Originating from Birmingham, John Davenport moved to Weymouth when he was just two-years-old with his family who owned the Bowleaze Beach café.
Now under his guidance, the 42 year-old is keen to promote the resort as a stunning holiday location for everyone from young couples to retired sunseekers.
Here the adrenalin junky talks about his love of the Swiss Alps, designs on improving Bowleaze Cove and why he won’t be buying Prince Charles a pint in a hurry.
WHAT part of owning a seaside resort do you enjoy?
Seeing the many, many returning faces. I enjoy the variety of it all, I wouldn’t like being stuck in an office looking at the square walls, there’s so many different things going on around here.
WHAT do you enjoy about Weymouth?
I think it’s just a great place to be - by the seaside. Everybody enjoys themselves; other people might disagree but I like the lack of trouble down here. My wife is from Walthamstow and I don’t think I would want to live there and put up with that.
WHICH hobbies do you enjoy?
I spend most of my time snow skiing. I like the outdoors, cycling and clay shooting. I go to the Swiss alps, I love the adrenalin of skiing there and my brother lives there and so it’s a cheap way of skiing. I’ve been there in the past five or six years and my sons enjoy it as well.
WHAT would you change about Weymouth?
I think what Weymouth could do with a place for surfing. In Weymouth there’s nothing and I think they should build a surfing community down here.
WHAT changes have you seen in tourism over the last few years?
I think it’s sporadic down here. Over the years parents haven’t given a monkeys about taking the kids out of school but now the government says they’re not allowed to. It gets pretty empty down here during the school term. I’m not sure if more people are coming down here or less. Sometimes our turnover suggests there are more people; I don’t think the people here have the money, they seem really conscious of whether to spend.
WHAT type of holidaymaker do you find comes to Weymouth?
There’s a broad spectrum of people who come down here, from families returning each year to young couples to retired people; you just have to take a look about, its totally amazing.
WHAT do you think draws the holidaymakers here each year?
I think a lot of people know what Weymouth can be like; it’s a peaceful town. There’s a massive range of things for people to do if down for the week. The reasons people come down here are two fold: it’s a place for people to come with good water access and no problems with parking and I think that helps enormously, without parking we are done for. A lot of people come here because their parents came here and their parents before them and its important having the camping around here, they like the variety of things the place has to offer.
WHICH three guests would you invite to the pub?
well, I’ll tell you who I wouldn’t invite: Gordon Brown, because I think he would bore me to death in five minutes while trying to explain to me what a mess he’s got this country in. Prince Charles, because he is just a pointless person in society, we’ve all got our own views but he’s an interfering person. I’m quite fond of the monarchy in general but not of him. And celebrity cooks because they’re a far too opinionated bunch of know it alls and they just take it all a little to far, but I admire the Reux brothers. I think what they did to the UK, broadening everyone’s culinary minds, is amazing.
WHAT three things would you take to a desert island?
I would take my wife, children and some beer. I’m not sure if it would be in that order, but I’d take those three things!
www.viewfromonline.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment