At the root of the issue are the Jolly Fisherman figurines presented to winners; once made of silver, then porcelain and last year replaced by a plastic alternative.

Mr Bowmer, of Mansfield, says the plastic trophies were only meant to be temporary and that winners were promised they would be later replaced by ‘real’ figurines.

But District Council says this isn’t the case. They say it was clearly advertised in last year’s programme that traditional trophies were not available, due to health issues for the normal provider.

“We still spent £2,500 on trophies last year. They were not cheap things we provided,” said District Council spokesman James Gilbert.

“I know people are very passionate about their Jolly Fishermen figurines and it is unfortunate that last year we had to provide an alternative.”

Mr Bowmer strongly refutes the claim that a change in figurines was advertised in any of the three programmes for events last June, July and September.

He says he is mainly concerned for his playing partner Beryl Holland, who won her first title in 40 years of trying in 2009.
“She was very upset not to be presented with a Jolly Fisherman,” says Mr Bowmer.

“We received a plastic prize, yet they took £5,241 in entry fees for the September tournament alone.

“They do very well out of us from Nottinghamshire in Skegness.”
A recipient of a £100 cheque for winning the mixed pairs, Mr Bowmer said he spent an equal £100 on entry fees and roughly £500 on accommodation, travel, food and entertainment expenses while staying in Skegness.

Now aged 74, he has won a variety of categories on the seafront in the last half century and previously held the national over-60s singles title.

East Lindsey Senior Sports Development Officer Matthew Archer wrote to Mr Bowmer in hope of clarifying the ‘misunderstanding’ and said the traditional figurines would be back in 2010.

He offered Mr Bowmer the chance to purchase a solid replacement for £87.50.

Mr Bowmer indicated he would consider buying a trophy to save Mrs Holland the heartache but told council that, unlike the Jolly Fisherman, they ‘didn’t have a leg to stand on’.

Source: Skegness Standard

And The Jolly Fisherman isn’t even mentioned.

Coun Byford: “I was horrified when I saw the front cover. It certainly doesn’t sell Skegness at all.

“The sandcastle looks as though it’s made from play-pit sand and not beach sand. Skegness is one of the top five seaside holiday destinations in the country and we should be reflecting that.”

He claims the guide appears to feature stock pictures that could have been taken anywhere and few people are facing the camera.

Coun Byford said: “The Jolly Fisherman has been promoting this town for the last 100 years and he’s nowhere to be seen.”

The councillor has taken his complaint to the town centre manager and aims to raise it with the district council so Skegness can have a voice before any future publications go to print.

But at least one Skegness hotelier is delighted with the guide. Ash Tyrrell, of the Westdene Hotel in Trafalgar Avenue, emailed his congratulations through to Lincolnshire Tourism and complimented the organisation on the guide’s “strong, vivid photography”.

And Mr Tyrell told the Standard: “I think it is probably one of the best ones they have ever done.”

He believes the guide is a hit because it covers so many activities and therefore has “a wider reach” than previous issues.

Mr Tyrell said the ‘Skegness is so Bracing’ slogan had served the town well over many years but people could also miscontrue that as a claim that the town is freezing cold – so perhaps it could be left out of the town’s marketing.

Skegness Town Council, which owns the copyright to the original Jolly Fisherman poster, has told tattoo parlours they will have to pay £10.

But some tattoo artists have branded the idea “silly”.

The council said it wanted to protect the image, which was designed as a holiday advert for the resort in 1908.

The figure, designed by John Hassall, became synonymous with the town from the posters, which read: “Skegness is SO Bracing”.

‘Good publicity’

Council officials said they were not previously aware it was being used as a tattoo.

Its clerk, Tony Cumberworth, said the council was alerted to the fact by a taxi driver, who complained he had to pay to use the image on his taxi and argued the same charge should also apply to tattooists.

Mr Cumberworth said: “People have always been required to apply to the council to use the image but it’s only recently come to light people are having it as a tattoo.”

A council spokesman said: “The town council has no objection to people using the Jolly Fisherman image but stresses that the reason it requires anyone who wants to use the image to seek the approval of the town council is to ensure the original image is protected and not devalued in any way.

“The administration fee charge of only £10 is to meet the cost of processing an application for the use of the image.”

Joe Klackzka, who owns Joe’s Tattoo Studio on Lumbley Road, said he received on average one request a year for the image.

He said: “I think it’s silly, the Jolly Fisherman represents Skegness and we don’t pay to tattoo any other images.”

Dave Daubney, who already has a tattoo of the Jolly Fisherman, said: “I had it done because I was born in the town, it’s something to be proud of.

“It’s our little logo for the town.

“It’s good publicity for the town and it’s free.”

Source: BBC

see video:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/lincolnshire/8403556.stm

Stefan Krause applied for permission to use the image on his letterheads and emails.

Councillors agreed to charge him the usual commercial rate of £10 at their management committee meeting.

At the same meeting, taxi driver Darrell Blackburn questioned the council’s charges, saying it was unfair to have to pay £10 each time the logo is reproduced.

He said he has the image on his taxi to promote Skegness – not for his financial benefit.

Councillors agreed they may have to review the charges again in the future.

Source: Skegness Standard

You can download the poster free of charge (for private display only – NOT for re-sale)  DOWNLOAD

Photo below: 20×30 inch poster being presented to the Jolly Fisherman last week at the Town Hall.

Photo: John Byford – www.moondead.co.uk

Yes – a plaque to honour John Hassall has now been produced (and paid for) by the Town council.
[see article below published in the Skegness Standard back in 2007]

The plaque will be unveiled at the Railway Station in 2009. Full details to follow soon.

John Byford with the new plaque to honour John Hassall

Photo: http://www.stevegould.co.uk

A POSTHUMOUS honour has been suggested for Jolly Fisherman creator John Hassall to coincide with the mascot’s 100th birthday celebrations next year.

At Wednesday’s Skegness Town Council meeting John Byford asked the council not to forget the artist when discusssing the forthcoming celebrations.

In the public session he said: “It was John Hassall’s creation at the end of the day.

“He was given the freedom of the foreshore in 1936 when he visited the town, but since that date we all know his creation has been used a million and one times.

“In recognition of the artist’s work, I’m requesting the town council look at giving John Hassall a posthumous honour, possibly along with a plaque to coincide with next year’s events.”

[b]He suggested the plaque could be paid for with money the council receives when people pay to reproduce the Jolly Fisherman image[/b]

Source: Skegness standard.

Well, you do wonder. What could have turned a middle-aged boatman with sagging wellies and a tobacco habit into the poster boy of a generation? Or, rather, generations?

When the artist John Hassall was commissioned to design a railway poster trumpeting the charms of Skegness in 1908, I doubt it would have occurred to him that his creation — a joyous, rotund fellow prancing along an unfeasibly yellow beach smoking his pipe, soon nicknamed the “Jolly Fisherman” — would be celebrating his centenary in 2008 with a letter from the Queen and a party (to which you are all invited) on July 27 in Skegness’s Tower Gardens.

Rooneys, Beckhams, Cruises — none of them could be more guarded about their party plans than the mayor of Skegness, Neil Pimperton. He shakes his head sternly when I ask if Jolly (“The Jolly Fisherman” is a bit clunky for modern marketing purposes) is going to leap out of a cake or lead a fish-a-thon in the Tower Gardens duck pond. Pimperton is a sweet man who — along with his wife and mayoress, Rita — is hugely proud of his chosen home town.

He is also far too polite to say “Stuff Boris Johnson” after the London Mayor unfavourably compared Skegness to the Med in his latest Daily Telegraph column.

Pimperton is originally from near Rotherham, which, along with Hull, Keighley, Sheffield and others, was one of the traditional industrial feeders for Skegness; locals still refer to the last week in July and the first week in August as “Miners’ Week”. He gives me that “I know you journalists” look and says that it’s going to be a big surprise.

We — the mayor, mayoress, district councillor and Jolly expert John Byford and I — are on the Jolly Trail, another birthday treat that opened six weeks ago and starts at Tower Gardens. All things lead to (or from) Tower Gardens in Skegness; they were there right from the beginning, when the Earl of Scarborough decided to develop his stretch of flat Lincolnshire coastline into a seaside resort.

Construction began on a neat grid in about 1870 and his land agent advertised plots, extolling the “clean, hard sands, salubrious climate and finest cricket ground in England”, among other things. The gardens occupied the former coal yards, which once stored Tyneside coal debouched from colliers on to the beach.

Today, the pretty little gatehouses have gone and some of the neighbouring Victorian houses burnt down last August. The firemen had to siphon the water out of both town swimming pools and the fish pond to stop the blaze; even so, an amusement arcade went up. Afterwards, singed two-pence pieces were seen circulating in the town.

Holidaymakers stare curiously from their benches as our delegation strolls past. We stop occasionally to ask if they are enjoying Skegness. As the mayor and mayoress are not wearing their chains, everyone looks slightly startled, but they all say yes, thank you. We perambulate past the graceful, station-style pavilion — maroon clapboard, cream bargeboarding — that might, they hope, become a tourist office, café and shop; the matching bandstand, built in the year 2000; and the pond, where an anxious crowd is watching the ducklings frantically trying not to be washed backwards over the cascade.

The trail is marked by large yellow footprints that are controversial, because they are Jolly-sized and deemed unsightly by some. They are also being worn away, because the town council used the wrong sort of paint, but there are wooden markers as well, with Jolly medallions set into them.

They could do with more signs explaining exactly what the Jolly Trail is: a leisurely way to learn about the town’s history, passing the Embassy Centre’s rather glamorous new outdoor pool, stalls selling woolly worms on sticks and castle-shaped buckets, food vans with candy-floss bags bouncing in the breeze and Tupperware tubs of ice-cream toppings. The highlight is the quarter-of-a-mile wide beach of hard, dark gold sand; it might not be buttercup-yellow, but it proudly flies a blue flag.

We pass the Jolly Fisherman fountain, a bronze statue dancing on a pile of rocks. “All sorts of things happen to him,” says John Byford, laughing. “We’ve found him with knickers on his head and his pipe gets broken — and look, someone’s put Fairy Liquid in the water again.” Sure enough, a million bubbles twinkle rainbows in the sun. A CCTV camera swivels impassively on a pole, relaying pictures to the police station.

In the background, two gardeners toil away at a vast flower bed, creating a replica of the Jolly poster. The trail ends at the Clock Tower, where the Pimpertons will share the platform with the singer Jane McDonald for the illuminations switch-on tonight.

The next big event is a John Hassall exhibition at the Town Hall in September, showing the evolution of the Jolly design as well as his other work. The posters are stored in the mayor’s parlour, ordered from a specialist printer and stacked in tissue paper. We admire the original, in gouache, which is worth £30,000. It is startlingly subdued in comparison with its bouncy poster incarnation; the colours are more subtle, the fisherman looks almost more apoplectic than joyous. The difference made by the words — a bold typeface, advertising three-shilling LNER (London & North Eastern Railways) day trips to the east coast, with the immortal line “Skegness is so bracing!” breezing over the picture itself — is extraordinary.

Other posters show that Skegness was originally pitched as a health resort — the Town Hall itself used to be a convalescent home and the Derby Miners’ Convalescent Home is still going — hence the “bracing” line.

The coming of the railway in 1873 brought a different type of visitor, who wanted to do what the Jolly Fisherman was doing: having a laugh on the beach, with blue sky and sun. I will draw a veil over the hilarious Viz parody, which I spotted through the tissue paper, because it caused my hosts such visible distress. John Byford is bravely insisting on putting it in the show.

So stuff Boris and the Med. I was last in Skegness about 10 years ago and I liked it then. Its message might have morphed discreetly from “bracing” to “drier” over the past century, but the place still has real charm — rather like its pop-eyed, buoyant, shamelessly optimistic public figure. Happy Birthday, Jolly.

THE Jolly Fisherman’s 100^th birthday celebrations continue this month with a special party in Tower Gardens on July 27 and Jolly has invited everyone to come along and have fun!

The party is billed as an exciting free family afternoon by the sea with mascots from many popular holiday destinations joining the famous Fisherman for music, fun and games.

Guest compare, John Marshall from Lincs FM, will kick the event off at 2pm with music being provided by the Royal Anglian Military Band and Skegness’ Silver Band, which is also celebrating its 100^th birthday this year.

A Jolly Fisherman look-a-like competition, judged by Jolly himself, will take place with young people encouraged to don their favourite wellies, blue jumper and red scarf. Those entering will get a piece of Jolly’s birthday cake and the winners will receive a special prize.

No seaside party would be complete without Punch and Judy shows and Pongo the Clown will entertain the children too.

Tower Garden will have a selection of stalls providing ice creams and other tasty treats.

The Mayor of Skegness, Councillor Neil Pimperton, encourages everyone to come along: “Everyone associates fun with Skegness and in particular with the Jolly Fisherman. The birthday party provides families with a cheap afternoon out by the sea and an opportunity to enjoy lots of free entertainment With Jane MacDonald switching on the resort’s illuminations the night before (July 26, 2008) it promises to be an action packed weekend on the coast.”

Please see the full birthday party itinerary below.

10am to 5pm – Local Charity stalls, BBQ, Mobile Skate Park, Bouncy Castle and to Children’s rides operating throughout the day.

1pm Prior to the commencement of the Party, Musical Entertainment provided by The Royal Military Band.

2pm John Marshall, Lincolnshire FM Radio Presenter, to compère the event throughout the afternoon beginning with a welcome to everyone attending Jolly’s Party and introduction of Characters and Mascots from around the area.

2.10pm “Arrival” of the Jolly Fisherman

2.15pm Song and Dance featuring the Lisa Jay Stage Institute

2.30pm Punch and Judy Show

2.45 to 3.30pm The Royal Military Band

3.00pm Join the Characters in a game of Musical Statues – A Prize for everyone taking part

2.45pm to 3.30pm Preliminary judging of all entrants to the Jolly Look-a- Like Competition – Every entrant will receive a very special Jolly

3.15pm to 3.45pm Pogo the Clown entertains – featuring Mix and Mingle, Balloon Modelling etc. etc.

3.45pm Presentation of the “Freedom of the Foreshore” to the Jolly Fisherman to and the cutting of his birthday cake

3.55pm Presentation of prizes to the winners of the Target Newspaper’s Jolly Poster Competition

4.05 to 4.30pm Pogo the Clown’s Special Magic Show

4.00 to 4.20pm Final judging of the Jolly Look-a-Like competition and prize presentations

4.30pm Skegness Silver Band entertains

Come and join in all the fun and help celebrate Jolly’s 100^th Birthday together with his friends Dino the Dinosaur, Billy Brewer, Tower Mouse, Rocky Alligator, Pirate Pete and lots more.

Photo of John Byford from Skegness with the unique plaque at Keighley Station.

More details of this event