Tag: Clacton Airshow

Council commits to Clacton Airshow for four years

Council commits to Clacton Airshow for four years

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

Clacton Airshow will go ahead for the next four years under a commitment made today (Friday, 25 January).

A Cabinet meeting held at event organisers Tendring District Council (TDC) agreed to run a Clacton Airshow annually up to and including 2027 during a meeting this morning.

Clacton Airshow – which is staging its 31st event this year on 22-23 August – regularly attracts 250,000 visitors over the two days, and is worth an estimated £12.2million to the local economy.

Clacton Airshow Crowd

Ivan Henderson, TDC Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, said the four-year decision put the event on a more sustainable footing.

“Clacton Airshow is a fantastic event, there is no doubt about that, and gives a huge added value to the district economy,” Cllr Henderson said.

“It also involves a serious commitment of money, time and resources from this council; all things we – like local authorities up and down the country – do not have endless supplies of and need to carefully consider where we use them.

“The economic benefits, and the smiles on people’s faces as they turn their eyes to the skies, make Clacton Airshow a worthwhile investment. By committing to it for four years, instead of annually, means the brilliant team that puts it together can benefit from economies of scale and explore further income options to reduce its cost to the council – safeguarding its future going forward.

“We are confident this will be a welcome decision, not only from the hundreds of thousands of flight fans, but also from local residents who told us in our recent Corporate Plan consultation that the event was something they were proud of. Indeed, this meets Our Vision theme of promoting our offer and attracting visitors to the area.”

The decision does not mean that the Airshow will end in 2027, but will be subject to a further review and commitment.

Keep up to date at www.clactonairshow.com

Couple looking up at the sky
Clacton Airshow set for landmark 30th event

Clacton Airshow set for landmark 30th event

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

Planning is underway for this year’s Clacton Airshow, which is marking its 30th event. Tendring District Council’s Airshow organising team is planning options with its flight director partners TSA Consulting Ltd to make the landmark an extra-special event on 24-25 August. Flight organisations such as the RAF are assessing our bids for flight displays.

The 29th Clacton Airshow, held on 25-26 August last year, saw one of the event’s busiest-ever days on day two. The flight display included the RAF Red Arrows (sponsored by Lightspeed Broadband), the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (sponsored by Befibre) and a twilight display on the first evening.

Drone footage taken during the 2022 Airshow has been revealed this week on the Essex Sunshine Coast social media channels and the Clacton Airshow website. TDC worked with the flight director team to fly the drone shortly before the Red Arrows took to the Clacton skies on the second day of the 2022 event, and will use the footage to promote the area. It is thought to be the first time a drone has been flown at the Clacton Airshow, which has strictly controlled airspace for safety reasons, and the video reveals the scale of crowds at the 29th event.

Exciting events calendar takes shape across Tendring

Exciting events calendar takes shape across Tendring

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

A bumper line-up of events is shaping up across Tendring, in a boost for local residents, businesses and tourists alike.

Kick-started with the Illuminate Festival in Historic Harwich last week (25 March), the calendar has something for everyone over the next few months.

Next month (23-24 April) will see the return of the Corbeau Seats motor rally – forming the first round of the British Rally Championship – which this year sees the introduction of a new twilight stage on day one along Clacton seafront, perfect for spectators, as well as the usual stages and two spectator areas around the rest of Tendring. (Illustrative light art image courtesy of Kevin Jay and Michael Simmans.)

Meanwhile it was announced earlier this week that a round of the Tour Series will hit the streets of Clacton on 19 May, seeing pro cyclists take on laps of the town centre in a fast-paced and viewer-friendly event.

In the height of the summer it will be all eyes to the skies for the return of the Clacton Airshow with a full throttle programme. Now in its 29th year the Airshow is taking place over 25-26 August with twilight flights on day one, and ongoing negotiations with the Red Arrows about appearing on both days – with the RAF display team already including the event on its initial calendar for the year.

Alex Porter, Tendring District Council (TDC) Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said events played a vital role in the area’s economy.

“We have some amazing, top-class events going on this year – with these just some of the highlights, each of which has more going on around it and all of which are free for people to enjoy,” Councillor Porter said.

“You can keep up to date on what’s on, whether a TDC event or other local activities, by downloading the LoveTendring app and following our social media channels, both the council’s and the Essex Sunshine Coast too.

“It’s important that we don’t lose sight of what these events bring to our district. Not only are they fantastic spectacles for our own residents to enjoy, but they support the visitor economy by encouraging tourists to Tendring where they can spend money in our local businesses too.”

The LoveTendring app is free to download on both Apple and Android devices.