Furious Jaywick Sands residents say ‘Trump can kiss my a**e’ as they hit back at Republican candidate who slammed their Essex village
The proud residents of Jaywick Sands are hitting back against criticism from across the Atlantic - and insist their home is richer in community spirit than anyone knows
IT was twice ranked as the most deprived neighbourhood in England, and now Jaywick Sands has been smeared once again... this time all the way from America.
The Essex seaside village achieved international notoriety yesterday after it was used in an unflattering mid-term campaign poster by a pro-Trump candidate - who warned voters that their district would start to resemble Jaywick Sands unless they voted for him.
The advert, released by Illinois Republican contender Dr Nick Stella, shows a street of dilapidated houses and an unpaved road, and reads, “We can't go back to unemployment and economic recession!”
Sun Online visited the community to see if this was an accurate depiction of their home and found local residents were furious about the smear.
And they jumped to defend their home, saying it wasn't as bad as everyone thought, instead pointing to the regeneration currently taking place.
Locals say that while Jaywick Sands is far from the richest corner of Britain, it does possess something arguably more valuable than money: a real community spirit.
In the words of a woman who stopped for a word with us after popping out of a tattooists: “Donald Trump can kiss my big fat arse.”
'Many residents will be outraged - rightly so'
Jaywick is just a short drive from Clacton-on-Sea: England’s UKIP heartlands which in 2014 became the first place to elect a candidate from Nigel Farage's former party to Parliament.
Almost everyone is a UK citizen and almost 20 per cent are on benefits.
In 2010 and 2015, it was given the unwanted accolade of being England's most deprived neighbourhood - something which has irked many of the town's 5,000 residents ever since.
However, there are still some signs of poverty today, with many of the houses on the main road looking unloved or in a state of disrepair, with abandoned furniture dumped outside.
But as with every English town, these run-down homes contrast starkly with others that are neat and well cared-for, in the same way the abandoned amusement arcades and run-down Costcutter contrast with some of the booming businesses on the High Street.
'I've been all over the world and I came back here'
Sarah, 32, from the pet supplies store, thinks that the recent furore around the Jaywick campaign poster is all a case of politicians trying to get publicity when “they could be doing their jobs”.
The local pet store is clean, bright and friendly. While we’re chatting to Sarah and her mum, two young lads come in to say hello, pushing back rain-slick hoods and chattering happily about what they’ve been doing during the afternoon.
“Kids can go trick-or-treating here. My sister’s coming back her in a week with her new baby,” Sarah says. “I’ve been travelling all over the world and I chose to come back here.”
However, Sarah’s mum doesn't think that the campaign poster will harm Jaywick. She says, “Some people might be angry and offended by it but I think people will just shrug it off.”
Sarah’s parents moved from London to Jaywick and found that it was a “good move”. They’ve lived in the area of Clacton-on-Sea and Jaywick for 19 years.
“The majority of our customers are lovely people, very supportive, very friendly. I’m not sure there’s an awful lot of work within the Jaywick area, but you don’t need to go that much further afield to find some.
“There’s a lot of regeneration going on, particularly on the pier which is the big attraction. They’ve upgraded everything and made it a covered area so it can bring people in all year round, even in bad weather.”
The high street features a patchwork of businesses - some booming and some struggling
'I'm sure there just as bad places in America'
Councillor Kevin Watson has been quick to defend his town from any bad press, and has been eager to clarify that the photo used in the controversial campaign poster is well out of date.
"Things are looking very good in Jaywick, probably the best since it was a holiday destination," he said. "I'm sure there are quite a few places in America that are just as bad."
'Everyone keeps their doors locked'
Seaside towns like Jaywick are always going to be quieter in the off season, but even in the driving rain when we visit, people are shopping, walking their dogs and ducking into the warmth of cafes and pubs.
In the bright interior of the O.K café, a diner-cum-chippy run by a Turkish-born owner, we speak to Luke, 32, who says he loves Jaywick but there’s not enough work here.
“There are no jobs,” he says while mending one of the café’s chairs. “I wouldn’t move though, it’s great for my kids and we’ve got the sea right there. My house is literally on the beach.
“I’m a sign fitter by trade but at the moment I’m just picking up any work I can find.”
However, the cafe's owner is less positive about the town. He’s been in business here for 10 years, and think that there’s a lot wrong with Jaywick.
“It’s the council and the private landlords. They’re to blame for the state Jaywick’s in,” he tells Sun Online. “They’ve got to take responsibility for what the properties look like round here.”
Jaywick does have its dodgy parts as well: The Brooklands is a notorious area known for crime, alcoholism and drug addiction and it has been listed as the most deprived place in the country.
“My friend told me that if she’s driving down in the Brooklands and someone jumps in front of her car, she’ll keep driving," the cafe owner adds. "She wouldn’t stop. Even holidaymakers would keep their doors locked around there.”
'Americans would be lucky to live in Jaywick'
Before the second world war, Jaywick was the summer seaside resort of choice for wealthy Londoners.
Then, after many people’s homes in the capital were destroyed in the Blitz, they were forced to move into their Jaywick holiday homes.
However, these properties weren’t meant to be lived in all year round and temporary properties became full-time homes, explaining the dilapidated state of many houses today.
Jaywick was also the site of the 2016 series Benefits by the Sea, which focused on residents struggling with addiction and living on welfare.
In the Three Jays pub, Mick, 81, known as "Sailor Mick", was less than happy about the village’s depiction in Benefits by the Sea, a 2016 TV series.
“They made people look really bad," he says. "They focused on a couple of individuals and didn’t paint a fair picture. People here are lovely. I’ve been all round the world – twice – and I wanted to come back here.
“We all stick together and there’s a lot of things that get done for charity. Things like that are what make this place.
“Those people in America would be lucky to live in Jaywick. They wouldn’t get shot or stabbed to death here.”
After Benefits By The Sea came out, local actress Penelope Read decided to respond to the negative portrayal of her home town by making a film of her own.
She produced a documentary, Jaywick: A Diamond In The Rough, showcasing the positive aspects of the town - and today she's just as angry at more bad PR for her home.
"In the last couple of years since we did the documentary the council has tried really hard to improve things," she has said.
"Jaywick is starting to really go forward and it makes me really cross when it gets this bad publicity."
Meanwhile, Mick is understandably furious that his town would be smeared by a wealthy American politician like Nick Stella (his election district has an average yearly income of over £50,000) who has never even been there.
And although he has since apologised, Jaywick residents will remember Dr Stella as the politician who sneered at poor people in Britain.
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Jaywick has had money spent on it in recent years. A two-year regeneration programme completed in 2017 saw £6.5 million injected into roads and drainage in Jaywick.
The controversial potholed road in the campaign poster is now smooth and safe, but the whole saga has once again shone the media spotlight on a small town where residents are just trying to get along.
Arguably some houses could do with a lick of paint, but locals say there's a genuine community spirit in Jaywick.
And with continued investment, there's no reason why Jaywick couldn't be put back on the map as more than just the site of a derogatory Republican campaign poster or TV series about benefits.