@@NeilWestYT it was a good report all but brings tears to my eyes as its not just Jaywick which has suffered over the year but st. Osyth holiday Village and even Clacton plus Walton-on-the-Naze are not the same anymore. Personally I blame it all onto the European Union And all cheap flights and hotels to Italy France and Portugal
@@keith79mod11 nowhere is the same as five years ago, and it extends far beyond the uk and Europe. Not to mention the fact that highway holidays are still just as, if not more popular than the past. (Edit is spelling and formatting changes)
I did a study on this in the past. Most of UKs seaside towns are deprived with the exception of a handful. The poor UK weather is the primary reason. Another reason is that in the 1960s only 12% of UK citizens had a passport and that now stands at 87% with flights from many local UK airports to hot destinations sometimes costing less than half the train fare to these towns (you can blame the government there). The 3rd reason given was a lack of job opportunities in these areas due to the above driving people to larger towns inland. Then as this part-influx (amongst a few other situations) took hold it meant poorer people in those larger towns found living too expensive spread out to cheaper places which involved some seaside towns. Unfortunately we ended up with places like Margate, Grimsby and even once thriving towns like Blackpool languishing by the wayside. As a brief example, a friend went to Blackpool for 1 day recently, petrol £30 return, Food £24, rides £68, parking £12. (Lucky he didn't get a parking ticket or flashed by a speed camera for going over by 5mph otherwise add another £200). While a flight to say Malta can cost £20 if booked in advance, hotel £45 per night and cheaper food. And come back much happier and broader.
Cheap air travel had no effect on British resorts. You're repeating a well worn mantra that's been proved a fallacy. It was not until the early-'80s that many people began to fly but our seaside resorts continued to slowly expand their tourist industry. We know that know, if not at the time. That's not to say that every resort has been equally successful - and I'm afraid this video and the comments by Roger Gale, Margate's MP, have got everything wrong. In reality, it's Margate, of the places mentioned, that has suffered a loss of tourism - and a lot of it too, while the others have either been successful or held up, at least. Whatever's said about Jaywick and its reputation, it's bigger neighbour Clacton has had record tourism in recent years. The same with Cleethorpes, a small resort next door to Grimsby, that you mentioned. Blackpool obviously has social problems, and did have a dip in recent years but still has always thrived as a resort on a grand scale and has seemed to have had another increase in visitors in the last few years.
@@roastedicons1234 those places don't have immigrants (replying to someone who said that this area is how it is due to immigrants. they deleted their reply).
My mum and dad owned a chalet on the Jaywick sea front in the early 1980's and it was a lovely, vibrant, busy place, so sad to see how it has been killed off by illegal rental practices.
I think you could also put it down to all the gang wars which happened in the 1960's (I believe) with skinheads, mods & rockers as a result of this all the rich holidaymakers either sold or abandoned their chalets and the town slowly fell into disrepair where poverty, drug and knife crime are high. I saw in one interview with this elderly man who got by, by eating cat food. I live in Clacton, and Jaywick has progressively got worse over the course of my 20+ years however, there have been plans to try and revitalise it, the council are putting plans in place to build new housing as seen in the video so hopefully it won't be a shithole for much longer.
Great little documentary. One thing I'll mention, constructively (as I'm sure you are aware) is the poor audio /wind noise during interviews. You deserve a better setup. If you're using just onboard phone / camera mic, get a dedicated mic and use a "dead cat". These can be bought cheaply on Amazon / eBay etc. I think you're a great producer so it's a shame to have poor audio let your excellent content down. All the best, keep up the good work.
Thank you for your feedback. I too was sad to hear back the audio for the first time and hear how much of an impact the wind had had on it. Amazingly, that was with a dead cat on my dedicated microphone - I think the bigger issue was I wasn't close enough to the interviewees, so I couldn't just drop down the volume to get rid of the wind.
@@NeilWestYT I also struggled to hear what was being said on that part of the video. I can understand if you had already taken the footage it might be too late by then. Personally I would recommend putting subtitles on the video if you end up in this situation again as it would make it much easier to understand. Great video anyway, really enjoyed watching it :)
Some wind even defies the dead cat. I think closer for sure and I try to angle the subject so they act as a windbreak. But overall great stuff. Subbed!
Margate was where my mum took me and my brothers in the summer. We couldn't do Spain or Disney world, but loading up the car and spending the day at Margate, going to the Dreamland arcades, and Bem Bom Brothers when it was open felt lile a proper summer holiday. I'm glad Margate had a cultural renaissance. The high speed line helped so much
My brother used to work for a council that was involved with Jaywick, specifically emergency planning. The plan for Jaywick in the event of an emergency is essentially, leave them to die. That's not a joke. If you're from Jaywick and a nuke drops or something, you're not getting any help.
I think only the workers in parliament will be looked after if a nuke drops.the rest of us will need to kiss our ass goodbye..nhs..? Ha ha..dream on sunshine.well somebody’s got to take control of the scorched landscape..
why? do they not have the resources to organize evacuation, give emergency food and water aid? wouldn't the UK government also provide aid during a disaster. no offense but not many ppl would be getting immediate help if they're affected by a nuclear war event.
It’s crazy to think, London’s just received a state of the art transportation system ‘The Elizabeth Line’ and there’s places like this, that exist throughout the U.K.. just forgotten.
That's why I believe in things like The Northern Independence Party, I mean London gets more money than it should, it's like building a bigger road, it just makes more cars. There should be more money invested around the UK. Like it's awful how they stopped building part of crossrail 3 as possibly a bribe, it means glasgow gets cut off from fast travel downwards.
Thats the rich looking after the rich again. But also on the flip side, a lot of people that live in these areas make their own neighbourhood a dump as well and make no effort to tidy their own mess up. I regularly visit a friend in Jaywick. You see house hold appliances dumped everywhere for instance. I wouldn't be too keen to fund an area if the sort of people that live there are happy to live amongst their own shit. This however, only does go for the minority there that ruin it for the genuine people.
Neil you have a gift for interviewing and creating a solid documentary. i would like to add that every country needs areas that are not gentrified so the rents stay low for the poorest of people. As soon as an area is improved, people with money start wanting to move in and take advantage, only to kick out the locals that were there first cos they had no other place that accepted them. I see this situation happening globally.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I too hope not just to see Jaywick regenerate, but to do so without undermining the community that currently lives there.
This is such a professionally written and presented documentary that I could easily see this broadcast on TV. Interviews were a lovely touch, especially with the MP for Margate. Really nice job.
We used to holiday in Jaywick Sands nearly every year when I was a child. We rented a bungalow, I have such fond memories of walking to Clacton on Sea and eating fish and chips on the Seafront, I lived it
This is awesome. Really highlights the fact that historically, low cost housing in run down areas attract low income artists, who set the trend by developing sense of community, and beautification inevitably followed by gentrification.
I visited Jaywick a few years ago whilst working in the area, it's a very unique place. I spent a good few hours chatting with the locals in the Never Say Die, one of the best-named pubs ever, they made me feel very welcome. I feel like the area needs investment but also efforts should be made to preserve the atmosphere as it's certainly not all doom and gloom; there are quite a few creative and artistic people there too.
The advantage Margate has is is doesn’t have Tendring council involved . The council in Jaywick spends nothing on Jaywick . Clacton etc . It just takes the money
Have to hand it to that lad ... this was a very well made social documentary... keep up the great work you are doing as it gives a voice to ordinary people who could easily be forgotten otherwise
I'm impressed with this. I'm a public health intelligence manager based in Essex, and this is actually the sort of journalism we should be doing on things like the BBC. Very insightful and well researched, and I would actually like you to go further; why do these seaside towns share a history of decline, why have attempts to improve these areas failed etc?
Thank you for your praise. There's always more that can be said, and so there is an art to finding when a video has said it's piece and needs to end. I feel like this video answered the questions I set out to answer with it, but in future I'd certainly consider doing longer, more in-depth videos, so interesting to hear that there'd be demand for such a thing.
I lived in North Essex for years and loved the place. I was fascinated by these 'self built' areas along the coast, where people from the old East End had come and just physically built their own houses in empty fields or along the creeks and coastal defences. Jaywick was the largest, but there were smaller clusters all the way to St Osyth. I loved some of them and toyed with buying one of the little 'houses' (really more a very big shed!) at Point Clear once, but the solicitor advised that the ownership was insecure, as it was officially registered as a lifeboat station! Lovely place though, right on the creek and next to a huge bird sancturary.
Oh wow what a really great documentary. Not sure why this was recommended to me by RUclips. However, I am pleased it was. Thank for making and uploading this video 👍
Excellent, mature reporting from a young documentarist. Some of the spoiled, biased MSM could or *should* learn from this. Congratulations Neil! All the best, Rob in Switzerland.
Thanks for shining light on my town. To live here feels like a blessing, and a curse. But i wouldn't have it any other way. To me, Jaywick is beautiful. Again thank you for your work, I appreciate it.
This was a really well-made piece. having grown up in a deprived seaside town (and about to move to another one) I really want to see these places make a comeback.
@@islanddweller3674 sure! I grew up on the Isle of Wight. Whilst it has some lovely areas, it relies almost completely on tourism for jobs and income so there are some very deprived pockets including the area where I lived. Unemployment, poor education opportunities and casual drug use are common problems. Recently though my hometown has seen a lot of investment so it's getting better.
I must say buddy this was well presented and almost full BBC documentary feel I loved every minute, thanks for the video I didn't know I wanted to watch I guess!
Yeah I think a lot of interesting stories can come from people who's voices aren't heard as often as others, so that's kind of why I try go to places that don't get much coverage. I really appreciate your kind words, it means a lot to know people think what I'm doing is worthwhile!
Great documentary. Brilliant work. I've been to Jaywick 1000 times growing up. Never had any trouble with the locals. The way they are treated by the state, I'm surprised they arent rioting. The beach itself is stunning and much better than Clacton. It needs social housing built away from the seafront, then demolish the shanty houses and build attractive structures to bring money in to the place.
Glad you liked the documentary. I agree that in many ways that beach is crying out for a more tourist-friendly built environment, but it's difficult to say how or if you could make that happen without stepping on more toes than is reasonable.
@@NeilWestYT I think if modest social housing was built away from the front residents would volunteer to move. I work for the local press and we covered living standards there. They are awful.
I went to Margate with some friends before lockdown. I wasn't expecting much because I had been there before and not liked it. However, I was pleasantly surprised, it had a great vibe there and I had a great day out. I would definitely go again .
@@basylpeterjones It's not a myth, and it has nothing to do with the media. I went there around 40yrs ago and it was dreadful. I went there in about 2019 and it was transformed. My opinion is based on my own experiences of Margate over 40years, nothing to do with media myths.
@@johnbrereton5229 There are studies proving the media is wrong. It counts the Thanet resorts as one and, together, there was a massive fall in tourism industry there in the years after the Turner Contemporary was opened. It's similar in New Brighton and Rhyl - resorts that are supposed to be improving after big redevelopment schemes. But the statistical studies tell a different story.
Great to see how Margate has improved, I remember it in the 70’s when I was a child as a genteel seaside town. It fell apart later on and became a dumping ground for the homeless..there was a big addiction problem.its great to see how it’s getting back on its feet. Jay wick needs a lot of money and love .ii hope it gets some. British coastal towns are wonderful places and deserve as much TLC as possible! Great documentary.thank you 💜
I agree they are,and my impressions of Margate were mixed when I visited it fleetingly in the 80s/90s. On the back of too much apathy from some in the 70s and 80s,the economic ravages of the 80s and 90s and their grim legacy tore many towns and communities apart. Some appear to have scarcely recovered at all yet,while some are successfully repairing the damage that was wreaked.
The airport is key to Thanet. The biggest factor in crushing margate was the building of the out of town shopping centre which demolished the beautiful Haine hospital buildings.
Such a young lad and already producing well made, really interesting documentaries such as this. I watched from beginning to end. I'd say you have a bright future ahead, keep it up! 👍👍
Jaywick doesn’t even look that bad. When that’s Englands most deprived town it shows how posh England’s towns must be. In many countries in Eastern Europe most average areas look way more run down than Jaywick does.
Absolutely. I remember seeing a chart a few weeks ago that was comparing income levels between different countries. It said that earning the median salary in England would put you in the top 20% of earners in Russia, and the top 1% in Ethiopia. So it's very much a matter of perspective and depends what you compare it to.
@@NeilWestYT Yeah I agree with you. To me Jaywick looks like quite a nice place. It probably has a strong community spirit too and that is such an incredibly valuable thing that people from these posh estates overlook.
Very strong community spirit - you'd see neighbours chatting over the fence and people saying 'good morning' to each other. It definitely had that going for it.
@@joesmith8701 the thing is, the unemployable from local towns get put there by the local council. There are not many great jobs in the clacton area, but there are plenty of minimum wage jobs to go round. Apart from the few that buy these cheap housing, most of the places are rented out to the council to house people on the dole. It is kind of a dumping ground for the unemployable. People who have long criminal records, people who have been unemployed long term, people who have addiction problems, or people with physical or mental health problems, basically people who are not going to complain where they are housed. This is however not all of Jaywick and its resident's, some of the little houses in jaywick are quite nice (although small) many people are quite house proud. This video and many like it, only show you the worst parts, it isn't all like this.
wow, the almighty algorythm thrown this video my way - an boy I'm grateful for that. Very well put together honest work in this mate. Congrats. Class content right there.
I lived half a mile from there in Meadow Way in the eighties and worked as a builders hand doing up some of those bungalows,mainly in Talbot and Sunbeam Avenue.However Jaywick Sands has three areas Brooklands which is the area of the documentary .Jaywick village which is not bad and The Tudor estate which is fairly nice .The people living on the Tudor estate liked to call it West Clacton as they got embarrassed being linked to Jaywick.Would you believe it Brooklands looks better now ,it was worse 20 years ago.It is a risk of flooding ,and do not forget these shacks were not meant to be lived in for years ,they were only built for short term holiday use .Many years ago residents got offered cash to move out,because Tendering District Council could not be bothered to upgrade the housing.However most declined and stayed there ,they even talked about building leisure park near by ,but the ground was to soft due to being below sea level.I moved away from the area twenty odd years ago,but took my partner down there as she wanted to see what all the fuss was about,she was not disappointed.Its a shame as most people were friendly and welcoming,there was no major drug or mental health issues when I was doing building work there nearly 40 years ago ,it got worse overtime .On a plus point,people do not realise that parts of Jaywick beach is lovely,it’s a bit of a hidden gem,much nicer than Clacton or Walton on the Naze.However the community there appear to getting things done and improvements are being noticed .I hope the area prospers the people deserve it,because basically when I lived nearby the Council did nothing to assist the Brooklands area or it’s people.
Have you been along recently? One of our young MPs organised a mass collection of household junk which had been left to rot in the streets or front yards. It was instantly healthier and a boost to well-being. I live in the Grasslands area behind Brooklands, and we have none of the rundown look which that area has. There are a couple of fire-damaged properties, and a few streets look like carparks with all the work's vans people have to bring home, but generally, it's all getting better... attitudes are changing for the better, people are taking more of an interest in keeping their own areas tidier, but you can't go a few hours without smelling someone's weed :).
I've lived in jaywick for 8 years and seen so many changes take place. All the side roads were rebuilt a few years back, and to a very high standard, the new houses have been built, the old empty units next to the post office have come back into use, there's the new market etc about to be built, we have regular let patrols by both council and locals. Jaywick is being revived and has lots going for it. You, the interviewer, try to comment on what you've seen in a short time and by taking to 2 "locals" who obviously don't live in the part of jaywick where the works are taking place, jaywick sands. We have dug 4 jaywick, where anyone can volunteer and grow get, forward etc , we have the brilliant neighborhood wardens, we have groups at the community center for almost everything, including lunches for pensioners. Don't compare jaywick to Margate, we're unique because not much happens without everyone knowing. We have crime, drugs, alcohol etc but, we don't bother the rest of the world with it. This video was nearly 4 minutes about jaywick and the rest about Margate. Spend a couple of months here then make another video with the facts
@@ericboxer3053 no, thanks to brexit there won’t be any Europeans any more, boris has made a trade deal with India based on immigration privileges though:)
Excellent and highly informative, yet objective report. Very well presented, great reporter Neil. Also on a technical level it has very high production values. Highly recommended 👍🏼
There is such a lovely beach there it is such a dreadful waste. Back in the sixties I had a school friend with a holiday home in Jaywick. Their main home was a very large house in Essex. I don't think you can compare it with the regeneration of Margate though - Margate had a lot more going for it even before it was regenerated.
Some great points here: first, yes, the beach is lovely, and second, yes, it's probably fair to say that Margate 10 years ago was probably still far more developed than Jaywick is today. That said, I think the lessons still apply, in terms of it being important to keep housing costs low and make every effort to attract interesting people into the town and so on.
Margate hasn't been regenerated. Clacton/Jaywick has far greater tourism. There's data showing Thanet had a massive drop in tourism between 2007 and 2011 (Margate being responsible), and later. Roger Gale is talking rubbish about the effect of the gallery - it failed. And Dreamland has been hanging by a thread for years.
Even in gentrification there can be a place for lower income folks just they may need to move to the fringes where cheaper affordable housing should be.
@@glennoc8585 They shouldn't need to move anywhere, if you're already there you should be able to stay there - in fact with a full time job there should be few places one cannot live.
This place has so much potential. I can't understand why it's not a developed seaside town. I would have thought that in the UK many people would like to live by the sea. I know in Australia, almost anywhere on the beach close enough to civilization is expensive.
Living by the sea is fine if you are retired, if you are of working age with a family to feed and a mortgage to pay, you need job opportunities, and these deprived towns do not have the job opportunities. A beach and a sea view does not pay the bills. Unfortunately the deprivation discourages high tech industries from setting up in the area so it is a vicious circle. It is similar with other deprived towns such as ones which were built around one industry which collapsed (e.g. mining and steel).
Yes, even in Margate this was still something that stood out as a big weakness. I filmed the video in the off-season, and the hotel I was staying at was running a reduced service. In the summer I imagine they have more staff on reception and chefs for the restaurant, but in winter, it just doesn't make sense to keep these people on.
Open minded, non judgmental observations - there are many more experienced film makers that could learn a lot from you Neil - definitely one of the good guys 👍
When I look at Jaywick and across the sea at the places in Belgium - the first thing to notice is that it seems that not enough is made of a lovely environment - I mean you are right next to the sea and it should provide a bonus for well-being and so forth. There is a mindset in urban planning and decisions in the UK that seems to be depressive - Borth in Wales is another place which is a bit run down - but the people are lovely as in Jaywick. Of course funding is necessary. But, most of all - empathy and sustainable economic plans - number one - innovation/brainstorming.
Yes the people ARE lovely. Because they have excellent standards and a love of the town as it is. We do not all want "facilities"! I too am a refugee from busy Margates! I would hate it but would love Jaywick as it is.
Some resorts have failed to compete because of bad planning decisions but you have to separate social problems with tourism as Clacton has record tourism and is a boom town in that respect but the UK isn't Belgium; we're an unequal society with Universal Credit and food banks and poor people have to live somewhere - and there it happens for some to be the former holiday chalets of Jaywick..
Thank you for the compliment. I just want to find out what people think, so going in to those conversations with heavy biases and prejudices is something I try to avoid as best as possible.
Derby, and Nottingham still have some "prefab" houses put up rapidly after WW2. They were a temporary solution but have lasted very well. Most have been externally insulated further extending their useful life.
Great wee video, really enjoyed, im planning on visiting Margate, due to "only fools and horses" jolly boys trip episode, you've shown me it will be worthwhile, thanks 🏴
Used to walk from St Oysth along the sea wall to Jaywick 57 year's ago, even then it was deserted with run down wooden chalets, back then all it had was a bingo hall and a roller skate ring where the tarmac was falling apart from neglect,
Like a lot of seaside towns it seems to be a 'treeless wonder' which instantly makes a place look bleak and barren. I reckon if you planted say 4000 palms and conifer trees like Scots Pines, it would instantly make the place more appealing, and as they grow and mature it will just make the town more and more attractive as a place to live and visit. As for old prefab houses, from what I've heard a lot of people who live in these houses really like them, so instead of demolishing them, help upgrade, insulate them etc, and use them as a template for new houses, so modern log cabin type homes (similar to ones at places like Center Parcs), park homes, and also some nice flats with large balconies for older residents.
Yeah, the lack of trees is something I hadn't noticed until you pointed it out, and there was some greenery nearby, but nothing along the seafront, which is where it would have the biggest impact on beautifying Jaywick.
A well documented video - just one piece of constructive advice. When videoing your outside broadcast, due to the wind and road noise it was almost impossible to hear those you were interviewing. So perhaps on screen text would be a reasonable idea - Keep up the good work 😎
Jaywick a shanty town ? I think I'd like to move there 😁 The people could form their own self management and be better off. Self managed co-ops attract a lot of decent people looking for a decent place to live. Go Jaywick 👍
Wow i can't believe how underrated this is! I could tell it was well thought out and I enjoyed it overall for something about such as poverty well done for this 👏
Great documentary mate, you're gonna have thousands of followers soon...just keep consistent with the content with same and better quality. You have a subscription from me mate 👍
Jaywick was originally built before WW2 as holiday chalets for Londoners, many from the East end. Probably some of the post war residents had been bombed out and had nowhere else to go. I remember as a child in the 60's my auntie used to holiday at Jaywick. In those days the streets were unpaved, there were standpipes every so often along the streets and it was chemical khazis as there was no sewerage system. The Richard the 3rds were often visible floating just off the beach and many of the wooden chalets were dilapidated. In the surrounding area it was known as 'Dodge City'. The fact that living conditions were shite doesn't mean the people were too. Often in these slum areas there is a real sense of community and people pull together and help each other in adversity. I suspect that were I to move there now some of my neighbours would be a lot nicer than those in the more high priced area where I currently live
I also find Canvey Island deprived because there’s anti-social behaviour all over Canvey Island. Why aren’t Tendring District Council and Essex County Council doing anything to Jaywick. Such a shame that Jaywick is being left like that.
I picked up a car from Canvey island in the late 90s and the train from London to Canvey was a vitgin train with litter and what looked like cola thrown up the isle. I was glad to get off get the car and out if the place as some of the locals looked like they hated the world.
Great video, I went to Margate 60 years ago, when a kid, good holiday, except for the sunburn, keep up the great work. Just a constructive comment, maybe use one of those covered mics
Thanks for the comment and encouragement. I was so sad when I heard how the audio turned out on some of the interviews - I just didn't realise how much of a problem the wind would be at the time. Just another thing to check on while I'm filming in future.
I recently moved to Clacton on the outskirts and a main road leading to Brooklands, the police every day and every night tear down the road leading to Brooklands at breakneck speed to cope with some crisis or another. From what I am told by the locals it has a quite a few "unsocial and misfit" occupants that drag the the place down. As stated a huge part of the problem is the council. The council have ignored the fact that people are living in these "holiday chalets" full time, and have nowhere else, so if you get my drift it is a perfect place to "disappear to, if needs must. A huge problem with all councils is very similar in most coastal towns, the councils throw money at needless schemes that the actual residents don't want, and tread all over local opinions. Lowestoft for instance poured millions into turning the high street into a pedestrian parade. The works took years and caused havoc, many many shops were forced out of business, others were forced to move to retail parks, and the parking everywhere became pay and display. Businesses that had been there for many generations were starved of supplies and customers so closed down. Then they wasted more millions on a stupid platza with water shooting from the ground at random intervals.. Supposedly to placate the residents, but of course it was really aimed at holiday makers. When I left in late september 2021 the town was literally a ghost town, and to make matters worse most of the empty shops were then occupied by nail bars, hairdressers, charity shops or foreign food shops all at zero cost to the foreign occupants.. These councils need a drastic and massive overhaul and stop wasting money on unnecessary pie in the sky ideas and put the areas straight and spend the money on sensible development and improved housing instead of pontificating with "new roads" in ghetto's! There are some weird things happening in Jaywick and the only people to benefit from the "new builds" are developers and investors, as , as far as I have seen all of the "new builds" are high end, and no where like affordable for the locals. Both Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft , both Ports by the way have lost almost all of the industry, and factories and the like which gave jobs to to the people, now the only opportunities for youngsters is the retail trade working for a pittance in some tuppenny ha'penny shop, or a supermarket stacking shelves, absolutely no career prospects at all.
The discription of the council sounds like portsmouth city council.. Plus every large brownfield site sold off to developers for student housing. Not ONE social housing property as they use loopholes to avoud building them.
@@benrampling812 Ha ha oops Of course I meant 2021, It has been a hugely traumatic time for me, as I lost my wife my soul mate, and had to make a new start, and as an old fart alone, it has taken its toll.
I found this to be a great little documentary. I hope you do many more around the country. I'm currently looking into relocating, and no town is out of the question for me right now - and looking into anywhere that I don't have to have a mortgage until I'm 75!
My parents owned a chalet in Singer Ave in the 60's to 70's it was fantastic as a kid, we had a stand pipe in the road for water and a chop at the end of the road. Then the toilets would be emptied once a week in the 3 wheeled strange looking vehicle. Such a shame :-(
It’s definitely a good documentary, Margate is full of children’s home for London, and social security by the sea. It’s become a dumping ground for London councils too, when they run out of housing.
Great documentary. I'm genuinely surprised you've only got 1060-ish subscribers (Written on 18/5/2022 in case this channel gains huge success overnight) as this was considerate, well filmed and utilising a lot of resources. It would be so easy to go to a place like Jaywick and basically say "look at this shithole; be glad you don't live here" but you really avoided that trope and I applaud you for doing so. I also appreciate a good strong Northern accent even if it's from the other side of the Pennines ;) You've certainly gained a subscription from me, though. Great job.
@@inlimbo6019 I agree, as negative as my comment sounds I've grown up in similar areas and been a bad person. I was just lucky enough to find a way out, with a lot of support.
A lot of northern towns still feel the effects of when Thatcher did the opposite to Germany in the 80s by making millions of people unemployed, and then blaming those people for losing hope when their only options were supermarket shelf stacking. Tories left us with a USA style economy encouraging people to be yuppies, to live a life of greed and debt, but it all crashed by the early 90s, and crashes every few years since. That was why Tony Blair wanted to encourage more people than ever into university, to give young people from those destroyed communities hope.
This is a really informative documentary. Well done to the young reporter.
Thank you so much!
I agree excellent
Yep, Agreed…this was really well done 👍 🤗
@@NeilWestYT it was a good report all but brings tears to my eyes as its not just Jaywick which has suffered over the year but st. Osyth holiday Village and even Clacton plus Walton-on-the-Naze are not the same anymore. Personally I blame it all onto the European Union And all cheap flights and hotels to Italy France and Portugal
@@keith79mod11 nowhere is the same as five years ago, and it extends far beyond the uk and Europe. Not to mention the fact that highway holidays are still just as, if not more popular than the past. (Edit is spelling and formatting changes)
I did a study on this in the past. Most of UKs seaside towns are deprived with the exception of a handful. The poor UK weather is the primary reason. Another reason is that in the 1960s only 12% of UK citizens had a passport and that now stands at 87% with flights from many local UK airports to hot destinations sometimes costing less than half the train fare to these towns (you can blame the government there). The 3rd reason given was a lack of job opportunities in these areas due to the above driving people to larger towns inland. Then as this part-influx (amongst a few other situations) took hold it meant poorer people in those larger towns found living too expensive spread out to cheaper places which involved some seaside towns. Unfortunately we ended up with places like Margate, Grimsby and even once thriving towns like Blackpool languishing by the wayside.
As a brief example, a friend went to Blackpool for 1 day recently, petrol £30 return, Food £24, rides £68, parking £12.
(Lucky he didn't get a parking ticket or flashed by a speed camera for going over by 5mph otherwise add another £200). While a flight to say Malta can cost £20 if booked in advance, hotel £45 per night and cheaper food. And come back much happier and broader.
All sea side towns are the same full of bedsits
@@roastedicons1234 never read such a BS comment ...moron
Not just the speed cameras the cost of parking is scandalous too.
Cheap air travel had no effect on British resorts. You're repeating a well worn mantra that's been proved a fallacy. It was not until the early-'80s that many people began to fly but our seaside resorts continued to slowly expand their tourist industry. We know that know, if not at the time.
That's not to say that every resort has been equally successful - and I'm afraid this video and the comments by Roger Gale, Margate's MP, have got everything wrong. In reality, it's Margate, of the places mentioned, that has suffered a loss of tourism - and a lot of it too, while the others have either been successful or held up, at least.
Whatever's said about Jaywick and its reputation, it's bigger neighbour Clacton has had record tourism in recent years. The same with Cleethorpes, a small resort next door to Grimsby, that you mentioned. Blackpool obviously has social problems, and did have a dip in recent years but still has always thrived as a resort on a grand scale and has seemed to have had another increase in visitors in the last few years.
@@roastedicons1234 those places don't have immigrants (replying to someone who said that this area is how it is due to immigrants. they deleted their reply).
The best thing about this documentary is the young reporter. He is excellent very articulate.
You're going to make me blush!
My mum and dad owned a chalet on the Jaywick sea front in the early 1980's and it was a lovely, vibrant, busy place, so sad to see how it has been killed off by illegal rental practices.
You are right ,was a lovely place till they used it as a dumping ground
We used to have a caravan in st osyth at the hutleys site in the 70's. I remember jaywick being really nice
cry less thanks
I think you could also put it down to all the gang wars which happened in the 1960's (I believe) with skinheads, mods & rockers as a result of this all the rich holidaymakers either sold or abandoned their chalets and the town slowly fell into disrepair where poverty, drug and knife crime are high. I saw in one interview with this elderly man who got by, by eating cat food. I live in Clacton, and Jaywick has progressively got worse over the course of my 20+ years however, there have been plans to try and revitalise it, the council are putting plans in place to build new housing as seen in the video so hopefully it won't be a shithole for much longer.
@@ste1747 what do you mean
Great little documentary. One thing I'll mention, constructively (as I'm sure you are aware) is the poor audio /wind noise during interviews. You deserve a better setup. If you're using just onboard phone / camera mic, get a dedicated mic and use a "dead cat". These can be bought cheaply on Amazon / eBay etc. I think you're a great producer so it's a shame to have poor audio let your excellent content down. All the best, keep up the good work.
Thank you for your feedback. I too was sad to hear back the audio for the first time and hear how much of an impact the wind had had on it. Amazingly, that was with a dead cat on my dedicated microphone - I think the bigger issue was I wasn't close enough to the interviewees, so I couldn't just drop down the volume to get rid of the wind.
@@NeilWestYT Fair enough! All the best.
@@NeilWestYT I also struggled to hear what was being said on that part of the video. I can understand if you had already taken the footage it might be too late by then. Personally I would recommend putting subtitles on the video if you end up in this situation again as it would make it much easier to understand.
Great video anyway, really enjoyed watching it :)
Some wind even defies the dead cat. I think closer for sure and I try to angle the subject so they act as a windbreak.
But overall great stuff. Subbed!
@@NeilWestYT wish you put subtitles!
Jaywick has a lovely beach. It's so sad to see it like this. I had happy holidays at Jaywick as a child. Thanks for recording this documentary.
No problem my friend. It does have a great beach, which I'm glad to hear you were lucky to enjoy in it's halcyon days.
Margate was where my mum took me and my brothers in the summer. We couldn't do Spain or Disney world, but loading up the car and spending the day at Margate, going to the Dreamland arcades, and Bem Bom Brothers when it was open felt lile a proper summer holiday.
I'm glad Margate had a cultural renaissance. The high speed line helped so much
I imagine it did, yes! Glad it's given you some good memories!
My brother used to work for a council that was involved with Jaywick, specifically emergency planning. The plan for Jaywick in the event of an emergency is essentially, leave them to die. That's not a joke. If you're from Jaywick and a nuke drops or something, you're not getting any help.
Would be interesting if we could get all this information of where they won't help and correlate the average wages of that area and crime rate etc ...
I think only the workers in parliament will be looked after if a nuke drops.the rest of us will need to kiss our ass goodbye..nhs..? Ha ha..dream on sunshine.well somebody’s got to take control of the scorched landscape..
why? do they not have the resources to organize evacuation, give emergency food and water aid? wouldn't the UK government also provide aid during a disaster. no offense but not many ppl would be getting immediate help if they're affected by a nuclear war event.
Makes sense. I think I’d propose the same strategy
@@QRG707 😂😂😂
It’s crazy to think, London’s just received a state of the art transportation system ‘The Elizabeth Line’ and there’s places like this, that exist throughout the U.K.. just forgotten.
To be fair, the population of London is about 10,000 times greater than Jaywick.
That's why I believe in things like The Northern Independence Party, I mean London gets more money than it should, it's like building a bigger road, it just makes more cars. There should be more money invested around the UK. Like it's awful how they stopped building part of crossrail 3 as possibly a bribe, it means glasgow gets cut off from fast travel downwards.
Thats the rich looking after the rich again. But also on the flip side, a lot of people that live in these areas make their own neighbourhood a dump as well and make no effort to tidy their own mess up. I regularly visit a friend in Jaywick. You see house hold appliances dumped everywhere for instance. I wouldn't be too keen to fund an area if the sort of people that live there are happy to live amongst their own shit. This however, only does go for the minority there that ruin it for the genuine people.
Neil you have a gift for interviewing and creating a solid documentary. i would like to add that every country needs areas that are not gentrified so the rents stay low for the poorest of people. As soon as an area is improved, people with money start wanting to move in and take advantage, only to kick out the locals that were there first cos they had no other place that accepted them. I see this situation happening globally.
Not gentrified but still solidly improved,perhaps. Didn't Jaywick originally start as rows of beach huts,then take root as a small town?
Really? I've lived in parts of Asia where the working classes and pensioners live and they are clean and safe.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I too hope not just to see Jaywick regenerate, but to do so without undermining the community that currently lives there.
U got a very good point I've been noticing this
This is such a professionally written and presented documentary that I could easily see this broadcast on TV. Interviews were a lovely touch, especially with the MP for Margate. Really nice job.
Thank you, I was pretty nervous about chatting with the MP but I was really happy with how it turned out!
We used to holiday in Jaywick Sands nearly every year when I was a child. We rented a bungalow, I have such fond memories of walking to Clacton on Sea and eating fish and chips on the Seafront, I lived it
Memories like this are so special!
This is awesome. Really highlights the fact that historically, low cost housing in run down areas attract low income artists, who set the trend by developing sense of community, and beautification inevitably followed by gentrification.
Exactly right. Interesting patterns that become more and more obvious as I travel more.
I visited Jaywick a few years ago whilst working in the area, it's a very unique place. I spent a good few hours chatting with the locals in the Never Say Die, one of the best-named pubs ever, they made me feel very welcome. I feel like the area needs investment but also efforts should be made to preserve the atmosphere as it's certainly not all doom and gloom; there are quite a few creative and artistic people there too.
I share a similar sentiment! Also fair play for going there yourself and giving the place a chance!
The advantage Margate has is is doesn’t have Tendring council involved . The council in Jaywick spends nothing on Jaywick . Clacton etc . It just takes the money
Margate has been in terrible decline in recent years, as a resort, while Clacton has record visitors and a much larger seaside tourist industry.
Have to hand it to that lad ... this was a very well made social documentary... keep up the great work you are doing as it gives a voice to ordinary people who could easily be forgotten otherwise
That's the plan!
I'm impressed with this. I'm a public health intelligence manager based in Essex, and this is actually the sort of journalism we should be doing on things like the BBC. Very insightful and well researched, and I would actually like you to go further; why do these seaside towns share a history of decline, why have attempts to improve these areas failed etc?
Thank you for your praise. There's always more that can be said, and so there is an art to finding when a video has said it's piece and needs to end. I feel like this video answered the questions I set out to answer with it, but in future I'd certainly consider doing longer, more in-depth videos, so interesting to hear that there'd be demand for such a thing.
I lived in North Essex for years and loved the place. I was fascinated by these 'self built' areas along the coast, where people from the old East End had come and just physically built their own houses in empty fields or along the creeks and coastal defences. Jaywick was the largest, but there were smaller clusters all the way to St Osyth. I loved some of them and toyed with buying one of the little 'houses' (really more a very big shed!) at Point Clear once, but the solicitor advised that the ownership was insecure, as it was officially registered as a lifeboat station! Lovely place though, right on the creek and next to a huge bird sancturary.
Oh wow what a really great documentary. Not sure why this was recommended to me by RUclips. However, I am pleased it was. Thank for making and uploading this video 👍
Not a problem, it was really enjoyable to make. I'm glad that RUclips is pushing it out to people like yourself who are getting something out of it!
Clear, concise, informative and straight to the point, a great documentary.
Glad you liked it!
Excellent, mature reporting from a young documentarist. Some of the spoiled, biased MSM could or *should* learn from this. Congratulations Neil! All the best, Rob in Switzerland.
MSM aren't biased they're controlled.
@@CannabrannaLammer Good point. Controlled and with a biased narrative.
Thank you so much for your kind words.
Sounds like UK MSM is just as corrupt as Burger MSM
Thanks for shining light on my town.
To live here feels like a blessing, and a curse.
But i wouldn't have it any other way.
To me, Jaywick is beautiful.
Again thank you for your work,
I appreciate it.
The pleasure was all mine, my friend!
This was a really well-made piece. having grown up in a deprived seaside town (and about to move to another one) I really want to see these places make a comeback.
Please define DEPRIVED?
@@islanddweller3674 sure! I grew up on the Isle of Wight. Whilst it has some lovely areas, it relies almost completely on tourism for jobs and income so there are some very deprived pockets including the area where I lived. Unemployment, poor education opportunities and casual drug use are common problems. Recently though my hometown has seen a lot of investment so it's getting better.
I must say buddy this was well presented and almost full BBC documentary feel I loved every minute, thanks for the video I didn't know I wanted to watch I guess!
Thank you very much, glad you liked it so much.
Really well shot and edited. Excellent camera presence and well spoken. Brilliant independent journalistic reporting. Subbed.
A kinder comment doesn't exist. Thank you.
As a young person who also makes documentaries in the UK, keep it up mate, good work!
Thank you, the more the merrier!
I used to go on holiday every year to jaywich back in the 70s , enjoy it immensely all day on the beach with my family and walks up to Clacton
Great insight into a very much left out part of our country, good to see some improvements are being made by the local council. Great reporting man!
Yeah I think a lot of interesting stories can come from people who's voices aren't heard as often as others, so that's kind of why I try go to places that don't get much coverage. I really appreciate your kind words, it means a lot to know people think what I'm doing is worthwhile!
Great documentary. Brilliant work. I've been to Jaywick 1000 times growing up. Never had any trouble with the locals. The way they are treated by the state, I'm surprised they arent rioting. The beach itself is stunning and much better than Clacton. It needs social housing built away from the seafront, then demolish the shanty houses and build attractive structures to bring money in to the place.
Where do the shanty livers go?
@@toriladybird511 live in the sand castles on the beach
Glad you liked the documentary. I agree that in many ways that beach is crying out for a more tourist-friendly built environment, but it's difficult to say how or if you could make that happen without stepping on more toes than is reasonable.
@@toriladybird511 that's what the social housing is for
@@NeilWestYT I think if modest social housing was built away from the front residents would volunteer to move. I work for the local press and we covered living standards there. They are awful.
Great Presentation Young man.. I accidentally clicked and stayed for the content. Subbed. 🙂🙌🏿 Greetings from Nairobi
Thank you for the kind words. Greetings!
I went to Margate with some friends before lockdown. I wasn't expecting much because I had been there before and not liked it. However, I was pleasantly surprised, it had a great vibe there and I had a great day out. I would definitely go again .
Margate is one of the resorts that is failing to compete with its rivals. The media has created a myth that it's been reinvented and regenerated.
@@basylpeterjones
It's not a myth, and it has nothing to do with the media. I went there around 40yrs ago and it was dreadful. I went there in about 2019 and it was transformed. My opinion is based on my own experiences of Margate over 40years, nothing to do with media myths.
@@johnbrereton5229 There are studies proving the media is wrong. It counts the Thanet resorts as one and, together, there was a massive fall in tourism industry there in the years after the Turner Contemporary was opened. It's similar in New Brighton and Rhyl - resorts that are supposed to be improving after big redevelopment schemes. But the statistical studies tell a different story.
Glad you had a good time there John!
Yer u don't live there don't be fooled
My kind of place, Quiet and gentle, No crowds and a lovely beach to wander without crowds,
Yes. I could happily stay there. I don't need much.
Repelling visitors does have it's advantages.
Great to see how Margate has improved, I remember it in the 70’s when I was a child as a genteel seaside town. It fell apart later on and became a dumping ground for the homeless..there was a big addiction problem.its great to see how it’s getting back on its feet. Jay wick needs a lot of money and love .ii hope it gets some. British coastal towns are wonderful places and deserve as much TLC as possible! Great documentary.thank you 💜
I agree they are,and my impressions of Margate were mixed when I visited it fleetingly in the 80s/90s. On the back of too much apathy from some in the 70s and 80s,the economic ravages of the 80s and 90s and their grim legacy tore many towns and communities apart. Some appear to have scarcely recovered at all yet,while some are successfully repairing the damage that was wreaked.
They all voted Brexit. Making the UK poorer. Little sympathy.
@@hmq9052 utter crap,and you know it
@@davidbutter7433 Working class / poor people were sold a pup. And now they're suffering more. That's not a controversial statement
@@hmq9052 Brexit is a far bigger picture and covers so much more than your reason to blame it
The airport is key to Thanet. The biggest factor in crushing margate was the building of the out of town shopping centre which demolished the beautiful Haine hospital buildings.
Such a young lad and already producing well made, really interesting documentaries such as this. I watched from beginning to end. I'd say you have a bright future ahead, keep it up! 👍👍
Happy to hear you enjoyed the show!
I’m from the US but I loved this for some reason. Really well done bro great doc
Glad you liked it!
Jaywick doesn’t even look that bad.
When that’s Englands most deprived town it shows how posh England’s towns must be.
In many countries in Eastern Europe most average areas look way more run down than Jaywick does.
Absolutely. I remember seeing a chart a few weeks ago that was comparing income levels between different countries. It said that earning the median salary in England would put you in the top 20% of earners in Russia, and the top 1% in Ethiopia. So it's very much a matter of perspective and depends what you compare it to.
@@NeilWestYT Yeah I agree with you.
To me Jaywick looks like quite a nice place. It probably has a strong community spirit too and that is such an incredibly valuable thing that people from these posh estates overlook.
Very strong community spirit - you'd see neighbours chatting over the fence and people saying 'good morning' to each other. It definitely had that going for it.
@@cultfiction3865 but there are no jobs they need a fast realble regular and cheap bus servers to nearby towns so these ppl can find work
@@joesmith8701 the thing is, the unemployable from local towns get put there by the local council. There are not many great jobs in the clacton area, but there are plenty of minimum wage jobs to go round. Apart from the few that buy these cheap housing, most of the places are rented out to the council to house people on the dole. It is kind of a dumping ground for the unemployable. People who have long criminal records, people who have been unemployed long term, people who have addiction problems, or people with physical or mental health problems, basically people who are not going to complain where they are housed. This is however not all of Jaywick and its resident's, some of the little houses in jaywick are quite nice (although small) many people are quite house proud. This video and many like it, only show you the worst parts, it isn't all like this.
Great video - your channel will be a great success. You have put a lot of heart into this.
Glad you liked it!
The sad thing is, there are many more places like this around the UK. Such a shame, the UK is a beautiful country.
Glad I moved to South Australia
Like in every country right...
@@samueljesse2179 hows the unbearable heat and some of the world's most deadly animals over there
@@samueljesse2179 Coward
I don't think there's anywhere quite like Jaywick tbf
Very well put together and quality presenting on this. You've earned yourself a Sub Neil. You've got talent. Well done!
Thank you so much for the kind words!
That was a really interesting report, and the comparison with Margate well made. Very good piece.
That's very kind of you to say man, thank you so much!
wow, the almighty algorythm thrown this video my way - an boy I'm grateful for that.
Very well put together honest work in this mate. Congrats. Class content right there.
Thank you Zoltan! Glad the algorithm found you!
@@NeilWestYT aye, subbed pal. :)
I lived half a mile from there in Meadow Way in the eighties and worked as a builders hand doing up some of those bungalows,mainly in Talbot and Sunbeam Avenue.However Jaywick Sands has three areas Brooklands which is the area of the documentary .Jaywick village which is not bad and The Tudor estate which is fairly nice .The people living on the Tudor estate liked to call it West Clacton as they got embarrassed being linked to Jaywick.Would you believe it Brooklands looks better now ,it was worse 20 years ago.It is a risk of flooding ,and do not forget these shacks were not meant to be lived in for years ,they were only built for short term holiday use .Many years ago residents got offered cash to move out,because Tendering District Council could not be bothered to upgrade the housing.However most declined and stayed there ,they even talked about building leisure park near by ,but the ground was to soft due to being below sea level.I moved away from the area twenty odd years ago,but took my partner down there as she wanted to see what all the fuss was about,she was not disappointed.Its a shame as most people were friendly and welcoming,there was no major drug or mental health issues when I was doing building work there nearly 40 years ago ,it got worse overtime .On a plus point,people do not realise that parts of Jaywick beach is lovely,it’s a bit of a hidden gem,much nicer than Clacton or Walton on the Naze.However the community there appear to getting things done and improvements are being noticed .I hope the area prospers the people deserve it,because basically when I lived nearby the Council did nothing to assist the Brooklands area or it’s people.
Have you been along recently? One of our young MPs organised a mass collection of household junk which had been left to rot in the streets or front yards. It was instantly healthier and a boost to well-being.
I live in the Grasslands area behind Brooklands, and we have none of the rundown look which that area has. There are a couple of fire-damaged properties, and a few streets look like carparks with all the work's vans people have to bring home, but generally, it's all getting better... attitudes are changing for the better, people are taking more of an interest in keeping their own areas tidier, but you can't go a few hours without smelling someone's weed :).
I've lived in jaywick for 8 years and seen so many changes take place. All the side roads were rebuilt a few years back, and to a very high standard, the new houses have been built, the old empty units next to the post office have come back into use, there's the new market etc about to be built, we have regular let patrols by both council and locals. Jaywick is being revived and has lots going for it. You, the interviewer, try to comment on what you've seen in a short time and by taking to 2 "locals" who obviously don't live in the part of jaywick where the works are taking place, jaywick sands. We have dug 4 jaywick, where anyone can volunteer and grow get, forward etc , we have the brilliant neighborhood wardens, we have groups at the community center for almost everything, including lunches for pensioners. Don't compare jaywick to Margate, we're unique because not much happens without everyone knowing. We have crime, drugs, alcohol etc but, we don't bother the rest of the world with it. This video was nearly 4 minutes about jaywick and the rest about Margate. Spend a couple of months here then make another video with the facts
is it being flooded with diversity yet
We share a surname. I was born in Wigan. I think my father was Westhoughton. He was Peter
@@ericboxer3053 you're deprived
@@ericboxer3053 no, thanks to brexit there won’t be any Europeans any more, boris has made a trade deal with India based on immigration privileges though:)
@@billpugh58 yeah I'm aware of what that scumbag bojo has been up to
Excellent and highly informative, yet objective report. Very well presented, great reporter Neil. Also on a technical level it has very high production values. Highly recommended 👍🏼
I couldn't have hoped for a more kind comment. Thank you!
Great job, young man. Never accept dirty money from the corrupt. Strength and honor... 👍🏻👊🏻💪🏻
That's the plan! It's just me and a camera trying to figure things out.
well done, bud.. an intelligent look at a couple of our seaside towns. You need more subscribers
Praise the video and presentation by all means, but it doesn't mean the content is correct. They're two unrelated parts of it.
Thanks for the comment Norman!
this is great chap, keep it up, you WILL gain a following with such outstanding journalism...
Thanks!
Enjoy documentaries like this on YT. Great work man, keep it up. Subbed too.
So glad to be making something that people can really get behind, thank you for your comment!
Love how you timed those short cuts of the town with the music, very engaging. Keep it up!
Thank you for the feedback, glad you felt the same way as I did about syncing up the music.
There is such a lovely beach there it is such a dreadful waste. Back in the sixties I had a school friend with a holiday home in Jaywick. Their main home was a very large house in Essex. I don't think you can compare it with the regeneration of Margate though - Margate had a lot more going for it even before it was regenerated.
Some great points here: first, yes, the beach is lovely, and second, yes, it's probably fair to say that Margate 10 years ago was probably still far more developed than Jaywick is today. That said, I think the lessons still apply, in terms of it being important to keep housing costs low and make every effort to attract interesting people into the town and so on.
Margate hasn't been regenerated. Clacton/Jaywick has far greater tourism. There's data showing Thanet had a massive drop in tourism between 2007 and 2011 (Margate being responsible), and later. Roger Gale is talking rubbish about the effect of the gallery - it failed. And Dreamland has been hanging by a thread for years.
I think the problem with places like Margate is although they improve, locals slowly get priced out
That's one of the good things about it. Gets the scum out
Gentrification
Even in gentrification there can be a place for lower income folks just they may need to move to the fringes where cheaper affordable housing should be.
@@glennoc8585 They shouldn't need to move anywhere, if you're already there you should be able to stay there - in fact with a full time job there should be few places one cannot live.
This place has so much potential. I can't understand why it's not a developed seaside town. I would have thought that in the UK many people would like to live by the sea. I know in Australia, almost anywhere on the beach close enough to civilization is expensive.
Right next to it clacton on sea is a pretty well developed seaside town, its nice actually which is strange for a 10 minute drive.
Living by the sea is fine if you are retired, if you are of working age with a family to feed and a mortgage to pay, you need job opportunities, and these deprived towns do not have the job opportunities. A beach and a sea view does not pay the bills. Unfortunately the deprivation discourages high tech industries from setting up in the area so it is a vicious circle. It is similar with other deprived towns such as ones which were built around one industry which collapsed (e.g. mining and steel).
@@adamlea6339 Not all towns by the sea are deprived and low on jobs... The two I've lived in have been pretty much the opposite.
Great informative video. You should keep this format, always good to see a new youtuber finding their niche and this format is great for you!
It was a joy to make, hoping to keep it up.
I used to holiday here too in the 60’s I loved it,met my first love at Highfields holiday camp 🥰
It's clearly a place that holds a special place in many people's hearts. Glad you had such a good time there!
Looks like this video was picked up by the algorithm in recent weeks. Liked + subbed, great journalism! 😁
Brilliant, thanks for the support.
I live in Sussex and Hastings is fairly deprived I think coastal towns struggle because a lot of work is seasonal.
Yes, even in Margate this was still something that stood out as a big weakness. I filmed the video in the off-season, and the hotel I was staying at was running a reduced service. In the summer I imagine they have more staff on reception and chefs for the restaurant, but in winter, it just doesn't make sense to keep these people on.
Excellent information, production, delivery and research. Really well bloody done mate! Keep working at your passion, you are really good at it!
It really is a passion. Glad you enjoyed the fruits of it.
Open minded, non judgmental observations - there are many more experienced film makers that could learn a lot from you Neil - definitely one of the good guys 👍
Thanks Tom! I think everyone, filmmaker or otherwise, should try to stay open-minded, so I'm glad you think I was able to for this video.
@@NeilWestYT cheers bud will keep on eye out for your good works 👍
Excellent video. Really informative. Look forward to seeing more like this. Thank you from Australia.
Pleasure!
When I look at Jaywick and across the sea at the places in Belgium - the first thing to notice is that it seems that not enough is made of a lovely environment - I mean you are right next to the sea and it should provide a bonus for well-being and so forth. There is a mindset in urban planning and decisions in the UK that seems to be depressive - Borth in Wales is another place which is a bit run down - but the people are lovely as in Jaywick. Of course funding is necessary. But, most of all - empathy and sustainable economic plans - number one - innovation/brainstorming.
Yes the people ARE lovely. Because they have excellent standards and a love of the town as it is. We do not all want "facilities"! I too am a refugee from busy Margates! I would hate it but would love Jaywick as it is.
Some resorts have failed to compete because of bad planning decisions but you have to separate social problems with tourism as Clacton has record tourism and is a boom town in that respect but the UK isn't Belgium; we're an unequal society with Universal Credit and food banks and poor people have to live somewhere - and there it happens for some to be the former holiday chalets of Jaywick..
This really well done and I appreciate the reporter's non bias attitude and respect for the people he speaks to
Thank you for the compliment. I just want to find out what people think, so going in to those conversations with heavy biases and prejudices is something I try to avoid as best as possible.
Great wee video, bless the algorithm for showing me it. Keep making quality stuff youll go far 👍👍
I'm so glad to hear you liked it! Hopefully as I get more experience the videos will get even better. Thanks for checking it out!
Brilliant doc! Informative, lovely interviews. Well done you :)
Thank you so much. I really appreciate you saying that.
Derby, and Nottingham still have some "prefab" houses put up rapidly after WW2. They were a temporary solution but have lasted very well. Most have been externally insulated further extending their useful life.
I prefer them over modern buildings.
Brilliant video and well edited, you deserve more subscribers
Thank you for the compliments. These past few weeks have been good in that last regard!
Please do more videos on towns around the UK! This was great
Great wee video, really enjoyed, im planning on visiting Margate, due to "only fools and horses" jolly boys trip episode, you've shown me it will be worthwhile, thanks 🏴
Yeah absolutely, hope you have a nice time!
Love this, great bit of work mate
Thanks for the kind words, glad you liked it!
Excellent documentry. Informative, light, made me want to hear more and will put both on my places to visit list. 🙂
Glad you liked it!
Used to walk from St Oysth along the sea wall to Jaywick 57 year's ago, even then it was deserted with run down wooden chalets, back then all it had was a bingo hall and a roller skate ring where the tarmac was falling apart from neglect,
Great video thoroughly enjoyed
Glad you enjoyed it!
Like a lot of seaside towns it seems to be a 'treeless wonder' which instantly makes a place look bleak and barren. I reckon if you planted say 4000 palms and conifer trees like Scots Pines, it would instantly make the place more appealing, and as they grow and mature it will just make the town more and more attractive as a place to live and visit. As for old prefab houses, from what I've heard a lot of people who live in these houses really like them, so instead of demolishing them, help upgrade, insulate them etc, and use them as a template for new houses, so modern log cabin type homes (similar to ones at places like Center Parcs), park homes, and also some nice flats with large balconies for older residents.
Yeah, the lack of trees is something I hadn't noticed until you pointed it out, and there was some greenery nearby, but nothing along the seafront, which is where it would have the biggest impact on beautifying Jaywick.
Awesome stuff, great doc!
Thank you so much!
A well documented video - just one piece of constructive advice. When videoing your outside broadcast, due to the wind and road noise it was almost impossible to hear those you were interviewing. So perhaps on screen text would be a reasonable idea - Keep up the good work 😎
Well put together Neil, great work.
Regards from an old Roman Town in East Dunbartonshire.
Thanks!
Jaywick a shanty town ? I think I'd like to move there 😁
The people could form their own self management and be better off.
Self managed co-ops attract a lot of decent people looking for a decent place to live.
Go Jaywick 👍
What about all the drug dealers users and gangs
@@lauram8554 - we got plenty pushers in my area. They're called GPs
@@joedee1863 i thought there called road men
What a wonderfully presented and interesting documentary, thank you so much for your time and effort!
I'm glad you enjoyed it. It did take time, that's for sure, but definitely worth it to now have this as the finished product!
Wow i can't believe how underrated this is! I could tell it was well thought out and I enjoyed it overall for something about such as poverty well done for this 👏
Wow I can't believe how kind this comment is. Thanks!
Excellent documentary, Neil. Well done! Looking forward to seeing more of your work. Subbed.
Thank you kindly. Can't wait to have more to show.
Great documentary mate, you're gonna have thousands of followers soon...just keep consistent with the content with same and better quality. You have a subscription from me mate 👍
That's very kind, thank you my friend!
Well done. You deserve increased recognition. Thank you.
I'm happy to hear you say that, it means a lot!
This was great to watch
Glad you liked it!
Margate is a nice visit…on a sunny day its gorgeous…my favourite attraction on my last visit was the empty nostalgic woolworth building.,
Jaywick was originally built before WW2 as holiday chalets for Londoners, many from the East end. Probably some of the post war residents had been bombed out and had nowhere else to go. I remember as a child in the 60's my auntie used to holiday at Jaywick. In those days the streets were unpaved, there were standpipes every so often along the streets and it was chemical khazis as there was no sewerage system. The Richard the 3rds were often visible floating just off the beach and many of the wooden chalets were dilapidated. In the surrounding area it was known as 'Dodge City'.
The fact that living conditions were shite doesn't mean the people were too. Often in these slum areas there is a real sense of community and people pull together and help each other in adversity.
I suspect that were I to move there now some of my neighbours would be a lot nicer than those in the more high priced area where I currently live
You would be right they are a community.
I'd have a gues its a less serious kinda living...just chill...it won't be long and itl be hot on the market.
I'm glad you said England's most deprived town because I know some places in Scotland where this would be considered luxurious.
I also find Canvey Island deprived because there’s anti-social behaviour all over Canvey Island. Why aren’t Tendring District Council and Essex County Council doing anything to Jaywick. Such a shame that Jaywick is being left like that.
I picked up a car from Canvey island in the late 90s and the train from London to Canvey was a vitgin train with litter and what looked like cola thrown up the isle. I was glad to get off get the car and out if the place as some of the locals looked like they hated the world.
Great reporting, really informative! More than happy to subscribe 😀
Thank you very much!
Great video, I went to Margate 60 years ago, when a kid, good holiday, except for the sunburn, keep up the great work. Just a constructive comment, maybe use one of those covered mics
Thanks for the comment and encouragement. I was so sad when I heard how the audio turned out on some of the interviews - I just didn't realise how much of a problem the wind would be at the time. Just another thing to check on while I'm filming in future.
Well done buddy! Excellent video as I used to go to Jay wick and Margate a lot on family holidays when I was a boy back in the late 50s early 60s 🤩😁
Thank you!
I recently moved to Clacton on the outskirts and a main road leading to Brooklands, the police every day and every night tear down the road leading to Brooklands at breakneck speed to cope with some crisis or another. From what I am told by the locals it has a quite a few "unsocial and misfit" occupants that drag the the place down. As stated a huge part of the problem is the council. The council have ignored the fact that people are living in these "holiday chalets" full time, and have nowhere else, so if you get my drift it is a perfect place to "disappear to, if needs must. A huge problem with all councils is very similar in most coastal towns, the councils throw money at needless schemes that the actual residents don't want, and tread all over local opinions. Lowestoft for instance poured millions into turning the high street into a pedestrian parade. The works took years and caused havoc, many many shops were forced out of business, others were forced to move to retail parks, and the parking everywhere became pay and display. Businesses that had been there for many generations were starved of supplies and customers so closed down. Then they wasted more millions on a stupid platza with water shooting from the ground at random intervals.. Supposedly to placate the residents, but of course it was really aimed at holiday makers. When I left in late september 2021 the town was literally a ghost town, and to make matters worse most of the empty shops were then occupied by nail bars, hairdressers, charity shops or foreign food shops all at zero cost to the foreign occupants.. These councils need a drastic and massive overhaul and stop wasting money on unnecessary pie in the sky ideas and put the areas straight and spend the money on sensible development and improved housing instead of pontificating with "new roads" in ghetto's! There are some weird things happening in Jaywick and the only people to benefit from the "new builds" are developers and investors, as , as far as I have seen all of the "new builds" are high end, and no where like affordable for the locals. Both Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft , both Ports by the way have lost almost all of the industry, and factories and the like which gave jobs to to the people, now the only opportunities for youngsters is the retail trade working for a pittance in some tuppenny ha'penny shop, or a supermarket stacking shelves, absolutely no career prospects at all.
The discription of the council sounds like portsmouth city council..
Plus every large brownfield site sold off to developers for student housing. Not ONE social housing property as they use loopholes to avoud building them.
sounds just like Bedford.
You left in late September 2022? Did I fall through the fabric of time to get to this comment section?😂
@@benrampling812 Ha ha oops Of course I meant 2021, It has been a hugely traumatic time for me, as I lost my wife my soul mate, and had to make a new start, and as an old fart alone, it has taken its toll.
@@MrChrissy1r I often put my date of birth in the current year tbh mate, very sorry for your loss
I found this to be a great little documentary. I hope you do many more around the country. I'm currently looking into relocating, and no town is out of the question for me right now - and looking into anywhere that I don't have to have a mortgage until I'm 75!
Glad you liked it! Definitely plan on other towns showing up in future videos, England has a lot of interesting stuff going on in it!
My parents owned a chalet in Singer Ave in the 60's to 70's it was fantastic as a kid, we had a stand pipe in the road for water and a chop at the end of the road. Then the toilets would be emptied once a week in the 3 wheeled strange looking vehicle. Such a shame :-(
The past is a wonderful place...
As a yank, I'm fascinated by this. Neil, thank you for your time and talents.
It's my pleasure!
It’s definitely a good documentary, Margate is full of children’s home for London, and social security by the sea. It’s become a dumping ground for London councils too, when they run out of housing.
Thank you.
Great documentary. I'm genuinely surprised you've only got 1060-ish subscribers (Written on 18/5/2022 in case this channel gains huge success overnight) as this was considerate, well filmed and utilising a lot of resources. It would be so easy to go to a place like Jaywick and basically say "look at this shithole; be glad you don't live here" but you really avoided that trope and I applaud you for doing so. I also appreciate a good strong Northern accent even if it's from the other side of the Pennines ;)
You've certainly gained a subscription from me, though. Great job.
Not quite overnight success, but still, not been a bad week for the channel. Glad you found my insights worthwhile!
As someone who works in Clacton, I can confirm most of the shoplifters and difficult customers we get are from jaywick.
people become a product of their environment,keep getting treated like shit,they become shit,especially the young ones
@@inlimbo6019 I agree, as negative as my comment sounds I've grown up in similar areas and been a bad person. I was just lucky enough to find a way out, with a lot of support.
Glad you could fix your life up, but sorry to hear that the people of Jaywick are giving you trouble.
@@NeilWestYT I don't really consider it trouble, they're doing their job, I'm doing mine 😅
That's a very enlightened perspective you have!
Great video man. Very professional manor when speaking as well. Keep it up!
Appreciate the compliments!
A lot of northern towns still feel the effects of when Thatcher did the opposite to Germany in the 80s by making millions of people unemployed, and then blaming those people for losing hope when their only options were supermarket shelf stacking. Tories left us with a USA style economy encouraging people to be yuppies, to live a life of greed and debt, but it all crashed by the early 90s, and crashes every few years since. That was why Tony Blair wanted to encourage more people than ever into university, to give young people from those destroyed communities hope.
@HongKongPhooey. Adoration for Blair is far from a communist view.
ahhh tony blair, Britains George bush
More like thatcher dragged the UK in the 21st century kicking and screaming, mainly screaming by unions that were crippling the country
And what did they get for going to university? More debt and no promises of employment in their qualified sector.
@@nikitajade1571 fun
as someone from the US, this reminds me a LOT of New Jersey