It’s Official – Pontins Blackpool to close for good on 2 October
It was announced this morning that Pontins Blackpool centre will close to guests on 2 October, this time for good. The reason given is that Pontins do not own the land, it is leased from Trevor Hemmings. The lease is only short and does not warrant the investment that is needed to bring the site up to the required standard.
A sad day indeed. I started there in 1977 and have worked there in four different decades. I will not, alas, make it five decades.
More of my memories later, I just thought you would like to know about this before most people. The general manager told me that a press statement was released at 9 o’clock this morning, so it will probably be on the news later.
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just heard this on the
just heard this on the news...obviosly blackpool council have other plans...as its down to them not having the lease renewed.. i went three years running during the 70's as a little girl and still have some good memories. Blackpool won't be the same without Pontins.
M L Barrow
Hi. Have just heard the news
Hi. Have just heard the news about Blackpool. I'm researching a TV series about the story of the sea for bbc4. it's to be done through amateur home cine films. We are keen to find any Pontins Southport or Blackpool holidaymakers or workers who may have filmed over the years.
Christina
Channel 4 did a film about
Channel 4 did a film about bluecoats some years ago from them attending the auditions to putting on their first bluecoat show think it was called singing the blues or something like it...it was filmed at blackpool late 80's early 90's...its been a while since i worked there.
Diane
Check out this
Check out this link
http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Camp-closure-hits-busine...
justs shows how you can't compete with housing - lets hope they do build a new one further up the coast. It would be interesting to see Ocean Parks vision for pontins - oh and does that mean the end of the famous pontins trams!!!!
M L Barrow
Hi I was actually a bluecoat
Hi
I was actually a bluecoat at Blackpool in 1989 when they did the documentary about us - it was called summertime blues and I've been trying to locate a copy of the documentary - no luck yet!
It is so sad about Blackpool - I worked two very happy seasons there! The end of an era
xx
LindaO
hi do you know what channel
hi do you know what channel recorded the program?
Hi Christina.I was at
Hi Christina.I was at Blackpool for about three weeks in 1987 as a Bluecoat but the rest of the time at Southport and I still have some video recordings from the time there.None from Blackpool however.
John87SouthportandBlackpool
As of 5.00pm today, Pontins
As of 5.00pm today, Pontins Blackpool ceased to exist. The site was handed over to Northern Trust, one of Trevor Hemmings’s companies. If he has his way it will become a housing estate. For the last five weeks, since the last guests departed, around 40 staff have been clearing almost 1000 chalets, the restaurant, kitchen and food outlets, entertainment venues and anything else that wasn’t nailed down. At 4.00pm today the remaining staff had a drink and proposed a toast to the camp.
From a personal point of view, I would like to say thank you to the place that has played such a big and important part of my life – Thanks old friend for the good times and the memories, you will never be forgotten.
I have taken lots of photos and will upload some of them in due course.
i have been reading the
i have been reading the archives on Blackpool news and it would appear this has been planned form as early as February 2008n when letters went out to the surrounding areas for the building of houses. At the time it said Blackpool was under no threat. It's a sad day for Pontins and my own personal history as i spent many fond holidays there in the mid 70's as a child.
M L Barrow
Hi. I'm new to this site but
Hi. I'm new to this site but I've been posting daily on the butlinsmemories forum since it started in 2001 and although I've never actually had a holiday at Pontins, I am a huge fan of Butlins and appreciate the similarities between the two companies.
In recent times I've started to realise that perhaps in some ways Pontins has remained more faithful to its past than Butlins (for example they still have the same childrens character and song they had in the mid 80s) and it's that nostalgia that keeps me going back to Butlins, even though I live in Australia now! I had many magical holidays at Butlins as a child so it's very sad to see when old buildings are demolished etc.
Whilst I've never been inside Pontins Blackpool I have past it many many many times over the years and seen it from outside. That alone gives me enough of an interest in it to be very sorry to hear of its sad demise.
I look forward to hopefully learning more about Pontins history from those on this forum and hope to see some of the last ever photos of Pontins Blackpool. In fact I will try to take some myself when I'm in England this May and June.
a snappy happy holiday!
Hello Andy. You're very
Hello Andy. You're very welcome here. And it's true that there are lots of similarities between Butlins and Pontins.
I hope you enjoy the site and get to know a few of us here!
Thanks, Howard.
Thanks to everyone for clicking the advertising links at the bottom of the page. It really does help towards maintaining the website.
I also have some facebook groups that you might be interested in:
http://www.pontinshistory.co.uk/?q=node/1642
sorry about the repeated
sorry about the repeated post. I can't see how to delete it.
a snappy happy holiday!
Sorry, looks like somehow I
Sorry, looks like somehow I posted the above 3 times unintentionally.
a snappy happy holiday!
Just thought you would like
Just thought you would like to know that planning permission has now been granted for Pontins Blackpool to be turned into a housing estate. This article is from the local newspaper: http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/blackpoolnews/Homes-go-ahead-on-holida...
This is sad indeed, another holiday camp lost. Coincidentally it is 33 years ago today since my holiday camp career started, at Pontins Blackpool. It ceased to be a Pontins site six months ago and I worked there for the final season. Before I left I took lots of photos and will eventually get round to uploading them. A quarter of a century ago Pontins had 25 camps, now they have five, largely due to the greed of Trevor Hemmings. Fred must be turning in his grave.
I just hope that when it becomes a housing estate there will be something to remind people that a large holiday camp once stood there.
Hi..it is indeed sad.I was
Hi..it is indeed sad.I was mainly at Southport as a Bluecoat in 1987 for jusy one season but I was at Blackpool from April 21st-May 18th 1987 whilst Southport closed.Were you there then?Also do you remember Margaret McIntyre and know how she is now?
John87SouthportandBlackpool
Me and Margaret were first
Me and Margaret were first year Bluecoats together at Blackpool in 1979. She stayed at Blackpool for several years (eventually becoming ents manager, I believe) whilst I moved around the company, working at various centres. I only did the one season at Blackpool as a Bluecoat, but did return in 1981, 1997/98 and 2009 in different roles. I haven't seen Margaret for over 20 years, but it would be nice if she was to find this site as she will have loads of photos/memories.
Yes Margaret was
Yes Margaret was entertainments manager and was lovely and extremely kind.She may remember me and I know she used to talk to Ian Johnson who was entertainments manager at Southport where I was from Easter 1987 ( except the three weeks at Blackpool).I have never seen Margaret or Ian since leaving Southport in September 1987.I do hope that she looks at the site.It would be nice to share memories again.Especially the little chalet I was in which everymorning at 8am would shake as the train went by and the planes landed ha ha.
Thank you for taking time to reply.
John87SouthportandBlackpool
Did you switch the lights on
Did you switch the lights on in Blackpool in 1987?I was there with Pontins and I am sure Stan Boardman was the main man.Can you remember at all?
John87SouthportandBlackpool