Things you didn't know about... Bournemouth

They're a happy bunch in Bournemouth
A study last year found that a whopping 82 per cent of Bournemouth's residents describe themselves as happy—that's four out of five people who took part. They said they were pleased with the beaches, buzzing nightlife and pretty scenery.

Bournemouth gives you an Eyeful
It's not just London that has an "eye"—Bournemouth's is a big hot air balloon, permanently harnessed within the Lower Gardens, which pops tourists into an attached gondola and whisks them to dizzy heights 150 m (500 ft) above town. Perfect for a different angle on sightseeing, and if you're ever lost in Bournemouth—just scan the skies for the Eye.

Bournemouth is set to become the new Hawaii...
... thanks to a new artificial surf reef. The reef, designed to create waves up to 2.4 m (8 ft), is to be made from giant sandbags. So wax your board and book a space out to sea!

They light a lot of candles in Bournemouth
Well, they do in August, when Flowers by Candlelight in Bournemouth Gardens takes place on the first four Wednesday nights of the month. Dating back more than 100 years, this is a tradition where children light 15,000 or so candles in coloured jars, in memory of Princess Eugenie of France, who visited Bournemouth in the 1890s and was given a similar glowing welcome.

Bournemouth's flights of fancy
The town hosts an annual event whose participants think they can fly. The Bognor Regis Birdman is a contest for human-made flying machines, in which people leap off Bournemouth pier attached to all manner of gadgets. There is a prize for the greatest distance "flown", currently standing at just under 90 m (300 ft).

Bournemouth is where Big Brother is watching you
This was the first town to be fitted with CCTV, back in 1985.

Percy Shelley left his heart in Bournemouth
Literally. It's said that, although the ashes of the famous poet are in Rome, his heart was removed and buried in Bournemouth's St Peter's churchyard, alongside his wife, Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, and her famous philosopher parents, Mary Wollstonecraft and William Godwin. Shelley's family had a summer home in Bournemouth, and his nearest and dearest were determined to see that at least a part of him never left...