Separate Tables

It's February in Eastbourne - a cruel month. Some hotel residents on Grand Parade are being shunted upstairs to new rooms they do not really like. Seaside hotels now chase the conference trade. Permanent residents, once needed out of season, are no longer so welcome. Mrs Sybil Bloom, 86, is unhappy with her move, so is Mrs Muriel McNab, 85. But the two widows have little choice - they move up or they move out, as their hotel gets a £20 million face-lift. Mrs McNab has lived at the Burlington for 17 years and wants to stay. So does Mrs Bloom; "Not many hotels take residents these days, so where would I go?" Only a few years ago there were more than 100 residents on Grand Parade. Now there are just 30 - a dauntless breed of touching, frail, cheerful people, who simply wish to see out their days in peace on this select seafront strip.