From Echo:

'The significant investment, announced yesterday, is part of more than £1 billion funding to support buses across the UK.

Extra funding is being dished out to end the ‘bus postcode lottery, empower councils to take back control of services, and deliver the bus revolution’, as well as creating ‘Londonstyle’ services.

Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council, believes Southend Council can do ‘something significant’ with the funding and discussions on how it will be spent will now take place.

Delighted - Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council Delighted - Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend Council (Image: Southend Council)

He said: “This is fantastic news for Southend. We are getting over £2 million more funding under this Government than the last, demonstrating this Government’s commitment to improving bus services.

“We look forward to making ambitious plans with this increase. This funding is much more than we expected, which was a nice surprise to have.

“We need to work up options, but we believe we can do something significant.”

The Government add that investment has been designated to enhance popular routes, protect rural services and increase bus use for shopping, socialising and commuting. It is designed to prevent service reductions on at-risk routes and improve punctuality across England.

Shoebury resident and frequent bus user, Richard Delahoy, added: “The increased allocation of Government money to Southend Council to improve bus services is certainly welcome.

“Within the headline £2.5 million figure, most of it, £1.7m is for capital projects like bus lanes and infrastructure measures.

“I would like to see some of the money spent on repairs to the Travel Centre building, as well as more roadside real time information screens.

“Also, more raised kerbs to give level access to buses for buggy and wheelchair users.

“The rest of the money, £716,000, is for revenue support and this could be spent supporting more socially necessary services, such as the long sought after restoration of buses between Eastwood and Leigh.

“But such services need long-term funding, not just a one-year injection of cash.”

As part of this investment, the Government say that the funding has been allocated based on place need, levels of deprivation and population.'

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https://www.southendhalloween.org/

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https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/guide/fireworks/

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Sat 28 Sept - The Famous Potatoes
Sun 29 Sept - Chelmsford Salvation Army Band

https://famouspotatoes.co.uk/videos/its-saturday-night/

Sat 21 Sept - Southend Jazz Co-operative
Sun 22 Sept - John Seeley Saxophone Group

Performances are free and will run from 3pm to 4.30pm.

Please note that the bandstand is not covered, so dress for the weather. Visitors are encouraged to bring chairs or blankets for their comfort.

https://www.lods.co.uk/

Will be back in a few weeks.

This weekend’s performers will be;

Saturday – Salvation Army Band
Sunday – Swan Saxophone Quartet

The acts will perform between 3pm – 4.30pm

https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-salvation-army-band-swan-saxophone-quartet/

https://www.southendcityjam.co.uk/

This weekend’s performers will be;

Saturday – Rayleigh Brass
Sunday – Essex Police Band

The acts will perform between 3pm – 4.30pm




https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-rayleigh-brass-essex-police-band/

This weekend’s performers will be;

Saturday – Little Theatre Company
Sunday – 60s Duke Box

The acts will perform between 3pm – 4.30pm

https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-little-theatre-company-60s-duke-box/

Saturday 24th cancelled.

https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-august-bank-holiday-weekend/

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From the Echo.

'Long-standing store on Southend High Street set to close after 20 years. A mainstay on Southend High Street is set to close when its lease comes to an end next year.

The Echo understands Clintons Cards will be closing on January 18.

Signs have gone up in the shop window to inform shoppers that they will be vacating just after Christmas.

The business, which offers a range of cards “for all occasions”, gift wraps, tapes and stationary occupies one of the larger units on the High Street and is between HMV and Sport Direct, opposite Card Factory and the Works.

The business is believed to have been in the High Street for around 20 years.

A member of staff at the store said: “January 18 is our last day of trading, we are closing when our lease runs out and we hoped to do some renegotiation with the landlord, we don’t know how the conversation went.

“We have not had our consultancy meetings and we found out a couple of weeks ago, within the next few weeks we will have meetings and we will look at options for relocation but we are unsure of how viable that will be.

“In general, it is nice that with a lot of people, they have told us they have been loyal customers, that we have been here since the early 2000s, in this location for 20 years.

“We have been told that people have been coming in here for years and that they really miss it and that it is a reason to come to Southend.

“We do have our busy and our quiet months but unless they tell you it has been nice, the overwhelming thing is that they will miss us, people have been overwhelmingly nice.”

The staff member added: “It has been nice to hear sometimes that you have had the support.”

Southend Labour councillor responsible for business, Matt Dent called it a “real shame.”

He said: “This is not what we want to hear, that business has been in there for decades and for it to close is a big blow to the High Street.'

https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-jackie-wilson-says-purple-jazz-trio/

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Sat 3 August - Anita Carmichael and Friends
Sun 4 August - The Graham Hunter Jazz and Funk Trio

Stole phone from nail shop near The Plough Westcliff. If you do, please contact Southend Police.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1558934810810442/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=7947471241956735

As the performance is later than usual, the cafe will probably be closed.

The Long Run are a four piece RnB rock band from Canvey Island in the South East of Essex. Formed in 2005, the band played their first gig the day after their first ever rehearsal. Since then, the band has continued to play gigs all over the country, including venues in Liverpool, Newcastle, Brighton and all around London and the South East of England. The band plays a strong mix of rock and indie music that draws influences from a diverse number of artists.

Sun 21 July - Leigh Orpheus Male Voice Choir

This weekend’s performers will be;

Saturday – Hockley Youth Wind Band
Sunday – The Silburys – From Folk to Rock

The acts will perform between 3pm – 4.30pm

It now costs more to park on Southend seafront for a day, than it does to park at Disney World in Florida for a day.
New higher parking charges came into force today on Southend seafront. The chargeable period in Zone 1A on the seafront has also been extended from ending at 6pm to now ending at 9pm.
A full day’s car parking on Southend seafront now costs £25.
A day of standard car parking at Walt Disney World theme park in Florida costs around £23.
Hourly rates of parking in Zone 1A on Southend seafront have increased from £2.80 to £3 per hour.
The cost of a full day's parking has increased from £19.30 to £25.
Zone 1A car parks include: Eastern Esplanade Car Park, Fairheads Green Car Park, Seaway Car Park, the Cliffs Pavilion Car Park, Shorefield Road Car Park and Thorpe Esplanade Car Park.
Other parking zones in Southend (Zone 1B, Zone 2 and Zone 3) are still only chargeable until 6pm and have lower charges.
A spokesperson from Southend City Council said: “There are a range of car parking options, locations, and prices across our fantastic city which is visited by millions of people every year.
“This includes 36 car parks of which six are in Zone 1A which charge the highest rate reflecting their prime locations, and 12 in Zone 1B, many of which are close to the seafront and charge a lower rate.
“Users of the £12.50 a month Southend Pass are exempt from the 6-9pm charges in Zone 1A. This is in addition to being able to park for three hours in each of the four zones (including Zone 1A) every day.”

The Knife Angel is a contemporary sculpture formed of 100,000 knives created by artist Alfie Bradley and the British Ironworks Centre, based in Oswestry, England. Completed in 2018, the structure of the angel stands at 27 ft tall.

https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-tilbury-brass-thurrock-spectrum-brass/

Thurrock Spectrum Brass

Saturday – Southend Vox
Sunday – Chelmsford Silver Band

https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/event/music-in-the-park-southend-vox-chelmsford-silver-band/

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https://www.visitsouthend.co.uk/whatson/

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/24320061.southend-airport-new-airline-ascend-airways-launched/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjr77z5zl4eo

The ever popular Music in the Park returns to Priory Park bandstand for 2024. The bandstand will come alive with top local bands and musicians! Don’t miss out! This free event runs every weekend and bank holiday Monday from Saturday 4 May – Sunday 29 September.

Today's performers will be – Le Cruz – Rock and Pop

No chairs will be provided so please bring your own or a blanket. There is also limited parking at the park so where possible use public transport, walk or cycle.

**Performances can be cancelled at short notice in the event of bad weather or illness**

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https://littleheroesasd.co.uk/

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https://www.scooploop.com/thread/hello-everyone-a-little-update-on-scooploop

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-68828158

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From Essexlive

'A "vital" bus route which transports people to an Essex hospital will be restored later this month following a summit meeting between transport bosses and an MP. First Essex has announced it will bring back the 21A bus route which connects Southend Hospital to other parts of the borough.

The service, which is an extension of the 21 service, will run every hour during the middle of the day from Monday to Saturday and will serve Carlton Avenue in Westcliff, providing access to residents to Southend and Leigh. It comes following a huge meeting between bosses and Anna Firth, MP for Southend West, at the end of March.

This service has been made possible through the use of Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP) funding awarded by HM Government to Southend City Council - believed to be just under £1million - and will provide "increased convenience and flexibility" for passengers wanting to access the hospital.

Julian Elliott, Head of Network at First East of England said: “First Essex is proud to be working in partnership with Southend-on-Sea City Council to meet the evolving needs of our customers and the community. The new 21A service underscores the collective effort to ensure sustainable and reliable services for residents and visitors to South Essex.”

Following her summit meeting with transport leaders, Anna Firth said: "For well over an hour, we discussed the current and future provision of buses in Southend. We spoke at length about the long-term plans for the bus operators, as well as the current challenges they face to operate in Southend.

"Local transport remains crucial to many in Southend West and Leigh, so it is vital that we have a bus network befitting our new city status. Absolutely no residents should be left completely unserved or isolated as a result of a withdrawn service."
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Passengers can visit the First Essex website or download the First Bus app for more information on the new service, which will begin on Monday, April 15.'

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