The proposed merger between South-East Essex College and Thurrock and Basildon College is set to go ahead after approval has been granted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The merger of the two colleges will take place on the 1st of January 2010, and the new combined college will be known as “South Essex College of Further and Higher Education”.

A date for your literary diary… Saturday the 6th of June sees the third Southend Book Fair come to town.

Writers Anonymous and South East Essex College are working together to make the 2009 Southend Book Fair the literary event of the local calendar. The free fair is open to all with an interest in the written word; fact, fiction, orated poetry, spoken ideas or themes, illustrated concepts or plays, or just words set to a musical back drop.

South East Essex College will open the doors to their theatre and atrium to promote a new cultural insight into the mysteries of language, to pull back the sheets on something everyone takes for granted and expose what it really means to communicate. The theatre will be hosting events such as talks by writers and their experiences of the writing process, talks by a publisher about the publishing industry and how to get your works in the public domain. There are extracts from plays by local theatre groups and poetry readings.

In the main atrium of the college will be the book fair, where you can meet and talk with writers and illustrators, discover the works they’ve completed and obtain limited signed copies of their books.
Entrance to the Southend Book Fair 2009 is free, and takes place on Saturday 6th June from 10am to 4pm at South East Essex College in Luker Road, just next to Southend Central station.

More details at www.writersanonymous.org.uk/sbf.html

Students from the South East Essex College are preparing to shine with their very own exhibition that started on 28 February 2009.

Local fashion and design students are exhibiting the Beecroft Art Gallery in Westcliff. The exhibition has been inspired by, and forms part of, the Essex Jiangsu Festival.

Students taking courses in Fashion Promotion and Fashion Design have worked together to design garments and promotional materials inspired by Chinese prints and patterns. Their work has been designed and developed to reflect the style of particular high street fashion houses.

Jo Stringer, Course Leader for BND Fashion and Clothing at SEEC: “We are delighted that the Beecroft have offered the students this wonderful opportunity to showcase their work, so much effort goes into their work. There will be varied work on show including garments, ideas for promotional posters, bags, swing tickets all the things you would expect to see in one of our high street stores.”

The China Now exhibition runs until the 18th April 2009.More details: beecroft-art-gallery.co.uk

College opens – South East Essex College‘s new building opens its doors, just off Southend High Street