Wicksteed Park opened in 1921 and is owned by the Wicksteed Charitable Trust but has been run by a wholly-owned subsidiary company, Wicksteed Park Ltd.

It is home to the oldest water chute in the world, which was designed by Charles Wicksteed and installed in 1926.

Wicksteed Park Ltd says that it has been unable to avoid going into administration, with the loss of 48 permanent staff and 67 part-time and other jobs, due to the huge financial strain caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

Backed by the Wicksteed Charitable Trust, a small group of employees have formed a new company to try and safeguard the future of the park.

Oliver Wicksteed, chairman of the Wicksteed Charitable Trust, said:

“We are all devastated by what has happened and the effect this will have on our staff, their families and our visitors. We fully appreciate the effect this decision will have on staff members who have already been through months of uncertainty and difficulty due to Covid-19 and we are working hard to ensure they have access to the support and advice they need at this time. We are working hard to enable the park to continue but the reality is that without urgent significant support Wicksteed Park will not survive as we know it.”

He added:

“The new company, funded by the Trust, is a much streamlined business aimed at getting the park through to next spring when it can hopefully start to re-open fully but we need people’s help, support and understanding in order to try and make that happen. The costs of the old business were crippling and could not be sustained with the huge loss of revenue already suffered this year. Even if park rides opened in July, the costs of social distancing measures and the reduced capacity at which the park would have had to operate, would have meant it was unlikely to be financially viable.”

The Wicksteed Charitable Trust has a JustGiving page.