Petition aims to bring American Adventure back to life

The American Adventure shut down in 2007 due to financial problems and falling visitor numbers

The former American Adventure theme park endured a rollercoaster of ups and downs before closing nearly 10 years ago. Now an ambitious petition is calling for it to be brought back - but why?

It began life as an attraction to celebrate all things British. The 390-acre Britannia Park in Derbyshire was opened by boxer Henry Cooper in 1985 and included its own amusement park.

But the British did not come, and the site's grand ambition collapsed within a couple of months and its parent company KLF was left with debts of £9.5m.

From the rubble emerged The American Adventure. Its themes of the Wild West, space and the movies captured the imaginations of thousands of families looking for delights it seemed dear old Blighty just couldn't deliver.

Updates on this story and more from Derbyshire

In addition, its white-knuckle rides - The Missile, Runaway Train and Skycoaster - were some of the biggest and best in Europe and catered for the older thrill-seekers.

And no sooner had it opened in 1987, the crowds began to come.

The park proved a hit with visitors, particularly in the mid-1990s

The American Adventure replaced another site which also had its own amusement park

The park was also known for its Wild West and stunt shows

Its popularity was such that Alton Towers founder and former owner John Broome was convinced the park would be the UK's best and the "most futuristic park in Europe".

Declan Salmon, from Newhall, Derbyshire, began the current petition to bring it back - and believes it still can. More than 5,000 people appear to agree with him and are backing his bid to get the park relocated and rebuilt.

"For The American Adventure to be rebuilt would be a dream come true for myself and others," the 17-year-old told BBC News.

But what made the park so special?

"The American Adventure had its own theme, whereas other parks just have rides and attractions," Mr Salmon added.

Irish music group Boyzone opened a £2.5m ride at the park in 1998

Alton Towers founder and former owner John Broome aimed to focus more on catering to families

Writing on the petition, Emma Clarke, from Langley Mill in Derbyshire, said: "I spent every birthday here for years and years. Such a beautiful spot going to waste."

Caroline Porton, from Long Eaton, Derbyshire, said: "It was such a great atmosphere and [you] got to know most of the staff on a personal level."

Iffy Hussain, from Nottingham, believes Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire needs a similar attraction, and that the park was "the only half decent thing" for his generation in the 1990s.

The young American Adventurer - by Neil Heath, BBC News

The first time I went, when I was about 11 years old, was for a birthday party. It was convenient for a lot of people from the East Midlands who did not want to travel as far as Alton Towers or Drayton Manor.

It was a really exciting place to go to because the themes of America - the Wild West, space... it picked out key bits that made America exciting for kids.

Every year, it would try to have something new, then it just kind of died off. It was like they just did not have the space to expand like Alton Towers did.

Once people get used to a place and the same rides, the writing was probably on the wall. But it was a great place to visit as a kid.

Explore more of England's lost theme parks

The park was sold to Venture World in 1997, which was headed by Mr Broome - who left his Alton Towers creation just over 30 miles away.

On the day Irish boy band Boyzone opened a new £2.5m "Flying Island" ride in 1998, Mr Broome dismissed suggestions the park was a "poor man's Alton Towers".

"We're going to have the largest and the most futuristic theme park in the UK, if not in Europe," he said at the time.

"My belief is this business needs to have an all-embracing family marketplace, as well as the very big rides."

Some of the bigger rides were replaced by more family-friendly attractions

A 1998 campaign by fans of Coronation Street to free jailed character Deirdre Rachid reached the theme park

A three-year programme had been drawn up to make the park the "most ambitious, largest and futuristic" in the UK and Europe

The approach led to the park closing its white-knuckle rides in 2005 to concentrate on a more family-orientated model.

But two years later, the park shut down due to financial problems and falling attendances. The adventure was over.

With the news last year that plans for 300 homes on the site were approved, it could be as soon as 2018 that the old amusement park will be replaced with the Shipley Lakeside development.

But it seems these nostalgic fans are not willing to go down quietly.