SEVERAL generations of the same family came together to mark the 60th anniversary of a Thorpe Bay beach hut.

Thirty members of the family gathered at the hut, which was built in 1953, to mark the occasion with a fancy dress barbeque.

The beach hut was built by Tom O’Connor and has been kept in his family ever since.

Tom’s daughter, Carol Polatch, 71, of Eastwood Road, Leigh, plans to hand it down to her grandchildren.

She said: “It was wonderful, everyone had such a great fun.

Some of the family dressed up in the old striped bathing costumes and wore moustaches to commemorate the event. We had the whole beach to ourselves, which made it even better.”

She added: “My father built the hut after the floods of January 1953 swept many of them away.

“I remember him building the sides of the hut in our back garden, before he took it down to the seafront.

“We have so many happy memories there, breakfasts, parties, and evening swims – my father even wrote a poem about the hut and all the wonderful times we had.”

Carol said the family all loved spending time at the hut.

She explained: “When you get a really high tide, the water comes right up underneath the hut.

“You can sit on the veranda and go for a dip from the steps, it’s a mini-paradise.

“We’ve used it a terrific amount this year because of the fantastic weather we’ve had, and hopefully our family will continue using it for many more years in the future.”