One of the hottest Easter weekends on record in Burnham-On-Sea has given the town’s traders a welcome financial boost at the start of the annual tourist season.
Shops, local accommodation providers and attractions have reported a busy Easter fortnight, with large numbers of visitors heading into the Burnham-On-Sea area.
Temperatures peaked at 24.3°C (75.7°F) on Easter Day as the weather created busy beach scenes, and on Bank Holiday Monday, there were similar scenes at 23.8°C (74.8°F).
Shops in Burnham-On-Sea town centre saw mostly positive trade over the Easter holidays and Burnham-On-Sea.com has spoken to a cross-section of traders to gather feedback.
Geoff Lewis at the Treasure Chest gift shop on Burnham’s seafront said: “We had a phenomenal Saturday with unbelievably good trade, we were almost too busy to keep up. It really was that busy. We’ve also been really pleased to receive lots of positive feedback from visitors about Burnham – they love coming here.”
Geoff Chandler at Craft and gift shop Crafty Comforts said: “Trade was busy and constant on Bank Holiday Monday and the High Street was busy on the other days too. The great weather really helped, and there were a couple of large visiting rugby tours from London that brought extra visitors into the town centre.”
Home Hardware‘s Phil Hemming added: “The weekend was very busy – the sunshine encouraged people outdoors to do gardening and home projects and there were lots of purchases as a result.”
But Colin Morris at GW Hurley said: “It was a fair weekend for us. The weather was too nice for people to come into the High Street and they were mainly on the beach and in their gardens. The town’s Easter shop window competition has been bringing lots of families into the town centre, though, and we benefited from that.”
Sweet Shack‘s John Mills added: “It’s been a longer holiday period this year due to the late date of Easter and the extended, staggered school holidays spread over three weeks. That’s definitely helped, and we’ve had good steady trade and a busy start to the season.”
Kathy Jones at the Toy Cupboard commented: “The Easter weather has been perfect — we had a busy weekend. It’s been a good start to the season.”
Kevin Lynham at ice cream shop Styles on Burnham seafront also reported great trade, saying: “It’s been a very busy holiday for us, with brisk ice cream sales over the hot spell, all driven by the superb weather.”
And Brit Chips just off the seafront also enjoyed bumper trade, with Keith Holman saying: “It’s been very good. We’ve done really well and trade was well up on last Easter.”
Another trader, who asked not to be named, added: “It has been a fantastic start to the season — mainly due to the weather, but I think the financial uncertainty is a factor too given the Brexit mess. Holidaymakers want to stay in the UK for holidays this year, rather than book up to travel overseas and risk disruption.”
With some Midlands schools still on holiday this week, some traders also say the town centre will continue to benefit this week.
