GIBSONS HOLIDAY CAMP at Bracklesham Bay was a centre of fun and enjoyment. Happy families travelled
there from far and wide and lived the Hi-De-Hi life for a week.
The camp is now called SOUTH DOWNS HOLIDAY VILLAGE and is owned by the NEW HORIZON group. I visited
the camp recently and was lucky enough to spend the evening with General Manager, Antony Hawkes.
South Downs caters for adults only now. Gibsons had suffered a major fire some years ago and much
of the main building was destroyed. However; the character and atmosphere of the place certainly lives on. It was more than
thirty years since I had worked there as Children's Entertainer in 1969-70 and it was an awesome experience retracing such
happy footsteps. This made even more astonishing as I was approached by an elderly couple who actually remembered me!
Gone are the cold wooden chalets (that I remember so fondly), to be replaced by comfortable brick
built rooms that would grace any major holiday complex. The Ballroom, much the same except for the addition of a bar was in
full swing. The entertainers went about their business as we oldies had done so many happy years before.
I walked around the camp where the ghosts of thousands of children were still shouting to me ...
"Hello Uncle Peter".
So God Bless South Downs and all who are lucky enough to visit her! I'm sure the happy heart of
Gibsons still beats deep inside her.
