WELCOME to the wonderful East Coast and resorts brimming with awards in recognition of the great strides they have made to attract visitors.

The return of the HM Bark Endeavour – a replica of Captain Cook’s famous ship – is testament to the growing popularity of the area.

The mixture of rugged coastline and stunning countryside is fast-becoming a honeypot for film crews, with Little Voice, Harry Potter, Emmerdale, Heartbeat, The Royal, the sitcom Barbara, Shackleton, and the Martin Clunes drama A Is For Acid all proving over the past few years that the area has prime backdrops for the small and big screen.
The likes of Michael Caine, Christina Ricci, Gwyneth Paltrow and Kenneth Branagh have all visited the area.

But it is not just the stars who flock to the East Coast. The area is growing in popularity among tourists – and it is hardly surprising.
Scarborough is famed for its beaches and last year, after multi-million pound investment from Yorkshire Water, the town’s North Bay won the coveted Blue Flag award.

Whitby’s West Cliff beach, the beach at Bridlington and Flambor- ough’s South Landing were also given the prestigious award, meaning the seas are cleaner than ever.

Last year Scarborough also won a Safer Shopping Award from the Home Office in recognition of efforts in crime prevention and reducing the fear of crime.
Last year also saw Scarborough win a gold award for the most improved resort of the year in Safeway’s Excellence In England competition.
It was presented to Cllr David Jeffels, Scarborough Borough Council’s portfolio holder for tourism.

He said: “As Britain’s oldest seaside resort, the town led the way nearly 400 years ago, and it is one of the key holiday spots today which is seeing major schemes of regeneration and urban renaissance.

“We have been a pioneer in the field of local inspection schemes of accommodation, which has given our visitors confidence when booking, and our hotel and catering industry confidence to invest.

“Scarborough still has some way to go, but with the prospect of an £80 million leisure, conference and entertainment complex on the horizon on the North Bay, and multi-million-pound shopping schemes about to get under way in the town centre, the prospects are good.”

Scarborough also finished second in the small coastal resorts category in the national Britain in Bloom contest, picking up a silver gilt medal to mark the achievement.

The town’s bid for glory involved 300,000 plants, 1,000 hanging baskets, 100 tubs and thousands of man hours.

The effort paid off – Scarborough made the finals for the first time since 1973.
And this year the town will be aiming for more blooming glory, along with Filey, Bridlington and Pickering.