Curtain rises on Clacton’s Seawick Holiday Park £2m entertainment complex

Staff and guests at Clacton’s Seawick Holiday Park were celebrating this month as a new £1.8m entertainment complex was officially opened.

The 1,500 square metres building, says Seawick’s owners Park Holidays UK, is likely to boost even further the number of holidaymakers coming to the town.

Built over the last six months by mainly Essex-based contractors, the 400-seat complex houses a host of high-tech equipment to allow West End standard shows to be mounted.

Just the stage lighting alone, says the company, cost in excess of £30,000 and includes a huge computer-controlled LED display to provide a thrilling backdrop to performances.

But the complex isn’t just about song and dance, for it also features Seawick’s sleek new reception area where families will check in and can be helped by staff to enjoy their stay.

There’s also a mini-supermarket which includes locally-sourced produce, and a restaurant serving meals throughout the day and evening with views of the stage area.

Park Holidays UK has also spent £100,000 on equipping the complex’s arcade area with the latest video games and other entertainment technologies from across the world.

Outside, a newly built patio area provides barbecues, super-size TV screens, seating and tables, and access to Seawick’s heated outdoor swimming pool.

According to Park Holidays UK director Tony Clish, the decision to invest substantially in Seawick is a reflection of the confidence the company has in the park’s future:

“Seawick has long been one of the most popular of our twenty-six parks, and we are determined to ensure it continues offering guests the best possible experience,” he said.

“The Essex park provides more than six hundred caravan holiday homes and lodges, some privately owned and other available to rent, so there’s always a great holiday atmosphere.

“Park Holidays UK is especially well known for the quality of our free entertainment, and we spent literally millions each year securing first-class acts to perform.

“Now at Seawick we have a truly professional venue in which to welcome them and our holiday guests, so I think this has been money very well spent indeed.

“I am confident that our investment will help attract even more visitors to Clacton in the future, and this will also benefit the many other businesses in this part of Essex which rely on tourism.

“In addition, the complex offers a facility at the park which isn’t weather dependent, so it’s likely to draw visitors right throughout the eleven months of the year we are open.

“We’re immensely proud of this new project, and what it means for Clacton – and give a big thank-you to our staff for their role in helping to make Seawick such a great holiday centre,” said Tony.

But although the stage is now set for the park’s continuing success, the spotlight hasn’t yet dimmed on further investment in Seawick’s future, adds Tony.

Later this year, he says, work will also start of the building of a new multi-million pound indoor swimming pool complex to sit alongside the park’s popular lido pool.

There is more information about the company and Seawick at www.ParkHolidays.com