Charity Rideathon on Megafobia at Oakwood

Oakwood Theme Park’s wooden rollercoaster Megafobia has played host to two sets of charity rideathons in recent weeks. A trio of charity fundraisers took part in a marathon rollercoaster ride at Oakwood Theme Park. 

Paul Owen, Ceri Jones and Kieren Andrews from Sally Salon Services in Bridgend spent eight hours riding the giant wooden coaster to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital. The group’s endurance ride has already raised more than £500 for the children’s charity and they are hoping to eventually reach a grand total of £800 in the end.

A team of eight Co-Op staff who were all part of the training and development team and came from across the region, undertook their own fundraising rideathon on Megafobia to raise money for Mencap the Co-Op’s official charity of the year.

The event, which was organised by Lisa Andrews, involved spending a total of eight hours riding the rollercoaster.

 ‘We took it in turns to ride on Megafobia. I managed to do 22 laps non-stop which was quite a challenge, but it was all for a good cause and we had a great time,’ said Lisa.

Famed as one of the wildest wooden coasters on the planet, Megafobia has been voted the best ride in the UK and the 3^rd best ride in the world by coaster enthusiasts from the Roller Coaster Club of Great Britain. 

With a top speed in excess of 75 kph and 25 metre drops towards a lake combined with unique crossovers the twister has attained legendary status among coaster fans worldwide. Oakwood Theme Park’s Anthony Crowdie said: ‘We’re always delighted to involve the park in fundraising events for charities and marathon rideathons are a popular way to raise money.

‘I’m always impressed by anyone who volunteers for these endurance ride events as spending hours on such high speed rides with all the g-forces involved is a lot tougher than many people realise,’ he added.