I left my home town at 16 to become an apprentice at Blackpool's Pleasure Beach Resort - this is why I love it
There’s ambition, and then there’s Laura Johnston.
Just after finishing her GCSE’s, Laura was determined to get straight onto the career path she dreamed of as a child, and fired off an apprenticeship enquiry to Pleasure Beach Resort Blackpool.
When the HR team spoke to her, they were impressed and quickly offered her a role. But there was one issue - Laura lived 250 miles away in Hertfordshire.
But determined to help their daughter fulfil her dreams, Laura’s parents backed the plan. Her mum made the move with her to Blackpool and now she shares alternating visits with her dad.
“They’ve done everything to allow me to have this job”, said Laura, now 18. “I’m so lucky to be able to combine the two things I’ve always loved - engineering and rollercoasters.”
While primarily based in the workshop for Icon, Laura’s favourite ride on the 42-acre site is the Big One. She said: “With Icon it’s so modern, you really don’t get any issues with it. With older rides - the Big One is now 30 years old - you do get other challenges. For instance, the company that made it doesn’t exist anymore, and so you have to work harder to find information. I find it more interesting.”
Laura says she feels like she works two jobs - one in the closed season where planned repair and servicing works are carried out - and another in the open season where staff are listening out for radio calls incase they’re needed. When the park is open, engineers like Laura start at 7am - three hours before guests arrive - to carry out all the safety checks and tests on rides.
On her 18th birthday last week, Laura became eligible to use power tools in the workshop, and will soon be carrying out her working at height qualifications. She said: “In this job you have to go up high and be prepared to work in confined spaces, covered in grease. It’s not for everyone, but if it was, it wouldn’t be so special. It’s a once in a lifetime job and I can’t wait to spend my whole working career here, it’s incredible.”
She added: “It’s also lovely that it’s still fully family-owned and operated - there is definitely a family feeling. And even though I’m the only girl in the department, I’m treated just the same.”