Uncategorised - Brightlingsea Town Show

Could your photo charm the people of Brightlingsea?

Have you got a snap that looks great? Would you like to take part in a free fun competition as part of the 2024 Brightlingsea Town Show on August Bank Holiday Monday?

To take part, all you have to do is email a single photo on any subject of your choice to photocomp@brightlingseatownshow.org.uk by 5pm on Friday 23 August 2024.

Photos from 2023 People's Choice competition

The competition be judged on show day, with all the entries on display to the public on the screens at the Community Centre.

If you’re looking for inspiration, here are some of the entries from last year’s photo competition.

We look forward to your entry to add to the many we’ve had from the town’s snappers so far. Good luck!

2024 Schedule and Town Show Entry Form now available to download

The Schedule of Classes and Categories for the 2024 Brightlingsea Town Show and Entry Form are now available to download from the Brightlingsea Town Show website.

This year’s schedule has all the usual classes for gardeners, florists, bakers and makers with updated topics for Photography, Floral Art and Children’s categories to spark the imagination of Brightlingsea’s creative minds. You can also download and print out the 2024 entry form from the website.

If you don’t want to do this at home, then printed schedules – together with entry forms – are available from Spirals and Little Boat Gifts and Scarlett’s Wool and Craft Shop for 20p.

But whatever you do, don’t forget to put Bank Holiday Monday, 26 August 2024, into your diary for the show itself. Look forward to seeing you there!

Does your Dog have Brightlingsea’s waggiest tail?

Or does it look great done up in Fancy Dress?

There are plenty of fun categories that you and your four-legged friend can enter at Brightlingsea’s Companion Dog show, part of the annual Town Show being held at Brightlingsea Community Centre on Bank Holiday Monday (28 August 2023).

There are also a range of Pedigree classes for the more serious competitor and a junior handling class for young owners aged 6-15 years.

Registration takes place on the day, with all entries needing to be on the dog show arena at the front of the Community Centre by 12 noon, with judging starting by 12:30pm.

Calling all photographers!

We are looking for Brighlingsea’s photographers to fabulous photos with the Town even if they don’t want to print them and enter them to be “judged” ?

We are trying something new for the 2023 Town Show. – Would you like to share your fabulous photos with the Town but don’t want to print them and enter them to be “judged” ?

If so you can submit them to be shown as part of a digital display of photographs at the show this year.

All digital submissions must be no more than 1MB in size and sent to brightlingseatownshow@gmail.com

They will NOT be considered as “entries”

You can of course still print a hard copy of your photo and enter it in one of the schedule classes for judging in the normal way, in addition to submitting it for digital display should you wish.

We have some fantastic photographers in Brightlingsea and we would love you to be able to share your photos with as many people as possible.

All submissions digital or otherwise must be made by 5pm on 25th August 2023.

Go on, give ot a go!

Take an expert tour of Brightlingsea’s award-winning Lozenge nature reserve

While you’re visiting the Brightlingsea Town Show on August Bank Holiday Monday, why not pop along to the award-winning Lozenge nature reserve, where experts from the British Naturalists Association will be on hand to guide you through the wonderful nature heritage to be found there.

From 11:30am to 4pm there will be a special nature trail competitions for the young people, with prizes to be won for three different age groups:

12-16 year olds
7-11 year olds
age 6 and under

TV naturalist Roger Tabor will be leading the expert team, supported by colleagues from the Cinque Port Liberty of Brightlingsea, to take people around the nature trail and help identify the wide range of wildflowers and minibeasts that are found in the reserve.

If you’ve not been before, the Lozenge can be found at the far end of the Community Centre Car Park, behind the recycling area.

Looking for something to do with the kids in the school holidays?

As the school holidays start, why not keep the kids busy by getting them to make or do something for the Brightlingsea Town show? Entries are free and there’s prize money and trophies to be won

They could make a finger puppet, decorate a pizza, grow cress ‘in an interesting container’ or do anything else in the 14 different classes for children. There are three age groups: pre-school, 4+-7 and 8-12. Each child can enter any or all of the classes they like.

To enter, just go to www.brightlingseatownshow.org.uk/ChildEntry or fill in one of the entry forms available from Spirals or Little Boat Gifts.
The creations don’t have to be ready until the morning of the show – August Bank Holiday (28 Aug) so you have plenty of time to get creative. Why not give it a go and be part of the fun?

About this year’s show

Once again the Annual Town Show will be taking place at the Brightlingsea Community Centre on Bank Holiday Monday 28 August 2023.

Following an enforced 2 year closure owing to the pandemic, the
Show re-commenced the competitive exhibition last August and
sadly saw a massive drop in entries.

In 2019 our President, the renowned broadcaster and presenter Roger Tabor, attended 2 assemblies at the Junior school to give a talk to the pupils on The Lozenge, the Town’s own special Wildlife Area.

This was very well received and attendance on the day showed how much interest had been taken. Whilst at the school Roger also introduced the pupils to the Youth categories within the Schedule of Exhibition Classes encouraging them to enter models, drawings, baking etc. The result was a resounding success.

Roger has already made his 2 visits this year so we can only hope his magic has been worked.

We were pleasantly surprised at the number of Flower Fruit and Veg entries last year despite the very dry and hot summer. So far this year the weather seems determined to repeat it’s attempt to destroy gardens and allotments. It’s up to you to do your best not to let it and bring those entries in to fill the tables.

Handicrafts as usual was a well supported class which our Judge looks forward to each year and despite the beginning rise in the cost of ingredients, Cookery and Preserves gave us a good show.

During the pandemic we were led to believe that anyone owning a camera was out and about photographing all manner of objects, people, places and happenings yet this section did not reach anywhere near the expected entries.

The photography section of the U3A has been approached as prospective exhibitors to ask their opinion. Ongoing talks are taking place between their representative the Photographic Judge and our committee in an effort to update this section of the Show and raise entry numbers. Further information will be available soon and hopefully on a newly created Town Show Facebook.

This will be the 109 th Summer Show. We don’t want it to be the last. The ommittee and volunteers who help out on the day, work hard to keep this Tradition going. Our request to you the residents of Brightlingsea and District is – buy a Schedule, find your subject and get those entries in. Entry forms can be found in the centre of the Schedules on sale at Spirals and Little Boat Gifts.