Have you ever felt yourself being transported away to the seaside through the pages of a book – back to special times spent with family on holidays you always hoped would last forever? The holidays themselves may not have, but you probably feel like the memories have and always will.
According to the Family Holiday Association there’s a reason why. The charity that gives struggling British families a break recently published compelling research looking at the social, psychological and emotional benefits of a family holiday. This research showed half of Brits (49%) say their happiest memory is that of a holiday with their family and an overwhelming majority (55%) agree these holidays have given them happy memories that will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
In the year of its 40th anniversary, the charity has launched a digital, interactive celebrity scrapbook full of inspiring #seasidememories donated by celebrities across Britain, including some of our favourite authors. The charity has shared these #seasidememories with us, as well as an exclusive writing masterclass video from author Lucy Clarke.
Read on to find out more about these beloved British authors, and what they love most about their own #seasidememories. Better yet, tell the Family Holiday Association some of your own stories here.
Chloe Inkpen
Chloe Inkpen is a children`s picture book author and illustrator and co-creator of the 'Zoe and Beans' series alongside her father Mick Inkpen - author and illustrator of the popular picture book series, 'Kipper The Dog'. Chloe loves sharing her books with young children and performs regular events in schools, libraries and festivals across the UK.
“I’ve always really enjoyed scouring the beach for beautiful shells, pebbles, bits of drift wood etc. It’s something I’ve picked up from my mum who makes really lovely watercolour paintings from found objects.
“When I was little, I loved digging holes in the sand even more than building sand castles. A hole in the sand became the perfect den. When I’d finished digging my hole, I would decorate it inside with seaweed and shells, carve out seating and cup holders, and invite people in for tea. My cousin Monica and I once dug a hole so spectacularly deep that my dad and uncle deemed it a safety hazard and insisted on filling it in. Needless to say, we were outraged!”
Santa Montefiore
British author Santa Montefiore lives with her husband and their two children, Lily and Sasha, in London. Santa feels very nostalgic about the coast. As a child she spent many summers in Cornwall and particularly remembers the roar of the waves and the various sealife.
“The seaside is massively important to me for many reasons. First of all, I feel very nostalgic about the coast. As a child I spent many summers in Cornwall. The roar of the waves, the fascinating way the tide goes in and out, the large variety of seabirds and of course the crabs and shrimps hiding in rock pools have always made me wistful, in a nice way. I love the English coast. There’s something rugged, wild and exciting about it.
“The wind whips of the ocean, the waves are always huge and dramatic, the horizon vast and the water a deep, navy blue - and the sand is always good for building. I adored the drama of Polzeath beach in Cornwall where our parents always took us. It hasn’t changed since I was there as a child, forty years ago – and the ice cream van still drives onto the sand and the ice cream tastes exactly the same.”
Kelly McKain
Kelly McKain worked as a primary school teacher before becoming a full time writer. She is now the author of more than thirty books for children and teens, including several bestsellers. Kelly says that Chesil beach acted as inspiration for her first ever published series of books, ‘Mermaid Rock’.
“When I was about 21, I stayed in a cottage right on the beautiful Chesil beach in Dorset, with my boyfriend at the time and four other friends. We were a bit naughty, running out to paddle in the sea after dark, with the friend who was a lifeguard shouting from the beach ‘At least stay together!’
“I felt like I had never seen anywhere as beautiful as the Dorset hills rolling down to the gorgeous beach, and on the strength of that one single weekend I left London, moved there and lived in a village outside Dorchester for five years!
“I had many brilliant trips back to Chesil beach, once with a big group of writer, artist and musician friends – we let our imaginations fly and I had the idea for Mermaid Rock, a series of stories about Spirulina, a feisty mermaid who wanted to have adventures rather than sit around singing and combing her hair like her sisters. This became my first published series for children, so I’d like to say a big thank you to Chesil beach for the inspiration!”
Get involved and start sharing your #seasidememories now.
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