Southwold railings looking spick and span

A simple lick of paint is helping to brighten up the Suffolk resort of Southwold and make it more attractive to visitors.

Since September, a small army of volunteers have been painting 448 Victorian railings in the town which were in need of tender loving care.

The Southwold railings community project is now three quarters completed and after a brief winter hiatus, the work should be completed by March.

It is 16 years since the railings were last painted and they have not fared well over the last decade.

The project was set up by Southwold town councillor Simon Tobin who wanted to repaint the railings to make sure they did not leave a negative impression on the many visitors to the town who spend �25m in the local economy.

Mr Tobin said: 'The railings are one of the centrepieces of the iconic seafront. They were in an appalling condition. Since the project started it really has made a big difference to our seafront both from the local community and tourists' points of view.'

Each railing is given three coats of white paint and teams of up to 15 volunteers are working on them.

The project has been hailed as an example of what people power can achieve.

John Perkins, secretary of the Southwold and Reydon Society, praised the work.

He said: 'It has been a really good thing for Southwold. The people of Southwold are proud of their of town and are used to doing things for themselves to help improve it.'