Rollercoaster ups and downs of closed theme park adored by generations

Oakwood Theme Park opened in 1987 but has closed its doors before the start of the 2025 season

They say life can be like a rollercoaster, but for Richard Drummond and his family, it is a ride that has lasted for three generations.

Richard, his dad and his two sons have all worked at Oakwood Theme Park, in Pembrokeshire, over the last 30 years.

But on Tuesday, Wales' largest theme park announced it was shutting down with immediate effect due to a drop in visitor numbers.

It has left Richard, and thrill-seekers around the world, wondering what comes next for the once-great attraction.

Richard, 48, from Pembroke Dock, joined Oakwood in 1995 at a time when they employed about 400 seasonal staff each year.

"I was 18 or 19 and met lots of people from all over. You met all these people that you had never met before," he said.

The park, which opened in 1987, was originally owned by William McNamara - a Pembrokeshire farmer diversifying into the leisure industry.

"You would see the directors walking around the park. Their kids worked there as well. The owners were willing to get their hands dirty," Richard added.

Richard started out in the food stalls at Oakwood in 1995

Richard witnessed the birth of the world-renowned rollercoaster Megafobia in 1996.

"I could see this structure slowly going in and I was thinking, I know that's going to be pretty impressive when it's finished," he said.

"A lot of us that worked there were the first people to go on it."

Mr McNamara went on to create the neighbouring Bluestone holiday resort and sold Oakwood to Spanish leisure giant Aspro in 2008.

Richard believes they "underestimated" the task at hand.

"It costs a lot of money to replace parts, especially because most of them come from Europe," he said.

In 2009 Astro decided to halve the number of full-time employees and Richard was let go after 14 years at Oakwood.

Richard and his two sons riding Megafobia at Oakwood

Richard's dad, who has worked at the site over the last couple of years, said he believed the park was in decline.

"He would tell me we only had so many people in today, or they had to close this ride because they didn't have enough staff," Richard said.

Due to a drop in visitor numbers, Oakwood Theme Park owners Aspro Park said "future investment" was "unsustainable" for the attraction.

The company added "all possible avenues" had been explored to avoid the closure, and that "unrelenting economic challenges" from electricity costs, ride parts and food and drink inflation, as well as changes to National Insurance thresholds affected the decision.

The park's closure has left Richard feeling "emotional", but he plans to have a staff reunion this summer to share the good times they had at the attraction.

A 28-year-old Justin sat with a test dummy trialling Megafobia in February 1996

Justin Garvanovic, founder of the European Coaster Club, remembers the first whispers about a wooden coaster coming to Wales.

"I bumped into William McNamara in Blackpool looking at the Big Dipper wooden coaster there. I put two and two together immediately," he said.

"We would go down every two weeks to see William, and his brother Paddy, to see the ride being built."

Justin and his fellow club members loved it so much they decided to host an annual trip at Oakwood - known as the Welsh Weekender.

The European Coaster Club celebrated their 25th trip to Oakwood last year as part of their annual get together.

A new venue will have be found for the annual pilgrimage, but Justin admitted it will be hard to replace the "special and unique" Oakwood setting.

The Welsh Weekender, pictured in 1999, was held at Oakwood for 25 years

Justin said he "sadly" saw the closure coming after what he described as the park's decline in recent years.

"It's a fantastic park, but if you talk to people in England, they don't know it exists," he said.

The world has lost "one of the world's best wooden coasters" in Megafobia, according to Justin.

He said Pembrokeshire is a "wonderful part of the world", but added Oakwood has been asking the same question for decades.

"How do you get all these people to know that this treasure is there?"

Justin broke the news that Oakwood was building its Megafobia ride in the First Drop magazine

Korey Kiepert, from Cincinnati, Ohio, is a rollercoaster designer and engineer who was involved in the refurbishment of Megafobia three years ago.

The 50-year-old adores theme parks and even commemorated his wedding day with a rollercoaster ride.

"Megafobia is special," he said.

"We really felt like we improved it and brought it back to life."

It has been a "whirlwind of emotions" for Korey hearing about the park's closure.

"Oakwood is magical. It's got a lot of nice trees and it's just out in the open. All of that just adds to the experience," he said.

Korey standing on Megafobia during the refurbishments made to the ride in 2022

Korey said the park's closure is a result of a "perfect storm" as costs increase both for the park and its visitors.

"If you want to go to Oakwood from the big cities, you have to decide that you're going to take that four-hour drive or the train," he said.

He added he would "love it" if a new theme park was able to take on some of the rides at Oakwood, including Megafobia.

"If I had a million dollars, I would love to just take it and have it as my very own," he said.

Korey and his wife on their wedding day riding the GhostRider in California in 1999

Nick Hutson is a British composer known for his work in the theme park industry.

The 40-year-old has provided music for firework shows, Halloween events and even parties at Oakwood in the past.

"It gave some most beautiful views with the sun setting behind Megafobia," he said.

"It was a joy to do music for them, and I will miss working for them a lot."

Nick Hutson composed music for Oakwood Theme Park for many years

Nick's role allowed him to combine his passions as a "self-confessed theme park fan" as well as a musician.

He recalls hosting an after-dark event that had a "festival vibe" at the park.

"I put together a techno party track," he said.

"They had live singers, a paint party and fireworks. It was my favourite time to be at the park."

An after-dark event held at the theme park in 2022

Is the theme park industry in danger?

There are concerns among smaller theme park owners in the UK that the industry is struggling.

Businesses face extra pressure because of rises to National Insurance payments and wages which could lead to job cuts.

Meanwhile energy prices remain high for amusement parks that consume a substantial amount of electricity.

The owners of one of the UK's oldest theme parks, Wicksteed Park, in Northamptonshire, has previously said it would struggle to survive without extra funding.

Meanwhile Miles Kenchington, mayor of Helston, in Cornwall, said it was "a worrying time" for tourism after the closure last year of a Cornish theme park which opened 48 years ago.

Attention now turns to the impact on the local economy and the people employed by Oakwood.

They will hope this is not the first domino to fall in a part of the country that relies on a strong tourism sector.

A Welsh government spokesperson said it wanted to "work closely" with the Welsh tourism sector to help address the challenges businesses face.

"Tourism makes an important contribution to the Welsh economy and to Welsh life," it added.