Variety is gone

The Windmill Entertainment Centre is partially closed and this is a great pity, as it was the only theatre and cinema we had in the town. Many of the shops are closing or have closed, leaving us with mainly charity shops, cafés and restaurants, and the burgeoning of supermarkets which proliferate now to the furthest perimeters of the town.

Once, Littlehampton offered a variety of quality shops, which made the town a good shopping centre, but now most of these are gone. The toy shop on the corner of The Arcade is gone, a good camera shop, several gents’ outfitters, electricity and gas showrooms, and, of course, Woolies, are gone.

I remember the Odeon cinema in the centre of High Street, Where Clinton Cards was until recently. That, too, has now gone. I don’t wish to denigrate businesses such as Bargains Galore or the Card Factory or The Works, as I believe they enhance the area.

Littlehampton is a seaside town and a popular resort for visitors in the summer. I once met someone in Kent who used to always come to Littlehampton in the summer holidays as a boy and liked it so much he called his son Arun. I wonder what visitors will find in Littlehampton to interest them now. Perhaps the sea, which, thankfully, is still there.

G. A. Harris

Armada Way

Beaumont Park

Littlehampton