EIGHT years ago, Southend Airshow delighted thousands of people on the seafront for the final time.

The airshow was the jewel in the crown of the town’s events calendar, with daytrippers and south Essex residents descending on the seafront for an action-packed festival of the air.

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Red Arrows - all photos by Gaz de Vere 

However, despite running for 27 years, the show reached its final performance in 2012.

The Echo broke news of the airshow’s demise in January, 2013, as part of a huge package of budget cuts.

In an Echo poll of 4,000 readers, 70 per cent urged the council to keep it going. However, it has never returned to this day. On the eight-year anniversary of its last show, the Echo has put together a selection of photos of the highlights of the show from 2008 to 2012.

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The RAF parachuting in 

The outstanding Red Arrows, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the Crunchie wing-walkers were often the staple of the event.

For those who remember back to the early days of the airshow, Concorde flew gracefully over Southend as the crowds stood silently as it turned and ‘did a bow in the sky’, prompting rapturous applause.

Over the years, the airshow provided a fantastic Bank Holiday treat for families with sideshows, military stalls, air displays and daring mock rescues in the Thames Estuary.

The airshow will evoke wonderful memories of May Bank Holidays in Southend.

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