Chelmsford The City Times April/May 2014

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Issue Number 7 - April/May 2014

Mind, Body and Spirit Festival in Chelmsford Supports Helen Rollason Cancer Charity Chelmsford Mind Body Spirit Festival over the weekend Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th June is taking place at the new Marconi Social Club.

We at Life Arts, in conjunction with the European BuddhistHanmi Association, have assembled a diverse selection of natural health experts, vendors, shows and workshops for the Chelmsford Mind Body and Spirit Festival, guaranteed to satisfy newcomers and veterans alike.

I came to understand the value of complementary therapies myself when, having served in the RAF for twenty two years, I consulted a reflexologist, then a shaman, in 1996 to help with a difficult period in my life. I have never looked back.

We have a variety of therapies, spiritual guidance and health advice, as well as mystical gifts, music and belly dancing on offer over the weekend.

Whether you want to learn something new, talk to someone knowledgeable and passionate about healing, clairvoyance or meditation, for example, or buy

gemstones, skincare or art, you can find it here.

Attractions include feng shui, coven crafts, hot stone massage, Indian head massage, and crystal healing and our workshops range in subject matter from astrology to mediumship. Among our experts are presenter and psychic medium for Psychic TV, Melayne Stone, Psychic Astrologer,

Demian Allan, another regular on Sky TV, and best-selling inspirational author and speaker, Ian Tucker.Our main stage will host music from Ian Haywood, Johnty Wilks and Barbara Meiklejohn-Free to name but

a few, as well as a karate and kick boxing demonstration, and aura interpretations. And we are hosting a special charity clairvoyant night on Saturday with Sue Hudd and Maureen Flynn.

Life Arts are working with the European Buddhist-Hanmi Association because we share a similar ethos, that of the Give to Receive principle. The EBHA have their Dari Rulai Fa Yin temple at the New Marconi Social Club, and since 2010 have organised three mind body and spirit shows with all proceeds after costs going to Little Havens Children’s Hospice.

something for herself and found that being treated with Indian Head Massage, infused with Reiki, in her words “gave me peace, space and relaxation.” I have always felt it a great honour and privilege to have been part of that experience, and those moments have stayed with me ever since.

I have been asked many times since then to work with other cancer patients with similar therapies. Each moment is unique, but all find peace of mind and the space to relax, which is of enormous benefit to them at an incredibly challenging time.

I so much admire Helen Rollason and her legacy. The charity work with complementary therapies similar to what I do, and to support it is very close to my heart and touches the soul.

There are so many opportunities to learn from others this weekend, whether you are talking to an expert at a stall or attending a workshop, and we hope you will have an energising, enlightening and positive visit.

This festival is in aid of the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity, and we will be donating much of the entrance fee, plus the proceeds from a clairvoyant evening with Sue Hudd as well as other fundraising activities over the weekend. The EBHA will also donate all money raised from their meditation workshop to the charity.

Like so many of us I have lost people close to me due to cancer, including my closest friend. I am a complementary therapist and teacher and fifteen years ago I worked with my first cancer patient. She was a young mother who had only weeks to live and asked me to give her regular relaxation treatments.

She desperately needed

The festival is at Marconi Sports and Social Club, Tydemans, off Beehive Lane, Chelmsford CM2 9FH from 10 till 5 each day.

Entrance is £3.50 for adults, £2.50 for concessions and 16s and under free.

For more information about the event visit www.lifearts.co.uk which has a full programme guide. Chris Cozens, Life Arts.

CT Welcome Welcome to the April/May edition of Chelmsford The City Times.

I know we say this every month, but what a busy month!! We are busy preparing for The Fling stage we are hosting along with Chelmsford Community Radio. We are looking for sponsorship to cover the cost of PA, if you or anyone you know is interested please contact editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk.

This month we have a great competition for you! On page 10 there is a chance to WIN Essex Eagles NatWest T20 Blast Season Ticket for all SEVEN home T20 games for the coming 2014 season. We will have more commpetitions in future issues.

We hope you enjoy this issue!

Paul & Nick

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk & www.moulshamtimes.com Advertising Editorial Nick Garner Paul Mclean 07970 206682 07595 949701 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Coming Up This Month 19th April - Inimenter + Library Suits + Lemoncurd Kid 25th April - The Midnight Barbers + Mary Do You Wanna + The Tickturds + Three Birds Blind 1st May - Pad Cleary + The Crips + George Death + Sam Fraser 10th May - Forged In Black + Red Nettle 15th May - Kill The Freak + Benzokyn + Three Months To Kill

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CT Fashion

When the weather gets warmer and summer is not too far away, us ladies and girls start to think about occasion wear. We may have a wedding to go, we may even be planning are own wedding, there may be a trip to Royal Ascot coming up, or you might be attending a summer prom. Whatever the occasion, there are numerous gorgeous outfits on the high street that will fit the bill perfectly. But before I recommend my favourite pieces on our very own high street, here are a few tips, to guide you when dressing for a special occasion.

Check the Details of the Occasion Watch hemlines at Ascot. If you are going to a wedding, check details, is it a church service? (do my arms need to covered, in some countries it’s a requirement). Are the couple getting married on a beach (in which case, heels don’t work)? If it’s a black tie ball, what’s the dress code, a cocktail dress or full length?

Don’t Think Less is More Don’t think because you are attending a dressy event, that you need to add more detail or bling to your outfit. Sometimes that fascinator is not needed and too much jewellery or the wrong jewellery, can take away from the outfit. If in doubt take something off, as Coco Chanel once said “It is always better to be slightly underdressed”.

Nude Shoes V the Wrong Shoes If you are struggling to know what colour shoes to go for to compliment your outfit, then revert to the safe option, a nude or pale grey, which are more versatile than a colour. Plus, if you have more than one event to go to, you will be able to wear them with so many more outfits. If your outfit is a plain block colour and you want to make a statement with your shoes, opt for a vibrant colour or a print.

Look for Unique If the thought of turning up in the same dress as someone else fills you with horror, why not consider vintage. When you find the right fit, a vintage dress can feel like it has been made for you. Buying a vintage piece is a true investment, they are better made and because it’s a classic of a bygone era, it will never go out of fashion.

There are some fantastic prom dresses in vintage shops, so don’t overlook these.

Mix and Match To create a good occasion wear look, you don’t have to buy a complete outfit from one store. If you have seen a dress that you love, then don’t be persuaded to buy a matching hat, bag, shoes and jacket, think about your current wardrobe, do I have a smart fitted jacket that will go that dress? What about that clutch bag I have at home?

And think about vintage again, vintage shops have fantastic accessories, like pillbox hats, brooches and cocktail bags.

choosing ‘The Dress’, designer, designer sample sales, vintage and high street; (there are some stunning high street wedding dress ranges out there, notably Phase Eight and Monsoon.) Also, even if you have not considered a veil, don’t rule one out, you may regret in the future, remember it doesn’t have to be long, it could be a short veil, they can look lovely with the right dress. Have a look at some celebrity weddings or royal weddings to get some inspiration.

Best of the High Street For a wide range of fascinators and hats try M&S, Coast and Phase Eight. For dozens of beautiful prom style dresses and accessories go to Now And Then Vintage at 17 Baddow Road, Chelmsford.

Warehouse Crochet lace pencil dress blue £70.00 Lace stripe tee shirt dress pink £60.00 Organza hem shift dress green £25.00 Marks and Spencer Limited edition high block heel platform shoes £35.00 M&S Collection new wide fit caged sandals £29.50 M&S Collection leather platform stiletto heel court shoes £45.00 M&S Collection leather ankle strap court shoes £39.50 M&S Collection jacquard coat soft white £89.00 Limited Edition new straight leg high waisted trousers £39.50 Limited Edition floral drop waist dress £39.50 Limited Edition pleated cropped top £22.50 Autograph round neck striped maxi dress £65.00 Debenhams Phase Eight white nadia Jacket £89.00 Phase Eight ivory jeannie jacket £89.00 Coast Tamara printed dress £59.00 Emma Smith lives in Chelmsford and is a style consultant.

She offers personal shopping and wardrobe planning sessions.

You can contact her via her website www.emmasmith.co.uk Or by email: emma@emmasmith.co.uk.

Bride to Be If you are bridal shopping for yourself, stick to the same body shape rules, as you would do in your everyday wardrobe. For example, if you have never considered wearing a strapless dress normally, then look for other alternatives for your wedding day, equally if you are a pear shape, go for something cut under the bust, rather then a bias cut dress. You of course want to look beautiful, but you also want to feel comfortable.

Exhaust all possibilities when

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CT Cooking

Pan Fried Sea Bass with Crushed New Potatoes and Tomato Salad.

According to a recent study by food supplements manufacturer Biocare, Chelmsford is the second healthiest place in the UK to live.

Apparently, whilst we Chelmsfordians admit to not taking our holiday allowance and work too late, we take regular exercise and eat a healthy diet. I was mulling on this point when a beloved friend and social behemoth, Matt, via the book of face, asked me what I thought Chelmsford’s signature dish should be. Obviously my initial thoughts were pasta based simply on the tragically transparent veneer of a pun that Marconi sounds vaguely like Macaroni.

Other Essex places have their own dishes, Colchester pudding, Cressing biscuits, Maldon boiled beef, Black Pudding Notley (I fabricated the last one) so why not the great city of Chelmsford? We were after all once the capital city, we have the V Festival, we’re the home of Essex County Cricket club. World cup legend Geoff Hurst grew up here, Turner prize winning Grayson Perry was born here. We have the second smallest cathedral in the country, historical records suggest Robert the Bruce may have hailed from here, Porridge was filmed here and lest we forget, the Nobel Prize winning inventor of radio Guglielmo Giovanni Maria Macaroni practically built the place. My thoughts may be drifting here. I’ve eaten an entire bag of Tangfastics and brought on self induced ADHD.

By John Jacobs

In a separate cup, place your diced tomatoes, red onion and chopped parsley and cover with a healthy glug of extra virgin olive oil and dash of balsamic. It’s time to dress the plate restaurant style. If you don’t happen to have ametal food ring, pack the crushed potatoes into a small shallow bowl or cup and then sandcastle style, upturn this onto the plate. Stack two of the bass fillets on top. Around the outside of the plate spoon over the diced tomato and onion salad. If you feel adventurous, deep fry a couple of sprigs of parsley and add these to the plate.

John Jacobs is former lawyer turned chef, owner of the Perfectly Simple Cookery School and author of Meze, Misery & Moussaka (available my mail order). If you wish to contact him please email to john@perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk.

Returning to the healthy Chelmsford thing, I have been accused in the past of failing to give sufficient consideration to limiting the calories in my food. Some have suggested less cream and fewer bacon lardons in my salads would help maintain our positive diet reputation.

I’m not one to ignore positive feedback and so this light and fresh fish dish will go some way to righting that wrong. You can use any firm white fish, sea bream, snapper or halibut for example. It’s incredibly simple and looks great on the plate. As ever, I love getting your feedback so if you have any ideas and recipes you want to share, please feel free to send them in along with your nominations for what you think Chelmsford’s signature dish should be. Have a great month happy eaters.

Serves 2: Ingredients:500g new potatoes 4 fillets of sea bass Handful of chopped parsley Juice and zest of l lemon Teaspoon of lilliput capers (the tiny ones, but chopped are fine) One large tomato seeded and diced Olive oil Dash of balsamic vinegar Salt and pepper to taste ½ red onion finely diced Flour for dusting Method Boil the new potatoes for about 15 to 20 minutes until soft and drain off the water. Using the back of a fork, break them up in the pan and add a dash of olive oil, the juice and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper, add a little parsley and mix in.

Place the lid back on a put to one side.

In a heavy based frying pan heat up a little olive oil until just smoking.

Dust off the fillets with a little flour and remove any excess. The flour will seal the fillets to retain moisture and add a crispy, beautifully coloured coating. Place the fillets skin side down in the pan and if you’re feeling brave, keep your fingers on top to press them into the pan. This will stop them curling up. Leave in the hot pan for no more than a minute. Turn the fillets over onto their fleshy side and take off the stove. The residual heat will finish the cooking process without overcooking the fish and keep them beautifully moist.

All doors conform fully to EU safety directives

CT

Blood Brothers - Old Court Theatre Award winning Chelmsford Theatre Workshop at The Old Court Theatre are producing Blood Brothers the play by Willy Russell from May 14th - 17th and 21st to 24th at 19.45 with a charity night being given to Farleigh Hospice on Tuesday 20th.

A Liverpudlian West Side Story – Written by Willy Russell back in 1981 as a play, the legendary Blood Brothers tells the captivating and moving tale of twins who, separated at birth, grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with fateful consequences. CTW is taking it back to its roots for a two week run.

Book your tickets early for this production as it will be very popular!

Tickets for this show are from The Civic Theatre Chelmsford 01245 606505 and for the charity night from The Farleigh Hospice and are £9 cons £8 except Fri and Sat.

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The Money Was Great, but the Lifestyle Was Awful “The business was very good, the money was great, but the lifestyle was awful. I would be constantly checking my phone and emails on weekends and holidays.”

“I’ve been enjoying the work life balance that you get from Forever.

I have not looked back, I have never been on so many holidays or to so many countries in such a short period of time…”

I live in Essex with my husband Bob and our lovely dog Bruce.

My background is in sales and recruitment. I had a successful career in sales and become a company director in my late 20s.

I then went on to run my own recruitment company in 2004, specialising in sales and finance. We represented some prestigious clients including number two on the Times One Hundred Best Companies to work for.

The business was very good, the money was great, but the lifestyle was awful. I would be constantly checking my phone and emails on weekends and holidays. After working in such a pressured environment, my health and life began to suffer. I knew the business model was flawed and I wanted a different way of working.

I came across Forever four years ago and immediately saw the bigger picture. I worked my Forever business around my traditional business for five months to start with. Since then I’ve been enjoying the work life balance that you get from Forever. I have not looked back, I have never been on so many holidays or to so many countries in such a short period of time – and apart from the income, it has given me time and freedom to do what I want when I want! email denise@therisegroup.co.uk, or ring her for a chat on 07782273634. fb:/healthierandwealthieryou.

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CT Gardening Writtle College wins gold in the Young Gardeners of the Year at the Ideal Home Show 2014!

A team of FE horticulture students are celebrating after winning gold at the Young Gardeners of the Year competition!

The team of 14; Stephen Darling, George Bell, Chris Henty, Ben Cove, Ian Morter, Barney Reece, Liam Harris, Lawrence Lamb, Declan Carrig, Henry Burns, Lorna Housley, Abigail Hume, Jack Dykes and James Bowers, guided by lecturers Simon Watkins and Ben Wincott, were presented with gold at the Ideal Home Show 2014 this afternoon (14 March).

Writtle College competed with five other colleges in the UK. The team had to design and construct a 5.5m by 4m sustainable garden to inspire city dwellers, which will be seen by a quarter of a million people during the show, which opened today.

Six students at a time constructed the garden within three days inside the show in Earls Court, London.

by Tom Cole Association, Leigh Morris President of the Institute of Horticulture, along with Julia Goodwin Editor of House Beautiful judged this year’s show gardens.

David Domoney, organiser of the competition said: “The designs were all a testament to the hard work that the participants put in, and the judging process was very demanding.

The garden from Writtle College used many innovative ideas, which was inspiring - the pub idea outdoors was particularly interesting and quirky.

“The competition allows the personalities of the students to shine through in their designs – they are given very tight deadlines to complete their creation to a high professional standard, and it is also a great networking opportunity for them to meet like-minded peers from up and down the country.

“The Young Gardeners of the Year competition is in its fourth year, and around 250 students took part in this edition. The entries are seen by around 250,000 people at every Ideal Home Show, meaning approximately one million have seen the gardens since its inception”.

Good luck and happy gardening!

For any gardening tips why not contact Tom Cole, Head of Faculty for Land & Environment, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

The theme was reclaimed urban space and the team created a pub that had been taken over and adapted by nature. The leaf of the bar became a gate, a piano became a water feature, the beer barrels were filled with peat, Jack Daniels became Jack’s Beanstalk, shelves became bug hotels, pint glasses were filled with compost topped with vermiculite. Vegetables and plants carpeted the floor between floorboards, and crumbling brick walls surrounded the structure with remnants of old wallpaper and plaster peeling in the shape of East Anglia.

Abigail Hume, 17, from Colchester, said: “The enthusiasm and energy of the team has been brilliant. I never thought when I enrolled on this course at Writtle College that within less than two years I would be capable of making a gold-winning show garden. We’ve had the chance to develop our skills by working creatively to a real brief and we’ve all learnt from the tutors’ experience! It will be a wonderful addition to all our CVs and an experience I will never forget - I’m really looking forward to hearing what the thousands of visitors think of the garden.”

The competition showcases Britain’s premier young talented gardeners. The colleges are awarded gold, silver gilt, silver or bronze medals with two further prestigious titles also being awarded for Best At Show and People’s Choice.

With this year’s theme being sustainable urban gardens, the colleges had to follow the organic and sustainable principles promoted by the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community, the competition’s organisers.

A panel led by TV Gardeners David Domoney and Prince’s Foundation ambassador Diarmuid Gavin, Edith Platten from The Prince’s Foundation, Carol Paris Director General from the Horticultural Trade

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Crafts by Gemma Peacock - Stained Glass Stained glass is something that has been around for thousands of years. It isn’t what I would call a very common craft, and it isn’t as easy as many of the other crafts to do from home.

I’ve experienced working with stained glass on more than one occasion. It all began a few years ago after I had seen a workshop advertised at Hylands House with their resident artist Mona Marnel.

It was something I hadn’t tried before and being someone who likes a challenge and trying new crafts I thought I’d give it a go.

Mona was fantastic. The workshop was well organised and split into sections meaning that everyone was going at the same pace. One of the hardest parts, as is the case with most crafts, was picking the materials, deciding what colour glass I wanted to use.

Then it was down to cutting the glass using the templates that had been provided. This is the fun bit. That sound of the glass cutting, well, it did something to me, from that moment on I was hooked.

Once you have the shape you’re looking for, the edges need sanding to give a smooth surface ready for the copper foil to be added. It is then that the piece of work really comes together as you solder together all the individual pieces that make up your final pattern.

It uses so many different skills and some parts are more challenging than others but overall it is achievable. Mona gave great support throughout the workshop giving help where needed but without taking over, meaning that everyone learnt something and took away more than just their finished piece.

It seems I was not the only one who became hooked as there were other people on the same workshop as myself that had been to

others before. I noticed this at each of the workshops I attended, so that has to show for something.

If stained glass is something you have considered trying but not yet done, do it. Even if it isn’t something you have considered, why not? I couldn’t recommend the workshops more. All of the workshops that Mona runs are suitable for beginners. Keep your eyes peeled for more workshops on the Hylands House website in the future.

Please feel free to get in touch with me with any questions you may have by emailing me at gemscrafts@hotmail.co.uk I’d love to hear from you.

The Three Foot People and Fling Festivals The 3foot People Festival returns for its ninth year! Following last year’s sell out success the UKs largest event for preschool children takes place from Tuesday 24th - Thursday 26th June at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, welcoming nearly 13,000 children and their carers. Exclusively for 0-5 year olds, the festival features hundreds of activities to help stimulate curiosity, imagination and play. The range of activities little people can enjoy includes arts and craft-making sessions, a giant sandpit, a mini farm, storytelling, and many more.

details can be found on our website: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/3foot, on Facebook or via Chelmsford Theatre Box Office. Please note that tickets always sell out very quickly and please remember that tickets will not be available on the gate so book early to avoid disappointment.

There will be free parking onsite and dedicated buses running from the city centre directly to The 3foot People Festival and also The Fling Festival (see information below).

Bus tickets need to be bought in advance from the festival website.

For further details on The 3foot People Festival, including the full programme added in June, please visit the event website at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/3foot and on Facebook at The 3foot People Festival.

An allocation of tickets for The 3foot People Festival go on sale to Leisure Plus card holders on Saturday 26 April from 10am (in person only), with general ticket release on Wednesday 30 April (online from 7am and in person from 9am). Adult carers (aged 16 and over) £8.50, children aged 2 – 5 years £8.50 and under 2s (including babies) £3. Further

The Fling Festival of Assorted Amusements will then take place at Hylands Park on Saturday 28th June. This exclusive adultsonly festival stars a fabulous cast of curious performance talent. Second tier tickets are on sale now starting from £20.00. To book tickets and for more information visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/fling, follow us on Facebook at The Fling Festival or on Twitter @FlingFestival.

The Fling and The 3foot People Festival are produced by Chelmsford City Council with support from Essex & Suffolk Water, The Meadows Chelmsford, High Chelmer Shopping Centre, The Printing Place, The Essex Chronicle, BBC Essex, 1159 Productions, Sshhh Events, Dancing Giraffe, The City Times and Heybridge Creative.

The 3foot People Festival is generously sponsored by Seymour House Day Nurseries and Small Wonders. The Fling is also supported by The Bassment and The Comedy Club Ltd. For more information about these events, including ticket updates, please visit: www. chelmsford.gov.uk/events.

Find the team on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/culturaleventsteam or follow on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/culteventsteam.

WIN Essex Eagles NatWest T20 Blast Season Ticket for all SEVEN home T20 games for the coming 2014 season.

The 2014 domestic cricket season will shortly be upon us and it looks to be another exciting year.

This year Essex are looking to build upon last season when, after securing a place in the semi finals of the Friends Life T20 Competition they went out to the eventual winners. Essex will again be competing on all fronts battling it out in the NatWest T20 Blast, The Royal London One-Day Cup and the LV= County Championship.

At The Essex County Ground in Chelmsford first up for Essex is Derbyshire on Sunday 13 April in the LV= County Championship with the first home game for Essex Eagles in the NatWest T20 Blast against Glamorgan on Friday 23 May. The First Royal London OneDay Cup in Chelmsford starts on Thursday 31 July against Leicestershire Foxes.

Essex has an array of talent in the squad including international players, Alastair Cook, Ravi Bopara, Ryan ten Doeschate and

Monty Panesar who is starting his first full season with Essex after joining last year.

The closing date for the competition is Friday 9 May.

So get behind your Essex county team this summer and enjoy a great season of cricket. For more information on tickets and Memberships for this season please visit www.essexcricket.org.uk.

All answers must be sent to comp@itsyourmedia.co.uk and must be received by the deadline shown. Any late entries received will be discounted from the competition.

The City Times has a great competition for you to win an Essex Eagles NatWest T20 Blast Season Ticket for all SEVEN home T20 games for the coming 2014 season.

To be in with a chance of winning this competition please answer the following question.

‘Which Essex player has recently scored the fastest 50 runs for England in a T20 Game?’

A. Ravi Bopara B. James Foster C. Graham Napier

Nick Wood ‘Unshaken Photography’ www.unshaken-photography.co.uk

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Thermostatic Radiator Valves, Do They Work? By malcolm@magicthermodynamicbox.com Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) form an essential part of a domestic central heating system but the way they work and their potential to save fuel and reduce energy bills are unappreciated by the user.

The wax thermostatic valve was invented in 1936 and used in the automotive industry.

The first application in a plumbing and heating system was in Sweden in 1970.

Today TRVs come in many shapes and sizes and have just been given a new European labelling scheme based on energy efficiency, a graph similar to that found on fridges. The ratings range from A to F and the TRV must conform to European Standard EN 215.

TRVs can usually be found at one end at the base of a radiator, they are self-regulating valves and sense the room air temperature cutting the water flow to the radiator when required. They have a dial which can be twisted to a required thermostat setting. The dial has numbers of, say, 0 to 5, and each represents an air temperature. For instance the Globus TRV at setting 3 will shut off the hot water to the radiator when the room reaches 18-21°C. TRVs are therefore very effective radiator controls and are used to regulate individual room temperatures.

Living areas tend to be set around 20-21°C whilst bedrooms are 19°C and spare rooms can be turned down to a low temperature.

TRVs should be fitted to all radiators except the one next to the wall thermostat, which gives an overall heating limit, to fine tune the heating system and stop wastage.

The TRV may have a wax or liquid activation.

Wax is the industry standard but liquid and gas are more reactive and therefore more efficient in turning the radiator off when the desired room temperature is reached.

The last couple of years have seen the introduction of electronic and infra-red TRVs which can be individually programmed with temperatures and timings. But sometimes these can be fiddly and ineffective as they require individual programming and battery replacements. By installing TRVs theoretic savings on heating bills can be made of 15% by installing programmable TRVs or 8% by replacing old for new. (Danfoss – Making Modern Living Possible). The University of Salford carried out research last year for TACMA (Association of UK manufacturers of heating controls) and reported that installing TRVs where none existed before could save up to 27% off the heating bill. They also noted that the minimum controls that homes should have as part of their heating system included a programmer, room thermostat and TRVs. 8 million homes don’t have a room thermostat and 9 million don’t have TRVs. Unfortunately in real life it is not so simple and other factors have an influence on the efficiency of TRVs. They must have an uninterrupted air flow around them otherwise they will obtain false readings such as when long curtains wrap around, when a bed with duvet is pushed against the radiator or where a radiator screen isolates the TRV from the room. In these cases the TRV will heat up more quickly than the room and cut off the heat. Panel radiators heat a room by

convecting heat upwards towards the ceiling, indeed between 80% and 90% of all the energy released is convected and only 10% radiated into the room. The TRV which is located at floor level never receives any heat and therefore never activates. In the same way your feet always feel cold.

A product that ensures that any TRV will work at maximum efficiency is the Central Heating Management System from the Magic Thermodynamic Box Company. The rate of water flow through the radiator circuit is increased and a radiator is forced to produce a high proportion of its heat as radiant heat and this is directed to the lower part of the room, increasing the user’s comfort. The TRV will sense this heat and will turn off at an appropriate thermostatic setting, saving any wastage energy. The user also benefits from a more beneficial type of heat. This is just one of many savings that can be made by fitting the Central Heating Management System.

Recent laboratory tests have confirmed that the Central Heating Management System can make TRVs work efficiently. Conducting comparative tests with and without the CHMS. it was shown that a boiler running at 60°C and 75°C on a balanced 6 radiator system never activated any of the TRVs. Conversely when run at 60°C with the CHMS. all TRVs activated several times during the test period. Without the Central Heating Management System none of these achievable savings would have been made.

CT What’s On In Chelmsford April/May April 18th Asylum - The Spin + Starlings + Pepper Collins The Loop - Blessed Old Skool Woolpack - Beer festival 19th Asylum - Inimenter + Library Suits + Lemoncurd Kid Civic Theatre - Old MacDonald Had a Farm Cramphorn Theatre - Edinburgh warm ups Fleece - Sax on Fire plus Djs Indigo - In 2 Deep - The best in deep house.

The Loop - Drum & Bass Woolpack - Beer festival 20th Fleece - 80s Night plus DJ Captain Fleecey Indigo - Flashback. Dom Physics (Prodigy tour DJ) The Loop - Blessed House Woolpack - Beer Festival 22nd Civic Theatre - Suggs: My Life Story in Words & Music Cramphorn Theatre - August: Osage County 23rd Blues in the City @ The Bassment - Robin Bibi Duo & Jamie Williams Duo Chelmsford City FC V Tonbridge Angels - 3pm Kick off Civic Theatre - Ballet Central Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime concert Fleece - St Georges Day Party with DJ Darryl Butcher 24th Asylum - The City Is Ours + Metasic + Memo Fleece - Funky Thursdays with DJ Darryl Butcher 25th Asylum - The Midnight Barbers + Mary Do You Wanna + The Tickturds + Three Birds Blind Chelmsford City FC V Gosport Borough - Kick off tbc Civic Theatre - Champions of Magic Cramphorn Theatre - Killing Roger The Official Comedy Club @ Chelmsford FC Fleece - Turbulence Plus DJ Captain Fleece Indigo - Bump and grind The Loop - Twisted Friday Smiths - Ekko Ekko + Hows Annie + Louise Parker 26th Asylum - Habu + See you in Reno + Circle of Reason Civic Theatre - The Johnny Cash Roadshow Fleece - Steel plus DJ Captain Fleecey Indigo - Mango. Deep and sexy house music.

The Loop - Blessed Garage 27th Pedal For The J’s 29th Cramphorn Theatre - The Book Thief 30th Civic Theatre - Jump Right In! Chelmsford Scouts & Guides Gang Show Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime concert Cramphorn Theatre - Mitch Bean is the 37th Beatle Fleece - Midweek Madness with DJ Darryl Butcher May 1st Asylum - Pad Cleary + The Crips + George Death + Sam Fraser Civic Theatre - Jump Right In! Chelmsford Scouts & Guides Gang Show Fleece - Funky Thursdays with DJ Darryl Butcher

2nd Asylum - Calm For The Restless + The Undivided + Lanter of Badds Civic Theatre - Jump Right In! Chelmsford Scouts & Guides Gang Show Cramphorn Theatre - The Godfather Part II Fleece - Break for Cover Plus DJ Captain Fleecey Indigo - Static presents Graham Gold The Loop - Twisted Friday The Star & Garter - Remark 3rd Asylum - Asylum 1st Birthday Pirate Party Chelmsford City FC End of Season Awards Party Civic Theatre - Jump Right In! Chelmsford Scouts & Guides Gang Show Fleece - The Heaters plus DJ Captain Fleecey Indigo - Intense Records presents Mojo, with special guest Skeptical The Loop - Amplified Rabbit The Star & Garter - Ronk ‘n’ Roll Express 4th Civic Theatre - The Glenn Miller Orchestra Fleece - Squeal plus DJ Captain Fleecey Plus WWE extreme Rules 7th Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime concert Fleece - Midweek Madness with DJ Darryl Butcher 8th Asylum - The Lemoncurd Kid + Best Intentions + Guide Dogs For The Dead + George & Sam + A million Pieces Civic Theatre - A Night of Dirty Dancing Cramphorn Theatre - The Wolf of Wall Street Fleece - The Electric Jam Night - Paolo Morena 9th Asylum - We Were Lions + Glaze + Fallow Fields Civic Theatre - The Energy Show Cramphorn Theatre - The Seagull Fleece - Queens English plus DJ Captain Fleecey The Loop - Twisted Friday The Star & Garter - Dirty Works 10th Asylum - Forged In Black + Red Nettle Civic Theatre - The Energy Show Fleece - Expose plus DJ Captain Fleecey The Loop - Neon St Andrews Church Chignal Road - Brass band concert in aid of Helen Rollason Cancer Charity The Star & Garter - Black Diamond 11th Cramphorn Theatre - Chelmsford Jazz Club Fleece - Premier League final Day - 4 Games live 12th Civic Theatre - Calamity Jane 13th Civic Theatre - Calamity Jane Cramphorn Theatre - Journal De France 14th Blues in the City @ The Bassment - Mississippi MacDonald & the Cottonmouth Kings + Joel Fisk Civic Theatre - Calamity Jane Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime concert Cramphorn Theatre - Henry IV Part I 15th Asylum - Kill The Freak + Benzokyn + Three Months To Kill Civic Theatre - Calamity Jane

Please note, all events are subject to change. Please check: www.anglia.ac.uk/communityengagement Asylum - www.asylumchelmsford.co.uk Bassment - www.bassmentbar.com Blues In The City - www.bluesinthecity.co.uk The Fleece - www.thegoldenfleece-chelmsford.co.uk Theatres - www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres Keene Quilters - Madeleine Howard - 01245 477820 The Alehouse - www.the-ale-house-chelmsford.co.uk The Star & Garter on 01245 690034 The White Horse - www.whbl.co.uk

Please send your events to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

New Acoustic Night

Promoter Andrew McClaine and Marc Miller of The Bassment would like to announce that the Bassment will be launching and promoting a brand new acoustic night on Thursday 8th May called ‘Acoustic Underground’. This great monthly event will feature local musicians from Chelmsford and around Essex plus some fantastic line-ups from around the country.

Our new brand night will cover and consist of all genres, songwriters, performers and the concept will be extremely eclectic with a capital ‘E’ bringing something different.

Regular advertisements on facebook, twitter, and newspapers, magazines and other music industry press will not go unnoticed. Stay tuned for more information on the ‘Acoustic Underground’ events and in the meantime if you are interested in taking part contact Andrew McClaine via facebook or on 07957 577323 or Marc Miller on 07807 060367.

BE ER

The Jives UK/Rag Mama Rag at The Bassment Chelmsford 26th March

By Mike Lightfoot, Saint FM A packed house for two cracking duos at Blues In The City this evening.

The Jives UK, featuring Baz Morris (guitar/vocals) and Al Bye (harmonica) kicked off with a mixture of 60s/70s blues rock and some traditional blues.

There were certainly interesting takes on a couple of Beatles numbers, particularly Come Together, and Walk In My Shadow a Free classic, but they were certainly on the money covering the traditional blues classics and these guys are well worth seeing. I’m hoping to have the chaps in for a session on the Blues Is Back a bit later in the year.

Rag Mama Rag have 7 CDs and a string of successful tours to their name.

Originating from Colchester, but now living France they were back for a lengthy UK tour. Playing a mixture of originals, classic delta blues and a bit of ragtime thrown in for good measure, this was a superb set. Ashley Dow (guitar/ukulele) is one of the finest acoustic players that I’ve ever had the privilege to see and wife Debbie is a talented percussionist in her own right from tambourine to washboard and some mean harmonica for good measure. Two encores and still the audience wanted more. If you want more from these guys you’ll have to catch them later in the year.

Next month-on Wednesday 23 April at The Bassment Robin Bibi & Tony Marten plus Jamie Williams & Nick Garner. Doors open at 8pm first act on at 8.30pm entry £5 all monies go to those playing.

FEST

70 Ales 16 Ciders Live music Mildmay Road, CM2 0DN each day 1 7-2 0 A P R I L

CT Business

sponsored by:

McCartney by Darren Lerigo

“I was encouraged to make a go for it,” says Shaun, as we chat at his desk, the sun pouring through the window of the McCartney offices, “We started here in Moulsham Street, renting an office from the solicitor upstairs. I didn’t want to franchise, which was happening a lot then, I wanted to do something my way.”

My second interview of businesses in Chelmsford takes me to McCartney Estate Agents, who sell and let properties for their clients.

“We specialise in Chelmsford, we built the business outwards from here in Moulsham Street,” Shaun says, “I was known personally, clients would say ‘go see Shaun’, personal referrals based on reputation are the best way to work.”

I ask Shaun what is it he and his team are doing right, especially when dealing with people who are moving house, considered to be one of the most stressful actions you can pursue.

“We have learnt to keep the client informed at all times of what is happening. Make sure everyone’s talking, especially solicitors. You need approachable solicitors because we need the information to update the client. We’ve been through two to three recessions. We’ve experienced it and learnt from it each time.”

What is so difficult about selling houses?

“It is much more than just advertising a house, because a sale can run over three months and so much can go wrong. To hold the sale together until completion takes a lot of experience. We have seen so many people come and go in this business, who have tried it and just not been able to carry on.

We started in 1992 selling houses. The letting side of the business became more of a focus about five years ago. There is a need to diversify as the market is on an eight to nine year cycle and it changes – the more houses bought, the less rented, and vice versa.

I think we’ve just come out of the tough times and we are on the rise again.”

What advice would you have for anyone starting up their own business?

“Research the business thoroughly before committing your money as funding a new business can be extremely costly for long period of time. It takes a lot of hard work and time to become established”.

“It can be very satisfying. I am happy doing the sales and lettings, I have good people who I can trust to run the two departments and I have a balance between work and home – I no longer do eight until eight… although I do still think about work even on a day off!”

If you are looking to sell your home or have a property to let, then take a walk up Moulsham Street and pop into the offices of McCartney Estate Agents. Who better to help you with knowledge of the local area than Shaun himself?

Darren Lerigo - www. modernmint.co.uk

I ask Shaun why he thinks that is.

“Interest rates have never been so low. People have savings and they are not getting good rates of interest, so they think ‘why not buy to let?’ It is easier to get a mortgage as well, as more people are lending.”

What about his customers? Are his client base varied?

“One customer, who now lives in Bath, used us to buy and sell six properties as he moved his way around Chelmsford. People I sold to eighteen years ago are now looking to help their children get on the property ladder. They walk in and ask me if I remember them, and I do, I remember their face and their address. It shows we are trusted, that people are comfortable trusting McCartney to assist them in the home owning process.

What changes have you seen to the business over the years?

“The rise of the internet for one! It covers such a vast area; properties go on so quickly that it has sped up the marketplace. You don’t have to wait to find out about a property you might like anymore.

The staff here have not changed much. We have a highly proactive team along with myself there are seven staff members, Sue has been here over ten years, Brian over six. Then I’ve known Kevin, our “odd job” man on the lettings side of the business, for over fifteen years.

People are very happy when we send him round to do a job for them, because his price is fair and like all our trades people, he looks after the property like it’s his own.”

Page 14 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Sarah Brockwell sarahBee marketing have just been nominated to win Best Growing Business in Essex. We wish them best of luck in that contest.

A ‘Bun in the Oven’ and a Reinvention! by Linda McNeill Well this is exciting – my first column!

My name is Linda and I am going to be writing a regular feature about local women who have recently set up their own business or changed career. So many women are now ‘reinventing’ themselves and coming up with quirky and creative ways to make a living that I want to promote their entrepreneurship. If this is you – please get it touch! I am one of these women and I thought I would kick off article one with my story…..

‘The most amazing and romantic experience of my life’ was how she described it.

Intrigued? I was. This was the description my friend gave me of giving birth when I spoke to her afterwards expecting to hear the ‘gory’ details.

This statement was to prove life-changing for me and I very rapidly learnt a new word ….. hypnobirthing.

I was pregnant at the time with my first child George and naturally apprehensive about well, everything really. I had never changed a nappy, had virtually no experience of babies and had not got the first clue about giving birth. I assumed it was going to be pretty unpleasant, possibly humiliating and extremely painful.

My friend had undertaken a hypnobirthing course during her pregnancy and after having an ‘amazing’ and ‘romantic’ birth, this sounded too good to pass up. I did some research; we signed up for a course, did lots of practice and guess what….. we had a wonderful birth!

Hypnobirthing is an antenatal course which gives women and their birth partner the tools to have a calm, gentle and confident birth.

The mother is taught how to relax deeply so she is able to allow her body to birth her baby as it is intended to. Often women are so frightened of giving birth that this prevents their body from working effectively.

Hypnobirthing helps mothers overcome this fear. Simple but effective self-hypnosis is taught alongside breathing and massage techniques (amongst many other aspects).

I have since gone on to have a second baby and both my births were incredibly calm and

the bestofChelmsford by Tom Bosher Here at thebestof Chelmsford we are the champions of Buy Local, you’ll see our stickers in over 300 businesses the length and breadth of our patch which comprises post codes CM0 to CM4 inclusive.

We know that in our area there are some great businesses, not just at what they do, but the way that they do it. Exceptional customer service and a friendly manner. We are really pleased to help local people find these businesses as well as supporting the local community and local events.

Our role is to promote local businesses in ways that get them noticed. We are not a web directory you’ll only find the best businesses in each category. Local people need to know that they don’t need to travel to find the best businesses, they’re right here on our doorstep.

If you’re great at what you do and want to let the locals know how good you are then thebestof Chelmsford could be for you. Why don’t you contact us for more details and organise a meeting. We’ll come to you it

peaceful. I did not need any birthing drugs because I understood what my body was doing and had confidence in it. I was focused on the birth I wanted and hypnobirthing techniques enabled me to achieve it. One of the most wonderful aspects of hypnobirthing is that it gives the birth partner a clear role making it very much a shared experience.

Discovering hypnobirthing and having two children made me sit up and take stock.

I am a teacher and thought I would be teaching in secondary schools for my whole career. However – perhaps I could combine my teaching experience and passion for hypnobirthing? I decided to become one of those entrepreneurial women that take the plunge and reinvent themselves – if they could do it, why couldn’t I?! I retrained as a hypnobirthing teacher and I now run my own business ‘Bun in the Oven Birthing’ (enabling me to combine my love of baking with hypnobirthing!) in Chelmsford. I am indebted to my friend and her ‘amazing’ birth because now I have the best job in the world!

If you are pregnant and interested in finding out more I would love to hear from you.

Please give me a call on 07855 439491, email me at linda@bunintheovenbirthing. co.uk or visit my website: www.bunintheovenbirthing.co.uk.

won’t take much of your time just around 20 minutes.

Take a look at our website at www.thebestof.co.uk/chelmsford and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Go ahead and take the first step to getting your business noticed it may be the best thing you do today.

Think different!

Just to let you know we are Tradings Standards approved and members of the Buy With Confidence scheme for details go to http://goo.gl/8BYtvu.

Page 15 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Angel Broomfield City Detective Agency Episode 4 - The case of the Mexican Maracas

by Simon Culleton Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s very own private detective was raised by the nuns in the secret monastery in Boreham with little contact with the outside world and only the nuns and the complete volumes of ‘Sherlock Holmes’ for company. He is now a resident 221 1/2 Moulsham Street, City Detective Agency and with his trusty side kick John and the radiant Helen, Angel is ready to serve the city.

We left Angel precariously wedged between the glass doors of Oakland’s Park Museum with an angry security guard advancing with every step towards Angel’s vulnerable behind, with the sole intention of attacking him with a large german sausage. Both John and Helen are left helpless on the outside of the glass doors unable to pull Angel free.

“It’s no good”, exclaimed Angel franticly, “We will have to play for time and distract him.” Suddenly, John in a moment of inspiration perked up:“I’ve got it” he said “this won me second prize at the school talent show” and he quickly struck to pose of a cabaret dancer and as if holding an imaginary wicker hat and cane began to tap dance and sing out the song ‘I’m just a girl who can’t say no’, just like the time when he was a boy and his mother walked in on him posing in front of the mirror wearing her wedding dress. Yet it was of no use, the security guard seemed undeterred from his gruesome task and was just about to close in on Angel when something caught his eye causing him to trip and fly head long into the doors causing them to wobble and yield just enough for John, who was still singing, to pull Angel free.

“Good show old man” said Angel patting John on the back as they ran to the car.

“But what ever made him look up?” Helen came running over with only her small petite hands to cover her almost naked body.

“If you are going to strip you might as well do it from a canon” she said pointing at the large Sebastopol armament that adorned the green lawn outside the museum. This time it was John who draped his jacket over Helen’s bare shoulders though insisted on buttoning it up himself. As they reached the car Angel immediately noticed that a book had been left discarded on the ground. Angel picked it up and read out the title aloud...

“Farting, grunting and other body functions that make the English laugh.”

“It must belong to the German,” stated John.

“And it’s due back today” deduced Angel looking at the library stamp on the opening cover. “if we are going to find that missing money for the nuns we have to find that german spy.” John jumped behind the wheel of the car causing Helen and Angel to tumble into the back seat as the car accelerated into the distance with its engine roaring. It wasn’t long before the car came to a rolling stop outside the Chelmsford library enabling a rather dishevelled Angel and the yet smiling Helen to jump out and hurry inside the library foyer, leaving John to park the car in the labyrinth of the multi-storey car park sited opposite.

The scene that met them was one that would not have been out of place in a market town in Mexico. There was a full fiesta in progress complete with trumpet players hidden under wide sombreros, castanet clicking woman wearing colourful bushy dresses and bare foot children in ponchos spinning a blind-folded boy who then made dizzy attempts to hit with a stick a wicker donkey suspended above him. A dark eyed woman with dangly earrings and a low cut flamenco dress approached.

“What a wonderful pair of maracas”, remarked Angel.

“Why thank you signor” said the lady shaking them under Angel’s eyes then announced: “ Welcome to the twinning ceremony of the Mexican town of ‘San Skinto’ to the city of Chelmsford. This will be sealed with the wedding of a Chelmsford boy to a San Skinto girl. Then with a final shake of her maracas the lady led Angel and a jealous Helen to a prime viewing position on the front row. A priest quietened the audience with a wave of his hand. Knelt before him was a heavily pregnant dark haired

girl with a flower behind her ear and next to her also on his knees was nervous looking lad wearing trainers and tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt with the slogan “Melbourne flats forever’ Both were over-looked by the menacing girl’s father who stood close behind, his sombrero casting a shadow over the boy.

The sight of a pregnant woman caused Angel to feel ill remembering one of the nuns who was convinced she was going to have a baby insisted that the whole monastery including Angel should gather around in a ventless windowless room in the basement to witness the miracle birth only to discover that with one final push, it was only trapped wind. Helen shook Angel out of this memory just as the proceedings was coming to a climax when suddenly John burst into the foyer and not noticing the ceremony, began to blurt out: “Do you think I could find a parking space? The multi story is more like a maze.” Then John was stunned into silence when he noticed the wedding proceedings and in particular the young pregnant girl who was about to be married. She in turn gasped at the site of John and turning to her father with one hand clutching her watermelon stomach and the other pointing at John saying “ papa, he is the dirty dog that is responsibility for my bambino”.

Helen slapped a hand on her forehead then along with Angel sprinted out of the doors of the foyer grabbing John’s hand as they went. It was not long before the whole Mexican wedding procession, firing fake pistols in the air and lead by the war cries of the father and the encouragements of the trumpets, charged after them as if they were about to storm the Alamo. Only the priest was left behind with the Melbourne boy who fist pumped the air in relief.

“I don’t remember where I left it” agonised John already on the roof level of the multi story car park, the beautiful panoramic view of Chelmsford lost in the moment “You’d better think quickly” urged Angel “or we will be a flat as a tortilla on the pavement below.” Helen began to strip.

“It’s too late for that now” sighed Angel,“couldn’t hurt” urged John.

Yet Angel was right. Within moments they were surrounded and were soon being backed into a corner with only a Ford Escort, a Mini and an old Volvo between them and the advancing bandits.

Angel bravely stood out in front with his fists clenched facing the enemy just like the reverent Mother O’ Nelly had done in the secret nuns boxing championships, where Nail them Nelly as she was known, had hidden a horse shoe in her glove and administered a near fatal blow to Mad Franky Father O Flanagan, who thankfully recovered from the punch blaming the knock out more on the smell from sister Nelly’s armpit that he had been forced to breath in while being held in a head lock in a previous round, than on the windmill punch. The Mexican woman with glinting sharp fingers nails and maracas to match slowly advanced, when suddenly, who should arrive to save the day, it was.....?

Tune in to the next edition to see if John will be scorned by his Mexican lover, will Helen keep her clothes on and will Angel survive being mauled by the maracas and who if anyone will save them. All this and more in the next edition of Angel Broomfield, city detective.

Cartridge World Chelmsford

Do you feel you are paying too much for your printer cartridges? If so, look no further than Cartridge World Chelmsford. Located at 243 Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, we can help you reduce the costs of your printing by refilling your current ink and laser cartridges or providing you with high quality, re-manufactured cartridges that are a fraction of the cost of branded ones, yet still deliver excellent printing. Our 100% satisfaction guarantee means that if you experience any issues with a Cartridge World branded ink or laser cartridge, just pop in and see us or call up and let us know the problem and we will resolve the issue or provide you with a brand new cartridge.

Not only do we promise to reduce your printing costs, we also pride ourselves on our exceptional customer service. We offer free delivery not just to businesses but to residential properties if you spend over £25 in a single transaction with us. We also stock a wide range of paper and printers too!

We are proud to be part of the world’s largest cartridge refilling and manufacturing company. To see how we can save you money on all your printing needs, just bring along the 20% voucher and we will be happy to assist you in any way we can.

CT CHARITY -

Why should Bradley Wiggins have all the fun?

The Tour de France is coming to Chelmsford on 7th July. That’s right, you read it right first time - The Tour de France is passing through Chelmsford. Yes that means Bradley, Chris and all their mates are going to be having a bit of a pedal round Essex on a sunny morning. (it’s always sunny during the Tour de France on telly).

To celebrate this, CTC is working with Essex County Council and various districts to give people the opportunity to get cycling.

So, what does CTC do?

CTC, the national cycling charity, inspires and helps people to cycle and keep cycling. We know that cycling is more than just transport; it makes you feel good, gives you a sense of freedom and creates a better environment for everyone. We share our wealth of knowledge, research and expertise in all things cycling and we work with all agencies which seek to improve people’s health through cycling.

What does that mean in Essex?

We’ve managed to get over 3,000 people in Essex cycling again, many for the first time, in the last four years. We run cycle rides and events, training and share skills such as fixing your bike or leading groups. We have had fantastic results with hundreds of participants.

And it’s not only them feeling fitter and healthier. Often, it’s just the boost they need for their confidence.

“CTC Cycle Champions has very positively affected my Life. Not only my health but also my confidence.” Linda W, participant.

“I feel really exhilarated after my bike ride – it is far more enjoyable than going to the gym.” Val B, participant.

“I have lost over a stone which has made me feel more confident going out, I feel much much fitter and healthier.” Emily A, participant.

You can rediscover the pleasure of cycling with CTC: There are gentle cycle rides every Thursday (10am), and Saturday (2pm), from Riverside Ice and Leisure.

You don’t need anything more than you and your bike and we give a warm welcome to all ages, backgrounds and bikes.

To find out if it’s for you contact Richard.monk@ctc.org.uk Tel: 07717 724089 www.ctc.org.uk/essex.

CTC, the National Cycling Charity

The route: The Tour de France has its ‘Grand Depart’ in Yorkshire. The third stage of The Tour travels from Cambridge to have a finale on the Mall in London.

Bird o Confe f Prey rencFinchingfield It enters Essex at Saffron Walden and travels through e d Wildvial Rayne.an and Wethersfield before skirting around Braintree It comes Expasses ife Waltham, hibitthrough into Chelmsford district at Felsted, Great n onIt heads out heads down Chignal Road and turns towardsio Roxwell. past Willingale and on to Epping, where section 2there’s arcalong 2nd a2sprint M h the High Street, and a route through Epping Forest.0 It 1 gets to pass the 4 atthrough Olympic Stadium before the final section the City WritDocklands, tle of London and the pinnacle along the Mall.

Colle ge.

And you?

You too can experience the thrill of pumping those pedals on some of the peaceful riverside cycle paths Chelmsford is blessed with. You can cycle traffic-free from town to Springfield, reaching the edge of Broomfield, (yes we’ve been pushing for a route to the Walthams for years), over to Chelmer Village and Sandford Mill or all the way to Writtle. If you like your cycling a bit more bumpy, you can head all the way to Little Baddow along the Chelmer navigation, but always remember to give way to walkers on the towpath.

We take people out on quiet, relaxing routes that they often didn’t realise existed and it’s amazing how often people discover new bits of Chelmsford and its history.

There’s never been a better time to brush off your old, reliable bike, dab a bit of oil on the chain, pump the tyres up and get out and feel the wind in your hair and the sun on your back. (It never rains in Essex, as we all know).

So, join the ride!

Thistle Dry Cleaners 174 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford

25%

There are lots of other great groups out there: • For the more competitive cyclist, there’s Chelmer Cycling Club www. chelmercc.org.uk.

• If you want your child to get muddy and have loads of fun while burning up lots of energy, try Chelmsford Youth Cycling Club chelmsfordyouthcycling.blogspot.com.

• There’s lots more cycling around in Chelmsford. Visit www. ctcchelmsford.co.uk.

The Tour - a spectacle not to be missed The Tour de France is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to see elite sports stars demonstrating their skill and power on our door-step.

And viewing is FREE. So, start planning your time off in lieu.

The Tour starts in a different country every year and the last time it came to London Labour were in power, the Mayor of London didn’t cycle and nobody had heard of quantative easing. The race is famous for the sheer endurance and power of the cyclists who will be travelling at well over 40mph through the Essex countryside. It also has a spectacular cavalcade of entertainment that passes through before the racers, entertaining the crowds and whipping up a frenzy of expectation.

So, if you’re planning to get a front-row seat on the route, remember to get there EARLY. The race means lots of roads along the route having to be closed from early morning. The best advice is to cycle to your nearest viewing point. If you live nearby, plan ahead for this special one-off.

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Page 18 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill This month I wanted to carry on writing about stress, focusing this time on stress at work. The reason for this is that most of our day is spent at work, therefore many of our stressors are triggered there.

Also there are various symptoms specific to work situations, and no offence to you bosses out there, the management team sometimes promptly ignores some of them. I find that some of my most stressed out clients are victims of their bosses sticking their heads in the sand. Many people feel their welfare isn’t of high priority at work, they feel not listened to, and this in turn causes stress. I have many, many clients who come to me feeling this way and therefore I deliver a hypnotherapy session that will calm them down, give them coping mechanisms specific to the situation (eg: suggest they’re calm in the situation and able to think clearly rather than stressed and distracted), and suggest to the subconscious that it has the answer to the stressor that is bothering them.

Stress is usually caused by extremes, either too much or too little of something. Too much of something causes pressure, the feeling of being overwhelmed, that you can’t cope. Too little of something can cause an equal amount of stress, boredom is a form of stress, lack of support can cause someone to feel ignored, unimportant etc. So, for the stressed out workforce, here are some typical stressors in the workplace from both ends of the spectrum: Excessively high workload, making you feel overwhelmed and like you can’t cope. The feeling of drowning or standing in a long dark tunnel with no light at the end of it.

Insufficient workload, causing a sense of boredom, could make you question why you’re there, what’s the point, what are you doing with your life, even Facebook has become boring no matter how many pictures of cute puppies you post on there nobody’s commenting because everyone else has a life…

Unrealistic deadlines making you feel rushed, under pressure and trapped. The proverbial light at the end of the tunnel has become an ogre shining a flashlight right into your eyes.

No deadline, making you feel no motivation to complete the task, again can cause boredom and procrastination, you forget about work and start posting Instagram photos trying to outdo Miley Cyrus…. Heck it’s a goal, right?

Too much support, making you feel not trusted, feeling of a lack of control over your work, can leave employees feeling undervalued and affect self-esteem, you feel as though you might as well stick a dummy in your mouth and climb into a pram.

Lack of support, leading to poor working relationships and a sense of isolation and lack of direction. You feel as though even dancing naked around the office wouldn’t get anybody’s attention to help you (this is not a recommended activity by the way..)

Blame culture, certain individuals are consistently blamed leading to an overall fear of getting things wrong or to admit to making mistakes.

This can lead to “finger pointing” because everyone is so scared of admitting responsibility, imagine a playground…”it was him sir… honest!!!”. Sometimes people even blame themselves when it isn’t their fault!

Lack of responsibility, nobody is blamed but then problems are never addressed, leaving everyone feeling stressed because there’s no resolution. This can lead to a feeling of the office swimming in problems, imagine a swimming pool with loads of sharks and crocodiles swimming around in it, nobody has the guts to deal with the first shark / croc so everyone just backs away…

Other common causes of work stress include: A poor physical working environment, I doubt anyone wants to work in a dark cave by candlelight with only an old Commodore 64 computer for company and no printer…

Page 20

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Concerns about job security – we have to work to support ourselves, threaten that and the first thing anyone would feel is fear-we’re going back to catching our dinner because we wouldn’t be able to afford the supermarket.

Lack of career opportunities – it’s human nature to improve ourselves. If we don’t have this, we start questioning what the point is Concerns over level of pay – it doesn’t matter if you’ve told your staff not to talk about it, they will anyway. This is rife in a sales environment because sales people are so competitive (hence they’re sales people!) but it’s human nature to be competitive, and down right nosy!!

Bullying or harassment–there’s always a reason for bullying. Don’t just assume the perpetrator is a right idiot and clearly devoid of any empathy.

Conflict / rumour mills at work: there will undoubtedly be conflicts between staff. Mostly no involvement will be needed, in fact you can probably sit back and enjoy some of the rumours that go round (there’s usually a few funny ones, when I worked in the city an entire team walked out one day leaving the manager on their own.

The rumours ranged from “OMG the manager sacked everyone!!” to “they got caught doing something dreadful so they all ran out of the office!” In actual fact, some members of the team were on disciplinary anyway, some had already quit and not mentioned anything, and a couple just decided the job wasn’t for them, and didn’t want to work their notice period. The conversations about the rumours were fun in the pub though…). It’s really up to everyone in the workplace to think independently.

On a very important note, any bosses reading this please, please take the next point incredibly seriously. Too many companies ignore the fact if they’re turning over more staff. This isn’t just a “natural progression of the company” or “a phase” – it’s a sign of real problems, especially in today’s climate. It’s hard enough to find jobs, if lots of people are leaving your company and you have recruitment agencies on speed dial to fill positions, there’s a serious problem that needs to be addressed immediately. When a company has high staff turnover it affects the people who have worked there for a long time because they start questioning why others don’t want to work at the company, if longer standing staff have been experiencing problems for a while, seeing lots of other people leave could be the push they need to look for another job.

Then you end up losing your best staff.

When treating a client with work-based stress, the most important thing to do is for me to take them out of the situation. Usually they’re thinking about work outside of work, so I take them into a trance and into their “special place” for longer than I would usually.

This is to give them a chance to relax properly before I deliver the appropriate suggestions. I like to encourage the subconscious to help the client as well, we all know what’s best for ourselves deep down and sometimes that little voice in the back of your head just needs a little support to guide it forward.

I do deliver stress management workshops to businesses, for more info please visit: www.cloud9corporate.counsellinginchelmsford. co.uk.

Next time I’ll discuss how hypnotherapy helps with confidence issues. www.counsellinginchelmsford.co.uk info@cloud9-counselling.co.uk 07528822928

CT Fitness

Why you Should Floss Twice a Day I’m guessing here, but I bet you don’t floss. You know you should, but with rushing to get to the station and the exhaustion before you flop into bed, you can barely make time to clean your teeth, let alone pick up the little tape dispenser that’s been sitting idle on the side for a few months. Or years.

Which is why, for the next 30 days, I think you should do it. Get some floss, if you don’t have any, and start using it twice a day. Once in the morning and once at night. One minute each time, for 30 days. No matter what.

Going on holiday? Take some. Floss. Staying out late? Get home.

Floss. Rushed in the morning? Get up earlier. Floss.

So where am I going with this, in a column about fitness? Well, flossing does seem to have some pretty nifty health benefits, but this is all about developing a habit.

So buy some floss on the way home tonight. For the next 30 days you’re going to concentrate on this one new habit.

Not several habits.

Not any conflicting habits. Not fixing any negative habits. Start your flossing routine tomorrow morning, and don’t stop until it’s automatic.

And if you can do that, just think what other positive habits you’re capable of forming.

For your free personal training session, email keith@liveasimplelife. co.uk or visit our website, www.liveasimplelife.co.uk.

If you can stick to flossing twice a day for 30 days, it will become a habit. In the last few days, you’ll just do it without thinking, because every time you do it, you’re training your brain. It becomes automatic and before you know it, you’ve developed a positive habit.

Now think about your fitness. When was the last time you threw yourself into something only to quit a few sessions down the line?

Training, exercise and movement are habits. They don’t come easily, and at first, you have to really work at it. But after a while, you get fitter, stronger and healthier, and you’ve developed a habit - maybe it’s to hit the gym every Monday and Thursday morning, or walk for 30 minutes every day. Maybe you go to Jiu Jitsu every Wednesday evening after work, no matter what. If you can make it a habit, you’ll stick to it, and you’ll succeed.

Page 22 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Naked Yoga Classes and Chocolate Eggs Ha ha, we really had you well and truly fooled! My very mischievous business partner in crime, Miss Eleanor Searle had the hair-brained idea that we should advertise naked yoga classes starting Friday with only large cards announcing the news to cover our modesty. So that’s exactly what we did and the “ooh matron” banter carried on way past midday when we finally confessed around 9pm that we were just April fooling around. What was most surprising was how many disappointed potential punters came out of their clothed closets.

Maybe we’re on to something, after all they are doing it in NY… (As this is a family magazine you’ll have to check out FaceBook & Twitter for the evidence and to see who our surprise celebrity teacher was!)

Shivs3Wishes are raising money for Broomfiled Renal Unit, NICU PAH, ITU PAH. After giving birth to my fourth child last year my new born baby and I became seriously ill with life threatening illnesses.

We spent some time in each of these units with the care of the amazing staff we both recovered all being i now have chronic kidney failure, never-the-less without these units we wouldn’t be here.

So onto other fun things of the month, chocolate eggs and Easter hol- So I am raising money for all three units. We are in the process of idays are here yay! The bad news is that we shut for the Easter week- organising Shivs3Wishes Charity Dinner & Dance for February 2015, end but the good news is that it means our amazing team of teachers more details to follow. But to kick start our fundraising we have the will be rested and ready to work your core, work off the extra calories followinfg events coming up. and get you back on path ready for the summer months ahead. I get • Team Shiv are entering the Nuclear Rish Race - 11th May. asked the question often, “what class is best for toning the body?” and truth is they all are, (apart from meditation, that tones your brain • Shivs3Wishes Charity Golf Day - Thursday 5th June at Nazeing Golf muscles). With 56 classes a week to choose from there is something Club. £50pp inc green fees, bacon roll, presentation & BBQ ar The for all ages and abilities and even the kids will get to come along too White Bear in Broxbourne.

• Shivs3Wishes Charity Boxing Match - Tim Witherspoon Vs Jim from May, whoohoo! If you really want to burn off some fuel though Hemmings at The White Bear. More details to follow. then Rocket, Ashtanga & Vinyasa Flow Yoga classes are your best option. I know of a guy who has lost 2 stone and a girl that has lost at • Live music weekend - Friday 16th May at Asylum 8pm-late https://www.facebook.com/events/298247730331078 and least 11lbs so far!

Saturday 17th May at The Fleece 2pm - late https://www.facebook.com/events/470494053052468.

Finally I’d like to announce that the total amount raised at our Real Men Do Yoga & Pilates day on the 1st Feb in aid of The Royal British Legion was a whopping £1143.65. Well done fellas and all who took We also have Shivs3Wishes wristbands in a choice of three colours, pink, purple and blue. They are £2 each. part in making this such a fun & successful event.

Happy Easter Eggs to you all and if you have time over the break you can check out what we’ve been up to by clicking the FaceBook, Twitter, YouTube & blog links on our website.

For further information about any of the events or for wristbands please contact us through our Facebook page Shivs3Wishes or donate at justgiving.com/teams/shiv.

CT History In 1966 there won’t have been that many houses that didn’t contain a piece of Art by Sir (as he is now) Peter Blake, because he had created the first of many music album record sleeves that he was to design. The album that year was the 3D collage of the Beatles favourite characters that made up the cover of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

This much decorated artist is not quite an Essex man but was born across the Thames, in Dartford in 1932. So just a tunnel or bridge away then. However Peter has exhibited in Essex and taught many emerging Essex artists, like Ian Dury, the 70s muso, in his tenure at the Royal College of Art. In 2009 the elderly artist attended an exhibition of his prints engineered from collages and paintings, that had been mounted at Haylett’s Gallery in Maldon High Street. In 2010 and 2014 more of his creations appeared at the same gallery alongside those of his contemporaries like RB Kitaj and David Hockney. Again in 2012 another one-man exhibition of prints was mounted.

Just as the Beatles represented the pinnacle of pop music in the 60s decade, so too the visual arts saw the emergence of a style of art that elevated elements of pop culture to the status of fine art as an expression of contemporary folk art. The phenomenon took place on both sides of the Atlantic, and most people would think of Andy Warhol when they think of Pop Art. But Warhol by no means invented the genre. In fact a good case could be made for Blake to have invented it, certainly when it comes to painting, although sculptor and printmaker Eduardo Paolozzi, best known to the public for the mosaic that graces the walls of Tottenham Court Road tube station in London, was an early theorist and had used mechanical forms and photogaphic images as source materials for his work. Francis Bacon was certainly not a Pop Artist but he had broken with tradition by using photographic images rather than sketches as preparation for finished canvasses, and this had been a formative influence for those moving towards Pop Art. Richard Hamilton had been a true Pop pioneer when he began collaging photo images cut from magazines between 1949 and 1950. These developments were seized upon, and commmercial, consumer and entertainment images were elevated to cultural status by the independent group at the Institute of Contemporary Arts between 1952 and 53.

Between 1957 and ‘61 hard-edge abstract elements that were popular in the painting styles of the time crept into pop designs, in for instance, the work of Richard Smith and Joe Tilson, who pioneered shaped and 3D canvasses. Blake’s prints especially incorporate such devices alongside figurative imagery. The Royal College of Art came to the fore at this time thanks to students

Peter Blake and Pop Art.

by John Power

like Blake, Hockney and RB Kitaj, a visiting American, all using ‘pop’ styles, while Robyn Denny retained purely hard-edged abstract motifs. Other purely abstract elements that fed into Pop Art were ‘Op’ Art: the art of optical illusions, and Kinetic Art: moving sculpture and the effects of projected light, that were the origins of night club light shows. Bridget Riley was England’s foremost Op painter who saved her eyesight by latterly only drawing designs and then employing a Warhol style studio factory of assistants that filled in the paintwork; and Mark Boyle who had worked on NeoDada environmental projects provided the Psychedelic Jazz Rock combo Soft Machine with a ‘Sensual Laboratory’ light show. Later, when psychedelia morphed into House and Rave scenes the geometric Op designs found themselves transformed into slides and moving projections of that era.

Back at the Royal College RB Kitaj developed a more painterly pop imagery and the interaction with his fellow Americans began with painters like Jasper Johns, Larry Rivers and Roy Lichtenstein, as comic book characters and film star portraits entered the Pop Art vocabulary, while the Young Contemporaries emerged from the Royal College in 1961. Innovative film producer Ken Russell at this stage further promoted the painters Blake, Hockney and Kitaj shown at work and play in a documentary called Pop Goes the Easel in1962. Blake had graduated from the RCA. in 1956, while Kitaj had come from the States to extend his studies. Hockney had been influenced by the artists of Oxford’s Ruskin School of Drawing and adopted for a while a childlike naïve style, but incorporated graphic elements, like letter forms in his work. When he failed his RCA exam he used his graphic skills to print off his own certificate!

Blake’s seminal painting for the pop style was a full-length self portrait with him wearing many of his collection of badges, and with which he won the John Moore’s Award. His whole studio became a collector’s archive of materials found in London junk shops as he drew on images from Victorian engravings, fairground art, music hall, wrestling posters and similar popular querky sources. Robert Frazer, ‘60s mover and shaker, introduced him to figures of popular media culture which led to work like that for Sgt. Pepper. In the painting ‘On the Balcony’ he cheekily included an image of ‘High Art’, in the form of a canvas by French Impressionist, Edouard Manet, amongst a collection of everyday objects he had assembled. He also introduced the icon of the archery target, that was taken up by Pete Townsend of the Who, and Mod movement generally, which also appeared in the work of other artists like American Jasper Johns.

themes, forming a group of artists who called themselves ‘the Brotherhood of Ruralists’, as the interest in pop went into fashion eclipse and had been absorbed into the art mainstream. This ended in 1979 with his divorce from Jann and he moved back to London, where he revived his pop interests and became a grandee for a new generation of revivalists that popular culture had thrown up, and especially musicians wanting to associate themselves with a figure of ‘60s import as creator of the Sgt. Pepper sleeve, as they went retro for inspiration in the Mod revival. So he became again a popular album sleeve designer, amongst his other talents. He redesigned the cover for his old student Ian Dury’s ‘70s album New Boots and Panties as a tribute in 2001, but had also done Face Dances for the Who in 1981, the ‘Band Aid Christmas Record’ in 1984.

Paul Weller’s Stanley Road in 1995, tribute to John Peel - Right Time, Wrong Speed, in 2000, the Who’s (Second) Live at Leeds in 2006, and Oasis hits album, Stop the Clocks in 2006. The iconic boutique front from the ‘60s of Granny Takes a Trip in Swinging London’s King’s Road was due to appear on the Oasis album but didn’t make it into the final design. The two guys who ran the boutique were also pop poster artists, Mike English and Nigel Waymouth known collectively as Hapshash and the Coloured Coat as their silk screen prints covered the walls of flats of the hippie era or were fly posted to advertise the events that the dayglo hipsters and dollies attended. In 2008 Blake redesigned the cover of Sgt. Pepper in a new print, but featuring characters of his own choice, rather than those of the Beatles.

There have been two major retrospective exhibitions of Blake’s work: in 1983 at the London Tate Gallery and in 2003 at the Liverpool Tate. He became a Royal Academician in 1981. He was honoured with the C.B.E in 1983, became a KBE. In 2002 and was given an Honorary Doctorate by Nottingham Trent Universary in 2011. I’d say it should be us who are honoured.... to have him exhibiting in Essex!

The 2014 exhibition at Hayletts Gallery was actually from 8th March to 5th April.

But anyone interested in buying signed prints of artists from the pop (or any other) era can contact Sally Patrick at Hayletts Gallery, Oakwood House, 2 High St. Maldon, CM9 5PJ. Tel. 01621 851669 or sally@ haylettsgallery.com.

Next Edition Deadlines Copy 2nd May 2014 Print ready art 6th May 2014

In 1963 Blake married American Jann Haworth and in 1969 they moved to Bath where he explored traditional Folk Art and

Page 24 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Rotary Relishes Success and Looks Forward This year will be the 30th anniversary of the Edmund Carr Great Baddow Races organised by the Rotary Club of Chelmsford Mildmay. Races will take place on 18 May 2014. It features the 10 mile road race (run under UK athletics/BARR regulations) and the 2 mile fun run. Now is your chance to take part in this very special event as there are still places available.

Entry in advance: 10 mile - £14-16, fun run - £7 (£5 for under 12s).

Online entry available - www.baddowraces.org.uk. On the day entries are £20 & £8. Race start time is 11am.

The Mayor of Chelmsford will be attending this special anniversary of the races so it is advisable to register early as numbers are limited to 1000 runners in each race. The surplus from the races is donated to local charities and this year the beneficiaries will be YMCA, Chelmsford Young Carers, Chelmsford Mind, Children’s Society (Essex) – Drug & Alcohol Service (based in Chelmsford) and The League of Friends of Hargrave House. These local charities come to rely on these regular fundraising activities that Rotary clubs undertake and we know the money will be put to good effect.

The technical details for runners: BARR gold standard. Changing facilities, baggage storage, toilets & showers, duty doctor, St John Ambulance, fully marshalled course with water & sponge stations.

Trophies and prizes. Commemorative mug for all finishers in 10 mile and medal for fun run finishers. Free car parking. Children’s play area, refreshments, stalls. Venue: Great Baddow Recreation Ground CM2 9RL. Runners may also seek sponsorship for other charities.

This year, the races are sponsored by Edmund Carr, M&G Investments, Marriage’s, D&B Scaffolding, e2v and Chelmsford Plumbing and Heating.

Brilliant Performances by our Youngsters There is also great news to tell Chelmsford readers concerning the Rotary Young Musician Competition. After winning through area heats and the district final, Jessica Edom went on to win the regional final at Little Chalfont in the best vocalist class and will now go on to the National Final in Truro on 3rd May. Jessica is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chelmsford and Rotarians will be making the trip down to Cornwall to support her. Another brilliant musician, Marcus Dawe playing the flute won the instrumentalist category so will also be in Truro and Elodie Chousmer-Howelles on the violin came a very close runner-up so it is a huge feather in the cap for our Rotary district which covers Essex and a small part of Hertfordshire. Another recent success in Rotary competitions included a third place for Jin Phung in the Young Chef final.

District also had the pleasure of hearing our team from Colchester High School for Girls win the regional final of the Youth Speak competition in Bishop’s Stortford and Ella Blaxill, Olivia Hicks and Scarlett Blacker will represent us at the national finals in Maidstone.

Good luck to all our contestants but in these competitions everyone is a winner as it shows the very best of our local young people.

There are so many events put on by Rotary for the youth in Chelmsford and surrounding area and at the moment entrants are being invited for Young Photographer and Young Writer. There are three age categories so let me know if you know somebody who would like to put their name forward – a budding David Bailey or JK Rowling.

To find out more about these events or how you can join Rotary to make a difference in the community please visit: www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org or phone me on 01245 260349 (office hours) Stan Keller.

‘

story.

swam in to class and after a quick homework check announced that a special guest

would be swimming in to class later.

and her friend

excited! It was hard to concentrate in class and

much excitement made

and

like rainbow pie. As

told them off for talking. So

very hungry and the two friends were first in

the queue to collect their lunch shells. But oh no

was no time to swim home.

were very

had forgotten hers and there

offered to share his rainbow pie, but

called them back into class

didn‛t

tummy rumbled very

loudly, so loudly that mummy Toot nearly dropped her mixing bowl she was holding. then introduced the special guest, mummy Toot who was giving a cooking lesson

which involved a lot of tasting, luckily!

Cully’s Corner - this is Where I Came in by Simon Culleton I have seen Bambi’s mother die five times in one week. This was in an age when there was no google or youtube to repeat and replay an emotional cinematic scene. I was just a little boy who had spent endless hours sitting outside Chelmsford’s Odean Cinema (now a car-park) and calculated with bank robbers precision that within ten minutes of the film beginning, always and without fail a sprinkling of children, not content with their already sweet ladened pockets would run passed the closed cinema sweet counter and out into the street to the nearby shop aptly called The Chocolate Box to buy more supplies. This was all under the scouring eyes of the ushers who would complain at the rule breaking and hurry the children back inside the cinema and lead them by torch light to their seats, much to the annoyance of the rest of the audience.

No-one ever noticed an extra little boy who mingled in with the crowd of children and who would soon disappear into the darkness.

A relative ingenuous feat for a young boy you might think, yet come the end of the week I was an emotional wreck, blubbering at the mere thought of a deer and spending increasing moments alone replaying sad scenes in my mind: there is only so many

times you can discover ‘Bambi’s’ dead mother in the snow.

Nowadays all films have rating guidances to protect us from pending emotional twists ranging from U for ‘Universal’ and PG for ‘Parental Guidance’ right up to 18 and R18 which is not only a film for over 18 years but also is R for restricted only to be shown in licensed sex shops because it contains (and I quote the British board of ratings) ‘of fetish content’; (this film may contain flash photography, swearing throughout and a man with a blow up donkey). Mind you, we’ll probably get to see it on Channel 4.

I was fascinating to learn that cinema procedures were not always as they are today. My mother can recall a time when it was quite normal behaviour to turn up at the theatre when you were ready to watch a film and not when the film had actually started; after endless queueing, people were admitted to the cinema when a seat became available even if the film was in mid story or five minute before the end. People were just expected to watch the film to the end then right through a second showing until the part where you came in, hence a known saying of the time “ this is where I came in”. It was not until the 1960s Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho that procedures changed with an advertising campaign stating ‘it is required that you see

this film from the beginning’. From then on strict admission times began and audiences got used to the idea of seeing a film from the beginning. Can you imagine walking into the film Jaws just as the head came out of the boat? You would spend the rest of the film wondering who’s head it was.

Today the cinema is a far more wonderful yet predictable and controlled affair. Chelmsford, like most of the country can offer a modern cinema with a multitude of screen show up to five different films in one go, some of which in 3D. There is an ample food counter open all the time selling ice cream, popcorn and a countless varieties of sweets so you can sit in the darkness and stuff your face to your heart’s content. There are no sticky floors or smoking on the right hand side or a dirty old man by the toilets to avoid, some of the joys I can remember. Also, before the film begins you would have been warned many times of any impending emotional trauma that may offend your tender sensitivity. Yet, if Walt Disney productions ever show a re make of their classic Bambi and I’m feeling particularly brave and manly I promise to go in (I’ll pay this time) and watch it right up to the point where Bambi is searching for his mother in the snow, then I’ll probably stand up and say: “this is where I came in” and leave. simon@limepad.com

The Comedy Club Chelmsford Friday 25th April.

The Buzzcocks’ (BBC2), ‘Celebrity Come Dine With Me’ (C4) with fellow comedians Paul Foot & Joey Page, and is a regular guest and contributor on ‘Soccer AM’ (Sky 1) & Radio 5 Live. Redmond is a dry, slick and subtle stand up who delivers unexpected twists and turns during his set as he deconstructs his art.

The second show of 2014 took place last Friday 28th March ,and what another fantastic night of live comedy it was! Thank you to everyone that made it down.

We continue our run of monthly shows at Chelmsford City FC on Friday 25th April, and welcome another four top comedians to Chelmsford.

Our host and MC for the evening is James Redmond. James made his name as a model and actor, and is best known for roles in ‘Hollyoaks’ (C4) which he has recently returned to in 2013. He also starred in ‘Casualty’ (BBC1) and has presented ‘SM:TV’ & ‘CD:UK’ (ITV), alongside Cat Deeley.

Most recently, James was cast into Emmerdale as Ruby Haswell’s ex- boyfriend at the end of February this year. His other TV credits include appearing on ‘Never Mind

Opening the show is one of the most original comics currently working the UK – Wes Zaharuk. Wes is from Canada and is one of the funniest and madcap physical comedians around.

Wes entertains with his hilarious and anarchic physical comedy routines, and is easily one of the most exciting acts on the comedy and cabaret circuit. This is definitely one of the zaniest shows on the market. Mad as a box of badgers, Zaharuk raises the roof with his physical interactive comedy. A rip-roaring jump into the surreal. If you like to laugh you won’t want to miss this comic in action!

Closing the night we welcome Sean Meo. Sean was a snooker player and a quarter finalist in the English Championships of 1987. In 1998 Sean was awarded the title Comic of The Year by Timeout Magazine.

Since then, he has risen to the very top of the UK comedy scene and is much in demands as both a stand-up and a writer. He has performed all over the world and made

three appearances at the Montreal Comedy Festival (2003/2001/1998). Other festival appearances include Melbourne, New Zealand, Kilkenny, Edinburgh, Singapore, South Africa and Manchester. He has worked extensively in the US including Cobbs, San Francisco, Carolines, New York and the Riviera in Las Vegas. He has risen to the very top of the UK comedy scene and is much in demands as both a stand-up and a writer.

There will also be a guest spot on the night from the best of new talent on the UK circuit.

The show kicks off at 9pm with doors open from 7.30pm. Tickets are £14 available @ www.thecomedyclub.co.uk or 0203 3761 112.

Web sites from £249 01245 262082 www.chelmerwebdesign.com

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Plenty of time to enjoy a game after work, at weekends or during the day.

We have a reputation as a very friendly club with our own 6 rink outdoorgreen, indoor (short mat) bowling during the winter in our licenced pavilion. Social events are arranged throughout the year.

FREE LESSONS AND REDUCED MEMBERSHIP FEES FOR NEW BOWLERS Please feel free to contact us anytime or come along and meet us any Monday afternoon from 28th April (except bank holidays). Also on Saturday 3rd May in the afternoon or morning.

Sunday 4th mo Email: friendly@pmlbc.co.uk Tel. 01245 256730

Broomfield & District U3A The University of the Third Age (U3A) is a national self-help organisation for those no longer in full-time employment, providing educational, creative and leisure opportunities in a friendly environment.

Over 900 U3A Groups are established throughout the United Kingdom. The usual arrangements are to hold a monthly meeting for all members and in addition, to set up activity groups, run by members, usually meeting on a monthly basis. The typical activity groups consist of a Book Club, Swimming Club, Walking Group, Language Groups, Art Group, Luncheon Club, Local History Group, indeed any subject/activity suggested by members.

The Broomfield and District U3A held its inaugural meeting in June 2012 and already has grown considerably in just a few years, to a membership over 100 and growing monthly.

The meetings are held monthly every second Wednesday between 1.30 - 3.30pm (except August) at the Broomfield Village Hall, 158 Main Road, Broomfield CM17AH. At the monthly meeting, updates are available on the various group activities and future plans, news of any new groups which may be planned for the future and an interesting/ entertaining speaker on various subjects.

The Broomfield U3A has its own website which gives full details and news of the group www.u3asites.org.uk/broomfield.

Anglia Singers - The Choir of Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford Campus The Anglia Singers first performed more than twenty years ago - a group of staff and students from what is now Anglia Ruskin University formed an ad-hoc choir to sing at a carol service which was recorded by a local radio station and broadcast on Christmas Day. From that informal beginning the choir has grown and now has members drawn from past and present members of the university and the wider community.

The choir’s repertoire spans a wide range of genres including mainstream classical works, spirituals and show and film music. The Anglia Singers give three or four concerts each year at venues around Essex, raising money for local charities.

The choir welcomes new singers, if you love to sing we would be delighted to hear from you. Rehearsals are held on the Anglia Ruskin University Rivermead Campus on Wednesdays from 5.15 to 6.45pm during term times. We will start rehearsing for our summer concert on 30th April.

For more information about The Anglia Singers visit our web pages at www.anglia.ac.uk/angliasingers or contact the Choir Secretary on 01245 266123.

Further afield the choir joins Ipswich based choir, Trianon, for performances throughout East Anglia and regularly travels to the continent to sing with partner choirs L’Esperance from the Netherlands and French choir Crescendo.

Page 30 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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Until April 30th with this voucher.

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Marconi Ponds Open Day 17th May 1pm-4pm Great family day out with guided walks. www.marconiponds.btck.co.uk

Advertise on our classified page for just £25 per issue

Based in Chelmsford Established 1980 Work carries full guarantee • Roofing repairs • Flat roof repairs • Facias & Soffits • Guttering

• Roof replacement • Flat roof replacement • Chimneys • General Building

01245 280415 / 07714817974 www.rooferinchelmsford.co.uk

Page 31 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

22 Manor Road, ￡350,000

Braemar Avenue, ￡450,000

Plot 3 - Vicarage Mews, ￡475,000

Victorian semi-detached house 3 / 4 bedrooms Kitchen/breakfast room 60ft south facing rear garden

Detached five bedroom house Boutique style development Orangery/Dining area Off road parking and garage

NOW NOW SOLD SOLD Victorian semi-detached house Three good size bedrooms Lots of character Well stocked rear garden

Anchor Street ￡165,000 • Ground floor apartment • One bedroom • Grade II listed building • Open plan living room/kitchen • Allocated parking space Upper Bridge Road, ￡189,995

2 Bed first floor maisonette Many original features Own private garden No onward chain

Vicarage Lane, ￡699,995

Detached executive style home Four bedrooms Kitchen/diner/family room • Detached double width garage

Centris-66 Goldlay Avenue, ￡115,000

2nd floor studio apartment Ideal first purchase Lounge/bedroom 20’2 x 16’1 Video entry phone system