MANY parents know taking the family on holiday can be expensive, but that hasn’t stopped one determined mum from saving up for Butlin’s.
Single mum Jess Pallett shared how she’s on a mission to take her kids for a break at the big holiday park – but only has £20 so far despite flogging old rubbish.
6
In it @jessfamilyandhome account she shared: “Okay, TikTok, I decided to change my plans a little this summer vacation.
“Some of you who have been following my page for a while will know that my original plan was to make the garden and then pitch a tent and camp in the garden with the kids.
“But the other day I realized that my kids never went to the beach.”
Jess shared how she wants Butlin’s in Minehead and explained: “I’ve done some research and this seems to be the best, but the cheapest date is literally the first week of the summer holidays, which is about four or five weeks away.
“So I’m not giving myself a lot of time to figure all this out, but I’m going to make it happen.” I’m going to turn this house upside down, inside out, and find things to sell to try to get money to pay for the vacation.
“I have about four weeks to do this. I love a challenge, so let’s see if I can make it to Butlin’s.”
She added that not only does she have to pay for vacations, but she also wants to buy clothes because the kids are having a growth spurt and have few things to wear.
However, Jess said she was motivated to raise funds for the holidays as they are opening a new attraction the week she planned to go, and her kids would love it.
Progress seemed slow five days later, the single mother revealed.
In a follow-up video, she shared: “Day 5 of saving up for Butlin’s, and today I’m scouring the whole conservatory, trying to find things to sell.
“I managed to find a TV stand and some gym tights.
“I will announce it on Vinted later. I had a bit of a setback yesterday when an unexpected bill came out, and my Butlin’s fund was at £74 and has now dropped to £20.
“But I’m determined to make that money and get us to Butlin’s, so I’m going to keep going.”
Jess didn’t specify how long she plans to take her kids away, but the Minehead Butlin costs from £433 to £1,352 for a three-night stay in the last week of July, depending on different accommodation.
6
6
This rises to £626 to £2,053 for a seven-night stay in the same week.
Many people were quick to support Jess in her quest, with one saying, “I hope you can get them to the beach.”
Another added: “We go every year with the kids and we love it.”
A third suggested she create a GoFundMe page for the trip, but Jess said she wanted to pay for it herself.
It follows a mother asking strangers online to help pay for her family’s summer vacation this year, without giving money.
Zoe wanted to earn £600 in total to pay for her holiday using her TikTok creator fund, so she filmed a one-minute video of her cleaning the kitchen.
According to TikTok: “The funds each creator can earn are calculated by a combination of factors – including the number of views and the authenticity of those views, the level of engagement in the content, as well as ensuring the content aligns with our Community Guidelines and Terms of Service.”
How has Butlin’s changed over the years?
Mum Catherine Lofthouse has been visiting Butlin’s Parks for 40 years – here’s her verdict:
“When I was little, my family went to Butlin’s every July for a week by the sea, and I even worked at Minehead resort as a lifeguard as a teenager.
“One thing that always sets Butlin’s apart from its rivals is the photo opportunities you get during half-time, including Teletubbies and TV star Stephen Mulhern.
“There are also many sports and activities to choose from, such as football, archery, crafts and soft games.
“One of the things I miss about past holidays is the monorails that ran in Skegness and Minehead from the 1960s for forty years.
“I think Butlin lost its way a bit in the 2000s when it seemed to become a stag do mecca, but in the last decade there has been a bit of a turnaround in terms of rebranding and investment.
“I would say that anyone who hasn’t attended for a while or who has written off Butlin as not being for them would be wise to give it another go.”
Butlin’s has revealed three exciting new attractions opening this year – one in each park.
The biggest new opening will be at Butlin’s Minehead, with a new £2.5 million Skypark playground.
Similar to the one already open in Skegness, the attraction will have six zones, as well as the UK’s longest swingline, measuring 137 feet.
Seesaws, trampolines and lighted slides will also be part of the new park, which is expected to open in time for summer.
Butlin’s Bognor Regis will open its £15m two-storey indoor activity center by the autumn.
Playxperience will have a variety of games including escape rooms, mini golfVR games and immersive experiences.
6
6
Laser tag, batting cages, digital darts, shuffleboard and video games will also be inside the games areas.
Older guests will be able to make the most of the bar’s interactive games in the evening.
Butlin’s is a chain of large seaside resorts and was founded by Billy Butlin in an attempt to offer affordable holidays for ordinary British families.
Butlin’s first holiday camp opened in 1936 in Skegness, and there are now two other parks, at Bognor Regis in West Sussex and Minehead in Somerset.
Everything about our holidays and how to claim them
THE Sun’s Hols From £9.50 are back. . . and they are a better value than ever.
Join the millions of people who have taken brilliant breaks over the last 30 years.
The price of everything is rising, but not our holidays from £9.50 – and now’s your chance to bag a family bargain in 2023.
Choose from over 140 holiday parks across the UK and Europe.
There’s availability until November, so you really won’t be able to choose when and where to go.
We simplify booking by eliminating extra fees like service fees and supplements on peak dates, so the price you see is the price you pay.
You can choose from three weekend nights or why not take advantage of our mid-week offer of four nights for the price of three?
To book one of our holidays, collect TEN code words, tokens or Sun Savers codes which we will print in the newspaper daily until Tuesday 18th April.
If you choose to collect codewords, book online at thesun.co.uk/holidays.
Or book by post by collecting TEN tokens and sending them back with the booking form which you can download at any time at thesun.co.uk/holidays.
Sun Savers members can make reservations by visiting the Sun Savers app or sunsavers.co.uk and clicking “Start Collecting” on the Holidays From £9.50 page and then entering TEN Sun Savers codes.
Today’s codeword and token are on the right, your Sun Savers code is on page 20. Reservation is now open.
Terms and conditions: Price per person based on four sharing. Collection of various tokens/codes. Subject to availability. Terms and conditions and date restrictions apply. *For full Terms and Conditions see thesun.co.uk/holidays.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25510348/1394517124.jpg?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1)
