by The future of the traditional Punch and Judy theatre on Burnham-On-Sea seafront has been saved thanks to a local holiday park.
Steve Atkins, park manager at Burnham’s Home Farm Holiday Park, says he felt compelled to save the shows after reading the Burnham-On-Sea.com news article last week.
“Professor” Paul Wheeler had announced that he wanted to leave the seafront promenade for good in the autumn because the shows were “no longer financially viable”. He has been running the Somerset Council concession on the Esplanade for 13 years.
Steve Atkins of Home Farm told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “After reading the article about the loss of the Punch & Judy shows on the seafront, we felt we should step in and support Paul for the 2025 season.”
“Punch & Judy is a great British seaside tradition that won’t be missed alongside the ice cream and penny slots.”
He adds: “I hope that everyone who sees Paul’s show will make a small donation because it would be a shame not to have this attraction in our area.”
“We hope that Somerset Council can find other concessionaires who can extend the offer even further during the holiday period. The Esplanade is a wonderful highlight to walk along rain or shine.”
Paul Wheeler added: “I am very grateful to Home Farm Holiday Park for their support and to Burnham-On-Sea.com for covering my story – I look forward to another season at Burnham next year.”
Pictured: Steve Atkins from Burnham’s Home Farm Holiday Park with Paul Wheeler
