0:00:02 > 0:00:04MUSIC: "On The Beach" by Chris Rea
0:00:11 > 0:00:15I first came to Hemsby at the end of last year and I came here to
0:00:15 > 0:00:19make a film about coastal erosion but that story dramatically changed.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22On December 5th a massive coastal surge came down the North Sea
0:00:22 > 0:00:24and hit the eastern part of Britain.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It was the worst seen in 60 years.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32The lifeboat hut is literally tipping into the sea.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35This place took a battering and my story became
0:00:35 > 0:00:37about a resort fighting for survival.
0:00:37 > 0:00:39OK, the back of the house has gone.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41I've come back to find out how things have changed
0:00:41 > 0:00:45and whether the people here can actually save Hemsby.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Hemsby on the east Norfolk coast
0:01:00 > 0:01:03is a classic old-fashioned seaside resort.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Holiday-makers have been coming here for decades
0:01:06 > 0:01:11but last winter it found itself at the centre of a seaside disaster.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17This sand dune is all that's between the North Sea
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and these houses behind me.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Where I'm standing, where I'm walking,
0:01:21 > 0:01:24is all that remains of 183 The Marrams in Hemsby.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27It used to be home to Jackie Connelly and her husband.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29When I first met Jackie just before Christmas,
0:01:29 > 0:01:33none of us had any idea what was about to happen.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36RADIO: 'BBC Radio Norfolk.'
0:01:38 > 0:01:41'Alex Dolan is here with the latest on the weather front.'
0:01:41 > 0:01:44'The concern over the next few hours is the storm surge
0:01:44 > 0:01:46'and it's being created by an area of low pressure...'
0:01:46 > 0:01:50Every day Jackie Connelly dreads listening to the weather forecast.
0:01:52 > 0:01:57What's predicted to happen tonight could literally change her life.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05Jackie's home is perched precariously on a cliff top.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Over the years the sea has eroded away the sand dune it sits on.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17A neighbour has already moved out, his house condemned.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Jackie is concerned her home could suffer the same fate.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22How worried are you, living here?
0:02:22 > 0:02:27Very worried, because we don't know what the next storm
0:02:27 > 0:02:31is going to bring, you know? How bad it's going to get.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35So, do you ever go to bed thinking, "My goodness, if we have a bad
0:02:35 > 0:02:38"storm tonight, we may wake up in the night and the house is gone"?
0:02:38 > 0:02:41We might be homeless tomorrow. That's what I think.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Just look how close Jackie's home is to the edge.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46And it is not just her home here in Hemsby,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48the whole resort is fighting for survival.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51And when you get weather like the storms that blow up,
0:02:51 > 0:02:55it's no wonder people here in Hemsby are really worried about their future.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59There are no sea defences protecting the village
0:02:59 > 0:03:01and they have been refused public funding to build them
0:03:01 > 0:03:03so they're doing it themselves.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Salute, arms stretched...
0:03:06 > 0:03:10The fear of losing part of the village has brought the whole community together.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15As the storm rages outside, they've gathered for a fundraising evening at the pub.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18It'll add to the £20,000 they've already raised
0:03:18 > 0:03:21to pay for their own sea defences.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Lorna, the whole community seems to be behind this.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26We are absolutely, 100% behind it.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28We're having fun and raising money at the same time.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30The community is dead set on enjoying
0:03:30 > 0:03:33and raising money at the same time.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35All the money raised tonight will go directly
0:03:35 > 0:03:36into building new sea defences?
0:03:36 > 0:03:39It absolutely will, yeah. Every penny.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45But while we're filming in the pub,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48outside the storm surge is making its way down the North coast.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50The sea has burst through
0:03:50 > 0:03:53in the Norfolk village of Wells-next-the-Sea.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55The streets are underwater.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Just down the coast, the pier at Cromer is next to be battered
0:04:03 > 0:04:06as waves engulf the beach and the prom.
0:04:13 > 0:04:1625 miles further along at Hemsby,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18none of us has any idea of the scale
0:04:18 > 0:04:20of the storm heading our way.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26While we're standing here
0:04:26 > 0:04:29the lifeboat hut is literally tipping into the sea.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33The high tide has chiselled away underneath the foundations
0:04:33 > 0:04:36and it's literally tipping up as we're standing here.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44So, this one here is nearly gone, is it, now?
0:04:44 > 0:04:49'Jackie and husband Steve have been at the pub for the fundraising evening.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51'They're concerned about their home.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'They've decided to go back to check everything's OK.'
0:04:54 > 0:04:58We've just come along Jackie's road and the house next door,
0:04:58 > 0:05:00which has actually been condemned anyway,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03half of the house has gone, has disappeared
0:05:03 > 0:05:06over the sand dunes tonight in high tide.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12'We carried on to see if Jackie and Steve's home was still safe.'
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- Jackie's just going into the house now with her husband.- Oh, no! What?
0:05:21 > 0:05:23It's really close, really close. Hang on.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Everyone stop.- What's happened? - They're really close.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28The back of the house is gone.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Don't get too close to the edge because that will be very unstable.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- Terrible.- You can see the paving slab.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35What are we going to do now?
0:05:35 > 0:05:38SHE SOBS
0:05:38 > 0:05:42- I can't believe this is happening to me.- What's happening now?
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- What are you doing now? What's happened?- Well...
0:05:44 > 0:05:46We don't know where...
0:05:46 > 0:05:50We don't know because we're not prepared for none of it so...
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Where will you go tonight? Is there somewhere you can go to be safe?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Well, there's only people who has offered us
0:05:57 > 0:05:59somewhere to stay for the night.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02It's absolutely heartbreaking for you to come back and find this.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I mean, we didn't expect it to go like this.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07- Can we go now, please? - Time is of the essence now.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10People from the village have come down to help Jackie and Steve
0:06:10 > 0:06:13move stuff out of their house before it goes over the edge.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16They're grabbing anything they can and getting it out of the house.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18The house just isn't safe.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Let's get the table out the door.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Come on, come on. That's enough now. You need to prioritise now.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30What is most important to you, you need to get out now.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32Seriously, now.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34They now say that the house is not safe,
0:06:34 > 0:06:36they can hear it rocking at the back.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Everyone's cleared of the house, everyone's out. That's it.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44'Just as we go, we see the floor lifting.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48'And what was Jackie's neighbour's house
0:06:48 > 0:06:50'is carried away by the sea.'
0:06:59 > 0:07:02- SHE SOBS - Take yourself to the pub, come on.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04Come on, darling. You'll be all right.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19'The next day we returned to see the full extent of the damage.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22'This is all that remains of the old lifeboat station -
0:07:22 > 0:07:26'just a few bricks, the rest all washed away.'
0:07:29 > 0:07:32In daylight you can see just how destructive the waves have been
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and it's still so powerful this morning,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36the waves are still crashing on the beach here.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39This is as close as we can safely get to the sand dunes.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41If you look over there you can see Steve and Jackie's house
0:07:41 > 0:07:43now down on the beach,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and four other houses were lost last night.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Jackie, looking at it, I mean, this is just...
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Yeah. That's the living room, that is.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Yeah, it was the living room.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06- What time did it go over last night? - We don't know.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09I just can't believe that's your house on the beach.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12- No, I can't believe it, either. - This is devastating, Jackie.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15- You and your husband have lost your home.- Yeah, yeah.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Yeah, lost everything now.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21'To make matters worse, Jackie and Steve believe they're not covered
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'by their home insurance. They've been given temporary accommodation
0:08:25 > 0:08:27'in a nearby holiday camp.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37'A week later and work is busy going on to try to clear up the beach.'
0:08:39 > 0:08:42Pictures of these houses have been seen by people all around the world,
0:08:42 > 0:08:45but what most people probably don't know is that the sand dune
0:08:45 > 0:08:49actually came to here. They lost 30 feet of sand.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53And what's worrying is that more is predicted to go.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'What struck me was how everyone had pulled together that night.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09'But what happened is not easily forgotten.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14'Many are now worried about the future of their homes, too.'
0:09:14 > 0:09:17- What's it like living here, Angela?- It's scary.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19It is really, really frightening.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Go to work in the mornings and don't want to come home at night.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24This isn't home any more. It's frightening to come home.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Every night before I go to bed I get my torch out
0:09:26 > 0:09:29and shine along the dunes to see if the dunes are still there.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33We've got a short bit of dunes left and then our homes go.
0:09:33 > 0:09:35And when our homes go, how much more of Hemsby goes with it?
0:09:37 > 0:09:40'Half a year has now passed since the storm.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42'People here still fear for the future.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44'But there's something else, too -
0:09:44 > 0:09:48'determination. This is a community that refuses to give up.'
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Many people living here are right to be worried.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54The UK coastline is constantly being monitored,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57and predictions are made as to how things may look in the future.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01For Hemsby, if their predictions are correct, in around 100 years' time
0:10:01 > 0:10:04this row of houses behind me may not even be here.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06They'll have been swallowed up by the sea.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11'But Hemsby is clearly a place
0:10:11 > 0:10:13'people can't help falling in love with.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15'And they'll defend it to the end.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'People like Del Derby who runs the Two Way Cafe.'
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Can I have some clean water, please?
0:10:21 > 0:10:23- You like Hemsby, don't you? - We love Hemsby.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28- Nearly as much as you like your cod and chips.- That's right.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30'Del's a cockney and proud of it, too.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34'But a trip to Hemsby as a youngster changed his life for ever.'
0:10:34 > 0:10:36God bless ya.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40This looks like I've rehearsed all this but I get this all the time.
0:10:40 > 0:10:41No, I get it!
0:10:41 > 0:10:46'He moved here 16 years ago and has been running the cafe ever since.'
0:10:47 > 0:10:51Just put your money in the tip box after, I don't mind.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55LAUGHTER I've been to Miami before.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58I've been to the South... I've been all over the place.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03Southend! But when I looked at Hemsby Beach, I just...
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It was like climbing over a load of big mountains
0:11:06 > 0:11:08and then you see this great big desert.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11This is the best beach I've ever seen. Still.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13Better than the Algarve.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17OK, ladies, today's wedding...
0:11:17 > 0:11:20When they're seated down, after the speeches,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22we're going to be taking their meal orders.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25'To survive, the village needs thriving businesses.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27'Lorna runs the pub.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30'Last time we met she was raising money for sea defences.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34'But business must go on and today there's a wedding to prepare for.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36'Like Del at the cafe, she wasn't born here,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39'but soon grew to love the place.'
0:11:39 > 0:11:41I love Hemsby. It wasn't always that way.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45My father moved us from London in 1977
0:11:45 > 0:11:48and I hated him for bringing me here.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52- Really? You didn't like it at all? - Not at all, no. It was so quiet.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54So different from what I'd been used to.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I was 12 years old, but, you know what?
0:11:57 > 0:11:59It's the best thing he could have done for me.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03So, gradually you came to fall in love with the place, the people?
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Absolutely. There's a charm about somewhere like Hemsby
0:12:06 > 0:12:10where people say hello to each other, they welcome you in.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13You're not afraid to look people in the eye.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15There's plenty to do, and if you're in trouble,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18everybody gets on board and they come and help you.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23'Every day the coast is changing and eroding away.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26'And one day there will be another storm.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33'The last great tidal surge was in 1953.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'Hundreds of lives were lost along the East coast.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'Seven people died at Sea Palling, just a few miles north of Hemsby.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46'As a result of the flooding, Sea Palling got defences,
0:12:46 > 0:12:49'and more have been built since.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'The Government will only fund defences for places where the value
0:12:55 > 0:13:00'of homes and businesses is high enough to justify the huge cost.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03'Hemsby isn't considered valuable enough,
0:13:03 > 0:13:06'so villagers are still trying to raise funds themselves.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10'Lorna's come to meet an erosion expert.'
0:13:10 > 0:13:13At Hemsby we've obviously got a lot worth saving.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16We've got an 80-million annual industry there,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20a lot at stake. Is there something we can do?
0:13:20 > 0:13:22It's going to be very difficult.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26One's got to recognise that this is a very soft coastline.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31It's been eroding for the last 5,000 years or so and a lot of the cliffs
0:13:31 > 0:13:35have been disappearing at an average rate of 1m a year.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37That's a lot of land we've lost.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41So, a variety of solutions have been tried along here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46We've used reefs, as we see here, we've got groynes, the sea wall.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49We've got rocks put at the base of areas.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52We've got our natural defences like the sand dunes.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56So, yes, there are a variety of measures that we can put in place.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59A lot of those are quite expensive.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02This defence probably will cost about £65m.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04And so at the end of the day
0:14:04 > 0:14:07we've got to look at cost benefit analysis.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10Now, what one's got to look at in the case of Hemsby
0:14:10 > 0:14:12and other areas, like in the North Norfolk coast,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15is the economic advantages versus the costs
0:14:15 > 0:14:18of taking these various measures.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20And so just putting a wall in front of everything
0:14:20 > 0:14:26is one potential solution, but that destroys the nature of the coast.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30It wasn't just people's homes that were destroyed by the storm surge.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Hemsby's old lifeboat station was also a victim.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35I'm standing right where it was
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and there's pretty much nothing to suggest it was ever here.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40But we're not talking about a wooden shed -
0:14:40 > 0:14:44it was a huge concrete building that was destroyed that night.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47While we're standing here the lifeboat hut is literally
0:14:47 > 0:14:49tipping into the sea.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53The high tide has chiselled away underneath the foundations
0:14:53 > 0:14:55and it's literally tipping up as we're standing here.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01Dan, what do you remember about the night?
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Well, on the night of the high surge, with the sea coming in, battering
0:15:04 > 0:15:10the coastline, obviously the station at the time was being undermined.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13And then, potentially,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17the shed just started to lean and it just broke up in pieces.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20- Just amazing.- Could you believe what you were actually seeing?
0:15:20 > 0:15:23The lifeboat station was huge, it wasn't a small shed.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Could you believe that it was being tipped into the water?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28No, I couldn't.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31You know, you'd need machinery to break something like that up,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35and for the sea just to do it within a couple of hours and, yeah,
0:15:35 > 0:15:36it was unbelievable.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39I've never personally seen the sea like that before.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I've seen it bad but that was really bad.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45There was waves probably 30, 40 foot in the air.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48It's just...yeah, it's just dangerous.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Independent of the RNLI, the lifeboat's run by volunteers.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58Typically for Hemsby,
0:15:58 > 0:16:01the villagers raise the £30,000 a year
0:16:01 > 0:16:03to keep that going themselves!
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Fortunately the lifeboat and equipment was moved out
0:16:11 > 0:16:15of the old building before the storm carried it away.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20We're about 40 or 50 feet off the shore here at Hemsby.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23What's quite hard to get your head round is that 50 years ago
0:16:23 > 0:16:26there would have been a sand dune where we are. In fact, two or three
0:16:26 > 0:16:29sand dunes have gone between where we are and what you can see now.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It's reckoned there were around 70 beach chalets and houses
0:16:32 > 0:16:35that were here, that have just been lost to the sea.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38So beneath where I'm sitting could have been somebody's home.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40It's quite a thought.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51'There's a long history of people losing their homes here.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57'Del's family first came to Hemsby back in the early '90s.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59'They loved the place.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02'And his dad decided to buy a beach house overlooking the sea.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06'But it wasn't long before things went terribly wrong.'
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Believe it or not, our first place, which was about 20 year ago,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13when we came down from East London...
0:17:13 > 0:17:19My dad bought my mum one of these beach houses and it was situated...
0:17:19 > 0:17:23- You just vaguely see the grass? - Oh, yeah, poking out of the sand.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27- That would have been another dune again.- That was the dune?
0:17:27 > 0:17:28- That's where it was?- Yeah.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32So, where we are now, then half again before you got to the sea.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Yeah. And when we got it, we was 25 foot away from the edge
0:17:36 > 0:17:40and thought how lucky we are to have a beautiful sea view.
0:17:40 > 0:17:45You know, I've run on this beach, I see seals in the water,
0:17:45 > 0:17:49it was beautiful. I thought, "Bloody hell, this is so lovely."
0:17:49 > 0:17:53And then in two, three days of high tides,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56my mum's house, 20th anniversary, bosh, in the sea.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59How long had you had the property before it went into the sea?
0:18:00 > 0:18:03- Three weeks.- Three weeks?! - Ideal home.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08And within three weeks, from being 20 feet away from the edge,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11it was...it was in.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13So, had it come back to here... It was on...
0:18:13 > 0:18:20That's at least how much we've lost in the 20 years...that I know of.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24She decorated it all, her curtains she made
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and then just to see it floating away in the sea.
0:18:27 > 0:18:32She was so proud, telling people that she lived by the sea.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34Not by the sea, with a lovely sea view.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35She'd look out her window...
0:18:35 > 0:18:40Our kitchen window, that picture there, which was beautiful.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44'Despite the fragile nature of the place, there are plenty of people
0:18:44 > 0:18:47'who aren't put off by the threat of disappearing over the edge.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52'This house, just yards from the sea, is on the market for £35,000.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56'I bumped into Paul Attfield who's thinking of buying it.'
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Not looking in too bad condition, is it?
0:18:58 > 0:19:01No, it looks a lot sturdier than I was hoping.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Do you know how long it's been here?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- I don't, I'm afraid.- Have they not said when it was built?
0:19:05 > 0:19:07No, I think sort of turn of the century...
0:19:07 > 0:19:11- is what I'm hoping for it...to be newer, obviously...- Yeah, yeah.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14..from my point of view. But it looks pretty watertight.
0:19:14 > 0:19:19- Just wants some love.- Are you looking to buy this as your main home?
0:19:19 > 0:19:22No, I'm looking at more as a holiday home
0:19:22 > 0:19:24and something to play with at the weekends.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28But despite what's happening here? You've got coastal erosion,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31coastal surge, houses were lost here.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34And you're prepared to invest in this?
0:19:34 > 0:19:38It's quite scary. But I think it'll be fun for the children.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42- This is your back garden - or would be.- Would be the back garden.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46- I suppose the verge...- That must be the boundary, mustn't it?- Yeah.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Sort of a bit like Wild West.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51What you're prepared to take and hang on to
0:19:51 > 0:19:54and maintain sort of becomes yours, really.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58If you bought this place, you'd be pretty close to the sea.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00It's right there.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Are you still convinced it's the place you want to take a punt on?
0:20:04 > 0:20:06Not 100% convinced.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09But it's a flip of the coin and...
0:20:10 > 0:20:15I think the risk is worth it for the pleasure I intend to get out of it.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19So, yeah, just a definite flip of the coin.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21But it could only be 10, 15 years. That's enough for you, is it?
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Obviously I'd like more. But...
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- You may get more.- I may get more.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- But I think I'd be hurt if it's any less than 15 years.- OK.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36- BINGO CALLER:- Pair of fives, 55.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Green 6 and 1, 61.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46'Business owners in Hemsby, like Lorna and Del,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49'are worried that the storm and pictures of houses in the sea
0:20:49 > 0:20:52'have damaged the reputation of the resort.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54'Tourism is essential to their survival.
0:20:54 > 0:21:00'So they're hoping a marketing expert can come up with some ideas.'
0:21:00 > 0:21:03I mean, there must be 2,000, 3,000, 4,000 jobs
0:21:03 > 0:21:06that are reliant on this area.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09If you spread it out to the holiday camps, the chalet sites,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11local business...
0:21:11 > 0:21:14We're not just looking at sort of defending the coast,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16we're actually looking at making Hemsby nice.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20We're looking at maybe painting, you know, murals on old,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24disused toilet blocks. We're looking at planting marram grass.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26You have to remember, and the traders of Hemsby,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29none of this was your fault. It wasn't like it was a bad town.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33You were the victim of weather and climate and tides.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35And you need to move on from that cos there are
0:21:35 > 0:21:37so many positive things to say about this place.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39How do you suggest we tell the two different stories?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Because there's one story around Hemsby still needs help,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45and the story that it's still open for business and it's doing great.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48- How do we tell the two stories? - That's a really good question.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50I think it's a perfect combination of story, actually.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53It's really interesting listening to you talk about the enthusiasm
0:21:53 > 0:21:55you've had about the Save Hemsby Coastline,
0:21:55 > 0:21:58cos what's significant about the fact you've had all that support
0:21:58 > 0:22:00is that people believe it is worth saving.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02It's not like, "Oh, it's only Hemsby."
0:22:02 > 0:22:06In fact it's "What a fantastic resort with families,
0:22:06 > 0:22:11"generations and generations, with a wonderful landscape - seascape."
0:22:11 > 0:22:15And I think those two things go together. I think...
0:22:15 > 0:22:18tell the story about what a fantastic place it is for a holiday
0:22:18 > 0:22:21or to visit, and say, "Oh, and by the way,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23"you realise this is a kind of frontier town in the sense
0:22:23 > 0:22:29"that out there is the sea, and if you love this half as much as we do,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31"help us to preserve it."
0:22:31 > 0:22:33And I think it's almost a perfect combination.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39'Good publicity alone won't save Hemsby.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42'After the storm, this was what remained of the defences
0:22:42 > 0:22:45'put on the beach by Lorna and the other villagers.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48'The huge waves that night tore them out of the sand.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56'Undeterred, today the residents of Hemsby are back
0:22:56 > 0:22:59'to put down another line of rocks.'
0:22:59 > 0:23:01The rocks arrived.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04People are just, you know, digging in and getting the blocks filled.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Loads of people are helping out. Is this the way it's been working
0:23:07 > 0:23:12over the last few months, that people just come up, volunteer,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14to build your own defences?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17This is what Hemsby's all about - community,
0:23:17 > 0:23:19people getting together, doing it for ourselves.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22There's no way we're going to sit back
0:23:22 > 0:23:23and wait for somebody to take action.
0:23:23 > 0:23:27If we wait, we could wait too long. These dunes are too important.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30They need protecting now, so we're just getting on with it.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32We'll keep putting in for our bids to the Government
0:23:32 > 0:23:36but in the meantime we'll do the protection that we can.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Do you live in Hemsby?
0:23:38 > 0:23:42No, we're holiday-makers and we came up two years ago
0:23:42 > 0:23:45and then saw everything on the telly, December,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48then came up this year for a fortnight's holiday.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50I was amazed where everything is.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54So we saw the poster and thought, you know, just give a hand,
0:23:54 > 0:23:55try and tidy things up a bit.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Something's got to be done.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Nobody else has not bothered.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Something's got to be done otherwise it'll all just go.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06It's a shame cos it's such a lovely place.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09MUSIC: "White Wedding" by Billy Idol
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'The happy wedding couple are married. Church service over,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21'it's time to head for the beach for some photos.'
0:24:28 > 0:24:29Why Hemsby?
0:24:29 > 0:24:35I've spent many childhood holidays here and it feels like a second home.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38And it's the first place we holidayed together as well.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41So, even though you live in Essex, this was your first choice?
0:24:41 > 0:24:44You both said, "Hey, let's get married in Hemsby.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46"It means so much to us."
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Yeah. Absolutely means the world. Well, I absolutely love Hemsby.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54- I'd come here every year. - We do come here every year.- Yeah.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59I think it is just I used to come here as a kid. It's just...
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- It's got lots of happy memories for you.- Yeah, very happy memories.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05And now you've got married here. How special is that?
0:25:05 > 0:25:09So Hemsby will always be very special to you now, even more so.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13- Well, congratulations.- Thank you. - May I kiss the bride?- You can.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16- Congratulations. Hope you have a lovely day.- Thank you.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18Thank you very much.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21# It's a nice day for a white wedding... #
0:25:21 > 0:25:25'But there's one couple for whom the love affair with Hemsby is over.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27'After they lost their home last December,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30'Jackie and Steve Connelly moved away.
0:25:30 > 0:25:32'They've come back today for the first time
0:25:32 > 0:25:34'since that dramatic night.'
0:25:34 > 0:25:37I don't know if you can cast your mind back.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40I know it was a very traumatic evening for you
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and everybody along this entire dune, wasn't it?
0:25:43 > 0:25:45It was a very traumatic evening back in December.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48What can you remember the most about it?
0:25:48 > 0:25:52Coming up and...
0:25:52 > 0:25:56It's just a shock, you know, of seeing it go like it did.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Just, you know, just didn't expect it.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00- Even you didn't.- No.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I think the first time when I realised it was getting serious
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- was when the lifeboat station was tipping into the water.- Yeah.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09But even at that point, when I came to see you in the pub
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and we walked down your road, I actually thought at that point,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16"It'll be fine. There's no way Jackie and Steve's house
0:26:16 > 0:26:20"will be in danger." And then we came round and the back had gone.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- Yeah, back had gone. - The water was underneath.
0:26:23 > 0:26:27It was just rushing round, you know.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- It's something I never want to see again.- No.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- Is it easy coming back? How do you feel?- No.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35No, it's not easy coming back.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40The only reason we're back is...because of you.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44- I mean, otherwise... we'd never come back here.- No.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46I don't ever intend to come back here again.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51But people here rallied round to help you at the time.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54- You couldn't quite believe how the people were.- Yeah.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56Yeah, everybody was so good.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00- Up to that night we knew about five people by name.- Yeah.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05We kept ourselves to ourselves and we never bothered, like, you know,
0:27:05 > 0:27:07we said hello to people across from us.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09After that night we knew half the village.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13That night, I couldn't believe where all the people came from.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15'But there is a happy ending.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18'At the time, Steve and Jackie were worried they wouldn't get
0:27:18 > 0:27:22'any compensation and be able to afford to buy another home.
0:27:22 > 0:27:23'But fortunately they discovered
0:27:23 > 0:27:27'although their insurance didn't cover them for erosion,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29'they were covered for storm damage.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32'It's meant a new start, not in Hemsby,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35'but far from the sea in Rotherham.'
0:27:35 > 0:27:36- So this is where you live now?- Yeah.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39- That's it now.- Big bungalow.- Yeah.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43Isn't it amazing how fate has actually ended you up
0:27:43 > 0:27:44- in a better position?- Yeah.- Almost.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I know you went through the tragedy,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- the trauma of losing your home.- Yeah.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53- But you couldn't sell your property here.- No.- You've had your pay-out.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56- You've moved up north and you've got a job.- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Isn't that amazing how your life has been turned around because of that?
0:27:59 > 0:28:00- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05Look at this, this is beautiful. On a day like today,
0:28:05 > 0:28:09very easy to forget what it was like six months ago.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12But when I first came back to Hemsby I kind of expected to find
0:28:12 > 0:28:15people pretty fed up. And you would expect that
0:28:15 > 0:28:17considering what happened to them. But I found the opposite.
0:28:17 > 0:28:21Everyone's come together, everyone's working really hard to make sure
0:28:21 > 0:28:24that they save their seaside. So I know it sounds cliche
0:28:24 > 0:28:27but through adversity it's brought people closer together.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30And I think that's what's special about Hemsby -
0:28:30 > 0:28:32they will carry on here
0:28:32 > 0:28:36no matter what the North Sea has to throw at them.