Venue: Pleasure Beach Resort, Blackpool
Who Went: Me and a large number of other RCCGB members, including Andy and Christine Hine, Alan Chilvers, Adam Bysouth, Adey, Kellie and Katelyn, Andy Hunter, AndyT, Barry, Brian (mophead), Carl May, Dave Maryan, Death, Derek, Julie, Alan and Saffron Eddy, Emma Roids, Francis Price, Gareth Arkell, Gareth Preece, John Musk, Kelly Cameron, Looping Lee, Mary (Regatta) and Andy Knight, Mark Blundell, Matt Walker, Matthew Bauckham, Peter, Lauren and Aidan O'Brien, Planenut, Robert Nutter, Ryan Hackett, Sam & Penny, Tom Hey, Wendy Evans.
DISCLAIMER: The above is NOT intended to be an exhaustive list of everyone who attended. It's a small sample of attendees; mainly those who performed billed or Gong Show acts Saturday night, and/or who I spoke to / rode with over the weekend. I sincerely apologise to anyone else who was there and I've not listed. Not all attendees (whether or not listed above) attended the event in its entirety.
Introduction
The Club's annual UK mega-trip to start the new coaster season. Once again the Blackpool Bash was a great success, with three professional entertainers Friday night, a day of riding Saturday daytime (including the morning and afternoon ERSs), a fancy dress party with songs, games, the Gong Show and a disco Saturday evening, and another ERS Sunday morning. A great turnout too with around 400 of us there from all over the UK (my list above is just a handful of them). I was determined as ever to attend the Blackpool Bash, and for the first time ever performed a billed act Saturday evening.To make the rest of this report easier to read, I've split it into sections. Click the applicable link below to jump to the section you want to read:
Thursday 4 April
Day One - Friday 5 April
Day Two - Saturday 6 April (daytime)
Day Two - Saturday 6 April (evening)
Day Three - Sunday 7 April
Outro
Enjoy my report at your leisure.
Thursday 4 April
Getting To Blackpool
I travelled to Blackpool by train the afternoon of Thursday 4 April. I left Bath Spa at 12:12, changed trains at Bristol Temple Meads, Newport (Gwent) and Manchester Piccadilly, and reached Blackpool North just before 7pm. From a nearby bus stop I caught a bus to the Pleasure Beach. After that, I checked into my pre-booked hotel for three nights. It was the same hotel, close to Pleasure Beach Resort, that I stayed at 2008 to 2012 inclusive.Thursday Evening
Around 7:40pm I went to The Auctioneer (Wetherspoons) for dinner: Piri piri chicken and chips for main course, Eli's original baked vanilla cheesecake for dessert, and half a pint of Heineken to drink. I unexpectedly met Barry (Rolf Harris lookalike) there and spoke to him after my meal.More about Thursday available here
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Day One - Friday 5 April
Daytime
For me Friday began with a delicious breakfast: cereal, a full English breakfast and toast. I spent the day at Sandcastle Water Park, and was in the pool / slides area from approximately 11:15am until closing time of 6pm. A separate report about my day there is available here. After leaving Sandcastle Water Park I briefly returned to my hotel to prepare for the evening.Early Evening
Around 6:50pm I went to Pablo's Fish and Chips for a Pablo's Special, i.e. fish, chips, mushy peas, bread and butter, plus fizzy drink for main course, followed by a Sundae Special for dessert. I met Planenut there, so we sat together. Having left Pablo's around 7:30pm, I went into Lucky Star Amusements and ascended their escalator, so effectively that was my first "ride" in Blackpool.Friday Fun
The Blackpool Bash officially began when the Paradise Room doors opened. Everyone was given a free welcome pack on entry. I entered around 7:40pm, bought myself half a Fosters, and sat at a table close to the corner of the stage. The fun really began when Andy Hine appeared and said his annual catchphrase. "Everybody say Blackpool". Unfortunately due to health and safety regulations, he was unable to do his planned stage act with another member.The first official act was magician Rob Gaffney, accompanied by his puppet in the box. I thought his best bit was the number challenge. My starting number was 8, which via several calculations reduced to 4, and translated to D. The puppet guessed someone was thinking of grey elephants in Denmark. That corresponded exactly to what I thought of (Denmark - elephant - grey). Next Nicky Miller sang several songs to get us in the mood for Eurovision-themed Saturday, including "Be My Baby", "I'm Alive" (Celine Dion) and "Somebody to Love" (Queen). Two of her songs were past Eurovision ones: "Boom Bang A Bang" (Lulu) and "Waterloo" (ABBA).
After a 15 minute interval (during which I bought myself an orange juice and lemonade) Craig Harper amused everyone with jokes and songs for over an hour. I had the chance to stand in front of the stage and speak into his microphone to share my words with the audience, and show everyone my "I am 14 backwards" T-shirt from my September 2012 birthday. Craig also sang a few songs including "Hero" (Enrique Iglesias), "Rule The World" (Take That) and "Time to Say Goodbye" (Andrea Bocelli). Friday Fun officially ended when Craig finished. Before leaving, I had my photo taken with Craig.
More about Friday available here
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Day Two - Saturday 6 April (daytime)
First Thing
I asked for an early breakfast at 8:20am so that I could be at the Paradise Room at 8:45am or soon after. I chose beans on toast as a lighter alternative to a full English (which I felt would be too risky before riding Big One, Steeplechase and the rest). Initial Meet-Up and Photo Call
Members were asked to meet in the Paradise Room at 8:45am, however it was nearer to 9:00am when I entered. I met the Eddy family and spoke to them for a few minutes. Eventually I queued to be issued with my ride wristband, Park Pass and drink voucher. At 9:45am we entered the Park and gathered by the entrance to Grand National for a group photo.Morning ERS
Afterwards we headed to the far end of the Park for the morning ERS on Big One, Steeplechase and Revolution. Three coasters, beat that for one ERS. I wanted to start on Big One, but workmen were checking the train wheels. Shortly afterwards members were allowed up the ramp as far as the riders' station entrance, which was currently closed. About ten minutes later it was still closed so I backed off. Instead I began the day on Revolution and enjoyed two goes (back row followed by second row). Next I enjoyed three goes on Steeplechase (one per track: red, green, yellow). My horse won the first two goes, but finished third on my final go. After that, I discovered Big One was working, and our ERS on it was extended to 11:30. As I reached the loading gates another problem arose, but it was sorted and all was fine for another run. I got on near the back and enjoyed a fun ride, but disappointingly this was my only go on Big One this ERS and indeed all day.Morning Free Time
When the morning ERS ended, members dispersed around the Pleasure Beach and took over the rides. The rest of the morning I enjoyed one go on Big Dipper (my first go of the day on a woodie) followed by one go on River Caves. After that the time was 12:27, so I went to the Paradise Room for lunch.Lunch At Paradise Room
Once inside I headed straight for the bar and used my drink voucher to get a glass of Pepsi Cola. Eurovision songs were played as background music. Initially the food queue was very long, so I looked at the merchandise table, and bought myself a RCCGB 25th anniversary T-shirt. By now the food queue was considerably shorter, so I waited to get served. I had chicken, fries, bread roll and butter, coleslaw and side salad. There were speeches from Andy Hine and David Cam. Andy Hine was presented with a chrome plated link from the Grand National lift chain. Two RCCGB 25th anniversary cakes were unveiled, and both were well photographed. Eventually the larger one was cut into small portions for members to have, so I had a piece.Afternoon Free Time
At 1:52pm I left the Paradise Room and returned to the Pleasure Beach. My first after-lunch ride (and second woodie of the day) was one go on Wild Mouse, which was quite rough. Next I had one go on Grand Prix. After that I enjoyed several rides in Nickelodeon Land: The Krusty Krab Order Up!, Dora's World Voyage, Spongebob's Splash Bash, Fairy World Taxi Spin and Diego's Rainforest Rescue once each, and the Park's smallest woodie Blue Flyer twice (second-from-back row, followed by front row).Grand National ERS
It was now time for our ERS on the classic twin track Möbius racing wooden coaster Grand National. During the ERS I had time for three goes. On my first go my train went up the left lift hill, but the finish was neck and neck. On my second and third goes, my train climbed the right lift hill and won by a wide margin. Another fun ERS, it was really satisfying to have this coaster to ourselves on the day of the famous Grand National race at Aintree for the second year running, indeed roughly the time of the actual race (which was scheduled to start at 4:15pm). I was really pleased my train won by a huge margin on two of my three goes.Early Evening Free Time
After the ERS ended at 5:00pm, members returned to their hotels to relax and prepare for the evening, or rode until closing time (8pm). Having finally left Grand National at 5:08pm, I continued riding until 6:40pm. I had time for five more rides: Avalanche, Tetley Tea Cup Ride, Nickelodeon Streak, Infusion and Flying Machines once each. Altogether a great day's riding, my first time ever time of riding all five wooden coasters at Pleasure Beach Resort in one day. It's a pity I only had one go on Big One, and didn't ride Ice Blast yet again. I'll have to try and ride Ice Blast next year.
Cumulative Summary of My Rides (ERSs and Free Time Combined)
| Ride | Total |
| Avalanche | 1 |
| Big Dipper | 1 |
| Big One | 1 |
| Blue Flyer | 2 |
| Diego's Rainforest Rescue | 1 |
| Dora's World Voyage | 1 |
| Fairy World Taxi Spin | 1 |
| Flying Machines | 1 |
| Grand National | 3 |
| Grand Prix | 1 |
| Infusion | 1 |
| Nickelodeon Streak | 1 |
| Revolution | 2 |
| River Caves | 1 |
| Spongebob's Splash Bash | 1 |
| Steeplechase | 3 |
| Tetley Tea Cup Ride | 1 |
| The Krusty Krab Order Up! | 1 |
| Wild Mouse | 1 |
| TOTAL | 25 |
More about Saturday daytime available here
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Day Two - Saturday 6 April (evening)
Coaster Crazy Show
At 6:40pm I left Pleasure Beach for a rehearsal in the Paradise Room. Having chosen my seat Brian, Tom, Death and I rehearsed "Hard Rock Hallelujah" on stage together once. I also tried on the monster outfit Brian had made for me. All was fine but I removed it afterwards as our plan was to get into monster outfits just before our performance.Around 7:45pm the doors opened to members not taking part. This year's theme was Eurovision, and many dressed in something connected with the Eurovision Song Contest. Some wrapped a flag around themselves. One group of four dressed as ABBA. Peter O'Brien, Lauren and Aidan wore Eurovision country T-shirts (Ireland, Greece and Spain respectively) which they had made themselves; each of which had Eurovision, country name and flag on the front, and "Winners" plus relevant years on the back. For now my outfit was UEFA Euro 2012 T-shirt, as that's got Poland-Ukraine on it. The loose connection with Eurovision was that Poland and Ukraine have been in the Eurovision Song Contest several years now. I also put on a pair of black sports shorts.
The First Half
Unsurprisingly the show began with Charpentier's Te Deum prelude "Marche en rondeau", just like every Eurovision Song Contest. Next Alan Chilvers, Paul and Emma sang "One Vision" (Queen) with some altered words. After Nev's opening speech Kelly Cameron sang the first Eurovision song of the night "Ooh Ahh Just A Little Bit" (Gina G - UK 1996). The first game "Yes-No" featured six contestants Lee Bennett, Robert Nutter, Mark Millions, Adam Bysouth, John Musk and Francis Price who were chosen earlier. Each had to answer Nev's questions for one minute without replying "Yes" or "No". The top three Mark Millions, Adam Bysouth and Francis Price went on to "Open the Box" later.The Coaster Kids (who have entered the Gong Show recent years) performed their own rewritten version of "Save Your Kisses For Me" (Brotherhood of Man - UK 1976) called "Save Your Coasters For Me". Immediately afterwards Death, Tom Hey, Brian (mophead) and I appeared in monster outfits to sing "Hard Rock Hallelujah" (Lordi - Finland 2006). I was the lead singer, and the others joined in for certain parts. When we finished Nev said "Thank you Lordi" and briefly mentioned who was behind each mask. Next, eleven children entered the Kids' Gopher game. When called, they ran into the audience to fetch an item specified by Nev, e.g. watch, hotel key, camera, only to find one less chair on their return, thereby forcing the child unable to find a seat out. Well done to Grace who won, her prize was a Nickelodeon goodie bag. Afterwards last year's Gong Show winner Dave Maryan sang "That's Life". He gave an outstanding performance and attracted much cheering and applause.
The Gong Show
The Gong Show featured nine acts, starting with Alan Chilvers as escapologist SuperDini, and his assistant Emma Roids. When SuperDini failed to escape from the sack after 10 seconds the horn went. First-timers Sam & Penny were next; Sam danced whilst Penny played the accordion. Although they initially attracted clapping, they were eventually booed and the horn went. Snake Charmer Fakir On attracted cheering and booing, but Nev soon blew the horn. Carl May, another first-timer, performed a coaster-themed rap song he had written himself. He reached the end with much cheering and applause and without the horn going.Barry and Dave sang "Coaster Crazy", a coaster themed variation of "Wild Rover"; although I thought it was quite good, the horn eventually went. Death appeared with a saw blade attached to his right hand, after plenty of booing the horn quickly went. Next two girls Ella & Mollie, aka CJ, (also first timers) danced to "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls. They reached the end with much cheering and applause and without the horn going. Matthew Bauckham performed a Eurovision act: part of "Euphoria" (Loreen - Sweden 2012) followed by "Flying The Flag (For You)" (Scooch - UK 2007) in full accompanied by Dave. The audience clapped and cheered during the performance and at the end; hence Matthew and Dave reached the end without the horn going. Finally Andy Hunter brought a bag on stage containing Joe the camel, it wasn't long before Nev blew the horn.
During the vote for Best Act, four acts were shortlisted: Fakir On, Carl May, Ella & Mollie, Matthew Bauckham & Dave. Of those the two winners were Carl May and Ella & Mollie. The worst two were Death and Andy Hunter. Andy Hunter was clearly proud to be voted the ultimate worst act!
Rest of Coaster Crazy Show
Back to the billed acts. Wendy Evans performed a medley of past Eurovision songs. The final game "Open the Box" featured Nev and a set of nine boxes. The top three contestants (Mark Millions, Adam Bysouth, Francis Price) from "Yes-No" earlier returned to take part in this game individually. Each had to pick a box to win its hidden prize or take Nev's alternative cash offer (which may have been worth more or less than the hidden prize in the box). Finally Ryan Hackett, Mark Blundell, Matt Walker and two others performed "Dancing Lasha Tumbai" (Verka Serduchka - Ukraine 2007). When they finished Nev gave a closing speech, and those who had taken part in billed and gong acts reappeared.After Show Party
The stage went down to form the dance floor for the after-show party (disco). A 75 minute medley of non-stop party hits including the usual "Relax" (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), "YMCA" (Village People), "Glad All Over", Can-Can, "The Locomotion" etc. Also included were excerpts of several Eurovision songs, including "Flying The Flag (For You) (Scooch) and "Making Your Mind Up" (Bucks Fizz). Many including me danced along. The final four songs, played in full, were:Dancing Lasha Tumbai (Ryan and co appeared on stage just in front of the curtains doing the actions)
Amarillo
Always Look On The Bright Side of Life
New York
The Warner Brothers cartoon "That's all folks" marked the end of the disco. Finally those who had dressed up assembled for a group photo. Afterwards members were asked to pack up and leave as quickly as possible, though it took me until 11:46pm to gather all my belongings together. A few minutes after leaving the Paradise Room I was back at my hotel room.
Summary of Evening
Show Opener: Alan Chilvers, Paul and Emma
Welcome: Andy Hine
Act 1: Kelly Cameron - "Ooh Ahh Just A Little Bit"
Game 1: Yes/No
Act 2: The Coaster Kids - "Save Your Coasters For Me"
Act 3: Nemesis Nick, Death, Tom Hey and Brian (mophead) - "Hard Rock Hallelujah"
Game 2: Kids' Gopher
Act 4: Dave Maryan - "That's Life"
The Gong Show
1: SuperDini and Emma Roids - Escapologist (horn went)
2: Sam & Penny - Dancing and Accordion (horn went)
3: Fakir On - Snake Charmer (horn went)
4: Carl May - Rap
5: Barry & Dave - "Coaster Crazy" (horn went)
6: Death (horn went)
7: Ella & Mollie - Dance
8: Matthew Bauckham & Dave - "Euphoria" / "Flying The Flag (For You)"
9: Andy Hunter - Joe the camel (horn went)
Top four: Fakir On, Carl May, Ella & Mollie, Matthew Bauckham & Dave; joint winners Carl May and Ella & Mollie
Bottom two: Death v Andy Hunter; Ultimate worst Andy Hunter
Act 5: Wendy Evans - Eurovision Medley
Game 3: Open the Box
Act 6: Ryan and Co - "Dancing Lasha Tumbai"
Thank you message: Andy Hine
After Show Party (Disco)
Group photo
More about Saturday evening available here
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Day Three - Sunday 7 April
First Thing
I awoke at 7:30am, put on my RCCGB 25th anniversary T-shirt, packed and had breakfast at the official time of 9:00am. Once again, I chose beans on toast as a lighter alternative to a full English breakfast.Initial Meet-Up
Having left my hotel just after 10:00am I walked to the Pleasure Beach Casino Tower. Everyone was waiting inside the tower on the ground floor. Nev said the ERS would be on three coasters: Big Dipper, Infusion and Wild Mouse. He warned members not to all head for Wild Mouse at once as we'd waste a lot of ERS time queuing.Morning ERS
Around 10:15 the Club headed for Big Dipper and Infusion. Passing Big Dipper I joined its queue. Whilst queuing I talked to Mary (Regatta) Knight. Soon it was my turn to ride Big Dipper. The AIRtime on the dips made a great start to the ERS. I was going to have another go on Big Dipper, but due to the longer queue, decided to ride Infusion instead and possibly return to Big Dipper later. Looking back, it's just as well I had one go on Big Dipper when I did; although a disappointingly low count, one go was better than none!In contrast, Infusion was surprisingly quiet. Whilst riding Infusion I discovered Big Dipper had got stuck so I rode Infusion the rest of the ERS, and clocked up nine goes in various rows. That beat my previous personal best of seven goes straight off on Infusion during the 2009 Sunday morning Blackpool Bash ERS. It's also my new record for most goes on one coaster in an ERS (my previous best was eight on Roller Coaster during the Summer Bash 2008 ERS at Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach and eight on Megafobia in the dark ERS at Oakwood last year).
Cumulative Summary of My Rides
| Ride | Total |
| Big Dipper | 1 |
| Infusion | 9 |
| TOTAL | 10 |
Who beat me on that?
Rest of Sunday
The ERS finished at 11:30. No further events were scheduled for Sunday. Members with Sunday wristbands stayed and continued riding. Those like me without Sunday wristbands left and went straight home or visited other Blackpool attractions. Initially I stayed in the Pleasure Beach talking to Nev, Alan Chilvers and a few other members. Having left Pleasure Beach approximately 12:30pm and collected my luggage from my hotel, I briefly went on South Pier for a jumbo chilli hot dog, but didn't go on any rides. After a whippy ice cream from Pablo's ice cream kiosk I caught a tram from South Pier to Tower stop.Blackpool Tower Eye
Around 1:45pm I entered the Tower and considered visiting one of its attractions Eventually I decided to visit the Tower Eye for the second year running. I was given a panoramic view leaflet, with sights to look for. Just after the Tower Eye admissions point, I posed for a photo. Next the five minute 4D film in the small cinema had amazing features, e.g. zooming in on Blackpool and the Tower from outer space, the tower taking off like a pyrotechnic rocket and going down the first drop of Big One. An excellent short film. After having my Flight Wing shot photo taken, I queued for the lift to the enclosed observation deck. At the top, I walked the glass walk and asked someone to photograph me standing and sitting on the glass. The views were breath-taking, it was a pity it was a bit hazy. I tried to spot the sights on the panoramic view leaflet. Whereas the Blackpool sights were clear enough, it was impossible to see the distant ones, e.g. Anglesey, Preston, Manchester as it was so hazy. After a while I climbed the spiral stairs to another level, followed by another staircase to the highest level open to the public. Someone took my photo showing my RCCGB 25th anniversary T-shirt there. Finally I went down the descent staircases to the enclosed observation deck and waited for the lift down. When I reached the gift shop on level 6 I resisted the temptation to buy either of my two photos, and descended the stairs to level 1.Journey Home
Having left the Tower at 3:20pm I walked to Blackpool North as fast as I could. Once there I just had time to get a takeaway coffee before joining the 15:44 train to Manchester Piccadilly. Unfortunately it arrived Manchester Piccadilly late; on arrival I had just two minutes to rush from platform 14 to platform 7 for the 17:07 Plymouth train. Miraculously I made it onto the said train and enjoyed a relaxing journey to Bristol Temple Meads, whereupon I caught the 20:30 train to Bath Spa. Having reached Bath I went to McDonalds Southgate for a Big Mac and fries, followed by a toffee sundae. I finally reached home around 9:45pm.More about Sunday available here
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Outro
Highlights
Meeting members I'd met on previous Club trips again (including Andy and Christine Hine, Alan Chilvers, Barry, Brian, Death, Mark Blundell, Matt Walker, Mary and Andy Knight, Planenut, Ryan Hackett, Wendy Evans and the Eddy family).Meeting Peter O'Brien, Lauren and Aidan (Saturday evening) and Adey, Kellie and Katelyn (Sunday just before ERS) whom I don't recall seeing on previous RCCGB trips.
ERSs on Revolution, Steeplechase, Big One, Grand National, Big Dipper and Infusion.
Quite a high ride count Saturday (during ERSs and normal time).
Riding all five wooden coasters (including both lift hills of Grand National) Saturday for the first time ever.
Two nights of entertainment, plus dancing in the disco Saturday evening.
Performing "Hard Rock Hallelujah" (Lordi) with Brian, Tom and Death Saturday evening (my first ever billed act).
Getting 9 goes on Infusion during the Sunday morning ERS, thereby beating my previous personal records for most goes straight off on that particular coaster, and most goes on any coaster in one ERS.
The Blackpool Tower Eye: 4D film and visiting the top of the Tower.
Lowlights
Problems with Big One Saturday which meant I only got one go on it all day (near the end of our ERS).Big Dipper getting stuck part way through our Sunday morning ERS, fortunately I had one go on it right at the start of the ERS before it got stuck.
Stressful rush from platform 14 to platform 7 at Manchester Piccadilly Sunday late afternoon to transfer to the 17:07 Plymouth train in just two minutes.
Summing Up
Another mega excellent weekend away, my sixth Blackpool Bash to-date. It was great riding the Big One (albeit once only), Grand National, Infusion and other rides again, and catching up with other members (both those I've met before, and ones I don't previously recall seeing). Thanks a million to Andy Hine for all the effort involved in organising a trip of this nature. At the Blackpool Bash, the ERSs and other riding are only part of the fun. The other major chunk of the fun includes the Friday evening entertainment, Saturday lunch and Saturday evening Coaster Crazy Show and disco. Better still I performed a billed act for the first time ever on Saturday evening, an achievement I feel proud of. The upshot of that was it seemed strange just watching the Gong Show for the first time since 2008, having been in it the interim four years. Never mind, I hope to be back in the Gong Show next year with something some might see as a cack act. No wonder Nev says in the Blackpool Bash invite "If you can only make one Club trip this year, make it this one".Back to the top
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