RESIDENTS, councillors, and community volunteers are adamant Christmas will not be completely cancelled this year, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown back in March, thousands of events and public gatherings across the country have been unable to go ahead.

Many have been rescheduled to take place at later dates, while others have been scrapped by organisers all together, as a result of fluctuating case figures.

In Tendring, attention is now turning to the festive season, and whether certain Christmas events will go ahead like normal, or if they will be cancelled.

One of the more traditional occasions on the Clacton Christmas calendar is the annual Christmas Day Swim, which sees hundreds race into the chilly seawaters.

Dean Mills, from Clacton, who braves the icy-cold swim every year, believes the pandemic will not succeed in diminishing the turnout.

“I think it is important that Christmas goes ahead as normal as possible, but everyone just needs to be a bit more cautious,” he said.

“Coronavirus is not going to stop me from doing the swim, and I am sure most others who do it every year will be the same.

“There is plenty of room on the beach for everyone to social distance and spread out, so I imagine there will be just as many people there as normal.

“I would be gutted if the police said we could not do it, but I still think people would do it anyway.”

In Frinton and Walton, it understood this year’s Christmas lights switch-on will not be going ahead, but the Frinton and Walton Town Council has something else planned.

Jerry Wedge, the authority’s clerk, believes it is important for everyone’s mental and physical health that a degree of normality can be upheld this Christmas.

They said: “The council’s policy throughout the pandemic has been to safely keep open as many facilities as it can whilst complying with the government’s regulations.

“The benefits of this approach in terms of people’s mental and physical well-being have been clearly evident with much positive feedback received.

“A further manifestation of this policy is the decision to fund the Christmas lights in Frinton and Walton as usual and to hold a special Christmas Eve Walton Market.”

This year’s Christmas Lights switch-on in Clacton, however, which is usually attended by Princes Theatre pantomime stars, is one event which will not be going ahead.

Graham Webb, chairman of the Clacton Town Partnership, said: “It is a peculiar one this year, but there will not be a switch-on event, unfortunately.

“We can’t really do it because of the pandemic, and it would have been a nightmare to plan it all and then cancel it all.

“So, unfortunately, it cannot be done, but we are sure the public will be able to understand.”

Tendring Council, on the other hand, has instead opted to adapt to the unpredictability of the pandemic, by organising two virtual shopping events.

To find out more visit facebook.com/groups/ShopSafeTendringChristmas.