director Simon Pearson died in the sea while on holiday in Italy.
Mr Pearson was described as a "model businessman" after his death, which happened when the 47-year-old was trying to save his daughter.
Another long-serving team member, Mark Lennock, is now at the helm of the business after its response to the tragedy, which left the company "devastated".
Jesmonite is a water-based material which is used to produce decorative mouldings on high-end building projects, as well as for art projects and sculptures.
