How William and Kate helped Blackpool rock once more

A YEAR after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were left shocked by Blackpool's deprivation their visit has sparked incredible change in the seaside town.William and Kate marvelled at the Lancashire resort’s famous Tower – but were visibly appalled by its housing and deprivation crisis last March.Once the go-to holiday destination for Britons, it recently held the grim title of the town with England’s lowest life expectancy – and the highest

Class A drugs-related deaths.Now, 12 months on, the Daily Express has returned to discover the incredible efforts being made to restore health and wealth to the “Jewel of the North”.With £100million of government funding and a fresh agenda, Blackpool council and its commercial partners have been rebranding it into a 2020 resort with a buzz.They are tackling inner area deprivation, as well as luring big business and turbo-charging tourism.The royal couple met with tenants at one new housing project making a stand against slum landlords in Kirby Road.This week we saw how hard work is producing much-needed change. .While one side of the short street is still boarded-up, the houses opposite have been transformed as part of a drive by Blackpool Housing Company to buy up old homes and refurbish them.

It is tackling the resort’s perennial problems of a transient rental market and poor-quality accommodation provided by landlords making money out of housing benefit.Dave Galvin, BHC managing director, explains: “We are challenging that status quo.We believe in giving people the chance to put down roots.” .And that, along with several community projects, is not the only good news.Entertainment is crucial to attracting new visitors to drive the resort’s resurgence.And an ambitious £300million Chariot of the Gods theme park, complete with the UK’s first “flying theatre”, is in the pipeline.The development will include hotels, restaurants, food market and residential apartments, with the aim of attracting 600,000 new visitors a year.But while it’s clear tourism will be crucial to Blackpool’s future, Mr Galvin emphasised: “It has to be a nice place to live in too.