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Training sessions teaching young people to safely swim in the sea are returning to the district this summer.

Swim Safe, a national practical outdoor water safety programme developed by Swim England and the RNLI, teaches children water awareness among the waves and is backed by the Tendring Water Safety Forum.

Public sessions will be held at Martello Beach, Clacton, with four sessions each day from 16-20 August.

Tendring District Council (TDC) is funding the sessions and its swim instructors will run the classes, which are open to those aged 7-14-years-old.

Alex Porter, TDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said it was an important skill for people to learn.

“Swimming in the sea is very different to doing laps of the pool, no matter how strong you are, and these sessions help people to learn the difference and stay safe,” Councillor Porter said.

“By being able to recognise the warning signs of danger at the sea, and understand your own limitations, everyone can Swim Safe in the sea this summer.”

Graeme Richardson, Area Lifesaving Manager for the RNLI, added how vital it was to give young people this information.

“The sea can be a very beautiful place, especially over the summer, but it is all too easy to forget just how dangerous it can also be,” Mr Richardson said.

“There are a number of different things to think about when on the beach or swimming in the sea such as tide times and wave patterns, and these Swim Safe sessions are just one way in which we can remind our young people to stay safe and treat the sea with respect.”

Public sessions are also being held in Harwich, funded by the Harwich Haven Authority, with both organisations working in partnership with Swim England and the RNLI to deliver Swim Safe.

A Swim Safe session lasts an hour. Young people spend time learning about the differences between swimming in a pool and in the sea, what the safety flags mean and how to get help if it is needed, before heading into the water to practise safety skills.

To sign up for a session go to www.swimsafe.org.uk.

Tours are being held of Clacton’s historic Princes Theatre to mark the venue’s 90th anniversary.

The guided tours will be led by theatre staff, explaining the history of the venue and about how a modern theatre operates, and include behind the curtain and backstage access.

Designed in 1926, construction began two years later and the theatre was officially opened in 1931 sitting within the Grade II-listed Clacton Town Hall.

The tours form part of the Clacton 150 programme of events, marking the 150th birthday of Clacton as a town. It is free to attend, but tickets must be booked in advance so numbers can be managed effectively.

The Princes Theatre, run by Tendring District Council (TDC) will also host an historical walk through of the history of Clacton On-Sea with unseen photographs and slide show.

Alex Porter, TDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said the tours promised to be fascinating.

“Whether you love history in general, or the mystique of the theatre, I heartily recommend going on a tour of the Princes Theatre,” Councillor Porter said.

“This will be a great morning or afternoon where you can reminisce and connect with the history and heritage of both the theatre and Clacton.”

Tours take place at 10am and 1pm on Sunday, 11 July, and refreshments will be available.

Tickets can be booked, for free, from the Princes Theatre’s new-look website at www.princestheatre.co.uk, by calling 01255 68 66 33 (Option 1), or visiting the Box Office at Clacton Town Hall between 10am-1pm Monday-Wednesday.

The Clacton 150 celebrations received £250,000 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

People and businesses are encouraged to hold their own events and activities to celebrate Clacton 150, and share details with the co-ordinating team at clacton150@tendringdc.gov.uk.

A game encouraging people to walk, run and cycle between checkpoints is coming to Clacton this summer – with the town converted to a virtual playground.

Tendring District Council (TDC) has partnered with Street Tag to bring the physical activity scheme to the town as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations.

Street Tag sees a number of virtual ‘check in’ points put up around the area, with people earning points for tagging in using the app and travelling between them in a physically active way. Points can also be earned by completing online fitness classes.

With the option of teaming up – encouraging families to get involved – those at the top of the leader board win prizes, while there are also school and care home competitions, all with separate leader boards to the community challenge.

Alex Porter, TDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said he hoped the scheme would encourage families and people of all ages to get out and about.

“Street Tag is a great incentive to get out and explore your local area – at the same time as improving your physical health and mental wellbeing by being active, and of course helping the environment by ditching the car,” Councillor Porter said.

“With so much going on this summer with the Clacton 150 anniversary, and Octopus Ahoy across the district, there are so many good reasons to get out and about.”

Tags will be placed along popular walking routes and open spaces from Jaywick Sands to Holland-on-Sea. People can experience the local heritage and history of Clacton through audio, video, pictures, and text by going on Monument Tours in Augmented Reality within the Street Tag App.

Seun Oshinaike, Street Tag Founder, said: “We are excited to be forging partnerships that help families and communities get physically active in a fun, sustainable, and accessible way.”

The Clacton 150 celebrations received £250,000 from the National Heritage Lottery Fund, and Street Tag is one of the initiatives within the overall project.

For more information on Street Tag visit www.streettag.co.uk, and download the app on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

Schools looking to get involved should e-mail meenakshi@streettag.co.uk or fill an online form at www.streettag.co.uk/schools to express their interest.

Whilst we would love to bring you a full Airshow line-up and ground event this year, unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions throughout the planning stages this couldn’t happen.

However, this year’s event will be replaced by the Clacton 150 anniversary flights.  The Red Arrows will fly over Clacton on two days this summer to commemorate the town’s 150th anniversary. Along with the world-renowned Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF), the ace Royal Air Force (RAF) display team will grace the skies on August 26 and 27.

Further details will be shared in the coming weeks.

To keep updated, visit our website www.clactonairshow.com, follow Twitter @ClactonAirshow or our Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/320800229709780/?active_tab=about or for more information about the Clacton 150 commemoration events log on to www.tendringdc.gov.uk/Clacton150

Seven beaches in Tendring have been handed prestigious awards by Keep Britain Tidy – including three of the top Blue Flags.

Beaches at Brightlingsea, Dovercourt Bay, Harwich, Frinton, Walton-on-the-Naze and the town’s Albion beach, and Martello Bay in Clacton have all been given Seaside Awards in recognition of their quality.

In addition the beaches at Dovercourt Bay, Brightlingsea and Walton’s Albion beach kept their Blue Flag status, which Walton was awarded for the first time last year.

It means all Tendring seafronts have kept their accreditation from 2020.

Alex Porter, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism at Tendring District Council (TDC), said the awards were well-deserved recognition of the beauty of the area’s seafronts.

“The Essex Sunshine Coast is stunning, a brilliant asset for residents, visitors and the whole tourism industry,” Councillor Porter said.

“Recognising this is why we invest so much into them, with our Beach Patrol service in the high season, regular improvements to seafronts and promenades, or creating and protecting them with new beaches and cliff stabilisation projections.

“The awards are a great advert for the Essex Sunshine Coast, and it must be recognised that it is not easy to keep Blue Flag and Seaside Award status.

“Due to the Covid-19 restrictions we are anticipating a busy summer season – possibly the busiest ever – and these awards will boost that. We have been preparing for some time for this possible influx, and hope it will help our district get back to business.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “This year, more than ever, we are going to be relying on our country’s beautiful beaches to escape for a much-needed break after all the stresses and strains of the past year.

“Last year, due to the pandemic, we did not have the opportunity to celebrate all the great award-winning beaches around the coast so this year we are delighted to have even more winners than we did in 2019, thanks to the incredible work of the teams around the country that make our beaches clean and safe for us all to enjoy.

“From environmental education for the local community and ensuring responsible beach use, to cleaning regimes and an increasing number of recycling facilities, it is a full-time commitment to create beaches worthy of these awards.

“As we all plan our 2021 holidays much closer to home, thanks to the Blue Flag and Seaside Award those choosing to holiday at a destination with an award-winning beach can be assured it will be clean and safe and meet the highest standards for water quality and management.”