PLEASURELAND might have closed its doors two years ago, but its party spirit still lives on!
Tonight, Pleasureland employees of the past are reuniting to reminisce about the thrills and spills of working at the Southport theme park.
Over the years the Pleasureland staff saw it all - and now they're coming from all over the United Kingdom and even Europe to catch up on the good old days.
Reunion organiser, Stewart Lamont, said: "Kat Daly is coming back from Italy where she works now."
Many of the staff were students like Mark Lee who came back each summer to man rides like the Cyclone, King Solomon's Mines and the Sultan's Towers helter-skelter.
"It could be a bit surreal," Mark readily admits.
"I always remember working in the marketing department and answering the phone to one of the members of Black Lace!
"We had one of the Grumbleweeds from the TV show come along to film - I've still got a copy of his video Coaster Crazy somewhere."
Mark, who is now an IT specialist with Geek Squad, worked at the theme park for around 10 years.
Stewart also did a fair bit of celeb spotting in his years at Pleasureland.
He said: "There were always Brookside actors around - I think they even filmed there at one point.
"Comedian Jack Dee came down and had a bumble around one day, too."
For Chris Booker, who worked at Pleasureland for almost a decade, it's the student sense of mischief he misses the most.
"I remember one end of season party where I ended up doing a Pet Shop Boys song, and five big guys - real macho guys - dressing up in drag and miming the Spice Girls in the circus tent.
"There were loads of big nights out - some of us went on an end of season golf trip to Bridlington but forgot to take our clubs, so we ended up in a pub!"
With most of the staff aged between 17 and 24 more than a few holiday romances blossomed beside the rollercoasters - and some of them are still going strong today.
"There were quite a few couples who met there," said Chris, who is now the manager of the Ocean Plaza bowling alley.
"Nikki Scott and Colin Bond both worked at Pleasureland and they've got a daughter together, and so did Kathy Kershaw and Andrew Start who are parents now too.
"Gemma and Dave Torrance married in 2005 and have three kids, Kev Brown and Judy Carr got engaged last weekend, Dominic Strange and Jane Sharrock are engaged and Paul Faraday and Claire Sharrock are still together, too!"
But while most of the staff were young student workers who came and went, Bernie Gittens, Pleasureland's painter and handyman, was part of the furniture.
"Bernie looked after the cats.
"There were so many of them - they never had names and they were wild.
"Bernie must have been there 40 years - everyone who ever worked there will have known Bernie."
The Pleasureland reunion is tonight (Friday October 24) at Capilla Bar, Waverley Street, Southport from 8pm.
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