Very saddened but not surprised by a reply to a comment I made on one of my birth town of Walsall’s FB groups page. I replied to a question and mentioned that I now live on Portland. A group member replied that she used to go on holiday for many years to Weymouth and loved it, thought it was a beautiful town with a safe family atmosphere. She had not had chance for a holiday for a few years but managed to visit for a week this Easter.
The lady said she and the family were really happy on the journey down but left very disappointed on the way home and quite upset as the town they remembered had changed and was now dirty, looking tired, closed down shops, homeless drunks and beggars lying on the streets but worst of all were the gangs of youths hanging about, insulting people and looking like trouble.
This lady went on to say that Walsall has declined the same and she was looking forward to a break away from it but in reality she could have just stayed at home. The family agreed the beach was still nice but that was it. To add to this another person joined in with an equally damming reply in that he and his wife had visited recently after being told by friends how lovely Weymouth was but found the opposite and he too remarked about the down at heel look, the drunks/homeless and the kids creating havoc in shops and being a nuisance around the town. Both of these group members said it’s highly unlikely they would return or recommend for a holiday. The beach and the views are the only redeeming features but not enough to bring them back.
These are the thoughts from just 2 families that we now know about but how many more visitors have had the same experiences and now have the same thoughts?
Alex Woodward
