Sunday 20 November 2016

School trips to Blackpool.

Watching the scenes from the familiar resort enfold this weekend when Strictly made their annual trek there brought back memories inevitably....
My mother went to live there in her old age and spent twenty years wondering why we preferred to go to Cornwall during the long school holidays..
My visits to this iconic town were often school trips...
Every year we took coach loads of children out of school to give the Asian children a taste of typically British watering holes....
We had several favourite places and tried to vary the trips as much for our sanity as well as showing children from Asia the joys of the British summer!
We also visited Southport looking for the elusive sea. I remember a day when we walked for an hour and still never got our feet wet.
Chester zoo was a favourite day out as we gazed at poor captive animals...
Blackpool tower then had its own zoo too....and this was often the main focus for the children....
I have danced on the famous sprung floor in the ballroom usually with another teacher to show the children what was possible.
I regret that the poor donkeys are still on the beach though they are said to be better looked after these days!
Talking to a man from Blackpool last year I was told that it has become a sad reflection of the place it used to be but the way the Strictly cast talk about it make it sound like a place of wonder and delight...
I am not intending to go to see for myself..none of my family live there anymore...the yearly visit of the dancing classes is as close as I need to get!


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1 comment:

UKViewer said...

Off course, one of the Strictly dancers was beaten up after recording the show on Saturday and has lost two teeth as a result.

There was a series a year or so ago, featuring the Lancashire Police Force, who had to deal with a huge deal of social problems, including alcohol, drug use and dealing, violence and prostitution. I hadn't realised that such a high level of social deprivation existed in such an iconic resort.

Having only been to Southport and not Blackpool, I can confirm the scarcity of Sea, but honestly, can't remember much much more of that visit - and we don't have plans to go back.