NEARLY £3 million is being spent on a campaign to persuade Southerners to venture oop North.

Because tourism is so important to us, we sincerely hope it works.

We cannot help expressing our doubts about the style of the TV campaign, however. The adverts rebrand some of our most famous sights, so viewers are pointed to "Katy's Minster" and "Jill and Robin Wood's Bay".

Perhaps they are suckers for this sort of twee nonsense in the Home Counties. If so, we can suggest a few more: how about "Sally's Stonebow House" or "Martin's Micklegate Run"?

Updated: 11:49 Friday, January 14, 2005