As part of Skip the Queue’s mini-series celebrating 90 years of BALPPA, Laura Baxter is joined by Gary Smart BEM, Chairman of Harbour Park in Littlehampton, to reflect on a lifetime in the UK attractions industry. Gary shares the story of his family’s journey from the circus to the seaside, the transformation of the park into Harbour Park, and the challenges of running an independent coastal attraction. Gary also talks about his decades of involvement with BALPPA, how the industry has changed, and what it takes to build an attraction that can be passed on to the next generation.
In this episode of Skip the Queue, Laura Baxter is joined by Gary Smart, chairman of Harbour Park in Littlehampton and a man who has spent his entire working life in this industry.
The park opened in 1932, built by Billy Butlin on the site of an old fort and windmill. In 1977 it was bought by the Billy Smart circus family, and in 1994 Gary led the redevelopment that turned Smart's Amusement Park into the Harbour Park we know today - sat right on the beach, next to a working harbour, and free to walk into.
Gary has served the wider industry through BALPPA and IAAPA, and was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to leisure parks and tourism. His sons now run the park day to day. This year he also received BALPPA’s Lifetime Membership Award.
They talk about what's changed across four decades, what stubbornly hasn't, and what it takes for a small independent seaside park to still be standing.
This episode is part of our mini-series marking 90 years of BALPPA, looking at the people and businesses shaping the UK attractions industry.
Show references:
Our Guest Host in partnership with BALPPA:
Laura Baxter - Founder of YourCMO
BALPPA - https://www.balppa.org/
Our Guest:
Gary Smart — Chairman, Harbour Park
Skip the Queue is brought to you by Merac. We provide attractions with the tools and expertise to create world-class digital interactions. Very simply, we're here to rehumanise commerce. Your guest host is Laura Baxter.
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Credits:
Written by Laura Baxter (YourCMO)
Edited by Steve Folland
Produced by Emily Burrows and Sami Entwistle (Plaster)