Southend Association of Voluntary Services

Southend Association of Voluntary Services (SAVS) has received a £49,500 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for an exciting project, Volunteering-on-Sea in Southend-on-Sea.

Volunteering-on-Sea has been created by young people and will be delivered by them so they can explore and share the heritage of volunteering in Southend, an historic seaside town. 20 young people will collect oral histories from organisations who use volunteers to support people on Southend Seafront, or who use the seafront to support their work. This will then create an exhibition which will travel across Southend showing the journey of 16 volunteer experiences over the last 125 years.

Commenting on the award, Alison Semmence, SAVS Chief Executive Officer said: “We are thrilled to have received the support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, the young people are very keen to look into the History of Volunteering in Southend and are delighted that the HLF see the potential of the project.”

Robyn Llewellyn, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund, East of England, said: “The Volunteering-on-Sea project will provide a fantastic opportunity for young people in Southend to discover the history of volunteering in their local area. Thanks to National Lottery players, the Southend Association of Voluntary Services will be able to support young people in this project, and organise an exhibition to share the findings across Southend.

With Spring in the air, daffodils and tulips in bloom and the sun making a few more appearances lately, you may be thinking about getting out and about more. About being more active, getting fit maybe. But what can you do locally that combines enjoying the great outdoors with something worthwhile and rewarding. Where you will meet new people in a friendly, relaxed way and have a lot of fun too.