The Minecraft phenomenon may be considered something of a young person’s game but one dad is proving you’re never too old to get in on the act.

In fact, the online sensation has forged a bridge between the generations as Alan Downes has teamed up with his daughters to create their own Minecraft version of Chester itself!

Alan is a former Garden Lane resident who attended St Thomas of Canterbury Primary and Queen’s Park High schools.

So while he now lives with his family in Holywell in Flintshire, he has fond memories of growing up in Chester which is what inspired him and his daughters Molly, 12, and Emilia, 10, to create the city on Minecraft.

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Alan will be well known to music lovers in the city as his family owned a shop called the Chester Compact Disc Centre from 1987 to 1995, initially in Godstall Lane before moving to Paddock Row.

He said: “I have always loved gaming and my kids recently got into Minecraft after nagging me because all of their friends were playing.

“I started building castles and stuff for them - what dad wouldn’t want to build his daughter’s castles! Then I suppose it got out of hand!”

The idea of creating a Minecraft version of Chester was Alan’s: “I’d been thinking about starting something big for a while, then when I suggested it, my daughters thought it was a great idea.

“I didn’t want to bore my followers on Twitter, so I created a spin off @chester_craft. Now it’s started to gain much more momentum than I expected.

“A lot of what I did to start with was from memory. Now we’re being more analytical and we’re using a combination of Google maps (for rooftops) and street view.

“All of the buildings are open, four walls and furniture, although some still need decorating - that’s the kids’ jobs!

“We wanted to make it real, so that if we do find a way to share it, there is plenty to explore. Including the underground secret tunnels.”