The Bank Holiday Monday celebrations started off at midday with a short parade from the Leigh Heritage Centre, followed by the crowning of the May Queen, dancing around the maypole, Morris dancing, a Punch & Judy show and some live local music.

Crowning of the May Queen

Crowned this year’s May Queen was Kathryn Sipple (who will be 5 years old next month). Attendants to the May Queen were Annie Hinkling and Madelyn Schreiber. The May Queen and May Princesses were presented with certificates by Southend West MP David Amess.

Dancing Around The Maypole

A couple of photos of the traditional maypole dancing. The rain held off long enough for the little ones of Leigh to go around and around.

Morris Dancing

Another May Day mainstay. Apologies to the dancers, but I missed the name of your group. Here is a photo of the dance in full swing:

The weather for today’s May Day celebrations wasn’t great, although the rain managed to hold off for most of the day. When we did get a few spots of rain, it offered David Amess MP the chance for a quick joke about one politician’s pronouncement of a drought (he’ll be having words, apparently)

Well done for Leigh Town Council for organising the festivities on this May Bank Holiday.

It seems that as a result of the impact, the walkway is distorted, and repairs are needed before it can be opened to the public again.

A statement from Southend Council indicates that it appears that the Leigh-based fishing vessel sailed straight into the side of the Pier.

Many locals may remember that a similar closure took place last September, after a repair barge struck the pier. Although you’d think a brightly-lit 1.3 mile long pier that’s been there for years would be hard to miss, apparently this marks the 17th time in the Pier’s history that it has been struck by a ship.

There’s more on this incident, plus an update on the repairs, on Southend Council’s site: Fishing Vessel Strikes Southend Pier

Over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd of April, there will be a 24 hour music marathon taking place on Southend Pier. The event is in aid of Southend Mencap, and it’s a novel way of raising money that we’d like you to get behind.

Musical maestros David Stanley (keyboards) and Liam Ambrose (drums), together with students from Southend Mencap’s Music School, will be performing from 2pm on Saturday the 21st of April to 2pm the following day on our pier, trying to raise as much money as possible for Southend Mencap.

Liam and David, rehearsing for their 24 hour Music Marathon

The Southend Mencap School provides tuition for children and adults in and around Southend-on-Sea with learning difficulties, with around 50 adults and 20 children taking part each week.

A 24 hour musical marathon is an ambitious challenge, and we’d encourage as many of you as possible to put this in your diaries now, and try to come along to show your support.

The pier closes to the public at 8pm on Saturday – and for those that don’t believe David and Liam will really be playing into the night and the wee small hours, there will be a live stream of the event throughout the 24 hour marathon. For more information on what’s planned for the 24 hours, please see davidstanleymusic.co.uk

We’re asking Southenders to show support for this venture – Either by donating, or by turning up to watch some of the performance. Ideally, both!

To donate, please go to www.justgiving.com/southendmencap/donate

If you have any requests, please let us know in the comments section below, and we’ll pass them along to David and Liam. Our suggestions so far: Rod Stewart’s Sailing, Don’t Pay The Ferryman, or anything by Billy Ocean.

As you may have read in the press, Hawkin’s Bazaar (owned by the Tobar Group) went into administration last week, on the 30th of December 2011. Today, it looked as if stock was being packed into cardboard boxes, ready to be moved out to clear the shop. The collapse of Hawkin’s Bazaar comes a few days after lingerie firm La Senza, Barratts Priceless shoes and D2 Jeans have been similarly affected.

Site of Hawkins Bazaar, Southend January 2012

Continuing to wall the length of the High Street, it’s sad to note how many stores now stand empty – some because of branch moves, such as Boots, Barclays and New Look, and others by the ongoing financial mess that we’re in.

Here a few photos of Southend High Street, taken today, starting with First Choice Holidays, close to the Southend Central railway bridge:

Site of First Choice Holidays, Southend January 2012

A few doors away, the remains of HPJ Jewellers, the chain that collapsed in 2011:

Site of HPJ Jewellers, Southend January 2012

Next, the site of the large Mothercare store that closed in 2011. Being next to the now-empty New Look, the section of the High Street between Clifftown Road and the railway bridge looks a little bleak.

Site of Mothercare, Southend January 2012

Next to Marks and Sparks, the defunct Linens Direct, which was being used as a pop-up Christmas Bazaar shop, and is now empty:

Site of Linens Direct, Southend January 2011

Just opposite, the site of long-abandoned MK One clothing:

Site of MK One, Southend January 2011

For many, the saddest site on the High Street is that of the former Woolworths and T.J Hughes store. Here’s a shot taken this afternoon, just opposite the two freshly vandalised metal benches.

T J Hughes Site, Southend in January 2012

There have been other departures in the last twelve months too, such as SAKS Hair and Beauty. It seems we may also lose the Cheltenham & Gloucester on the London Road, as well as Lloyds Bank on the London Road, Leigh, should proposals go ahead for some of the Lloyds Bank assets to be acquired by the Co-operative Bank.

So, Southenders… what do we think may be in store for Southend High Street in this new year? Any predictions for who may join or leave our High Street in 2012? Please add your predictions below, and we’ll see how well you did this time next year.

Here’s hoping for a happier new year, everyone…

High winds on Tuesday caused the 80 foot barge  that was being used by contractors doing work on the pier, to crash into the end of the pier.

For more, see the video clip on the BBC News site: Southend Pier: Engineers Assess Damage

It appears that no serious damage has been done to the infrastructure of Southend Pier as a result of the collision, but the pier will remain closed for at least two weeks whilst repairs are carried out. It seems that there is damage to the support pilings and some of the walkway. The pier is off-limits, and pier trains are not running.

At the time of writing, temporary repairs hope to be completed allowing the pier to re-open on Saturday the 24th of September.

Therte’s some discussion of the Barge vs Pier story in our Forum: Southend Pier Damaged

For the latest information on the pier closure, please see www.southend.gov.uk/news

TJ Hughes Closes

After being on the High Street for only a year, the T.J Hughes bargain department store closed on Tuesday the 16th, with the loss of 60 jobs. The store was, of course, the site of the original Southend Woolworths, that was forced to close at the start of 2009.

T.J Hughes on Southend High Street Closed in August 2011

Saks Hair and Beauty Closes

The salon just off the High Street on Alexandra Street closed for business on Wednesday the 17th of August. Customers were informed by text message that Saks had closed.

One of the team here at the Sarfend website was a regular at Saks, and it’s a shame to see them close their doors for the last time. We’re in contact with some of the team from Saks. If you were a customer of Saks and are looking to get in touch with the Southend firm’s former senior stylist Katie Dunbar, note that you can get in touch with her via her new webpage: Katie Dunbar Hair Stylist.

Saks Hair and Beauty in Southend - Closed in August 2011

We have no information on what’s planned for the TJ Hughes site. We suspect it’ll remain empty for a while, but when the retail economy starts to pick up, hopefully the high-profile high street location will again see shoppers looking for bargains.

While we’re here – there is a new addition to the Southend-on-Sea high street – a sweet shop, opposite Marks and Spencer. Makes a change from mobile phone retailers and coffee shops…

“The Anglo Saxon World of Beowulf” takes place from 4pm to 6.30pm This is a brand new work, set to an original score, inspired by the epic poem of Beowulf. If you’re not familiar with Beowulf, think Kings, Demons, Dragons, and epic battles in the 5th century

It’s a pinpointcreate production, supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund

Bring a chair and a picnic!

For a flavour of what to expect, see this YouTube clip:

Here’s what you need to know:

Get your TV from the Anglia region?

The Sudbury transmitter covers a large chunk of South Essex and the analogue services will be switched off in July. Here’s what should happen:

On Wednesday the 6th of July 2011, the BBC2 analogue TV service will be switched off from the Sudbury TV transmitter.

• Anyone watching or recording analogue TV from midnight on this date will lose BBC2 reception
• Freeview viewers will need to perform a Freeview channel rescan to continue to get BBC channels on Freeview
• There may be brief service interruptions to some Freeview channels between 6th July and 20 July

On Wednesday the 20th of July 2011, BBC 1, ITV 1 Anglia, Channel 4 and Channel 5 analogue services will be switched off from the Sudbury transmitter

• Anyone trying to watch or record BBC1, BBC2, ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5 on analogue from midnight will get no service
• Freeview viewers will need to perform a Freeview channel rescan to continue to get all of the Freeview channels

If you get your analogue TV from the Anglia TV region, you need to make sure that your TV sets and TV recorders are able to cope with digital TV services by the 20th of July 2011.

Get your TV from London or Meridian?

Not need to worry just yet. The London Crystal Palace switchover happens in April 2012, with the Kent service from Bluebell Hill switching in July 2012.

More info

For more on your options for the Essex digital switchover, see our Southend Digital TV page

Any comments on the Switchover? Please add your voice below!

As locals will know, Southend Airport is expanding, the new control tower is up and running, and the airport railway station on the Liverpool Street line is due to open in July. There’s also plans for an airport hotel in 2012.

The new Easyjet Flights are set to start from April 2012 to an initial ten European destinations, including Portugal (Faro), Barcelona and Ibiza, and the target is to get 800,000 passengers through Southend each year.

Easyjet expect to operate 70 flights a week. Its plans for Southend Airport will mean more local jobs, more planes coming into Southend, and an easier route to Europe. The expansion plans for the town’s airport will apparently mean 2 million people a year will be using the airport by the end of the decade.

Any thoughts on Easyjet coming to Southend? Please add your thoughts below.

The fire appears to have started at 9:20pm last night (Sunday the 8th May 2011), and has destroyed a deserted shop. It’s the site of the former Londis and Budgens, next to the Zen City Chinese Restaurant. Over 100 firefighters were in attendance getting the blaze under control.

Fire engines from as far afield as Corringham, Billercay and Wickford were called in. The building is home to a firm of solicitors, Jefferies Solicitors, and the amount of documents and paperwork at the site are believed to have made fighting the fire particularly tricky

Firefighters are still in attendance, and roads in the area are closed. Ten people has apparently had to be re-housed.

Here’s a shot from Google Streetmaps of the building as it was in 2010:

Londis, Hamlet Court Road approx 2010, copyright Google

If you’re using, of have used, Jefferies Solicitors, go to their website at www.essexlaw.co.uk where you’ll find details of the fire and an emergency phone number should you be worries about your documentation.

If you’re interested in how the people of Southend voted in the 5th May 2011 referendum, here are the results:

38% of the people of Southend turned out to vote

• Yes to AV: 13,488 (28%)
• No to AV: 34,365 (72%)

Hardly a surprise to anyone.  As was the fact that the Conservatives did well in the local elections. The Tories retained 28 of the 51 seats for Southend-on-Sea. The Lib Dems lost 2 seats (now with 10 seats), whilst Labour have just 4.

Well done to the 38% of Southenders who turned out to have their say.

Screenings took place at the Palace Theatre, the Park Inn Plaza and the Pod at South Essex College, and you can find out more about this year’s film festival at http://www.southendfilmfestival.com

The reason for this post? To draw your attention to this excellent clip that was created to draw attention to the Film Festival.

Southenders, take 24 seconds of your life to watch this creative video creation, the Southend Film Festival Ident:

Well done to those who put a lot of work into this year’s festival…

The never before seen images of stars such as Cliff Richard, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Kinks, were  taken at the Southend Odeon and Romford Odeon, and include some high quality backstage images of celebrities playing here in Essex in the Sixties.

Many locals attended the exhibition on Leigh Broadway back in late 2009, and now, by popular request, many of the images shown at the exhibition are now available to browse and buy online.

If you’d like to take a look at the collection, and maybe get yourself a limited edition print, please visit the new Stars in Southend 1963 website at www.starsinsouthend1963.co.uk

Each person staying at your house on the day will need to answer the 42 questions on the 32 page form. Questions include:

• H11. Do you have solid wood central heating
• 25. Did you get 4 O levels?
• 30 Were you a student last week?
• 41. Do you take a taxi to work?

Filling in the census is compulsory, and the information is primarily to be used to help both the Government and local authorities to plan for the future.

In the event you need help completing the form, there are a number of drop-in sessions in various places around Southend over the next few weeks. There’s more on the census on the Southend Council site at http://www.southend.gov.uk/census

 Happy form-filling Southenders!

Southenders – It pays to shop around!

One of our team wanted to get their hands on the 3DS on the day of launch (as he’s a gadget king), and although everything’s cheaper online, he went old-school to get the 3DS on the High Street. If you’re thinking of doing the same, take a few minutes to do your homework, to get a decent offer.

Being loyal to High Street store GAME, our team member tried them first (he’d even pre-ordered, although availability doesn’t seem to be a problem anywhere). A quick look on the GAME website reveals their price to be £197 with free delivery (Compared to £187 at Amazon.co.uk). GAME’s price instore? £219 – £22 more expensive than their own website!

Our chap spoke to one of the staff at the Southend-on-Sea GAME store, to see if a deal could be done – but nope… for being loyal to your high street store, you’ll pay an extra 10%.

Now fair cop, many high street stores can’t or won’t price match against Internet websites (even their own sites), but it’s possible to pick up a Nintendo 3DS in Southend for £197 – All you do is reserve at Comet online, then pay the online price of £197 instore – Southend, Rayleigh and Basildon stores all had stock on launch day – Link: Nintendo 3DS at Comet.

Other stores in the High Street were more keen on doing a deal. In the end, GameStation at the Victoria Shopping Centre worked out best. Although they couldn’t match the console price, they were up for discounting a game to make the total price right… and by taking out a loyalty card, we got a further £6 off! Well done to Brian, the manager of the Southend-on-Sea GameStation for keeping the customer happy, and making the sale. They also offer some decent trade-ins on any old Nintendo kit you may have lying around, although we did get a decent deal at CEX on the high street against an old Nintendo DS.

So, shame on you GAME. The lesson here, is if you’re a canny shopper, and prepared to do a few minutes homework, it’s easy to beat GAME at their own game.

Southend GAME store on 3DS Launch Day - Shop around for a better deal!

 Any experiences of getting a bargain in Southend? Let us know…

Southend Shakeaway opens in the Victoria Shopping Centre on Saturday 19th March 2011 at 1pm and we’re told that they’ll be giving away the first 50 milkshakes free.

The ShakeAway chain was established in 1999 and sells over 150 flavours of Milkshakes and hot drinks. A quick look at their site reveals that there’s a 10% discount for Uni, NHS, Army and Emergency Services (with valid ID). There’s also some interesting looking items on their menu, such as a Ferrero Rocher Milkshake (which appeals to us), as well as some odd items such as Jaffa Cake, Jammie Dodgers, Jelly Babies, Farleys Rusks and Sugar Puffs. The mind boggles.

Anyhoo – if unusual milkshakes are your thing, try for a freebie this Saturday…

For the month of March 2011, the Waitrose store on London Road, Leigh-on-Sea, has Southend Hospital Radio as one of the three charities in their Community Matters programme.

Declaring our interest, one of the team here at Sarfend.co.uk is a member of the local hospital radio station, and as such, that’s this website’s charity of choice.

If you’re shopping in Leigh-on-Sea’s Waitrose in March, please consider dropping your token in the Southend Hospital Radio box to show your support.

Community Matters Waitrose Leigh-on-Sea March 2011

The radio station is staffed by volunteers who visit the wards of the local hospital, chat to patients, and try to brighten their evening by playing music of their choice. Much of the by-bed entertainment in Southend Hospital requires patients to buy a TV card and pay for services. Thanks to the donations of the public, Southend Hospital Radio is able to offer two free radio stations to patients. You’ll find more on what the station does at www.southendhospitalradio.com

Thanks for your support.

As part of cost-cutting measures, this year’s airshow won’t run over the May Bank Holiday Sunday and Monday normal, but instead will take place on Saturday 28th May and Sunday 29th May 2011.

One of the reasons cited of moving the date of Southend’s famous Festival of The Air is the high cost of policing the event over a Bank Holiday.

This year’s event will be the 26th time that the airshow’s hit town, and of course, it’s free to the public.

Scene from Southend Airshow 2010

More on the event, plus pictures from the 2010 Southend Airshow,  on our Southend Airshow page.

As part of the celebrations for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, towns around the UK are bidding for city status, and Southend’s thrown its hat into the ring for consideration.

There are just 66 cities in the UK, and none of them are in Essex. Local MPs and businesses are backing the bid for Southend to become a city. The town last tried for promotion to city-ship in 2002.

Southend West PM David Amess is leading the drive, and he made a passionate plea in Parliament on the 14th of February – there’s a transcript of this at: They work for you

Competition could be stiff though. We have the seaside, most of a pier, the airshow and Cuckoo Corner on our side, but local rival Chelmsford is also a wannabe city. Chelmsford’s got a cathedral, is the centre of local government and has a football team optimistically called Chelmsford City.

Want to be living in the City of Southend? Add your support below…