Meet Keith, he's camping out for five days to secure a beach hut (From Bournemouth Echo)
When news happens text pix and video to 80360. Start your message with BE then leave a space.
Meet Keith, he's camping out for five days to secure a beach hut
9:19am Friday 4th January 2013 in News By Katie Clark
LONG WAIT: Keith Duell with his wife Christine
A DEDICATED husband has found a unique way to prove his love for his wife – by camping to get a beach hut at a popular Christchurch beauty spot.
Keith Duell, 68, from Burley, has nabbed first place in the annual beach hut queue at Avon Beach in Mudeford to ensure his family get their hands on a full summer season beach hut at the much-loved tourist destination.
The beach huts aren’t available to book until Monday morning, but the couple wanted to ensure they were first in line.
Keith said: “My wife of 43 years hasn’t been very well so doing this is payback time for her for putting up with me for so long.
“I fish in the bay and she comes and sits with me. This way if the weather is awful, she can sit in the beach hut.
“Our grandchildren will love it.”
Keith, who arrived on Wednesday, said the couple came down to Avon Beach on New Year’s Day and looked at the notice and saw that there was only one seasonal beach hut on offer.
His wife Christine said: “We didn’t know when to start queuing and wondered whether to leave it until the weekend, in the end I told him to come down.
“We just looked at each other and I said we’ve got to do it.”
Keith said his first night camping out in his fishing shelter was good and said the nature he saw was amazing.
“The foxes were along the beach and there was a seal out there this morning”, he said.
“Everyone has been so hospitable to us, really thoughtful.
“Christine has been bringing me homemade soup and I’ve had fish and chips. I think she feels guilty.
“I don’t expect to be alone for long now. I think more people will come down at the weekend.
“This whole area is stunning. The whole set-up down here is wonderful and a credit to the staff.”
Full seasonal lets are popular because once families have secured them the hut is theirs until they choose to give it up.
There are a number of six-week lets available as well as weekly huts.
Comments(17)
elite50
says...
10:23am Fri 4 Jan 13
PokesdownMark wrote:Theres always one!
Good luck to Keith. But that is a really rubbish system for allocating beach huts. By only allocating beach huts to people able to be at one location for a period of time they actively discriminate against families with young children and the disabled. The council must come up with a system which doesn't only work for those with no current obligations whether working or caring for others. Council legal really should look into this before someone else does.
twynham
says...
10:26am Fri 4 Jan 13
.
Still a rubbish allocation system though.
Redgolfer
says...
10:38am Fri 4 Jan 13
elite50 wrote:Agreed
PokesdownMark wrote:Theres always one!
Good luck to Keith. But that is a really rubbish system for allocating beach huts. By only allocating beach huts to people able to be at one location for a period of time they actively discriminate against families with young children and the disabled. The council must come up with a system which doesn't only work for those with no current obligations whether working or caring for others. Council legal really should look into this before someone else does.
HRH of Boscombe
says...
11:21am Fri 4 Jan 13
.
You may be sick of the whole place by Wednesday though.
MisterE
says...
12:49pm Fri 4 Jan 13
O'Reilly
says...
6:08pm Fri 4 Jan 13
ragj195
says...
10:34pm Fri 4 Jan 13
ragj195
says...
10:34pm Fri 4 Jan 13
guisselle
says...
12:00am Sat 5 Jan 13
Hessenford
says...
12:52am Sat 5 Jan 13
justdreaming
says...
7:09am Sat 5 Jan 13
what a morbid way to waste time, still i suppose he can always set up a Darts comp !
justdreaming
says...
7:09am Sat 5 Jan 13
what a morbid way to waste time, still i suppose he can always set up a Darts comp !
sar72
says...
9:04am Sat 5 Jan 13
guisselle
says...
12:12pm Sat 5 Jan 13
a few days away from home and if
you have kids or grandchildren must
be better than having to fight for a
spot on the sand!
madras
says...
12:24pm Sat 5 Jan 13
justdreaming
says...
5:34pm Sat 5 Jan 13
PokesdownMark says...
9:59am Fri 4 Jan 13