HOLIDAYMAKER Andy Ashley thought the child in the 1960s tourism video looked familiar.

Looking closely at the seven-year-old paddling in Bourne stream in Bournemouth Gardens, he realised was him!

The father of two now living in Nottinghamshire, saw the video during at the Russell-Cotes Art Gallery and Museum.

The film, produced in 1969 by Bournemouth council, was part of the museum’s Our Views of Bournemouth exhibition demonstrating how the town has developed as a centre for tourism.

Andy even remembers owning the toy yacht he is clutching.

Andy, now a development manager with Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Earlier in the week we’d been in the gardens and I commented that I remembered paddling in there when I was a child.

“We decided to go to the Russell-Cotes. We were looking around and went into a room where they were showing this video for the bicentenary.

“I started to watch this video. It showed kids paddling in the stream, and this one child. You could see I was holding a yacht. I remember playing with that yacht when I was a kid. I would have been about seven or eight years old in 1969. My wife said it looked like me.

“My daughter was quite excited and joked that I was famous.

“It is quite an amazing coincidence that over 40 years later I should happen to see the video and recognise myself on it.”

Andy’s parents later confirmed that he was the child in the video.

The Our Views of Bournemouth exhibition is on at Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum until October 31.

Duncan Walker, collections officer, said: “It was an amazing coincidence.

“What are the odds? There were quite a few videos we could have chosen but we chose that one. It must have made their visit.”