A TOWN will come together to celebrate the life of a popular teenager a year on from the “horrible” day he drowned at sea.

Charity Essex Hands, which picks a different cause to support every year, is set to host its biggest event yet.

It will remember and celebrate the life of Ben Quartermaine, 15, who drowned after getting into difficulty in the waters off Clacton Pier.

His body was found on July 28 last year.

On Sunday, A charity football match will be held between Arsenal’s charity team and an Essex Hands side, at Clacton FC in Rush Green Road.

Essex Hands players include former Tottenham Hotspur player Steven Slade, ex snooker player Mark King and celebrities Luke White, Twin MCs, Jason Burrell, Dean Ralph, Ben Jardine, Gary Beadle and Sen Monro.

Arsenal’s charity team includes former players Chris Whyte, Jimmy Carter, Ian Selley and Brian Hornsby.

Dave Cole and his team at Essex Services will deliver two tonnes of sand to the ground to set up a makeshift beach for the event, featuring real palm trees.

More than 200 rocks have been painted ahead of a stone hunt for youngsters.

Live music from talented singers and musicians includes Lydia Lucy, Craig Harvey, Mike Carran, Abbie Hartley and Liberty Grant.

Convincing stormtroopers from the UK Garrison of the 501st Legion will give Star Wars fans a buzz.

Teenager Albert Caller, who was rescued from the sea after venturing into the waters with Ben, will be the event’s mascot.

Organiser Marion Knight said: “He is a little nervous but I think looking forward to it, I feel for him as he will live with it for the rest of his life.

“It makes me shiver thinking about what happened and that he could have died too.

“I have seen the whole Clacton community pull together and show that we all want to remember Ben - we are never going to forget him.

“Look at the new sea safety classes - there are good things coming out of this which will protect other children and prevent this from happening again.”

The Ben Quartermaine Remembrance Day will take place on Sunday, running from 11am until 5pm.

A candle-lighting ceremony will be led by Ben’s family on Saturday, starting at the Royal Hotel, in Marine Parade East, and continuing to the pier at 11pm to mark the night Ben went missing. For details, go to essexhands.uk.