the sad face of british holiday trade..the AA grumpy column

[AA grumpy]

...grumping around the christmas tree have a grumpy holiday....oh hello welcome back to grumpy towers i,ll just pour you some mulled wine and get you a mince pie and i,ll tell you my latest story.

It was once a Pontins Holiday Park filled with boisterous families, but this Norfolk centre has been left derelict.

The former Pontins Holiday Park in Hemsby, Norfolk, played host to more than 2,400 guests in its heyday, but eventually closed to the public in 2008

The family friendly centre once had everything a holidaymakers needed, from pools and sports courts to a pub for the grown-ups

The family friendly centre once had everything a holidaymakers needed, from pools and sports courts to a pub for the grown-ups

but now An old go-kart attraction looks like it has seen better days as moss grows on the signs and grass covers the once tarmac track

even cottages, go-karting race tracks, games pitches and even the local pub are falling into ruin at the 20-acre site.

The eerie images show how the once-popular ideal of holiday parks, which were launched in the 1940s and became a staple for families over the following 30 years, have quietly become less fashionable.

Now the only visitors to the 'ghost town' are the wildlife that has moved in and the occasional urban explorer keen to re-visit the sense of forgotten holidays.

The holiday cottages were once popular self-catering options for families looking for an affordable break in the UK

Locals have complained that the abandoned site has turned into an eyesore, but plans to turn it into a residential area have fallen through

Once the fashionable way to holiday, family-friendly parks have become less popular in the last three decades as international travel has become easier While Butlins workers were known as Red Coats, Pontins had its own Blue Coat entertainers. Even the cult British comedy movie Holiday On the Buses was filmed at the Pontins Holiday Park in Prestatyn.

Stars from Bobby Davro and Shane Ritchie to Bradley Walsh launched their careers at Pontins, with former Steps singer Lisa Scott-Lee also crediting her days as a Blue Coast as the start of her entertaining career.

Pontins Holiday Parks were founded by Fred Pontin in 1946 and enjoyed huge success for decades but have fallen out of favour in recent years

The holiday parks were once cutting edge attractions, filled with entertainment for both adults and children, but few still remain open

The parks were sold off several times after 1978 with many closing as holidays abroad became more popular and now only six remain operational.

The land agents for the Hemsby Holiday Park Northern Trust had hoped the site might be developed for residential use but there were objections from local residents and plans were withdrawn It remains on the market for tourism and leisure use In the six years the attractions has been closed it has fallen into disrepair, suffering extensive damage and decay

Pontins was once the ultimate holiday experience and even launched the careers of several TV stars who are still acting today

The famous Blue Coat entertainers were a favourite at Pontins, but now just six branded holiday parks remain open to the public

The overgrown remains of Pontins in Hemsby serve as a reminder of the popular way to holiday between the 1940s and 1970s

Now the once cutting edge facilities have been left to rot, with locals daubing graffiti on walls and even in the empty pool

One local who used to work at the camp at the height of it’s popularity said: ‘It’s hard to imagine this place was always packed with people having happy holidays ‘What gets me most is the silence because it was always so noisy with kids laughing and screaming and everyone enjoying themselves ‘The same families would come back year after year because they love it here so much. You wouldn’t believe it to look at it now.

Blue Coat cabaret entertainers at a Pontin's Holiday Camp circa 1993 show how the family-friendly entertainment changed little over the years

From talent show to dance contests, the wholesome holiday parks were beloved for decades

Read more: Haunting images show abandoned Pontins Holiday Park in Hemsby, Norfolk | Daily Mail Online

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AAG

the pictures of the derelict camp are worth seeing if only for the nostalgia

which shows images of the popular bygone holidays which we may never see again due to the advent of the package tour and the popularity of places like ibiza with the young only a short 4 hour flight away.

pontins does still exist but like butlins,hoseasons and haven only in name as the former holiday makers the miners, mill workers and steelworkers who used to book wakes week in lancashire and ledger week in yorkshire now cannot afford to come because their industries are no more or save up and or fly off to the med for less than a short break at butlins.

the uk holiday parks have fought back with all kinds of offers available some parks letting their former caravans out to now private owners.

theres even been a surge in £9.99 holidays in the sun and the daily mirror as desperate parks try to fill otherwise empty caravans in a early season rush and if you dont want to take the kids out of school the same promotion also runs during the school 6 week holidays as sun readers vie for caravans among full paying guests.

parks will come and go and change hands but i dont think its quite the end of the british holiday park love affair for i for one will continue my love affair with the parks next year at cleethorpes and as long as im able to get to the park gates as will many others it will never be the same but the british bucket and spade crowd will still remain.