Earlier this summer, TUI revealed research that a quarter (25%) of Brits over 60 have never been down a waterslide, in celebration of the centenary of the waterslide.

As a result, the holiday firm launched a nationwide search to find their very own 'First Time Senior Slider' to unleash their inner thrill-seeker and experience a waterslide for the first time.

Meet Bob – a 78-year-old Lincolnshire man who travelled to the Ali Bey Club Splashworld resort in Turkey with TUI to plunge down his very first waterslide.

Fearless Bob Carter has become one of the oldest Brits to brave a waterside for the first time, after finally taking the plunge at the age of 78 and becoming the nation's First Time Senior Slider.

Granddad Bob, a retired Sales Representative from Sleaford, Lincolnshire, was filmed plunging down the huge, winding slide on an inflatable ring at TUI's Ali Bey Club Splashworld resort in Turkey.

The plucky pensioner won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in a competition run by TUI UK, to find a brave 'First Time Senior Slider' who was willing to take on the challenge. Bob's story was selected from hundreds of thrill-seeking over 60's entries.

After many twists and turns, Bob emerged from the water with a smile from ear-to-ear and exclaimed: “I enjoyed that! “I was a bit nervous beforehand as I've never done anything like that before.

“I wanted to show people that age doesn't matter and that even if you are as old as me, you can still do things like this.

“I also wanted to show my granddaughter Lois that I could do it and make her proud of me.

The keen traveller and crossword fanatic added: “The closest thing I have done to that was a helter skelter I went on years ago, but that was nothing like the waterslide.

“When my daughter told me she had put my name forward for the First Time Senior Slider competition I thought maybe she was trying to get rid of me!

“But it was fun. I might go on it again tomorrow now.

”Lois said: “Seeing granddad come out of the tunnel into the water was really funny. He was brilliant. He did look a bit nervous beforehand, but I'm really happy he went ahead with it.

Bob took his granddaughter Lois, aged nine, daughter Jane, 41, son-in-law Toby, 49, and Toby's aunt Natalie, 55 with him on the trip.

Regional breakdowns

• Seniors based in the North West (92%) and Scotland (90%) are the most 'young at heart' (national average 88%).
• Liverpool (14%), Nottingham (11%) and Manchester (10%) over 60's are the biggest adrenaline junkies in the nation having slid down a waterslide 41-50 times in their lives (national average 5%).
• One in five (21%) of those based in Cardiff stopped going on waterslides after the age of 18.

TUI UK launched the competition to celebrate the centenary of the waterslide, a treasured element of family sunshine breaks. In conjunction with the competition, TUI UK also carried out research to discover why very few over 60's brave the waterslide.

The poll revealed one quarter (25%) of 1,000 'senior' Brits have never been down a waterslide, despite almost nine in ten (88%) over 60's feeling 'young at heart'. The findings were even more surprising given we're a nation of self-confessed adrenaline junkies, with nearly one third of oldies (32%) admitting they were still thrill-seekers despite their advancing years.

Richard Sofer, Commercial Director, TUI UK&I said: “Seeing Bob's smile as he went down our Splashworld waterslide is what it's all about for us here at TUI. We were thrilled to make Bob our official First Time Senior Slider and give him, and his family, a wonderful memory to talk about for years to come. The moral of the story is you are never 'too old' to give something a go – at TUI, we have a great range of holidays for all ages, including a collection of 30 Splashworld resorts that have been handpicked for the whole family to enjoy. Plus, with unlimited access, you can go as much as your heart desires!”

To experience the thrill of the waterslide or to find more information about TUI's all-inclusive Splashworld resorts, visit www.tui.co.uk where you can choose from many destinations including Egypt, Turkey, and Spain. 

Five facts about waterslides you never knew:

1. The Guinness World Record for the most waterslides in one waterpark is held by Atlantis Aquaventure in Dubai which is home to 50 slides. 
2. The largest waterpark by size is China's Chimelong Water Park which is 449 acres – equivalent to 339 football fields. 
3. The world's longest waterslide twists through a Malaysian jungle and measures 1,111 metres, providing four and a half minutes of sliding time.
4. Jaz Makadi Aquaviva, one of TUI's Splashworld resorts, boasts the most water slides in its hotel range, with a whopping 50 different slides and attractions for guests to enjoy. 
5. The tallest waterslide in the world is Kilimanjaro at Brazil's Aldeia das Aguas Park Resort which measures almost 50 metres in height – the same height as Nelson's Column and half the height of Big Ben – and can achieve speeds of almost 100km/h due to its steep inclination.

ENDS 

Research undertaken by Censuswide, May 2023  

About TUI UK & Ireland:

TUI, the leading global travel, and leisure company is the business behind First Choice, Marella Cruises and Crystal Ski Holidays brands, as well as TUI Cities, TUI Lakes & Mountains, TUI Tours, TUI River Cruises, and its leisure hotel brand TUI BLUE. TUI also provides thousands of experiences in 100 countries through TUI Musement, one of the world's leading tours and activities digital platforms. TUI UK & Ireland has a team of over 11,000 employees and its full holiday programme serves millions of customers each year. Across the world they have over 4,500 destination team employees taking care of guests on their holidays. Its airline, TUI Airways, operates to over 79 destinations in 33 countries with 68 aircraft from 20 UK airports.  TUI's retail estate is made up of 315 retail stores including TUI superstores where TUI's travel experts take care of all customers' needs.