The revival of Pendine is gathering pace with the resurrection of the carnival, the awarding of a spruce-up grant and the opening of a new shop. The seaside village had suffered a difficult few years following the decision to ban cars from driving on the beach.
But now local traders, residents and councillors are pulling together to get the community back on its feet. The latest green shoot of recovery is the opening of a new surf shop called Big Beach. "I've lived in Pendine all my life and seen a lot of changes," said shop owner Alex Holland. "When I was a child there would be up to 7,000 cars on the beach on a bank holiday and the village was thriving. But people don't holiday like they used to and stopping cars going on the beach changed things for Pendine." But after a tough patch, there's now a resort revival happening and a new Chamber of Commerce has been formed to lead the way. In the past six months, the old garage has been converted into a unique play café, the beachside play park is in line for a tidy-up grant and the summer carnival has been revived after years of absence. "It's great to see Pendine getting back on its feet once again and many of my customers have told me how surprised they are to find an upmarket café and surf shop on the seafront," said Big Beach co- owner Rachel Holland. Chamber of Commerce chairman Paul Bowring, who is also landlord of the Springwell Inn, said: "Everyone is really pulling together to put Pendine back on the map and we feel like we're turning a corner. "All the businesses are sprucing up the village between them and we've got plenty of events planned for the rest of the year. "Pendine is more than just a beach destination now - it's a great day out with lovely shops, cafes, the play park and the Museum of Speed, all next to a safe, seven-mile long beach."