A JEWISH charity boss has revealed how it was Canvey's community spirit which led to the decision to set up a new faith centre within a derelict school on the island.

The site of the former Castle View School, in Meppel Avenue, will be transformed by The Charedi community, a branch of the Jewish faith, currently based in Stamford Hill, London.

It is understood that a family of philanthropists have paid £1.75million for the former school building, which closed five years ago, and its attached playing fields.

They plan to operate a school providing education for both children and adults, as well as a minyan – an area designated for prayer.

The Charedi population can no longer live just in Stamford Hill, known for having the largest concentration of Jews in Europe.

Joel Friedman, 30, a policy director with a Jewish charity, who has moved onto the island, sais the community looked at other areas, including Harlow and East Tilbury. In the end it was the vacant school site, and its proximity to London, which proved the clinching factors in setting up on Canvey.

He said: “The community spirit talks to us, particularly as a close knit community with family orientated people. We recognised that Canvey has this very early on.

“We also want this to be an asset for the community, not just the Jewish one. The school being sold wasn’t dependant on us moving here, but it certainly was a plus.

“We are speaking to local people, local councillors and the MP. There’s no grand plan for huge development, and we’re just taking it as it comes."

Mr Friedman was keen to point out the community who would use the school were not just moving to Canvey.

He said: “There’s not a huge exodus of London coming to Canvey. If people move to Southend or Leigh, then they are both nearby too.

“The focus will be very much that school site, which can have a school, a synagogue and community facilities, planning permitted of course. We started identifying sites about a year ago."

Mr Friedman added that he hopes islanders will embrace the Charedi community.

He said: “There is a concern, because we are a vulnerable minority that are visibly different. So we are relying on support from the community and help from police, we are discussion with the Community Security Trust – which is funded by the government to help Jewish organisations across the board.”

Joseph Stauber, 70, is a member of a committee set up to help the community integrate on Canvey.

He said: “We have no closed doors and are more than happy to welcome the community in.

“It was an omen, the school was standing vacant for six or seven years. People had wanted to use it for development and the council didn’t want this.

“I think the focus is education, both for small primary school children and for adults too.”