Sand Bay 1985

I really do not know where to start with 1985, what a year it was, and as you will see by the photographs the faces change time and time again. The reason for this was our Entertainments Manager Ricky Gee ( now deceased), he was a task master, we were scared, he was a short but stocky guy and had been with Pontins for many years and his wife worked on the catering side and moved around with him to diffferent centres so they could be together. They both had the aura of "yes you should be scared" about them. We all had to work from 8am until 1230am the next day, not much time off during the day, we could even be publicly humiliated, once he marched us all from the ballroom, infront of guests, into the entertainments office and we got a right roasting. We lived in fear, he thought he was the only person who could sing and none of us were allowed to sing in bluecoat shows. This all changed one afternoon, he organised a game of "hoy" everyday, it was very populare with guests and we were about to realise why it was popular with him. It as a game of bingo but with playing cards, a deck of cards were dealt to 4 players sitting around a table so all players had 13 cards, we used a pack and called them out as they were turned over and first person to get rid of all their cards won. He charged £1.00 per table, per game and there were sometimes 40-50 tables and some only playing with 2-3 players so had 2-3 dead hands on table, There was no gambling tax as there was with "proper" evening bingo!! He collected money and disappeared back stage to work out the prize money, i was not bad at maths and knew that 40-50 tableds meant £40-£50, prize money would be £30 so he was making in his pocket £20 a game and we played about 5 so that was £100 per day and X that by 6 working days and very handsome £600 per week or £2400 per month, my wages were £65.00 per week so once a a guest questioned the prize money he was urged to investigate more, Ricky was watched, caught and fired on the spot, he was given 1 our to pack up his stuff and leave the centre, this was Pontins rules on sackings.
I was asked to become temporary Ents manager until a replacement could be found, Sand bay was one of the camps with a long summer season from March to November with some centres running May-October. The lovely childrens aunty, June from Brean Sands, ( another pontins centre about 8 miles away) filled in and was a great lady who allowed us to sing and pushed us forward, then Roland Hall arrived, a smooth, 007 type who was well into his forties but thought he was still 23 with a trophy girlfriend in tow but not on camp.
The season went well, right at the end we hosted the Disco Dancing Finals hosted by and ex of mine John Sharples. He is in the guinness book of records ( or was) for dancing the longest, i was so proud of him, it was a case of wrong place, wrong time, i was 19 years old when i first met him and never been away from home, i think he would have given me his right arm if i had needed it but i was too blind to see it all as i was in a whirlwind of freedom and being aloowed to be openly gay amongst openly gay people was like Christmas to a country boy from a small village. It was a little like Billy Elliott .
John was, and is a kind person and i think he still holds a grudge for the way i behaved and i would one day like to personally apologise. He was funny, intelligent, but once again i wasd swept up in everything else and could not see what was staring me in the face. Maybe life now would be totally different but who knows.
The picture beneath shows happier days without Nazi regime!!! I enjoyed my long summer in Sand Bay but after working two summers in a camp that held 3800 when full to a camp of 650 was a huge change, also Sand Bay was adults only so no children, a blessing sometimes and a big miss at other times.

Meeting a coach 1985

Blues 85 Sand bay

I think the picture is drunk!! The War Show


Bkuecoat old time music hall show and also with the twins from "Hi de Hi" who toured in their own show.

Mike Terry, Pianist cabaret, "grand"

Comedian Cabaret 1985

Middleton Tower 1984

Former "Mr and Mrs" hostess Donna Mayer was a regular weekly cabaret act and a great singer. A WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE scottie!!!!

Kaos played the Berengaria Theatre.

Maggie, Helen, Panda, Pianist and Gary outside dining room.

Elegant Gran weekly heats ( could be very competitive)

Gary and Tom on Noddy train

Gary and Maggie, Keept fit

in the Ballroom

Geordie, Guest, Tom and Gary

I hated doing spotlight as Berengaria was haunted by "George" who had been seen and heard many times and to get to this spotlight was a dark and dingy walk, some girls refused to do it!!!

Tom, Gary, Maggie and ???

1984 was a strange old year. 1983 had been such a good one it was goign to be a difficult year to beat. Only a handful of bluecoats from 83 returned for 84 so we had a lot of new joiners, the problem lay with cliques forming and team work collapsing. There is a selection of people who were made for this job and others who slip throught the net and arrive at camp feeling like a duck out of water,you cannot be shy or afraid to use a microphone or it's time to leave.Peter Piper and Aunty Jaqui were the on site childrens aunty and uncle. Peter had been at Middleton Tower in 1982 and had missed 83 returning 84 as he was a good friend of our Entertainments manager Robery Towell, Peter was great with the kids and organised a kids show every week with hundreds of kids to organise, a true tough job!!!This was the year of the new uniform. A darker blue and a litle drab abd boring,i really felt like a Bluecoat in 1983 in white trousers and blue jacket, this year i felt like a pilot ( ironic to think i went on to work in the airline industry)With the bad feeling that was going on this year, our CEO Jan Kennedy was called in and we all had a grilling about how our important role and holiday makers do not pay money to see miserable faces and atmospheres. This sorted things out in a way, however i remember calling my dad to come and pick me up as i had had enough myself but i was talked out of it. Tom McDonald a former restaurant worker was given the job as bluecoat when someone left and he moved into my chalet which i had been used to having to myself.He was a fellow Geordie and we got along ok. He was the kind of person who could wear anything and look good, grrrrrrr!!!!!
Anyway the season went by and over with and i think i had outstayed my welcome at Middleton Tower so this is when i decided to move onto another centre, welcome Sand Bay, cripple creek, it had many pseudonyms and all very apt.

Blues that i can remember were from 83 Helen Hamilton, Craig Storton, Paul Peck, Sharon Payne, Robert Towell and of course me,newbies were, Elaine, Wayne, Colin Milne, and Uncle Peter and Aunty Jacqui.

MIddleton Tower 1983

My Bluecoat life starter on a cold winters day at my interview in Newcastle, my interviewer was Robert Towell, the process was relaxed and in weeks to come i received a "you have been successful letter". I whad to attend a training court at Brean Sands in March 1988 and i would be spending the summer season based in Middleton Tower Morecambe. My course was basic mainly concentrating on Cine racing, Bingo, how to run a darts/snooker competition, those obligatory line dances, eg slosh, chucky chucky and those involved in the Touring show had to stay and extra few days for rehearsals. I met all of my colleagues who i would be working with and all seemed like a great bunch. In fact 1983 turned out to be one of my best summers ever, Maybe it was a combination of excitement at fulfilling a dream job and unaware of the things other people would fight for, i was happy to plod along and have fun and did not get involved in what others quibbled about.The team thats year were led by Robert Towell , his assistant was Marrie Phillip, with Steve, Craig Storton, Helen Hamilton, Paulette Clarke, Paul Peck, Nick Gee, there was also Geordie from Newcastle, Alan from Scotland and Dale as well as a couple of others i cannot remember. We were in the traditional Blue and White uniform which was to change the following year.

Our chalets were situated at the back of the camp, very basic (similar to HI-DE-HI) two single beds wedged between them was two sets of drawers, one standing wardrobe and one built in one which was always mouldy, a sink and in a slim room was a bath and a toilet. This was going to be home for over 6 months and we made it what we could.

I will add to this blog on a regular basis and if you click on the following link you will see pictures in motion of the seasons i worked.

Middleton Tower 1983

Middleton Tower 1984

Sand Bay 1985

Osmington Bay 1986

Broadreeds 1987

Please pass this onto others you know within Pontins and lets try and get a community Blog going from guests and staff.

Also please check out http://www.bluecoats.net/ if you were, or are a bluecoat and register yourself online free and some blasts from the past may just appear!!!

http://www.photoshow.com/watch/YI8RM3vh