Airshow campaigners issue call to arms ahead of crunch meeting

8:59pm Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News

Thomas Curtis and John Delaney from the Save Southend Airshow campaign Thomas Curtis and John Delaney from the Save Southend Airshow campaign

CAMPAIGNERS hoping to save Southend’s airshow have urged people to make their voice heard when the town’s council meets to discuss scrapping tonight (Thursday).


A Facebook page called Save Southend Airshow was set up by Thomas Curtis and John Delaney after Southend Council announced it was looking to scrap the airshow as a cost-cutting measure.


They have now issued a call to arms for residents to join them in a protest outside the Civic Centre from 5.30pm tonight (Thursday)  before the authority takes the decision whether to shut down the show.


In just a few weeks, their online campaign attracted 14,250 “likes” on the social networking site.


Mr Curtis, 29, of Honiton Road, Southend, said: “To vote against the airshow is to give up on Southend; we’re a seaside resort and tourism is one of the best things about the town.


“It’s probably a nightmare scenario for the council to have a lot of people protesting before the meeting but they made the decision and have not made any effort to consult.


“But the end result is that you get people who are passionate and will fight against things – we’ve been bowled over by the support we’ve had for the campaign.


“We urge any supporter of the airshow to join us on tonight to make our voices are heard."

Comments(28)

DogsMessInLeigh says...
9:13pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Did any one go..?

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Carnabackable says...
9:33pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Sorry couldn't find my crystal ball

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Kursaal76 says...
9:43pm Wed 27 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
Did any one go..?
No because it's until thursday

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DogsMessInLeigh says...
10:14pm Wed 27 Feb 13

yeah but no but...its been posted on a Wednesday and says 'tonight'.., ohh well, still time for the 14250 'likes' to muster themselves.

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echoforum says...
10:17pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Lots of questions not answered.
What a bout Airshow 2014?
If we do have the airshow back when the council has some cash.I assume it will cost much more to set up because it will have to be done from scratch rather than the rolling from year to year...so it may be cheaper to keep it going in 2013.

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lennyfy says...
10:20pm Wed 27 Feb 13

Its been dying a slow death over the last few years - Let it go and look for something new

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Nebs says...
10:24pm Wed 27 Feb 13

If the facebook group arrive in cars, will the council use their injunction to make them leave.

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DogsMessInLeigh says...
10:27pm Wed 27 Feb 13

where will they all park..?, 14250 differant likes all in cars...maybe some will fly in.

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Southend65 says...
11:55pm Wed 27 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
where will they all park..?, 14250 differant likes all in cars...maybe some will fly in.
This could be a cunning plan by SBC.

They'll probably get the spy cars in for the meeting and slap £70 fines on each of the the 14.250 cars.

This would raise just over £1 million - enough to pay for the airshow AND a couple more 'temps' at the council.

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Save the Airshow says...
12:20am Thu 28 Feb 13

As the person who set up the campaign to save the Airshow, 5.30pm tonight is D DAY & the very last chance for local people to come to the Civic Centre in Victoria Ave and tell Southend Council they were wrong to cancel the biggest tourist event in the town's calendar.

Millions of pounds have been squandered on bizarre projects. Double the amount of money needed to save the Airshow is to be spent (£250,000) to change the Sealife Centre car park to a barrier pay on exit system to boost tourism.

Given the choice as a tourist on a day out to Southend I would rather watch historic planes like the Spitfire & front line jets like the Typhoon at the Airshow than sit in a car park all day watching a barrier go up and down!

John Delaney - Save Southend Airshow Campaign - http://www.facebook.
com/SaveAirshowSouth
end

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Carnabackable says...
2:11am Thu 28 Feb 13

It's had it's day, time to move on

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pudsey says...
6:26am Thu 28 Feb 13

Cancel it the Council (that,you and me) cant afford it. Let the business's that make money out of it pay for it if their so desperate.

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SARFENDMAN says...
7:03am Thu 28 Feb 13

It's another event that's been sadly consigned to history by SBC. Those who remember those wonderful early years will remember it fondly. It joins the list of other such events as Southend Town Show, Southend Cricket Festival Week, Southend Carnival and Southend Illuminations to mention just a few.

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Shoebury_Cyclist says...
8:01am Thu 28 Feb 13

The council have not 'scrapped' the airshow, they have simply withdrawn their funding. If it is that important to traders I'm sure the those traders will be happy to make up the shortfall so the airshow can still go ahead.

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j-w says...
8:42am Thu 28 Feb 13

Can't disagree with any of the above four posts.

As for the money on car park barriers, yes expensive but all car parks should be pay on exit, much more civilised and no risk of getting a penalty and worrying about cutting short what you are doing to go and visit the ticket machine again, which means all year round businesses are better off as their customers spend more time in the area (free parking would be better still but no chance of that)

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CaptainBlackadder says...
1:01pm Thu 28 Feb 13

pudsey wrote:
Cancel it the Council (that,you and me) cant afford it. Let the business's that make money out of it pay for it if their so desperate.
Agreed

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Nebs says...
1:45pm Thu 28 Feb 13

SARFENDMAN wrote:
It's another event that's been sadly consigned to history by SBC. Those who remember those wonderful early years will remember it fondly. It joins the list of other such events as Southend Town Show, Southend Cricket Festival Week, Southend Carnival and Southend Illuminations to mention just a few.
I watched an old home movie of the illuminations taken in the early 60's last weekend, they looked great.

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Rouge9 says...
3:29pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:
The council have not 'scrapped' the airshow, they have simply withdrawn their funding. If it is that important to traders I'm sure the those traders will be happy to make up the shortfall so the airshow can still go ahead.
the council have said they are unable to fund the shortfall, they have not withdrawn their funding. Therefore, as they find themselves not in a position to fund (willing or otherwise) then they Sadly have to withdraw consent for the event.

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r6keith says...
5:54pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Shoebury_Cyclist wrote:
The council have not 'scrapped' the airshow, they have simply withdrawn their funding. If it is that important to traders I'm sure the those traders will be happy to make up the shortfall so the airshow can still go ahead.
I am not so sure the traders would be prepared to cover the shortfall as you call it ! Ive been to quite a few air shows and I have not really spent very much money down the front while there. I am sure there are plenty of other similar show attendees who do not spend much while at the show either..

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Carnabackable says...
7:39pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Please, no more awful airshows, making horrendous noise pollution, with a handful of war birds, I have a mooring off thorpe bay, would love to be able to hear myself breath again, during that awful weekend

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DogsMessInLeigh says...
9:38pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Kursaal76 wrote:
DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
Did any one go..?
No because it's until thursday
Dozens turned up..(says the echo)..what happened to the 14250 likes..?

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lottie31 says...
10:36pm Thu 28 Feb 13

DogsMessInLeigh wrote:
Did any one go..?
my 2 children, my aunt and me went. My eldest son who is 5 made a banner with the help of my youngest who is 2. The echo took pictures of them and its already been put on the save the southend airshow fb group. My future anarchist in the making lol. not a great turn out though :(

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Carnabackable says...
11:18pm Thu 28 Feb 13

Byeseebye to the Southend airshow
For it will be no more, it's gotto go go.

Byeseebye to the old black bin bags
Hello to the blue, for yer old loved, glad rags.

Byeseebye to the spy car moaners
they're out n about catching yellow line roamers.

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Save the Airshow says...
4:59am Fri 1 Mar 13

Having sat through 5 hours of the full council debating the 2013 Budget etc which included the scrapping of the Airshow I can totally confirm - HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!

The spy car could be scrapped saving £180,000 a year with no job losses & twice as many people doing the job on bikes outside schools etc where needed most (that cut alone would have saved the largest single tourist event to the town - The Airshow) and as for the rest of the night GOD HELP US!!!!!

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Save the Airshow says...
5:17am Fri 1 Mar 13

Having sat through 5 hours of the full council meeting tonight I have to say I am amazed some of these councillors were ever elected!

The "CCTV Spy Car" could be scrapped saving £180,000 (more than the cost of the Airshow) with no job losses & put the 4 members of staff that run it out on bikes covering twice as many schools etc doing the same job but with more compassion for motorists that have broken down or had a puncture etc which was proposed by a councillor yet was poo poo'd by other councillors.

The FREE black bin liners can be bought cheaper at Tesco's than from Cory who supply the Council so they voted to scrap them - Why don't the council just give Tesco a call re a bulk order?

Frankly I was appauled at the council meeting & the scary thing is we voted for these councillors, and as was pointed out tonight there was no real effort made to save the Airshow via contacting potential sponsors etc and it seems the council thinks the way forward is to attract tourists from abroad etc via the Airport - News for the Council it is going to be a very long time before people say Paris, Milan, New York, Rome, Southend..........

Disgusted at how poorly the whole council works in general, it truly is appauling!!!!

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Carnabackable says...
8:22am Fri 1 Mar 13

Forget the bloodi airshow, it's history - thank God, time to distance ourselves from that monstrous spectacle called a good weekender, get a life.

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Letmetryagain says...
10:02am Sun 3 Mar 13

It's not just in this country where there are cut backs on airshows.

The US Thunderbirds are not doing any displays in 2013 after April, and the Blue Angels have had their schedule cut right back.

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Campbell's dad says...
5:44pm Mon 4 Mar 13

I think you may also find that the airport did not want it in case it disrupts their flights. That's why SBC managed to make a decision so quickly & leave little time for the public to protest/let their thoughts be known. But I fear that once it misses a year, it will be gone for ever. Still you can watch, hear and smell the orange planes any time from 0630 till way past 23.00, they just all look the same as more people take their tourist money abroad.

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