Ripon's spectacular new 108ft tall tourist attraction is to reopen after temporary closure

It was only on Saturday that the Ripon Big Sky Wheel was opened to the public on the south side of the Market Square thanks to North Yorkshire Council’s Parks and Open Spaces Team.

The spectacular 35m-tall ferris wheel is taller than the city’s obelisk and offers breathtaking "never-seen-before" views of the city, Ripon Cathedral, Fountains Abbey and the surrounding hills.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said the generator infrastructure of the Ripon Big Sky Wheel caught fire at around 15:00 BST on Monday but was extinguished using a bucket of water before fire crews even arrived.

"The fire was out on arrival and the crews made the generator safe."

A spokesperson for Ripon Big Sky Wheel said the attraction would be opening today after technical issues had been successfully addressed.

"The Fire Brigade have checked everything and are happy.

“The generator will be swapped over night for a new one and we will be back up and running again tomorrow.

"All parties on the wheel at the time have been offered a free replacement ride."

Designed to be accessible to all, the spectacular attraction will be open daily from 11am to 7pm until Sunday, April 27.

Ripon Business Improvement District (BID) is hopeful the giant observation wheel will draw visitors to Ripon from a large catchment area, increasing dwell time and spend whilst encouraging them to discover all of the city’s wonderful businesses.

Lilla Bathurst, manager at Ripon BID, said: "You can see the wheel for miles around.

"People have been really excited about it."

Entry price to the Ripon Big Sky Wheel is £7 for customers over 1.4m tall (4ft 7in) and £5 for those under that height.

Advanced booking is not necessary; the public can just turn up and enjoy Ripon’s sights in a stunning new way.

Please note, the wheel will not be operating in adverse weather conditions and can close to the public at short notice.

More information at: https://visitripon.co.uk/event/ripons-big-sky-wheel/