Aspro Parks, which acquired Oakwood in 2008 and invested millions into the facility, said rising costs for ride parts, electricity, food and beverage, the National Living Wage, and national insurance thresholds made the park unsustainable. The specific financial losses or debts that led to the closure have not been disclosed. For the past 12 months, the park has been abandoned and deserted, with attractions dismantled and removed.
Security personnel now patrol the grounds with surveillance systems to deter intruders. In its final years, Oakwood was branded the 'UK's worst theme park' by disappointed guests. According to Daily Express - Travel, journalist Taite Johnson visited in 2024 and described the park as dreary and run down, with few visitors.
Going as an adult it felt very different and the magic of it felt lost to me.
Johnson also noted a lack of security checks upon entry, despite carrying backpacks. Plans for the future use or redevelopment of the site, as well as the number of employees affected and any support provided, remain unknown.
When we got to Oakwood we were shocked at how few visitors there were. We arrived at 10.15am, just 15 minutes after the park opened, along with only a handful of other cars in the car park.
I was slightly concerned with the lack of security checks before we entered the theme park. Both my friend and I had backpacks that didn't get searched at all, which I would have expected when visiting a large park where a lot of people could have been — although granted that day there were hardly any visitors.
The park seemed dreary and run down. Not much had changed since I visited as a child which did give me a sense of nostalgia, but didn't fill me with excitement to explore it all again.