VISITORS to Heaton Park last weekend could have been forgiven for thinking they were in Blackpool.

The sights, sounds and smells of the Pleasure Beach were transported to Prestwich’s urban oasis — and brought the sunshine along too.

Thousands of fun seekers young and old called into the park and, as temperatures soared higher than Gran Canaria, they built sandcastles on the park's very own beach, went on fairground rides and relaxed in deckchairs.

Others tucked into seaside treats such as candy floss and Blackpool Rock, relaxed in authentic pier deckchairs and posed for pictures in old-fashioned cartoon murals.

But the weekend's star attraction was a fleet of traditional Blackpool-to-Fleetwood trams, which took smiling passengers young and old from the park's tramway depot to the boating lake.

Hayley Pearce, aged 32, of Middleton Road, who took her five-year-old son Josh and his three-year-old sister Natalie, said: "It's a really good idea bringing all these different things to the park. The kids loved it.

"It was like having all the best bits of the seaside on your doorstep. The organisers did really well."

John Peters, aged 59, of Crumpsall, added: "It's really good for tram buffs to be able to see these great trams on the park's rails.

"Older people like me will remember how magical it was to go to Blackpool as a child, especially during the illuminations, and will have fond memories of travelling on an old tram and seeing the lights and fairground rides on the pleasure beach.

"It was wonderful to get a flavour of that in Heaton Park."

The attractions were part of the Blackpool Rocks Manchester weekend, which also featured special exhibitions at Bury Transport Museum, Manchester Bus Museum, the People’s History Museum in Manchester city centre and at Manchester Central Library.

The beach and the fairground will remain at the park until September 6.