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Sunday saw the eighth annual Crabbing Contest take place down on the Quay in Wivenhoe. It was a glorious day, with a great crowd of people lined up along the Quay, from Bethany Street right along to the far end of West Quay. Local families and those from far afield, came to see who could catch the heaviest crab in a two hour period. Hundreds of buckets were filled during the afternoon with crabs of all sizes, from the tiny to the prize winners. The atmosphere was exciting each time a line was drawn up from the muddy water, in case this was going to be the winning catch. As Mayor, I spent the afternoon
walking up and down, encouraging people and generally talking to the
various generations of families who were enjoying an afternoon’s fun
together. I then had the very great pleasure of presenting the winners
with their prizes. There were three prizes for the children with the
heaviest crab, with young Alex Turton coming first with a whopping great
crab weighing in at 103g, second was Joseph Patterson with 95g and third
was Harriet Gruender. The winner of the adult prize was Lynda Batchelor,
of Leigh on Sea. Carol and Brian Green, who started the
whole thing eight years ago, organised a truly spectacular event, raising
at least £750 for the Essex Air Ambulance (who also provided goody bags
for the winners of the children’s section). They are going to take a
back seat for future events, and let another team carry on the tradition
– somehow I was talked into taking it on one sunny Sunday afternoon, and
I only hope (with their help) that we can keep it as successful in future
years. I will be co-ordinating a team to do this (including, I hope, the
current team who know the ropes so well). Well done to everyone who took part and made it such a wonderful day, and I look forward to seeing you all again for the 2004 Contest next year. Cllr Gilli Primrose
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Wivenhoe Crabbing Contest 2003
