Pricing & segmentsThe Lost Gardens of Heligan
Heligan’s undated ticket page, with 2026 copyright, lists adult tickets at £28.20, children aged 5 to 17 at £10, students at £15.70, and adults on Universal Credit or Pension Credit at £5 and children at £1, with under-5s free. A child ticket is about 35% of the adult price by our arithmetic. The page mentions reduced prices from 25 June to 1 September under a summer savings scheme, and it isn’t clear whether these are the reduced rates. Family and annual pass prices aren’t listed.
Why might one garden charge £28.20, £15.70, £10 and £5 to different customers, and what does each price do to demand? Practise this in AO2 Application.
Interpreting accountsSt Austell Town Council
The council’s 2026/27 budget book shows a precept of £1,420,600 against £1,301,100, up about 9.2% by our arithmetic, and Band D of £213.90 against £197.20, up £16.70 or 8.47%. Income of £1,744,585 includes £265,000 from car parks, and the precept is about 81.4% of it by our arithmetic. Spending is £1,654,361 plus a £50,000 contingency, and £40,000 is moved to reserves. The text is scanned, so some figures may be misread, and reserve balances aren’t shown.
Why does the precept rise 9.2% when Band D rises 8.47%, and what does car park income tell you about the council’s funding? Step by step in AO3 Analysis.
Strategy & stakeholdersSt Austell Brewery
The Morning Advertiser reported on 19 June 2026 that St Austell Brewery’s 2025 turnover was £234.2m against £231.4m, a rise of about 1.2% by our arithmetic, with underlying EBITDA of £22m against £22.4m and £21.9m invested in its pubs, brands and systems. It runs 45 managed pubs and said it would keep investing rather than chase short-term returns, citing cost pressures, weaker demand in the South West and a fall in domestic tourism. Pre-tax profit and staff numbers weren’t given.
Should a brewery keep investing £21.9m when profit is slightly down and costs are rising, and who gains or loses? A real judgement for AO4 Evaluation.
St Austell’s economy in the classroom
Wikipedia gives St Austell’s civil parish 20,985 residents at the 2021 census and its built-up area 24,360. A garden, a town council and a brewery give students real contexts for pricing, accounts and strategy. We tie these themes to topics on the specification.
Sources: Wikipedia, St Austell; Lost Gardens of Heligan, ticket prices (undated); St Austell Town Council, 2026/27 budget book; The Morning Advertiser, 19 June 2026; Beer Today, 23 June 2026; Cornwall College; provider pages. The 35%, 9.2%, 81.4% and 1.2% figures are our arithmetic, the Heligan page is undated, and the budget book is scanned text.
