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Katie
Grimshaw, a student from Burnley, shunned her fear of heights and
went to see Dave in action.
"Blackpool
Tower is a scaled down version of the Eiffel Tower and took two
and a half years to build. It was opened on 14th May 1894 and at
518 feet was the tallest structure in the country. The tower hosts
a mix of attractions including a circus and a ballroom. Dave Hulme
is just one of the people employed to keep the famous tower in its
glory.
Dave’s
jobs include maintenance from the bottom of the tower right to the
top! You could find him anywhere from cleaning the chandeliers in
the ballroom to changing some of the 10,000 bulbs that make up the
illuminations down the side of the tower. Dave uses rigging to attach
himself to the outside of the tower but however secure he is, it’s
not a task that many of us would carry out gladly.
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Dave
up the Tower being Spiderman
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Probably
one of his most daring and well-known duties in the tower though,
is cleaning under the famous glass floor. The attraction, known
as the ‘Walk of Faith’ is near the top of the tower and
is open to the public. A piece of the tower's original flooring
was replaced by a sheet of glass so that visitors could see the
sights from 500 feet above sea level.
Many
people would find the ‘Walk of Faith’ too terrifying to
even walk over, but not Dave. He thinks nothing of climbing through
a trap door and lowering himself onto the frame of the tower, armed
with nothing more than some washing up liquid and a mop! Come rain
or shine Dave goes about cleaning the glass to ensure that visitors
get a clear view of the massive drop and the sights below.
From
the safety of inside the tower it is amazing watching Dave cleaning
away as if he were no higher than an ordinary window cleaner. He
casually taps the mop on the side of the tower to get rid of any
excess suds and carries on with his job. You would never be able
to guess that he was so far up, secured by so little.
Dave
is clearly a bit of a celebrity around the tower now after appearing
on television programmes about the dangerous nature of his job and
is fast becoming known as Blackpool Tower's very own Spiderman!"
Do
you do unusual stuff? Want us to come and film you? Email
us!
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