I’ve been visiting Butlin’s for 40 years – here’s how it’s changed for better… and worse
AS I whizzed down the flumes and sung a long to the shows during my family's festive Butlin's break this month, I realised it was 40 years since I first started visiting the nation’s best-loved holiday parks.
And over that time, I think what's on offer has only got better, with so much more to see and do than in days gone by.
When I was little, my family would head to Butlin's every July for a week by the sea, whether that was Bognor, Skeggy, Minehead or Pwllheli, which is now a Haven site.
We would always go swimming, visit the funfair and enjoy the kids’ shows, having a boogie with the Redcoats on the dancefloor, and those winning elements really haven't changed much over the years.
Some of my happiest childhood memories involve visiting the arcade, buying sweets at the tuckshop by the bar or chomping on hot chips while wandering back to our chalet.
I even worked at the Minehead resort as a lifeguard in my teens and travelled back for party weekends while in my twenties.
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Once my boys came along, I couldn't wait to introduce them to the Butlin's magic and now they are just as much fans as I am.
I wasn't the first generation of my family to fall for Butlin's and its best of British charm.
My mum went with her parents and brothers when she was growing up, so my sons are the fourth generation of my family to enjoy all the sites have to offer.
We often head to one of the original chalets that have been preserved on site when we visit the Skegness park, as it's fun to see how people holidayed in the past and how it compares to our current staycation.
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Nowadays, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to entertainment venues, with different shows going on throughout the day and late into the night.
You can visit Reds, Centre Stage, the Skyline Pavilion and Studio 36, which all have a slightly different feel from one another.
There's also lots of sports and activities to choose from, like football, archery, crafts and soft play.
One thing that's always set Butlin's apart from its rivals are the photo opportunities that you have during your break.
As well as much-loved childhood characters like the Teletubbies, there's often a turn by well-known TV stars like Stephen Mulhern, who started his career as a Redcoat.
I think Butlin's lost its way a bit in the 2000s when it seemed to become a mecca for stag and hen dos, and less about affordable family fun.
But in the last decade, there's been a bit of a turnaround in terms of rebranding and investment in things like the new pool at Bognor Regis and the Skypark at Skegness.
I would say that anyone who hasn't been for a while or who has written Butlin's off as not for them might be wise to give it another go.
Although one of the things I miss from holidays gone by are the monorails that ran at Skegness and Minehead from the 1960s for forty years.
They were like nothing else I've ever come across at any holiday park I've visited.
You can still sit in one of the monorail carriages, now permanently grounded, at Skegness, so I'll be able to get my fix of nostalgia during our break.
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And I also used to love the moment on every holiday that all the kids got together to chase a villain around the park before he was pushed down a water slide to get his comeuppance. That doesn't seem to happen nowadays!
But taking my family to Butlin's for festive fun is a great way of reliving my childhood memories while making special moments with my own children.
