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Security guard Elsadig Mokhtar ‘hard at work’ on the beach |
So what time does the tide come in then – rush hour?
Want a day at the beach but don’t fancy taking a train to the coast? Take the Tube to Angel!
CHILDREN build sandcastles, women lounge on the sand and a group of boys play beach ball – but this is not a scene from Jaws, this is the view from the number 43 bus on Upper Street.
The unusual sight, only yards from the busy high street, is the new Beach Bums Avenue, set up outside and run by the Business Design Centre (BDC) and made up of 20 tonnes of fine silver builders’ sand.
While the kids play on, businessmen have been swapping their brogues for flip-flops as they discuss the credit crunch from the comfort of deckchairs on the beach in the heart of the Angel.
Open Monday to Friday from 11am to 7pm throughout the summer – weather permitting – the beach is free to all.
The sand, usually used in children’s play areas, was supplied by local builders PJ Johnson and the only rules are no smoking or drinking, so it’s a space for wholesome fun and tanning for workaholics.
Bradley Cordez, head of exhibition services, said: “We’ve been hunting for deckchairs but it’s been really difficult to find them. We rake the sand over every night, the cleaners are out there picking up any rubbish left behind, and we cover it with plastic over night so no rodents can get in.”
He said the beach doesn’t open on weekends because only a skeleton staff work then, but added: “We’re reviewing this. We’d like to open at weekends.”
Security guard Elsadig Mokhtar, 39, has been kitted out with beach shorts to supervise the area. When the beach is empty he reads the paper and tops up his tan.
“It’s really hard work but someone’s got to do it,” he said. “It’s absolutely brilliant – I hope it becomes a regular fixture.”
Resident Freya Lumb, 26, said: “I came last Friday and had such a laugh that I came back.
“It’s really sociable, people come here in groups and you can make new friends. I feel like this is my holiday.”
Phillip Barker, 30, who works in Upper Street, discovered the beach on his lunch break.
He said: “If it was a really nice day I might consider coming, but you know what the English weather’s like.”
Hungry visitors can buy lunch from a sizzling beach barbecue cooked by The Good Eating Company, with tiger prawns, lamb kebabs, burgers and barbecued chocolate bananas on the menu.
And visitors don’t need to bring anything with them as parasols, deckchairs, beach balls, beach mats, buckets and spades have all been provided.
Dominic Jones, CEO of the BDC said: “We first thought of this idea a couple of years ago and decided this year would be the perfect time to go for it.
“In the current economic climate we thought it would be a great idea to bring a bit of lighthearted fun to the local businesses and to the wider community.” |
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