Don't become the last resort...

DID you enjoy a day at the seaside this weekend?
If so, chief concerns were not letting your ice cream drip before you licked it, getting a car parking space and not having the sand spoil your pic-nic.
But there are more serious issues to address, and the UK's first National Coastal Symposium - to be held tomorrow in Skegness - will set out to tackle the real problems faced by coastal areas.
Experts believe a higher ratio of pensioners, low wages and a dependence on a single industry are key problems hitting Britain's coastal areas.
There is a call for help from Government, but private business surely can strike first and take advantage of the different dynamics these places have.
What is important is that resorts geared up for handling large volumes of people engage in activity that is not weather dependent. Casinos and indoor sports venues that offer bigger and better facilities than inland towns can help, and then there is the large conference market.
Cleethorpes is luckier than other resorts in that it has a large residential population (including that of Grimsby) to use the cafes, restaurants and bars that have sprung up, providing regular income from residents as well as visitors. But others don't have that to fall back on, and it certainly isn't enough to sustain it.
Part of me feels that resorts will always be seasonal and that should be accepted, the weather will rule the coastal communities. But that shouldn't be at the expense of those who need to live - and thrive - there to make such places a summer success.