Growing up in the Potteries in the 60s and 70s I became fascinated by travelling funfairs. At the time the city of Stoke on Trent was more than well served by showmen with annual visits from Pat Collins, Norman Davies and Camms to name just a few.

But no matter how fantastic these fairgrounds appeared they were always eclipsed by the amusement parks my family visited during our annual holidays.

One of our favourite family trips was to North Wales. This was convenient as it was not too far for my father to drive. He was a sales rep and spent many hours each week driving around the country. And, in the 70s, it also meant we could visit relatives as for a number of years my uncle managed one of the holiday parks for Bourne Leisure in Prestatyn.

My parents always preferred to stay in one of the hotels on the promenade at Colwyn Bay, which, from my point of view made it an ideal spot to visit the amusement parks in the town and also those at Rhyl, Prestatyn and Llandudno.

Last year, when I heard that Rhyl's Ocean Beach was being threatened with redevelopment, I realised that many of the amusement parks and seaside fairs along this coast had disappeared.

Although I have not visited the area for a number of years I understand that even the Rhyl park is not what it once was. With this in mind I thought I would take a trip back in time to recall some of the North Wales seaside funspots that, sadly, are no more.