The Butlins Nursery Service

Information and article supplied by Shirley Lewis/Sylvia Endacott.

Looking after children is an essential aspect of any holiday, and Butlin’s has offered childcare for decades. In 1946, William Butlin asked Anne Hayter to arrange care for under-twos at the Butlins Clacton camp. A year later, he requested that she expand the service to Skegness and Filey. Having learned from her early experiences, she submitted a proposal to Mr. Butlin in 1950 for a full nursery service for children under five. This plan set the pattern for the years ahead.

Initially, Anne Hayter reported directly to Billy Butlin. Following her retirement, Billy asked Mr. Paul Winterforde-Young to oversee the Nursery service and appoint its management team. Rosina supervised the Nurseries during their peak years, when nine centres were operating. Children under two ate in a separate Infant Dining Room and stayed in the Nurseries while their parents had their meals. As usual, Butlin’s produced a brochure for the 1958 season explaining “How they cared for Children” during their stay. It described the Bottle Preparation Room, the Infant Feeding Centre, playtime, and the ever-popular Evening Chalet patrol. The brochure also advertised pram and pushchair hire and cots, and informed parents that orange juice and cod liver oil could be provided for babies.

In the early years, Nursery staff included a Matron, Deputy, Senior Nurses, a Nursery Cook, Domestics, a Laundress and a Handyman. Over time, however, the Centres ceased preparing food in the nurseries, with Catering assuming this responsibility. The Accommodation Department took over the handyman’s duties, while the introduction of disposable nappies made the laundress role unnecessary. As a result, in the 1960s each Nursery might employ around 30 staff per week to provide all its services. By the 1980s, the work focused more on care and play, and only 10 to 12 staff were needed.

A 1961 Butlin’s brochure described the infant-care service as follows:

'Young children are happy at Butlin's. And why shouldn't they be with a whole world of playthings surrounding them and trained nurses to watch over them. Infants in arms are welcome at Butlin's and abundant arrangements are made for their needs. Bottle preparation rooms, launderettes, quiet crèches for those afternoon naps; we even wash the nappies free. Older children, at the toddling and walking stage have special feeding centres with well planned menus and of course, the watchful care of the Butlin's staff nurses, games rooms and all kinds of amusements and interests to keep them happy all day long.'

At night, chalet patrols were on duty, allowing parents to take part in camp activities with the reassuring knowledge that their children were safe and that they could be contacted immediately if needed. As times changed within the organisation and across society and the nation some of the centre’s amenities also had to evolve. Throughout these years, however, the Nursery uniform remained unchanged: a blue dress, cloak and cap.

Some interesting facts about the Butlins Nurserys

     * The Nursery Laundress would wash up to 300 napkins per day
     * 200 - 400 parents could register nightly for the Chalet Patrol service
     * There were between 80 to 100 high chairs in an Infants dining room to enable parents to feed the under two's
     * Over 200 babies under the age of two could be cared for on a centre, per week
     * Their 'Bonnie Baby' and 'Mother and Child' competitions were held weekly at which the Nursery Matron and Camp Padre were two of the judges.

Only three people had overall running of the Nursery Services, which by 1967 had risen to nine Camps.

     * Anne Hayter: 1947 - 1964
     * Rosina Hosking: 1965 - 1969
     * Shirley Lewis: 1970 - 1986

The number of children cared for by the service in the early days is quite interesting especially as there were then only five holiday camps with the nursery's; Ayr, Clacton, Filey, Pwllheli and Skegness.

     * 1948:  2,281
     * 1950:  5,327
     * 1952:  7,938
     * 1965:  11,000