Wicksteed Park attraction remains closed after replacement part safety concerns
One of Wicksteed Park’s newest and most visible attractions will not open this year after an engineering inspection of the ride.
The popular family-friendly fun-packed destination unveiled its ferris wheel to park goers in May 2023.
After two seasons, the ‘Garden Wheel’ was stripped down at the start of this year for maintenance, but has remained in pieces.
In May, the park announced an annual winter maintenance and safety checks discovered that the Garden Wheel needed some bespoke replacement parts from Italy.
But today in a message to customers a Wicksteed Park spokesman said: “Following the installation of replacement parts on our Garden Wheel, subsequent testing by inspectors has revealed that the technical issues originally diagnosed by an expert engineering inspection are actually being caused by a wider fault.
“We have therefore had to order further replacement parts and, as the safety and the compatibility of the parts is our top priority, we have ordered these parts from the ride manufacturer in Italy.
“As mentioned in our statement earlier this year, ordering parts from the manufacturer involves a substantially longer lead time than for parts made in the UK. This lead time will also now be affected by summer shut down periods affecting processing in Europe.”
The 25-meter (82-foot) tall ride replaced the dismantled Rush ride and now-demolished Oak Tree Cafe.
With space to accommodate up to 72 passengers in 18 gondolas, the wheel provides impressive views out across the park and the surrounding Northamptonshire countryside.
The ride previously operated at Lightwater Valley from 2008 to 2016. For the 2017 season the ride was relocated to Bayside Fun Park in Bridlington, Yorkshire.
WIcksteed Park’s statement added: “We comply with the strictest health and safety standards for all rides on site and therefore will not reopen the ride until we are completely happy that our internal safety standards, together with industry regulations, are met in full.
“While we had hoped to be able to get the replacement parts on site to allow time for fitting, testing, inspection and reopening of the ride this season, we now anticipate that the timescale will fall outside of the 2025 season. The safety of our visitors will continue to be of paramount importance to us and the ride will therefore remain closed this year.
“In the meantime, all Wicksteed Park’s other rides and attractions will be open as usual.
“Thank you everyone for your understanding and patience as we put your safety first and thank you for your continued support of Wicksteed Park.”
For information about Wicksteed Park and other attractions that are available go to https://wicksteedpark.org/ for tickets and details.