About us
Founded 50 years ago, in 1973, Chalkwell Ward Residents Association, based in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, is a community organisation that aims both to support and inform people living in Chalkwell ward regarding local issues - from health, education and planning, to transport, parking and waste services.
Our aims, according to our constitution are to:
· Hold regular meetings, in order to raise and act on issues of local concern
· Inform members on matters of local interest
· Encourage a sense of local community
· On a strictly non-party and non-sectarian basis, foster interaction between local people and those who govern them at local level.
Our main objective is to help build local knowledge and relationships, especially in terms of dealing with the local authorities.
We won’t solve your problems for you or guarantee to make representations on your behalf. But we can offer the benefit of our collective experience, the chance to have the ear of one or more of our ward councillors and a programme of talks on matters of – often topical – local interest, helping you to be better informed on what is happening around the ward and more broadly across the town.
We hold 10 meetings each year. Four of these are held in person, with a further six taking part online (see the Events page for further information). During our quarterly in-person meetings, there is also time to get to know each other better over a cup of tea or coffee. Meanwhile, occasional social occasions – notably, our Annual Lunch in the spring and our annual Quiz Night, both take place at venues within the ward, and provide a further chance for social interaction.
In addition to our monthly meetings, we are also active in other ways. We regularly attend police meetings where we are updated onlocal policing news and have the chance to report on crime-related problems. We have established our own Speed Watch group within the ward, and we have undertaken litter picks in conjunction with a local church. Most recently we have established a Book group.
As an organisation, we also like to support others in the local community where we can, and, in the past, we have made a number of donations to causes within the ward – including Chalkwell Lifeguards and the foodbank based at St Saviour's Church.
For joining information, please visit the Membership page.