Knights of Saint Columba Council 192: Southend-on-Sea

Charity Jazz Concert in aid of Saint Peters parish, Eastwood

Saturday 10th October 2015

When Council 192 voted to hold a fundraiser to help the parish of Saint Peters in Eastwood, our first concern was that the Mazenod Hall in the grounds of the parish is the largest hall of the Catholic parishes within the Southend Deanery. 

• Would we be able to fill the hall? 
• Would we have to strategically place the tables and chairs to make it look fuller than it would be?

We need not have worried.

We had our own secret weapon; the wonderful Sandy Rand, wife or our current Chairman Liam who spent several weeks canvassing on the phone to ensure that the hall was full to capacity with people (not just local Catholics) from all over the local area.

On the ground, many of our group were available after Mass at Saint Peters in the two weekends beforehand and the evening was publicised within the newsletters of the five Catholic parishes around the Borough of Southend. In the final few days leading up to Saturday 10th October, the numbers attending just grew and grew to the point where we ran out of the main tables for the hall. We ran out of table number displays that we had produced as we never expected to run an event with more than ten tables.

We had 128 guests which amounts to the biggest function we have put on for a number of years. It certainly was an interesting trip to the supermarket to get the complimentary wine that was in the price of the ticket as we must have looked like a couple of desperate chaps with a trolley weighed down with alcohol.

As well as guaranteed excellent music which we will get on to in a minute, we also provided free tea and coffee, nibbles on the tables and a stylish compilation of contemporary jazz on mp3 to get the feet tapping in anticipation of the show to come. The whole evening had a professional 'gig' feel to it from the ambience to the promotion throughout. We pulled out the stops to make it a good fundraiser for the parish even to offering free lifts to help people get to the evening and safely home again.

The band were called ‘The Southend Jazz Co-Operative’ and they were absolutely superb as well as appearing without charging us for their performance. A part time but very professional band numbering around the 20 member or more mark. Here is their website (www.southendjazzco-op.co.uk) and if you ever see them advertised as performing near you I would highly recommend going to see them. You will not be disappointed. 

Part of the pull of the evening was fish and chips offered within the ticket price of £10 a head so with a keen entry charge we had to ensure that we had a good attendance to show a respective amount raised which was also supplemented by the raffle.

A big thank you has to be said to Oban Road Fish and Chip Shop in Southchurch. This small outlet hidden in the middle of a suburban Southend side road worked tirelessly to freshly cook and wrap fish and chips for all present. We needed two cars to collect and bring all the hot food back to the hall and the fish shop staff looked shattered when the last portion was boxed ready to take. Everyone commented how nice the food was, and it truly was, but with serving teas and coffees plus all the washing up meant that those of us involved in the running of the evening certainly enjoyed the music but did not get a chance to sit and watch though the evening flowed perfectly. I only wish I could have taken more pictures.

When it was all done and dusted, we were able to present Parish Priest Father Jeff Woolnough with a cheque for £829.62 for the parish.

Why did we do it? Firstly, we knew that the parish needed some support financially and although the Knights are not a fundraising organisation ‘per se’, we are able to get events like this rolling. It was hard work but we enjoyed it and we are there to support the clergy and the parishes around us. Needless to say, the day after we were shell shocked.

(D Dillon 10th October 2015)