Due to prevailing winds, the ducks had to reverse the planned route, running from Billet Wharf to Bell Wharf.

Here’s a short video showing the final moments of the epic race!

The winning ducks are confirmed as: 776 , 1044 , 1300 and 786

The event was organised by The Lions of Leigh – Well done to all involved, and especially, the winning ducks!

Five local musicians will be performing in aid of the Costa Foundation charity, and there’ll be a raffle and bake sale to help raise funds.

The night of live music features Katey Robinson, Honor Hutson, Sam Cooper, Ben Rotherham from Blush, and Tom & Dale from Indigo

The event follows on from a successful event in November 2015.

Tickets are £5 on the door, and the event is on from 6pm to 9pm at Costa Coffee on Leigh Broadway.

Following the success of last year’s Trotters-On-Sea exhibition, fans of all things Peckham have another chance to make a trip down Southend Pier to check out the impressive display of memorabilia from the BBC’s favourite sitcom.

Last year’s event was very popular, featuring props from the show, film sets and the opportunity to buy exclusive merchandise.

The Only Fools Exhibition opened on Good Friday, the 18th of April 2014 and runs to the 5th of May. It’s at the Royal Pavilion at the end of their pier – admission is £2 (in addition to the Pier’s normal admission fees). Opening times are 10am to 5pm weekdays and 10am to 7pm at weekends

Guest star for the launch of the exhibition is John Challis, a.k.a Boycie,  who will be there on Friday the 18th and Saturday the 19th of April signing copies of his book Being Boycie.

Photos from April 18th:

To get a feel for what to expect, take a look at our review of 2013’s Trotters On Sea exhibition

The Echo newspaper is warning Southenders to be prepared for Essex to be hit by 80mph winds, in the worst storms since the 1987 hurricane that crippled much of the county.

The Met Office has issued an Amber Severe Weather Warning, which means “be prepared”. Winds are expected to start building on Sunday, the the brunt of the storm due to hit on Monday morning’s rush hour.

It’s expected that we won’t know until Sunday whether the storm will hit Essex hard, but it pays to be prepared for possible disruption.

Here’s today’s quote from the Met Office:

“There is some continuing uncertainty in the timing, intensity and track of the low.

However, the public should be prepared for the risk of falling trees as well as damage to buildings and other structures, bringing disruption to transport and power supplies.”

For more, check out the South England Weather Warnings on the Met Office site. Also, check out the following video warning from the Met Office:

The team from Southend Hospital Radio are out in Leigh-on-Sea today raising funds for their radio station.

Southend Hospital Radio is based at the back of Southend Hospital, and provides music and entertainment for the patients. These days, many of the services available at hospital bedsides isn’t free, but hospital radio continues to provide a free service, thanks to kind donations from the public, and the commitment of their team of volunteers.

The radio station, which launched in the 1970s, operates each weekday evening and at weekends, and offers two popular back-to-back music services when the studios are not offering live programming. an important aspect of what the station does, is the evening request show, where teams of volunteers visit patients on the wards, and then plays each patient their favourite music.

If you see the team on Leigh Broadway today collecting, please feel free to drop some loose change into the tins, as all donations help the station to continue to operate, despite the rising costs.

The team at Southend Hospital Radio would like to thank the people of Leigh-on-Sea for their support and generous donations today. Thanks also to Costs Coffee on Leigh Broadway for helping to promote the event.

Southend Hospital Radio is a registered charity. More details on what the service offers can be found at www.southendhospitalradio.co.uk

This Thursday, 3rd October, sees the first “Dinner to Dine For” roadshow hitting Southend.

The aim of this new range is to allow us busy folk to create some “us time” by creating a home dining experience without the hassle of spending hours in the kitchen, or finding the time to go out to an expensive restaurant. Sounds great, but what are these “at home” meals like? Now’s the chance to find out…

At the town’s Tesco Extra on the A127, you’ll have the opportunity to sample a three-course meal including a delicious fish dish, authentic Italian risotto, cheese and even the perfect wine, with the aim being to encourage people to recreate the dishes at home. Italy’s leading risotto producer, Riso Gallo will be showcasing simple ways to create true Italian flavour at home, using two products from the Risotto Pronto range – Risotto Pronto Funghi Porcini and Quattro Formaggi.

If you’re not familiar with the name Riso Gallo, it’s a range of Risotto Pronto, aimed at those who can’t cook or just don’t have the time, and let’s face it, who does?

The “Dinner to Dine For” roadshow is visiting 25 locations in the UK, and Southend has been selected, so why not come along and try a taste?

Monday the 23rd of September saw the show come to Southend for the second time, and it was a truly great experience. The show was at the Cliffs Pavilion, and featured most of the series original cast, including Simon Jones (Arthur Dent), Geoffrey McGivern (Ford Prefect) and Susan Sheridan (Trillian). A key cast change was the part of Zaphod Beeblebrox – sadly Mark Wing Davey was unavailable for this year’s tour, and a top replacement was drafted in, in the form of Mitch Benn (a lifelong Hitchhikers fan, as heard on BBC’s The Now Show)

The show brought in some subtle story changes to amuse those who were able to make last year’s performance… great to see the “B Ark” bit brought to live, and as ever, the (cough cough) Vogons always get a smile… those loveable cuddly green bug-eyed monsters!

The show was a great piece of theatre (and radio for that matter), and it combined much from the original radio series, together with material from books and the subsequent radio series. Sound effects were pretty much live, and the tour’s band (with the excellent Philip Pope) did a cracking job of making the show “feel” like a radio piece.

Of course, the cast got a good solid cheer when the quote “I hardly like to say this, but it looks like the seafront at Southend” came up, catching Ford Prefect slightly off-guard (It’s been a long tour”. The part of “The Book” last year was taken by John “Boicey” Challis. This year, the Southend book was read by Miriam Margolyes, who many will remember from Blackadder. She did a great job, although we’re still not sure if her pronunciation of the giant super-computer “Deep Thought” was deliberate or accidental!

One of the Sarfend team works for the technology podcast FrequencyCast, and has put together this short feature on the show in Southend. Take a look and hear how the audience reacted to the show, and listen to a few words from the frood himself, Zaphod (a.k.a. Mitch Benn)

Here are a few more photos from the evening.

For more on the tour, go to www.hitchhikerslive.com

Share and enjoy, Southenders!

We’re planning to take a few random pictures captured on a smartphone that’s wandering around Southend and put them on the site – you may have passed the things we’ve snapped, but where are they?

To get you started – we’ve taken three photos in close proximity to each other, and would like you to identify where they’re from. Here are the three pictures snapped this week:

Smartphone Snap 01

Smartphone Snap 02

Smartphone Snap 03

These are three fairly easy photos to get you started – where is each image taken from? If you think you know, add the location in the comments section below… just a bit of fun, but if you like the idea – this could become a regular feature for the site.

Thanks to regular visitor Mark for drawing this story to our attention, and asking for some clarification.

Rileys Superbowl on Leigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea closed its doors on the 22nd of July 2013. A sign on the door states:

“Due to the redevelopment of Rileys Leigh on Sea, this unit will be temporarily closed. Please call 01702477168 for further information. An opening date will be announced on the Rileys Web Site very soon”

As of today, 20th August 2013, the Rileys site states:

“Rileys at Leigh on Sea is now closed for refurbishment. We’re looking forward to returning soon with a new look club, but we’re sorry, at present we can’t give you a precise date for the re-opening. We hope however that it won’t be too long.”

A note requesting changes to licensing in the window makes mention of moving the snooker tables to the first floor, addition of a stairwell, and the first floor to be licensed.

Rileys Superbowl Closed

In contrast, the Leigh Times, dated 13 August, leads with the headline that Rileys Superbowl has closed and the site is on the market for £650,000. The report states that there is planning permission to demolish half the site and for eight homes to be built there.   The Leigh club appears to no longer have a listing at rileys.co.uk

A post on the Rileys Leigh Facebook page from 22nd July dismisses talk of closure, stating: “I can assure you 100% we will re-open for business when our NEW snooker hall up stairs has been referbished….”

The Rileys site was formerly the Corona cinema, which opened in the 1920s. A local petition failed to get the site protected in 2012.

Refurbing, or closing?

We’re not sure! If you have any news of the fate of Rileys, please get in touch!

Leigh Office Closure

Despite a local petition with over 8,000 signatures, Royal Mail finally closed the London Road Leigh-on-Sea sorting office on the 10th of August 2013.

Here’s an extract of a letter sent to local businesses in Leigh, from Royal Mail:

 “As a valued customer of Royal Mail, I wanted to let you know that on Monday 12th August, we’re making some changes to our delivery operations in Leigh-on-Sea. From that date, all deliveries for the Leigh-on-Sea area will be made from our Southend-on-Sea Delivery Office at Short Street.”

“Why are we making these changes? Faced with declining mail volumes and the growth in electronic communication in an increasingly competitive postal marker, Royal Mail is currently undertaking one of the biggest transformations in UK industry… We’re therefore making these changes to maintain your services and keep our prices as low as possible, whilst providing improved working conditions for our people”

Customers of Royal Mail, Leigh, will now have to visit Short Street to collect undelivered post and parcels, or arrange for re-delivery. Although this means extra travelling, the Short Street office has longer opening hours, allowing for afternoon collections not possible at the old London Road Leigh offices.

Short Street Sorting Office Opening hours

• 6:30am to 6:30pm Monday to Friday (8pm on Wednesday)
• 6:30am to 2pm Saturday

The future of the 80 year old building on London Road is unclear, with locals suspecting that it’ll become flats.

Services in Leigh

We’ve had a couple of messages from people reporting noticable changes to mail delivery in Leigh – in one case, days of no post at all, and in another, very late delivery. One of our team in Leigh has noticed a later-than-normal delivery, and a first class letter taking three working days to arrive. We’d be interested to hear from Leigh locals on the subject. With 10,000 homes in Leigh affected, it’d be good to get a feel for whether the changes have had an impact on mail delivery. If you’ve been affected, please add a comment below.

It’s worth noting that other local sorting offices have closed, or soon will be, including those in Rochford, Shoebury, and Great Wakering.

Got a comment? Please have your say below.

Their recent events have included a Summer Tasting Day and an in-store sponsored bike ride. Here’s what’s on the cards for Saturday the 27th July 2013.

• Face painting and nail art for the children
• A charity table with more things to buy
• A cake sale – with goodies baked by the Costa team

The staff will be in fancy dress (we’ve had no clues as to what they’ll be wearing), but if you’re a regular, it’s worth turning up just to see them out of their regular barista kit.

As always, money raised goes to the Costa Foundation,  which supports a number of projects in coffee-growing communities in countries such as Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Uganda and Vietnam. Many of the projects are educational and the Foundation has funded the building of 22 schools.

So, if you’re on Leigh Broadway this Saturday, the 25th of July 2013, stop by, bring your kids for some face-painting, and give some silver to the hardworking, fundraising local baristas.

Sarfend will be popping in to see how they’re getting on – so watch this space for updates!

(Oh, and please tell them Sarfend sent you!)

11ten Careers invite people to come along to the Cliffs Pavilion on Friday July 12th to meet with employers, training providers and colleges to discuss careers, courses and skills. Jobseekers will be able to talk to recruiting companies about actual job vacancies as well as work based learning and skills training providers to find an opportunity that meets their needs. 11ten will also have their team of professional careers advisers on site to help people to update or create a CV, to help with their job hunting or discuss interview technique and any other aspects of seeking work as well as identifying a suitable career path and potential training course to help them to achieve their goals.

The Jobs Fair is free to attend and will run between 1pm and 5pm on Friday 12th July and is taking place in the foyer area of the Cliffs Pavilion, Westcliff.

Jobs Fair organiser Rowena Williams said “this is the third fair we have organised and put on in the last year and all have been really well received and attended. We are just trying to put people directly in touch with companies and colleges that can help them and to provide some advice and guidance at the same time. This time there will be around 13 different companies and training organisations on hand to speak to people about real job opportunities and to help them to gain places on courses.”

More information about the Jobs Fair can be found on the website http://www.southendjobsfair.co.uk/ or by calling free on 0808 178 0062

They’re aiming to cycle 80km today, which is the average distance a child in Ethiopia would walk to and from school each day. The charity “Sports Day” is to help raise money for Costa’s own charity, the Costa Foundation.

As we’re typing, team leader Charlotte is halfway through her 10km stint, pictured here:

As well as the in-store cycling, there’s kids facepainting, “stick the footballer on the pitch”, kids colouring, and a table of goodies to buy – all for charity.

Staff are also dressed in sportswear as part of the Sporty Saturday – surprisingly, none of the team are here in Andy Murray kit… Missed a trick there chaps!

Please come along to Costa on Leigh Broadway all day today and show your support for the Costa Foundation and the hard-working baristas!

They also make a mean Cappuccino! If you’re coming along – tell them Sarfend sent you for a free bonus smile!

Costa Leigh would like to thank Clements Place Gym for the loan of the cycle machine, which the staff are in danger of wearing out as I type!

The book documents the continuing tale of their life together, and James highlights the many ways in which Bob has been his protector and guardian angel through times of illness, hardship, and even life-threatening danger. Followers of the story of James and Bob will no doubt be keen to get their hands (and paws) on a copy of this new book, and Southenders get the chance to meet the bestselling duo and pick up a signed copy of the book, courtesy of the Southend-on-Sea Waterstones bookstore.

Southend Book Signing

The chance to meet James Bowen and Street Cat Bob happens on Tuesday the 16th of July 2013 at Waterstones, 49 High Street Southend from 1pm.

We’ve been told that Bob enjoys coming along to book signings, but isn’t too keen on flash photography. He does however, like a stroke, and isn’t daunted by the crowds that accompany his public appearances, so if you’re a fan of the first book, come along and shake a paw with James and Bob later this month.

Staff at Waterstones advice that you arrive early to avoid disappointment.

I say, I say, I say… What do you get if you cross 40 comics with the World’s Longest Pier?

July 2013 sees a four day festival of comedy hit Southend, with names such as Russell Kane, Terry Alderton, and the local improv team Scared Scriptless

The Southend Comedy Festival runs from the 18th to the 21st of July on Southend Pier… four days/nights, 40 comedians and a very long Pier!

Tickets are prices from £5 to £15, and you can order via www.visitsouthend.co.uk, via the Box Office on 01702 618747 or direct from Southend Pier. Ticket Prices include a return on the pier train.

Here’s the comedy lineup for this year’s Southend Comedy Festival:

• Thursday 18th July: Russell Kane – Smallness-Festival Launch Night! 8pm Tickets £10.
• Friday 19th July: Scared Scriptless  – A night of sketch & improvised comedy – 8pm Tickets £5.
• Saturday 20th July: Richard Sandling’s Perfect Movie 4.30pm Tickets £6.
• Saturday 20th July:  ‘The Joker Club’ 8pm Tickets £10.
• Sunday 21st July:  Bob’s Comedy Club presents Edinburgh Previews! 4.30pm Tickets £7.50.
• Sunday 21st July:  The Big Charity Comedy Gala in association with the Fire Fighters Charity featuring Paul Pirie & Raymond & Mr Timpkins as well as an exclusive look at the latest character comedy from Terry Alderton: “The Two Johns” – 8pm Tickets £15

Hope to see loads of you there for Southend’s Comedy Festival – show your support for Southend’s local mirth-makers!

Saturday’s Events

The Armed forced Day events started at 10am with a military parade on Southend High Street, with other events held at a special stage at the top end of the High Street, just outside the Odeon.

Billed as “The Big Brew Up”, the event is a 12 hour free concert, plus stands from various military charities, and a display of various military vehicles.

Several acts were entertaining the gathered crowds today on the High Street – drawing a large crowd were the “Bombshell Girls”, three very talented female vocalists singing close harmony numbers from the 40’s and 50’s, prom[ting a few brave Southenders to get up and dance.

Appearing three times today was Marilena Gant, who, aged just 16, has a truly captivating voice that stopped the locals in their tracks. Performing songs including the rousing “I Vow To The My Country” and O Sole Mio, this young lady is clearly a star in the making. Marilena comes from Billericay, and told us that also she was a little daunted performing in front of such a large crowd, she was proud to be part of the weekend’s event. If you couldn’t make the event, you can have a listen to her via her YouTube channel, Marilena Gant Music.

Soldiers Off The Streets

The key focus of the event was to highlight the work done by the charity “Soldiers Off The Streets”. Their organisation highlights that thousands of this county’s ex-service personnel find themselves living on the streets, after returning from fighting battles around the world.

Soldiers Off The Street is a registered charity with dedicated volunteers determined to help the forgotten ex-service personnel whose lives have been affected by homelessness. After the traumatic experience of war in far-off lands, their mission is to emphasize that for these soldiers to be forgotten and left homeless, is a national disgrace.

If you see them collecting this weekend, please spare a thought for the ex-service personnel and drop some coins into their tins. You can also find out more about what they do at www.soldiersoffthestreet.com

Images from Armed Forces Weekend

Here is a short selection of images from Saturday the 29th of June 2013

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I cannot describe how excited I was when I first found out that Dentaid was doing their first volunteering trip to Morocco, May 2012. This was on the BDA conference April 2012 and since it was too late to apply for this first trip, I eagerly applied for the next year.

I was overfilled with joy when I received the confirmation email that I was one of the chosen ones for the mission.

Being born in Morocco, though living in Sweden since the age of four, this was an amazing opportunity for me to volunteer for the first time, in my native country.

Though I did research on the Dental education, children’s oral health and traditional Dentistry in Morocco, while studying Dentistry in Sweden, I did not know what to anticipate.

On Saturday evening, we were welcomed by a warm and pleasant breeze at the airport in Casablanca. The Sunday included a visit to Hassan II mosque. The largest mosque in the country and the 7^th largest in the world stands on a promontory, looking out to the Atlantic Ocean, with all its pride and astonishing architecture.

We were invited to visit an American high school to attend their half term celebrations.

Being first welcomed by the delicious scent of Moroccan mint tea and bakery, we watched students’ presentations, theatrical- and dancing acts and listened to their songs, all in English, only after less than a year’s studies.

I was very soon filled with respect and admiration for these children, so grateful and ambitious and making the best out of the chances given to them in this developing country.

At the end of the day we made our way to El Jadida, so we could start our mission, which included five days of various challenges. The mission involved all from only being able to carry out extractions, on not necessarily a dental chair, in a rural school to actually being able to offer restorative work in a dental surgery, Operation Smile Clinic. We also had a chance to treat children and staff from a Handicap Centre.

The diversity taught us fast how to be flexible and tested our ability to work as a team. All team members consisting of six dentists and four assistants were indeed a phenomenal team. We soon became one, like a family, despite our different experiences, backgrounds and cultures.

Having the hotel located just by the beach made it possible for us to go for a swim, a walk, or even joining locals for some bare feet beach football, before or after a hard day’s work. Where did we get all this energy from? I feel more tired after a normal 9-5 shift in the UK, than after a very early start, a very late finish, numerous hours of travel and field dentistry. The answer is simple though, the children’s braveness and appreciation was more than enough motivation.

In total, with the aid of local dentists, we saw about 2000 children for triaging and carried out around 400 extractions. All children were very excited to get a toothbrush, toothpaste and oral hygiene instructions. Red noses and stickers were passed around and air bubbles were being blown.

Seeing the poverty in this beautiful country was heartbreaking. We are so lucky and privileged to have the easy access to the NHS in the UK, and similar in Sweden.

The majority of these children had never seen a dentist in their life, the distance and economy did not allow that. But to see how brave and grateful they were for us being there and offering a helping hand, made me feel reborn and has changed me in so many ways.

A trip of a lifetime! Priceless and so rewarding! I cannot wait to go out there again next year

By: Khadija Bakali

Dental Associate / Dental surgeon.

Swiss based physical theatre company À Point presents its brand new production and is proud to return to the Clifftown Theatre for two performances before continuing their tour and going to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August.

TRANSIT is a devised physical theatre show inspired by a true story. Convinced that the world outside is a dangerous place filled with monsters, Samantha Applebee spends her days safe inside her little house writing stories and speaking to her furniture. When she hears of her sister’s fatal accident in France, Samantha realises that she is all alone in the world, and that her little house can no longer contain her. Thus, she departs on a touching yet somewhat peculiar adventure.

”The constant back and forth between dance, song and dialogue is brilliantly realised’ Francois Lilienfeld, Ensuite Kulturmagazin.

Read a recent 4* Review of Transit from the Brighton Fringe: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/listing.php?id=18413

Tickets: £9/£7.50 Concession

SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES

Book your tickets here:
http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?agency=EAST15&organ_val=34047

Box Office: 01702 328335
Clifftown@essex.ac.uk

Today is a summer fun day with the staff offering taste samples of their new summer range. To make it a family event, the team has laid on face painting, cup decorating, a couple of competitions, and a table of locally-donated goodies a table of bargains and some products on sale for charity. Funds raised from today’s events will be donated to the Costa Foundation – that’s Costa’s own charity that helps with educating children in its coffee-growing communities including Colombia, Ethiopia and Uganda.

The friendly staff have dropped their usual barista uniforms for the day, and have clearly put in a lot of effort to make today’s event fun. They’re also offering trays of their summer products including their summer Eton Mess cake and a rather tasty pineapple, lime and coconut tropical fruit cooler.

If you fancy trying their summer range, or getting the small people in your life painted, stop by the Costa in Leigh Broadway today (opposite the Co-op) between now and 6pm.

Thanks to Charlotte and the team for making the daughter of one of the Sarfend team feel so welcome, and well done for going the extra mile today!

More Images

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Not one problem, but three…

It seems that something went wrong in December, possibly as a result of the Christmas timetable. For the last few months, instead of reporting on the time of the next bus, potential passengers are told, digitally, to “Please use the Time Table”

So – two problems. The signs across the town aren’t working, and timetable seems to have become two words.

Now, here’s the third problem – the bus signs are all showing GMT – unaware that we’re now in British Summer Time and have been since the end of March.

All of these signs have little aerials on top, implying that something, somewhere, is capable of sending these signs a message over-the-air… so how come the time’s not been updated? And how come the system’s been offline for the last four months.

One of our team here’s convinced someone’s lost the password to the Southend Council Bus Mission Control PC (running Windows 95)

From chat in our forum, there’s some debate about how useful these signs actually were when they were working and able to tell the time…. it seems that rather than displaying the estimated arrival time based on the bus’s actual location, they simply showed information from the timetable. We assumed that buses were equipped with GPS locators that could relay real-time positions to Southend Bus Mission Control, so that live data could be pinged to the bus signs… but apparently not.

For more chat on the subject, see our forum’s thread: Southend Electronic Bus Signs

So – Any update on why these signs aren’t working and don’t like summertime? If so, please make our summer and add a comment below.

Oh – here’s a picture of a bus. Nice, isn’t it?

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Any thoughts on Southend’s broken bus boards? Add some words below…