Sister hits out at Alton Towers staff after carrying girl with cerebral palsy off rollercoaster
Disgusted sister hits out at ‘ignorant’ Alton Towers staff after they make her carry girl with cerebral palsy off rollercoaster claiming she was breaking health and safety rules
- Becky Cheetham, 23, visited the resort with her sister Hannah, 25, on Monday
- She said Hannah, who has cerebral palsy, was ‘publicly removed’ from Rita ride
- Pair went on total of two rides throughout day, after paying £40 each for ticket
- The children’s nurse from Manchester said her sibling was left ‘inconsolable’
A disgusted sister has hit out at ‘ignorant’ Alton Towers staff after they made her carry a girl with cerebral palsy off a rollercoaster claiming she was breaking health and safety rules.
Becky Cheetham, 23, from Manchester, criticised employees’ awareness towards disabilities after her sister Hannah, 25, was ‘publicly removed’ from the theme park’s Rita attraction on Monday.
After getting on the ride, the children’s nurse said she was asked by a worker whether Hannah could walk and, after explaining she could not, was told to leave.
In a Facebook post which has gained over 14,000 shares, the 23-year-old said her sister was left ‘inconsolable’ and ‘fed up’ after the incident.
Becky Cheetham, 23, pictured with her sister Hannah, 25, after she was removed from Alton Towers’ Rita rollercoaster ride on Monday ‘due to health and safety’ rules
Becky, who visited the resort in Staffordshire to celebrate her birthday, wrote yesterday: ‘The train before us got delayed due to someone pulling their phone out, meaning that the ride had to be restarted. This resulted in a 30 minute wait.
‘During this time, no one questioned Hannah’s level of disability or if she could she transfer unaided or if she could walk. Nothing. When the time came, two different workers watched me carry Hannah onto the ride.
‘We both sat down and were strapped in by the workers. Ready to go – how exciting! Until… a worker came up to me (not Hannah) and asked if Hannah could walk. They continued to ask if Hannah could walk off the ride if it broke down.
‘I calmly explained they had just seen me carry Hannah onto said ride, so obviously she could not. At this point, the crowd of people waiting for the next train and in the queue were looking at us.
‘The girl said Hannah could not ride due to health and safety. I began to cry due to being so angry. They had embarrassed us by letting us get on to then be publicly removed from the ride.
‘When I asked to speak to someone about this, I was consulted with the most rude, uninterested member of staff. I have never experienced such a horrendous level of customer service.’
Becky also detailed other problems experienced throughout the day, alleging a staff member at the Smiler rollercoaster told the pair they couldn’t ride, as a sign said passengers must be able to walk 25m unaided, and shouted ‘she can’t walk’.
She said that, while riding the Teacups, they were told there must be a two-minute break between each ride and had to disembark before getting back on, despite there being ‘no queue’.
The sister then claimed the pair went to the Duel ghost-train-style ride which, according to a leaflet, had disability access, but were told by a worker that this was no longer the case.
She wrote: ‘At this point, all we could do was laugh from the shock. Due to the ridiculousness of it all, we decided to leave.’
People riding on the Rita rollercoaster ride at Alton Towers. Becky said: ‘They had embarrassed us by letting us get on to then be publicly removed from the ride’ (file photo)
In total, Hannah and Becky went on two rides, the Runaway Train and the Teacups, after paying £40 each for a ticket.
Lucy Makepeace, who visited the theme park with the two sisters, started a petition on Tuesday calling for disability awareness training at the resort.
The petition, which at the time of writing has over 14,000 signatures, says: ‘All public facing staff should undergo disability awareness training to prevent the distress we experienced yesterday and to enable all people, including wheelchair users, to have the same wonderful experience and fun day out.
‘If disability awareness training already exists, this needs to be significantly improved.’
The siblings also posted a video to YouTube describing what happened, adding they are ‘hopeful to work together’ with the resort, which has since been in touch and apologised.
In the footage, Hannah questions: ‘Nobody spoke to me, why can’t I enjoy rollercoasters like other people my age? I was so embarrassed.’
The 25-year-old added that she felt ‘frustrated, mad and sad’.
She continued: ‘Please make this world a more inclusive place. I am a human with feelings which were hurt yesterday.
‘I hope you can learn from this so it doesn’t happen to anybody else. Do better.’
In a Facebook post (pictured above) which has gained over 14,000 shares, the 23-year-old said her sister Hannah was left ‘inconsolable’ and ‘fed up’ after the incident
Becky said: ‘We are not complainers and we are really positive people, but that’s why we want to turn our experience into a positive experience for someone else.’
On its website, Alton Towers says it ‘strives’ to make sure its theme park, hotels, waterpark and other attractions are ‘easily accessible to all guests’.
In a statement on public safety for disabled people, the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions (BALPPA), which represents the resort, says it ‘welcomes visits by disabled people and will do all that is possible to ensure a safe and pleasurable stay.’
The association adds: ‘However, certain rides/attractions in our parks can be physically demanding and vigorous.
‘We therefore reserve the right to refuse admission to certain rides/attractions should we feel there is a danger to a particular individual or individuals for whatever reason.
‘We have been advised by the Health and Safety Executive that refusal on the grounds of health and safety does not constitute discrimination. We hope that you understand and accept the decisions made in the interest of your safety.’
Kate McBirnie, Head of Product Excellence at Alton Towers Resort, told MailOnline: ‘We are deeply sorry for this incident, which falls well below the high expectations we have for our employees.
‘At Alton Towers Resort, we pride ourselves on being an inclusive resort and we really value the feedback that Hannah and Becky have sent to us, and also in the video that they have taken time to create.
‘We have certainly listened and we want to do better – particularly in the area of staff training and the way we communicate ride restrictions to guests with disabilities.
‘We have invited Hannah and Becky back to discuss the changes we can make, and we look forward to showing them how committed we are to making sure that their experience is not repeated.’
