Tag: clacton-on-sea

Exciting new designs unveiled for Clacton Civic Quarter project

Exciting new designs unveiled for Clacton Civic Quarter project

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

Updated designs have been released for the exciting Clacton Civic Quarter project as part of a second public consultation.

This ambitious development aims to transform key sites the heart of Clacton town centre, and Tendring District Council (TDC) is eager to hear your thoughts on the latest plans for the Carnarvon Terrace part of the scheme.

The new designs – developed following valuable feedback from the initial consultation to ensure the project meets the needs and aspirations of the community – include up to 28 modern homes, a vibrant mixed-use civic and community space, creative workspaces, and a replacement High Street car park, with no loss of parking spaces.

Councillor Ivan Henderson, TDC Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism said: “We are excited to share these refined designs with the public.

“This project is a cornerstone of our vision for Clacton, providing new homes, business opportunities, and community spaces which will improve quality of life.

“Your feedback is crucial in shaping a development that truly benefits our residents.”

The Clacton Civic Quarter project is part of a broader £30million initiative, funded by a nearly £20million government grant. This includes an Essex County Council multi-storey skills, learning and cultural centre at the current Clacton Library site, featuring a new library, Adult Community Learning Centre, local registration services, and a range of other local partners.

The online consultation runs until Wednesday, 23 October 2024 and can be found on the TDC website at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/consultations.

For more details on the updated designs and to see a summary of changes since the previous consultation, visit the project page on the council’s website at www.tendringdc.gov.uk/luf-blocks/clacton-civic-quarter.

Clacton to host spectacular Tour Series round in May

Clacton to host spectacular Tour Series round in May

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

The Tour Series, the fun, free and family-friendly cycling event, will put on a spectacular show by the sea this spring when it heads to Clacton.

 

Britain’s leading men’s and women’s riders will head to Tendring for round five of the 2022 series on Thursday 19 May, adding to Clacton’s already strong ties to the sport.

The Women’s Tour, the UK’s most prestigious international women’s cycle race, held a stage finish there for the third time in seven years in October 2021 while the men’s Tour of Britain visited in 2017.

Clacton will become only the third venue – after Colchester and Stoke-on-Trent – to have hosted the Tour of Britain, Women’s Tour and Tour Series. All three events are delivered by event organiser SweetSpot.

This new-for-2022 round will take place in the heart of Clacton, starting and finishing in sight of the sea on Pier Avenue. It will pass through the town centre before running alongside the town’s ferris wheel, pavilion and pier on Marine Parade East. Not only will fans get to see the action multiple times during the hour-long men’s and women’s races, the 1.4-kilometre circuit will offer two sightings per lap to anybody watching on from the Town Square.

Now in its 13th year, the Tour Series remains unique in professional cycling owing to its team-based format. Last year’s series saw the Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling and CAMS – Basso teams crowned as the men’s and women’s champions respectively; both are expected to race for glory in Clacton in May.

Highlights of both the men’s and women’s races will once again be broadcast on ITV4.

Mick Bennett, Tour Series race director, said: “We love being beside the seaside so bring on the Clacton-on-Sea round of this year’s Tour Series! It’s going to be another day of thrilling, unpredicted and engaging sporting action, all available to enjoy for free! Tendring District Council are among the leading supporters of cycling in the UK and their contribution to supporting family-friendly, free-to-watch events deserves a lot of praise.”

Councillor Alex Porter, Tendring District Council Cabinet Member for Leisure and Tourism, said: “Having staged the Tour of Britain and the Women’s Tour, it is fitting to now host a round of the Tour Series and we can’t wait to see the action unfold around Clacton town centre. We’re looking for the local community and businesses to engage so we can really put on a show for everyone and display how wonderful the town is.”

Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com – 23/05/2019 – Cycling – OVO Energy Tour Series – Round 6: Salisbury –

Four rounds for the 2022 series have already been announced: Guisborough will host the opener once again on Bank Holiday Monday (2 May), with Sunderland also returning for a second year running on Tuesday 10 May. In between them will be a first-ever visit to the Scottish Borders, as Galashiels stages round three on Wednesday 4 May.

The series will visit London for the first time since 2018 when Barking hosts what promises to be one of the quickest rounds in history on Saturday 21 May. Further details of this year’s series will be announced in the coming weeks.

With two months remaining until the action gets underway there are a range of sponsorship opportunities available with the Tour Series for 2022. Packages range from the title partnership of the event to sponsorship of individual classifications or awards and digital and broadcast opportunities. Visit sweetspotgroup.co.uk/partnerships/for more.

Winning Octopus Ahoy! sculpture arrives in Clacton by jet ski

Winning Octopus Ahoy! sculpture arrives in Clacton by jet ski

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

Children have been making waves in a sculpture design competition as part of the summer art trail project Octopus Ahoy!  The art and charity event features more than 100 octopus sculptures and has been organised to celebrate Clacton’s 150th anniversary and 400 years since the Mayflower set sail to the New World from Harwich.  The octopuses will create a public art trail across north Essex.

Winning school
Primary schools were invited to take part in the celebration of art, culture and history.  Now the array of large professionally painted and smaller community painted octopus sculptures will propel their way across Essex to form an art trail across high profile locations for residents and visitors to follow.

A total of 60 school-designed sculptures took their seats at the Electric Palace cinema in Harwich for the final judging with a panel from Clacton Pier choosing the winner.

Nigel Brown, who was head of the judging panel from Clacton Pier, said: “We chose Holland Haven Primary School as we like the design, the name of Unity and the fact they have incorporated a large number of pupils’ drawings into the one octopus.”

Head teacher of Holland Haven Primary School Due Bardetti, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have the winning octopus.  The children have thoroughly enjoyed producing designs to be part of the final sculpture. They were thrilled when we told them we had won and we are excited about the presentation.”

The winning sculpture design was delivered by TDC’s Clacton Beach Patrol via sea from the Martello Tower to Clacton Pier to applause from the school children watching on the beach.

Clacton Beach Patrol

Katie Skingle, director at KAT Marketing, who are delivering the Octopus Ahoy! project on behalf of Tendring Council, said: “The energy the schools have put into their sculpture designs has been incredible.  The pupils have really loved getting stuck in and that enthusiasm shines through with the quality of the designs that have come back to us.  “They are going to look fantastic when they hit their venues on June 25.”

The Clacton Breeze open top bus was also unveiled at Clacton Pavilion this weekend by Clacton Rocks and the Octopus Ahoy! crew.
Octo bus

The Octo-bus marked the start of the Clacton Rock bus routes heading around town this summer.

Davina Langley, marketing manager at Hedingham Omnibuses, said: “We are thrilled to re-launch our Clacton Breeze Bus Tours and join forces with Octopus Ahoy! as it’s a fabulous way to take in the town and beautiful seaside”

The free Octopus Ahoy! app is now available to download from Apple and Android stores from today.  The app will help people to plan their route and list which prizes they want to scan and win via the QR codes at the bottom of each octopus base.

The free activity will lead to prizes ranging from octopus keyrings to free afternoon teas.

 

(Information and images from Clacton Gazette 01/06/2021).

Celebration-on-sea!  The 150th anniversary of the founding of Clacton-on-Sea

Celebration-on-sea!  The 150th anniversary of the founding of Clacton-on-Sea

Posted on by Sarah Daniells

Clacton 150
2021 is the year Clacton-on-Sea celebrates its 150th anniversary and to commemorate this momentous occasion the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) are funding a seafront heritage trail in Tendring from Jaywick Sands to Holland Haven but also incorporating Clacton town centre to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Clacton-on-Sea. The trail will cover over 5 miles of beautiful coastline and will include new technology to help bring it to life as well as a fun and engaging way to convey Clacton’s story. Listening benches and audio posts will also be added to join and connect individuals with the stories of Clacton through the years.

Octopus Ahoy!

There are many other projects and celebratory events linked with the trail some of which includes:
Octopus Ahoy! art sculptures. As part of the celebrations, for 10 weeks in this summer of 2021, from 25th June to 5th September, the Octopus Ahoy! art sculptures will form a public art trail across Harwich, Tendring and the wider Essex area to celebrate 150 Years of Clacton and the Mayflower 400™️. To take part, download the Octopus Ahoy! app this summer and win prizes for scanning each octopus whilst enjoying locating the sculptures and admiring the amazing art by local artists. Visit www.octopusahoy.co.uk for more information.

Octopus Ahoy

A flower feature to mark the celebrations will be on display in the chain plot located next to the stunning memorial garden along Clacton’s seafront. The Memorial Garden contains beds with high quality formal bedding displays and a central area with seating around a War Memorial to those who died in the First and Second World Wars. This garden is a popular meeting place for both residents and visitors.

Memorial Gardens

Clacton150 Anniversary Wheel. Clacton Pavilion has installed an observation wheel which towers above Clacton’s seafront to mark the celebrations. The wheel consists of 24 gondolas, with many adapted for wheelchair access, and can hold a total of 144 guests at a time. Tickets can be purchased individually; however, afternoon teas will also be available to pre book which includes a ride on the anniversary wheel for free. Visit www.clactonpavilion.co.uk for more information.

Clacton 150 Wheel beach view

To keep up to date and for more information on the celebrations visit our page our Visit our Clacton150 web page, log on to our Clacton150 Facebook page or email us at clacton150@tendringdc.gov.uk

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