Bygone Beachcombers: Where you at the Cliff Richard concert in Cleethorpes in 1962?

Voluntary Action North East Lincolnshire (VANEL) are supporting North East Lincolnshire Council’s (NELC) Safer and Stronger Communities team with their project, Bygone Beachcombers.

In 2016, graduate’s working as part of North East Lincolnshire’s Safer and Stronger Communities Partnership identified Cleethorpes Beach Chalets as being an iconic feature of the resort, having adorned Marine Embankment for more than half a century. As a result, an idea was put forward to use a reminiscence project to turn one of the beach chalets into a seaside heritage museum, complete with an accompanying website entitled ‘Bygone Beachcombers’.

One thing that the Bygone Beachcomber’s website is desperately in need of before it launches is personal testimonies from people who visited Cleethorpes and/or used the beach chalets when they were in the prime. One way that we are doing this is by researching what was going on in Cleethorpes during the mid-to-latter half of the 20th century and asking people to come forward and share their stories.

Did you know for example that in 1962 legendary musician Cliff Richards performed in Cleethorpes ‘for one night only’?! What an amazing experience that must have been. If you were at the concert and have memories you would like to share, please contact VANEL’s Communication Assistant, Helen Pickett. Email:  Helen@vanel.org.uk. Alternatively, telephone 01472 315 437. The same applies if you would like to share your memories about the Beach Chalets situated on Marine Embankment, or Cleethorpes generally. Testimonies will feature on the Bygone Beachcombers website, and may also appear in other places.

Bygone Beachcombers is a Heritage Lottery Project for Cleethorpes.