Severely disabled child is refused entry to rides at Gulliver's Land because he can't wear a facemask

The rules at the newly-reopened theme park state that all children over the age of three must wear facemasks when they go on rides.

But little Aidan Lawrie has the mental age of a six to 12-month-old baby. His mum Jay has tried to put a mask on him but he rips it off and puts it in his mouth, leading to a danger of choking.

She even has a letter from Aidan's special needs school, Redway, to confirm his condition means he is exempt from wearing masks.

Jay, whose husband is an NHS keyworker, has bought an annual pass for Gulliver's and turned up with Aidan this morning for their first visit since lockdown.

"Aidan has autism, epilepsy and a regressive disorder that means he is constantly losing skills. His understanding is limited but he recognises the rides at Gulliver's and smiles when he sees them," she said.

But staff at Gulliver's refused Aidan entry to the rides unless he wore a mask.

"I tried to explain. I even took one of my masks and put it on Aidan to show what he'd do. He ripped it off, broke it and then lay down on the ground because he was so upset," said Jay.

While Aidan lay on the ground, the theme park manger put in a call to his head office to check whether disabled children could be exempt from wearing masks.

But the bosses refused to budge, said Jay. "We felt humiliated and Aidan was upset. This means my son is unable to access a park we have an annual pass for."

Jay took Aidan back to the car to cool off for a while then walked around the park's Dinosaur Park, where there are no rides.

She agrees with the need for most youngsters to wear masks but is urging the theme park to use its common sense when dealing with physically or mentally disabled children.

Government guidelines on wearing face coverings on public transport give a list of people who are exempt. These include people with breathing difficulties, conditions affecting dexterity, mental health or panic disorders, autism, cognitive impairment, visual impairment, dementia and carers of people who rely on lip reading.

But Gulliver's Land insists it was following government rules.

A spokesperson told the Citizen: "We are sorry for any initial disappointment the family encountered when they arrived at Gulliver’s Land today. However our on-site team were both understanding and helpful in resolving any initial problems you have raised.

She added: “As a responsible business we are being stringent in following government guidelines on the use of masks and face-coverings, and this is explained on our website where we have detailed all the measures we’ve put in place upon re-opening. For the safety of other guests, and our own staff, we cannot relax guidelines until such time we are advised it is safe to do so. Feedback from many guests, including those with additional needs, since re-opening last weekend has praised us on the safety measures in place across all areas of the Gulliver’s venue.

"The family were not turned away upon arrival and did go into Gulliver’s Land and enjoyed time in both the dinosaur and farm park where face coverings are not required; they could also visit the main attractions park with the exception of rides where face coverings are required. As a further gesture of goodwill we also extended their Gulliver’s Passport. As far as we are aware, they were happy with their visit and understanding of the need for us to adhere to the face covering guidelines and that we are unable to accept exemption letters on park rides."