Orla Moore
BBC News

Steve Blatch, chief executive of North Norfolk District Council, said "the majority of [Cromer] town centre is back in business, doing very strong trade".

He said everything shut down as lockdown began at the end of March.

Image source, Getty Images

"Non-essential businesses couldn't reopen until the middle of June, and accommodation and eateries couldn't until July," he said.

"Businesses are bouncing back and visitor numbers are up. Social distancing measures are in place - and we've moved on-street parking in our narrow streets to allow for queues.

"Whether it's bad weather or Covid - a seasonal loss of trade is something we can never get back. But the summer weather has been so good - we've been lucky."

But there has been one casualty: live entertainment at the Pier Theatre, with both the Summer Special and the Christmas Show cancelled this year.

"The older generation here have been more cautious about returning to a new normal but I'm confident we'll be back to full strength by next summer," Mr Blatch said.

"The increased footfall has given businesses here a confidence boost after an unsettling period.

"Visitors can be assured of a very warm welcome. Give us a try."

Martin Barber
BBC News

There were almost 3,000 visitors to Cromer's east beach today according to the RNLI lifeguard team.

That meant up to 400 swimmers in the water at one time, 45 surfers and more than 30 pieces of individual safety advice given.

What a day!

Zoe Applegate
BBC News

A coach firm has appealed for drivers to use their "common sense" when parking their cars after incidents where its larger vehicles became stuck at two coastal resorts in Norfolk.

Image source, Zoe Applegate/BBC

Sanders Coaches, which operates the Coast Hopper, external in North Norfolk, had a bus hemmed in for two hours at the weekend at Overstrand (pictured).

Co-owner Charles Sanders said: "Sitting on a sweltering bus for two hours waiting to be rescued is not pleasant for anybody.

"People parked right up to the corners, so there’s no swing for a large vehicle to get round.

"It’s inconvenient for us on buses, but can you imagine if someone needed a fire engine, the coastguards - and they can’t get where they need to?"

The company has been forced to suspend parts of its services at times to both the resort and nearby Sea Palling due to bad parking.

Mr Sanders said they had also had to call the police to get vehicles moved or help stranded bus drivers.

"They need to start thinking more about safety," he said.

"It’s left to people’s common sense, but we’re in a bit of a selfish society sometimes."

All those visitors peering over the barriers on Cromer Pier? They're gillying - or crabbing.

And you can catch your own - free - from the pier.

If you want to know how - here's a quick guide from Experience Norfolk, external.

Martin Barber
BBC News

The one thing we’ve all had to get used during the pandemic is following a few extra directions and signs - and in Cromer people seem to be pretty good at it.

It’s a very gentle approach in reminding us all the world isn’t quite back to normal yet and we all need to play our part.

In Cromer, these subtle yellow sticker reminders seem to be working well.

A number of shops and cafes have a red/green light system to help with visitor flows.

People are also observing the need to wear masks when required.

Martin Barber
BBC News

Down on the beach between the pier and the groynes, Ben Barrow and Steph Agar are catching crab.

The sea creatures are not hard to find in the shallows:

Collect them with a gentle scoop, admire for a while, then put them back gently into the water:

Our eastern stretch of coast offers some pretty captivating views.

And it seems it can entice people to enjoy some beautifully scenic exercise, as this new beach runner attests to in Norfolk.

What a stunning accompaniment.

Martin Barber
BBC News

Ben Barrow and Steph Agar have travelled to Cromer from St Albans, Hertfordshire, for a few days.

And they're indulging in a little "gillying", or crabbing, on the pier.

"We came for crabbing as we’d never done here before," Ben said.

"It was nice to come to a quaint seaside town and enjoy some old school beach.

"We’ve been at it for five hours. Unsuccessful for about three of them. A gentleman suggested we switched from bacon to squid as bait - instant success! Seven crabs in our first squid netting.

"We Googled what to do with them - use fresh water in the bucket, a few stones and seaweed ... and then you walk down the the beach and release them back into the sea."

The couple welcomed Covid-19 measures - hand sanitiser available in foot-pump form, people wearing masks in the town centre shopping area and in the stores themselves of course, and one-way systems.

"We were having to shield during Covid, so we had to feel safe. If we hadn’t felt safe, we wouldn’t have stayed," he said.

Safety at sea has always been a big part of the Cromer story, whether that's mariners or beach users.

The RNLI’s long history here is not only marked at the Henry Blogg Museum, external, but also in the fabric of the promenade.

This is Cromer Prospect, a fantastic installation on the forecourt of the pier, celebrating 200 years of lifeboats in the town.

The compass includes two hands symbolizing prayer and the act of remembrance (based on the compass in the HF Bailey lifeboat in Cromer’s RNLI museum).

The granite "standing stones" represent lifeboats. The lines radiate out to sea from the compass in the direction of rescue missions through the stones.

Martin Barber
BBC News

Image source, Ollie Frere-Smith

Cromer lifeguard Ollie Frere-Smith tells me: "We’ve had about 350 people in the water since midday.

"Estimated numbers on this stretch of beach - there’s about 2,000 people. No incidents as such but there’s been a number of things that could have escalated.

"I’ve given out 15 pieces of safety advice to those in the water.

"We’ve had some swimming out to the crow's nest - that’s about 50m off shore and they’re clearly not strong swimmers.

"The problem here is they are out of their depth, they could injure themselves on it or get caught in a rip as these tend to occur around structures in the sea."

Orla Moore
BBC News

North Norfolk has the oldest demographic of residents in the UK - which has been highlighted as the country first emerged from lockdown.

Image source, NNDC

"During lockdown, locals used the beaches to take exercise when they could. We've been lucky having this on our doorstep," said council leader Sarah Butikofer.

"Now we have a large influx of visitors and locals have become more cautious. It's because of that demographic that they've been more worried about the virus.

"Please come and enjoy yourselves, we love having visitors, but please respect the local area.

"My biggest fear is that we will end up in lockdown again and lose our ability to share this."

Martin Barber
BBC News

I’m just walking back to the RNLI Lifeguard station on the east side of the promenade at Cromer.

This is the view over the sea wall.

The beach is busy but people seem to be respectful of each other's space.

The skies are clear and it's 24C (75F).

Martin Barber
BBC News

Lunch in Cromer means just one thing - fish and chips.

Actually, any time here can mean fish and chips, and these two places are an institution.

There’s always a debate about which is better - but both are always busy. Nice socially-distanced queues, too.

Here are Keith and Margaret Foyster tucking into the seaside favourite with their daughter Suzie Knights.

The family have taken a day off work in Norwich to come to the beach.

They said it did feel different sitting out these days - but most folk were respectful of each other, and the fish and chips were a "lovely treat".

Andrew Turner
BBC Radio Norfolk

The woman rescued with her children and dog from a stalled yacht off the Great Yarmouth coast has praised how the local community came to her aid.

Image source, Caister Lifeboat

Adele Millington, of London, was on board the Maximus when it started taking on water and diesel leaked into the cabin.

After alerting the coastguard, nearby divers and the independent Sea Palling and Caister lifeboats rushed to her aid.

She said the tow by Caister Lifeboat was "long, but the most comforting journey we could have had".

"They were amazing - they had amazing personalities, amazing characters. They are really special people."

Ms Millington said her family was unable to stay on their boat due to the nauseating smell of diesel, but were given an emergency place to stay in a hotel by a lifeboat member.

"We had the offer to stay in the Furzedown Hotel," she said. "He offered us a place to sleep and the most stunning breakfast I’ve ever had.

"It was midnight when we finally got ourselves together - and to be offered this space for free was amazing. We were struggling."

Engineers were due to fix the boat today, with the family planning to continue their "adventure" to Calais.

Andrew Turner
BBC Radio Norfolk

A woman on board a stricken yacht with her two children has spoken about their "amazing" rescue last night.

Adele Millington, 48, was sailing with her 13-year-old daughter and son, 11, from Grimsby to France to celebrate her daughter's birthday in Calais when they broke down off Great Yarmouth.

She called the coastguard when they started drifting towards rocks and taking on water.

Within five minutes a nearby group of divers, alerted by the service, reached them before two lifeboats came to their aid.

Ms Millington, from Surrey Quays, London, said: "It’s just amazing how safe you are in a matter of minutes."

They were towed to Great Yarmouth by the independent Caister Lifeboat in an operation that took almost four hours.

Andrew Turner
BBC Radio Norfolk

Image source, Andrew Turner

I was inspired to join the independent Caister Lifeboat, external as a volunteer in August 2009 - a few months after my mother Lorna died. She was a lifelong supporter.

The idea came while working. I’d been out on the lifeboat - not the first time - and the coxswain joked that I was on the boat more often than him!

As a BBC man it means I can't do their publicity or report on anything controversial - but I am allowed to down tools and get on the boat if there’s an emergency.

The call-out comes in the form of four text messages in quick succession, saying "Emergency - Report to Station". Your heart begins to race because you don't know what you're facing.

If you arrive at the shed first you start getting things ready, uncoupling the electrics and opening the doors - and getting into your waterproofs. The boat can't leave the shed without the approval of a launch authority, such as the coxswain, who will make sure risks are assessed.

We've been lucky this year in that it's been relatively quiet. Lockdown meant there were few activities with private pleasure craft and the beaches had been closed, plus this stretch doesn't have the same hazards as North Norfolk or the estuaries of Essex.

For me it's a privilege to be involved. We're a diverse bunch and work as a unit. The team will do everything it can to preserve life, or allow closure by retrieving a loved one who has lost their life.

Martin Barber
BBC News

Cromer cafe owner Robbie Kirtley has been speaking about getting his business back up and running after the lockdown.

Image source, Martin Barber/BBC

He's removed tables and chairs from the inside of the beachfront Rocket House Cafe, been strict on social distancing and has set up an outdoor barbecue for customers who want to eat on the beach.

Another change they have had to bring in is the NHS's coronavirus test and trace system, external, which has been "pretty easy", he said.

"Most people have been good - we’ve had the odd person who hasn’t wanted to give their details and that’s fine - they can go somewhere else," said Mr Kirtley.

"This is what it is, this is how we do it - when you come in you give your name, your number, how many people are on your table and then we seat you.

"It’s worked really well and luckily there have been no incidences of Covid here."

A short while ago we heard from Cromer lifeguard Rob Riches on the dangers of the sea - and he's now been involved in carrying a girl out of the water...

Fran Heriot and family, including her daughter Halle, are visiting from Peterborough for the day.

"Halle got caught by an unexpected wave so we needed just a little help getting out of the water," said Fran.

"We love the beach, how clean it is and having a lifeguard nearby is really important to us as you’ve seen.

"We came last week for the fist time. People are really spaced out on the beach, so it feels like a really safe place to come with your family bubble."

Rob Riches, 20, has worked as an RNLI lifeguard for four seasons in the "really close-knit community".

"I like the responsibility, it’s quite an active job and keeps you fit and on your toes," he said.

"The water is really nice here to swim in [but it's] really easy to overestimate your ability - people get over-confident.

"You can easily spot a weak swimmer and a lot of people just push it and go too far out - people need to know their limitations.

"We do get asked a lot of it’s safe to swim but that’s something you should know yourself. If you’re unsure, just don’t go in."

Martin Barber
BBC News

The owner of a beachfront restaurant has urged people to be "sensible" as they take advantage of the government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Image source, Martin Barber/BBC

Robbie Kirtley, of Cromer's Rocket House Cafe, said it had been exceptionally busy since they reopened, with people eager to snap up the August offer.

"Everyone’s so desperate to get this half-price meal - more or less - so it’s a bit like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday - there’s no virus," he said.

"Once they’re told [about anti-coronavirus restrictions] and your staff are on top of it - which mine are - they are respectful, but it’s just to start with they are desperate to get tables and this deal.

"Just trying to keep the public aware of what they need to do is the most important thing."

People needed to take responsibility for their own safety and social distancing, he added, as the virus had not "gone away".

Mr Kirtley said after pouring his "heart and soul" into the business over the last 13 years he had been pleased to return, and had been operating a successful barbecue on the promenade to make up for having to remove some inside tables.