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Holiday Hotel

1967 , Clacton-on-Sea (Essex)

Cat no. 538

The Belfont Hotel, Clacton-on-Sea, the only hotel in Britain to accommodate unaccompanied cerebral palsied people.

Opening with panning shots of hotels and houses in Clacton, the film then shows the exterior of the Belfont Hotel. Over shots of the interior, the commentary explains that this is the only hotel in the country to cater exclusively for unaccompanied spastic guests. It is sponsored by the Spastics Society. The guests rise in the morning. They receive help with shaving and dressing. The staff prepare breakfast. There are shots of breakfast in progress. After breakfast, the guests, some in wheelchairs, go to the beach. We see them outside the hotel beach hut and some of them take a dip in the sea. At the hotel, the guests eat lunch and there are close up shots of food, including jelly and mince. The guests take a mini-bus outing to Flatford Mill. During the journey, the commentary offers some details about the guests. At Flatford Mill they picnic on the grass and feed the ducks from the bridge. The commentary mentions that the hotel is trying to raise the money for a larger mini-bus and for a heated swimming pool. Back in the hotel during the evening the guests sit together in the lounge and play bingo. A man plays the piano. One of the guests types a letter. The Warden, Mrs. Janet Molyneaux, does the accounts. The guests pay 10 guineas a week, but the home is heavily subsidised by the Spastics Society.

Featured Buildings

The Belfont Hotel, Clacton; Clacton Pier; Flatford Mill

Keywords

Cerebral palsied people; Holidays; Hotels; Social welfare

Background Information

The Belfont Hotel was set up by Mrs. Janet Molyneaux in 1963. It was closed by The Spastics Society in 1985 and was turned into a residential home. A spokesperson for the Spastics Society said that the Hotel was closing because there was no longer a need for them to tackle the holiday market.

  • Camera : Sidney Manasseh

  • Sponsor : The Spastics Society

  • Production company : Clacton Cine Club

Manifestations

Holiday Hotel

Copyright restrictions apply.

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