THE Maldon district leg of a major project to highlight the coast of the east of England took place this weekend (Friday and Saturday, July 16 and 17).

Sunday, 27 June, saw the start of the 500-mile Beach of Dreams walk. Beach of Dreams is an epic journey to discover the hidden gems of the East Coast of England, inviting collaboration from communities and artists along the way in Suffolk, Essex, Southend, and Thurrock.

The walk started in Lowestoft and will end in Tilbury on 1 August - but at the weekend the Maldon district daily sections of the walk began.

Mark Durham is both a Maldon district councillor and a county councillor and joined the walk on Saturday.

Councillor Durham explained: "This 500-mile walk is split into daily sections and people join along the way. They are encouraged to share memories or special observations at specific locations and each mile has a numbered flag placed on the beach or path.

"This started with a 10-mile walk a few years ago along what is known as the beach of lost dreams In Tilbury. It is called this because glass and ceramics are washed up there which come from an old tip where the rubble from the London Blitz was taken and the this represents the lost dreams of the people who perished.

"This year the walk is 500 miles and they walked from Tollesbury to Maldon on Friday and from Maldon to Bradwell on Saturday."

The project has been managed by Thurrock-based arts company Kinetika, whose artistic director Ali Pretty, and Guardian journalist Kevin Rushby, are walking the entire route, joined by artists, writers, scientists, and local residents. Together, guided by strong environmental themes and the challenges of our current time, they are considering the question "How can we creatively reimagine our future?"

A new digital story map of the coastal path, reflecting and recording the narrative of the walk as it unfolds, has been created.

You can find out more at the Beach of Dreams here