Broadreeds 1987

My summer at Broadreed was to be a challenge, i would be working as Assistant Entertainments manager under Colin Green whom i had worked with the previous summer. I was impressed with Broadreeds as it was modern. I had my own room and full Bathroom. WHOOPEE!!!!!, the swimming pool area was spanish style and really nice, the ballroom was modern and spacious with nice seating and the spanish bar had a homely feel with a gallery around the sides.
I worked with some fantastic people. Kathy Henry was chief hostess and we worked well together but we did have a fall out which di dnot last too long, Mandy from Leeds was great laugh, Joanne from North London, Wendy from Blackpool and Clare from Burton on Trent, her boyfriend who came to visit ended up as a bluecoat, Jock from Scotland ( surprise surprise) left and we needed a replacement, he had been at Broadreeds the year before and expected to be offered promotion and i got it over him so there was some bad feeling there on his behalf.
I organised some great shows and used ths skills of Wendy who was a dancer to choreograph new routines which we practiced outside the chalets in good weather, this motivated her and instilled confidence in her. I tried my hardest to motivate everyone and i think looking back we all had a great season. Colin Milne who i had worked with at Middleton 84, Sand Bay 85 showed up as Childrens uncle working alongside Aunty Vicky who was about 4ft8" and a bundle of fun who the kids love, if i remember correctly she was from Nottingham.
Cabarets were great and the lighting system helped us out as it was modern and i colour coded all the switches so everyone knew what was what.
This was the year i took 2 weeks off in May to go to Corfu with ged, it was not the normal thing to do and usually not allowed but i was given permission by the asst camp manager unaware that he had not cleared it with the Manager so i had that to deal with when i got back and a lot of grovelling. Anyway i settled back in and the summer continued.
Looking back now we did so many dangerous things like, i drove the noddy train with up to 30 kids riding on it, it had a mind of its own and took off quite quickly, i did it last minute when driver we usually used went sick. I was not insured and could only imagine the claims if something had happened.
We still had comedians that told racist jokes and covered delicate subjects that we cannot even think about these days without being accused of non-Pc behaviour.
I used as much talent in the shows as i could and everyone who could sing/dance/act had their chance to do it, we ended up with an International show containing Copacabana, Dont't cry for me Argentina, Western Section, Cockney section and a all singing all dancing finale. It was great fun and we all looked forward to the Friday night show.
Alas this was going to be my last season and i would be saying goodbye to Pontins but talk about going out with a bang!!! Remember Michael Fish saying " there is no hurricane coming" well it did, one October night. Broadreeds was situated south of Chichester in Selsey-on-Sea in Sussex which took the brunt of the storm. We were all called for an emergency meeting the next morning in the ballroom. The swimming pool surrounding walls had collapsed, there was damage to many chalets and roofs had been blown off chalets. Police wer stopping coaches heading south with holiday makers and turning them around as the site was not habitable. I really am a little blurry as to what happened the rest of the season as there was only a few weeks left so if anyone can fill me in on that i would appreciate it.
I am hoping some of my old colleagues will get in touch and we could organise a re-union. Once again to those who are unaware, check out www.bluecoats.net and register yourself free.











My personal favourite, Broadreeds Bluecoats 1987 with the man who started it all, Sir Fred Pontin Himself.

Bluecoats 1987 evening wear

Bluecoats 1987 in daywear

Gary and Fancy Dress competition, Gary and Garry in corridor leading to Ballroom from Dining room.

Aunty Vicky and Chief Hostess Kathy

Aunty Vicky and Uncle Colin Milne in childrens theatre.

Western

Copacabana ( again)

Western Show

Friday night Finale show

The trio in the Spanish bar

Richard and Lar Jarmain. A personal favourite.

Osmington Bay 1986

This was the year i was re-united with a bluecoat from 1983, Paulette Clark, she would be Assistant Ents Manager, She was very fair and great to work for although did have her moments. I suppose we all liked the limelight and the loudest cheer at the end of the week in au-revoir, but Paulette always won. She was popular with guests due to her bubbly personality and because we knew each other i sort of got a little bit of special treatment and my daily rota was usually ok.
Osmington was also an adults only camp and on a very steep incline, people in wheelchairs almost had the people pushing having heart attacks trying to get them from the dining room to the ballroom. This was my second season without kids and starting to enjy adult conversation and entertainment and not having to do the sunday morning dishing out of captain croc t-shirts in a million sizes and it took hours in the peak school holidays.
I liked Osmington, it overlooked the naval base at Portland, Weymouth and the only thing i disliked was the shared bath facilities. I did initially share a wooden cabin but David ( left in picture ) he left half way through and i managed to hang onto the large chalet for myself which housed 2 beds 2 sets of drawers a sink and a toilet. Pauletter had a guest chalet with proper bathroom and i was so jealous of that as having to leave my cabin when it was raining and windy and walk 3-4- cabins uphill to the bath block was not good. As bluecoats we could have sometimes 30-45 minutes from day duties and then change and bath into evening wear so if the bath was occupied i had no time to wait and sometimes had to miss out which i hated. The biggest mistake Pontins made in 1986 at Osmington was to trial 18-30's guests for 6 weeks from end of July until beginning of September, what a disaster. The centre housed about 1500 guests when full and some weeks we had 150-200, and the line dances the children and "normal" pontins people liked did not go down too well, neither did the muppet style orchestra in the ballroom, we struggled. Some cabarets had been specially booked for this and went down well in the smaller disco/venue next to the ballroom. Other acts struggled as this type of guest wanted to stand by the bar swilling lager and looking at us making complete fool sof ourselves doing ths chucky chucky and wondering " what the hell am i doing here"?
Bingo also suffered and this was a huge profit making twice daily event for Pontins, afternoon sessions never took place due to lack of numbers and evening bingo had prize money of pittance!!
Colin Green was the entertainments manager and sort of blended in at the bar chatting with the guys and trying his best, Paulette was most popular with the groups of lads and she managed to win over some great mates and actually get them to enjoy themselves.
The ramble was more like a mountaineering expedition to Lulworth Cove, it took hours and steep ocean side cliffs had to be climbed. I was exhausted after that but great views in good weather.
When September came and the Cauliflower brigade returned ( white permed hair) the camp was buzzing again , bingo was packed and so was teh ballroom floor, i always seem to be able to communicate better with older people and loved their stories from years ago which were not only interesting, they made them feel special just because i was interested.
We had so many staff leave and join i really do struggle with names, we had two great life guards who worked long hours and looking back never got recognition or motivated and their job was prettyboring staring at the water all day. We had two dedicated people for sports, a guy called Stuart and a female colleague, we also had Paul who was in charge of the sports centre, snooker, darts etc. He sort of loved the girl attention when we had the 18-30's but got bored when the oldies returned. The highlight of my week was Thursday nights when our band was off and Jack Hawkins band filled in. They had a great reputation and had worked Cunards QE2 and other ships. Their singer, Phil Blackmore ( in one of pictures at bar to my left) he melted me when he sang and i sort i had a little stupid crush and used to blush if i was within 10 feet of him. He was straight and was seeing one of our waitresses who was a pretty young blond girl. Jack and his musicians wowed the crowd, you could always tell when a cabaret or band were good as at midnight the ballroom was still full. If you had a naff night the last waltz would be played to bluecoats only as everyone else had gone to bed, that happened a lot in all centres. The other venue then took over for Disco music until 1am, i hated doing the DJ as we all had to take it it turns, it was usually full of staff spending their hard earned pittance of a wage and handing it back to Pontins over the bar!! I always tried to save a few hundred quid each season as to work long and hard and walk away with nothing would have been pointless.
Osmington was also my first ever experience with drugs, NOT taking them but a member of staff had been seen with them and his accomodation searched and drugs were found. He had the normal one hour to pack and leave and was escorted off camp. This caused the camp FM to start up and gave us something to talk about and also frighten those who were maybe also taking drugs, i am now and have always been ANTI drugs. My 5 seasons at Pontins taught me to enjoy myself and be able to do anything without drugs or alcohol and this is how it remains today. I did smoke then but that was my only vice.
A bluecoats training included the art or "circulating tables" within a venue a keeping it to 10 minutes per table, however if you had a group of great guest who smoked, offered you cigarettes and bought you the odd coke you often found yourself there for hours and sometimes reminded by management who had sadly been timing you.
The season ended at beginning of October and i suppose i was used to the tearful goodbye's of colleagues who you had just spent 7 days a week with for many months and probably would never see them again. I packed up my things a few weeks before to sort of get them into some or order and waited the dreaded last day, Uniform, ID, chalet check and many other formalities had to be completed before you were given you last pay packet and bonus and permission to leave. All very regimental but a thing which happened in all the camps as some people did wreck their chalets or cause some damage and this came out of their last pay packet.





David, Piata, Guest, Paulette and Gary ( me). Copacabana ( seem to be doing this a lot)

Gary and Paulette after a lunchtime sing-a-long.

Paulette in her cabaret in ballroom backed by jack Hawkins

Colin Green Entertainments manager

Andrea, Gary, Colin and ???? maybe Sue!!

Our spoof on Fergie's wedding in 1986, i was "HRH THE QUEEN" Paulette was Fergie, Asst camp manager was Prince Andrew, The two camp nurses are in frilly frocks ( dont't know why) and even Ged was a Paige boy as he visited me a lot from Newcastle and he had to save to come as his earnings were low then and the coach journey from Newcastle to Weymouth too about 8-9 hours. ( bless!!!).

Jack Hawkins and his fine Orchestra.

Andrea on her day of followed by the trombonist from Jack Hawkins Orchestra who sadly committed suicide, Gary and Phil the singer from the band i mentioned earlier.