Salford Children’s ‘Jam Butty’ holiday camp was the only experience of going on holiday for some children
Salford kids setting off to the Jam Butty Camp in the 1970s
For nearly a century, Salford’s “Jam Butty” holiday camp in Prestatyn, North Wales, has allowed inner city children the chance to experience a holiday in the great outdoors.
However, there have been times the future of the much loved North Wales holiday camp has been in doubt, only for it to be rescued at the 11th hour. In 2014, the camp was on the brink of closure but managed to survive once again to provide memories for future generations of children in Salford.
Recently its future was put on a more secure footing after an astonishing gift left in the will of an elderly lady. Yet the camp is in desperate need of renovation, with an urgent appeal having been launched to raise £100k to replace the camp’s aging dormitory with modern accommodation.
This taste of another life for Salford kids began nearly a century ago when the camp opened in 1926 in Prestatyn. Back then, the aim of the camp was to take children away from the smoke and grime of the city for a week of fresh, seaside air.
It affectionally became known as Salford’s ‘Jam Butty’ camp thanks to the simple but tasty food staple food served up to the kids staying there.
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When it was first set up, unemployment in Salford was high and, for many children, it was their only chance of a break – and for many the first time they had seen the sea.
The camp was originally set up in 1926 as the Poor Children’s Camp
The Manchester City News reported in May 1937: “This morning – and every Friday from now until October – you can watch a very jolly sight in Bexley Square, Salford. Sixty excited youngsters, many of whom have never been to the sea before, pack themselves into waiting motor-coaches and are whisked away to the golden sands and sea breezes of Prestatyn, for a week’s never-to-be-forgotten holiday.”
One person who remembers holidaying at the Jam Butty camp in the 1950s was Jean Wadeston.
Back in 2014, Jean told the Salford Advertiser: “We would walk daily to the Penny Frith Beach where there was a play area and little peddle boats on the lake.
Salford’s Jam Butty Camp, 1982
“Sometimes we would pick blackberries from the bushes which surrounded the back of the camp.
“On the eve before our departure we had a talent concert.”
She added: “I will always be grateful for the holidays my brothers, sisters and I had at the camp, without which we probably wouldn’t have had a holiday.
Reginald Thornhill, from Monton, spent two summers in the Prestatyn camp with his friends and neighbours in the late 1940s.
The play area at the ‘Jam Butty’ camp
He told the Salford Advertiser: “It gave me the opportunity to have a holiday.
“The first year I ran away from the camp because I got homesick and I was picked up by police in Rhyl.
“But the second time I really enjoyed it. They gave us breakfast, dinner and tea and took us to Abergele.”
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Another Salfordian to stay at the Jam Butty camp as a child was BBC Manchester Radio DJ and broadcasting legend Mike Sweeney.
Recalling his own experiences to the Advertiser back in 2014, Mike said: “I went one year when my mum was very ill and we qualified.
“The whole family used to go to Prestatyn every year and if I hadn’t gone on this camp I wouldn’t have got my holiday.”
Salford children in Prestatyn
It was in 2014 that the ‘Jam Butty’ camp came closest to being lost when Salford City Council withdrew its financial support.
The camp was run by an independent committee, but a £50,000 annual grant it received from Salford council was axed as town hall bosses faced making cuts of £25m.
The site was considered to be a prime location, near to the sea, worth millions of pounds.
The council announced it would be sold and the proceeds put in a fund to be invested for the benefit of primary school children in the city.
Nick Abbott (left), Darren Clemens and Billy Fairbrother at The Jam Butty Camp in 1978
But after a high-profile campaign led by businessman, Nick Abbot, highlighted by the MEN, that decision was reversed.
However the camp is now run independent of the council with no town hall funding.
The M.E.N’s chief reporter, Neal Keeling, wrote a story recently highlighting the need to raise funds to keep the camp going for future generations. In the piece, Nick Abbot spoke of the old camp dormitory that now desperately needs replacing.
He said: “The block was installed in 1979 as a “temporary” building, but it has finally reached the end of its life. I actually stayed in it that year as a young lad.
“We need urgent support to replace it to ensure the next generation of Salford children and families can continue to enjoy time by the sea. We are planning to replace the block with modern, family-friendly lodges. The first of these is due to open in 2026, but we need to raise £100,000 to make that possible.”
Smiling faces – children visiting “Salford by the Sea” at Prestatyn in the 1960s
A key fundraiser will be a Halloween Ball at The Lowry Hotel on Friday October 31st. The evening will be compered by Salford DJ, radio presenter, Mike Sweeney and feature a very special performance by Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order, with full supporting entertainment.
Table sponsorships are £2000 for a table of 12 including a three-course dinner, wine, and themed Halloween surprises. Individual tickets are £175 each. Companies can share table sponsorships or purchase multiple tables. Corporate sponsorship packages are also available.
The donation of auction and raffle prizes for the ball is also welcome; and designers, suppliers, and contractors are invited to contribute skills or services to the rebuild project.
Salford Children’s Holiday ‘Jam Butty’ camp in Prestatyn
The camp also welcomes training days, team-building visits, and apprentice programmes at its Prestatyn site. Individuals and organisations can donate directly via JustGiving.
Following the story’s publication, people commented on our Facebook page with their own memories of the ‘Jam Butty’ camp.
Julie Smith said: “Loved the Salford ‘Jam Butty’ camp. Yes, we went to the Robin Hood camp a few years ago, and just over the road was Salford ‘Jam Butty’ camp. I was telling my daughter and grandkids – good memories, good times!”
Natalie Jayne Bowden said: “Our school still takes their year 5s here. They absolutely love the place!”
Natasha Camilleri posted she “loved” the camp, while Billy Russell simply said: “I went – had a great time”.
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