Whatever Happened To Denes Holiday Camp

I enjoyed reading this article. I was born in 1950, and my parents took me to Denes holiday camp in 1951, and we had a week there every year until I was about 13 or 14. Sometimes my uncle and auntie also came with my 2 cousins. We got the train from Ipswich to Lowestoft, and there many people from different camps in the area, holding up boards with the camp name on. Once we found the right person, we were taken to a waiting coach outside to take us to the camp. Everyone used to stay on site, and we had three meals a day. Entertainment was provided all day - there were swimming galas, a race day where you had ordinary races, as well as races such as three-legged, sack, and wheelbarrow. As in Hi-de-hi, there were several competitions during the day and evening. I especially remember the sand castle competition on the beach, and the fancy dress - my parents took plenty of crepe paper! There were plenty of sports available - they had a football pitch, bowls green, tennis courts, putting green and space for cricket. I remember Bill, the entertainment manager, and a lady who we called ‘auntie’ who looked after the children - unfortunately I cannot remember her name. Nearly everyone used to go the ballroom in the evening, where there was a live band. The early part was mainly for children with games and party dances. It seems hard to believe that at 9 pm children had to leave the ballroom and taken back to their chalet, and they had people walking around the chalets, and if there were children crying, they put it up on a board in the ballroom. Another thing that wouldn’t be accepted today is that the chalets didn’t have toilets - there were toilets at the end of each chalet block.
I have returned to the site several times over the years, and it changed owners frequently. It is now a Parkdean holiday park, but is very different now. All the sports areas have gone and it’s now full of caravans and lodges, although some chalets are still there (with bathrooms now). Another difference is that the sea is now a long way out - this must be one of the only places in England where this has happened.
To sum up, I have to say that they were very happy times, and we really enjoyed our holidays there, and I feel very lucky to have had such lovely memories.