New rides to add to theme park’s thrills in £400,000 investment

TWO new rides will be unveiled at Oakwood Theme Park in west Wales for its coming summer season as part of a £400,000 investment.

The Pembrokeshire attraction will unveil new family ride, Dizzy Disk, for Easter, as well as bringing back popular thrill ride Bounce after a major refurbishment.

The new rides follow a number of multi-million pound investment in the park over recent years.

Employing more than 300 people, including 20 full-time year round employees, in addition to hundreds of seasonal staff, Oakwood is a one of the largest employers in Pembrokeshire and plans to create further jobs through future investments.

Joining Oakwood’s collection 27 rides and experiences, Dizzy Disk will see riders face outwards as they glide back and forth while simultaneously spinning in circles

Bounce which originally closed in 2016, will be reopened – becoming Oakwood’s fifth large thrill ride.

Its new season starts on April 15 and will run until November 3.

The changes come on the back of more than £8.5m worth of investment into the park by parent company Aspro since it acquired Oakwood in 2008.

This includes £4.5m developing new Peter Pan themed children’s area Neverland in 2013, as well as £1.5m last year to create Spooky Street – a major new family zone featuring new rides, attractions and catering facilities.

In addition to new areas, more than £600,000 has been spent maintaining and upgrading existing rides, with a further £650,000 having been invested in new catering and retail facilities.

Moreover, IT infrastructure upgrades has ensured that 50% of Oakwood’s sales are now online.

Park director Phil Verbinnen said: “We are excited to welcome our new ride Dizzy Disk and reinstate Bounce to Oakwood, adding to our repertoire of fun, family friendly attractions at the park.

“We have invested significantly into the park in recent years, creating exciting new thrills for the family market, along with new catering and retail facilities which will add to the visitor experience.

“This new destination marks the start of our ambitious plans for further investment in the coming years, designed in response to visitor feedback.”