THE chairman of a town council has offered to take a TikTok influencer “on a night out in the Pink Toothbrush” after he slammed Rayleigh as a “town for old people”.
The TikTok video, uploaded by comedian Dilan Kurt, saw him joke that the famous Brush nightclub “looks like a museum” and added he “couldn’t imagine anything worse” than shopping in Rayleigh Lanes indoor market.
The video currently has more than 85,000 views, 6,400 likes and 300 comments but has sparked fury from Rayleigh Town Council chairman Danielle Belton who insisted the town has much to offer.
She also invited Dilan to join her for a “real tour of Rayleigh” before “a night out at the Brush”.
@dilanalikurt Welcome to Rayleigh #welcometo #welcometoessex #dilankurt #exploringessex #essex #rochford ##rayleigh##rayleighessex ♬ original sound - Dilan Kurt
Ms Belton said: “Maybe I am biased as I am the chairman, but we have such a variety of new and old in Rayleigh, the iconic Pink Toothbrush is the envy of many a town and supports our entire hospitality industry.
“We have Mill Hall, we are in the Domesday book, we have the Dutch cottage.
“Resident embrace Rayleigh and volunteers run our beautiful windmill, we also have several major chains.
“This guy who got the train on a bleak Sunday and decided to highlight the back of the Lanes was disappointing, I am an advocate, not just for residents but for those who want a nice day out in town.
“Rayleigh Museum is unique and not many places like it exist, he needs to come down and I would love to give a tour and show some of the fantastic things we have on offer.”
The TikTok video, which branded Rayleigh as “stuck in the 1920s” sparked debate in the comment section with many people leaping to the defence of the town.
Ms Belton added: “On social media, things go around just for reaction. This is not beneficial and has got Rayleigh wrong and from the reaction on my post, people feel the same way.
“All we can do is embrace the town and when someone has something negative to say, it is nice to see people pile in and say, ‘absolutely not’, there is plenty to be proud of and improvements can always be made.
“I am very happy to live in Rayleigh.”
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