The Ferndale St. Luke’s Community Association Ltd is a joint venture of local residents, representatives of agencies working within St Luke’s Ward, elected local government officials and the local Christian churches. Its purpose is to promote the renewal of St. Luke’s Ward and, as it first task, to lease, run and promote the use of St. Edmund’s Hall as a centre for the whole of the local community.

The Partnership was formed as a response to the Southend Borough Council’s plans to close all community centres as a cost-saving exercise. Sympathetic to the Council’s financial constraints the parties who formed the Partnership were clear that the excellent facilities that St. Edmund’s Hall provides should not be lost to community use and that steps were needed to re-establish it as the centre of the surrounding community.

Council Officers were supportive of the plans and facilitated the transition to local ‘ownership’.  A charitable company limited by guarantee was established and Ferndale Baptist Church offered its Church Office as the administrative hub and registered office.

The directors are local ward councillor, Mel Day (Company Secretary), Frank Gulley (headmaster, Temple Sutton School) and Stephen Dray (minister, Ferndale Baptist Church).

An Association is shortly to be established to administer the company and its various activities.

Objects

The objects of the Association are to:

a) promote the benefit of the inhabitants of the area of benefit without distinction of sex, sexual orientation, nationality, age, disability, race or of political, religious or other opinions by associating together the said inhabitants and the statutory authorities, voluntary and other organisations in a common effort to advance education and to provide facilities in the interests of social welfare for recreation and leisure time occupation with the object of improving the conditions of life for the said inhabitants;

b) and to maintain and manage the St Edmunds Community Hall whether alone or in co‑operation with any statutory authority or other person or body in furtherance of the above objects;

c) promote such other charitable purposes as may from time to time be determined.

The Association shall be non‑party in politics and non‑sectarian in religion.  The area of benefit shall be the civil ward of St Luke’s, Southchurch, Southend-on-Sea, Essex.