Derek Stephens on Seaside

When I was seven, my mother went to work at Farmers Ice Cream Factory which I said, and this meant that in the summer holidays I was sent to enjoy the beach with my cousins. Every day of the school holiday we were sent to the beach (laughs) and I remember that quite distinctly because every day I used to have a cheese and tomato sandwich and a cake ‘cos my dad used to make cakes in his work, so we always had cakes.

So, it was a cheese and tomato sandwich and a cake and we went whether it rained or whether the sun was out and I remember we used to sort of play in the wet sand and I had some of these woollen trunks, you know what I mean, which historically had a terrible reputation and they were like that you know (laughs). Come out of the water and … oh, awful you know.

But I mean in those days, I mean we’re talking about the ‘50’s aren’t we, yeah mid ‘50’s weren’t we and the seafront was always very much alive then, in the middle ‘50’s, I mean it was always full of hundreds and hundreds of holidaymakers and you only remembered that the sun always shone but I mean I know damn well that the sun didn’t always shine, you know.

Always had a Regatta in August down there and the Regattas in those days were massive affairs. There used to be stalls and entertainment along the whole Shanklin seafront from one end to the other, the whole Front. Entertainment and all sorts of things there, you know, it was really a big thing.