TWO coaches of Southenders travelled to Downing Street on Valentines Day, to protest at the low Whitehall grant for Southend which could mean the closure of seven Southend libraries, a number of community centres, the Palace Theatre and the ending of several subsidised bus routes, unless additional funding is obtained.
Many of the seventy-five protestors already hold positions of influence within the Borough and further afield. These include the usual suspects such as local MPs David Amess and Teddy Taylor, leader of the Council Howard Briggs and the Mayor and his wife, Roger and Verina Weaver. In addition, there was also a number of recognised Christians there as well, among them Maureen Bryson and Pat Williams of St. Saviours in Westcliff, Gary Cockrill (Rivers Of Life Fellowship) and Steve Dale and Ken and Barbara Crowe, of Ferndale and Avenue Baptist Churches, respectively.
John Barber (also of Growing Together, too) and Martin Harris, who leads Churches Together In Southend, had played a large part in disseminating information about the march, to the local churches prior to 14th February. Now, John and Rick Williams, the vicar at St. Saviours were to be the most visable face of the church at Downing Street as the press crowded round and the Mayor had to choose six representitives from the seventy-five, to accompany our two MPs (who have the right, anyway) through the gates into Downing Street.
The Mayor was emphatic that Rick should represent the faith groups, and indeed, was keen that a church presence should be among the delegation that presented the petition against the low grant to Number 10. Before he went, Gary Cockrill thrust a Father’s Love Letter into his hand and whispered, “Please give this to Tony Blair!” He took it, but felt awkward…after all, this was the Mayor’s show and he didn’t want to push in and upstage the Mayor by presenting his own ‘document’. So when the Number 10 aide came out and received the petition – as well as a bunch of flowers from the mayoress – Rick didn’t do anything.
She’d obviously noticed the Love Letter he’d been holding, because immediately afterwards Mrs. Weaver asked Rick if he’d presented it. When he explained why he hadn’t, it seems that the mayoress would’ve been happy to have handed it over with the flowers – and the mayor remarked that it was a shame that it didn’t happen, and why doesn’t Rick go back to Number 10 and leave it with the policeman on the door?
He did and the policeman not only promised to forward it to Tony Blair, but posed for a photo with the Letter, in Downing Street! So, as far as we’re aware, the Father’s Love Letter has been taken to the very heart of power in this country.
Also present on the march were two Muslims, including Imam of Southend mosque, Ahsan Iqbal. When the Evening Echo photographer asked for a photo of the ‘faith group’ leaders all together, Rick and John were otherwise only aware, at the time, of Ahsan’s presence there – and so the three were captured together.
The LOVE SOUTHEND banner had been taken on the march and prominently displayed. Now, the Echo photographer was asking for the three of them to pose with it. When Rick explained to Ahsan what LOVE SOUTHEND is all about, Ahsan replied, “Well, that’s all right. I love Southend, too.” So the three were photographed with the banner, and the image appeared in the later editions of the Echo that day, as well as appearing in colour in the extensive coverage of the march in the following day’s paper, on Tuesday 15th. The Echo also interviewed Rick, but little of that actually went to print, in the end – however, Rick was also to appear in a number of other photos (mainly in colour) that were to grace the pages of the local papers, that week…along with images of red Valentine’s Day Helium Balloons, which, shaped like a heart and bearing the legend, “Don’t Rip The Heart Out Of Southend”, were reminiscent of the Father’s Love Letter design.
All in all, a crucial day for the Borough of Southend-on-Sea…but at least it was a good day, for LOVE SOUTHEND
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