The Lincolnshire Guide > Editors Blog > Is the Jolly Fisherman important any more?

Is the Jolly Fisherman important any more?

That may be the question that Skegness needs to be asking itself now - does the Jolly Fisherman really matter any more?  Is he relevant today, or of a bygone era?

Whatever your point of view, whether you are for the Jolly Fisherman or not, it has certainly stirred some talk in the press, especially after a local District Councillor is quoted as saying "The Jolly Fisherman has been promoting this town for the last 100 years and he's nowhere to be seen".

In question is the new Skegness and Mablethorpe Visitors' Guide, produced by Lincolnshire Tourism.  According to Councillor Byford, there are no references to the Jolly Fisherman or the traditional strap line about Skegness being so bracing.  To many bracing = cold...

The Jolly Fisherman, who celebrated his 100th birthday in 2008, is a familiar sight to those visiting Skegness over the years.  Indeed, there is still an original railway poster on display at the National Railway Museum in York.  But is this really the image that we want to attract people to Skegness and the surrounding area?

I agree with Councillor Byford that the photography in the document appears to come mainly from stock photographs.  Indeed the main photo on the front cover is as generic as they come, and could have been taken anywhere.  Surely a photograph extolling the virtues of Skegness or Mablethorpe (lets not forget Mablethorpe in this, because it is Skegness AND Mablethorpe...) would not have been too hard to obtain?  Many thousands of visitors take happy snaps throughout the holiday period in both resorts and surrounding areas.

However, the front cover is bright and glossy, and it does catch the eye among other publications.  It is very modern as well, and may very well attract the much-needed younger population.  Older people are aware of Skegness and will either come or not, so maybe this is not the place for the Jolly Fisherman.

What do I think?  Well, that doesn't really matter because I am not going to praise or criticise a tool for bringing people to Lincolnshire.  I wish it every success.  But Skegness needs to decide whether to stick with the Jolly Fisherman or move on to new things.

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