Community leaders were jubilant today after it was announced Canvey will the Essex History Fair.

Canvey has beaten off Braintree to stage the event next year which could bring historical re-enactment groups, street entertainers, museum stalls and history groups to the island.

Essex History Fair committee said there had been conflicting views from different people at Braintree Council on the suitability of holding the event in the town in 2004.

Canvey West councillor Ray Howard said: "Anything that promotes Canvey - and I am known as Mr Canvey - I wholeheartedly welcome.

"Canvey has got a lot of history - the Dutch created it in the 1500s and the Dutch cottages are still there for all to see. The Lobster Smack pub is known for having royal visits as they entered and left the river Thames."

Castle Point MP Bob Spink said: "Canvey has quite a different history from the rest of Essex with the Dutch connection which is well worth celebrating."

Dennis Williams, chairman of island regeneration charity Canvey 2000, said: "I'm overwhelmed and delighted. This means we will have two major events next year as we will also have the Canvey Festival which last year attracted 20,000 people."

Peter Wright, chairman of the committee which runs the event, said that there had been conflicting views from different people at Braintree Council on the suitability of holding the event in the town in 2004.

Mr Wright said: "On balance, rather than plump for Braintree and then find it is not convenient, we decided to go to Canvey."

In February, Braintree Council raised concerns the fair could coincide with refurbishment of Market Place, but recently said there was no problem for the event to take place in the town in 2004 and it would do all it could to accommodate it.

The biennial event tours the county and organisers considered Braintree to host it as a street fair, which could bring together historical re-enactment groups, street entertainers, museum stalls, history groups, record office and library services.

But Mr Wright said it was very likely it would come to Braintree in 2006.

Ken Game, chairman of Braintree Town Centre Strategy Group, said: "There was doubt in the early stages as to whether Braintree could host it for 2004 and then subsequently it seemed everybody got their act together to the effect it could be 2004, and we were hopeful that could be the case."

Published Thursday, May 22, 2003

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