A theme park in Great Yarmouth is looking forward to a spectacular summer season after a busy start since reopening.
More than 600 visitors from home and away were seeing what the Pleasure Beach has in store for the upcoming summer season on Saturday, with families taking in the sights and getting in on the fun.
One parent, Jemma George, went on the Big Apple ride with her daughter, Evie, and was excited to be doing something a little different.
"It’s nice for the children, isn’t it?" Ms George said. "They’ve had a year of not being able to do anything apart from going to the beach, or the park, which has become really repetitive.
"I think, especially at this age, they build their confidence coming to places like this."
Enthusiastic smiles were all around as Evie bounded about with another child.
"Evie is so happy. She’d be up here every weekend if she could," said Ms George.
Leanne Clark was also visiting the theme park with her daughter, Bebe.
"She’s been wanting to get here since 8 o’clock this morning. Bebe is so excited," Ms Clark said.
"You can see how happy they are. They love it."
As restrictions were lifted, there was a feeling of the way we were with the Pleasure Beach, which first reopened on April 14, operating at around 70pc capacity.
Amy Inch and her son Marley were also glad to be at the theme park.
"We love it, don’t we? A bit of normality, coming back on rides and enjoying family time," she said. "It’s nice... This past year has been boring. We’re looking forward to going on everything. We're going to make the most of it."
With people once again allowed to stay away from home in self-contained accommodation, there were already some visitors in the town.
Jessica Heckford and Manoj Kumara, who are from Witham, Essex, are holidaying with their children, Jaycob and Skyla.
Ms Heckford, 33, said: "We had this booked for last year but because of coronavirus, we had to leave it for a year.
"We decided it would be nice to spend my birthday in Yarmouth."
Ms Heckford's daughter has had a difficult year.
"The past year has been tough, my daughter hasn’t socialised with other children. I’m hoping places like this will help her come out of her shell a little bit."
A visit to the Pleasure Beach is not complete without a trip on the rollercoaster.
James Manning and Tim Moore, both 28, who are visiting from London, purely came to the theme park to take a ride on the "legendary" rollercoaster.
"We came to Norfolk for the walks, but we really couldn't miss the Pleasure Beach today," Mr Manning said.
"I’m a big fan of rollercoasters," said Mr Moore, and added: "It is really well-maintained, I loved it."
The roller coaster is one of only two remaining in the world to require the use of a break man.
"This was definitely a draw," Mr Moore said.
"We’ll be going back on again, before we try the log flume."
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