Wicksteed Park memories: First date turned into 39-year marriage

Melanie Toon's first date with husband Dave was at Wicksteed
Melanie and her husband Dave had their first date at Wicksteed ParkMelanie and her husband Dave had their first date at Wicksteed Park
Melanie and her husband Dave had their first date at Wicksteed Park

Wicksteed Park has been overwhelmed by support from the public since it announced the operating company had gone into administration.

The park's fundraiser has received £129,893 from the public and the Northants Telegraph has been searching for Wicksteed's number one fan.

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Melanie Toon, 55, who still lives within walking distance of Wicksteed, says the park has been a big part of her life.

She said: "I have lived in Kettering for 53 years. I used to live near the park and my mum and dad took me every week, sometimes in the evening where we would watch the bats swooping down from the trees and in the summer we went swimming in the small pool.

"We also went to the zoo which had my favourite animals in, the monkeys.

"I remember going on the large slides that were in the park at that time and I fell off the one in the middle with a bump but wasn't hurt."

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Melanie also remembered getting fish and chips after school, eating it as a picnic in the park, feeding the ducks and getting home late.

She said: "We would take a lazy stroll at night on beautiful summer evenings.

"I used to go to music festivals with my friends where we would dance on the grass."

When Melanie was 17, she had a particularly memorable and life-changing day at Wicksteed Park.

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Melanie said: "My husband and I had our first date at the round house on May 23, 1981. I was 17 at the time and although it might seem like a strange place to go on a date, all the mods used to meet at the round house so everyone used to know where it was and it was a fun place to meet up."

Melanie and her husband Dave now have three children and have been married for 39 years.

They have continued to visit the park and Melanie said: "A few years later, I went to work at Isebrook SEN College near Wicksteed and watched our students working at the park and loved seeing how happy they were.

"I have watched the changes over the years and watched my children enjoy the park as much as I did.

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"I run through the park every morning and watch the amazing wildlife and regularly see the black rabbits playing together and saw a beautiful deer one morning."

Wicksteed Park means a lot to Melanie and she said: "I can honestly say that Kettering wouldn't be the same without this amazing park and I had a fantastic childhood mainly because of the great memories it gave me.

"We are so lucky to have this fantastic park to visit, the park has made such a difference to my life, my children and the students at our school who love their visits.

"It's our piece of tranquility in a busy town."

Do you love Wicksteed Park? If you think you're Wicksteed's number one fan, let us know at [email protected].

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