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Remote working could breathe new life into neglected seaside towns across the UK

The hope is that, unshackled from city centre offices, workers – especially those with young families – will choose to live in smaller, more scenic towns, writes Colin Drury

Friday 04 September 2020 02:25 BST
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The beach at Skegness
The beach at Skegness

Since as long as I can remember, I’ve loved the British seaside. I was first taken to Clacton when I was just a couple of months old. There’s cine footage somewhere of me in my nana’s arms on the beach, my grandfather in the background wrestling with a windbreak, my nana’s expression identifiably that of someone who has lived to see the advent of the Spanish package holiday and is wondering why she’s not on one.

I have been going to the coast ever since. I love it. Love the faded glory and the salt air and the feeling you get, when you look at the grey-blue sea, that the rest of the world is lying right out there. All that, and crazy golf too.

I am not, it seems, alone: 270 million visits were made to the English seaside last year. We are an island people, drawn to the coast. This became clear to me while visiting Skegness to investigate fears Covid-19 could spell ruin for such towns. There are concerns that, despite our fondness, the long-term economic impact of coronavirus could decimate our resorts – decades in decline anyway.

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