Tayside’s largest indoor fun fair is celebrating 40 years of delighting children.
Pleasureland at Arbroath has seen more than a million people pass through its doors since it opened in 1975.
It was established by the late Jimmy O’Brien Snr and his son, also Jimmy, who wanted to take their amusement park operation indoors.
Jimmy recalled: “My father could see there was a future in having an indoor amusement park operation rather than travelling all the time.
“Opening our own place meant we could operate a lot more equipment and have more days of operating.
“We used to travel around Angus to Carnoustie, Kirriemuir and Montrose but we tended to settle down in Arbroath in the summer months, usually July and August, so we had a good grasp of the value of business here.
“Arbroath was a popular summer destination back then and it still is.”
It took several years for planning permission for the building, beside Arbroath FC’s ground Gayfield, to be granted.
As construction got under way in 1973 the family business was badly affected by the three-day working week imposed by the Conservative Government to conserve electricity.
“The building was held up for a year because of a delay in getting the steel for the building fabricated,” Jimmy added.
“It was difficult and expensive to get finance at the time.
“I think it cost about £70,000 for the building and equipment back then. It wasn’t a success from the word go but we worked at it and built it up.”
Although waltzers and dodgems have always been on offer, the other rides have changed over the years.
Attractions now include a jumbo inflatable slide, bungee trampolines, a soft play area and amusement arcade.
The day-to-day management of the business has passed to Jimmy’s son Todd, but Jimmy is still heavily involved.
He said: “It gives me a lot of satisfaction that we are still going.
“It always pleases me when I see parents trying to get their kids out and they don’t want to go. That’s how you measure success.”