Wicksteed Park Garden Wheel Maintenance Update

We wanted to let everyone know what’s happening with our Garden Wheel.

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.

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.