THE team behind a behind a bid to revive Watchet's East Quay are 'over the moon' at receiving £50,000 in funding toward the project.

Watchet's Coastal Community Team will benefit from a share of £700,000 of grants from the Government it was announced on Monday.

Naomi Griffith, of the Onion Collective and Watchet's Coastal Community Team said the group were delighted at the news.

"We are thrilled. This funding will really help with work like a ground survey and hiring lawyers to work out potential costs.

"It is not the most exciting stuff but it is absolutely critical to get projects like this off the ground."

The local volunteers involved in the coastal team have ambitious plans to create an artists’ complex with low-cost studios, start-up business space, restaurants and a lookout tower.

Now thanks to this new funding the team can press ahead with surveyors, ground, archaeological reports, planning advice and legal fees to see their dreams become a reality.

The 15 projects – dotted across the country from Durham to Dorset – have been awarded up to £50,000 each to help restore local landmarks to their former glory.

Communities Minister Mark Francois hopes that the work will encourage a wave of enthusiasm for trips to our much-loved seaside areas – and help boost the £4billion that tourism generates for coastal communities every year.

He said: “Across our Great British Coast we’ve got heritage hooks to be proud of, but some of these places need some tender, loving, care.

“That’s why over the past year we’ve invested £3.7million to get them back into ship-shape and now East Quay and 14 more brilliant British attractions will be buoyed up by work to restore them to their former glory.

“This country has sight-seeing gems that are a match for anywhere in the world and I’d urge people to take a trip down to the seaside to discover them.”