Go Ape

The company was founded in 2002 by Rebecca and Tristram Mayhew, after they were inspired by a tree-top adventure course in France, and has a contract with the Forestry Commission for courses on multiple sites. In 2003, the company won a Best Tourist Attraction award In 2007, it was shortlisted for the Best Norfolk Attraction award at the Tourism In Norfolk Awards. In 2008 the company opened new courses in Kent, Cumbria, Devon, Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire. On 8 May 2010 Go Ape opened their first course in the United States at the Lake Needwood section of Rock Creek Regional Park in Rockville, Maryland. In March 2015, a "Treetop adventure course" was opened in Wake County. The courses are made up of zip wires, rope swings, ladders, walkways, bridges and tunnels made of wood. There are "Adventure" courses at a number of sites around the country designed for 6–12 year olds. There are also Segway scooters and mountain bikes. In 2014 Go Ape opened trampoline parks in East Kilbride, Wolverhampton and Stevenage under the name Air Space. This part of the business was sold in 2017 to Oxygen Freejumping. On 29 September 2019, Verity Bailes, from Peterborough, became the first person to complete Go Ape's Treetop Challenge at all 34 locations across the UK. In 2021 Go Ape became employee owned. == Facilities ==

There are 36 locations in parks, forests and woodlands in England, Scotland and Wales consisting of rope ladders, zip-lines, rope bridges, trapezes and swings. There are also 12 Forest Segway experiences, 25 Treetop Adventure, 16 Treetop Adventure Plus and 3 Nets Adventure courses. The course in Grizedale Forest, near The Lake District in Cumbria, has the longest dual zip-lines in Britain. , four Go Ape locations offer an axe throwing experience. == Public opposition ==

There have been public opposition to some of Go Ape's proposals. They withdrew their application to build a course in Glasgow's Pollok Park after 5000 objections from local residents.{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/8098626.stm|title=Go Ape drops treetop park plans == Safety ==

In 2008, a man aged 76 died after collapsing on a high wire platform at Go Ape's Aberfoyle, Scotland location. In a statement from the company, CEO Tristram Mayhew said that since 2002, 17 Go Ape courses had served over one million customers and "nothing like this has happened before". In 2016, at a Go Ape location in Delaware, US, a woman fell and died. A statement from the company said that she had disconnected herself from the safety system while waiting to use a zip line, and that the company had safely served over six million customers. == References ==