No one’s mentioned it, thought it went very well apart from banning cars from the Headland with manned checkpoints…the razor wire, machine guns, minefield and body searches were a bit over the top too.
Funny how the day before it all started the council cut the weeds down at Seaton bus station and left a bowling green lawn …..not to offend the visitors, bugger the locals.

Whilst I thought it was a success there were one on two rip offs. My grandson took his son to the pick and mix sweets and ended up paying £36. I have heard of people being charged £50. Personally I would have said stuff you and walked away but when you have little kids holding a bag of sweets it’s hard to do. I have heard there has been dozens of complaints about this.

its what you get anywhere when something is regarded as a tourist spot even for a day. its fine promoting the town for tourism as long as the locals are not classed as second class citezens who end up paying tourist prices and gain nothing from it unless they work in that industry.

I believe most of the stall holders were from out of town like the last time as local businesses wouldn’t pay the high pitch fees, that’s why stuff was expensive plus a captive audience.

think something like that is the time to introduce the old fashioned NO word into the conversation. they can charge what they like but the mugs are the ones who pay it. i,d rather give the kid a tenner more pocket money just to spite the rip off brigade.

On the Sunday people were coming down on Stagecoach 36 from Stockton but eventually stopped picking up at the Marina and were doing it from the town centre.….the No7 was announced as a normal Sunday service, one bus every half hour ….. one time the local buses had duplicates on to cater for the crowds….especially as the only access to the headland was…….. a No7 bus. You couldn’t make it up.

I agree I wouldn’t pay it but we are talking about 3 - 4yrs old who have just put sweets in a bag and you say no that’s cruel but I’m just a big soft grandad (great).

£5 for an ice cream & spent £17.20 on the fudge pick & mix. Indicates I got more money than sense, but the fudge was very good & entry was free, so overall I didn't begrudge it as my wife paid !
If some local traders wouldn't pay the pitch fees, the organisers got it badly wrong in my opinion, as the locals should have been the ones to benefit.
I see there's a project to restore the Wingfield Castle, which sorely needs it, but I felt it let things down a bit.

I understand it is hard but when I was a kid I was frequently told no and I would never class that as being cruel. Kids will cry and stamp their feet but ten minutes later their attention is on something else and they've forgotten the experience.
The secret on occasions like this when it is commonplace for prices to escalate is to plan ahead and have a supply of treats, drinks and food at the ready, where that is possible. Much much cheaper.

The Wingfield Castle has been neglected for years, mores the pity…..I understand funding has been secured I believe.

This was not a case of telling a child no. It was giving a a 3yrs old a bag to fill with sweets then taking them off him if you did not pay.

Weren’t all the ice cream concession vendors down from Scotland…?
Seriously, I never buy food from anyone at big events or cinemas.

I haven't been to the cinema for ages but always took my own nibbles and a bottle of water cos I hate being ripped off!

when my lad was a kid i always did that going to games along with my flask of coffee. he has carried on the same if he brings a couple of his to games. learned the lesson the hard way by paying over 20 quid for 3 burgers and 3 small cartons of pop that even young kids thought were total crap.

First time I've been off for it, did the club offer any cheap parking?

Inflatable ball for a fiver kept her happy n that big wheel at close to £30 for 3 of us a classed as the entry fee - but that was it wasn't spending a penny more.

Just looked after that - the little'un got plenty of free stuff from a few tents Cleveland fire + a stall that had the faces cut out of large photo board etc.