Welcome back Butlin’s reopens again

Butlin’s has ‘gone to town’ in ensuring Christmas ‘lives up to guests’ expectations’, the resort director has said. Jeremy Pardey said his team were ‘raring’ to go as the Bognor resort geared up to reopen to guests, for a second time, on Friday. Having been forced to close in March, due to Covid-19, Butlin’s was able to welcome back up to 2,500 guests in July, down from its usual capacity of 7,000.

Mr Pardey admitted it was ‘frustrating’ when the resort had to close again for the second lockdown, in November, but stressed ‘the most important thing’ is the safety of staff and guests. He said: “It is about making people feel safe and secure and doing what the

Government advises is the right thing to do.

“Doing the right thing for the country as much as doing the right thing for our business is really important.”

On being able to open again for the festive season, he added: “It’s fantastic. “Returning from furlough is really important and the team are really engaged. They can’t wait.

“The Christmas trees are going up and all the activities are in place. “We want the experience to be just as good for our 3,000 guests as it would have felt for the 6,000 guests that we would normally accommodate.

“We’ve gone to town in ensuring Christmas lives up to the guests’ expectation. It’s really exciting for us all.”

Mr Pardey said the protocols ‘are as tight as they were before’, with no day visitors permitted on site and procedures in place to check that no one is travelling from tier 3 areas.

“That’s done prior to arrival,” he said.

“We’ve done lots similar to what’s happening in the high street, in relation to signage and distancing.

“We’ve also got dividers in restaurants.”

Butlin’s opened in Bognor Regis in the 1960s.

For the full story about the resort’s history, visit the Butlin’s website at www. butlins.com/about-us/ourtimeline