June 2, 2019

Nationally renowned husband and wife actor and actress Timothy West and Prunella Scales will be part of a large party of more than 100 people descending on Clacton at the weekend.

The pair are patrons of the National Piers Society (NPS) which is staging its annual meeting in the town for the first time.

The celebrations will be centred around Tendring District Council’s Princes Theatre which will host an evening drink’s reception and quiz on Friday (June 7), the meeting itself on the Saturday afternoon (June 8), followed by a gala dinner and a variety show.

On the Saturday morning members will be going to Clacton Pier for a tour of the newly-refurbished attraction where they will be shown round by owners Billy and Elliot Ball.

Then on Sunday the party will be taken on a trip to Harwich by vintage bus where they will look round the town’s Ha’Penny Pier along with other venues including the LV18 lightship.

Pier Director Billy Ball said that it is a great honour for Clacton to host this prestigious event which will bring business to the town.

“They normally hold their annual meeting weekends in places like Blackpool and Torquay and we are delighted to welcome them to Clacton for the first time,” he said.

“We are looking forward to hosting them on the Pier and taking them around to show them the significant improvements we have made as part of our major investment.

“The majority of people will be staying in the district overnight and spending their money here.”

NPS Chairman Tim Wardley expressed his thanks on behalf of the entire society for the generous sponsorship offered towards the costs of the AGM weekend by Clacton Pier. 

" As a national organisation we work with all coastal communities and seaside piers. Our recent evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee for Revitalising Seaside Towns demonstrated that seaside piers are prime drivers of inward investment to the resorts they serve, and nowhere better is this demonstrated than here at Clacton,” he added.

“The millions of pounds of investment by the Ball family has produced an all-weather, all year attraction that has increased footfall to the resort, encouraged other stakeholders to invest in the town, and really put Clacton back on the map as a family oriented destination for pleasure and fun. 

“I am really looking forward to showing our members the great improvements and investment at Clacton and showing them around one of the great success stories of the pier world. We are delighted to be at Clacton this year". 

(Timothy West - right - is pictured with NPS President Gavin Henderson who is also coming to Clacton)