Saturday 3 July 2010: Le Strange Arms.....

I went to the beach this evening on my way to see my friends children in their dance show....
This is Old Hunstanton beach. in Norfolk.. i am standing on the dunes where my son and his friends had their picnic a couple of nights ago... this is the view of the hotel which overlooks the beach...
It is an Best Western Hotel and their is a pub attached - the farmers arms which is always busy at night...
The hotel's publicity blurb reads...
We go that extra mile..... we are a people hotel....

Their policies are somewhat different.....
They have no responsibility or obligation to help anyone who may have been attacked on the beach... seeking help from this lit up solid establishment....

This is a place where families visit.. the beach this evening was full of young people enjoying the sunshine... I dont think they can be aware of the dangers as the sun goes down.. of the gangs that rome the beach and seaside town and of the callous policies of some local businesses.....

Friday 2 July 2010: Update...

One of the girls who was punched and battered in the head has managed to find some valuable info on facebook.. they couldnt resist bragging about the incident and had already attacked some foreigners before starting on the 'Posh Kids'..
They are all meeting as i write this as they are keen to speak to the press and to write to the hotels head office....
On that note ... to update you on how 'decent.. intelligent adults' can behave...
I visited the hotel and saw the manager... he was very aggressive and kept insisting.. 'they did not come to the hotel... they did not beg for refuge'
he repeated this several times and said that his night manager should be c'commended' his words.. for being brave enough to go out to them and give them tissues to mop up the blood!!!
I was furious and did not back down... you would have been proud of me....

Thursday 1 July 2010: Worst Nightmare....

Last evening my son and his girlfriend decided to meet up with friends at the beach for a picnic....... they are all home from uni... not a late night as they are both working today...
At 2am i got the telephone call that every parent dreads....
they had been attacked by 20 or so youths whilst sitting on the beach.. they had no time to even stand up before they were set up - kicked in the head and face... alcohol poured over them and threats to set them alight....
some more badly injured than others.. they managed to get off the beach to a local hotel where they pleaded for refuge... this was refused..... when eventually the police arrived there were more than 40 of them rampaging on the beach .. the police said they could do nothing....
three of their friends have had hospital treatment.... ;whilst my sons physical injuries are not too bad .. tjhe emotional damage is far greater for all of them...
#After his call - they stayed at his girlfriends .. i couldnt sleep so drove to the beach to try to find their belongings which had been stolen - a bag containing their cards money and keys as well as personal items....
I found these things thrown callously onto the sand and retrieved them....
then i sat there at 4am and wondered about life......

we are now off to collect the car and to see if any other of their belongings can be retreived... it will be harder to retrieve their confidence... these happy beautiful gentle people -- they did not fight back .. it is not in their nature... and they were scared for their lives.....

As for the hotel staff,, i am off to see them also....