SOUTHEND RISING
Follow us on social media
  • Home
  • Latest News
    • Your News
  • About Southend
    • Getting to Southend
    • Eating and sleeping
    • Useful links
  • Gallery
  • Publicity services
    • Advertise
    • Business Booster
  • Directory
    • Accounting and financial services
    • Automotive, travel and transport services
    • Business services
    • Design and print
    • Housing services
    • Entertainment and tourism
    • Health, hair and beauty
    • Hotels and accommodation
    • Insurance and legal services
    • Media, marketing and publishing
    • Mother and baby
    • Photography
    • Recruitment services
    • Restaurants, bars and clubs
    • Retail shopping
    • Trades
  • About us
    • Contact Us
    • Terms & Conditions

Southend Pier named one of the "seven wonders of the English seaside"

29/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Southend Pier
Heritage organisation Historic England has named Southend Pier as one its "seven wonders of the English seaside". 

The list was compiled by Allan Brodie, an author who specialises in the history of the British seaside. He said the grade II listed building was not given the accolade because it was "grand or pretty" but because it is the longest pier in the world with a train that takes visitors along the 1.34 mile stretch.

Mr Brodie added: "The pier was built in 1889 by James Brunlees and it was adapted to carry an electric tramway in 1890. It has subsequently been added to and rebuilt following a number of fires. These progressive alterations add to its interest.

“’The other contenders for the pier category were Weston-Super-Mare and Clevedon, but I have always felt an affinity for Southend. It’s not the prettiest or the grandest of piers, but what’s remarkable is that it is over a mile long, and you can actually get a train from one end to the other.”

The other "seaside wonders" were the scenic railway at Dreamland in Margate, Blackpool Tower, The Grand Hotel in Scarborough, the Hippodrome at Great Yarmouth, Brighton Lido, and the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.

0 Comments

Southend parks are among the best in Britain

27/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Five spectacular Southend parks have again won prestigious green flags.

The national accolades have been awarded to Belfairs, Chalkwell, Priory, Shoebury and Southchurch Parks to show they are ranked with the country’s best parks and green spaces.

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy recognises parks, cemeteries, universities, shopping centres and community gardens which have all met the high standard needed to achieve the Green Flag Award or the Green Flag Community Award.

Sites are visited by inspectors and assessed against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability and community involvement.

Executive Councillor for Enterprise, Tourism and Economic Development, Councillor Graham Longley said: “We are delighted that these five Southend parks which are so enjoyed by residents and visitors, have again reached the top standards required to win green flags.

“These awards mean that our parks are being recognised nationally for their quality and appeal.

“As well as their trees and horticultural highlights, our parks host all kinds of attractions ranging from the Bandstand in Priory Park with free musical performances at weekends, to major events such as Village Green in Chalkwell Park, as well as tennis courts, other sports grounds, childrens play areas – such as the new one in Shoebury Park, and outdoor gyms.

“It is even more pleasing to know that we have maintained our high standards and managed to retain all the flags we were awarded last year.

“This is a tribute to the terrific efforts of all those who have been working so hard to keep our parks up to such award-winning standards.”
0 Comments

Southend hotel bookings soar as people choose to be beside the seaside

21/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Hotel bookings in Southend are up by a whopping 374% as people opt for a "stay-cation" instead of travelling abroad.

Online hotel booking company LateRooms.com says its figures show tourism figures are at a record high for resorts like Southend. They put the surge down to a combination of factors, such as investment in Southend, hot summers and turmoil in traditional overseas holiday spots. Strikes by French ferry workers, financial chaos in Greece and terror attacks in places like Tunisia and Turkey have all persuaded people to holiday closer to home.

Many UK seaside resorts have seen big increases in tourism over the last five years, but none more so than Southend:

Southend-on-Sea - bookings up by 374% since 2011
Minehead - up by 262%
Skegness - up by 191%
Whitby - up by 100%
Blackpool -  up by 72%
Margate - up by 55%
Weymouth - up by 45%
Eastbourne - up by 40%

Andrea Tarpey from LateRooms.com said: “Along with trends for afternoon tea, knitting and picnics, our passion for the UK’s beach resorts shows we’re feeling nostalgic this year.

“With great investment being made in the facilities and attractions too, we see this as a trend that’s definitely set to continue.”

0 Comments

Adventure Island ranked third best amusement park in Britain

17/7/2015

0 Comments

 
The annual TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Awards has seen Southend's Adventure Island move from 9th to 3rd in the list of Britain’s best amusement parks – and make a new entry at 11th best in Europe.

The awards, based on millions of reviews posted on the world’s biggest travel ratings website, recognise the best travel spots and destinations based on customers’ experiences and opinions. The award winning destinations and venues are decided by their popularity with TripAdvisor users, taking into account their favourite and most highly-rated places.

In the UK, Adventure Island received 1,326 reviews with 1,194 rating it as either Excellent or Very Good, with comments such as “The staff are amazingly chirpy”, “great value for the whole day” and “good rides and compared with other parks not too expensive, get a wrist band to make the most of the day” being typical of the overwhelmingly positive experiences. There was also lots of mentions about the lack of queues at Adventure island compared to other parks.

Marc Miller, Managing Director of Adventure Island, said: “This latest accolade brackets us with some of the most famous names in our industry – both in the UK and globally. To be ranked higher in the UK than iconic attractions like Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Brighton Pier is very gratifying – and to be rated in the top 1% of all amusement parks in the world is amazing. It is a testament to our unwavering commitment to our customers having a terrific time here and continually striving to improve our offer. Our investment in new attractions, such as Adventure Inside, and its subsequent success demonstrates this.”

He added: “Of course, an essential part of winning this latest award is the standard we set in customer service. We take great care to recruit, train and look after the very best people. It is down to their personalities and professionalism that the public – our toughest critics – feel motivated to go on TripAdvisor and share their appreciation for what we do. I am very grateful to everyone in the Adventure Island team, all our reviewers and TripAdvisor for this superb recognition.”

Picture
0 Comments

Green light for £1.5m spa at Roslin Beach Hotel

8/7/2015

3 Comments

 
Councillors have unanimously agreed plans for a new £1.5m spa at a popular seafront hotel.

Bosses of the four-star Roslin Beach Hotel first outlined proposals for a spa extension last year, but planning issues meant that the scheme only went before Southend’s development control committee this afternoon.

The green light means that work can now begin on creating a sauna, steam room, five new treatment rooms, an expanded nail bar, hydrotherapy pool and a terrace with sea views at the hotel in Thorpe Esplanade.

The hotel already employs 120 staff, and a further 15 will be taken on when the spa opens, possibly as early as this Christmas.
3 Comments

New winter route from Southend Airport to Lanzarote

2/7/2015

0 Comments

 
easyJet has today announced a new winter route from Southend Airport to Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

Flights will be scheduled for twice a week during the winter, beginning on November 6th, with up to 600 passengers a week able to take advantage of the new route.

Last week easyJet announced a new winter route to Lyon, France, and airport bosses are in talks with airlines to add even more new routes.

Neil Slaven, UK commercia manager at easyJet, said: "Having just added Lyon to the range of destinations offered from Southend, we're delighted to be adding another new route to Lanzarote.

"With the addition of new affordable routes, we are catering for the demand from passengers in the region who wish to fly from the airport.

"We are sure Lanzarote will be a firm favourite for those looking for a winter break."
0 Comments

What next for the former Beecroft art gallery?

1/7/2015

0 Comments

 
Now’s the time to give your views about how best to use the old Beecroft Art Gallery building in Station Road, Westcliff.

The popular gallery has successfully relocated to the former Southend Central Library building in Victoria Avenue, where more of the Beecroft collections can be displayed.

However, the old building in Station Road which has stood empty since 2013, is in poor structural repair, so residents and visitors are being invited to have their say on what to do with it via: www.southend.gov.uk/beecroftconsultation

This special consultation is being carried out by The Beecroft Art Trust with the help of its sole Trustees - the Council - and will run until Sunday 20th September.

The Beecroft Art Gallery and collection was set up in 1949 by art-loving solicitor and resident Walter Beecroft. He intended it for: “the promotion of the study of art, music and literature and in particular the provision and maintenance of the Beecroft Art Gallery at Southend-on-Sea as a public art gallery and library.” 

The Station Road building was bought in 1951 and opened as the Beecroft Art Gallery in October 1953.

However, as a former Edwardian hotel, it was always just intended as a temporary home for the collection and the years finally caught up with it. 

The Beecroft Art Gallery now thrives in its new home at the former Southend Central Library.

From 18th February 1980, a Charity Commission scheme appointed the Council as sole Trustee of Walter Beecroft’s endowment consisting of the Gallery building, the Beecroft collection itself and additional funds held for the benefit of the Charity. Since then, the Council has operated both the Trust and Gallery as part of its Museums Service. As sole Trustee, the Council must by law make sure it gets the very best value it can from the use or disposal of the land and/or building at Station Road, Westcliff. Any proceeds of sale will go straight to the Trust and income received – for example through investment - must be used to further the objects of the Trust.

Executive Councillor for Enterprise, Tourism and Economic Development, Councillor Graham Longley said: “The legacy of Walter Beecroft has made a huge contribution to Southend’s cultural heritage. This continues vividly at the relocated Beecroft Art Gallery in the former Southend Central Library.

“But now to maximise Mr Beecroft’s endowment, we must consider very carefully what to do with the old Beecroft building in Station Road.

“We hope as many residents and visitors as possible will give us their opinions about the building’s future.”
0 Comments
    Picture

    Send us your news

    Please send your press releases, photos and videos to news@southendrising.com

    RSS Feed




    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Business
    Education And Training
    Education And Training
    Employment
    Housing
    Infrastructure
    Investment
    Leisure
    Regeneration
    Retail
    Sustainability
    Tourism
    Travel

    RSS Feed


    Southend Rising

    Promote Your Page Too
    Click to set custom HTML

Latest News

Your news



About Southend

Getting to Southend
Eating and Sleeping

Gallery
​
Useful links

Directory




PR services

Advertise​ 
​Business Booster

Jobs

Current vacancies
Advertise your vacancies

About Us

Contact Us
Terms and Conditions

© 2020 Southend Rising                                                                                                                                                                                                        Site by Amygdala Press