Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BOSS LADY
allroom or t the top of he tower on he skywalk. The viewing latform isn’t for a aint-hearted bride and room, with only a glass floor tanding between them and the promnade 318ft below.
Spare a thought for maintenance man Paul Hulley and his team who ave to abseil to change a lightbulb on ts famous illuminations.
Paul, 51, says: “I’ve worked here for 5 years – I got the job straight from chool and loved it so much I stayed. We just used to wear chest harnesses, but health and safety has moved on.
“But I have to say the first time I abseiled down was quite a daunting task. You are nly on a 10mm rope so it is a bit
hair-raising.” Paul’s boss Ian Wilson is another man who has not only found a job for life at Blackpool Tower – but also the love of his life.
Ian, 49, is head of maintenance after starting work here in 1992, while his fiancee Bev Anstell, 43, started work at the tower as a holiday job 25 years ago and works on reception.
They have been together for 25 years and now have a daughter Jess, 17, who also works there.
Bev laughs: “It is amazing to work here, there is so much history. My mum even worked here before me.
“Everyone has their own stories of Blackpool Tower – you see generations of the same family coming here year after year.
“You do fall in love with the tower and the people. I think now our daughter Jess works here too she understands how the tower bug can get you – there is nowhere else like it.”
Tower boss Kate Shane says: “This is a working-class resort, and we love that, we are proud of that.
“The tower was giving working-class people the opportunity to experience something they’d never see.
“There is so much emotion surrounding the tower – everyone has their own little story about it.”