10 Echo Monday August 30, 2010 echo-news.co.uk Echo COMMENT Poorest patients are New hope to revive given fighting chance seafront Doctor from GREAT many Southend dreams died south Essex Awith the onset of the recession. brings hope Perhaps the biggest casualty turned out to be Marine Plaza, the casino and hotel to Africa’s complex planned for the Golden Mile. epileptics The scheme disappeared from the radar when the By EMMA PALMER development company
[email protected] behind it, JBR Leisure, went into liquidation. HEN you live in a Marine Plaza had the country where stay- potential to give a huge ing alive is a day-to- boost to this fine seafront day struggle, condi- site, and was regarded as W the key to the regeneration tions like epilepsy are at the of the entire Golden Mile. bottom of the priority list. “It could be like the domino In the West African country of effect in reverse,” the Echo Sierra Leone, more than 50,000 declared two years ago. people suffer from the often life- threatening illness. “Once this building has However, unlike in the UK, they risen, others could pop up have no medication, get no sup- in a line along this stretch port and are sometimes shunned of seafront.” by their fellow villagers who think Now, instead of boasting a they’ve been “possessed by the fine new building, the site devil” because of their uncontrol- casts a forlorn shadow lable seizures. across its neighbours. But that’s all changing, thanks Yet there is new hope for to the efforts of one man, a top the Marine Plaza site, as the consultant from Basildon ■ Waiting – long queues of people can often be found at Dr Lisk’s clinic in Freetown, Sierrra Leone Echo reveals today.