Rollercoaster fan saddened by sudden closure of Wales’s largest theme park

A rollercoaster enthusiast has spoken of her sadness at the sudden closure of Wales’s largest theme park.

Charlotte Brandford travels the world riding rollercoasters and said the centrepiece of the Oakwood site in Pembrokeshire – the wooden Megafobia ride – was her second favourite in the UK.

The owner of the park, Aspro Parks Group, announced it will shut with immediate effect after almost 40 years due to a drop in visitor numbers.

“My heart goes out to everyone who has been affected by this, whether it be those who worked at the park, or those who simply visited on a regular basis as their way to escape reality – as that is the real reason that we all love visiting theme parks,” she said.

“Who knows what the future holds for the park, or even the rides. The statement from the park does mention that assets will be relocated to their other parks?

“Maybe someone could still come in to rescue it? Either way, it would be a crying shame to totally lose Megafobia forever.”

Ms Brandford, who lives in London, said she was surprised at the decision given that the park owners invested more than £2 million refurbishing Megafobia in 2022.

“Whilst I am obviously very sad about this closure, I feel mostly upset for those locally who are affected. Whether that be the staff, or the visitors,” she said.

“No matter how drab the park felt, it would have still been an incredible day out for so many people that rely on the escapism that theme parks bring.

“Who knows what the future holds for the site or the rides. I know the statement from the park mentioned that assets and staff would be relocated to other sites where possible.

“But most of these rides will operate again, whether that’s on the same site, in another UK park or abroad.

“Megafobia is the concern though. My second favourite coaster in the UK, and one of my favourite wooden coasters in Europe.

“It can be relocated, but it would be a pain, and it would need to be done by someone who cares about keeping this fantastic coaster alive.”

Ms Brandford has travelled as far as Japan for her thrillseeking hobby, which she blogs about online under the name Diary of a Rollercoaster Girl.

In a statement, Aspro Parks Group said the decision had been reached due to the “challenges presented by the current business environment”.

“Aspro Parks has invested over £25 million since rescuing the park from being at risk of closure in 2008,” a spokesman said.

“Despite the ongoing investment visitor numbers have declined, the financial performance of the park has suffered, making further investment unsustainable.

“The unrelenting economic challenges ahead, increases in costs, affecting all areas of the operation from; ride parts to electricity costs, food and beverage inflation, increases in the national living wage and changes to national insurance thresholds have all impacted the decision.”

They added: “We are aware that Oakwood has been a much-loved destination for generations and a rite of passage for many young visitors. It is for this reason we feel such a sense of sadness.”

The Welsh Tourism Alliance said more than 20% of working people in Pembrokeshire are employed in tourism and hospitality.

“A combination of Welsh Government and UK Government decisions, including increased national insurance, council tax premiums, 182-day minimum occupancy for holiday lets and proposals for the Welsh visitor levy are killing the Welsh tourism and hospitality industry,” a spokesman said.

“Many parts of Wales have limited alternative employment opportunities. This means that without jobs in tourism and hospitality local people will be forced to leave in search of work.”

Rebecca Evans, cabinet secretary for economy, energy and planning, said the Welsh Government was awaiting further details of the impact on job losses and on the future of the site.

“We sympathise with those affected by this decision and stand ready to provide support to the workforce and to the supply chain,” she told the Senedd.

Samuel Kurtz, who had raised the closure as an urgent question during plenary, asked the minister whether she would raise the issue of the rise in employer national insurance contributions in the UK Government Budget with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

“Aspro, the parent company, have cited the ‘unrelenting economic challenges’ as the reason for the closure, and they have invested over £25 million there,” he said.

“They say that national insurance contributions, inflationary costs of food and drink, and the cost of ride parts and electricity have all been affected.

“We can’t ignore the impact of what’s happened in the Budget on the decision by Aspro to close Oakwood.”

Ms Evans replied: “I don’t think that there’s anything in relation to the announcement that suggests that this is a Wales-specific issue.

“I think that the issues that were described are certainly wider than things that the Welsh Government can have a direct impact on.”