Community turns its eyes to the skies to create a unique view of seaside town

Eyes turn to the skies in Dovercourt!

Business leaders, shop owners, community workers, parents, grandparents, children, friends and neighbours looked up to the heavens to help create unique views of Dovercourt life.

The special images of the seaside town were generated after a drone was sent up to capture a bird’s eye view of the town and its residents.

The stunning images will be used as part of the ongoing campaign to attract more visitors to the town, will feature on the Visit Harwich website and will create a moment in time to add to Dovercourt’s historic archives.

More than 50 members of the community met in Orwell Place, Dovercourt, for the first round of aerial filming and there is another chance for residents to take part in the project as the drone is to swoop over the town centre again on Thursday 14th August.

The idea for the drone footage came from Gina Patrick, who runs Unique Antique Shop UK and Dovercourt Vintage and Antiques in Dovercourt High Street.

She said: “We have such a wonderful community spirit here and I thought it would be a fantastic idea to capture that by uniting everyone for an iconic shot – reminding people that this is a vibrant community and High Street.

“The weather was a bit wet and windy but the town’s sense of togetherness shone through. This video footage will also go into the archives to be seen by generations to come.”

Everyone is invited to attend the next drone filming which will take place on Thursday 14th August. People should meet outside the Dovercourt and Harwich Hub at 276 High Street, CO12 3PD, at 2pm.

The complete set of images will feature on this website as well as on social media channels.

The drone filming project is part of the ongoing renaissance of Dovercourt town centre which is being rejuvenated thanks to £737,000 of funding from the High Street Accelerator Project.

Money has been spent on improving town centre shops, introducing new CCTV, creating new banners and constructing a new website to become a database of businesses and events in the town.

Harwich councillor Ivan Henderson, who is deputy leader of Tendring District Council and Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “It is wonderful to create this new perspective of Dovercourt.

“We all know how the High Street looks from ground level but this is a unique illustration which will be so valuable for the Dovercourt archives.

“With every step of this reinvention of Dovercourt town centre, we are making it more attractive for the community and creating a thriving shopping centre which boosts the local economy and supports its long-term sustainability.”

Dovercourt is one of ten town centre pilot schemes across the country sharing a total funding pot of £7 million.

In addition to the money already invested, more will be used to strengthen transport links between the seafront, the High Street and park spaces, while green spaces will be added to the town’s retail areas and access routes into the town centre.