Last year it was crowned England’s second-best place to live by the sea, having “come into its own in the past five years”. However, life in Clevedon is certainly different at this time of year when compared to the bustling summer peak season.
In the warmer months, the town near Bristol welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors – but many businesses are now focussed on surviving the winter, with the throngs of tourists nowhere to be seen. It still retains a population of around 21,000, but the footfall is much smaller compared to in summer, with fewer people venturing onto its landmark Victorian pier in the cold and rain.
In the quieter autumn and winter, it is more a local trade which volunteers and staff at the pier and wider town centre see, Somerset Live reports. Clevedon Pier and Heritage Trust chairman Phil Curme said: “We are a seasonal business so we do see a drop off in tourists in the winter as you would expect.
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“So we have to be a bit more creative about what we offer in the winter months and concentrate on encouraging local people to enjoy the pier.
“This is doing well and people are really enjoying our catering facilities. We have also introduced a Glass Box Diners Club where people can come and enjoy a meal without having to pay to come onto the pier.
“We are also seeing increased numbers coming into the Toll House shop. We are still down on visitor numbers compared to pre-pandemic, but I think this is the case across the sector.”
Other seafront businesses also see a more local customer base during the winter months. At Scarlett’s Cafe on the seafront – a popular eatery with locals and tourists and well known for its ice creams – the number of staff is reduced during the winter months.
Manager Abi Banwell said: “We halve the staff during the quieter months when the tourists and visitors have gone home. We are lucky to have a really good local trade and we definitely see a different clientele in the winter.
“We get the sea swimmers in the cafe regularly along with other groups. If we have a nice winter’s day, the cafe is busy. The other weekend we were as busy as we are normally on a summer’s day.”
The cafe also makes tweaks to its menu during the winter offering different hot chocolates and spiced pumpkin lattes. “We still sell ice cream throughout the year,” said Abi. “In fact, New Year’s Day is one of our busiest days.”
Abi said it is difficult to tell what this year’s winter will be like as the cost of living crisis continues to hit people in the pockets. “Since Covid, we haven’t really had a proper winter season as last year there was all the roadworks on the seafront which affected everyone’s trade. So we will have to see what this winter brings.”
For other businesses, including retail, it is the Christmas period they rely on to see them through the quieter months. This year, in a bid to drive footfall to Clevedon during the festive period, the town has been lit up for Christmas and New Year thanks to the Clevedon Community Lights Group.
The pier is lit again for the festive season, along with Alexandra Park and Pier Copse and surrounding areas. Christmas lights around Queens Square have also been improved.
For retail businesses the build up to Christmas and the New Year sales are a busy period. Many rely on the festive rush for gifts and then the chance to grab a bargain to see through the winter months when finances are stretched and people stay at home.
The Present Company in the town centre is agift shop and boutique selling handcrafted and unique gifts, with its operators hoping for a busy festive season. A spokesman for the gift shop said just before Christmas: “We are hoping for a busy period in the run up to Christmas because what we take now helps us through the quieter months of the year. I do think however that the cost of living crisis is having an impact on business.
“Not only that, but people fell out of love with traditional shopping during the Covid pandemic because people didn’t do it. We have a unique offering at the present company which I think is why people come back to us.”
Some retailers said the changes to the seafront had put people off visiting Clevedon for the day. One shop owner, who preferred not to be named, said: “Before people would make a day of coming to Clevedon and generally visit the seafront before heading into town.
“But now it is so difficult to park that people can’t be bothered and perhaps are visiting other places for the day.”