This week, the leadership blog comes from Cllr Derek Jarvis who has had a busy week as cabinet member for arts, culture, heritage and leisure.
As a passionate supporter of the arts and the wonderful culture and heritage we have in our City, I am more than happy to speak with you about this topic.
I doubt there are many other places where there is such diverse opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, develop hobbies, learn new crafts, adding to the artistic offerings of Southend, whilst having the opportunity to learn more about the history of where we live.
Southend is a melting pot of different opportunities of this kind, and I hope you've had an opportunity over this half term holiday to take advantage and appreciate some of the City's offerings.
I think one of the biggest events on the social calendar will be the Halloween Parade on Saturday night (28 October), which promises to be ghoulish fun for children of all ages. This completely free event is a sight to behold and the effort that goes into developing the floats and costumes is second-to-none. It's a great chance to come together as a community for some frighteningly good fun.
We've also had multiple events being held on the pier, including a monstrous monster hunt, where children can find hidden monsters along the length of the 1.3-mile structure. Whilst at the pier, it's also a good chance to visit the museum and learn more about the fascinating rich history of our iconic structure, the longest pleasure pier in the world.
Instead of paying the train fare to London, we are also lucky enough to have an exceptional art gallery in our doorstep, with the Focal Point Gallery, showcasing the amazing local artists we have along with the Beecroft Gallery too. We also have the Southend Museum with the Prittlewell Prince and Ecko exhibits, plus the planetarium, where you can immerse yourself in history and the stars. Plus, there is the Jazz Centre UK, which has been able to stay in its home in the Beecroft and is the best museum for jazz culture and music heritage in Europe.
With the Dixon Studio due to reopen shortly with the temporary measures put in place to deal with the crumbling concrete, or RAAC, our local community theatre groups can also enjoy getting back to rehearsals. I'm very grateful for the council building team for resolving the situation so quickly and helping the local community.
Have a good weekend and happy Halloween.
Cllr Derek Jarvis