AMBITIOUS plans have been revealed to resurrect Southend’s beloved airshow.

A group of determined volunteers are on a mission to raise £500,000 to revive the event, ten years after it was axed.

The newly-formed Southend Airshow Group has pledged to make the event free for all, amid hopes it could be staged on an annual basis from 2024.

It comes after families’ eyes turned to the skies over the weekend with a “mini-airshow” made up of Red Arrows and the Battle of Britain Memorial flight, with the aircraft based at Southend Airport.

Southend Council leader Stephen George told the Echo earlier this week the authority did not have the cash available to bring back the city’s air show.

But the new group of volunteers has set about planning to solve the funding headache by launching a campaign to raise £500,000 needed to stage the event.

Alex Penn, vice-chair of the Southend Airshow Group, said: “The timing is right and is exactly what our newly-appointed city deserves.

“We have got people with experience in business, aviation, marketing, and social media. We have come armed to the teeth with skilled people with knowledge in many areas.”

When asked by the Echo how the group would come up with the huge funds needed to pull the project off, Mr Penn said: “We are going to raise funds through sponsorships with local and national businesses, grants, donations from residents, and selling merchandise such as T-shirts and stationery.”

Organisers have yet to hold discussions with Essex Police, but are open to paying for private security to ease any burdens on the force.

Southend’s airshow was last held in 2012, with 300,000 visitors flocking to the seafront to marvel at the Red Arrows, RAF Falcons, a Vulcan bomber, a British Airways Concorde, and a host of other amazing aircraft.

The show had run for a consecutive 27 years but was cancelled as the council made budget cutbacks.

In 2014, a failed bid to revive the show fell short if its targeted £220,000 fundraising goal.

Mr Penn, who is a former police volunteer, said: “We are entirely dedicated to keeping it free.

“Southend was one of Europe’s largest air shows, and that’s what we wanted it to be. We didn’t want to change that very important element of its identity.

“I used to go to every single air show. The only one I had to miss when I was ill. My granddad put up a ladder on top of his garage and we watched it from there.”

He added: “Every year it was packed out with hundreds of thousands of people enjoying themselves with these incredible aircraft and we want to recreate that.

“We aim to have all the old favourites, we want the Red Arrows, the Falcons and those big names to draw in as many people as possible.”

The volunteers are set to meet with the former flight director of the old Southend shows later this week to discuss plane bookings.

For more information visit www.officialsouthendairshow.co.uk