CONCRETE CULTURE AND THE FUTURE OF THE KURSAAL

Last night I was honoured and delighted to join a Zoom call organised by @ConcreteSX , a new community arts collective in the town, around ideas of how to bring the Kursaal back into use as a community and arts hub.

Back when the bowling alley in the Kursaal closed (the first time), I set out a desire to see the lease brought back to the Council and a wide-ranging public consultation undertaken to make the most of all the ideas that residents have for the future of our town to be.

Last night I witnessed exactly that sort of a consultation, having grown out organically from the community. The passion and the imagination on show was amazing to see, and I am very happy to pledge my support to Concrete Culture going forward with this.

The practical and commercial obstacles are still present, but I do believe that there is a way forward to save the Kursaal for the people of Southend. After last night, I am confident there's the will to do so.

Even in these grim times, there is a noticeable glow growing stronger on the horizon of the future of Southend.

I strongly urge everyone to check out Concrete Culture's website, and have a look at what they're doing: https://concreteculture.co/