A project to restore historic seafront shelters and Cliftonville Lido is receiving a cash boost from a government pot to improve tourism in Thanet.

The Birchington Shelters and Amenities Group will get £50,000 from the Coastal Revival Fund and the Lido will receive £44,000 for survey work.

They are among 10 projects throughout the country aiming to develop visitor attractions and the economy.

Phil Wellbrook from KMTV went to find out more

The group says it is delighted to receive the funding as it is working to restore nine shelters along the coast at Birchington.

Volunteers need to raise more than £170,000 and originally hoped to refurbish the structures.

But surveys found wood rotting so badly that they need rebuilding completely and hiking up costs for the project.

Each shelter costs up to £20,000 to rebuild including materials and potential labour costs - if volunteers cannot do the work themselves or find a contractor to donate their services.

The government funding will give the group enough cash to restore three more shelters and members have already raised £31,000 and completed one rebuild.

Restoration costs vary depending on the shelter because two of the nine shelters have different construction methods to the other seven, which are made of a similar wood and tile design.

The one near the golf course is a basic shed-like construction and the final one - on the green by the beacon near Minnis Bar - is made of iron and concrete.

Karen Everest, chair of the Birchington Shelters and Amenities Group, said: "We are delighted to confirm we, a community group formed to rebuild and refurbish our nine sea shelters along our coastline, have received a very generous grant from the Coastal Revival Fund.

"We have had shelters along our coastline since 1905 and the current shelters were in place since the early 1930s.

"Unfortunately due to lack of maintenance they have fallen into disrepair.

"They are a well loved part of Birchington on Sea used by residents, day trippers, dog walkers, bird watchers, families enjoying a day at the seaside with picnics and they are on the Viking Coastal path.

"In 2018 we rebuilt our first shelter and this was re – opened in May and we had enough to tackle our next shelter in April 2019.

"As you can imagine, this magnificent grant from the Coastal Revival Fund will enable us to refurbish another three shelters, bringing the total to five."

Since 2016, the group have been raising funds from donations grants from county councillors and Thanet businesses supporting the project.

A fortnightly quiz is held at The Waves bed and breakfast in Birchington during the winter months.

The Grenham Bay Court care home and The Old Bay Alehouse are also supporters.

A vision for The Lido in Cliftonville was set out by father and son developers Alistair and Ralph Noel last year, but the site is owned by Thanet council which led the bid for the government funding.

A feasibility study will be carried out for work on the Lido with various surveys taking place to assess the site.

A spokesman for Thanet District Council, which led the bid, said: "We will be looking to install temporary lighting and and an access stair.

"This will allow the clearance of debris which fills much of the underground tunnels.

"We want to undertake a GPS site survey to further understand the complex and its historic significance.

"It could provide members of the public with an opportunity to access this iconic Margate location for the first time in 40 years.

"Grade II listed, they remain of great interest to the local community and we see this as the first step in developing the knowledge we need to underpin the site's future."

Organisations from across Margate were involved in the bid including the Margate Coastal Community Team, Margate Town Team, Margate Charter Trustees and Margate Civic Society.

The money is part of a £3.1 million investment from the government to improve projects in the south east with £36m allocated across the country.

Communities secretary, James Brokenshire, said: "I am determined to support investment and development of our coastal communities across the South East and create an economy that works for everyone as we prepare for Brexit and beyond.

"All of the ambitious projects receiving funding today were designed and developed by local people who know what will make the biggest difference to their areas.

"The sheer range of ideas demonstrate the potential of our coastal communities and will all create good jobs, boost growth and improve people’s lives now and in the future."