Wrates also covered the Grand Parade, which runs parallel to the beach, photographing people walking into town from the many streets of boarding houses. One feature of their business which locals remember are the Wrates Girls, who took walkies during the fifties and sixties. Dressed in shortish skirts and striped blazers, they covered the North and South Parade, the area round the clock tower and the beach. Wrates sold their walkies inside printed paper wallets and often these survive with the photograph inside. The design on the front changed over the years, with images of the clock tower, the famous Jolly Fisherman, seagulls and other coastal imagery, with prices on the back. Early post-war cards were sold at 1/-. After 1953 the price crept up to 1/3d then 1/6d. Wrates also offered three cards for 2/6 (plus 2d for the wallets), or one enlargement for 3/-. Two of the various designs are shown here, the red and blue one housing a colour walkie. John Barcock remembers holidays there in 1945/6 – “There was a photo snapshot service on the promenade and the photographer would snap you whether you wanted or not, and hand you a ticket number to collect the prints a few hours later.”