Sophie England

Weeley FEST4ALL will return to Weeley Playing Field on September 6, offering live music, food stalls, family activities, a dog show and other entertainment. The annual event will raise funds for the 1st Weeley/Little Clacton Scout Group and Weeley in Bloom, with organizers inviting residents from Weeley, Clacton and surrounding communities to attend.

A VJ Day commemorative service will be held at Clacton war memorial on August 15 at 11 a.m., led by Rev David Lower, with readings by Tendring Council chairman Ann Oxley and the Last Post played by bugler Floyd Davis. Local organizers are encouraging residents of all ages to attend and honor those who served in the Far East during the Second World War, highlighting the harsh conditions, separation and lasting sacrifices faced by veterans.

Young people in Clacton will be able to attend a road-safety event at Clacton Shopping Village on August 21, organized by driving instructors Lewis Constantine and Adam Bolton of AB Drive Anchor Clacton Driving School. Supported by Tendring Council, the event will include emergency services, road-safety professionals and supervised 30-minute driving sessions for people aged 15 and over, priced at £30 and requiring advance booking. A competition will also offer £200 worth of driving lessons as the prize.

Clacton Pier will support the Clacton Carnival Association with a three-day discounted attractions and entertainment programme from August 7–9. Families can buy half-price Big Day Out bands for £15, while a free music-synchronised fireworks display will take place on August 9 after the carnival procession. The pier will donate part of the weekend’s proceeds and help convert coins collected during the procession into notes. The 2024 carnival will feature a childhood-favourites theme, and the pier will enter a float.

Tendring Council’s Career Track apprenticeship scheme, established in 1983, has supported more than 500 apprentices over the past decade and currently has 44 participants. The programme recorded a 94% success rate in 2025/26, above the government’s 67% target, with 86% of successful apprentices moving directly into employment. Ofsted rated the provider good, while council partnership boss Gina Placey said the scheme is helping address local education and employment challenges and strengthen the future public-sector workforce.

The Brightlingsea Accessibility Map was successfully trialled at the two-day Brightlingsea Free Music Festival, helping visitors with disabilities, neurodiversity and other access needs find facilities and information. The festival provided a quieter space, baby-changing facilities, additional wheelchair-accessible toilets, improved ramp access and blue-badge parking. Developed by physiotherapist Nicola Stephens as a joint initiative with Brightlingsea WinterFest and support from Brightlingsea Town Council, the scheme has attracted more than 30 local businesses and created maps for three major events.

Brothers Billy and Elliot Ball, owners of Clacton Pier, are opening The Tideaway, a boutique luxury holiday park near St Osyth. Set across seven acres, the development will offer a limited number of luxury lodges and holiday home ownership, with an emphasis on an exclusive, family-oriented experience. The owners expect it to attract more visitors to Clacton, support local shops, restaurants and attractions, and strengthen links with Clacton Pier.

Clacton Pier is offering customers who purchase a £30 Big Day Out Band an unlimited Summer Rides Pass valid throughout August. The pass covers most pier rides, excluding the Go Karts and Big Wheel, and remains valid during special events such as free fireworks displays. General manager Harry Peek said the initiative responds to financial pressures on families and is intended to provide greater value, particularly for local residents during the school holidays.

Families, tenants and residents attended a free community fun day at Rush Green Recreation Ground in Clacton, organized by Tendring Council. Activities included sports, live music, face painting, soft play, a bouncy castle and Shetland ponies, while organizations including Peabody, Essex Police and Essex Fire and Rescue offered information and support. The event also promoted the council’s tenant panel, which helps residents shape housing services. Council leader Mark Stephenson and panel chair Carol McDougall encouraged more tenants and leaseholders, including younger residents, to participate.

Clacton Pier celebrated its 155th birthday with a weekend of family entertainment, giveaways, live music, a permanent history trail and its biggest-ever free fireworks display. The celebrations included 155 discounted ride wristbands, 155 cupcakes, a birthday cake prepared by chef Jon Fraser and history talks by local historian Norman Jacobs. Pier spokesman Nigel Brown and manager Harry Peek praised staff, visitors and the wider pier community for making the event successful, while the new Pier into the Past trail was launched as a permanent feature.

Former Clacton MP and actor Giles Watling will return to the stage after 14 years to appear in Ronald Harwood’s acclaimed play The Dresser during Frinton Summer Theatre’s 2026 season. The production is especially significant because Watling made his professional acting debut at the theatre in 1969. Set during the Second World War, The Dresser follows an ageing Shakespearean actor and his dresser as they struggle to stage King Lear while keeping a touring company together.

Barbara and Les Lagsding celebrated 70 years of marriage at Little Holland Hall care home in Clacton, surrounded by family, friends, residents and staff. The couple, who met at a weekly dance and married in 1956, raised two daughters and later welcomed three grandchildren. They received a congratulatory card from the King and Queen, while care-home manager Sarah Totman praised their enduring warmth and affection. The couple attributed their long marriage partly to giving each other space and choosing the right moment to ask for things.