Neil Gits To The Beach … Sort Of !

I’ve always said that a day out is not a proper day out, unless you end up on the coast and in this country most people can get to the sea and back inside 24 hours or less reasonably easily. So it was that last week, with another very welcome day of sunshine and milder temperatures, I took myself off to the beach for the first time this year.

Living in Essex we are quite lucky to have many seaside towns to choose from, depending on how adventurous you are feeling, from Skegness up on the East Coast down to lovely places like Swanage & Lyme Regis on the amazing Jurassic Coast down in the South and with the ever popular classic seaside destinations like Bournemouth, Brighton, Margate and of course dear old Southend-on-Sea in between.

My choice this time was a beach I had never ever been to before in my 62 years – and yet I didn’t even leave our traditional Gateway broadcast area of Basildon & Thurrock ! With my trusty Sony digital camera charged up and in my pocket, I went to check out somewhere that I’d seen on road signs & maps and has had me curious for a few years now … Grays Beach !! What was ‘this hidden secret’ that had evaded me for so long ?

I wasn’t expecting too much bearing in mind Grays town is situated on the north bank of the River Thames, not even in the Estuary, let alone on the shores of the English Channel or the North Sea. Could it be similar to Maldon Promenade or maybe even like a mini-Barcelona, man made with imported sand to attract holidaymakers from far & wide ? Er … not quite !

Basically it is just a kids playground, but with sand underneath instead of soft rubber matting should any of the little cherubs fall off the swings or roundabout. I took a couple of photographs (with no children in view!) but it proved impossible to get a shot without either an ugly tower block or the grim looking Tilbury Grain Terminal in the background. Oh well …

Now though you can’t actually see it, my weekly soul show is always a thing of beauty ! Imagine the scene in your mind of yours truly in total control at Studio 1 where the good stuff reaches your ears via the magic of radio – here’s how it all panned out this week :

The Tunes – Monday 7th April 2025

Karen Young – Hot Shot
Michael Jackson – Working Day & Night
Gee Bello ft Roy Ayers – The Sunshine Goes On & On
Gayle Adams – Love Fever
Gayle Adams – Love Attraction
Joyce Sims – All n All
Stylistics – Break Up To Make Up
Al Lindsey – It’s Gonna Be Alright
Thelma Houston – (I Guess) It Must Be Love
Cameo – Back & Forth
Gladys Knight-Taste Of Bitter Love (Disco Re-Blend)
Eternal – I Wanna Be The Only One
Tristan -Call Me
Alicia Myers – I Want ToThank You
Chaka Khan – Move Me No Mountain
Diana Ross – My Old Piano
Crossroads ft Cler – Georgy Porgy
Tony Lindsay – Never Knew Love Like This
Etta James – At Last
Trammps – Save A Place
Norman Connors – Once I’ve Been There
Chi-Lites – You Don’t Have To Go
Gap Band – Baby Baba Boogie

Feel free to get in touch with your soulful request or just for a mention on the show – put a post on “The Old Gits Soul Show” page on Facebook, text (01268)833978 or message me via e-mail : [email protected].

The Old Gits Soul Show is broadcast LIVE from 7pm–9pm every Monday, repeated on Saturday evening from 5pm–7pm, on Gateway 97.8FM in Basildon & East Thurrock, across South Essex on DAB and available nationally via the Radio Player on your TV as well as online via www.gateway978.com You can listen on your smart speaker or your phone too … plus you can hear it again anytime you like via the “Listen Again” button on the Gateway website – just search “Cool Soul” !