Western Daily Press (Saturday)
What do you think?
With the coronavirus pandemic meaning more people are likely to holiday in the West this summer, Heather Pickstock looks at a number of initiatives in the pipeline in one of the region’s most popular resorts
Do you think Britannia is only just starting to roar? Join the debate by emailing letters@westerndailypress.co.uk and including your name and address
ALOT of people suffer FOMO, but perhaps lockdown is curing them of the infamous Fear Of Missing Out. After all, there’s nothing they can miss out on. Maybe, though, it is being replaced by emotional surges of WHAMMO – which is shorthand for ‘What We Miss Most’.
In this strange new world of isolation, what is it that you miss most?
The question had not occurred to me until recently – probably because I’m one of those shallow, irresponsible types who lives in the moment and who, sort of, prefers to cope with life one day at a time. The future has always seemed a rather distant and almost impossible world to me – and now, increasingly, the past does too.
Ten months ago during the first lockdown, the question “What do you miss most?” was something a lot of people went about asking one another. When I say “went about”, I mean they asked it in Zoom conversations or on radio chat shows. Pondering whatever it was we missed seemed like a bad idea to me, because you can soon start yearning and hankering for something, let alone craving for it, which is surely not a good way of bolstering one’s mental health.
Now, though, the old-fashioned “normal” seems so incredibly distant, you can almost feel comfortable wallowing in recollection. Added to which, hopefully, we will all soon be jabbed in the arm so we can return to some degree of normality.
So even I have now started thinking about the things I miss from the “old world”. And the main WHAMMO hole in my life, apart from not seeing my son and daughter, seems to centre on things such as an occasional visit to the pub. Because those memories represent the moments when I was most likely to be interacting with groups of other humans.
Which means it is the incidental stuff I miss most. A casual chat with random acquaintances at the bar. Sitting next to a friendly stranger on a train or plane, having a good old chinwag and putting the world to rights, knowing you’d never see them again. Strolling through some mountain village with a group of foreign journalists on a press trip, talking about one another’s very different worlds. So it’s not the big formal occasions I care about. If someone told me I’d never attend a large wedding party again, I wouldn’t give much of a toss. I don’t really care if I never go to watch another football match in a big stadium. I would not miss those award ceremonies where medals of honour are being doled out – even in the unlikely event that one could be coming my way.
Those occasions are so important to most people, and to society in general, it won’t be long before systems are devised so they can happen again, albeit with participants suitably masked and socially distanced. Organised events are just that: organised. Event committees, venue management teams and other official bodies will make careful arrangements and well-structured gatherings will be back on track again in the not too distant future, one would imagine.
But it’s the little, unimportant, very human moments – when your life, for example, coincides with a stranger’s like two ships passing the night – which could become an endangered species. Those person-to-person interactions, which go against the grain of lockdown or self-isolation, are the ones which may not return to our lives for a long while yet. Despite the jab I hope to have soon, I can’t imagine feeling sufficiently confident or safe enough to interact with complete strangers for the foreseeable future, unless scientists really do get ahead of all the Covid variants.
It’s a shame because standing around in best bib-and-tucker at some special event doesn’t really float my boat when it comes to feeling alive from head to toe. I’d much rather be walking in some crowded foreign city street on a hot summer’s evening on my way to some snug little restaurant down an alleyway filled with fellow diners all having a good time.
It is hard to imagine, but only 18 months ago I was doing just that in Sardinia. A new friend gathered some of his companions, and together we toured the pre-dinner bars before eating fabulous food at a crowded restaurant. Then we called at various nightclubs and some of us rounded off the night watching the dawn come up over the Mediterranean. While I can imagine being able to go to a football match in a wellspaced stadium or a concert in some carefully laid-out venue before the year is out, when – I wonder – will any of us have a night like that one in Cagliari again? The crowds, the stuffy little bars, the heat – the mystery and intrigue of an evening spent with complete strangers.
That’s my WHAMMO. And it seems an impossible dream because it is quintessentially about human interaction – which is exactly what Covid preys upon. The close proximity of others, talking and laughing.
If anyone had ever told me this would be what I would miss most in 2021, I’d have regarded them as nuts. But it is a Holy Grail millions of us would love to rediscover right now.
A casual chat with random acquaintances at the bar... having a good old chinwag...
MILLIONS of people flocked to Britain’s coast last year as the relaxation of the first lockdown coincided with glorious early summer weather.
Given there is massive uncertainty about the likelihood of overseas holidays in 2021, it is a safe bet that coastal resorts such as Westonsuper-Mare will be busy this summer.
Day-trippers and those staying for a longer break have enjoyed visiting the North Somerset town for a holiday since the reign of Queen Victoria.
Its beaches, Grand Pier, promenade and traditional attractions have made it a firm family favourite.
And earlier this week we reported on plans to transform the disused seafront SeaQuarium into an all-day diner, restaurant and mini-golf centre.
But tourism never stands still so what else is on the horizon to help Weston keep reeling in the visitors?
Tropicana
Investors are being sought to pump cash into ambitious plans to turn the Tropicana into a 9,000-seat arena after a bid for Government cash for the project fell flat.
North Somerset Council is to launch a fresh drive to find the funding for the multi-million-pound project which would see the seafront building turned into an all-yearround entertainment venue.
The move comes after a detailed funding bid to the Coastal Communities Fund failed to attract cash.
Now authority bosses are looking into the possibility of securing investment - from businesses or in the form of sponsorship - to drive the scheme forward.
If successful, the council would work with investors to transform the Tropicana into an all-year-round creative and entertainment hub, offering a diverse range of events such as theatre performances, live music and educational events along with seasonal attractions.
There would be retractable seating, staging, sound system and lighting, VIP area and a new roof installed so it could be used in all weathers.
It is envisaged that if the plan comes to fruition, the Tropicana would run on a profit-share basis with the authority retaining overall ownership of the building and leasing it to the operator/investor.
Funding from other sources for the project would also be sought.
North Somerset Council executive member for tourism, leisure, arts, culture and communities, Cllr Mike Solomon, said: “We will be looking at securing new funding for the project through the business community who want to invest in such a big project, possibly from an operator used to running big venues.
“We are also considering looking for sponsorship as well along with other grant funding.
“It’s time we looked at how we can move the project forward.
“Myself and other members of the executive and council officers are investigating potential ideas and
believe this is one which could have momentum.”
As well as concerts, the revamped Tropicana could also be used for conferences and even darts tournaments, similar to those held at Butlins in Minehead.
The Tropicana, once a run-down, boarded-up eyesore on the seafront, has seen something of a renaissance in recent years.
It had been left to fall into disrepair, with many schemes heralded to bring the lido back to life falling by the wayside.
But the building’s fortunes saw a massive turnaround when street artist Banksy turned it into the venue for his Dismaland ‘Bemusement’ Park in the summer of 2015.
The exhibition attracted more than 150,000 visitors over its five-week run and brought an economic boost of an estimated £20 million to the local economy.
A-list stars including actor Brad Pitt and comedian Russell Brand were among those to visit.
And while millions across the globe will probably remember the Tropicana for Dismaland, the seafront attraction’s success has continued since Banksy’s arrival.
Thousands have been pumped into improving the building which went on to host a skate park, fun fair, ice rink and various food and drink festivals before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
It also has The Bay Cafe and the Reaper Bar, and is the base for the town’s Tourist Information Centre.
Beach Huts
Council-owned beach huts on the seafront could be removed – with people given the chance to rent a spot to place their own instead.
Twenty-four of the colourful wooden huts arrived on the seafront in 2015and were put up for rent on eBay via an online auction.
Initially there was a surge of interest in the bijou seaside living accommodation with the first lease sold fetching £2,650.
Others went under the hammer for prices ranging from £1,600 to £630.
But over the years interest has waned with some of the huts, which measure only 2.2 metres by 2.6 metres, remaining empty.
Now, six years later, only nine of the huts remain.
A number were washed away in storms in December 2020 and some of those which did survive have been moved to other areas along the seafront and used by some of the concessions.
Council bosses are now looking at a number of options for the huts.
This includes removing the current ones, which are starting to look past their best, and instead offering plots - perhaps via a local estate agent - for rent.
Those interested would instead rent the plot from the council and place their own beach hut on the site.
There would, however, be guidelines on the type of huts people could place on the prom.
Other ideas include selling the beach huts to a local estate agent and letting them manage them.
The idea of moving the huts to locations such as the Italian Gardens and using them to run concessions from has also been mooted.
Cllr Solomon said: “We are currently investigating a number of options for the future of the beach huts.
“But we have yet to come to a firm decision.”
The initial beach huts cost the authority £65,000, with it hoping cash from the rentals would cover their costs.
Rules stipulate that the huts can only be occupied between 8am and sunset. The leases run from April 1 to March 31 and cost around £1,000 a year.
It was hoped that the rent from the huts would cover the costs of their purchase, installation and ongoing maintenance.
There are an estimated 20,000 beach huts at resorts across the UK, including Bournemouth, which has nearly 2,000 along its five-and-a-half miles of promenade.
Around 70 per cent of Bournemouth’s beach huts are privately owned, while the rest are let out by the council.
Other seaside resorts which have beach huts include Scarborough and Broadstairs.
In Southwold in Suffolk a small beach hut which had stood on the sands for more than 100 years went up for sale with a price tag of £60,000.
■ Carrot
Weston-super-Mare’s towering ‘carrot’ artwork is set to get a makeover after years of falling into decline.
The 85ft tall artwork, called Silica, was installed at Big Lamp Corner in the seaside town as part of an arts project in 2006.
The idea of the artwork was to commemorate the big lamp which once stood there decades ago.
It was funded with a grant from the Arts Council and cash from the Department of Transport.
At the bottom it serves as a small bus shelter for Regent Street and in the summer season a coffee kiosk is also run from there, with seating on the paved area outside.
But over the years the artwork, nicknamed the carrot, has been left to fall into disrepair.
It has fallen target to vandals and is daubed in graffiti.
The colourful lights which covered the structure also no longer work, with many saying the once revered artwork in the centre of town is now nothing more than an eyesore.
Now plans have been announced to bring the ‘carrot’ - which when lit can be seen right across the resort back to life.
It will be completely refurbished and the bus stop removed with the bus stop and kiosk being converted into a new tourist information point for the town.
The lights will be replaced with LED ones.
Once the work has been completed, the plan is for North Somerset Council to lease the structure to Weston Town Council
Costings and plans for the work are being drawn up.
“It is such a shame that this piece of art has been left to get like this,” said Weston-super-Mare mayor and councillor Mark Canniford.
“Our intention is to find a way of reviving it and keeping it going.
“Currently it looks an eyesore and it’s not good enough for the centre of Weston-super-Mare.”
The current tourist information centre is based at The Tropicana on the seafront.
“The visitor information point is at the Tropicana, which is off the beaten track,” said Mr Canniford.
“This will put it right in the centre of a well worn path to the seafront.”
French flair
A boules course and Frenchthemed eaterie could open on Weston’s Beach Lawns this summer.
Four petanque courts could be created on the top part of the lawns once used for a model railway concession.
As well as the petanque courts, which would be hired out to residents and visitors, there are also plans for a cafe concession with a French theme.
It is envisaged the courts would operate all year round.
Costings and plans for the new attraction are being investigated with the hope it could be in place this summer.
Cllr Solomon said: “This is a section of the Beach Lawns which is currently underused and this could be a great facility for the town for both visitors and tourists.
“It’s a sport that is growing in popularity and is something which everyone can enjoy and I think it would be well received.”
This is one of a number of improvements being planned for the seafront.
There are also plans to dredge and improve the Marine Lake and proposals to install outdoor showers along the prom.