Turning the tide

According to the Communities Secretary John Denham, the 5m

regeneration cash will help coastal towns to develop stronger economies

and to "ensure the successful future of the British seaside".

In reality, however, once the regional distribution of the money is made clear, it can be seen that the Yorkshire and Humber region will receive the less- than-grand total of 400,000. In other words, if the state coffers are to be relied upon, any coastal rebirth will have a very long gestation period indeed.

Time, however, is not something that the majority of seaside resorts have on their side. The run-down economies of some of the worst-affected towns may have received a small boost of late as financial necessity has forced more Britons to holiday at home. But as the recovery continues, so the beaches of the Mediterranean will regain their allure.

Therefore, if state funding cannot be relied upon, British seaside resorts will have to learn quickly how to survive by playing to their own strengths and relying on their own initiative. Fortunately, in this regard, the region has a prime example to follow.

Scarborough has had its own share of setbacks, but its efforts to

overcome them were recognised last year when the resort was named Europe's most enterprising town for local people's own efforts in developing new businesses and creating jobs.

It may have taken plenty of hard work and dedication, but Scarborough's story is proof that the decline of seaside towns is not an inevitable process.