uk beaches
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
One of the best beaches in britain most be weymouth in dorset were king george the 3 became the first reigning monarch to take up bathing in the sea and started a georgian craze as the wealthy followed in the kings footsteps a statue of george the 3rd stands on the esplanade.
The local council clean the beach every day so it as won the blue flag award for being one of the cleanest beaches in europe many times.
On the beach itself there is a small fenced of area were in 1963 fred darrington started to do strange things in the sand fred was a sand artist.Is models at the olympia travel exhibition prompted weymouth council to offer him a site on the beach were he would work making sand models for over 30 years.
Is grandson mark is now looking after the family buisness is work is up to date as it needs to be replaced every few weeks as the sand drys out and the models fall to bits of sand again he starts again.
In just a few hours a small model of a apple half eaten on a plate will be on display hand painted many people think it real but he does not stop there anything from ena sharples to tutankhamen from alice in wonderland to the last supper even the thunderbirds when he painted is model with a sign saying "international rescue unavailable calling greenpeace no strings attached".
They only make money from selling photos of there work and a short book about fred's life as told to syd metcalf there is also a bucket to chuck coins into.
You may have seen his work on blue peter or on other shows he as been on T.V over twenty times and had a few magazines articles but by far the best way to see is work is on the beach at weymouth.
