Skegness Magazine

They ’struck’ goldfish but TV helps out!
THIS is a fishy tale—but it happens to be true.

Once upon a time in 1953, Skegness Council constructed a pond near the Boating Lake on Princes Parade and into it they put three pails of goldfish. For nine years the fish were left to themselves until January 1962, when the pond was emptied in order to make it more shallow.
The workmen soon discovered that during those years the, inhabitants had not been idle, for instead of the original six fish, swimming about the pond were 400 thriving goldfish.
This evidence of Skegness’ bracing air, water and what-have-you, would have gone without notice if it had not been for a holidaymaker from Derby who wrote to the Foreshore Director telling him that the pool was too deep and that her son had lost a toy gun in the green depths.
OVERSIZE FAMILY
The authority decided to make the 5ft. deep pool more shallow. In doing so they found the toy gun, in perfect working order, and gave themselves the problem of what to do with an oversize family of fish.
In part the problem was solved when the news of the great goldfish strike was given on Anglia TV.
Soon the Foreshore office was inundated with calls from buyers —you could say they were prospectors—and of the 400 taken out of the pond and stored in a tank while it was reconstructed, only 150 will be put back.
The remainder of these. Council tenants are destined for jam jars, bowls and tanks all over the country.

Those ‘Bracing’ goldfish set some problems
ALTHOUGH more than half the 400-odd goldfish of which Skegness Foreshore found itself the surprised owners have now been disposed of to applicants, Skegness Foreshore Director, Mr. W. G. Bosworth, is still getting letters from various parts of the country asking if they can have various quantities of the ” Skegness Hardies.”

The multiplying goldfish increased their numbers from six in 1953 to 412 when counted in January 1962. The fact came to light when the Foreshore had an ornamental pond near South Parade made more shallow, to guard against accidents.
A correspondent from Bournemouth wanted 150 of the goldfish. His own had all been taken by cats, he said, and if he could have some of the Skegness surplus, he intended to put a net over his pond.
A Burnham-on-Sea man wrote enviously of Skegness’ “colossal luck in breeding goldfish.” His kept dying off, and he wanted not only some Skegness goldfish, but the secret of their success.
BRACING AIR?
Similar letters came from Chesterfield, Warsop, Rugby and Driffield in Yorkshire, as well as from nearer home. Mr Bosworth solved the transport problem by inviting the first-comers to “come and get ‘em.”
“We have now disposed of enough for the time being,” he commented. “As we seem to have a hardy breed here —or is it our bracing air?—it is only a matter of time before we shall have more to distribute . .”