‘TO MAKE THE AREA WE LIVE, WORK, LEARN AND ENJOY A BETTER PLACE’

Introduction :

Project Southchurch

Project Southchurch are a proactive community organisation, working in partnership with Southend Borough Council, Community Police, local councillors, local agencies and other organisations, operating within the Project Southchurch area and across Southend.

We aspire to be an intermediate organisation bringing together all local groups to address a variety of issues facing residents and businesses. Our aim is to approach challenges as a whole community and to improve the area we live, learn, work and trade in.

Project Southchurch has already made significant progress laying the foundations for future success by forming powerful working relationships and partnerships with a wide range of individuals, organisations and agencies across Southend.

The concerns of a community are fluid, situations quickly change and direction is sometimes altered. The implementation of any project will be through partnership.

Our vision and aims cover all sides of life & community. Our Plan for a Better Southchurch is divided into 4 sections, Community & Development, Future & Environment, Business & finally Communication & Events. All interlinked and focused on improving Southchurch, creating a safe, vibrant and progressive area of Southend.

We are an intermediatery & progressive organisation - independent of political or faith affiliation - bringing together local groups to address a variety of issues facing residents and businesses, while also developing and implementing our own initiatives.

EastQuarter Boundary

Project Southchurch uses geographical, historical and council boundaries. The organisations reach, covers the full council ward of Southchurch and areas within the wards of Kursaal, St Luke’s & Southchurch. We self title the area the EastQuarter.

We work with the 12 councillors across the four wards and since boundary changes we now work with both Southend MP’s.

Community Membership Scheme.

As a self-funded organisation, it has become increasingly difficult to fund the events and community development programmes to the level that we aspire to. To help us maintain those standards we will be launching our Community Membership Scheme (CMS) in 2025.

Who can become a member?

All residents & businesses within the wards of Southchurch, Kursaal, St Lukes and Thorpe are eligible to join. An area which we self title The EastQuarter

For residents and businesses within the EastQuarter the subscription entry level is £10 per month or a one-off payment of £100 for the year. Depending on your circumstances you can increase your monthly membership subscription or one of payment to a level you wish and can afford.

Are there Membership Benefits?

As a member you will receive our ePublications 48 hours before general release. You will be regularly updated on the progress of initiatives and community developments and will receive discounts on our paid events.

We are also in conversations with service providers that will offer either priority status or discounts with utility, financial services, hospitality, internet, local travel, health and leisure service providers.

The strength of the deals depends on the strength of the membership.

For more information or to declare interest please email

info.projectsouthchurch@gmail.com

Meet the Founders

The organisation was founded in January 2019 by local residents Bill Darrington and Rob McAvoy. They witnessed issues that concerned them, mainly around anti-social behaviour and decided to act before they escalated out of control. Since then Project Southchurch has gone from strength to strength, working with local agencies and organisations on numerous and varied initiatives.

How Do I get Involved?

Like all organisations we are looking for volunteers. This year has been busy purely with the number of events we have been involved in. Some have been in partnership with other organisations but many have been organised directly. Although we have used outside organisers to produce premier events such as Frostbite, we are unable to sustain that investment. So we are looking for help in specific areas.

In 2025, although, the number of events will return to our normal level we want to start organising now. So we will be looking for people to join us on an Event Management Committee, we will also be searching for helpers in marshalling the events that are planned.

We will also be searching for volunteers to join us on a newly created Fundraising Team.

When Project Southchurch were founded back in 2019 our aim was also to create some volunteer posts called Community Ambassadors. To be honest we had no idea what role they would play. As we have developed, we have recognised that we need to form a network that can relay information that will allow us to be able to respond quickly to issues or opportunities. So, we will be looking for Community Ambassadors that cover Southchurch, Kursaal, St Luke’s and Thorpe Wards.

We would also look to create Business Ambassadors covering Southchurch Road

East (Surbiton Road – The Old Walnut Tree) Southchurch Road West (Bournemouth Park Road – Surbiton Road) Hamstel Road (including traders around Central

Avenue), Woodgrange Drive (inc Southchurch Avenue) & Eastern Esplanade (Sealife – Thorpe Hall Avenue). The Business Ambassadors will work in partnership with our Associate Director Beth Gutheil to allow us a wider reach to deliver improvements in our business district from footfall to parking and street aesthetics. Like our Community Ambassadors they will allow us to act quickly to situations.

If you are interested, please contact info.projectsouthchurch@gmail.com.If you feel there is something else you feel you can bring the organisation that we haven’t mentioned in this piece, please contact us and share your thoughts.