Around Town Magazine Billericay January Edition 2018

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CONTENTS 06 BATHROOM SALE

06 John Baron 08 Is It Detox Time? 10 Nature Notes 11 Your Yoga Tools of the Trade SALE NOW ON!! 12JANUARY 35 16 A View from the Church 13 22 James Blower 30 Recipe 33 Around Town Sports Club, Lions Club & 34 Rotary Round Table 36 Travel 37 Street Pastor 38 What’s On 40 Running & Fitness Coach 43 Useful Numbers Political Update

By Kelly Shaw

EWT Volunteer Neil Sumner

Downward Dog

By Sue Gascoyne

Rev. Paul Carr

The Savings Guru

Roast Beef with Rosemary & Garlic

2017 Review

The New Forest

Caring listening helping

When and Where...

Front cover picture by: John Haywood - JH Photography @jh.photohtaphy.jh JH Photography

Copyright 2018. Around Town Billericay is an

independent magazine and does not endorse the A12 Eastern Avenue, Romford, Essex. RM5 3AL Verity Wright products or services that appear in the magazine. Opinions ( expressed in Around 01708 736700 sales@bodywash.uk www.bodywash.uk Ilford Is Now ClosedTown ) 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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amendment tabled by Dominic Grieve MP will not stop Brexit, but it may make our exit less smooth and more complicated.

John Baron Conservative Parliamentary MP For Basildon and Billericay

Last month saw a moment of political drama as the Government suffered its first defeat in the House of Commons. This defeat on the

The passing of the amendment means that Parliament, potentially at a late stage in the process, will be able to reject the terms of our EU exit deal. This would probably entail the Government returning to the negotiating table just as the Article 50 deadline looms in March 2019. This could be a messy business, which is why I supported the Government by voting against the amendment. There are additional concerns. Given that EU in reality does not want any member country to leave, there is therefore little incentive for it to negotiate a

good deal which Parliament might accept. Such a situation would be an outrage as regards the outcome of the EU referendum, in which over 17 million people voted to leave with the best possible deal. There was no third option on the ballot paper of staying in a semi-permanent negotiating limbo over a period of months and maybe years – it was either ‘remain’ or ‘leave’. I am disappointed that a small number of my fellow Conservatives chose to rebel and support the amendment. I would have preferred them to have trusted the EU a little less, and their own Government a little more. Nevertheless, we remain on course to honour the referendum result.

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The IT DETOX TIME? IS

By Kelly Shaw

- Beauty Expertise

The calm of January has finally arrived. The bustle and busyness of Christmas is behind us for another year, and this is typically when everyone starts talking about eating well and having a ‘dry January’! It’s always all about the “Detox” but it can’t be the same thing every year. Yes, there are many benefits to helping your body to detoxify and recover. However, it can’t all be non-stop juice detoxing, lets allow some sk-indulgence too!

I’m a huge fan of dry body brushing as it has multiple benefits. It will stimulate the body’s lymphatic system to drain toxins away, exfoliate the skin to remove dead cells and the stimulation to the sebaceous cells will help the skin to hydrate itself. Mud wraps are a fabulous way to trigger the body to detox, and some people swear by them to help shift stubborn cellulite and fat on thighs and bottoms. At a time when we are trying not to touch the champagne there is no reason why we can’t indulge in

a little vinotherapy! There are some exquisite treatments available that utilise this within indulgent body scrubs and wraps. There is an added bonus that they are warm and relaxing too, so perhaps a wonderful way to unwind after the festive whirlwind.

We are now well into winter, a time which is tough on skin both on your face and on your body. This is a good time to revisit the products you are using at home and targeting dry, flaky or itchy skin so that it is back in tip top condition before spring. If you think your skin needs something a little more advanced then get yourself booked in for a facial, your therapist should be able to create the perfect treatment to help with any dryness or sensitivity that become apparent at this time of year. New year resolutions about looking your best are not just for women – in my experience men are now pretty clued up about treatments and we see more and more of them dropping into the salon. Men’s skin can suffer just as much as women’s with shaving, central heating and cold winter wind so make sure you invest in a good moisturiser and cleanse your face well too.

With over 20 years’ experience as a beauty therapist, Kelly Shaw’s passion and dedication to the industry has enabled her to achieve professional success as Spa Director for some of the world’s most exclusive global resorts. Founder of Kelly Shaw Consultancy Ltd and Hampshire’s multi award-winning boutique salon k:SPA, Kelly also sits on the board for both CIBTAC and BABTAC - British Association of Beauty Therapy & Cosmetology.


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policy of delivering the highest standards possible at all times. ‘Our service is simple. If your double glazing has misted up we can replace the glass at a fraction of the cost of a new window, in any type of frame, and with a new 25 year guarantee. But it’s not just about saving people money, although that obviously helps. Whilst a number of tradespeople perhaps don’t focus on customer care as much as they should do, we make sure we turn up when we say we will, do the job the customer requires and leave their house as clean as a whistle. Locally Cloudy2Clear service Billericay, Ingatestone, Ramsden &

Stock and manager Chris Miller agrees that this approach is a major factor in his success. ‘The truth is that it’s not just the personal satisfaction that I get from doing a good job but also it makes good business sense. I get a huge amount of business from friends and family of people I’ve done work for, which just goes to show how much a little bit of effort is appreciated as both my customers and, obviously a body as nationally important as Which? now recognise.’ So, if your windows are steamed up, broken or damaged give Chris a call for a free quotation on 0800 61 21 118 and he’ll be happy to help!

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Nature Notes Written by Neil Sumner

Neilsumner123@aol.com twitter.com/neilsumner123 The sky is a blue grey above and the low winter sun makes a pale yellow ribbon above the horizon, silhouetting bare trees along the hedge-line. Scanning a field of low green shoots of winter wheat for Brown Hare I find only woodpigeon and crows. That is disappointing but this farmland walk has had its moments - a bright male Bullfinch in a bush beside a fishing lake, several score of Chaffinches disappearing into a strip of game cover, a party of Redwings and Fieldfares in rested horse-grazing pasture. The creamy eye stripe and the orange patch under the wing on the redwing, which have been very numerous this year, showed well against the green grass. They were picking food from the soil and under mouldy leaves, as they had nearly exhausted the berries in the hedges and scattered small woods in this typical open Essex landscape.

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I think back 10 years to a winter much busier with birds. I recalled flocks of hundreds of mixed finches and buntings constantly flying to and from the hedges to feed in a field that was left fallow. The exceptional year was probably caused by a good breeding season then poor winter fodder on the continent. I also think back 40 years when winters brought flocks of Yellowhammers to muck heaps and the big flocks of foraging finches on farmland were the norm. Farming relies on subsidies to make food production viable and give us environmental benefits. These subsidies are paid from the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) but, after Brexit, must be replaced by a new UK scheme which is yet to be devised. The existing CAP schemes are bringing benefits, but also have drawbacks. They pay huge sums to already very wealthy landowners and corporations and many smaller landowners do not think the payments compensate for the effort needed in delivering environmental benefits. And some much needed environmental benefits, such as flood prevention, carbon storage and good populations of pollinating insects are not supported. Tony Juniper, in his book ‘What Nature Does for Britain’ explains that payments for these measures will benefit our economy. And benefit our health too - we are all being encouraged to walk into the countryside and such walks are more interesting and enjoyable when there is wildlife to see. Given the right vision and investment, the new UK scheme could be an opportunity to help landowners to manage our natural world more effectively. We should watch its emergence with interest.

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YOUR YOGA

Downward Dog

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Method:

n lineGently withcome your upper on to all foursarms. in a tabletop

otherwise try and straighten out your legs position with your wrists placed directly by sinking your heels towards the floor. under your shoulderseach and yourother. knees Hollow Walk your r elbows towards outhands the forward to give yourself under your hips. The fold of your wrists more length if you need to. he torso back towards shouldmoving be parallel with the top edge of the thighs. Hold your mat. back to hands and knees to rest.Draw your shoulder blades into your upper back ribs and toward your tailbone. Stay Spread your fingers wide and press firmly broad across your collarbones. Relax through your palms and knuckles. your head, keeping your ears in line with your upper arms. As you exhale, tuck under your toes and lift your kness off the floor, reaching your pelvis up and draw your sit bones towards the wall behind you. Draw your chest toward your thighs as you lengthen and decompress your spine. Make sure you keep your knees slightly bent if you have tight hamstrings,

Press firmly through your palms and rotate the inner elbows towards each other. Hollow out the abdominals and keep engaging your legs to keep the torso moving back towards the thighs. Hold for 5-10 breaths before exhaling and gently coming back to hands and knees to rest.

If you would like your advert or editorial to appear in Around Town Magazines then contact our sales team on: 01277 658444 or email: sales@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk


The TOOLS OF THE TRADE

By Sue Gascoyne - www.playtoz.co.uk If you’ve ever been told ‘A bad workman blames his tools’ then you’ve probably felt the smarting blow and indignation of this oft chimed proverb. Whether on the giving or receiving end, like all sayings which easily trip off the tongue, truth and lies blend into one. In our blame-dominated culture it’s all too easy to attribute our failings to equipment, weather, wrong leaves or heavy traffic, you get the idea, but in reality it’s rarely that simple. No-one would expect a plasterer to magic walls as smooth as a new-born’s skin with a butter knife, or a builder to create strong and straight structures without a spirit level and plumb line. Certain trades require specialist equipment and this equipment needs to be well maintained, after all a bent tape measure, blunt chisel or plaster-clad trowel are simply not fit for purpose or conducive to taking pride in a quality job. The frustration of having to work with imperfect tools can leave us feeling bad enough without the bruising from glib sayings like these. Like well parroted old wives’ tales, proverbs are infused with shreds of truth as we may blame a bent nail on a knot in the wood or the heavy traffic on being late, rather than accepting responsibility for rushing because of poor time management. Dried up paintbrushes (my DIY Achilles heel) are an expensive and inconvenient reminder of the importance of having well-maintained tools. I’m thinking of a French plasterer that we hired for a restoration project. With the crumbling walls made good and lined, all that remained was to plaster and paint all fourteen rooms – yes it was a big project. Returning to France to inspect the work we were disappointed and dismayed to discover that instead of silky smooth plaster, every wall featured arcing scratch lines, perfectly highlighted by the fresh paint, as his trowel had evidently been faulty! Reflecting upon children’s experience of tools is an eye opener. As concerned parents, we

think nothing of giving children inadequate plastic eating tools to avoid possible dangers. Who hasn’t felt frustrated and dismayed by the inability of children’s scissors to actually cut anything?! A case of health and safety gone mad, its tools like these which set our children up to fail rather than supporting them to learn. Not trusting in their abilities, we fall into the trap of offering useless or undermining alternatives which inevitably frustrate and hamper progress. I remember receiving a call from my daughter’s nursery telling me that she’d had an accident – turned out that a curious child, never previously exposed to real scissors, had had two attempts at cutting her finger off, only to be surprised at the appearance of blood! My daughter in contrast had been proficient in using and safely carrying real scissors from an early age and so was the victim not protagonist in this episode! With time, support and the right equipment children can succeed in their drive to mimic adults and develop skills and mastery. Yes of course we may be able to pair up the clean socks quicker, bake a lighter cake or use less soap when washing-up but all of these chores are also wonderful and potentially fun learning opportunities as children develop mastery. Parenthood provides ample opportunities for reflection over what we could have done more, less or better - such is the cross we bear. What’s important is giving children ample opportunities to observe safe handling of tools and time and patient support in mastering these skills. Using the right equipment is just as important for creativity. If children are given quality pens, pencils, paint brushes, paints and paper as well as instruction on essential techniques, they can wow and amaze us with the complexity and maturity of their creations. At times like this a well-chosen proverb, (aptly about equipment) seems to fit the bill. ‘Minds are like parachutes. They only function when they are open!’ a message to adults, rather than children, I dare say!

Sue Gascoyne is an author, Certified Play Therapist, Early Years trainer whose keynotes around the world help inspire and engage Early Years practitioners and parents.


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hn Lennon seem to be everywhere this time of year: “So this is Christmas ne?” I’d like to change this slightly: “So this is Christmas and what will rate that Jesus was born to be our Saviour? It is, after all, what makes ating and, just like those amazing events in the summer, it can be life but only if you make the time to enjoy the celebration.

Billericay’ extend an invitation to worship s season. Why not put a date in your o miss out on the greatest Christmas

Be Prepared ricay & Little Ministry) ForBurstead TheTeamJourney

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of the local Church Services over the Christmas period. Most of you will be familiar with the story of the Mayflower setting sail from Plymouth to a new world on 16 September 1620. However, you may not be as- familiar withService’ Sir JohnatFranklin’s 2nd December ‘Annual Toy 10.30amexpedition which set sail from Kent on 19 May 1845 with two December ‘CarolErebus Service by Candlelight’ at 7.00pmby 138 ships,- HMS and HMS Terror, manned of England’s finest sailors. Their task was to chart 19th December - ‘Lunchtime Carol Service’ at 12.30pm atthe SaintNorthwest Mary Magdalen Church Passage around the Canadian to the PacificNativity’ Ocean.at 10.30am ay 23rdArctic December - ‘Family

Emmanuel Church

ristmas Eve - ‘Christingle Service’ at 4.00pm Franklin hoped this effort would be the turning ‘Communion by Arctic Candlelight’ at 11.15pm point in exploration. And so it was, not Thebecause first Communion of Christmas. of its success, but because of its failure. never returnedatand every member of stmas The Day ships - ‘Family Communion’ 10.00am both crews perished. And the lesson that each ensuing Arctic expedition would benefit from was simply this: “Be prepared for the journey.” Franklin wasn’t. Though the voyage was expected to last for two or three years, he carried only a twelveday supply of coal for the auxiliary steam engines. But what he lacked in fuel he made up for in entertainment. Each ship carried a 1,200 volume library, a hand organ, china place settings for officers and men, cut glass goblets and sterling silverware. The sailors carried no special clothing to protect them from the cold, only the thin blue uniforms of Her Majesty’s fleet.

Of course, the inevitable occurred. The seas froze and the ships became trapped. The ill prepared sailors set out for help, carrying their belongings and dragging a wooden boat across the ice. Remains of the expedition were found all over the frozen sea for the next 170 years. The silver cutlery, so ornately designed, would later be found near a clump of frozen cannibalized bodies. Franklin died on the boat. Search parties would later find a piece of the backgammon board Lady Franklin had given her husband as a farewell present. It is strange, isn’t it, how men could embark so ill-prepared on such a hazardous journey - more

www.billericaychurches.org

equipped for afternoon tea than life on the open sea? Stranger still is the fact that some people act in the same way as they travel on their journey through life, never learning from past mistakes nor resolving to do anything different in the future. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Ephesian church, was passionately concerned that they should be as prepared as they could be for a fruitful and enjoyable journey through life. He offered five principles: 1) A commitment to Prayer; 2) Growing in the knowledge of God; 3) The assurance of God’s calling on our lives; 4) Experiencing the blessing of God; 5) Knowing the reality of God’s presence day-by-day. Some of you may be doing some of these already, some of you might not know where to start, whilst some of you may have stopped a long time ago. But if you want a better year than last year, why not consider putting God first at the beginning of this new year and see what happens? Why not attend one of the many good churches in town who can help you on your journey of faith in 2018? Something tells me you won’t be disappointed. The Apostle Paul wrote an amazing prayer for the Ephesian church and I offer it as a prayer to you at the beginning of this new year: “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Jesus may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.”

revpacman.wordpress.com paul@billericaychurches.org @revPACman


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HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR

SAVINGS IN 2018? A New Year is often a focal point for people to look at what they’d like to change in their lives and many make resolutions for what they want to achieve. If fixing your finances is one of yours, then here’s my tips on how you can improve your savings in 2018. This article is also on www.thesavings.guru, with all the web links to the providers and companies mentioned in this article: 1) Pay off debts first If you have credit cards, store cards, loans, overdrafts or other expensive forms of borrowing then focus on repaying these first. Banking is fundamentally quite simple – banks make money by lending the savings from savers to borrowers at a higher margin. Therefore, in the vast majority of cases, lending will cost more than savings. Paying debt off will be more financially rewarding. The most common mistake I see with debt is not prioritising. Pay off the most expensive debt first. I often see people focusing on clearing the smallest debt first but paying off the most expensive will save you more in interest costs in the long term. 2) Make saving a habit Like many things in life, saving

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is a habit. A great way to start is to open a regular savings account and set up a direct debit or standing order to pay in to this every pay day (or the day after for the cautious!). Allocating the money on pay day is more likely to be successful than committing to saving what you have left at the end of the week/month. If you bank with First Direct, HSBC or M&S Bank then you can open a regular savings account with a 5% interest rate by committing to paying in anything from £25 - £300 per month. If not, the next best is available from Essex based Saffron Building Society who pay 3.50% on sums between £10 - £200 per month and accounts can be opened and run in their branch network across the region or via post. For those of you who prefer to manage your money online, Santander pay 3% on £1 - £200 per month. 3) Check your savings rate If you have a savings account already then check your interest rate. 85% of savings balances in the UK are held with Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, National Savings & Investments (NS&I), Nationwide, RBS and Santander. Yet these companies

rarely appear in our best buy tables and I often see cases where so called savings accounts with some of these institutions pay 0.25% or less whereas the best easy access savings account pays 1.30%. Check your savings account to see what rate you are being paid and, if it is less than 1% then you should act! If you can’t find a statement with your current interest, email us at hello@thesavings.guru - tell us your account name and bank and we will tell you the current rate. 4) Switch your savings account Since 2008, the UK government has made it much easier for new banks to be established and this has resulted in approximately 40 new savings providers entering the market in the past decade. Many of these offer the most competitive interest rates, simple internet banking and good customer service. Our website, www.thesavings.guru, features the best easy access (no notice required to access your money) rates on offer in the market and some of the most competitive now are: • RCI Bank – 1.30% • Shawbrook Bank – 1.20% • Ford Money – 1.17%


RCI Bank is owned by French car manufacturer Renault. It has been a stalwart in our best buy tables and automatically passes on rate changes to customers e.g. if they increase their rate to 1.35% for new customers in February, existing customers will get that rate too. Warley based Shawbrook Bank have been paying 1.20% since August 2017 on their instant savings account and have consistently featured in our best buys. Ford Money, also based in Warley, has been another regular feature in our best buys since its launch in April 2017. Owned by car giant Ford, it, like RCI, passes on rate changes to existing customers. 5) Make sure your money is protected The government offers a protection scheme which guarantees savers deposits if your financial services provider fails. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protects deposits up to £85,000 per person, per bank, building society or credit union and up to £170,000 for joint accounts. 96% of UK savings and current accounts are FSCS protected – for free. If you are unsure whether your savings are covered, there is a handy tool on their website www.fscs.org.uk which will tell you. 6) Maximise your day to day cash Some people like to hold money in their current account so they have cash in the case of an emergency or unexpected expense. Many of us also hold money in our current account to cover day to day expenditure throughout the week or month until our next pay day. Even if you spend everything you earn during the week or month, unless you take everything out of your account the day comes in, there will be some cash that could be earning a return. Most current accounts pay nothing but there are some high interest rate ones which do and are worth considering switching too and earning a return on your day to day money:

James Blower Founder Savings Guru Ltd

www.thesavings.guru hello@thesavings.guru @SavingsGuruUK

Nationwide – pays 5% on £2,500 for the first year and 1% after. TSB – pays 3% on £3,000 until 1st April 2019. Tesco – pays 3% on up to £1,500 That’s all for this month. I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year and hope 2018 is a great one for you!

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RECIPE Roast Beef with Rosemary & Garlic Ingredients: 1 joint of beef

1 -3 tsp coarse salt (generous amount)

1 -3tsp fresh cracked pepper

1 tbsp fresh rosemary

10 garlic cloves

Method: 1. Settle the joint and let it stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour. 2. Mix the salt and pepper together. 3. Insert some of the rosemary directly into the skin of the joint, scoring with a sharp knife to help you insert it. 4. Preheat the oven to 375oF.

with the rosemary top side up. 7. Roast for 1 hour and then turn off oven. 8. Leave the roast in the oven but do not open oven door for 3 hours. 9. About 30 to 40 minutes before serving time, turn oven to 375 oF and reheat the roast.

5. Now score the joint in 10 random spots for the garlic. Rub the meat with the seasoning mix. Place cloves into the slices.

10. Make sure not to remove roast or re-open the oven door from time roast is put in until 20 minutes before ready to serve.

6. Place the roast on a rack in the pan

11. Remove roast 20 minutes after heating.

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2017 REVIEW Once again my opinion is rearing its ugly head and please read on as I judge our sporting achievements of 2017.

not West Ham games. Mo Farrah was the pick of the bunch picking up two medals and calling time on his track career.

I will sum up our sporting performance by categorising them as... Winning – Not bad – Fail – Epic Fail

Cricket – If it was a struggle last year, it has not got any better this year for English cricket fans. The Aussies are two up in the Ashes, West Indies run us close in the summer and apart from a victory against a waning South Africa team, the cricketing year has been fairly nondescript. The reliance on Cook and Root to pull us out of a hole is evident in the latest games against Australia. When those two don’t perform you worry about the rest. However, if England turn it around and win the Ashes, it will go down in history as one of the best performances we’ve seen. Time will tell.

Rugby – This year has been a storming year for Rugby. Saracens are the European champions and retained the trophy after winning last year as well. England won the 6 nations again and the incredible Eddie Jones is in contention Coach of the year at the upcoming BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards. The British Lions almost came home from New Zealand with a series win against the All Blacks, they drew the series and the All Blacks can count themselves very lucky. To top it off we very nearly had a Rugby League World Cup win. Football – We have yawned through another qualifying campaign as England were once again unbeaten. The national team playing a friendly or a qualifying match has all the excitement of watching me cutting my toe nails, it’s an arduous task and not very nice to look at, but it is something I must do. For once our World Cup expectations are on the floor going into the tournament next year, here is hoping they surprise us all. Formula 1 – Lewis Hamilton has made history, 4 times World Champion! For a while it was a great tussle between him and Vettel, but eventually Mercedes and Hamilton went ahead and stayed ahead! Could Hamilton have his sights Schumacher’s record?! World Athletics Championships - Team GB once again took to the track, but this time struggled. I guess it was always going to be hard to eclipse the efforts of Rio. The pride of a nation though was at the spectacle, we host a great event! London once again was the place to be and Stratford is made for events like these,

Boxing – British boxers are still among the best. Anthony Joshua has established himself as the best heavyweight on the planet and Tyson Fury even wants to get back into boxing and give us something that we haven’t seen before. Two peak Heavyweight fighters slugging it out for the Heavyweight World title. However, we have seen Kell Brook and more recently James Degale lose their titles. Although George Groves claimed a Middleweight belt and will soon be tested by Chris Eubank Jr. We are pretty damn good at boxing! Tennis – Well, you can’t have a good year in Tennis if Andy Murray doesn’t have a good year. Although that isn’t strictly true now as Johanna Konta has gone and put the weight of a nation on her shoulders every year from now on. She reached the Wimbledon Semi Finals and now we will want her to win it one day. A good year for her, but here is hoping Murray can rid himself of injury and come back to push an ageing Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer all the way. Not an awful year, but not a great one. The greatest show on earth is next year and perhaps we will remember 2018 as well as 1966 going forward.

Put the spotlight on your local sports team, contact Zaki Hasan, via email, zaki@aroundtownmagazines.co.uk


MAYFLOWER ROTARY CLUB Billericay Mayflower Rotarians have praised the town’s families for supporting the annual Christmas Market with £25,000-plus going to good causes. The High Street closed to traffic and in just six hours 20,000 visitors shopped at more than 180 stalls and enjoyed a wide range of family entertainment. It was a ten year triumph for the Mayflower team led by David Randall planning the event like a military operation over 11 months while on the day the club’s 48 members each held detailed duties. A success too for inter-group involvement with support coming from Billericay club colleagues and another half dozen neighbouring Rotary Clubs plus the town’s Round Table, 41 Club, scouts and school organisations linked to Rotary. Brentwood Rotarians lent their Father Christmas to head a bigger-than-ever opening parade and to man Santa’s grotto for the day. Leading companies swelled the proceeds with generous sponsorship deals and most of the town’s shops, packed for the day, added their financial support. An international market and food stalls galore served the public while a fairground and donkey rides for youngsters and two main stages ensured a wide range of performing artists entertained them. Hours of carol singing by visiting choirs provided the Christmas message in St Mary’s Church. Impromptu performances by flash mob dancers kept the crowds applauding while Morris Men provided a more traditional show. *Mayflower is to introduce 12 members to its new satellite club celebrating its launch on February 10 after eight months of successful team building. When it is eventually chartered as an independent club, it will adopt the name The Rotary Club of Billericay Town. Want to know more about Billericay Mayflower and the new satellite club enjoying leisure time as they work for their community? See www. mayflowerrotary.org or contact secretary@mayflowerrotary.org

BILLERICAY LIONS CLUB

We hope you had a great Christmas with family and friends, and that you had a chance to see the new Santa Sleigh and Santa either coming down your road or on one of its appearances at a Supermarket, or in the High Street Car Park while you were out shopping. Thanks to the Lions who spent hours putting it together and to Billericay Town Council, Basildon Borough Council and especially the Co-op in Queens Park who all helped with the funding. After a short break to recover from the festivities, the next Lions events will be a Quiz Night on 13th January and then the Barn Dance on 24th February 2018, 7pm for 7.30pm at Canon Roche Hall Tickets £7pp.

And a final reminder about the Taste of Scandinavia Quiz Night on 17 March 2018. The maximum number of tickets available is 120, and already more than 100 have gone. If you want to join us for a fun filled evening, please get in touch via the website. For details of Lions events or if you are interested in joining, please have a look at our website www.billericaylions.com

Billericay Round Table have made their first donation of £300 to Greig City Academy following the success of the recent fireworks event where £45,000 was raised for charity. Greig City Academy is an 11-19 inner city state school based in Haringey, North London and is the only London comprehensive school with its own fleet of self renovated boats on which students start taking on the challenge of sailing for the first time. Teacher, Mr Jon Holt who heads up the sailing project at the school told Round Table at a recent meeting “We purchase boats requiring a little love and attention and renovate them in school. This has the benefit of making the whole scheme affordable and providing the opportunity for our students to learn valuable craft and maintenance skills.” He went on to add “This donation from Round Table will enable us to start to train the next set of students willing to give sailing a go.” Round Table Chairman Dan Jackson said “To donate money that helps these kids get out onto the water and experience something completely different to the inner city is amazing.” For more information on Billericay Round Table, what it does and its members, please browse to www. billericayroundtable.co.uk .

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TRAVEL - THE NEW FOREST The

By Tim Saunders – www.travelwriter.biz Is that you, Tim?” asks a former work colleague as my wife, baby daughter and I trek through the New Forest on a sunny autumn day. It’s a surreal situation because we’re in the middle of nowhere and not expecting to see anyone when we bump into Debbie and her husband, sub-editor and photographer respectively. The last time we saw each other was over two years ago, during my time as Business and Motoring Editor at the Bournemouth Echo.

it proves hard for her to sit still and soon she is out of her highchair entertaining fellow diners. Our friendly waitress distracts her with a pack of colouring pencils, which are soon used colouring in a Mickey Mouse cartoon. It’s not long before boredom sets in again though, and the pencils land on the floor. But it’s fun to post them back in the box. When the tiramisu arrives, Harriett is only too happy to sit on daddy’s lap. And then she has to try some of the lemon tart and melon sorbet, too. No, not Daddy’s Peroni, Harriett!

That’s what I love about holidays, the unexpected.

Fit for bed, we head back to our cosy and blissfully quiet beech lodge in time for Harriett’s bath after which she insists on pulling Bernard the Bee, her yellow trunki suitcase. Her feet, not quite touching the floor means she can’t actually ride it, yet. Still too young to sleep in a grown-up bed, her travel cot is ideal and there is room for it in the second bedroom. We’re in the comfortable master bedroom complete with flat screen television. Each night we all sleep well on the comfy beds apart from the first night when Harriett falls out of hers. Our lodge copes well with the winter weather, the combination boiler keeping it warm and cosy.

We’re staying at Sandy Balls, the holiday resort at Fordingbridge, and are taking one of their recommended trails. I’m riding one of their bicycles and towing Harriett in a trailer. She loves it. Caroline, in the final months of pregnancy and quite fragile, opts to walk. We make slow progress over the 10-mile round trip from Fordingbridge to Fritham but the weather is good and we stop for a picnic at picturesque Hampton Ridge. Harriett has plenty of opportunity to try out her new wellies in a variety of puddles. We enjoy watching the wildlife; a surprising number of dragon flies, birds, donkeys and New Forest ponies - in fact we count 17 ponies at one point as you can see in the video at www. travelwriter.biz.

The accommodation includes a well-appointed bathroom and a kitchen equipped with all the appliances you could require including a dishwasher, making for easy self-catering.

After our day out in the wilds of the forest, we arrive back at Sandy Balls for a well-deserved meal in Pizza on the Piazza. After a delicious bruschetta starter Caroline tucks into minted lamb shanks while Harriett enjoys a child’s portion of beef lasagne and I have duck breast and roasted new potatoes. While Harriett is generally well behaved,

Sandy Balls has its own leisure centre with indoor and outdoor swimming pools. We all enjoy a daily swim and Harriett likes the indoor soft play area, too – especially going down the slides but Daddy gets tired. It’s a very family friendly resort, offering plenty of relaxation for parents and fun and games for children all year round. The onsite cycle centre has a host of bicycles available for hire. We opt for a couple of comfort bikes providing upright riding and I tow the trailer with Harriett inside. Watch the videos at www. travelwriter.biz

Tim Saunders is an author, journalist and businessman. He meets celebrities, goes on holiday and road tests cars.


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Basildon & District Ramblers Club The group meets every Saturday at 2.00pm. The Saturday walks are 4-5 miles with a rest halfway, we have some longer walks on other days. New members are welcome and membership is only £6 per year which includes all walks. See our website www. basildonanddistrictrambling club.btck.co.uk for full details Billericay Horticultural Society Monday 15th January Please note that our speaker for that evening has cancelled because of sudden death of his wife. We apologise and hope that another speaker can be called in. Belvedere Jazz & Music Club 10th January Derek Nash Picante Latin Sextet 8pm -10:30pm. 17th January Top Big Band Vocalist: Matthew Ford 8pm -10:30pm. £15 Admission 24th January Music from the 20s & 30’s The Harlem Meer Cats 8pm -10:30pm. 31st January Broadway to MGM - Atila 8pm – 10:30pm Admission £12.50 ~ Meals Available www.belvederejazz.co.uk Tel: 07850 607075 or

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email: belvederejazz@gmail.com The Chichester Hotel Old London Road Rawreth, SS11 8UE Billericay Ladies Probus Club The Club meets for lunch at 12.00 on the second Monday of each month at the Mount Avenue Banqueting Suite, Hutton CM13 2NS. Where a three course lunch is served.

meeting is held in St Cedd’s Hall, Cathedral Chapter House, Chelmsford, CM1 1NX, and is usually on the fourth Thursday of every month. For more details please contact Gwenno on 07724144432 www.chelmsfordwelsh.org.uk/ home www.facebook.com/ chelmsfordwelsh

New members are always welcome, come along and make new friends. If you would like any further information please contact. Jenny: 01277 633115

Chelmsford Jazz Club Cramphorn Theatre Chelmsford Doors open: 11.45am Gig starts: 12.15pm Advance booking: 01245 606505 £12 / £16

Billericay Men’s Probus Club Have you heard of us we are a group of men who get to-gether for lunch on the last Thursday of each month. Come and enjoy a three course lunch, usually followed by a speaker, we also have coach trips and special events.

Sunday 14th January Ron Drake (sax/clarinet) with Ted Beament (piano) Spenser Brown (bass) and Rod Brown (drums)

Why not come along and join us at The Banqueting Suite, Mount Avenue, Hutton CM13 2NS

Sunday 18th March ‘Searching for Hope’ with Herwig Gradischng (sax), Steve Fishwick (trumpet), Claus Raible (piano) Giorgos Antonia (bass) and Matt Home (drums)

If you are interested Call Ron on: 01277 633115 firefighterrpm@btinternet.com Chelmsford & District Welsh Society Membership is open to anyone with Welsh origins or connections, or to anyone with an appreciation of Welsh heritage and traditions. Visitors and guests are warmly welcomed to attend our meetings. The Society’s monthly

Sunday 11th February John Etheridge (guitar), Art Themen (sax) Arnie Somegy (bass) and Winston Clifford (drums)

Sunday 15th April The Humphrey Lyttelton Band (7 piece band, line up TBC) Essex Wildlife Trust The Nature Reserve and Historic Gardens at Warley Place, Great Warley will be open every weekend from Saturday 24th February to Sunday 15th April, plus Good Friday and Easter Monday. Volunteers will be on

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hand to provide guidance on the above days from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, weather permitting. Please come and enjoy the wonderful show of snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells as well as the historic gardens created by Ellen Willmott. Guided walks are available on Saturday mornings at 10.30 am. Large groups should please book in advance, suggested donation £3.00 per person. The post code for Warley Place is CM13 3HU and is located on Warley Road adjacent to the Thatchers Arms public house. For further information please contact Mick Hedges on 01277 231367 or Fiona Agassiz on 01277 230436. FREE Football for 4 to 6 year olds Do you know a child who loves football? Would you like them to play in a safe, fun environment organised by FA licensed coaches? FC Redwing’s academy has spaces available for children in school years Reception/Year One. Training every Saturday over at Barleylands, the emphasis is on the kids having fun. For more information on how to claim a free place in this academy please email Head of Academy Clive Ashdown at clive@cwgrain.com. Friday Swimmers 12th,19th and 26th January We swim every Friday during

school term at Mayflower School from 19.30 to 20.45. Come and try us for a bit of gentle exercise or follow up that New Years resolution. We are a small group of social swimmers (adults only).

Saturday 27 January 7.30 pm Tickets £12 Café layout - bring your own drinks

Lifeguard in attendance and the cost is £5.25 p.w. New members are welcome come along for a free trial session or contact Derek or Angela on 01277 655652 for further information.

Celebrating the 60s Saturday 24 February 7.30pm £12 Café layout - bring own drinks

Girls Only Football Training At FC Redwing Did you know that football is largest team sport for girls in the UK? FC Redwing has recently launched girls only football training for children aged between 4 to 8 years old. If you have a girl in Reception to Year Three at school who is interested in playing the beautiful game then please contact us at fcredwinggirls@ gmail.com Greenway Ramblers The group meets at 10am every Tuesday (5-6 miles) and Sunday (longer walks of 10+ miles with a break for lunch) New members are welcome. See our website at www. greenwayramblers.org.uk or phone Joe Lawton on 01277 631119 Jazz at the Fold 72 Laindon Road Billericay, CM12 9 LD Tel 01277659286

Red Beans ‘n’ Rice Saturday 10 February 7.30 pm Tickets £12

Mayflower Wine (& social) Club We meet on the first Wednesday of each month at The Pilgrim and Mayflower rooms, The Emmanuel Church, Laindon Road. Billericay. CM12 9LD at 8pm We have talks, musical evenings, wine tastings, quizzes etc. and also social occasions in between. New members are always welcome. Please phone Paulette Nicholls on 01277 652001 Norsey Wood Society Norsey Wood Society will be holding our next free open meeting preceded by a short AGM on Monday 29 January 2018 in The Chantry Way Centre, Billericay starting at 7.45pm. Mark Iley, Biodiversity Co-ordinator, Essex Wildlife Trust will present an illustrated talk, ‘Wetland Creation on EWT Reserves’. Everyone welcome. Visit our new enhanced website www. norseywoodsociety.uk, mail us at norseywoodsociety1977@gmail. com or telephone Ken on 01277651125 if more detail required.

If you would like to promote your club or event for February/March then please email a maximum of 70 words to:

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RUNNING & FITNESS COACH The

By Verity Wright - www.runverity.com As a coach I am constantly telling my runners to slow down and they look at me in a puzzled sort of way. I say “Anyone, and I mean anyone, can run the first mile of a race at a fast pace, we can all boast that we were on for a sub 30min 5k, 60min 10k, 2-hour half or 4-hour marathon in that first mile but it’s how you finish the last mile that counts”. Getting the pacing right for any race is an art and a science and it can take many races to perfect it. There is a fine line between running a PB (Personal Best) success or a PW (Personal Worst) disaster and sometimes this fine line can be the difference between whether you hang your trainers up for good or whether you dust yourself down and put it down to experience enabling you to try again. Sometimes we can put too much pressure on ourselves on the lead up to a big event. It could be your first parkrun or your first marathon but getting caught up in the excitement and atmosphere as you wait on the start line can cause you to run a race just a little bit faster than norm. This change in the energy system that our body isn’t used to can sometimes result in disaster. When you exercise, your body uses oxygen to break down glucose for energy and a byproduct of this process is lactate. During easy running, your body converts and recycles this lactic acid back into energy and efficiently expels the waste products. Therefore, the production of lactate will remain relatively constant while running at an easy aerobic (talking) pace, which doesn’t require a huge demand for energy. However, if you set off too quickly in any run and continue to run faster you demand more energy from your body and the production of lactic acid

will slowly increase. At some point if you continue to run too fast the production of lactic acid will soar and your body will no longer be able to convert lactate back into energy and expel the waste products. This point is commonly referred to as your lactate threshold. The lactic acid then floods into system, muscle power is diminished and you begin to slow down (I refer to this as the bear jumping on you as it feels as though you can’t move!) Symptoms may include a burning feeling in your muscles, including cramp, feeling nauseous, weak and exhausted. It’s your body’s way to tell you to stop what you’re doing. Ultimately, lactic acid is one of the largest contributors to why you slow down as the race goes on and what makes the race hard work.

The idea is, then, that if you run at a slightly slower than usual pace then you can hold this threshold for as long as possible as you prevent waste products from building up and causing the exhaustion. The aim is to get to the last quarter of the race with enough energy to kick those last miles and finish strong. Try running without a watch so that you can feel your pace, run a little bit faster between lamp posts so that you learn where the difference is between feeling comfortable and uncomfortable. Remember running is a journey; an art and a science, a bit like a recipe, see what works, what doesn’t, you can take a bit of training out or add a bit more in until you find what works for you and that is part of the fun.

Verity Wright is an England Athletics Qualified Coach in Running Fitness and runs a successful Athletics Coaching business in the South of England. She competes as an endurance athlete in events from 10k to 42k over country, roads, fells and mountains. If you want to know more, you can visit her website www.runverity.com


SNAP happy to help Special Needs and Parents - is an Essex charity that helps families with children and young people who have any special need or disability From its Brentwood base, SNAP offers a helping hand to thousands of families who need support in a variety of ways. No formal diagnosis or professional referral is necessary to access SNAP services, available to families of children and young people aged 0 to 25. Facilities at the centre include a training room, a multi-purpose activity hall, multi-sensory room and specialist IT suite. “When parents first come to The SNAP Centre they often feel isolated and don’t know where to turn, but with SNAP’s support they grow in strength and knowledge and become better equipped to give the best possible help to their children,” says Karen Boath, Manager (Families). “Parents and their children use our facilities and services in a number of ways, and they value the support they receive from SNAP.”

The SNAP Centre offers a wide range of services Parent Advice and Support l Helpline (email and telephone) l Face to Face Parent Support l Specialist Talks and Training Courses l Library of Specialist Books and DVDs l Website with SNAP Directory of useful

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l Online Information Network l Counselling l Education Advice Sessions

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visit www.snapcharity.org l call 01277 211300 l email info@snapcharity.org Special Needs and Parents Ltd Registered Charity No. 1077787 A Company Limited by Guarantee in England and Wales No. 3805837 Registered Office: The SNAP Centre Pastoral Way Warley Brentwood Essex, CM14 5WF l

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