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Get you up to speed: Family-run activity farm criticised as ‘distasteful’ for Titanic-themed ride | News UK
A Titanic-themed ride and slide attraction at Graveley Fruit Farm near Hitchin, Hertfordshire, has faced criticism for being disrespectful to the victims of the Titanic disaster. The farm announced it would change the name of the ride following the backlash but later reversed its decision, citing support to retain the name.
Graveley Farm, which opened in 1981, plans to keep the name of its Titanic-themed ride following public support for it despite initial criticism. The ride returned in May after having operated for several years prior to its temporary removal.
Graveley Fruit Farm announced it would change the name of its Titanic-themed ride following public backlash, but later decided to retain it after receiving support from visitors. The farm stated, “Titanic has become almost a byword in the English language,” reflecting the ongoing debate over the appropriateness of the attraction.
What remains unclear — It is uncertain how many supporters of the attraction’s name change versus those advocating for its retention have contacted the farm.
Activity farm faces criticism over Titanic-themed ride seen as disrespectful
A Titanic-themed ‘ride and slide’ attraction has been called ‘disrespectful’ for attempting to recreate the downed ship.
The children’s ride, featuring a replica of the 1912 sunken vessel, was promoted this summer at Graveley Fruit Farm near Hitchin, Hertfordshire.
Costing £2 per ride, the ship, depicted with two of its iconic funnels, tilts upwards before ejecting riders onto a crash mat.
But some families were left bemused by the attraction, claiming it was a ‘distasteful’ homage to the tragic sinking, which claimed the lives of some 60 children.
Andy Turner wrote on the farm’s Facebook page: ‘I’m sorry, but this is one of the most distasteful, disrespectful, and strange attractions for children.
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‘I cannot believe that you have created a game and ride based on a such a tragedy. Would you create a game based on Auschwitz or the twin towers?
‘The Titanic is infamous for sinking, causing the deaths of 1,500 people of which 60 were children. This is sickening and anybody who doesn’t see an issue with this clearly has no sense of morality.’
Claire Borchers commented: ‘Strange bunch of people who not only enjoy, but endorse this. A simple change to the name/colour of this ship would make it far less offensive and more appropriate as a children’s ride.’
‘There wouldn’t be a ride focused around the twin towers or other historical tragedies, so why is this acceptable?’, she added.
Graveley Farm opened in 1981 and offers a playground, crazy golf and strawberry picking during the summer.
The Titanic ride returned in May after having previously ran for several years.
Responding to criticisms, the farm said it would change the name of the ride ‘ASAP’.
However it later reversed this decision, saying it had received lots of support to retain the name, the Sun reported.
RMS Titanic sank on her major voyage after sailing into an iceberg on April 15, 1912.
Of the 2,220 passengers and crew onboard, nearly 1,500 lost their lives.
Graveley Farm told WTX that while it did receive criticism for the ride, it got a far larger backlash when it removed the Titanic name and ‘gave into the wokes’.
It added: ‘Titanic has become almost a byword in the English language.
‘There are no survivors, or for that matter children of survivors alive today. I would like to think if we could talk to the ghosts of the people who drowned over a hundred years ago when the ship went down, that if they knew that there was a children’s slide made in their memory that gives a lot of pleasure to so many people, then it would be met with a kindly smile.’
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Get you up to speed: What’s going on with Trump and Kim Jong-un? | News World
Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the upcoming United States military exercises with South Korea, stating they send an “inappropriate and hostile” signal to North Korea. His remarks came as he sought to strengthen ties with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, underscoring a perceived shift in his diplomatic stance.
The United States is set to conduct joint military exercises with South Korea, though specific dates and operational details have not been disclosed. Observers note that ongoing developments in North Korea’s military activities, including ballistic missile tests, create a complex backdrop for these exercises.
Donald Trump has voiced his dissatisfaction with upcoming US military exercises alongside South Korea, asserting that they are costly and send a hostile signal to North Korea, which he claims has been “unthreatening and respectful.” Experts warn that such statements may undermine the US’s long-term strategy regarding North Korea and suggest that other authoritarian leaders do not view Trump as a serious negotiator.
What remains unclear — The impact of Trump’s statements on US military exercises on North Korea’s future actions and rhetoric remains uncertain.
Trump criticises US military exercises with South Korea amid Kim Jong-un ties

The US President has now slammed a joint military exercise with South Korea (Picture: API)
Vladimir Putin. Nayib Bukele. Bashar al-Assad. Kim Jong-Un.
It’s no secret that Donald Trump likes to cosy up to authoritarian leaders, often praising them for their hard-line stances and posing for photos with them.
Now, to appease Kim Jong Un, Trump has taken to social media to complain about how he ‘isn’t happy’ with the United States’ upcoming military exercises with South Korea.
‘These exercises are not only costly, with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America (as usual!), but send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile to a Country that, as long as Donald J. Trump has been President, has been unthreatening and respectful,’ he added.
Trump’s sudden scramble to seemingly cosy up to Kim is a bit more telling about the US President than we realise, historian and propaganda analyst Ian Garner told WTX.
‘Trump seems to see strong men and dictators as, in some way, kindred spirits. I think he recognises something of himself in them.
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‘Men who get what they want and don’t give a damn about the rules? That’s Trump’s life philosophy.’ Dr Garner explained.

The two leaders have become closer in recent years (Picture: AFP)
‘It’s been the way he’s approached the world since the ’80s, back in the New York real estate days, and certainly the way he approached The Apprentice. And it’s the way he approaches government today.
‘Maybe he sees Kim Jong-un, and certainly sees Putin, as people he can do business with because he thinks he recognises in them a little bit of himself.’
But the President’s remarks about North Korea being ‘unthreatening and respectful’ propose a quandary for Trump and Kim.
For years, Kim has been bragging about ballistic missile tests, and in 2024, North Korea began sending thousands of troops to fight on the frontlines in Ukraine.
Dr Garner added: ‘So, there’s a bit of a risk in actually undermining the much longer-term propaganda that the United States is the enemy, the US is evil, American leaders can’t be trusted.
‘But other authoritarian leaders around the world are clearly not taking Trump seriously at all. They don’t think that he’s a serious or threatening negotiator.
‘They don’t believe that he’s going to follow through on his threats, and that gives them permission to do what they want. And you’ve seen that most obviously in what’s unfolded in Iran over the last few months.’
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