AFTER more than 35 years as a fan, one Hampshire woman's dream came true when she was picked to run her favourite band's Facebook page for a day.

When Depeche Mode launched the competition Alyson Marlow was quick to apply.

Their page has more than 7 million followers and the Depeche Mode Fan Takeover attracted applications from around the world.

This week Alyson was thrilled to take control of the page for a day and she’s been sharing 36 years of memories of the band and a unique piece of pop memorabilia.

Alyson, who runs Southampton-based PR agency Lee Peck Media, was in regular touch with the band in their early years and in 1982 the members all completed a massive questionnaire she sent them.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of the band and clearing through some old paperwork found this great piece of band history together with Christmas cards from the band, letters from them and even thank-you notes after sending them birthday cards!”

But it was the completed questionnaire which caught the eye of the band and their Facebook team and Alyson has become the 20th person chosen to run the page for 24 hours.

“I did ask quite an eclectic mix of questions at the time and it’s a brilliant snapshot into life in the early 80s,” she said.

The answers revealed everything from lead singer Dave Gahan loving the Benny Hill Show through to Martin Gore being a big fan of futuristic clothing and Andy Fletcher being a good ice skater.

“The whole fan takeover is a brilliant idea and I’m thrilled to have been chosen to take part,” said Alyson. “I’ve always been a big music fan and social media has become such a great way for people around the world to share music and memories.”