BUTLINS SKEGNESS 1971 and 1972

SHEPPARD'S DELIGHT

This time around our chosen REDCOAT is
JUDITH SHEPPARD
who was at Skegness during the 1971 to 1972 seasons.

RADIO BUTLIN SKEGNESS 1971

JUDITH SHEPPARD
Here's me at the Radio Butlin console.

(Radio Butlin, SKEGNESS 1971)

My Butlins' days started at Skegness in 1970 as a Children's Nurse. Working that Christmas at the Bognor camp, I met up with some of the Reds from Skegness, who persuaded me to apply to be a Redcoat at Skegness; and so I started as a General Duty Redcoat for the 1971 summer season.


JUDITH RIDGWAY

As Alan Ridgway's secretary, I occasionally baby-sat his
daughter, Alison. Hard to imagine she is now over 40.

(DONKEY DERBY DAY, Sportsfield, SKEGNESS 1971)

In those days we had a very busy day, starting with the compulsory "Meet and Greet" at 1st-sitting breakfast at 8 o'clock. Mornings were usually spent organising sporting tournaments like snooker, billiards, darts, tennis, table-tennis, and putting, followed at noon by Horse Racing on film.


The trouble with eating three cooked meals a day for nineteen weeks,
is that you tend to develop spare tyres.

(SPORTSDAY, Sportsfield, SKEGNESS 1971)

We were supposed to eat all three meals a day with guests, which I know many Reds skipped out of, but I needed to keep up my energy levels! Afternoons could be Sports Day, Donkey Derby, Swimming Gala, or an indoor competition followed by a Whist Drive, Bingo, etc - leaving little time to change for dinner and an evening in the Ballroom.

The midnight finish time was followed one night a week into the early hours with the "Big Night Out," featuring 'star' cabarets. I don't seem to remember my one day-off per week, probably because I slept through most of them.

.

Sunday Mirror Tub Races
Note that while I'm trying to take care of the lady in the
tub, who looks like a crab has clamped onto her big toe,
Lifeguards Tony and 'Sacha' typically only have eyes for
the young attractive girls behind.

(SWIMMING GALA, Outdoor Pool, SKEGNESS 1971)

BUTLINS SKEGNESS 1971

BUTLINS SKEGNESS 1971

I worked at Barry Island for the 1971 Christmas, then Summer 1972 found me back at Skegness as a GD Redcoat. But, following the early departure of Alan Ridgway's secretary, I worked the season as the Entertainment Department Secretary in the daytime, and as a GD Red in the evenings. This led to a permanent position at Butlin's Head Office in Oxford Street, London in the Entertainment Department until their move to Bognor.


Either I've just been spun round on the head of a golf club, or
I still haven't recovered from Saturday night. Redcoat Shane,
left, looks quite amused at my pending downfall.

(MEET the REDS, Princes Ballroom, SKEGNESS 1972)

This proved to be a very varied job where I could be organising the annual round of Redcoat interviews; sending boxes of table-tennis balls to camps; visiting camps to train Radio Butlin operators; acting as a hostess at competition finals of "Glamorous Grandmother," "Miss She," "Horse of the Year Show" (Wembley), and the Butlin Talent Shows (London Palladium).

[Ron Stanway adds: "Re Judith's time in London Office, doing the Redcoat Recruitment, Competition Semi-finals and Finals etc., she was my Secretary - and a bloody good one too. I was Asst. General Manager Ents. at the time.]

I followed this with another summer season at Minehead, as Secretary for the Ents. Manager Brett Cresswell.


BUTLINS SKEGNESS BOATING LAKE

When the photographer from the John Hinde Studios came to take photos for that year's postcards, I was lucky enough to be featured on two of them, so for nearly forty-years, I've been sent all over the world. Not literally, of course!!

Butlins Skegness main chalet road

Having worked at nearly every camp and hotel during the 1970s I got to know a lot of people, and would be happy to take a walk down memory lane with anybody who remembers me.

Judith

BUTLINS SKEGNESS Redcoat teams:

1971 BUTLINS SKEGNESS REDCOATS

1972 BUTLINS SKEGNESS REDCOATS

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