Redcoats inform of ‘dream come true’ after being impressed to hitch Butlin’s by household ties

A new Redcoat says working at Butlin’s is a “dream come true” inspired to join by a family member who worked there too.

Charlotte, 18, holidayed at the Skegness resort as a youngster where she would watch her auntie Joanne perform as a cast singer. Now she has donned the iconic uniform and her family have been to see her performing to guests.

She said: “My auntie was the one who saw the advert for the audition. I didn’t know much about it, so I went along and realised I really wanted to get the job. Now she’s coming to watch me with her family. It’s quite an amazing feeling.”

Hopefuls are put through their paces in a gruelling audition in which they have to perform in front of a panel of judges who decide if they are good enough to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Stephen Mulhern and Des O’Connor.

Charlotte, from Lancashire, said: “The audition was good fun, it was about three or four hours long and the more it went on, the more I thought I want this job.

“I’ve been performing since I was four years old. To be able to say performing is my job is a dream come true. It’s a hard industry to break into and this is such a good job to get into it.

“We get to try a bit of everything, I started over Christmas and I’ve done so many things, like DJing, that I never would have thought of doing. I hope to sing one day.

“The community is great, the Redcoats are great, everyone has your back and we’re really good at helping each other improve here. People aren’t afraid of helping.”

The Daily Star joined Charlotte and her fellow recruits for a day of training last week, in which we saw first hand their skill and dedication to the job.

During the six hour training session, the recruits were put through their paces by former redcoat Alan Duhig and experienced performer James Lovell.

They work on circus skills, such as juggling and plate spinning, and develop their stage confidence needed to host family-friendly games to entertain guests with.

Like Charlotte, fellow recruit Abbie has family ties to the resort as her nan Wendy used to own a caravan there and her mum Wendy once wanted to be a Redcoat. Now she’s living out her own dream by entertaining holidaymakers.

She said: “I came here as a child on holiday so to work here with that family history is amazing. My mum and nan have been coming since the 90s are now coming back to see me sing, they’re so proud. Every time something happens I phone them to let them know.

“I went to performing arts school for three years and working here was always mentioned with it being quite local, so when the auditions came up, I applied for them.

“It was a full on day, it really tests you and shows you how hard it is to be a Redcoat. I think I knew the knew that coming into and I was prepared to work hard.

“I’ve been here three months now and I’m really trying to work on my hosting. I’m in the Mister Maker and Peppa Pig shows.

“It’s such a varied job, you don’t expect to come into an ents job and end up doing circus skills, but it’s enjoyable to try everything and give everything a go.”

Aspiring actor Luke, 23, from Kent also joined the Redcoat team recently and said working at Butlin’s has opened up doors he never knew existed.

He said: “My special skill is hosting, I enjoy brining a sense of fun and enjoyment before the shows. I’ve always wanted to work in the entertainment industry. The best thing about the job is that you get to try everything and develop lots of skills.

“I had never considered DJing until I tried it here and I really enjoy it, now I think I’d quite like to do more of it and maybe get into radio.

“Everyone is so supportive and the job is so varied, one day I could be working 9am-3pm, other nights could be 5pm-11pm and you work with all sorts of different people every day.”

For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.