One of the most celebrated and long-standing nightclubs in Essex has thrown its first “day disco” to give “older regulars” a chance to party without a Monday morning hangover – once again highlighting its ability to adapt and survive.

The Pink Toothbrush, in Rayleigh High Street, held the event on Sunday and bosses hailed it as one of the busiest events in recent history.

Dating back 40 years, the Brush is south Essex’s oldest club and has made a name for itself by always adapting despite the difficulties nightclubs face - even throwing Zoom parties throughout the Covid pandemic.

In a bid to bring regulars and former lovers of the club together in a celebration of the “Original Brush”, owners organised the event on Sunday from 3pm to 7pm to allow “older guests the chance to avoid a difficult Monday morning”.

With nightclubs around the UK and in south Essex facing constant threat of closure, promoter Stu Whiffen believes the club has “adapted to survive” and has “always done the same”.

He said: “It is about adapting to survive, but it is what we’ve always done, look at many Essex clubs that have sadly gone, most of them were generally playing around with the same genres of music and they have tried to follow fashion.

“We are dreadfully unfashionable, we don’t follow the mainstream and while we aren’t that, we are stylist, and style outlives fashion.

“If something stylish that is forever, we have that and that is what people love and that is why they are still going to our events.”

Stu added that the event on Sunday was one of the best in his 32 years as a promoter.

He said: “I have never buzzed like that; it was unbelievable, it was ridiculous.

“Everyone was beaming, it was so lovely to see, and we literally did not know if it would work, we didn’t expect a sell-out show.

“We are thrilled, when we turned the lights on, no one wanted to leave.”

A follow-up event is planned for December 1, with 200 tickets sold already.

Owner, Charley Horne praised the night, adding: “We thought that a lot of our most loyal customers are in their 40s, lets get them in and avoid the Monday morning hangover.

“It’s for older regulars, people who used to be there when I worked here, I recognised 50 per cent of the people in the room.

“It is wonderful, this event will be themed the same way, Pink Toothbrush will always be alternative.”