Britain’s seaside revival is an opportunity we cannot waste
Arcades, piers and seafront amusements offer affordable fun while sustaining jobs, heritage and community life in coastal towns across the country
From Blackpool to Barry Island, Southend to Scarborough, right across the country this summer the same scene occurred time and time again. Bustling piers, seagulls divebombing at a portion of chips and the traditional sound of the arcades in full swing.
I know this scene well. My family has run amusements on the coast for 60 years, and we are one of hundreds of firms, many of them family-run, that have been part of Britain's coastal towns for generations.
For the first time in a long time, we’ve had a good summer. After years of declining visitor numbers, this year it felt like there was a genuine buzz on the sea front.
Generations on the seafront
My family started our business 63 years ago, it was passed on to me, and I, in turn, will pass it on to my family too. What started out as one site in Weymouth, is now a business of 8 arcades employing over 150 people right across the South West.
At a time when the shopfronts around us are closing and businesses are abandoning physical stores in favour of online, we have invested millions in the heart of our communities. That’s not just investment, it’s jobs, it’s a sense of community, and being proud of where you’re from.
The British seaside holiday has been around for centuries but at a time when it has never been easier or cheaper to jump on a plane and end up in some far-flung destination, it’s those seaside destinations that need to be protected and cultivated. Our business, and businesses like mine, are a crucial part of delivering that.
We provide fun the whole family can enjoy
At a time when household budgets remain stretched, the arcade is one of the few places a family can spend an afternoon together for under a tenner. There are not many forms of entertainment that grandparents, parents and children can enjoy side by side. Especially one so cheap.
Beyond the entertainment, businesses like ours are significant local employers. We employ 150 people – managers, technicians, catering and maintenance staff – and that number grows through the peak season, giving many local young people a first job and a first wage. Multiply that across every resort in the country and you have an industry woven deep into the fabric of coastal Britain.
Pride in place
Politicians now talk about "pride in place", and operators like me recognise the phrase immediately, because it describes what we try to deliver every day.
A busy pier or arcade is an anchor for the whole seafront, and footfall for the amusements is footfall for the cafés, the gift shops and the chippies alongside them. We sponsor local events, support schools and charities, and use local tradespeople wherever we can. Our success is bound up with the success of the town we are part of, and that is true of family operators right around the coast.
Building on the summer
The heatwave didn't create the appeal of the British seaside so much as remind people it was there all along. The question now is how we build on that momentum: how coastal towns keep hold of the visitors who came in August and bring them back in April and October.
Family arcades, piers and seafront amusements are part of the answer because they are long-established, locally rooted and deeply invested in their communities. We provide jobs, we preserve heritage, and we offer something increasingly rare – safe entertainment that the whole family can afford and enjoy together.
Charles Holland runs Alexandra Gardens Arcade and Family Amusement Park in Weymouth.
