Sky’s the limit for career at island of thrills in Ingoldmells

Hundreds of people will soon be lining up for one of the opportunities on offer at Fantasy Island theme park in Ingoldmells – including a variety of roles, from ride operators to cleaners and cashiers.

Among them will be many who return year after year, and for whom working at the theme park is like coming home. Others who have secured full-time work in admin, marketing or maintenance have overcome the rollercoaster of seasonal work - aiming high as park owners the Mellors Group supports them through their career progression.

Fantasy Island employs around 300 people - with 60 full-time positions in admin, maintenance and cleaning. In addition there are market traders on site who also employ staff.

“We are a proper family really,” said 27-year-old cashier supervisor Jessica Moorehouse, who started working at Fantasy Island as a costume character after school and in the holidays, when she was just 11 years old.

“It could pay £15 for three shows, which was a lot of money when you are young,” she said. “From there I did on-stage dancing, became a children’s entertainer and then did bar work - being thrown in at the deep end at an all-night New Year rave’. After that I worked in the play area and then became a cashier, which led to my current job.”

Also starting out at the same time as a costume character was Paige Harris - the current Head of Marketing at Fantasy Island. Paige now works for the Mellors Group on projects around the country, since the company supported her to achieve a Foundation Degree in Business Management and a Professional Diploma with The Chartered Institute of Marketing, graduating in Westminster London in 2018.

“We would like to show that there is an opportunity for much more than just seasonal work at Fantasy Island - there is so much progression here,” said Paige.

“Around 80 per cent of people who work here return year after year because of our staff incentive schemes.

“We are continually developing the site with new rides which in turn leads to new training for our seasonal operators - learning the maintenance and health and safety checks.

“It’s not a normal job.

”I was very lucky - I finished A-levels a year early and came here as a marketing assistant - now eight years later I’m the marketing manager and I have the Mellors Group to thank for supporting me through this.”

Following in her footsteps is the new marketing assistant, Heidi Watson, who started working part-time at Fantasy Island when she was 16 as a wristbander and then as a cashier. At 21 she has now begun a career path which will see her going on courses to support her work - the perfect choice, according to Paige, because working there had given her the necessary skillset to understand the business.

“I’m really happy and proud to have been offered the job and I am really looking forward to it,” she said.

Also looking forward to the start of the new season is full-time ‘troubleshooter’ Isaac Turner, who started working at Fantasy Island in 2016 as a cashier, and is now the person everyone calls for if there is a problem with tills or the I-card system.

“It’s perfect for me,” said Isaac. “I get bored very quickly, but this job is so varied. It keeps me on my toes.”

n Fantasy Island are now recruiting for the 2019 season from March through to November. If you’re hard working, reliable and looking for work, click on the following link to download, then complete and submit your application form http://bit.ly/2fX2UHV

Alternatively, please collect an application form from The Skegness Job Centre or Fantasy Island and return it to Head Office.

Application deadline: Friday, January 25, 2019.