When a new white-knuckle ride opened at a Bristol leisure park, the Bristol Evening Post sent its funfair-phobic reporter Nick Pearson to try it out.

Prior to his daring ride of the new attraction, Hi-Speed, Nick’s worst ever ride experience had been on the log flume at Blackpool Pleasure Beach – at the age of 11.

Nick told readers of the Evening Post: “My fear of anything higher than say a playground slide or a kiddies’ swing is legendary among closest friends.”

“So when my boss called me to say I had been chosen to take up the mantle, you can imagine my joy.

“Before I’d even thought about it, I’d agreed. I heard words coming out of my mouth which my brain didn’t believe. My news editor was suddenly my dad and I was 11 again.”

Unsurprisingly, Nick spent a restless night before he went to experience the 140ft-high, 60mph ride.

He said: “After about five or six full turns, the machine lurched into overdrive.

“My stomach took an ‘interesting’ turn and on the way down my feet flew up into the air. A couple more turns and I was getting used to it.”

“I didn’t like the feeling but I felt I’d mastered my fear by letting out little puppy noises. I was embarrassed in case my fellow passengers could hear but I couldn’t stop.

“I had lost control of my world and the photographer was snatching every picture of me he could.”

After several minutes of “torture”, Nick began to enjoy the ride.

“The spinning continued, but my stomach had stopped lurching and a feeling of almost exhilaration came over me,” said Nick.

“I was halfway to believing I had conquered my fear.”

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