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Press Releases
Inside Out: Cherie Lunghi is heartbroken by decline of Whitley Bay
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Actress Cherie Lunghi takes time out from Strictly Come Dancing to find out whether Whitley Bay can regain its sparkle.
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Cherie revisits the town where she spent idyllic childhood holidays for Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One's Inside Out North East & Cumbria and is shocked by what she finds.
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Ahead of Whitley Bay's planned multi-million pound makeover, Cherie finds rundown, boarded-up properties. It is a far cry from the busy, bustling town she remembers.
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Cherie says: "This is my first time back to Whitley Bay for around 50 years. I remember it as an incredibly exciting, bustling seaside resort.
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"Now I see it and I'm so saddened by the neglect and the fact it doesn't seem to know what it is anymore."
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She tells Inside Out: "My memories of this place are really happy. It's heartbreaking to see the way Whitley Bay looks now. It's really worse than I expected. Looks are important and Whitley Bay has really let herself go."
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Cherie used to visit Whitley Bay on holiday with her mum to visit her aunt and cousins. She has fond memories of the Spanish City and her time spent playing on the helter skelter.
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Inside Out shows archive footage of Whitley Bay in the Fifties with its packed beach and crowds of people arriving at the station.
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Cherie says: "Whitley Bay was my first experience of the seaside. I'd buy my bucket and spade, and beach ball, and all the shops were teeming with toys. I used to spend hours on the shuggy boats.
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"It's nothing like I remember. It's as though that never existed and I might have dreamt it."
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As for the future, regeneration of Whitley Bay is underway, with an investment package of Β£60m.
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Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of North Tyneside Council, says: "I don't think Whitley Bay is that different to many other seaside towns that are trying to find their place in life now.
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"We're going to spend Β£60m on it immediately, on a new theatre, a new park, a new Spanish City, the dome, a new leisure centre and a new skate park.
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"All aimed at making this attractive, probably for weekend visitors and for people who want to use this as a nice place to live."
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At the end of her visit, Cherie is hopeful for the future.
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She says: "Whitley Bay is on the cusp. Parts of it look appalling, but big bucks and big characters could change all that.
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"I've met people who have ideas and vision and who love the place. And that's given me hope."
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Notes to Editors
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Any use of material in this press release should credit Inside Out (North East and Cumbria) on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One at 7.30pm on Wednesday 24 September 2008.
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HH2
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