Morecambe

The stunning view across Morecambe Bay towards the Lake District must be one of the most beautiful in England. And to enhance that view the local council has invested in an attractive, interpretive development that includes sea defences but also incorporates elements of the area's wildlife and the ocean, its moods, tides and times. One of the town's most famous sons is, of course, Eric Morecambe - half of the comedy duo Morcambe and Wise - who took the town's name as his own after being told that Eric Bartholomew wasn't a suitable identity for a comedian. The heart of the new development is a life-size statue of the great man in a typical pose - the one-legged dance out of the studio to the tune of "Bring Me Sunshine" that TV viewers came to know so well.  It stands overlooking the bay and is a magnet for tourists of all ages. Around the statue, set into the floor, are some of the lyrics to that theme tune and more well-known phrases from the show. But there are also figures of seagulls around Eric's feet that are just a small part of the massive flock of bird artworks that cluster on the promenade and the nearby jetty

Morecambe Bay is a well known breeding ground for wading birds and a stopping off spot for winter visitors on migration flights. That theme has been adopted for the hundreds of sculptures that grace the sea front as part of the public art display known as the Tern Project. The award winning scheme includes the "See Wall" and the "Flock of Words", also known as the poem path, and all are part of the general regeneration of the town.