by Chris Malone
A Colchester resident who plays in the Caravan Club’s concert band has thrown his weight behind calls for the organisation to run a site in Essex.
None of the Caravan Club’s existing facilities are located in the county and cornet player Alan Dickens told Daily Gazette that he would like to see that change.
The 57-year-old recently organised a fundraising rally that welcomed about 120 people to the area and helped generate £1,800 for Help for Heroes, Guide Dogs for the Blind, Breast Cancer Research and St Helena Hospice.
“I thought it would be a great idea to have a week-long rally here while band members practised, and to show them the sites and put on some other events in the build-up,” he told the newspaper.
The Caravan Club, which provides services for more than one million members, withdrew a bid for a 96-pitch site in Wick Lane, Ardleigh, after campaigners voiced their concerns over the move.
However, it is believed that the £2 million facility could have generated £750,000 per year for local businesses had it gone ahead.
