Have you enjoyed stays at Butlin’s and Pontins over the years - or did you entertain holidaymakers as a Redcoat or Bluecoat?
With “staycations” currently enjoying new popularity, partly due to difficulties in travelling abroad, today we look back to the heyday of the great British holiday park.
The Butlin’s resort in Clacton brought families to the Essex coast for nearly 50 years, between 1938 and 1983.
Our photos show an exciting occasion in 1973, when several Disney characters visited, including Mickey Mouse along with Goofy and Pluto.
We also have photos from an event at Clacton Library in 2008, when the resort celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first Butlin’s opening with an exhibition of memorabilia and a visit by a famous former Redcoat, the late Roy Hudd.
MORE: Memories of Pleasurewood Hills in 1970s and 80sPontins at Pakefield is another holiday park where many families have stayed over the years, and our photos show auditions for Bluecoats.
Back in the 1980s, large numbers of people from Ipswich visited each year for the hugely popular “Ipswich Week” - did you take part in this event?
Pontins Pakefield is now a holiday village for adults only, offering a range of activities and themed breaks.
Share your memories of Butlin’s and Pontins. Email judy.rimmer@archant.co.uk or write to Judy Rimmer, Newsroom, 120 Princes Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1RS.
To order photos, visit archantsuffolk.newsprints.co.uk or call Diane Townsend on 01603 772449.
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