My Time at The Camp.
I was born in Minehead, and have also lived in Kitswell, Dunster, Williton, Timberscombe and Rodhuish, and attended all the schools. My first job after leaving Minehead School in December 1958, was at the fruit and salad farm by Dunster station (which has now gone.) I worked in Butlins Holiday Camp at Minehead from 1962-1963.This was the first full year that the Camp was opened. Most of the time, I was working the rides in the amusement park. I helped build the Big Dipper, which was 70ft high, but is gone now. Some nights, I sang on the stage under the name of Elvis the 2nd, singing mostly his and Cliff Richard songs. When I was at the camp there were three dance floors, one for rock ansd roll, another for ballroom dancing - which once held the Come Dancing competition for the BBC. The third was for general activities. I danced every night in the ballroom, I was disappointed when I went back to the camp last year (2006) and found that there was no ballroom there now, just the building that housed them. I still go dancing twice a week where we now live. In the summer of 1963, I met a girl from Wales who was on holiday at the camp. I moved to Wales and we got married. This year 2012 it will be our forty eighth anniversary.
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RE: RE: My Time at The Camp.
I was also born in Minehead (lovely place) and sometimes went into Butlins, we had a special badge which got us through the gate (free) used the indoor pool often and like you, I danced in the ballroom, and visited The Pig & Whistle Bar, Exmoor Bar and one where make-believe waterfall came down (I forgot name). Watched Ballroom Champion being held there. So many memories of days gone by. I don't expect it is at all like that today.
Comment from Shirley Jones on Tuesday, 16th August 2011.
RE: RE: My Time at The Camp.
I was a photographer at Minehead camp from 1962 to 1966. My wife Sylvia worked in the photography darkroom. There were seven photographers named after the seven dwarfs - I was Sneezy. The department was run by Jack Sudds and his wife Pam. The foreman was local photographer Davd Frear. The person I remember most, was fellow photographer Geoff Hulme, we where always singing together, and formed a singing group along with another photographer Graham. We called ourselves The Three Negatives and on one occassion, performed on stage before a full audience in the Variety Theatre. I wonder if he is still out there, and if he, or anyone else from those happy days, remember us. I kept in touch with Geoff and wife Sonia for several years, whilst we were living in Bristol. The group in the Rock and Roll ballroom was The Black Jacks. I kept in touch with the lead singer Robbie Williams (not the one from Take That). I made many tape recordings of Robbie singing just with his guitar, which I listen to to this day.
Comment from Paul Anderson on Friday, 16th March 2012.