Duncan Bannatyne's failed

Duncan Bannatyne's failed Seaside Rescue attempt sees the Dragon look more like a rabbit caught in Ramsgate Headlights

Most of us have fond memories of childhood holidays by the British seaside. An annual holiday of a week or two by the sea is something the generation born in the 'sixties grew up with.

However, it was only in the inter-war years that an annual holiday became accessible to large numbers of people.

In the Edwardian era it was, for many, a distant dream or a once in a lifetime experience. By the end of the 'thirties, fifteen million people were going away to the British seaside



The coastal ghost towns

The Seaside towns of England have suffered terribly due to decline since the 1970s. Unemployment has rocketed as drifters go to the seaside in the summer and then stay on the dole till the following year

Some might say that Mr. Bannatyne has more in common with the seasonal workers who drift than the business owner he tries to help.

Prior to starting an ice cream vending business it has been said that the summer hang-out for this Dragon was as beach-bum, party animal and seasonal worker in the Channel Islands.

With his background he should know better on how to put these region's back in business and would have been well advised to bring fellow Dragon, Deborah Meaden to ride shotgun, Meaden who was from the other side of the tracks (whilst I was selling caravans) until 1988 she was a bingo caller with Butlins and the family concession.

Later Ms. Meaden went on with the industry and landed up with a chance to buy into the family holiday park business and used her natural savvy to buy, sell, buy, sell the same business and make tens of millions.... Crikey that is clever!! And who'd have thgought it after an acting background Meaden appeared in the British film 'Human Traffic' as a newsreporter interviewing clubbers in a nightclub in Wales!

I expected much more from this trip to Ramsgate and could have shown all of us how to transform a low cost seaside leisure business and make a veritable goldmine.

The truth is nothing happened of any real relevance as some coastal neighbourhoods have been left blighted by empty boarding-houses, more often used by the unemployed, not so much fun, more period property abandonment and antisocial behaviour.

Some seaside UK resorts have been turned into ghost towns with entire streets left like a seen off an old Western movie set...... all we need is the tumbleweed!! Scarborough has already seen the idea of this Dragon when he closed down a hotel and filled it with old folks!!

With help he could really have done something amazing, this guy is very clever, he knows how to get a lot of bang for his buck and is a highly inventive millionaire.

You won't do what he has done without a vivid imagination, sharp mind, ability to delegate and simple showmanship and that is exactly what Westcliff BoatingLake in Ramsgate needs.

Even the Mayor lacked the something amazing, did you see that state of the front-door and that represents Ramsgate with its fading grandeur or fashionably 'shabby chic' as we cheekily call it today!

What we don't need is branding by the seaside (in the high street style) as this is the only place we are likely to walk past a Starbucks (or other retro coffee lounge with paper-cups) in favour of a niche venue.

Westcliff has a superb stage set and simply needs to be turned back into a dramatic place and use its current features.

When we go away to a holiday place we want drama, escape the norm, showmanship, wet'n'wild, sun'n'fun and fun fun fun.....

The owners already have the basics, a great building, some water, seaview, deep fat fryers and should stop trying to look like a 30 year old Motorway Services.

This means hide all those machines, market fish & chips with drama..... sell Champagne with your fried food, make it like a stage set, dress up the staff, buy at an auction, chadeliers, old dinner services, get some antiques and retro half the building... get the owner playing the piano. Outside get your Champagne supplier to send a load of outdoor brollies or Pimms sales kit Pimms& Lemonade in jugs makes big £££

Was half of it an empty building? Could it be used? The aim must be to bring people as early as possible, keep them as long as possible and the visitor willingly parts with as much cash as possible (wanting to come again).

Whilst the children play, would the other building make a day spa, gym, bar or even a mini business centre, karoke...... the list of ideas could have been endless.

OK cash might have been a challenge, change of use planning is tiny money and the new use part of this could be rented out on a low rent to drive peoiple as traffic to the owners main events

From first thing in the morning it could take money from breakfasts, morning coffee , lunch deals, meeting space, family fun, arcade, afternoon high class tea rooms (Pumphouse Bath), Evening Glam Fish & Chips (Harry Ramsden), dancing and music by night with the pool all set by dramatic lighting and a pump making a beauitiful water feature in the boating lake....

Those old buildings could be very simply dressed up and make a real difference

Come on Duncan our coast needs more effort and I challenge you to really show British Seaside what to do next....

This was all a far cry from what made Britain great as the coast was another form of entertainment, the pier was dancing to the sounds of the Charleston and the Black Bottom in the 'twenties, and in the 'thirties it was quite common to see the words "OPEN AIR DANCING" lit up in neon on many piers. Indeed, the holiday atmosphere often made people more inclined to participate than in their home towns.

Go on Dragon's put something back regenerate the Seaside!!!