Beetlemania grips Littlehampton for Dubs by the Beach

Beetles, buggies and campers lined the seafront last Sunday (August 19) in a celebration of all things Volkswagen.

West Beach Green in Banjo Road was the setting for Dubs by the Beach – Dub being a shortening of V-Dub, which is a contraction of VW.

Organisers Southern Dune Buggy Club welcomed 170 VWs, from vintage, air-cooled campervans, Beetles and various Type 3 variants along with more modern, water-cooled cousins like Polos, T4/T5/T6 campervans and beach buggies. The buggy club is more used to hosting buggies-only events but expanded its criteria to be more inclusive this year for the first time.

Club chairman Jazzy Early declared it a great success.

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“We wanted to run it as a family orientated picnic, rather than a car show,” he said. “There are no prizes, but it was a gathering of like-minded Volkswagen enthusiasts.” Mr Early said the group had been invited by Arun District Council as part of regeneration plans aimed at bringing more activities and events to the area.

“It was really well supported and we ended up with about 300 visitors on the day,” he said.

“It was an attraction for Littlehampton and we wanted to bring in people who might not necessarily have come to the area that weekend and attract more footfall for local businesses.”

Money was raised on the day for the local charity Jamie’s Wish, which sends ‘wish boxes’ to under-25s who are battling cancer. The charity was formed in 2007 after 20-year-old Littlehampton-local Jamie Buckfield lost his struggle with the disease.

Mr Early said discussions are already underway with the council around next year’s event.

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