Southend Faith and Belief Network
Southend-on-Sea Faith and Belief Network
Who are we?
Members of the network are representatives of the local faith and belief congregations, groups, and projects, Southend City Council staff, and representatives from partner agencies we have over 100 subscribers to our page getting regular news from the Faith community and communications from Southend City Council, NHS, 3rd sector organizations and invitations to our monthly meetings organizations subscribe to keep informed.
What do we do?
We bring together faith groups and public services committed to
pro-actively build relationships and trust between faith groups and public services
creating opportunities to raise awareness and share learning and knowledge between different faith communities, and within the public services
seeking opportunities to bring people together to serve the community, particularly the most disadvantaged
We meet monthly to share good practice, hear from invited speakers and support each other in activities which support the above commitments.
Content
On this page there is a wide range of resources for faith groups, from funding opportunities specifically for the faith community, to community initiatives, events, links to useful information as well as news relevant to the faith community feel free to add your event, your place of worship into our map and subscribe to join our monthly meetings and get our newsletters.
News : The latest information for Faith and Belief groups.
Have your say! : Tell us your views, surveys, and funding applications!
Map : Add your place of worship and contact details, other can use this information to reach out, find out where you are or worship!
Events : Subscribers can add their events and invite others.
Who can join?
The network is open to faith and belief leaders, congregational members, community leaders, projects members inspired by their faith and beliefs and professionals and agencies wanting to supporting the network’s aims and objectives.
Background story
The council has a long history of working with the diverse faith and belief community in Southend which is making an immense contribution to the wellbeing of residents in Southend. They provide spiritual guidance and also get involved in serving the most disadvantaged in Southend, from food, housing and employment based activities, through to using their assets to host play groups, sports clubs and social and community events.
The Southend Interfaith Working Group was set up to support this work but when the when the pandemic started in 2020 we had to engage with as many people as we could in a short space of time. The more agile and peer-based Southend Faith and Belief Network was born out of this with weekly then monthly meetings. It proved again the role our faith and belief communities play as an invaluable source of support to the residents of Southend, from sharing messages to congregations, assisting with covid testing and vaccinations, supporting vulnerable families in need and generally ensuring that people have felt less isolated and more valued.
The work of Southend’s Faith and Belief Network has naturally evolved since then. The members have been meeting monthly to discuss issues such as safety compliance, the health and wellbeing of community members, support for the Afghanistan and Ukrainian families in Southend on Sea, where they have been able to support their community needs and have generally been getting involved in projects happening across the City as well as working solidly to support their own congregations.
The tragic events related to the death of Sir David Amess in 2021 brought us together as a network with ideas such as the 1000 Conversations, the 2022 Unite in the Light event at the Cliffs Pavilions (23 plus congregations represented) and Eid in the Park with over 4k residents attending. We come together many times as a group, to be a powerful, united voice and group and the Southend City Council joined the Essex Faith Covenant.
In 2023 the network followed through with Unite in Light: One Planet event bringing together congregations to showcase how they look after the environment informed by their faith and belief.
The network keeps on growing and sharing ideas so please do reach out to find out more by emailing:
To read about how the Council handles your data please visit our Privacy notice: Southend-on-Sea City Council Privacy Notice
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IDAHOBIT at St Marks Church, Hamlet Road, SS1 1QA - 17th May from 1.30 pm
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IDAHOBIT - International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
Come along to St Marks Church in Southend where Chaplain Sam Mackie will host a day that includes time and space for reflection, a social space for chat and/or games as well as a space for people to organise and advocate together for justice. All welcome.
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Volunteers needed for the Aspirations Charity Shop on the London Road in Southend
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Aspirations/Carries Outreach is Southend-based Charity that offers recovery programmes for women experiencing addiction in Southend, support services for women who sell sex that can provide a route out of that cycle, as well as support services for families impacted by addiction. They have a charity shop on the London Road and need volunteers to help.
An enhanced DBS check is required for all volunteers which is funded by Aspirations. Anyone who would like to volunteer should get in touch via their contact page on the website Contact Us
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Independent Living and Occupational Therapy Services
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Southend City Council has a full Adults Occupational Therapy offer which you can see here:
Southend Adult Services can help people with physical disabilities and long-term conditions to get the most out of life. Our vision is for more people to live independently in their own homes in Southend, but some people may require additional support to achieve this.
We want to enable people to stay living safely at home for as long as possible. If you are struggling with any areas of living independently, there are a range of solutions to help you.
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23rd April: Holiday Activities & Food programme (HAF) Event at Civic Centre
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Charities, schools and local businesses are being asked to come forward to provide school holiday sessions for children and young people in Southend-on-Sea. There are several ways local businesses, schools and charities can get involved, from delivering the session to providing the venue. We are especially interested in extending our current offer to include more provision for secondary age pupils and for providers who can support children with complex needs. If you would like to find out more, we will be providing a market engagement event at the Civic Centre on Wednesday 23 April 2025 9am to 11.30am. There will be a presentation and an opportunity to speak to the HAF Coordinator and ask questions to the Procurement Advisors
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Intro to Greater Essex Devolution
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The Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government is currently running a consultation in your area, seeking feedback on a proposal to establish a Mayoral Combined County Authority for the local government areas of Essex, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea.
The consultation can be accessed here: Greater Essex devolution consultation – GOV.UK, and the easiest way to submit a representation is online: Greater Essex Devolution Consultation – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – Citizen Space.
Please join this online presentation and Q&A session where Government officials will provide further information on the consultation, explain how to have your say and answer any of your questions. This session will offer an opportunity to gain a clearer understanding of the proposal for a Mayoral Combined County Authority and its potential impact on Essex, Thurrock, and Southend-on-Sea.
Details on how to join the session:
Date: Thursday 3rd April
Time: 1.30pm to 2.15pm
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Easter Holiday Activities for ages 8-16!
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Trinity Family Centre in collaboration with SECH are offering an Easter holiday programme of activities for kids aged 8-16, commencing Monday 7th April.
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Salvation Army - Are you Living Well and Ageing Well? Tuesday 29th April
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Come and discover some of the services in our community that could support you in living and ageing well
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Salvation Army Sanctuary Day- Friday 28th March
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A place to meet and chat!
Our next Sanctuary session is on Friday 28th of March from 10.30am, do feel free to pop along. The invite is open to all and is very calm and relaxed. Do come and say hello, a bring a friend
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Free NHS Health Check with Everyone Health
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Everyone Health is Southend City Councils commissioned health and wellbeing provider.
We are currently offering NHS Health Checks within the Southend Area and would like to extend this offer to the your congregations.
The NHS health check is a national program for the 40-74 year old population to help prevent or diagnose hidden cardiovascular disease. It is an important step in ensuring you stay healthy in later years.
Each health check takes 30 minutes and covers the following:
- Height
- Weight
- Waist Measurement
- Body Mass Index
- Blood Pressure
- Alcohol Questionnaire
- Smoking Questionnaire
- Physical activity Questionnaire
- Cholesterol Test
- Blood Sugar Test
- Cardio Vascular Disease risk score
As well as the results of your health check going straight to your GP, the check also offers referral routes to lots of free services that can help if any lifestyle issues need changing.
These could be things like Weight management, physical activity, smoking cessation, and falls prevention.
If you would like us to come to your places of worship to hold these health checks for your congregations then please do let us know and we will be happy to arrange some dates.
Videos
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The “Unite in Light” event, which is a celebration of hope and light for our City year, saw people gather from Southend’s diverse faith communities at the Maritime Room, Cliffs Pavilion, to share their hopes for the City of Southend and explore what light symbolises in their faith. The event is supported by Southend.City, Citizens Essex and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council.
Additional photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/southendbc/albums/72177720296870199/with/51897455880
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Eid in the Park first of his kind open event at Garon Park.
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The second UiL event bringing together local groups and congregations. This time they shared how they look after the environment inspired by their belief and faith.
Community Information
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Southend NHS Health Check - Aged 45-74 (1.77 MB) (pdf)
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Unity Iftar Dinner - 16 March 2025 (264 KB) (png)
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Community Engagement Volunteer (1.05 MB) (png)
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Digital Content Volunteer (1.14 MB) (png)
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Active Life (COPD) - Stretch and Breathe Classes (1.19 MB) (pdf)
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Delivery Volunteers for Southend Food Club (1.09 MB) (png)
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Driver Volunteers for Southend Food Clubs (796 KB) (png)
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Food Club Volunteers wanted (1.12 MB) (png)
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Southend Libraries offer free online practice citizenship tests (22.4 KB) (docx)
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Go-Citizen Poster (162 KB) (pdf)
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Home Library Services Information (216 KB) (pdf)