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... Around Towners to YOUR Rayleigh community magazine! Dark and cold evenings are a thing of the past after this month! We are already seeing much longer days now and come Sunday 29th March, when the clocks go forward, it will really feel like Spring is on the way. Another date for your diary this month is Mothering Sunday (15th March). Check out Jo’s article and the food section (towards the back of the magazine) for places to treat Mum this year. If you’re Irish, or just fancy a pint of the black stuff, St. Patrick’s Day (17th March) is the perfect excuse to have a craic with friends down the local pub and celebrate in true Irish style! Lots to look forward to this month and more articles and advertisers inside this edition, please read on and enjoy!

From the Around Town Team

Features 6 Mark Francois MP Political Update 8 Martin Lewis The Money Saving Expert 9-13 **NEW** Property Section

15 The Cook Report Mother’s Day 19 Know Your Tradesmen P.J. Carpet Cleaning 20 Nature Notes EWT Volunteer Neil Sumner 22 Around Town Sports Focuses on Skiing 25 A View from the Church Rev. Mike Lodge 26 Rayleigh Lions Club / Rotary Club of Rayleigh Mill Organisations ‘Around Town’ 30 On Your Plot Gain the upper hand now! 31 What’s On When and Where... 31 Useful Numbers

Why Advertise? We hand deliver 15,000 copies every month to homes and businesses covering the whole of Rayleigh. This includes several thousand copies available from venues throughout the town and an online edition. To Advertise Contact our details below.

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Booking deadline for our April edition of Around Town is: Friday 13th March.

Copyright 2014. Around Town Billericay is an independent magazine and does not endorse the products or services that appear in the magazine. Opinions expressed in Around Town do not necessarily represent those of the editors of Around Town Magazines. Around Town Magazines are published by Black Square Print Media Ltd produced by Black Square Litho Ltd.

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WHY I AM DELIGHTED THE COUNCIL SAID NO TO COUNTRYSIDE’S PLANNING APPLICATION At the end of January I attended Rochford District Council’s Development Control Committee, where our local councillors voted emphatically to reject proposals that would have seen some 500 houses built on the land North of London Road in West Rayleigh. I have been following this issue closely over recent months, and indeed years, and I formally objected to the application, in writing, several months ago. However, on the evening of the committee meeting, I also gave oral evidence to the councillors, as both an MP and a local resident – explaining why I thought the housing should not go ahead. I pointed out that there were still a number of important flaws in the application, specifically relating to the lack of guarantees to provide

By Mark Francois MP the infrastructure that would be required, if the houses were to go proceed. As the local MP, I wouldn’t normally attend such council meetings but, given the very real importance of this proposal and the large number of representations I have received about it, I thought it was important to follow up my objection and take the opportunity to put the case to the councillors in person. I’m pleased that, following nearly

two hours of debate, the councillors decided to turn down the proposal by 23 votes to 10 votes - chiefly on the grounds that insufficient guarantees had been provided regarding the necessary infrastructure. As far as I am concerned any major housebuilding should only take place if and when the necessary infrastructure has already been guaranteed and this clearly isn’t the case with this application. I am therefore very pleased to see that common sense has prevailed and that our councillors, of all parties, have voted overwhelmingly to turn this unsatisfactory application down. Rt Hon Mark Francois Member of Parliament for Rayleigh and Wickford

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These cold dark days of winter leave many dreaming of summer. Yet don’t let travel lust destroy your wallet. Most people book holidays in the early months of the year, so if you’re jet set on tripping abroad this year, here’s my top tips on how to use the web to pay less to get more. Slash flight costs using the RIGHT comparison. Unlike package holidays with scheduled flights, leaving it until the last minute means prices rocket. So make sure you’re booking in advance and use the right site for the job. - Cheapest price on normal flights: Here, just use a flight comparison site. I like www.kayak.co.uk (for gizmos), www. skyscanner.net (for ease), and www. travelsupermarket.com (for breadth). - Check cheap charter flights comparisons too: If you’re flying to a traditional package holiday destination, like Majorca, you should also check for spare capacity being sold on tour operators’ own flights. The comparisons that include these ‘charter flights’ are www.travelsupermarket.com, www.avro.co.uk & www.flightsdirect.com. - Find the perfect time to book: Use the Flight Insight tab on comparison site www. momondo.co.uk, eg, on average 59 days ahead is the perfect time to book, but it varies by destination, so worth a check. Flight booking - the clever stuff to cut costs. Once you’ve found the cheapest price via a comparison, if you want to push harder, you need to get clever. - Book the wrong date trick. Easyjet’s Flexifares let you switch dates by a few weeks without paying more. So bag cheap term-time flights, then swap for your chosen school holiday dates. One of my users saved £700 on her family’s break, yet there are pros and cons. Full step-bystep in www.mse.me/easyjet. - The codeshare trick. Sometimes two or more airlines sell the same flights and booking via one partner is cheaper, eg, a United flight from Birmingham to New York can be cheaper via Lufthansa. - Ethnic travel agents trick. If you’re going somewhere with a big UK ethnic or immigrant community, check out niche travel agents catering to them. Eg, London’s Shepherd’s Bush has some Caribbean specialists, or the Jewish Chronicle advertises cheap flights to Israel. - The credit card flight freebie trick. You

can get a ‘free’ Flybe flight anywhere or a BA European flight (you pay taxes) just by signing up to a fee-free credit card, and doing normal spending on it. For a full list of freebies see www.mse.me/ccfreebies.

of travel, yet of course there’s restricted choice and you may need to be flexible. So if you need special facilities (eg, for families) you need to book now and try to cut prices down.

Cut the price for your hotel room. Forget the star system. There’s no world standard and it’s often about facilities, not quality. To find the hotel you want to stay at read reviews on the ubiquitous www. tripadvisor.co.uk, but always ignore the best and worst 10%. Check comparison sites, both www.trivago.co.uk and www. travelsupermarket.com allow you to see who’s selling your hotel room for less.

How to cut prices? Remember tour operators make holidays, travel agents sell them. So one operator’s holiday may be on sale at many travel agents - the aim is to find who’ll sell it cheapest. Either scan for discounts, or often more lucratively, but more time consuming, is to haggle.

Then also be aware there are commonly promo codes available for the big hotel booking sites which can cut your costs by a further 15% for a full list of current ones see www.mse.me/hotelsales. Tricks to uncover 5-star hotels at 3-star prices. If you’ve time to play and want the really big discounts, then there are two naughty (but legal) routes. - Uncover secret hotels. www.lastminute. com sells secret hotels at big discounts, where you know the star rating, description and rough location, but aren’t told the name till you’ve paid. Yet by cutting and pasting key words into google then matching up the ‘ratings’ you can uncover them before you book – full step by step in www.mse.me/secrethotels.

- HUGE discounts with the Priceline bidding loophole. www.priceline.com is a huge US booking site (it works for some European cities too). The trick is fiddly, but devastatingly lucrative as forumite 5*dealhunter found: “Got the 5* Renaissance Barcelona Hotel for £59 a night for 3 nights instead of £310 - a saving of 81%.” If you’ve got 30 minutes to try it see my instructions at www.mse. me/priceline. Package holidays can undercut DIY web bookings... especially for 7, 10 or 14 days in a traditional resort like Majorca, Mykonos or Malia (and some that don’t start with an M). In brief... When to book? Massive savings are possible in the late market, where deals are done within eight weeks

To do this first find the trip you want, then write down all details, then take it to the travel agents who advertise on places like www.teletext.co.uk to see if they will sell you the same holiday for less. Go to a few to find the best price, but to be fair if one has spent a lot of time helping you, always give them the last chance to match it. How to get package holiday protection. Package holidays have long been protected under the ATOL scheme, so if something goes wrong you get your money back (or help coming home). Yet book a flight plus separate hotel or car hire together (or within 24 hours) from the same travel (not airline) website, and since 2012 you’ve also got ATOL protection, just like with a package. So check if it’s not much more expensive compared to booking the cheapest flight and hotel separately. Also bear in mind www.expedia.co.uk, www.travelocity.co.uk, www.ebookers.com and www.lastminute. com often give extra discounts for flights and hotels booked together.

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Celebrate all things great about Mum this March There’s definitely a hint of spring in the air, and as we begin to enjoy the lighter nights and brighter mornings, and start to look ahead to our plans for the warmer months, we also take time out to reflect on the greatness that is all things Mum. On Sunday 15th March we celebrate Mother’s Day, or Mothering Sunday as traditionally known. With both religious and secular origins, Mother’s Day has been widely celebrated in the western world since the middle of the twentieth century. It is now seen as an ideal opportunity to spend quality time with our Mums and spoil them with gifts and flowers, a nice pub lunch or a fun family day out. So what’s on the agenda Around Town in terms of Mother’s Day this year? You’ll find plenty of restaurants, bars and other entertainment venues in Rayleigh and the surrounding area offering

special deals and events which will really help Mums feel extra special this Mother’s Day. Looking for a traditional Sunday lunch with a difference? The Rayleigh Club Golf Resort is offering a three course carvery for £29.95 for adults and £14.95 for under 12s, with entertainment from their resident pianist Mike Beecher. Call 01702 232377 or visit their website www.therayleighclub.com for further details. For those Mums looking for homecooked food in a relaxing pub atmosphere, The Bull Inn in Hockley is offering a two or three course set menu for £16.99 or £19.99 per person, with traditional dishes such as steak & ale pie or Sunday roasts available in a cosy pub atmosphere. Alternatively, The Anchor Riverside at Hullbridge is also offering a set menu with the usual Sunday roasts and seasonal specials available. Visit www. theanchorhullbridge.co.uk for further information.

Alternatively, for a day out with a difference, head out a little further afield to Southend-on-Sea where there are several special Mother’s Day events taking place. The Southendon-Sea Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs are hosting a special ‘Listen with Mother’ concert at Crowstone U.R Church, Westcliff at 3.30pm on Sunday 15th March. Their website www.southendchoirs.org. uk provides further details. Or for young children wanting to create their own Mother’s Day gifts, The Clay & Craft Cottage at Lubbards Farm is holding a special Mother’s Day workshop so children can make their own special gifts and cards. So as you can see there’s plenty of opportunities to spoil Mums this Mother’s Day, so why not venture out Around Town and treat Mum to something that little bit special. By Around Town Journalist Jo Cook

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Brothers Phil and Kris Jackson have been running PJ Cleaning for thirteen years, originally starting out offering window cleaning services commercially and privately in Billericay, Rayleigh and surrounding areas. Phil and Kris quickly found their feet, offering

good quality service at affordable prices, and soon branched out into carpet & upholstery cleaning, which they felt was a perfect match for the services they already offered. Today, P J Cleaning offers carpet & upholstery cleaning, office cleaning and window cleaning services to commercial and domestic customers in Billericay, Rayleigh, Canvey, Southend,

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Chelmsford, Basildon and Brentwood. Kris said ‘We’re a small family run business and as such our main focus is value for money. We always manage to keep our prices low, but do not let this affect the quality of the service we offer’. In their spare time, both Phil & Kris enjoy spending time with their family and friends, and Kris likes to unwind by playing golf.

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In many ways, it looks like any other office. The HQ of Essex Wildlife Trust has open plan rooms with desks, computers, files and wall charts. There is a small area of desks used for breaks and informal meetings and on one desk there is a meeting of people with pens, paper, phone and tablets. But the neighbouring desk today is not typical of any office that I have seen before. Two people sit around a tray of water in which there are a number of floating stoollike objects. They carefully pick each one out, dissect with tweezers and extract small skeletons and skulls onto kitchen roll paper. They are examining the pellets of Barn Owls, to find out what they have been eating. This is the undigested material, accumulated into small sausage-shaped objects which are ejected from the owl’s mouth. A few pellets revealed Field vole, Common Shrew and Pigmy Shrew, given some insight into the mammal species on the farm. Shortly after witnessing this activity, I visited a local farm here in the south of the county where the landowner has reported seeing barn owls. Nest boxes are installed for the owls as well as kestrels. I missed the owls on the last visit but was given some complimentary pellets which are awaiting dissection. The male kestrel was sitting guardedly near his box where they have bred for the last three years. We know the small rodent population here is good and when we planted a hedge a few years ago they were scurrying beneath our feet. There are skylarks and brown hare and we have plans to dig a pond and introduce a wildflower strip. There are adders here too, seen by the bee-keepers and sadly a deceased one was found in a hay bale. March is the time when adders emerge from hibernation. Adders also prey on voles, as well as amphibians and lizards, and swallow them whole: unlike the owls they can digest all parts of their prey. Their priority is to find a sunny patch and warm their bodies. When we approached the adders they scurried away but we stood still and they were so keen to lie in the sun that they re-emerged, giving us lovely views. Essex does quite well for adders but they are struggling to survive in many areas due to habitat fragmentation which makes them accidentally interbreed and more susceptible to disease as their gene pool weakens. Like many animals, adders need wildlife corridors to allow them to move between areas of habitat. I mentioned last year that adders are not aggressive so bites are usually due to them being accidentally trodden on and are very rarely fatal. If you are lucky enough to find one, enjoy the view from a distance and keep the dog away.

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The closest I get to Skiing is slipping and sliding on an icy morning on the way to work. For the Essex holiday maker a resort in Austria or Switzerland gives the skier in them the fix that they need and they have the sun burnt faces in all the holiday snaps to prove it.

impaired skiing guide. The Essex Ski Racing Club certainly has a pedigree!

However, there is a competitive skiing presence here in Essex. The Brentwood Park and Dry Ski Slope are providing the facilities and more people than we think are taking to the slopes and seem to have found their passion in the adrenaline junkie sport.

I asked a former coach at the club a couple questions.

Gone are the days of Eddie the Eagle being our sovereign representation of British skiing hopes. Thanks to ‘The Essex Ski Racing Club’, Essex actually boasts a national champion from the National indoor skiing championships. Also one of the racing club’s former members, Caroline Powell, who started at the club at age 9, has just come back from the Sochi Winter Olympics with 3 Silver medals and one Bronze medal as a visually

Who knew that such targets are being hit by people from little old Essex in a sport that is fairly down the list of ‘Most popular sports in Britain’.

What is it about skiing for you and why are more and more kids signing up? “Variety is kind of the answer to both questions. I went into it from a young age as I had been on holiday and didn’t want to just come back and drift into being average at the sports we had to practice in school. I wanted to try and excel at something that is considered different and the fact that not many people were skiers was definitely an attraction for me. I also found it fun and even taking and tumble and getting the occasional bruise made wasn’t a problem, as it made it more humorous for me and my friends. Kids and adults now join for that same feeling of trying something different from the mainstream and then you start to see the same people develop a knack for it. Some adults I think also want to avoid embarrassment on their next skiing trip abroad” With all the clothing and equipment needed, it cannot be cheap, does the expense put people off?

“I think when you automatically think of Skiing, you do think of pound signs, however due to the club running for so long we are able to help with loan equipment and we state that you will only need is a helmet, long sleeved tops and long bottoms. We will always help where we can.” Every Thursday at the Brentwood Park and Dry Ski Slope at 7pm the club trains for 2 hours and for an annual fee of £15 you can join other enthusiasts whether it be for fun or for the intention of taking to the slopes in competitive races. You will be trained by experienced coaches and have a chance to be part of well run club that practice a growing sport. Of course Skiing is not going to be practiced in schools etc and is never going to capture a major audience in this country, perhaps down to our climate alone; however there is no doubting that holiday makers and adrenaline seekers will love this sport. Wherever you are in Essex, the Brentwood Dry Ski Slope and the Essex Ski Racing Club seems like the place to try it out.

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Washing our way through Lent… Forty days and forty nights thouwast fasting in the wild; forty days and forty nights tempted, and yet undefiled. The words of this traditional hymn, written by George Hunt Smyttanin 1856, are often sung at the beginning of Lent. But what is Lent and why sing such words?Lent is an old English word meaning ‘lengthen’ and observed in spring, when the days begin to get longer, the spring equinox typically falling on 20th of March, when both day and night are of equal length. Lent is also the period of 40 days which comes before Easter in the Christian calendar. Beginning on Ash Wednesday, which was on18thFebruary, Lent is a season of reflection and preparation before Easter, celebrated this year on Sunday 5thApril.While Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus after his death on the cross, Lent recalls the events leading up to and including Jesus’ crucifixion.

By observing the 40 days of Lent, Christians remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. By carefully keeping these days, Christians take to heart the call to repentance andthe assurance of forgiveness proclaimed in the Bible, and so grow in faith and indevotion to God. Why 40 days? Forty is a significant number in Jewish-Christian scripture: • In Genesis, the flood which destroyed the earth was brought about by 40 days and nights of rain. • The Hebrews spent 40 years in the wilderness before reaching the land promised to them by God. • Moses fasted for 40 days before receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. • Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his ministry. Most Christians regard Jesus’ time in the wilderness as the key event for the duration of Lent.It is common for believers to give up favourite foods or something similar. Whatever the sacrifice it is a reflection of Jesus’ own experience in the wilderness and a test of self-discipline. However, and increasingly, there are many Christians who, rather than give something up, undertake to do something positive to help others, giving of their time and devotion in practical ways. One such initiative, promoted by the Church of England, called ‘#washday15’, encourages social

action during Lent and Holy Week. Supported by the Bishop of Chelmsford, Stephen Cottrell, he recently said: “On the night before he died Jesus washed his disciples’ feet. Ever since then it’s been the vocation of the Church to respond to the needs of the world in loving service. That loving service can express itself in all kinds of ways. So for instance, there are homelessness charities up and down our country and sometimes they just do simple things like wash someone’s clothes. But think of the big difference such a small act of service makes. That person’s clothes are washed and cleaned; that makes it easier for that person to get a job; that person gets a job and their whole life is transformed.” Washday is an opportunity to go out and wash anything and everything! It could be cleaning windows for people who would find that difficult, washing a car, washing clothes for homeless people, or washing up mugs in an office.Washing your way through Lent is a really constructive way of helping others, as well as remembering Jesus’ actions as an example for all to follow… Yours in the love of Jesus,

The Revd Canon Mike Lodge Team Rector Parish of Rayleigh 01268 742151 info@parishofrayleigh.org.uk www.parishofrayleigh.org.uk

The Revd Canon Mike Lodge

RAYLEIGH LIONS CLUB The Lions Club of Rayleigh is part of the International Association of Lions Clubs, and our primary aim is to raise and distribute funds within out local area. The Lions Club Of Rayleigh was chartered in 1974 and serves the Rayleigh, Hockley, Hullbridge and Rochford areas. Our club is a Voluntary Service Organisation and a registered charity, we are always looking for people willing to help make their community a better place to live. By visiting our website, you will be able to find out about the work of the international organisation of Lions and the Lions Club of Rayleigh in particular, including our activities and also details of forthcoming events, and who to contact for further information. Our club meets on the 1st (business) & 3rd (social) Tuesdays in every month in Rayleigh. Guests are always welcome. http://www.rayleighlions.org.uk

ROTARY CLUB OF RAYLEIGH MILL February was a quiet month with a number of our members taking a golf holiday in Turkey. We were pleased to have a visit from a Rotarian from a club in Aberdeen Deeside showing the co- operation between Rotary Clubs. He gave us a very informative presentation about the charity that they support, One Brick at a Time. This charity raises funds to improve or rebuild schools in Uganda. It is impressive how relatively small funds can make tremendous improvements to buildings and facilities when local labour and materials are used. The funds have also enabled local apprentices to have practical knowledge of building where previously they were limited due to lack of money for building material. Our club will now be considering how we can help support their efforts. The Club is pleased to induct a new member who we hope will enjoy the club’s activities. If you wish to visit us or know more about the Club please contact Andrew Shackleton on 01702 201783 or robertashackleton@googlemail.com. Our website and Facebook page can also help you see what we do. www.rotary-ribi.org/ clubs/homepage.php?ClubsID=1797 or put ‘Rotary Club of Rayleigh Mill’ into Facebook. Our meeting takes place at Mama Romantica Restaurant in Rayleigh High Street at 7.30pm on Monday nights.

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Lower Barn Café, Lower Barn Farm, London Road, Rayleigh SS6 9ET 01268 780991 www.lowerbarnfarm.co.uk Open 7 days a week: Monday to Saturday 7.30 - 3.00 & Sunday 9.00 - 4.00

As of the 1st Jan 2015 the cafe has been taken back from the previous tenant Glynes Goddard. The Cafe represented the last unit on Lower Barn Farm that wasn’t under the management of the family firm. Eva UK Ltd. This change of management in the cafe coincides with plenty of improvements being made to the site as the owners of Lower Barn Farm are creating a real destination for both trade and retail customer’s to view and buy a range of product for the home and garden including fireplaces, stoves, cookers, natural stone paving, and tools. Lower Barn Farms other developments include renovating the fireplace showroom, extending the landscaping and building showroom and creating a larger car park. Quote from Director James Argentieri: “We are delighted that we are now fully in control of all the units on Lower Barn Farm. It gives us a great opportunity to create consistency of service across all departments. The cafe is set within the old Haybarn and we have been working hard to refurbish both kitchen and front of house. We have been open to the public since the 12th of February and have been receiving good feedback from the customers that have stopped by. We are working with an experienced team and although there were many contributors we would like to extend a special thanks to Head Chef David Scanlon and Cafe manager Nicola Foweraker who have been passionately involved from the outset.” The cafe has a nice ambience with a snug area in front of a wood burning stove installed and supplied by the heating department at Lower Barn. The food is freshly prepared and locally sourced where possible. The head chef David Scanlon brings a real eye for detail with emphasis on good quality home cooked food. The menu is wide ranging in terms of price and choice as the cafe offers great value breakfast and lunch meals starting from £3.95 There is a large range of food available to takeaway, daily specials, Sunday roasts and afternoon tea (booking required). But even if you just fancy a place to come and have a cup of coffee and cake in front of the stove then you are welcome.

Spring should really be on it’s way by the end of this month and there’ll be plenty of jobs to keep you busy on your plot. There’s nothing quite like sowing seeds and the thrill of watching those first tiny seedlings appearing just a week or two later. Weather permitting the soil should be warm enough to be sowing outdoors in March. Your new seedlings will need all the help that you can give them if they are to flourish so don’t forget the weeding and pest control too! Jobs for March:Prepare beds for sowing by raking level when the soil is dry enough. Get a supply of containers and fill with compost ready for sowing (supermarket plastic trays containers are handy to reuse for this!) Make sure you have all the seeds you need and sort them into the order that you’ll sow them in. Plant first early potatoes later in the month. Keep on top of the weeding and pest control. Sow carrots, peas, parsnips, lettuce and radishes.

There’s no doubt that the weather during the first part of the year lived up to our expectations of a month of extremes - with mild temperatures and homes and gardens hammered by incredible rainfall. Hopefully March should see the weather settling down and Spring truly starting to emerge. Most seed packets give you some guidelines as to which month/ or months are best to sow in but personally I think that it’d be a lot more helpful if they gave a little information about the temperature required, not to mention just how long germination is likely to take. Soil temperatures of at least 6º are needed for most seeds - if you don’t want to guess at this you can get a soil thermometer to check. Don’t forget that by using products such as fleece, or cloches, over your beds you can raise the temperature. Some seeds, such as parsnips, are notoriously slow to germinate taking up to 3 weeks for seedlings to appear - a good idea with slow starters like these is to sow quick growing crops such as radishes on either side of the row. This will help mark the rows out until your parsnips appear and the radishes will quickly be grown and ready to harvest. Take note also of the depth that the different seeds should be sown at too shallow and they’ll either blow away or be eaten by the birds, too deep and you may bury them alive! Try to space seeds evenly, though if you sow too many you can thin out the weaker seedlings after they

appear. Do remember that with many crops it is better to sow just a few and then sow again in a few weeks time to avoid having too many ready to harvest all at once. Salad crops such as lettuce will bolt if left too long, and other vegetables which may have a short harvesting period can be enjoyed for much longer if you save the seed and sow a few in succession every few weeks. As the soil warms up for your new crops so it also warms up nicely for the weeds about now! For many people part of the attraction of growing your own is eating chemical free produce and organic methods of pest control will therefore be preferred. Little and often is best - take a quick walk around the veg patch each morning and hand pick any emerging weeds. Hoeing also works well and if you are careful not to let weeds set seed you’ll avoid a long-term problem. Of course the situation isn’t helped by the fact that your patch is likely to have large amounts of bare soil on it between widely spaced rows at this time of year. Some crops, such as potatoes will obligingly grow to ultimately block out the light and deter weeks, but if you’re really having problems then think about putting down a thick, organic, mulch to cover the bare soil. Slugs will also emerge to attack your young seedlings - there’s no end of organic ways to do battle from hand picking at night and beer traps to watering in nematodes. Strike early and gain the upper hand!

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FREE LISTINGS From next month’s edition (April) we will be printing a free listings section under the banner of ‘What’s On?’ If you would like to promote your club or event then please email a maximum of 70 words to admin@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk. We would like to include any clubs or events that promote care in our community. So if you are part of any clubs that involve; Children’s Events, Single Parents, Care for the Elderly and Charity Events etc then this is your opportunity to get your message across to your community... Free of charge! Please ensure that all telephone numbers and contact details are included in the 70 words.

USEFUL NUMBERS

BIRTH, DEATH MARRIAGES REGISTRATION

01268 361350 01268 361351

POLICE Rayleigh Police Station

0300 333 4444

HOSPITALS Brentwood Hospital Basildon Hospital Broomfield Hospital Essex Nuffield Hospital Queen’s Romford Southend Hospital Spire Hartswood Hospital

01277 695000 0845 1553111 01245 443673 0800 688699 0845 1304204 01702 435555 01277 232525

HELPLINES Alcoholics Anonymous Childline DIAL Disability Helpline Drugline Essex In Focus (family disabilities support)

Narcotics Anonymous Parentline Samaritans S. Essex Rape and Incest Crisis Centre Victim Support Essex Women’s Refuge

CHEMISTS Boots the Chemist, Rayleigh 01268 771883 Audley Mills, Rayleigh

01268 776479

Lloyds Pharmacy, Rayleigh

01268 771703

Grange Pharmacy, Rayleigh 01268 784192 Hambro, Rayleigh

01268 781623

Yardley Chemist

01268 743283

BLOOD TEST Booking Line NHS Direct

01245 256147 0800 11 11 11 01268 294400/1 01708 749151 01245 353575 0300 9991212 0808 8002222 08457 909090 01375 380609 0845 4565995 01268 541140

01268 242159 0845 4647

ROAD & TRAVEL UPDATES Essex Travel www.bbc.co.uk/travelnews/essex COUNCILS Rochford District Council

01702 546366

Rayleigh Town Council

01268 741880

TRANSPORT Bus Service

0870 6082608

Rail Service

08457 484950

TAXIS Rayleigh Taxi Bestax Abba Cars Cab Call

01268 531888 01268 777300 01268 771666 01268 777300

UTILITIES Anglian Water 0345 145145 Electricity – Power Supply Problems 0800 7838838 Gas – Urgent Calls / Gas Escapes 0800 111999 Minicom – Transco 0800 371787 Thames Water (Supply or Wastewater Services) 0845 9200800 Three Valleys Water 0345 823333 Water – Essex & Suffolk Water 01245 491234 VETS YourVets Vets4Pets Rochford Veterinary Surgery Downes Vets Medivet LIBRARIES Rayleigh

01268 745180 01268 772283 01702 545558 01268 776883 01702 413902

0845 603 7628

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