6th May 1937 – 9th August 2024
The CCN team were saddened to learn of the death of Barbara Little in August. She passed away peacefully in the comfort of the home she had known for the last 36 years and with her youngest daughter with her.
Well-known, loved and recognised in the Camber village, Barbara, often referred to as Ma Little or Barbs, was described by friends and family as a lady who was full of life, funny and always smiling. To her family she was the typical Matriarch, the glue in the family.
She married her husband Mike in 1956, and they had four children (a son and three daughters). Initially they lived and worked in the UK, and then in the early 70’s, the Caribbean, where Mike managed the Halcyon Beach Club in Saint Lucia.
In 1973 Fred Pontin offered Mike the position of Manager of his privately owned Resort in Camber and the Little family moved here lock, stock, and barrel. Barbara soon settled in to her new life, got the children enrolled into local schools and took on an administrative role at the Resort – she even judged a Miss Pontins competition or two!
They left us briefly for a couple of years in 1977 when the family moved as Mike was headhunted by the owners of Hengar Manor to run their beautiful new resort in Bodmin, Cornwall. But an opportunity in 1980 to take over and run the Camber Castle brought them all back to us! And so began the general pattern of Barbara’s landlady life – the men running the front of house (Mike in the Saloon Bar and son Dave in the Public Bar), with Barbara in the background (but still very much in charge!) running the kitchen. They turned the Camber Castle into the hub of our village, arranging all kind of events – parties, discotheque evenings, games, and entertainment. They even had their own football team – and a mini-bus to ferry folk to and from matches! Every year they held a Christmas party for the village children and sponsored gifts for everyone. She loved the children – and her four – plus eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren, added hugely to the rich tapestry of her life.
Barbara continued her landlady career when Mike moved from the Castle to run the Silver Sands Caravan Park Clubhouse in 1986 – the family joined in the running, and once again Barbara’s presence was felt from the kitchen, where she worked really hard, not just cooking, but glueing the business – and family – together as they worked. Being a seasonal business, they had the winters off, giving them all plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of their labours, including many trips to Florida – a place they both loved.
Sadly, Mike’s health dictated that they needed to move on – and so in 1990 they took over The Crown Inn in Rye where Barbara was the landlady for the next ten years until they retired in 2000. It was during this period that Barbara really started travelling, quite often with her pal Jean who she had met whilst working in Pontins, with coach trips in the UK and further afield with wonderful destinations like New York, Egypt and the Middle East. But the highlight would surely have been when Mike was also able to accompany her on the very special 3-week trip to Las Vegas, for the wedding of their youngest daughter Julie, in one of the city’s oldest marriage chapels. Despite Mike’s debilitating stroke 10 months earlier, Barbara had supported him through his recovery to the point that he was well enough to walk Julie down the aisle – a special occasion on so many levels.
Retirement and problems with a dodgy knee did not hold Barbara back and she continued her activities and socialising in the village. A staunch member of The Nifty Fifty Club from its inauguration until its closing because of the Pandemic, thereafter she and her Camber friends continued with weekly visits to the Rye and District Day Centre (known as “The Hub”) and it was this institution which benefitted from a £500 donation collected in lieu of flower contributions at her cremation in Charing on 19th September 2024.
Farewell Ma Little – RIP, with love from Camber.
