Waltzer rides at Winter Wonderland are operation by a couple who were jailed for three years following the death of a seven-year-old girl on a bouncy castle they were running.
William Thurston Jr, 36, and his wife Shelby, 34, operate the Avalanche waltzers at the annual festive event, which opened its doors once again in Hyde Park, London, on Friday.
The couple were sent to prison in 2018 for gross negligence manslaughter after Summer Grant, seven, died when the bouncy castle blew away and careered down a hill with her trapped inside.
Summer was inside the Circus SuperDome at a fair in Harlow, Essex in March 2016 when a strong gust of wind ripped it from the ground.
Witnesses watched helplessly as the castle blew 50ft into the air before hitting a fence after winds reached 40mph.
Thurston Jr chased the bouncy castle and when it stopped, he unzipped an emergency exit and pulled Summer out, but she was declared dead a short time later in hospital.
The Thurstons were said to have packed up the castle before police had even arrived at the scene.
The court heard the Thurstons failed to properly anchor the bouncy castle or monitor weather conditions, with Thurston Jr telling jurors: ‘The simple fact is we could have taken the bouncy castle down sooner. Obviously now I wish we had.’
William Thurston Jr, 36, and his wife Shelby, 34, (pictured outside court in 2017) operate the Avalanche waltzers at the annual festive event, which opened its doors once again on Friday
Summer Grant, seven, was killed when she became trapped in a bouncy castle that blew away in 2016
Winter Wonderland runs for more than eight weeks and has more than 100 attractions, with an estimated revenue of £60 million
London Centric revealed today that after serving their sentences, the couple continue to operate fairground rides and attractions at high-profile events across the UK.
This includes the waltzer rides at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, which attracted more than three million visitors last year.
The Thurstons have also operated attractions such as ride XXL at Winter Wonderland in collaboration with Joseph Manning, but it’s understood they have since parted ways.
‘There are no words that can adequately convey the sadness and remorse we feel for what happened [to Summer Grant],’ the couple told London Centric.
‘We understand that people may have concerns about our continued involvement in the fairground industry. We take those concerns seriously and welcome scrutiny of our safety practices.’
They added their rides comply with regulations set out by the Health and Safety Executive and are inspected by an industry body that issues compliance certificates.
Winter Wonderland said it holds all ride operators ‘to the strictest possible standards’.
But it’s not just the tragedy which left a little girl dead that haunts the Thurstons.
Summer was inside the Circus SuperDome at a fair in Harlow, Essex in March 2016 when a strong gust of wind ripped it from the ground
The court heard the couple failed to take heed of weather conditions or properly anchor the bouncy castle, and packed it up before police had even arrived at the scene
The couple now run the Avalanche Waltzer rides (pictured), which have become an annual attraction at Winter Wonderland
Previous employees raised safety worries about the employees hired by the couple to run the rides on a day-to-day basis.
Of particular concern was a manager who former employees told London Centric would frequently take cocaine while working and harass women and girls.
Three members of staff said the man, who was not named, would ‘routinely’ take the drug.
‘You would find him passed out on the platform foaming from his mouth almost every morning, I don’t think I ever saw that man sober,’ said one.
A second alleged he was frequently asked by the manager whether there was any trace of cocaine around his nose or moustache.
The first worker added that the man often ‘scared’ women and girls, with the third, a young woman who had just turned 16 when she worked for the Thurstons, adding: ‘He would make inappropriate jokes to me where he was talking about my body and what he wanted to do to me.
‘Everyone knew what he was like.’
The Thurstons responded to the site’s claims by saying that all allegations made against employees are thoroughly investigated.
They added they found ‘no evidence found to support [the] allegations made’ but said the manager has since left the firm for ‘unrelated reasons’.
Winter Wonderland was founded in 2007 by AEG, owners of the O2, and PWR Events.
Its roots can be traced back to ‘frost fairs’ which took place on the Thames in the 17th century, during a period when winters were so cold the entire river would freeze over.
Today it runs for more than eight weeks and has more than 100 attractions, with an estimated revenue of £60 million.
Winter Wonderland said it has ‘a zero-tolerance approach to any form of harassment, discrimination, or substance misuse’.
A spokesperson added: ‘We have not received any complaints or reports relating to the matters described. However, any credible allegation of this nature would be investigated immediately and appropriate action taken in line with our disciplinary procedures.’
Winter Wonderland has been contacted for further comment.