.

The Roper family aren't well known for their firework parties.

Even more amazingly, the Roper family successfully sued Alton Towers on the basis the park makes too much noise. Consequently, the park’s only remaining event, their famous fireworks display was in dire jeopardy to the point that coaster enthusiasts were actually encouraged to write the local press to support the endangered event.

From an unreservedly arrogant park to one where such a criticism couldn’t be further from the truth; Oakwood.

The park managed to rack up some column inches nationally with the announcement of their new coaster from company of the moment, Gerstauler. The beyond-vertical drop coaster would accomplish more than Bolliger and Mabillard managed with Oblivion, with a 95-degree drop, inline twist, camelback hill and vertical loop all featuring on the proposed £3 million investment.

As the park looked to the future, it would soon be haunted by the utter tragedy that was the death of 16-year-old Hayley Williams who fell from the Intamin River Plunge, Hydro: Water’s Revenge.

There is something profoundly choking about the fact that someone should lose their life at a place that by its very nature instils so many happy memories, and there is in my opinion no park that deserves this any less than Oakwood.

Whilst the accident renewed criticism of Intamin’s T-bar restraint, another rider died on Six Flags New England’s Superman: Ride of Steel in similar circumstances to that attributed to the death of a rider on Knott’s Perilous Plunge (River Plunge) and another accident on another Superman: Ride of Steel which necessitated the fitting of seatbelts to all Intamin rides with similar restraints.

Furthermore, Californian state departments ordered the closure of all rides in the state that featured similar restraints (Superman: The Escape, Magic Mountain, and Xcelerator, Knott’s Berry Farm) pending changes to their satisfaction. Meanwhile, Hydro is still closed whilst a joint investigation with Police and the Health and Safety Executive continues.

Other parks weren’t immune from incidents. Whilst in actuality all paled compared to Hydro’s accident, there were an unusually high amount of lucky escapes.

In Early April, an emergency walkway fell from one of the mid-course brake runs on Chessington’s Maurer coaster, Dragon’s Fury. The heavy metal gantry fell about thirty feet onto the walkway below, yet remarkably did not injure anyone.

Tussauds were quick to close Dragon’s Fury and also its sister ride, Spinball Whizzer at Alton Towers whilst modifications taking about two months were made. In June, both re-opened with extra bracing on the walkways.

Elsewhere in Germany, Euro MIR riders had an extremely lucky escape when an operator error on the Mack spinning coaster after a shutdown caused a returning train hit the back of another stationary train. 17 riders were injured, one of which broke their leg. Amazingly, no serious injuries were sustained and the ride quickly reopened.

Whilst we dwell on the death of one rider and the luck of others, it is worth remembering just how safe theme parks actually are. Injury and death is a remarkable occurrence at a theme park. You’re more likely to get caught up in an accident at home than you are at a theme park, whilst the likelihood of winning the lottery or getting struck by lightening far outweighs that of dying on a roller coaster.

Whilst Oakwood work to overcome tragedy, Pleasure Beach Blackpool have had almost unthinkable trauma to cope with this year, with two serious fires which frankly pale in comparison to the deaths of their figureheads, Geoffrey Thompson and Lillian Doris Thompson.

20 May saw the first disaster unravel in the form of a ferocious fire that threatened one of the Pleasure Beach’s greatest assets, the Grand National. Whilst the fire was quickly spotted in the dead of night, the Emberton designed station was severely damaged, whilst neighbouring rides like Trauma Towers and Alice in Wonderland got away with cosmetic damage.

It cannot be stressed how lucky the park was. The fire threatened the very heart of the Pleasure Beach – the entire area is packed full of 100 years of history, and for the park to come out with no real casualties in terms of ride loss is a miracle and a credit to Lancashire’s firefighters.

Not even a month later, the park had to deal with a completely different type of heartbreak; the surprise death of Geoffrey Thompson, the park’s Managing Director. Geoffrey Thompson fell ill surrounded by the people he loved, and passed away on 15 June 2004.

His untimely death leaves a gaping hole in the industry. He was without a doubt the most influential and important people in the UK amusement industry, and despite being a forward thinking and shrewd businessman, embraced history with unparalleled vigour.

The sight of hundreds of Pleasure Beach staff lining the Golden Mile in Blackpool is one of the most poignant and heartwarming scenes of appreciation I’ve ever seen in my life. If this doesn’t highlight what Geoffrey Thompson accomplished in his fruitful life, nothing does.

On the evening of Geoffrey Thompson’s wake, Doris Thompson, Geoffrey’s mother, passed away. Mrs. Thompson was an enigmatic and colourful character that had an important role in the Pleasure Beach well beyond her 100th birthday.

Whilst the deaths of Geoffrey and Lillian Doris Thompson are profoundly tragic, their hard work will have an indelible effect on Blackpool. It is hard to imagine anybody else having such an important role in shaping an entire town like the Thompsons have.

As a timely reminder of the global impact the Thompsons had, the National Amusement Park Historical Association (NAPHA) honoured Doris and Geoffrey, both lifetime members, during the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) annual convention in Orlando, Florida. Amanda Thompson reflected on the poignancy of this accolade by citing the incredible amount of historical rides, specifically coasters, still run and maintained to an amazingly high standard at the Pleasure Beach. Continues...