Barry Island, Clacton, Filey - Life after Butlins??

[barryislandfan]

Just wondered if anyone out there knows how the local economy of Filey & Clacton was affected after the closure of the Butlins camps there. I've made many visits to Barry Island since the camps closure and find it a very depressing place. Lots of boarded up shops at one end and not very many people. I admit on a hot weekend afternoon in the summer the place is packed and the council have kept it clean and tidy, but a hot summer weekday - DEAD!!

Barry chamber of commerce were said to be pleased at the camps demise and in 1997 one year after Majestic closed the site I asked 3 shop owners what difference the closure had made and all 3 said none as "People tended to stay on the camp and not venture out"

Really???? me and my family went out every single day so did most others!!!

Needless to say all 3 of those shops are now closed, 1 has been demolished!

I know Barry Island was a small place compared to Filey & Clacton and despite what local traders say im sure relied on the camp for survival but just interested how Clacton & Filey kept going!

[Blue Camp]

Filey was along way out of the town, and as such wouldnt have had the impact that say Bognor has, it is also surrounded by other caravan parks, so I dont think it has impacted as much as it would have done, had it been closer to the town

[barryislandfan]

Crikey this is a blast from the past, I think this was one of the first posts I ever made, only had to wait 3 years and 2 months for a reply :)

[butlins minehead]

Hi,

I was at Barry island yesterday due to the kids having an inset day .

There were three coaches of school kids on a day trip but only a handful of day trippers. the fair hasn't even opened so far this year, it's supposed to open this weekend.

The beach was lovely and clean, the sun was shining , it was a bit blowy at times but I had a fab day.

Now if the camp had still been there it would have been a different picture, my kids probably wouldn't have just stayed on the beach they would have been nagging to go on the fair or even into Butlins for the day.


Judith

[barryislandfan]

Hi,

I was at Barry island yesterday due to the kids having an inset day .

There were three coaches of school kids on a day trip but only a handful of day trippers. the fair hasn't even opened so far this year, it's supposed to open this weekend.

The beach was lovely and clean, the sun was shining , it was a bit blowy at times but I had a fab day.

Now if the camp had still been there it would have been a different picture, my kids probably wouldn't have just stayed on the beach they would have been nagging to go on the fair or even into Butlins for the day.


JudithThe problem with Barry now is that people do go for the day, stay on the beach maybe buy some chips and go home, the money isnt being spent there like it was in the days of the camp. You can tell by how run don the fair is and the general state of some of the buildings that there isnt much investment by local business people.

Saying that the beach is lovely, the employe lifegaurds and the seafront and tidy, clean and well kept but to me its just a place with a beach now, certaintly not a holiday resort or even a place I can spend more than 3 hours.

[wearecity]

From what I read the closure of Clacton was a disaster for the local area. However having been their a few years back, it was still quite busy in the summer.

I guess only a local would really know the full effect the closure of Butlins had.

[Cel]

From what I read the closure of Clacton was a disaster for the local area. However having been their a few years back, it was still quite busy in the summer.

I guess only a local would really know the full effect the closure of Butlins had.

Wizebuys is the one to ask on this, But hes often expressed how Butlins loss has finished the town.

[david lythgoe]

The closure of Filey in 1983? almost killed Filey.

BB insisted that all produce used on site was bought locally, so most of the business's in Filey that supplied Butlins were crippled. Luckily Filey also had Blue Dolphin, Primrose Valley and Reighton Sands which were also owned at the time by Rank and open longer each year than Butlins. So the number of visitors to the Town didn't drop, infact by 1985 had risen.
On the sale of Filey Butlins by Rank to Amtree (Trevor Guy), Rank as PV bought back 50 acres and expanded onto this land imediately. Today another 50 acres of PV is actually on the old Butlins site.

So Filey was lucky, when Butlins\Amtree closed, other sites in the area helped to keep the Town going.
Also during the last years of the camp nearly 1000 houses were built in Hunmanby and Filey so there was a large number of perminent residents moving into the area as Butlins closed for good.