One by one they all packed their bags and left - the bathing beauties, the Labour Party conferences, the showbiz legends at the Winter Gardens, even the dolphins in their aquarium on the stone jetty.

Poor old Morecambe, people said, butt of traffic-light jokes and television fodder for Alan Bennett scenes set in bleak seaside shelters.

But it's 2002 and Morecambe still has its fans and they remain loyal - sunset-watchers on a summer's night, the ` bracing walk' enthusiasts on the promenade and the `Eric' devotees who arrive at all times of the year, in family groups or by the coach-load, to have their photo taken with the comedian's statue.

The wind of change blows cautiously in Morecambe.

There are signs of hope and improvement but there is one building which increasingly seems to embody many people's hopes for the resort's future.

As the remains of the Bubbles complex were scraped into the bulldozer this spring, and the ghost of the old Super Swimming Stadium rose up for those

who could remember, many Morecambrians must have felt a shiver of apprehension.

Just a few yards away is Morecambe's art deco `gem' - the Midland Hotel, once a 1930s beauty herself, now discoloured, apparently dilapidated with all her sun-terrace windows smashed by vandals.

To visitors and tourists her future must look bleak.

To many local people who read of plans to take the hotel back to her 1930 glamour days, it is a vision too good to be true.

But across the promenade, adjacent to the station which delivered many of the Midland's customers, is a project which is slowly inspiring confidence.

The Midland Visitor Centre was opened at Easter by the Midland's new owners, Kalber Leisure, to keep people informed about their £10 million restoration plan for the hotel.

Visitors can read about the hotel's history on static displays and watch a `warts and all' video, which includes shots of the present condition of some of the bedrooms, as well as outlining the company's plans for the future.

Most seductively of all, they can then enjoy an afternoon tea in a seating area furnished with pale blue Lloyd Loom chairs and served on a table with a starched white tablecloth.

It could be a taste of what is

to come, and if Tudor Williams, the Midland's newly-appointed general manager, has his way, attention to detail is one of the areas where the Midland Grand Hotel will excel, just as it did in its heyday.

If all goes according to plan, the Midland Grand (the hotel's original title) will re-open for business next spring with an official opening on July 12 - the date it first opened 70 years ago.

Planning applications for an extension to house bedrooms and a leisure centre with 12-metre swimming pool and spa have been approved by Lancaster City Council, and work is currently taking place to remove asbestos from the original building.

English Heritage is advising

on specialists to restore some of the hotel's original features, and specialists are also being used for furnishing fabrics and tiles so that they evoke the correct period.

But when the Midland's famous seahorses finally light up to welcome the first visitors, who will they be?

Art deco fans obviously, says Mr Williams, both in this country and from abroad.

It's a growing market, as illustrated by the number of art deco websites.

But there are other potential markets and it is hoped that weddings, dinner parties, dinner- dance weekends, conferences and both private and corporate events will find a home in the unique setting.

Choice is a key issue, stresses Mr Williams, with dining areas, café and three themed bars providing something for everyone.

It is hoped that the leisure centre and spa, accommodated in the new three-storey extension on the south side of the building, will attract both local people and visitors for a range of relaxation and beauty treatments.

But the key to going back to the 1930s (with the discreet use of 21st century technology) is in the service which should be efficient and friendly without being intrusive, believes Mr Williams.

"It's knowing when to talk to guests and when to refrain from talking," he says.

His new post involves historical research, ranging from staff uniforms to whether the original 1930s crockery can be reproduced in the right shade for the dining room.

He is delighted that people are beginning to call in at the visitor centre with their memories about the Midland, and he has even received a request to hold a golden wedding reception at the visitor centre.

The couple were married at the Midland in 1952.