AS a member of the public and a parent with young children, would like to raise a complaint about the wristband system for rides at the park during Cowdenbeath Gala Day.

I thought the wristband scheme for rides was a problem and cash handling systems like in previous years would have been much better. We saw very large queues of children waiting extra long periods of time for a shot on a minimal number of rides. I witnessed many upset children in very long ride queues.

Last year there were more rides but this year it looked very limited and many children who didn’t have a wristband but queued to be turned away were very disappointed.

My main complaint was that I have an eight month old son that I was unaware I had to purchase a wristband for. There was no local advertising on the run-up to the gala implying babies needed wristbands, if there had been I would have purchased it.

It was his first trip to the gala and the only suitable ride for him was the ‘tea cups’.

I queued for 20 minutes to be told “no wristband the boy won’t get on,” in a very abrupt and rude manner.

I said to the ride operators I was unaware a baby of eight months required a wristband when I thought and felt he could have got on with his brother who was four-years-old who had a band.

I asked the ride operator where I could make a complaint and he showed me the committee staff who thought his manner and attitude were terrible and that wristbands shouldn’t have applied to an eight month old baby.

The bottom line of my complaint is I felt the gala was poorly organised regarding the wristband system for children’s rides.

My eight month old baby, who could of had an enjoyable day out at a community event, was refused something because he didn’t have a wristband that I was unaware he needed because of his age.

Even the gala committee agreed with me. I eventually got him a wristband but after terrible treatment from the ride operators.

AILSA GRAY, A very unhappy parent and member of the community.