Southend-on-Sea News Stories

Although the Digital TV Switchover won’t affect most Southenders until April 2012, Sky’s been busy in Southend Town Centre, as it’s the first day of their four day “Sky Southend-on-Sea Roadshow“.

If you happen to be at the Odeon end of Southend High Street between today, the 29th of July, and Sunday the 1st of August, you’ll find a mini-arena, photo booth, a friendly Sky chap with a loud microphone and a tent demo’ing the latest offering from Sky – the Sky 3D service that’s launching in October 2010.

There’s lots of people with clipboards keen to sign you up to Sky, as well as to capture your personal details for Sky’s mailing list. You’ll also be able to pick up a goodie bag with a handy “Sky, Believe in better” notepad, a Sky Digital Switchover pen, and a leaflet for the good people of Canterbury in Kent.

It seems that last week, the roadshow was in Canterbury, and their goodie bags have yet to “switch over” to the Southend-on-Sea leaflets. D’oh, as Sky One’s Homer Simpson would say.

Sky Roadshow in Canterbury? Nope Southend!

Still, if you’re considering switching to Sky, want to know what 3D TV looks like, or just fancy a free pad ‘n’ pen, pop down to the Sky Roadshow on the High Street before Sunday afternoon.

Some tips:

• Do: Get £3 in cash for taking a 3 minute survey on your viewing habits by the ladies with clipboards
• Do: Enter the draw for a Sky+ package (if you’re OK handing over your address, that is)
• Do: Say hi to the lovely promotion girls Emma, Heidi and Anna (tell them we sent you!)
• Don’t: Sign up to Sky at the roadshow! The “Free Sky+ box” quoted on the Canterbury leaflet is also available online, but you get a £25 Marks and Spencer voucher if you sign up online (or £50 if you go HD) – Sign up online and get a voucher at www.sky.com/shop for a better deal
• Don’t: Forget the free pad and pen

For details of how the Digital Switchover affects Southend, go to www.southendswitch.co.uk

This weekend, Old Leigh played host to the Leigh Folk Festival. although it was a swelteringly hot day on Sunday, the crowds turned out in force to watch a day of free live music, street theatre, dancing, concerts, comedy and a parade.

If you’re interested, there’s a small selection of photos of the 2010 Leigh Folk Festival, the 19th annual event, here: Leigh Folk Festival Summary

Well done to the organisers for another unique and eclectic mix of events and culture, and to the performers, musicians, dancers and singers for performing so well despite the heat!

Another day, another iPhone launch! Queues started forming well before 6am outside the Southend o2 store for today’s launch of the Apple iPhone 4.

At at 7am, the queue already numbers 50.

Update: By 8am, queues continues to grow to at least 150. o2 staff came to inform those beyond a certain point, by our estimate, those after position 70, that queuing would be at risk, due to stock levels. Some waited it out, but many abandoned their quest for the latest shiny new smartphone.

Live from the Freedom of Southend Parade, Southend High Street, 17 June 2010.

The 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, back from their third tour of duty in Afganistan are currently marching down Southend High Street, being cheered by thousands of locals.

The troops have just been inspected by the Mayor, the Deputy Colonel of the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Lord Lieutenant of Essex and the High Sheriff of Essex. The troops are now marching down the centre of the High Street towards the seafront.

The freedom of the borough of Southed is awarded to people that have rendered outstanding service to the community, and is the highest award that the council can make.

Here are a couple of pictures, live from the scene.

Update: See our forum for more photos and discussion: sarfend.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1276785742

Crowds are gathering in Southend High Street for this afternoon’s parade to welcome home soldiers from the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglican Regiment, back from their third tour of duty in Afganistan.

Crowds started gathering at around 11am, with many waving the Union Jack. The parade is expected to start at 1230.

The scene from the centre of the High Street at noon:

Today, the 15th of June 2010 marks a historic day for radio broadcasting, and it all happened here in Essex.

Many Southenders will remember the birth of the first local radio station for Southend-on-Sea as Essex Radio, back in September 1981, broadcasting from Clifftown Road, but the first real radio station from Essex, was MZX, an experimental Marconi station.

After a few test broadcasts, in June 1920, world renowned opera singer, Dame Nellie Melba, performed a pioneering radio broadcast from the Marconi works in Chelmsford.

While few heard this early broadcast, it was a world first, and that and other subsequent broadcasts cemented Essex as the home of broadcasting.

To commemorate this broadcast, radio amateurs (radio hams) in Chelmsford have been hosting an exhibition and broadcasting to other enthusiasts under the callsign GB90MZX.

We’ve been lucky enough to record an interview with John Bowen, the Chairman of the Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society, which has been kindly hosted by our podcasting friends at FrequencyCast.

If you’re interested in the history of radio in our county, please take a listen to this 20 minute interview. You’ll find it at www.frequencycast.co.uk/historyofradio.html

Locals in Leigh-on-Sea wondering what the commotion in the Eastwood Boulevard / Cavendish Gardens at the moment, note that two fire engines from Southend station are in attendance at a fire on waste ground off Nelson Road, next to the old Albany Laundry site.

Smoke is billowing from what looks like a blue hut or shed. Fireman have had to use short ladders to gain access to the site.

Taken at the scene in Leigh at 9:30pm for Sarfend.co.uk

Little Havens Children’s Hospice in Thundersley needs your vote  as it goes head to head with other Lottery-funded projects from across the UK in the semi-finals of The National Lottery Awards 2010.

The National Lottery Awards are an annual search to find the UK s favourite Lottery-funded projects, and Little Havens Children’s Hospice is one of only 10 projects to make it through in the Best Voluntary/Charity Project category. All the projects in the running have already received Lottery funding and the Awards celebrate how they have put that money to good use. We’re urging you to show your support by casting a vote to help Little Havens Children s Hospice make it through to the final stage.

Lauren Summers, Head of Care at Little Havens Children s Hospice, says: “We’re delighted to have reached the semi-finals of The National Lottery Awards. Lottery funding helped to fund the equivalent of eight full-time registered sick children s nurses for three years and showed how vital the work of the hospice is. Without this funding we really wouldn t have got to where we are today. We’re really hoping the public gets behind us and votes as it would be fantastic to get national recognition for the work that we do.”

Voting for the semi-finals ends at midday on Friday 18 June 2010. To cast a vote for Little Havens Children s Hospice, call
0844 686 5047 or go to  www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/awards

Day One of the Southend Air Show (“Festival of the Air”) is drawing to a close. Visibility’s been great, but the high winds have caused a couple of displays to be cancelled, including the Battle of Britain flypast. The winds have not stopped some impressive flying from various RAF aircraft, a display by the rescue helicopter, stunt flying and wing-walkers. Sadly, no Red Arrows this year.

Ending today was a very noisy display from the always-impressive Typhoon.

Weather’s looking great for Bank Holiday Monday’s free show on the seafront, and as well as planes, there’s fun for all the family (as they say) right the way along Western Esplanade.

Not a great day for photos here on Western Esplanade, but here are a couple.

More on our Southend Airshow page.

In case it’s escaped your notice, this weekend is a bank holiday weekend, and in Southend, it’s the Southend Airshow. Two days of aircraft buzzing the crowds gathered below along Southend seafront. 

Taking part this year wil be the Mustang, Sabra, Sea King, RAF Falcons, Kittyhawk, the Typhoon and the Tornado. There will also be a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Sadly, the Red Arrows won’t be taking part this year, as a result of a mid-air collision during a training flight in Crete this March.

See what some of the locals are saying about this year’s airshow lineup in our forum.

Flying starts from 1:30pm both days. As well as the action in the air, there are a number of activities on the ground too – including the RAF, Army and Navy. As in previous years, visitors will also be able to try various rides and simulators, a giant inflatable’, and various other activities.

Handy Airshow links:

• Southend Airshow 2010 Flying Programme
• Southend Travel – Information on travelling to Southend

We’d also encourage anyone keen to keep up-to-date on the event, local travel, and commentaries on the flights, to tune to the excellent radio service offered by local radio station BBC Essex. Tune in to Radio Airshow on 1530AM to hear comprehensive coverage of Sunday and Monday’s air festival.

Those locals not interested in aircraft or crowds, are expected to vacate the town, or do what our office cat was doing this afternoon during the test flight of something very noisy over Westcliff… hiding.

We wish all those visiting and taking part in the airshow well, and we all have our fingers and paws crossed that we get two days of dry and sunny weather.

Note to commuters and users of train services into and out of Southend…

From Sunday 23rd May 2010, the timetables for c2c and National Express East Anglia will be changing.

You can now download or browse the new timetables:

New C2C Timetable: www.c2c-online.co.uk/travel_information/train_timetable

New National Express Timetable: www.nationalexpresseastanglia.com/travel_information/train_timetables

A new addition to our site – Southend Essentials.

Southend Essentials is a handy one-page guide to visiting Southend-on-Sea. It’s intended as a single sheet that you can print out and bring with you. The guide includes train times, phone numbers, attractions, food and drink, plus accommodation.

It’s available as a PDF (for one-page printing), or as a web page.

• Southend Essentials (Web version)
• Southend Essentials (PDF version)

Suggestions for the next version are welcomed.

Thanks to one of our regulars for pointing out that we’ve not posted a summary of the results of the 2010 elections. We’re sure you know the results, but a recap never hurts.

In the General Election:

• Southend West: 46% of votes to Conservative. David Amess MP remains
• Rochford and Southend East: 47% of votes to Conservative. James Duddridge MP remains

In the local elections:

Conservatives increased their seats by 2, and control Southend Borough Council

• Conservative: Belfairs, Chalkwell, Eastwood Park, Kursaal, Milton, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, St Lukes, West Leigh, West Shoebury
• Liberal Democrats: Blenheim Park, Leigh, Prittlewell, St Laurence, Westborough
• Labour: Victoria
• Independent: Thorpe

Update: On the 13th of May 2010, councillor Ann Holland (Conservative) formally became the new Southend Mayor, taking over from Lib Dem Brian Smith.

It can’t have escaped your notice, but the people of Essex are today voting in the General and Local Elections.

We’ve checked in with a couple of polling stations in the Southend West constituency, and are told that turnout is good – higher than in previous elections.

The scene at one polling station in Leigh-on-Sea this lunchtime

Those voting today may be interested to find out just how your vote counts, and we’ve found some interesting information, courtesy of the website voterpower.org.uk

Rochford and Southend East: Listed as a “Fairly Safe” Conservative seat. Just over 69,000 voters

Southend West: Slightly smaller than the average constituency, with just over 66,000 eligible voters, this is a “Very Safe” Conservative seat. Apparently, a vote in this constituency only counts for 0.094 of a vote, based on the probability of the seat changing hands.

It’s a lovely day for a stroll to your local polling station, so make sure you excercise your right by 10pm tonight.

A quick “Well Done” from the team here at Sarfend.co.uk to all those who took part in today’s Sports Relief Mile.

Hundreds of good folk from Southend got up early this morning, Sunday the 21st of March 2010, headed down to Garon’s Park, and walked, ran or wheeled around a mile-long course in the name of charity – some even opted for longer sessions.

The weather from today’s event was ideal for a jog or brisk walk, and the atmosphere down on the track was good. Runners were nicely warmed up by staff, and the Mile commenced.

No news on how much was raised as yet – but a good turnout. Well done to all those that crossed the finish line in style.

All those who’ve not yet paid the sponsorship, or wish to donate, can find more info at http://www.sportrelief.com/the-mile