In the past, Whitley Bay was a ‘magnet attraction’ on the North East coast, a destination which fed the affluence of the neighbouring coastal towns. A number of factors, including historic changes in British holiday habits, have led to the gradual decline of the town, the loss of the 'Spanish City' as a venue and the neglect of the seafront.

It is recognised that the residents or individual businesses alone cannot reverse the evolution in the town’s fortunes. However, there is a growing sense across the town of a community that has had enough of talking and is now determined to turn around Whitley Bay’s fortunes.

We believe that Whitley Bay needs to reclaim its strengths to cater for the residents as well as to attract visitors. We need to provide opportunities for local people to get together, have fun, think, talk and build relationships that support resilience and collective bounce back.