By Emilia Randall
Copyright manchestereveningnews
A Pontins park once bustling with the sounds of family entertainment now lies as a haunting ghost-town following its closure two years ago. The Southport site remains frozen in time, with rooms left exactly as they were and the vibrant primary colours of children’s slides now faded to pale pastels. Following a sudden and shocking closure, the Pontins park became desolate, with empty flats deserted by the chain. To this day, the location remains unused and unfilled for any other purpose. With no effort made to strip decorations or clear the premises, it resembles a small settlement abandoned during apocalyptic chaos. The sole indicators of existence are the melancholy neon yellow signs casting reflections in the puddles below. Eerie outdoor recreational areas persist, featuring untouched picnic benches and swings swaying in the breeze, reports the Express . Urban explorer Matt, known as Exploring with Matt, stumbled upon the scene before sharing it with his social media audience. Matt said: “On the Southport Pontins site I’d saw that it closed online and I just happened to be in the area, so I checked it out along with my best mate No Limits Urbex, a great guy.” Matt characterised the Pontins location as somewhere “time had stood still,” with the holiday apartments untouched, complete with kitchen appliances, tables and beds all still in place. Matt said: “I find places to go by looking at online websites dedicated to abandoned buildings and there is a huge online urban explorers community. “For me, I am just so interested in buildings with a lot of history, such as old theatres, hospitals or abandoned colleges or high schools. They are like time capsules. It is so fascinating to me.” After watching the haunting footage, supporters shared their thoughts about Pontins Holiday Park’s closure online. One said: “As a child we went here for our family holiday. It was the best, I have so many memories of Pontins, the bluecoats, donkey derby, the boating lake, miss Pontins competition, miss lovely legs competition, the goodnight children song, captain Croc, the party dances. Such a shame its closed.” Another attributed the cost of living crisis and Liz Truss’ catastrophic mini-budget to the shutdown. Numerous businesses, including Pontins, were compelled to shutter some of their operations simply to survive. When Southport closed, Pontins stated: “It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Pontins Southport Holiday Park. “After assessing the future viability of the park, we have come to the difficult decision to close our doors. Unfortunately, this means that Pontins Southport Holiday Park will be closing from Wednesday 3rd January 2024. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.” The firm also shuttered its Pontins Prestatyn and Pontins Camber Sands locations in a bid to reduce expenses.
