A boss has lifted the lid on what it is like to run a popular theme park.
Craig Clews was appointed the new resort director at Gulliver's World in Warrington just before Christmas after working at Blackpool Pleasure Beach for a number of years, where he was assistant operations director.
The 41-year-old spoke to the ECHO about what it is like to run a theme park, why he joined the Warrington attraction, the weirdest thing he found on a ride and things you might not know.
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Craig, from Preston, worked as a holiday rep when he was younger and said without that experience he "wouldn't be here today."
Before moving to Blackpool Pleasure Beach, he previously worked at Crealy Theme Park and Resort in Devon in various positions.
Speaking to the ECHO, Craig said: "I moved to Blackpool Pleasure Beach as deputy operations director, did a couple of years there and had a great experience because they obviously have big rides and it really did help my ride portfolio of understanding how the bigger rides operate and also a bigger company.
"It is a big operation up there in Blackpool and obviously a well-oiled machine, they have been trading now for 125 years and it was a privilege to work for the Thompson family.
"I come across the opportunity at Warrington and one of the reasons why I jumped over to Warrington and to Gulliver's park was because I missed the family market."
The 41-year-old said when deciding on new rides or events for guests, the most important thing is to listen to customer feedback.
He added: "In a theme park industry I have never worked for cooperate business, down in Devon it was family run, Blackpool Pleasure Beach was family run and Gulliver's brand is family run by Julie and the Phillips family.
"I think when it comes to family businesses most people in the business tend to get together and ask what next, what do our guests want?
"It is all about listening to the guest feedback and it is important to constantly invest into our industry because if you sit and wait for people to come, they won't.
"Our guests want more and more thrills and more and more entertainment and we need to make sure the park is a valued day out for all our guests.
"So when it comes to deciding on new ideas, new rides, new events then we have to listen to our guests."
He added at Gulliver's World due to it being a family market, the team needs to make sure they invest in rides where the whole family can get on the rides and enjoy the rides together.
Craig said one thing people might not know about theme parks is winter is usually the busiest time for the industry.
This is because the "window" of opportunity to prepare the theme park is slim.
The 41-year-old said: "My family always laughs at me because they ask what do I do in winter because the gates are not open to the public.
"But it is probably one of the most busiest times of the year for the park because it is the opportunity and we only have a small window of opportunity.
"Many, many years ago most parks used to close at the end of October and reopen at Easter.
"In the theme park industry, the seasons are getting longer because we want to provide a great experience at Christmas, we want to bring people into the park during February half term because of the school holidays and people want to get out the house.
"So the window of opportunity to do maintenance work and training and get the park ready for the season is very, very slim now.
"The months of December and January we are hard at work.
"But also it is a time for people to take some holidays as they have been working so hard over the season."
Staff members and their family and friends also get the chance to trial out anything new coming to the theme park, whether that is a ride or "a new coffee".
Craig said: "As I am new to the park, we are currently doing a lot of work on our park induction, whether they have worked here before or whether they are brand new to the business.
"They are all invited to a couple of days induction and the inductions are quite in depth, health and safety obviously primarily number one, but we introduce all our new events or anything new for the year such as new coffee.
"It was one of my key things here that we make sure our frontline team play a part in decision making I think it is critical for the business.
"Those team members are talking to our guests probably more than me."
He added: "We make sure to trial, our little dummy run in a way, we take the opportunity to invite all the team members to the park as well as friends and family.
"So if we are going to launch something new such as a new ride or venue, then we will always invite the team to have a run of that."
Speaking of the strangest thing he found on ride during his time in the business, Craig said it was a glass eye.
He told the ECHO: "I remember, and I am not going to say what theme park it is, but I remember being called by a ride operator to a rollercoaster and we found a glass eye on one of the rides.
"Believe it or not it was still in the lost property three months later."
Gulliver's World was Craig's very first day out he remembers with family and is excited to now oversee the whole business operation across the resort, supporting teams working in areas including ride engineering, hospitality and management.
He said: “Gulliver’s World in Warrington was my very first day out with my family that I can remember, so coming back 30 years later brings back great memories.
“I’ve walked around the park alone recently pinching myself because I can’t believe I’m here. It’s exiting to be working with a passionate family and the team here at the park have made me feel welcome.
“My focus will be on setting the highest standards of customer service to help every guest make magical memories.
"I’m excited to be part of this journey and to support the leadership team as we continue to grow the business.
"We already have a fantastic team in place at Gulliver’s World who are really customer focussed and I’m really looking forward to working with them.”
Craig joins as Gulliver’s World embarks on a recruitment drive, with various full and part time positions available including fitters and ride operations to chef and hotel receptionists.
The resort director added: “It’s a perfect time to join the business. We are busy planning for the season ahead and my main priority is to make sure we employ a good team.
"We take a lot of care to recruit good people with the right attitude and support them with training and benefits, including free tickets for employees and their families.
“The thing I enjoy most about this industry is the diversity of the people you work with and the fact no two days are the same.
"I want to ensure everyone here is happy in their work and the park is a safe and fun environment for families to be entertained every day we open the gates.”
Julie Dalton, managing director at Gulliver’s Theme Parks Resorts, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Craig to Gulliver’s as we continue to grow and enhance the business.
“Our team is a vital part of what makes a visit to one of our resorts so special and we will continue to invest in good people with a passion for delivering first-class service.”
