Four new specialist toilet and changing facilities have opened along the Essex Sunshine Coast.
Changing Places facilities have been built in Brightlingsea, Clacton, Frinton and Holland-on-Sea by Tendring District Council (TDC).
A Changing Places facility is for people who cannot use traditional disabled toilets and include hoists, height-adjustable changing tables and sinks, and shower facilities too.
Grant funding of £300,000 from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities paid for the new facilities in Brightlingsea, Clacton and Holland Haven; while Essex County Council’s Short Breaks service, which supports disabled children in the county, funded the site in Frinton.
Full details of the locations of Changing Places facilities, and how to access them, can be found on the national website at www.changing-places.org/find.
On Saturday evening there will be a viewing area overlooking the stage which will run on the promenade below Marine Parade East. It starts just beyond the Connaught Gardens area and finishes a few hundred meters before the pier. There is no charge for this and you can also get close to the cars as they make their way from the Service Area to the start.
A downloadable version of this map is available from this link
Sunday
On Sunday there will be two dedicated spectator areas, with facilities including catering, toilets and programme sales. The charge is per car, per location and is inclusive of its passengers.
Please note tickets are not transferable between the two stages. You are welcome to visit each spectator area and will need to pay the fee at each.
Ship Hill
This will be the first stage on Sunday. It’s a well-established site with smooth parking, extensive viewing area, 5,000 capacity, established outside caterers and a small covered bar area for all users. It’s also the location for VIP hospitality.
There will be commentary whilst the stages are live and trade stands including Motor Sport UK.
The cost is £15 per car and passengers for the whole day with the option to leave and return to the same spectator area (please retain your ticket). The aim is to have electronic payment available, but please bring cash in case of any technical issues, bearing in mind it’s in a field.
Advance tickets: Available here online from Black Jacket Group.
Access is by one way traffic down Mill Lane.
A downloadable version of this map is available from this link
Wick Road
This stage has considerably improved viewing for 2022. The entrance is a little bumpy, so not recommended for very low-slung cars but the parking area is firm established grass.
Important note: Access and egress involves crossing the stage. This naturally means you must be in place before the start of the stage and cannot leave until it has finished, so please study the indicative timetable which accompanies the map below. There will be a time window between each running of the stage to allow you in and out.
The cost is £10 per car per car and passengers for the whole day with the option to leave and return to the same spectator area (please retain your ticket).
A downloadable version of this map is available from this link
Programme
You’ll be able to obtain a full colour souvenir programme at the spectator areas with feature articles and the entry list.
Dogs
We welcome well behaved canine rally fans, strictly on leads at all times, with responsible (mess collecting) owners. Dogs may find the sudden loud noise of rally cars unsettling. Please consider very carefully whether such an environment is suitable for your dog, based on your knowledge of your pet.
Some of the world’s best cyclists will pass through Colchester town centre as they take in a whistle-stop tour of north Essex as part of a prestigious race.
SweetSpot Group has announced the routes for the upcoming Women’s Tour 2021, the penultimate stage of which will see 16 teams race from Colchester’s Northern Gateway Sports Park to Clacton.
Riders will first complete a lap of the closed road circuit at the sports park before heading into the town centre where spectators will be able to watch from behind barriers.
The 95.5km route will then take riders through Ardleigh to Elmstead, before heading through Wivenhoe, Alresford, Thorrington and Brightlingsea.
It then travels into St Osyth before passing Clacton, where spectators will once again be able to cheer riders on.
Cyclists will complete a loop through Holland, Thorpe and Manningtree before ending up in Clacton once again.
Paul Dundas, leader of Colchester Council, said: “With Stage 5 of this international event beginning at Colchester’s new Northern Gateway Sports Park, it’s an excellent opportunity to showcase the excellent cycling facilities we can all now enjoy in the borough.
“As the route passes through our historic town centre, we look forward to seeing residents, visitors, schools and businesses join us to cheer on the riders as they race towards the finish line in Clacton.”
Alex Porter, Tendring Council’s leisure and tourism boss, said: “We know from the previous years we have hosted this elite race just what a spectacle it is, an event enjoyed by both dedicated cycling fans and newcomers to the sport as well.”
The Colchester to Clacton race takes place on Friday, October 8. Visit www.womenstour.co.uk.
