Southend Cluster
What a positive and encouraging day we had on Dec 5th. Around 30 people from a range of organisations came to Hadleigh Farm to hear something of our (TSA / EMS) hopes for the future. As people arrived at the Hub café they were welcomed with refreshments and pastries which led into a brief introduction from me, an overview from Ivor and a short talk by my colleague entitled 'And you call that respectful? -Reflecting on respect in an interfaith context’.
This was followed by a tour of the site and facilities, with us sharing potential future developments and hopes of working with the community. It was then back to the Hub café for a lunch and plenty of time for sharing and getting to know one another.
There was some very positive feedback which reflected both enthusiasm for the day but also the potential for future partnership working, and already further links are being made including an invitation to Southend Mosque from the Imam, which I hope to arrange in the not too distant future.
On the day we had around 20 people sign up as interested in becoming part of the cluster and we will be holding our first meeting proper on Tuesday 31st January which will explore what the cluster needs to be, to do and how it could best function.
Gallery
Below are some pictures so if unfamiliar people can get a sense of the site, which of course doesn't cover every aspect.
Rare Breeds Centre,
Quiet fishing area / place to ponder
