I am immensely proud of Southend and after attending recent conferences it has swelled even further.

I attended a poverty conference where we were looking at the issue in Southend and how we can help. It was great to hear people’s ideas of what a prosperous community will look like in 2015, but it was also great to hear a presentation from Debbie Priest, headteacher at Milton Hall Primary School and to hear about their tremendous work.

I also attended a community cohesion conference. It was great to see so many people who work hard to make Southend the place it is. But even the best places have their faults. If you could change one thing about Southend, what would it be?

Dell Thomas
Durham Road
Southchurch