THE Port of Tilbury's community open day has been hailed as a great success was a big success with hundreds of people visiting the London Cruise Terminal for a day of celebration.

The programme of events on Saturday, 25 June, which were free for all the family, proved very popular throughout the day including the vintage bus tours of the port which were fully booked and the heritage walks were also very busy.

The family activities of crafts and football practice with Tilbury FC had very busy stands. Lots of people tried out the straddle carrier simulator with some of them amazing themselves at their capabilities of handling these specialist container moving machines.

There were some local characters arriving on the day too with a group of Mods arriving with their scooters which created a spectacle in the old railway station. 

Together Productions lifted the roof off the terminal with their voices and had everyone singing along together in their grande finale.

The Thank you Dance procession (pictured above) held its spectacular finale outside the Cruise Terminal.

Paul Dale, Asset and Site Director of the port said: "It was a brilliant day on Saturday as the port opened its doors to the local community, our port teams and their families for a day full of activities and events.

"We were very pleased to see so many people on the day and we enjoyed giving the community a tour of the port. Some of the people who tried the straddle carrier simulator showed some real skills! I want to personally thank the community for coming along."

Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price, who is a board member of Tilbury on the Thames Trust, said: "The local community here know how to put on a celebration! The events on Saturday were a pleasure to be part of and I know that many of the people attending the day had a brilliant time.

"The team at the port did a great job hosting the Open Day and my thanks to everyone who came along at the weekend."