Lake Way Happy Memories

A Memory of Jaywick.

My sister and, I have such fond memories of 'our' bungalow in Lake Way- Happy Returns. Its door was painted purple. Our week in Jaywick was the highlight of our year. We were so excited to go there. I was only eight when we stopped going, but I remember Tony's Bingo. A bottle of sherry used to be passed at the top of each place at the bingo- if you got a line or a row when it was in front of you, you won it. I won it - I was only four or five! In the 70's there was a young lady with hair so long that she could sit on it. There was a little side entrance that sold chips, just in the walkway down to the public loos. Down Lake Way- at number 7, there was a derelict house that we called 'the witches house'. Once we climbed in there to have a look. It was all navy fabric curtains etc.. with broken windows and doors. My mum, dad, nan and grandad and my sister and I all stayed in one chalet. The loo was at the back - there was a covered walkway along the back of the chalet to reach it. At night we'd be scared as there were no curtains on the way to the toilet. I still recall that slightly musty, but delightful smell, on entering the chalet! My Mum loved playing on the penny waterfalls in the arcade.
My sister and I, would get bikes for hire - ones with a wooden seat in the middle and two bikes attached. The man who hired them out, had a shed just past the fields where the donkeys were - past Tony's Bingo, and the row of chalets opposite the big concrete 'island' by the sea front. This man had part of his little finger missing - I don't know what happened to it but we remembered that! On the subject of the donkeys - somewhere, I have an old black and white picture of us with a donkey named Buster. Does anyone know where I could get hold of some old photos of Jaywick as it was in the mid to late seventies? I'd love to see it all as it was - the Las Vegas arcade, the Bingo hall, the donkeys etc!
My Grandad, used to walk up with my dad and my sister in the mornings to get the rolls. Dad and Grandad would play snooker in the snooker hall near the cafe. I was so young, so I don't know what any of these places were actually called. There was a cafe with children's rides outside. My sister and I, always call it the cafe where Pongo (the ride) was. There was also a bungalow on the way as we walked there, that was decorated with shells all over the front and in the garden.
I loved the fields out the back of our bungalow. At the time, the gardens were smal l- ours was just a bit of concrete. Now people have extended the gardens and taken over the fields, but then it was an expanse of grass- lovely lush fields! I used to spend my time out there playing alone - crossing the wide field and back again, pretending I was crossing the road!