Roller coaster chaser could still set record despite Storm Floris setback

Independent

5 days ago

A thrill-seeker who set out to ride every roller coaster in the UK in a little over two weeks has had his plans scuppered by Storm Floris – but could still break a world record.
Dean Stokes, 36, originally organised a trip to go on 120 roller coasters in 32 theme parks in 16 days across the UK, travelling alongside his friend and former colleague Simon Fasolo, 44.
Mr Stokes, from Brighton, East Sussex, worked for five years at Google before leaving the corporate ladder to set up his own business delivering technology training, having grown tired of being unable to try new things.
The former UK head of Google for Education believes people should be encouraged to do what they love and has taken time away from work to complete and document the challenge on social media.
But he has since run into problems, with Storm Floris closing several theme parks less than a third of the way into his journey.
Despite the route not going to plan, Mr Stokes has been contacted by Guinness World Records, who say it could still be possible to set a new record.
He said: 'We were scuppered by Storm Floris, as two of the parks we visited did not have coasters operating because of wind and rain.
'The day I was in north Devon, we were meant to get on eight roller coasters, but I only managed one.
'Most of the rides were shut down for safety reasons, which is understandable but it was really frustrating when we got there.
'I originally didn't reach out to the Guinness World Records because I just hadn't had the time in planning all the trip and I'm not really doing this to break a record, I'm doing it for fun.
'But two days ago, they emailed me asking if I'm interested in it, and I said yes – I would love to hang a world record at my office and have it in the background of my video calls.
'So, despite Storm Floris setting us back on the original plan, we could still break a record. We're just working out what the details are. It may be something like most roller coasters ridden in a week – I'm trying to work with them to figure out what's a good record that we can set.'
Mr Stokes says he has been overwhelmed by the support both on social media and in person at the theme parks.
Along with Mr Fasolo, the pair have been recognised by several fellow thrill-seekers and ride operators.
Mr Stokes even had a follower join him for the first ride, the Pinball X at Flamingo Park in Hastings, East Sussex.
He said: 'Before Storm Floris, it was going really well. Someone was even there to meet me in Hastings – a kid called Jack and his family.
'I was so surprised when I turned up and there was someone there – he said 'I'm here to ride this with you'.
'Jack said they were planning on going to a different theme park but decided to come to Hastings to join me, which was lovely.
'One of the ride operators recognised me from the videos on social media as well, which has all been so surprising but really amazing.
'I've been going live on TikTok, so when I drive quite I'm often doing quick live streams talking to people that are joining on there.
'We're starting to build a bit of a crowd for Thorpe Park, which would be the last park of the trip – I think we're going to get a little bit of a group together to ride my last ride together which is fun.'
Mr Stokes maintains that it is important to encourage people to follow their passion and not to worry about what others think when pursuing something they enjoy.
He said: 'The big reason that I'm doing it is that I really think that people should just get out there and do more of what they love.
'We spend too much time these days feeling embarrassed about things that we want to do, or not pushing ourselves to do something because we're worried about whatever people might think.
'In fact, being confident to go out and do what you want is super important.'