Reporter Lucinda Herbert enjoys a day out in Blackpool armed with just £50. See how her day at the seaside goes on a budget.
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00:16 There's loads of things to do in Blackpool but some of these attractions can seem pretty steep if you're on a budget.
00:23 So today I'm here with just £50 to my name to see how far I can make it stretch.
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00:42 There are so many ways to spend money in Blackpool.
00:45 From the high adrenaline thrills and spills of the Pleasure Beach, to shows like Hot Ice and famous West End productions at the Grand Theatre and Winter Gardens.
00:55 Swim all day at the incredible Sand Castle and of course there's everything the world famous tower has to offer.
01:04 The kids will be enthralled by our Sea Life Centre, Peter Rabbit, the Gruffalo and you can go star spotting at Madame Tussauds.
01:17 But we're not here today for splashing out, we're bargain hunting in the North West's premier seaside resort.
01:25 We're talking to locals and people in the know to unearth the secrets of having a good time in Blackpool without it costing a small fortune.
01:35 We'll fill our day with fun, food, drink and treats and all for a meagre £50.
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01:49 Blackpool's famous for its high adrenaline activities. Here's one that might cost me a little bit less.
01:56 Let's go take a look.
01:58 I'd say we stand out a little bit. Plenty of people come down saying they've never seen anything like it before.
02:08 They like the concept, they like the idea, they like the games, they find it fun.
02:12 I'd say amongst all the other golf attractions we do stand out a little bit more I'd say.
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02:27 Yes!
02:29 Well that was an hour well spent. I was unbelievably terrible at it but it was a good laugh.
02:42 It only cost us £10 as well because if you come mid-week it's £10.
02:47 So we've got a variety of different games here. We've got Carnival, True or False, Shootout, Smoking Potato, Pickpocket, Pressure Shot, The Derby, Rampage.
03:04 Carnival's a really nice one because it really fits in with the vibe of being by the seaside, playing carnival style games.
03:15 Summer will probably be busy. We opened last month and we've had a few very, very busy days in February.
03:28 So I can imagine summer is going to be quite busy, quite popular.
03:32 There's a good variety of cocktails, food, drink. You can just come and have something to eat even if you don't want to play.
03:40 So it's good, you know, if you're coming here with family and friends and not everybody wants to play golf, it's just a nice place to come I think.
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03:58 Well I've had a nice time but I think I need to take something back for friends and family.
04:03 So what have we got? We've got magnets, £2.50 or you can get three for £6.
04:10 You've got sparkly towers, you've got donkeys, you've got a stick of rock.
04:17 Oh, how about one of these? Oh yeah.
04:27 No trip to the seaside is complete without a stick of rock and this is the place.
04:31 Look at the variety, you've got all kinds of shapes and sizes. You've got lanyards, you've got dubbies and then you get to the flavours.
04:40 Iron brew, candy floss, Nutella, oat cream egg and then you've got your boozy ones, you've got Jagerbomb and Prosecco.
04:49 Yeah, you can come to the town, you can spend as little as much as you want.
04:53 But it's had years of practice and it does get quite expensive for a full family if you're trying to do everything.
04:58 So it's a bit of a challenge trying to be selective isn't it really?
05:01 If you're coming to Blackpool, you need to do your research first because it's not just going to be an advertisement that pops up.
05:06 You're going to need to search what's local in the local area and I suppose that's going to save you as much as possible.
05:12 And then linking through to all the discount packages that they're doing now between the tower and the Pleasure Reach
05:17 and trying to link them all in together so it does become far more cost effective for the family.
05:23 We've come to Dean Street, just off the seafront, which is the home to Chris Higgitt and his now infamous One Pound Burger.
05:31 Well apparently these lovely people have come to me and they want to talk about Blackpool and the budget
05:37 and what better place to come to than the famous One Pound Burger bar here in Blackpool.
05:42 Now a lot of people think it's expensive to eat in this country but it's not.
05:45 You've just got to shop savvy nowadays because it's as expensive or as cheap as you want it to be.
05:51 So here we do the One Pound Burgers. You can have a fantastic time in Blackpool but not spend the fortune.
05:57 Go on the beach, go on the beach and build a sandcastle, good old traditional Blackpool.
06:02 Go up to Stanley Park, it's free to get in. You don't have to spend the fortune.
06:07 Kiss me quick ass, sticks and rock and ride in the donkeys, what more can you ask for out of a town.
06:12 Mmm, that's quite nice that, yeah.
06:23 For a pound, for a pound you really can't go wrong. It's a decent burger.
06:31 Time for a little fresh air now I think.
06:36 And with miles of open promenade and sea air to enjoy, what better way to experience it than this.
06:43 During the summer, from Easter through to November, it sort of picks up.
06:49 Then you've got the illuminations which is quite a good time for us.
06:52 But most of the time we're just making money to get by with really.
06:57 It's just a job that I love. It's the people more than anything.
07:04 Like they say, every mile's a smile on the promenade.
07:08 Are there any tips that you've got for getting the most out of your money?
07:14 Talking to people.
07:17 Talking to people and usually you'll find people will be a bit more abiding.
07:22 You know, and try and help their families out.
07:24 Because most of the businesses around here will actually do a bit of a discount and try and be fair with people.
07:30 You know, the way the current climate is at the moment, people haven't got the money to spend.
07:38 So if we can make life a bit more interesting for a little less, then we can.
07:43 You know, we'll try and help out.
07:45 All the Hackney carriage plates in Blackpool started off as horse-drawn.
07:49 And then they got moved over to vehicles.
07:52 And that's where the bomber taxis and taxi companies come into it.
07:55 There's actually, I think there's about 48, 49 plates left that are still horse-drawn on the promenade.
08:03 And it is just keeping part of Blackpool alive, isn't it?
08:06 You know, it's part of Blackpool's tradition.
08:08 The illuminations, the tower, the piers, the landos.
08:12 You tend to find a lot of people come down, they want the lando ride every year.
08:17 I get a lot of people coming back to me every year because it's just part of their holiday.
08:23 Well, I'm on Blackpool prom.
08:26 My first lando ride.
08:29 I've seen these going up and down the prom all summer round.
08:35 Like since I moved to Blackpool and I've never, never been on one.
08:39 So this is sort of demystifying the whole process, really.
08:43 It's a different way of traveling, isn't it?
08:48 It's quite pleasant.
08:49 Yeah, yeah, you can sort of hear the, you can hear the horse like trotting along in front.
08:56 And you've got this nice little open, open window.
09:01 So you've got like a little breeze coming in.
09:03 It's quite nice.
09:04 It's quite pleasant.
09:06 Sort of a bit like a Cinderella carriage as well.
09:10 We love it, don't we?
09:13 There we go.
09:15 Stop!
09:16 Wherever you go on Blackpool seafront, you're never far away from the sound of the arcades.
09:27 The bright lights, the music and the sound of jangling coins all serve to lure you in.
09:33 And once again, there are some more expensive high-tech games these days,
09:38 but Blackpool, with everything else, mixes the new and the traditional perfectly
09:44 and you'll find hours of fun with the smallest amounts of money.
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10:40 I earned this!
10:48 Well, I've had a good day out in Blackpool and what better way to round off the day
10:52 than with Britain's cheapest pint.
10:55 £1.80 from the Hardwick.
10:57 You can't go wrong with that.
10:59 Well, I had a game of high-tech golf.
11:10 I took a ride up and down the prom on a Landor.
11:13 I bought a few sticks of rock, which you really have to do when you're in Blackpool.
11:18 I got a souvenir for the family.
11:21 I ate a cheap burger for £1 and it was perfectly acceptable as well.
11:26 I had some fun in the arcades, blew a bit of money
11:30 and this pint has brought me to just shy of £50.
11:35 In fact, I think I might just have enough change to get another one.
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