Butlins unveils first BlueSkies timeshare apartments

A LAUNCH event is being held at Butlins, in Minehead for the company’s £4.5 million timeshare development BlueSkies on Wednesday, July 4.
It marks the first move into the timeshare market for the holiday firm, which chose Minehead as the venue for the venture, which should attract a new type of holidaymaker to the town from all over the world.
Work on the first four-storey block of 24 luxury flats only started last September and now the company is ready to begin marketing them.
Journalists were being transported to Minehead from London for a Champagne lunch and sneak preview of the development as part of the launch event.
The project has been named BlueSkies, and, based on the cost of hiring an apartment for a family for a week in May, purchasers will be able to enter the scheme from £6,000 upwards for 30 years of ownership.
The new apartments could be open all year round, even at times when the rest of the Butlins resort was closed, which should help to extend the area’s tourism season.
Phase two of the BlueSkies development is planned for later this year and will include the a health and fitness suite.
More could follow if the scheme proves to be as popular as anticipated by Butlins.
BlueSkies has been called the most stylish accommodation ever offered at Butlins - with spacious, modern holiday apartment set slightly apart from the main resort and full of contemporary design features.
As well as access to Butlins’ renowned range of live entertainment and fun-packed facilities, BlueSkies guests will have full VIP treatment with their own concierge service and dedicated support team.
In boutique hotel fashion, there will also be free wireless internet access, free dvd rental, and even an opportunity for staff to fill owners’ fridges with all their favourite treats, thanks to three different pre-arrival ‘fridge menu’ options.
There will also be access to all of Butlins’ complimentary facilities and entertainments, including Splash Waterworld, live stage shows, extreme sports stars, performances from top pop acts, appearances from television characters such as Bob the Builder, Angellina Ballerina, and Pingu, a variety of kids clubs and sports activities, non-stop street-theatre, and the famous Butlins Redcoats to help entertain the children.
The Minehead BlueSkies is a mix of four one-bedroom apartments sleeping up to four people, and 20 two-bedroom apartments sleeping up to six people.
All four storeys of the block have uninterrupted views across the bay to North Hill and Minehead Harbour. Car parking is on the ground floor, beneath the apartments.
A website, http://www.blueskiesbybutlins.com/, has been designed for people keen to learn more about the new development.
Mike Crowther, who is leading the BlueSkies development for Butlins, said: “BlueSkies is holiday heaven for the growing number of people who enjoy the fun and convenience of a UK family break.
“Second homes and holiday apartments are an unattainable dream for many people as they can be expensive to buy, maintain, and manage.
“Butlins is one of the UK’s most popular and best-trusted holiday brands. By introducing BlueSkies in our 70th anniversary year, we are aiming to create a development that is luxurious, flexible, great value, and guarantees a first-rate family holiday.”

• Our photograph shows the BlueSkies first phase nearing completion. Photo submitted.

Inquest opens into holidaymaker hanging death

AN inquest has been opened into the death of a young woman holidaymaker at Butlins, Minehead, which police initially treated as murder.
Evidence of identification was given before the hearing was adjourned by the Somerset West Coroner, Michael Rose, to a date to be fixed.
The woman has been named as 19-year-old Rebekkah Geor-Bond, of Tir-y-Birth, Hengoed, near Caerphilly, South Wales.
She was staying at Butlins with her 26-year-old boyfriend, also from Hengoed, who was initially arrested on suspicion of murdering her but later released without charge when it became clear there were no suspicious circumstances.
Miss Geor-Bond is believed to have hanged herself in the couple's chalet at about 3 am on Saturday, April 21, and she died just over an hour later in Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital.
A post mortem revealed the cause of death was asphyxiation due to strangulation.
Photo by Mark the Photographer, ref M050032. Order image reprints online at www.tcpbymtp.co.uk

Murder inquiry woman may have 'hanged herself'

A TEENAGE holidaymaker whose death at Butlins, Minehead, was initially treated as murder may have committed suicide in the chalet where she was staying.
A post mortem has revealed the 19-year-old woman died as a result of hanging.
Earlier, her 26-year-old boyfriend had been arrested on suspicion of murder and then later released without charge.
The young woman was found suffering serious injuries in her chalet at about 3 am on Saturday, April 21, and was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton, where she died just over an hour later.
Although police have not yet named her, she is believed to be Rebecca Gore-Bond, of Duffryn Street, Tir-y-Berth, Hengoed, which is a small town in South Wales.
The circumstances of her death will be determined when the Somerset West Coroner holds an inquest.
A police spokesman said: “We are not looking for anybody else in connection with this.”
Photo submitted.

Police release Butlins murder suspect without charge

A MURDER inquiry into the death of a young woman holidaymaker staying at Butlins, Minehead, has been dropped.
Police have released without charge a 26-year-old man whom they had arrested on suspicion of murdering his 19-year-old girlfriend in the early hours of Saturday, April 21.
The woman was found in a chalet at the holiday centre suffering from severe head injuries at about 3 am and she died little more than an hour later in Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.
Although some reports said the woman may also have suffered strangulation, police said they were no longer treating the death as suspicious.
The decision followed a post mortem on the woman, the details of which have not been revealed by the police.
Instead, police are preparing a file for an inquest into the death to be held by the Somerset West Coroner.
The inquest is expected to be opened shortly for formal identification purposes and is likely then to be adjourned until a later date.
Both the dead woman and her partner are believed to come from Hengoed, a small town with just under 4,000 residents, near Caerphilly, in Mid Glamorgan, South Wales.
Following the woman’s death, part of the Butlins holiday centre was sealed off to allow forensic investigators to search the area.
Police also spoke to some of the other 4,500 holidaymakers staying at the resort, although most were unaware of the incident and it did not disrupt the operation of the centre.
Photo submitted.