“My parents and my brothers came here in 1950. We were in the fairground business and Rhyl was a very popular resort,” explains Noah. “My parents fell in love with town and the area and it became home.”
The family were one of the pioneers on the Ocean Beach site with a very traditional seaside offer of stalls and kiosks before they brought the first ever helter skelter to Rhyl in 1960. Before long more fairground rides were added as the business went from strength to strength.
Noah, himself joined the family business at a very tender age. “I was born in 1952 in Rhyl and my first job was helping out at weekends during the summer handing out the mats to children on the helter skelter. I was only 8 at the time so you could say I have been in the fairground business now for over 50 years.”
Noah is delighted that his two children have decided to carry on in the family business, and now, in addition to the fairground rides the business includes other leisure attractions and a caravan park in the area. “Nothing is more important than this town to me and my family,” says Noah.” Our livelihood and future depends on the town’s future and how it develops.”
After some challenging times for Rhyl, Noah views the future with renewed optimism. “The Council have made great strides and in a lot of small ways have helped to improve things for businesses and visitors. I think there is a clear vision now and understanding about what we have and what we need to do to make the town a success. I am excited by the plans that I have seen. Neptune and the Council have done a lot of listening and a lot of thinking. The seafront will be a lot more attractive and with more things to do and experience.”
Noah believes that the key to regeneration will be building on Rhyl’s core assets. “We have the sea, beautiful clean beach and throw in a bit of sun and you will always attract families. It’s a very good starting point, so we just need to build on that and balance a traditional seaside offer with some new ideas and attractions. When you have the basics you can always get the rest right.”
Not surprisingly he believes the basics must include a fairground. “It’s an essential part of the seaside experience. Children love it. It’s fresh, exciting and it will always have an appeal. We’ve been here for three generations and we have every intention of continuing to develop and grow our business alongside the exciting proposals now being put forward for a sustainable future for Rhyl.”
