'From an elf in Lapland to a Butlin's Redcoat - I'm living out my childhood dream at 24'
It’s there in black and white in a childhood diary entry – ‘I want to be a Redcoat when I’m older’. At the age of 24, Jodie Jennison is living that reality. In 2024, she made the over 200-mile move from Bradford to Butlin’s Minehead, where she has since worked as an entertainer and holiday host at the Somerset resort.
She doesn’t remember her first trip to Butlin’s – Jodie, from Keighley, was only one at the time. But the Skegness resort became a staple of her childhood.
Many family holidays were spent in a caravan at the site by the sea in Lincolnshire, enjoying swimming, activities and of course, the Butlin’s entertainment.
“It’s really cool to be doing it now (after seeing so many Redcoats as a child),” Jodie says, speaking as Butlin’s marks its 90th anniversary.
“The opportunities are also really good in terms of development as a performer. Dj-ing, dance ability, singing, street theatre, circus skills. It’s a way of developing my skills whilst working in the industry at the same time.”
Before her successful audition to become a Redcoat, Jodie, from Keighley, had worked on stage and in television and has performed internationally, including touring with an educational theatre company in Italy, with the aim of supporting children in learning English.
Her first steps into television came whilst studying at performing arts college in 2018 when she featured in series two of Ackley Bridge, filmed in West Yorkshire, and she’s since appeared in CBBC’s Odd Squad as a mime artist, as well as in BBC’s Waterloo Road.
She also holds fond memories of a winter in Finland in 2022, when Jodie worked as an elf in Lapland.
“That was the coolest job ever,” she reflects. “We ran around as elves and had the craziest time over Christmas, lots of singing, lots of dancing, and bringing the Christmas spirit to kids.”
Jodie now entertains thousands of families, bringing her own creative ideas to her street theatre performances and her own puppet show about the importance of recycling.
"That’s about having a bit of fun with the kids whilst speaking to them about recycling and the importance of saving the environment because that can impact our whole lives i n the future,” she says.
As well as hosting evening entertainment such as gameshows, bingo and silent discos, Jodie moves around the site doing street theatre, circus entertainment and interacting with holidaymakers.
"I love to have a natter with the guests, see how their holiday is going. I like to make people laugh,” she says.
"it’s not all about putting on shows. The whole world is a stage and you can make people happy wherever you are.”