Birthday surprise for Amy at the Dungeons

Amy Wilson has been obsessed by The Dungeons attractions since she was 11 years old, but even she was not quite ready for the birthday thrills awaiting her when she went to Edinburgh Dungeon today.

Amy from Carlisle is now 33 and she first visited York Dungeon in 1997 with her family. She admits to being ‘obsessed’ with the attractions ever since.

Her best friends even gave her a Halloween trip to London Dungeon for her 30th birthday.

In the last two decades she has been to The Dungeons in York, London, Blackpool Tower and Edinburgh over 30 times. She struck up a friendship with Stuart Jarman while he was general manager of The York Dungeon. When he moved to head up Edinburgh Dungeon last year, the pair kept in touch.

Amy contacted Stuart a few months ago to tell him she was planning to celebrate her 33rd birthday with a few friends in Edinburgh, and he pulled out all the stops to make it a day to remember.

Thrills and treats waiting for her included a special “brain and grave” cake made by the Dungeon’s performance team leader, Lori Flannigan, and a horrible makeover into one of the Dungeon’s most popular characters, Judge Mental.

Stuart added free tickets to all the UK Dungeons for Amy and three friends for the next 18 months into her goody bag. This means Amy will tick off the two remaining Dungeons she hasn’t visited yet – in Warwick Castle and at the brand new Alton Towers attraction which opened in March of this year.

Amy, still lives in Carlisle, and works in her local Bodycare store there. She said: “I couldn’t believe it when Stuart and the staff met me outside the Dungeon with flowers and champagne. That would have been enough, but to be given a makeover was just amazing. It’s the kind of thing I’ve dreamed about since I was a little girl.

“I first visited York Dungeon when I was 11 years old with my mum and dad and my older sister. I still  remember Mum saying she didn’t want to go in because she was scared. That just made it even more exciting for me. I loved it instantly. I loved things like the ghost of Romans going through the wall. I was scared but I loved it!

“I liked the fact that it was all about history. I learned things which I didn’t learn at school in a fun way.”

Stuart Jarman added: “I got to know Amy when I worked in York and we’ve kept in touch. I’ve never met anyone so enthusiastic about Dungeons in the three years I have been working in them. She knows everything about them. All the staff here at the Dungeon have got behind Amy’s birthday treat with gusto.

“Lori is one of our fantastic actors but I didn’t even know she could make fantastic cakes too!! Her brain and grave cake is a work of art!

“I’m so pleased Amy enjoyed her day. And not in a horrible way!”