Southend Tamil Association (STA) is the home of the Tamil community in Southend-on-Sea and south-east Essex. Since 2010 we have kept the Tamil language, arts and culture alive for our children, brought families together for festivals, sport and celebration, and looked after one another in good times and hard ones. We are a registered charity (CIO 1189156), run entirely by volunteers, and our doors are open to everyone – Tamil and non-Tamil alike.

How it began

By 2010 many Tamil families had made their home around Southend, yet there was nowhere for their children to learn to speak, read and write Tamil, and no shared place to celebrate together. Five friends decided to change that. On Thursday 2 June 2010 they met at 749–751 Southchurch Road, Southend-on-Sea, and agreed to form the Southend Tamil Association. Our founder members were:

• Mr Logendran Thayabaran – founding President
• Mr Balasingam Kuganeswaran – founding Vice President
• Mr Kumarasamy Sivabalan – founding Treasurer
• Mr Kanthavel Thedchanamoorthy – founder member
• Mr Benedict Anton – founder member

Mr Paul E. West was appointed Secretary and Consultant to the new association. The founders’ very first decision was to open a weekend school for the community’s children, and on Saturday 25 September 2010 Southend Tamil School (சௌத்தென்ட் தமிழ்க் கல்விக்கூடம்) opened its doors at Hamstel Infant School, with Saturday-morning classes for children aged 5 to 15. Sixteen years later the school still meets every Saturday – today at Southend City Community College – teaching Tamil language, music, dance and instruments, and preparing its pupils for the TEDC (Tamil Educational Development Council UK) examinations.

Growing into a charity

What began as a small association grew year by year. Thai Pongal, Navaratri and Saraswathi Pooja, Christmas, an annual Sports Day, yoga and karate classes, pilgrimages and welfare support for elders and families in need all became part of STA life, and the association became a familiar partner for the city’s councillors, MPs and neighbouring community groups. In February 2017 STA was incorporated as a not-for-profit company, and on 22 September 2019 a Special General Meeting of the members voted to take the next step and become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Southend Tamil Association was entered on the Charity Commission register on 21 April 2020 as charity number 1189156. The members nominated Mr Kumarasamy Sivabalan, Mr Nagarajah Kirubaharan, Mr Balasubramaniya Sivasaravanan, Mr Sivakulasingam Chandrakanthan and Mr Kanthavel Thedchanamoorthy as the trustees to register the charity, with Mr Nagarajah Kirubaharan as the first Chair of Trustees.

A new constitution (யாப்பு), adopted by the members on 17 January 2021, sets out how STA is run today: a board of trustees and a working committee elected every year at the Annual General Meeting, with the school’s Head Teacher also elected by the members. The constitution was published in Tamil and English in 2024.

What we do today

Every Saturday our school welcomes children for Tamil language and fine-arts classes. Through the year we celebrate the festivals that bind us, hold our Sports Day, mark our days of remembrance and support members who need a helping hand. We work with Southend City Council and neighbouring communities to share Tamil culture with the wider city, and our members meet each year at the AGM to elect the President, Secretary, Treasurer and working committee who carry the work forward. You can read about the people who have led STA since 2010 on our Our Committee page – and you are warmly invited to join us.

Milestones

• 2 June 2010 – Southend Tamil Association founded by five founder members.
• 25 September 2010 – Southend Tamil School opens at Hamstel Infant School.
• 9 February 2017 – STA incorporated as a not-for-profit company.
• 22 September 2019 – members vote to become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
• 21 April 2020 – registered with the Charity Commission (CIO 1189156).
• 17 January 2021 – new constitution adopted; trustees and working committee elected every year.
• 2023 – STA and Southend City Council celebrate Tamil culture together at the city’s multicultural event; the old company is closed and everything now runs through the charity.
• 2024 – constitution (யாப்பு) published in Tamil and English.
• 2026 – sixteen years on: Sports Day 2026, a growing school and a new online members’ area.