Best Beach Hut Neighbour Competition- Southwold neighbours - the best in the Country

During one November High Tide surge , our beach hut was damaged by the seas - tilted off its supports and the door broken. Michael braved the storm to check the huts, securing our hut to avoid further damage and phoning us at home ( 3/4 hr drive away ) to report, much to our relief, that it had been made safe.
These pictures are NOT of our hut but were damaged in the same surge, demonstrating the potentially devastating  power of the sea.

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On Wednesday last week I was phoned by Suffolk Radio. They were trying to set up  a 3 way telephone broadcast between Geraldine and Michael Mcelarney  and myself. Earlier in the year, I had nominated Geraldine and Michael as 'Best Beach Hut Neighbour of the Year' in a competition set up by TL Risk Solutions (Insurance for Beach Huts) and Michael and Geraldine  had won! They are now officially 'Britains'Best Beach Hut Neighbours 2011' and well deserve the title.

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But it is not only for their help to us that I felt they deserved the title. Southwold owes much to them and the other members of the 'Painting the Railings Group' who, 3 days a week,  gave their time and effort to paint the previously neglected railings that run  all the way along the front of Southwold cliffs. The sparkling white railings are now a credit to the town.
In Autumn 2009 visitors to Southwold found that the toilets on Kilcock Cliff, the toilets, just at the top of the steps from the beach and very near the Lighthouse, were closed. Waveney District Council stated that the toilets would stay shut .
This state of affairs could have severely damaged  Southwold's reputation as  a tourist town. Michael and Geraldine organised a petition and a successful publicity campaign to have the toilets reopened .I am pleased to understand that Southwold Town Council has now taken over , from Waveney,  the responsibility for managing these toilets. I hope this means that this essential facility will stay OPEN.