Fairground 'attraction'

Odd story of the week: just days before the dreadful accident that seriously injured a number of people on the Alton Towers ‘Smiler’ ride, the theme park was advertising for an ‘official rollercoaster tester’.

The alleged attraction campaign was reported by HR Grapevine on 22nd May. The Grapeviners quoted Katherine Duckworth from Alton Towers as saying:

We are renowned for our world-beating rollercoasters and have rides here that you can’t experience anywhere else in the world. Every morning before the park opens to the public, each ride goes through serious testing so we’re looking for someone that can take this on.

Essentially though, the whole affair smacked of gimmickry. No actual wage was offered, and video applications were to be judged by a ‘panel of rollercoaster enthusiasts.’

The ride being promoted, The Smiler, crashed on Tuesday, injuring over a dozen people.

About the author

Andrew Baird

Andrew is the CEO of HRville. He is also Employer Brand Director of Blackbridge Communications, Editorial Director of Professionals in Law and an associate of The Smarty Train. Previously, he was the MD of TCS Advertising.