More than 50 members of Rollercoaster Friends are expected at the Pembrokeshire park as part of a whistle-stop visit to Wales.

The decision to come to the park was taken after organisers launched a poll on Facebook to find out which European ride members wanted to visit.

During their visit the group will be given a special behind the scenes tour of Oakwood and allowed exclusive access to some of the rides after the park has officially closed.

Organiser Joris Steppe said: “Our club visited Oakwood back in 2003, as a part of a 10-day UK tour. At that time, everybody just loved the wooden coaster Megafobia.

“A lot of our newer members where asking for a trip to Oakwood for years so we decided to hire a coach and bring them across.

“We started a poll on Facebook, and it seems that most people are looking forward to visiting Oakwood and Megafobia in particular,” he added.

Rollercoaster Friends was founded in 1998 in Belgium as a local answer to the Rollercoaster Club of Great Britain. It now has more than 130 members and organises monthly trips to theme parks both in Europe and the United States.

“This year we have already been to Disneyland Paris and had two weekend trips to German parks. After our UK trip, we’ll go camping in France, travel to Italy for five days of rollercoaster fun and we’ll spend a weekend in Europa Park,” added Joris.

Later this year Oakwood will be playing host to the Rollercoaster Club of Great Britain and the European Coaster Club.

Oakwood Theme Park’s Anthony Crowdie said: “We’re delighted to be welcoming Joris and the other members of Rollercoaster Friends to the park. We are now entering the coaster club ‘season’ and are looking forward to visits from a number of fan clubs and other organisations both from the UK and further afield.”

But rollercoaster expert Brendan Walker does not think anybody will be able to brave every rollercoaster in the park without making a sound.

Read the full story at: STV.tv

There was a fiery theme to events at the Pembrokeshire attraction with a special guest appearance from everyone’s favourite Hero Next Door, Fireman Sam, a visit by crew from Narberth Fire Station and performance from local fire-eater Kieran Howells.

In addition to the fun events, visitors were also entertained with a series of live music and dance events throughout the week featuring a number of South Wales’ most popular local bands.

Among the performers were Merthyr Tydfil four-piece punk pop band ‘BitterSweet By Design’, new wave indie popsters the ‘C-90s’ and ‘Nothing-New’, a three-piece ‘punkish’ band from the Rhondda Valleys.

There were also a number of live shows from the award-winning Unison Dance Crew from Milford Haven.

Oakwood Theme Park’s Anthony Crowdie said: “We’re delighted with how things went over the holidays. This was the first time we have put on these kind of events and it certainly seemed to prove popular with both staff and visitors alike!

“The park is a great venue for performers and it is definitely something we will look to repeat later in the year.

“Having Fireman Sam pay us a visit was also great fun; particularly with our younger visitors and he also seemed to hit it off with the guys from Narberth Fire Station who were on site,” he added.

Staff at the theme park are now getting ready for a major new live show which will be taking place over the summer months.

The Wild West High Diving Show will feature some of the most incredible high diving performers in the world!

A team of fearless cowboys perform amazing high altitude stunts as part of a Wild West themed outdoor spectacular as they plunge from a 25 metre board into less than three metres of water. Taking place on selected dates throughout July and August.

Cars, flowers and even fair ground rides were created by dozens of budding engineers who got busy with special K’Nex kits as part of an expert building class.

K’Nex is a construction based toy designed to inspire the engineers of the future.

Kits include rods, connectors, bricks and micro parts, allowing creators to make models with moving parts, lights, sound and technology.

Read the full story at: Blackpool Gazette

The masterplan for the redevelopment of the park, which could see the business take over part of Sankey Valley Park will now have to be reassessed.

The new Labour administration say the plans, produced and agreed by the former Liberal Democrat-Conservative coalition, will no longer stand.

And in announcing the move council leader Clr Terry O’Neill took a swipe at Lib Dem councillors who had taken on residents’ complaints.

Read the full story at: This is Cheshire

Dreamland Trust Chairman, Nick Laister said;

“We had hoped that the compulsory purchase of Dreamland would not be necessary, but any further delay could have jeopardised the project. Dreamland is an essential component of Margate’s regeneration, being in such a prominent location on the seafront as well as providing training and employment opportunities for Thanet. We are therefore pleased that we can now move forward with our preparations for starting work on this world’s first visitor attraction.”

Research suggests that the scheme will be particularly well received by locals enjoying the Lightwater Valley Theme Park and parkland.   According to a survey conducted by CCE*, a substantial 89 per cent of people in Yorkshire believe that it is important to make ‘on-the-go’ recycling facilities accessible. Whilst 85 per cent of respondents from Yorkshire recycle regularly (weekly or more) in their homes, nearly 73 per cent said that they would recycle more frequently if there were more public recycling facilities in their area.

Recycle Zone is a public facility for recycling soft drinks packaging, developed and co-funded by CCE with the goal of encouraging people to recycle their cans and plastic bottles when they are away from home.  The Recycle Zone project is a partnership between CCE and recycling charity RECOUP, which combines each organisation’s expertise and forms part of CCE’s wider Keep It Going sustainable packaging programme. There are currently over 120 zones in high footfall locations across Great Britain.

CCE said: “Over recent years, recycling at home and in the workplace has become increasingly accessible. However, recycling options on the streets and other public areas remain few and far between.

“We are committed to reducing the impact of our packaging, and increasing public options for recycling is key for this.  We know that many of our products are consumed ‘on-the-go’, and so our goal is to provide convenient recycling solutions to make the process easier for consumers.”

Allan Leech, CEO of Heritage Great Britain Plc, said: “We are keen to get involved in any initiative that encourages recycling, so we’re really looking forward to working with CCE. We operate our own green policy throughout the Park, so it’s a natural fit for us. Plus we believe that you can’t expect people to recycle unless you give them the tools to do so – we have thousands of visitors every year so this should have a really positive impact.”

The six-foot tall male calf, who is yet to be named, was born at 1am last Friday at Flamingo Land near Malton.

Rothschild’s giraffes are part of an EEP (European Endangered species Programme), in which zoos around Europe work together to breed and protect the animals.

Read the full story at: The Advertiser

Photo: Bart Rousseau

Approximately one third of visitors to Folly Farm are taking to the skies to enjoy the unparalleled views of the Pembrokeshire countryside and coastal landmarks.  With 18 carriages each accommodating six people and no height restrictions for children when accompanied by an adult, The Pembrokeshire Wheel is a new ride for the whole family.  A special rectangular carriage has also been added to allow access for wheelchair-users.

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director of Folly Farm, enthused; “In these testing economic times it’s vital as a tourist operation that we continue to invest to keep the attraction fresh for our loyal return visitors and The Pembrokeshire Wheel is already proving to be another good investment.

“We’ve stayed true to our market by listening to what our customers want and introduced a ride suitable for the whole family from babies to grandparents!”

Minister for Business, Enterprise, Technology and Science, Edwina Hart, performed the ceremonial cutting of the ribbon to officially open the ride, she said; “I’m delighted to visit Folly Farm to see the importance that the owners place on continually investing in their product to make sure that they meet customer demand.  I wish them every success for a busy summer season.”

Councillor David Pugh, Chairman of Pembrokeshire County Council who officially opened the ride with Mrs Hart, added; “The Pembrokeshire Wheel is another landmark addition to Folly Farm and Pembrokeshire’s fabulous tourism offering.”

Richard Parks, former Wales Flanker sent this message from his base camp at Everest; “I am thrilled that the donations raised at today’s launch of The Pembrokeshire Wheel are for the 737 Challenge which is raising funds in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.  I hope everyone has an awesome day and enjoys the ride, I’ll be there to have a go myself when I finish my challenge!”.

Lillian Lowe, of Tenby and oldest user of Facebook fame, looked a young 104 as she took to the skies representing four generations of her family; “I’ve been very excited about my visit to Folly Farm to ride the Big Wheel with my grandson, great grandaughter and great, great-grandaughter Jessica.  I can definitely confirm I “Like” this new ride!”

Robert Rhodes on holiday from Derby, added; “Every time we come back to Folly Farm there is something new and The Pembrokeshire Wheel is a fantastic new addition.  It’s great the whole family can ride together in one carriage as it saves arguments about who’s going with who!”

In order to attract the whole family on board the cost to ride The Pembrokeshire Wheel has been kept deliberately low at just one funfair token/50 pence per person.

For the adrenaline junkie will wear a dog suit while riding Europe’s longest rollercoaster for five hours continuously.

The 30-year-old decided to do the crazy challenge to raise money for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

It takes place on Sunday at Lightwater Valley theme park in Ripon, North Yorkshire.

Read the full story at: Bolton News

The popular Pembrokeshire visitor attraction is playing host to a number of the region’s top local bands who will be performing on the park’s outdoor stage.

The festival starts on Saturday when Nothing New, the three-piece ‘punkish’ band from the Rhondda Valleys will be playing live.

Merthyr Tydfil four-piece punk pop band ‘BitterSweet By Design’ will be playing on Saturday, June 4th alongside new wave indie popsters the ‘C-90s’ who cover a wide range of artists such as Adam & The Ants, Blondie, The Clash, Florence & The Machine, The Killers, Lily Allen, Roxy Music and The Ting Tings.

Oakwood Theme Park’s Anthony Crowdie said: “We’re still finalising the exact line-up but the aim is to have live music or dance on the stage every day of the holidays.

“As well as being a great way to add an extra dimension to the visitors’ experience, it’s also an opportunity to showcase the talent of local bands and groups in front of a large audience.

“There’s a huge range of live music and dance on offer with something for everything to enjoy throughout the week,” he added.

In addition to the live music there will also be two appearances by local dance group ‘Unison Dance’ from Milford Haven who will be performing on Wednesday and Friday.

“This is the first time we have put together a full week’s programme of music and dance and we’re hoping that it will prove popular with our visitors. If successful, the plan is to stage more live performances throughout the remainder of the season,” added Anthony.

On 25/26 May the popular seafront Fun Park broke the World Record for the Longest Dodgem Car Marathon. The previous record was held by Austrian Sebastian Bösch who went for a spin in Vienna in September 2007 and didn’t get out until 24 hours later.

But now Britain’s Laura Byng has bumped Herr Bosch off the top spot. The 28-year old Southend recruitment consultant has proved women really are much better drivers than blokes, and has raised money for a great cause – Havens Hospices.

Laura is part of driving duo ‘Dotty and the Dice,’ along with 37-year old teacher Cherylanne Saywell. Together they are attempting the Mongol Rally, which will see them undertaking the ultimate road trip of 10,000 miles over 19 countries in 5 weeks in a 1.2 litre engine car in order to raise £10,000 for the Essex charity.

Laura climbed into her Adventure Island dodgem at 9am on Wednesday 25 May, and kept driving until 10am on Thursday 26 May – setting a new record of 25 hours. She was allowed a 5-minute break each hour for food and toilet breaks.

She says “The thing I was most worried about is boredom. But as there had to be two other cars driving at the same time, I was able to chat to them as we whizzed round together. And I took cushions so my bum is not too sore! The worst time was overnight when there was just a few of us in the park – but I just drank loads of Red Bull and listened to talking books on my Ipod to keep my going through the small hours.”

“It was absolutely worth it. This World Record has raised much needed funds and created awareness of the wonderful work Havens Hospices does, and what we are trying to achieve for them. The support that they give to local families in need is invaluable. Anyone wishing to donate or help further can visit our website.”

Adventure Island Chief Executive Philip Miller says “I am absolutely delighted for them – it’s a huge achievement and we are so glad that were have been able to help here at Adventure Island.  Havens is a fantastic local charity and we love World Records, so it’s the perfect combination.”

Angela Clements, Community Fundraiser at Havens Hospices says “We are so proud and delighted of what Laura has done for us – we would like to say a big thank you to her and also her back up team of timekeepers, stewards and fellow drivers, plus all the staff at Adventure Island, who helped make this possible.”

Owners Kerry and Michelle Michael have secured a top line up for the event to be held on Wednesday 17th August.

First to perform on the day will be the Royal Artillery Parachute Team, the Black Knights, which is the official parachute display team for the Royal Artillery.

Read the full story at: Weston Super Mare People

Chris Ebsworth, Managing Director at Folly Farm, enthused; “The Octonauts are one of the hottest programmes on CBeebies at the moment and it’s a real honour to have Captain Barnacles appear at Folly Farm and give our visitors the chance to meet him!

“We constantly strive to offer our very loyal return and local visitors something new for the big holidays and bringing Captain Barnacles to Pembrokeshire for the Whitsun half term is just another example of how we try to keep our attraction fresh, exciting and current.”

Captain Barnacles will appear at 10.30am, 11.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm on Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June 2011.  His appearance is included in the standard entry price to Folly Farm.

As well as meeting visitors, Pontypandy’s very own Hero Next Door will also come face to face with the park’s very own fire-eater!

The spectacular fire-eating show is part of a day of fun activities planned at the popular Pembrokeshire theme park which also includes live music from the South Wales band Nothing-New.

Oakwood Theme Park’s Anthony Crowdie said: “Having Pontypandy’s favourite fireman at the park will be a fantastic treat for all our younger visitors and I’m sure he will also be keeping a keen eye on the fire-eater!

“We wanted to put together a programme of activities throughout the day that will appeal to visitors of all ages which they can enjoy for free as part of the admission price,” he added.

Fireman Sam will be appearing for 30-40 minute sessions at the following times throughout the day: 11am, 12noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

These appearances are a fantastic opportunity for younger visitors to meet Fireman Sam and have a photo with him. Queue lines for meeting Fireman Sam will be closed once full as we are limited to the amount of children who can meet him at each session.

The fire-eating shows will be taking place at 12 noon and 3pm with live music from Nothing-New in between the two performances.

It was asked its opinion on a “draft development brief” for the site which has been drawn up by Amber Valley Borough Council.

The borough council’s brief has already ruled out large-scale industrial operations for the site, which has been renamed Shipley Lakeside. Now the county council, which owns the site, is set to call for a “major retail development” to be branded “unsuitable”.

Read the full story at: This is Derbyshire

Marie Curie Cancer Care fundraiser Natalie Taylor will launch the organisation’s Blooming Great Tea Party campaign in the attractions Tiffany Room from 11.30am, with the aim of encouraging others to hold their own charitable parties from June 12 to July 12.

Read the full story at: Weston Mercury

Costcutter in Battle Road, St Leonards, and Heaven-on-Sea in Marine Court, St Leonards, handed the cash over to the trust ealier this month – with the former raising the money as part of its Making a Difference Locally drive.

And for Helen Crichton Jenner, who runs the Heaven-on-Sea store, the gesture has special meaning.

Helen’s husband David was a huge fan of the pier but passed away unexpectedly in November of last year.

Read the full story at: Hastings Observer

If approved, the installation would mark Pleasurewood’s first significant capital expenditure since the park’s purchase by H.I.G Capital finance earlier this year.

Read more at: Coasterforce

Artists’ impressions for the ambitious scheme at the attraction, near Bewdley, have been produced by Croydon-based Ray Hole Architects.

The impressive images show a glass covered water park with two slides flowing into a large leisure pool surrounded by tropical trees.