Kent's coastal towns are to get a £3million windfall to attract more visitors and stimulate local business. The money comes after Kent County Council and Visit Kent - the county's tourism agency - beat competition from other European areas to secure EU grants.

The cash boost comes for projects around the Kent coastline, including developing green tourism centres at Reculver and Romney Marsh, a network of local volunteer helpers to organise activity weekends for residents and visitors, a cross-Channel Big Day Out for local residents, a cross-border tourism guide for businesses, development of a cross-Channel access website and a media campaign to promote the cross-Channel region.

Alan Marsh, Kent County Council Deputy Cabinet Member for International Relations, said "KCC has a very good track record of success in securing European funding over the years. This has been achieved by a very small group of dedicated people working with different partners on various projects, using their expertise to identify ready-made suitable bids for the benefit of people in Kent."