Category: Media

The Arts Council England are helping distribute the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, a £1.57 billion fund supporting cultural organisations through the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Emergency Resource Support has been launched for organisations at imminent risk of failure to support them until the end of the year.

Who can apply: Organisations who were financially sustainable before Covid-19 but are now at imminent risk of failure and have exhausted all other options for increasing their resilience.

Grant range: Between £25,000 and £3 million (£1 million for for-profit organisations)

Key dates: Applications are subject to permission to apply being granted. Permission to apply requests will be accepted from 8 July 2021.

Application Open Date: 12pm (midday), 12 July 2021.

Application Deadline: 12pm (midday), 30 September 2021.

Full details can be found at www.artscouncil.org.uk

Grants of up to £1,000 are available to encourage events to be held in Tendring and support local traders and performers.

Tendring District Council (TDC) is making a total pot of £35,000 available to seed fund events, as part of its Back to Business plan.

Alex Porter, TDC Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said the aim was to support a high quality events programme to support the district’s tourism economy.

“We know our local independent businesses have suffered during the pandemic, and this is part of our Back to Business support to re-establish their importance to both our community and visitors,” Councillor Porter said.

“With the anticipated increase in UK holidays due to international travel restrictions, including to Tendring and the Essex Sunshine Coast, we have an opportunity, through a quality events programme, to encourage visitors to stay longer, spend their money within our town centres – and hopefully enthuse them to come back year after year.

“As well as the town centres and businesses we also need to support and nurture the fantastic creative and cultural outlets we have here in Tendring, and by encouraging event organisers to use local artistes and groups will help to promote those sectors across the district.”

Businesses can apply for a grant of either £500 or £1,000 towards events held in town or village centres, or seafronts close to them, which use local traders or performers.

Event organisers must supply cost plans and risk assessments as part of their application, as well as meeting the local criteria, and events are to be held within three months of getting a grant.

To apply to the fund visit www.tendringdc.gov.uk/business/event-grant.

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