In this weeks Leader’s blog, Cllr Stephen George talks about a number of events across our City and an important project between our parks and youth offending teams.
Last week I spoke about the importance of economic recovery to our City and how the Seaway project and Levelling Up bids contribute to that.
I am pleased to see that the Cliffs Pavilion - which received funding from our successful round one bid for a major revamp and refurbishment - is starting preparatory works and will be closed from 10 to 22 July. I look forward to seeing the project develop which will bolster the Cliffs as a regional cultural venue, and create new jobs for local people.
Initial details about the Southend City Music Festival - which has been developed by the Town2City Partnership, the committee that has been developing and delivering a series of activities and events to celebrate the inaugural city year. - has also been released. A major weekend festival to showcase outstanding cultural activity has been proposed for 2 to 4 September including music and comedy from the local community through to high profile international artists. I hope that next week we will be able to announce the artists involved.
This morning our new City was honoured to host part of the Queens Baton relay as part of the celebration ahead of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. The baton, which has been all over the country, ran along the length of the High Street to the seafront. It was wonderful to see four locals running with the baton, including Sam Bennett, who won the Gold in the 110m Hurdles at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games and Euro U18 gold in 2018.
Along with the relay, the city is also being wonderfully represented at the Hampton Court Palace Flower Festival with a display called the ‘Tram Driver’s Retreat’ in the allotment section. The garden is made up almost entirely of recycled materials, reflecting the council’s ambition of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Created by Tony Wagstaff from our parks team and some young adults who are working with the youth offending team, it has received some great feedback and everyone involved should be very proud.
Next week marks Srebrenica Memorial Day. During this week each year, communities across the country honour the victims and survivors of the Bosnian genocide, and pledge to create a better, stronger and more cohesive society in the United Kingdom. A civic service is taking place on Monday where this will be marked and we have also lit Porters Civic House green and white to help raise awareness.
We will also see the return of Southend Pride ‘in person’ for the first time since 2019. Southend Pride, organised by the Pride committee, includes a week of events, from the Mayor raising the flag at Porters Civic House yesterday, through to the main Festival and Parade on Saturday 16 in the city centre. This year is especially significant for the LGBTQ+ community as 2022 marks 50 years since the first Pride event in the UK.
With some good weather also coming, we expect many visitors to our area, and so whatever you have planned for the days ahead, please enjoy Southend safely and responsibly.