3 Can Bridge Way, Chemsford, CM2 0WP reception@westwoodhair.co.uk www.westwoodhair.co.uk 10% discount on all bookings throughout Jan/Feb 2014 excl Airports Quote ‘City Times’ to receive this special deal.
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Issue Number 5 - February 2014/March 2014
CT Welcome Welcome to the February edition of Chelmsford The City Times. This month we have been busy meeting new contacts to partner with to enable us to offer more competitions and more places for the magazine to be distributed. We are proud to be one of the official media sponsors of the Three Foot People Festival, The Fling & City Diversions. {For the latest announcement on The Fling see page 10). Also this month some new writers to give a further variation on the articles we give you. Look out for Steve Little’s article on Chelmsford City FC on page 5. We have many more events in the listings but would still like more! If you run a pub, restaurant, club or society please send your listings to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk. There are many vouchers this month so please keep an eye out for them. Anyway, we hope you enjoy this month’s edition, until next time. Regards Paul and Nick.
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CT Fashion
One of the perks of being a personal stylist is the change I see in my clients. Seeing their confidence grow, when we have found the perfect style for their body shape is always a great moment. The majority of my clients are women, from all walks of life and all ages, some have had a baby recently and want to know how to shop for their post-baby body, some have gained or lost weight, some have had a major life change (divorce, new job, recovery after illness) and they all want to dress to gain confidence. Clothes are intrinsically linked to how we feel. I hate the eighties term, ‘power dressing’ but dressing to feel powerful is not such a bad idea, I’m not talking about army combats or shoulder pads the size of a small island, simply dressing for yourself, to make yourself feel good, that’s my definition of power dressing.
wider than shoulders, bigger bottom and thighs. Tunic dresses are most flattering, slim or skinny jeans (wear with a tunic style top or a boyfriend shirt). Draw attention to your upper body, with patterned tops and shirts and detailing.
Our clothes should fit in with our life and whatever we are doing at the time, there’s a place for onesies, as much as a little black dress. Dressing confidently does not mean looking polished and glamorous at all times, it can be just as stylish to dress simply and pared down. The other night I was watching a programme that really illustrated this, it was about Vogue fashion editors over the years and one story was about a true style icon. Vogue magazine were scheduled to do a photo shoot with Elizabeth Taylor. They wanted to capture another side to her, without much make-up and dressed in trousers and a jumper, but Liz had other ideas. She turned up to do the shoot, with car, after car, stuffed full of Dior dresses. The fashion editor, did not get the shot, so she finally convinced Liz to cover her hair with a towel and go down to the beach for the rest of the shoot. At the moment when Liz was least expecting, the fashion editor whipped off the towel and with her hair messy from the wind, an absolutely beautiful shot was captured. Initially, Miss Taylor was not best pleased, but apparently, it became her favourite picture. The photographer and editor obviously saw something in Liz that she could not see herself.
Hour-glass: upper and lower body is in proportion, but with a small waist. Fitted, structured or bodycon dresses are very flattering on you, as are pencil skirts. Jersey wrap dresses are also a good option. Bootcuts, or straight trousers or jeans are great on an hourglass figure. Make the most of your great waist with belts and highlight your curviness with v-neck and scoop neck tops.
Athletic or straight: hips, waist and shoulders all in proportion, but need to create shape at the waist, great legs and arms. Create a waist with belts or waistcoats, layering works well, show off your legs in short dresses, skirts or shorts, wear skinny or bootcut jeans and tapered trousers, make the most of your arms in vests and t-shirts.
For further style advice, don’t hesitate to contact me. Emma Smith lives in Chelmsford and is a style consultant. She offers a personal shopping service and wardrobe planning sessions. You can contact her via her website: www. emmasmith.co.uk or by email: emma@emmasmith.co.uk.
We all have body issues, things we don’t like about ourselves and we can be our own harshest critic when it comes to our body. Knowing and understanding our body shape and what styles suit us, can really help us to feel good about what we wear and ultimately gain confidence. Follow my five steps to discover how to dress for your shape: 1. Put on some leggings and a vest top and take a look at your body in a full length mirror. 2. Focus on the positives (it could be, great legs, small waist, nice shoulders). 3. Now ask yourself, what would I like to make the most of? 4. Ask a friend to take some photos of you in different clothes, you will get an idea of what clothes are most flattering for your shape. 5. Which body shape do you think most applies to you? Apple hhaped: bigger on the top half of body than bottom half, a wider waist, large boobs and tum, but with slim legs and narrow hips. Look for jersey tops or dresses that have ruching or draping over the tummy area, empire lines are also good, make the most of your legs in slim trousers, skinny jeans or pencil skirts. Pear shaped: larger below the waist than above, hips are Page 4 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk
A UNIQUE STORY OF CHELMSFORD CITY FC’S GLORY YEARS - Living The Claret Dream 1958-1968 Chelmsford City became a professional club in 1938 and has now passed its 75th anniversary. The Little family has provided loyal support for all that time and is now in its fifth generation of committed fans with local born author, Steve Little, his son Andrew and grandson Cameron regularly attending matches home and away. Steve, KEGS educated, started writing novels in 2002 but took time away to research and write Living The Claret Dream to mark the Club’s 75th anniversary. ‘I did not wish to provide a statistical hike through the years,’ Steve explains, ‘but wanted this to be a story and so I wrote it as if in the present, as events unfolded. It has been described as ‘a retrospective fly-on-the-wall documentary’ and it chronicles those glory years from 1958 to 1968.’ The story is told from the viewpoint of those who were there. As well as Steve these include ex-players in stalwarts Tony Butcher and Peter Gillott, then Club Secretary Len Menhinick and Essex Chronicle reporter, Martin Rogers. Steve read through every single copy of the Essex Chronicle from 1958 to 1968 (that’s over 500!) using the facility at Chelmsford Library in order to pick out the stories behind the headlines and there are plenty. From the time local businessman, John Coward, took over as City Chairman in the late 1950s the club embarked on a ten year quest to be voted into the Football League, as was the way at that time. The old ground in New Writtle Street was as good as many in the land and Coward’s plans to make it into a mini-Wembley linking it to the cricket ground gave the people of Chelmsford the real prospect of achieving what the likes of Wimbledon and Yeovil did subsequently. Coward oversaw players signed straight out of the old First Division and the crowds flocked to games especially those under the new floodlights with over 10,000 attending one Monday night friendly, at the time this represented about one in five of the town’s population! City paid well and seemed financially strong under Coward’s control but as the 1960s unfolded his plans for a new stadium complex were seen as nothing but a pipedream and success also eluded the club, where winning the Southern League and having publicity from a run in the FA Cup were essential. In the 1967-68 these two goals were successfully achieved and City were the best non-league team in the country but by then the club was on its slippery slide to virtual oblivion. Current City Chairman, Mansell Wallace, says of Living The Claret Dream – ‘It’s a great read by an author who lived and breathed that claret dream along with the rest of us in those days. Steve’s thorough research has revealed the facts about what went on behind the scenes and eventually led to every supporter’s shattered dream.’
203 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, CM2 0LG stephenalexander.co.uk sayhair@sayhair.co.uk
01245 494194
The winter can be so grey and cold so change it...... Come and see us during February or March for Colour / Highlights to brighten up those grey dull days and enjoy the warm and friendly atmosphere at Stephen Alexander Hairdressing.
20% col hig our/ h dis lights cou nt*
The book is now available and will invoke memories for those who supported the club then and will also appeal to those loyal fans of today. It is available at £12.99 from Waterstones, Chelmsford City FC or from Steve Little (steve@medehollow.co.uk, www. stevelittlebooks.com or on 01372 375574).
*offer must include cut and blow dry charged at normal price.
Page 5 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk
CT Cooking
by John Jacobs
A little while ago I received a lucky invite to present an award at a swanky backslapping ceremony for the food and hospitality industry held in a rather gothic hotel in the wilds of Essex. The sort of place so hard to find in the dark that one would think of it when disposing a body. Along with the ‘big’ awards, Chef of the Year, Restaurant of the Year, Overuse of the phrase ‘On a Bed Of’ award, was the award for Best Sunday Lunch, the very gong I had been asked to present. Standing beside the Bishop of Chelmsford I looked out onto a bed of expectant faces, announced the winner and could not help but notice a slight disinterest in our happy delegates. I may have even heard derisive giggles. Best Sunday Lunch. The culinary equivalent of granddad entering a break dancing contest. For me, however, a great Sunday lunch is as perfect as any Michelin starred plate of food. I spent the remainder of the evening in pleasant conversation telling people that I no longer cooked professionally, but wrote about it. Without fail the response I got was the same, ‘I’d love to do that.’ Like owning a restaurant, it seems easier that it is. Writing about food is like trying to describe sculpture by, twerking. Whilst I can eulogise about colours textures and flavours, the richness of a slowly reducing jus, the freshness of ingredients and the glamorous perfume of a bouquet garnet, nothing comes close to actually tasting for yourself. I find myself in similar difficulty describing my thoughts on how February contributes to the foodie calendar as quite simply it doesn’t. It’s that vacuous transitional month where winter clings on like a stubborn four year old and Spring is a distant speck through the relentless rain. February does very little to contribute to the richness of the human condition. February is a Dan Brown novel, the Turner Prize, Chris de Burgh, vegans. It’s during the cold February weekends that I like to turn to comforting stodgy puddings that take me back to my childhood. Bread and butter pudding is a bit time consuming to make but worth every minute. I find that slightly stale bread works better so you can save up those end crusts in the freezer until you’ve got enough. You can use white or granary, brioche or even croissants. It’s relatively inexpensive and just perfect with really basic vanilla custard, piping hot.
website www.perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk, Pear and Ginger Bread & Butter Pudding. 25g/1oz butter, plus extra for greasing. 16 slices bread. 125g mixed dried fruit. 25g chopped stem ginger. 1 whole chopped and peeled pear. 350ml milk. 75ml double cream. 3 eggs. 25g sugar. Pinch of grated nutmeg.
Method 1. Using the butter, grease the inside of a medium sized oven proof dish. 2. Cut the crusts off the bread, butter one side and cut into triangles.
I found an early reference in the Cook’s and Confectioner’s 3. Arrange a layer of bread, buttered-side up, in the bottom of Dictionary of 1723 by Scot cook, John Nott. Originally called the dish, then add a layer of mixed fruit and ginger. Repeat the ‘whitepot’ it was made with bone marrow instead of butter layers of bread and sultanas, until you’ve used up the bread. and rice instead of bread. I can see how Bone Marrow and Rice pudding didn’t make it into our modern supermarkets. I 4. Warm the milk and cream in a pan over a low until it starts remember putting to look agitated. Don’t let it boil. this pudding on some years ago 5. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and sugar and whisk flavoured with until it begins to go pale. fresh pears and stem ginger. 6. Add the warm milk and cream mixture and stir well, then The additional strain the custard into a bowl. fruit gives the occasional bite 7. Pour the custard over the prepared bread layers and and the ginger a sprinkle with nutmeg and the remaining sugar and let it soak loving warmth and through the slices of bread. richness to the bread. So should be able to locate and identify your cockles, 8. Heat your oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4. and bake for 30-40 allow this warm them through. See you in the spring. minutes, or until the custard has set and the top is goldenJohn Jacobs is the owner of the Perfectly Simple Cookery brown. School. If you have any questions, recipes or ideas for future food features to john@perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk. Or via his Page 6 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk
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CT Gardening It’s time to check out your bulbs and other spring show stoppers!
Move snowdrops (Galanthus species) that have become overcrowded. Do this when the flowers are beginning to die down, any later and you will not be able to remember where they are. Dig the cluster of bulbs up, and gently separate them. Plant them in their new location about 7.5 – 10cm apart. Choose a spot that will not dry out too often and include some humus - old potting compost will do fine. Generally, plant 2-3 x the height of the bulb for the best results. Lilies Lily bulbs will be appearing in the shops in February and they make good outdoor pot plants. Plump undamaged bulbs are the ones to choose. Where their condition needs improvement, put them in a tray of moist compost for a week before planting ensuring they remain frost free (the garage is ideal). I start mine in containers with 3 plump bulbs per 5lt pot. When in growth they are transferred to beds and borders from mid to late May. Pots are plunged and removed when past their best to behind the shed!
by Tom Cole logged. Where the shrubs are delivered, but the conditions are not suitable for planting, store them in a frost free place like the shed or garage. They will be quite happy for a couple weeks. Once you are ready to plant, take care to plant at the correct depth; no deeper than the pot it has been growing in. If planting bare rooted examples, look for the nursery mark. This is a rough line on the lowest part of the stem; just above the root system. Usually there is a colour change at this point; darker where the stem has been sitting in the soil with the root system. Plant deeper than this point and there is a real chance of collar rot. Don’t feed until March as this could cause unwanted early growth…which could be attacked by frost! 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.
Anemones Anemone coronaria can be planted at this time. Treat them as described for snowdrops, though space them about 15cm apart. Other bulbs which can also be planted outside include ranunculus tubers, and Camassia. The latter is excellent in longer grass as well as being totally fine in pots or stuck out in the borders to naturalise. Shrub Care February is an ideal time to plant young trees and deciduous shrubs. Choose a time when the soil is not frozen or waterPage 8 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk
Crafts by Gemma Peacock - Cross Stitch Cross stitching for me is my most favourite craft. It is so simple and easy and can look very effective, the only downside I find, is the fact that it can take quite some time to complete a project. It isn’t what I would call a quick craft.
The possibilities of what you can do with cross stitch are endless. Providing you can thread a needle through it, you can cross stitch it, be it a piece of fabric, plastic or even wood, anything is possible. Designs can be as complex or simple as you like and patterns can be accessed from a number of places including craft shops such as Franklins or Hobbycraft, websites including Pinterest and magazines such as CrossStitcher and The World of Cross Stitching Magazine. I find that CrossStitcher tends to have much more modern designs but from time to time other cross stitch magazines deliver. On occasions you can buy old editions of these from the magazine stall in Chelmsford Market at a fraction of the cost. In terms of what materials you will need to get started you will need some Aida, this is the most commonly used fabric in which to cross stitch onto, ideal for beginners and is available in 8, 11, 14, 16 & 18 blocks. A hoop, usually wooden but can be bought in plastic with a rubber frame; this is used to hold the fabric in place, making it easier to stitch onto. A tapestry needle, (need I explain?), a pair of embroidery scissors and threads, usually made of stranded cotton (floss), available in every colour imaginable in brands such as DMC and Anchor. You can buy your materials from most craft shops or from crafts suppliers online. So know you know what materials you need to get you started there is nothing stopping you from giving it a go. Do let me know how you get on. If there is a particular craft you’d like to hear about or you have a question for me then why not drop me an email at gemscrafts@hotmail.co.uk, I’d love to hear from you. Happy stitching.
This magazine is printed by www. graphicimpressions .co.uk
It Don’t Mean a Thing if you Ain’t Got Tickets for The Fling
Essex’s premier boutique performance event, The Fling Festival, is reappearing in Chelmsford city this summer on Saturday 28 June 2014 - and a multitude of improvements are on their way... Devised for the discerning festival-goer, Chelmsford City Council’s Cultural Events Team presents an intimate assortment of curious amusements and community celebration for those aged 18 to 80+. This year’s new ‘Hylands Fling’ aims to seduce and surprise your senses with stages dedicated to cabaret, music, dance, DJs, poetry, comedy, silent disco and myriad curious sideshows. Last year’s event was headlined by The Correspondents, Public Service Broadcasting and Don Letts, amongst hundreds of other hugely talented local, and less local, performers – and now, thrilling arrangements for 2014’s musical line-up are well under way (and tightly under wraps, at least for now).
The exciting move to the beautiful Hylands Park allows for more variety of stages and performances, more visitors, easier management, greater safety and free parking – not just for The Fling Festival but also for the preceding event, The 3foot People Festival (for pre-schoolers) taking place from 24, 25 & 26 June 2014. Having outgrown Bell Meadow and then later Central Park, both The 3foot People Festival and The Fling Festival continue to go from strength-to-strength. Developing each year, these unique events aim to showcase the very best Essex talent whilst maintaining the intimacy and village-like
The New City Girls WI
What were you doing on the cold, wet evening of 13th January? Did you join the line of 150 women queuing to get in to The Cricketers, Moulsham Street for the first meeting of the New City Girls WI? After outgrowing our planned venue before the first meeting had begun, the search has been on for a new venue. Our aims have been to keep the meeting in central Chelmsford, have a venue large enough to accommodate all who wish to join our group and somewhere with a bar. So, three weeks of searching, 50 venues identified and researched, and we have come up with a gem… Chelmsford Cathedral! The cathedral is a fully licensed premises, with tea and coffee making facilities, under-floor heating and is run by people with great enthusiasm for all aspects of our programme; no cold, draughty, uptight building for us! We can’t wait to get started in this historic and iconic building; it is a really special place.
feel that has proven so popular.
In addition to free parking, there will be incentives to car-share and a dedicated Festival Shuttle Bus to/from Chelmsford city centre throughout the day. For those keen to secure their place at The Fling’s fleeting world of curiosity and wonder (for adults only) a limited number of early release tickets are available from 10am on Tuesday 11 February 2014. Starting from £20 for a full ticket (and £30 for a new VIP ticket) these can be purchased from the Festival’s Box Office at Chelmsford Theatre on Fairfield Road, via telephone on 01245 606 505 or online at www. chelmsford.gov.uk/fling. Keep up-to-date with all that’s happening at The Fling Festival by finding ‘The Fling Festival’ on Facebook, #FlingFestival on Twitter or www.chelmsford.gov.uk/fling. There’s also a new Festival FAQs page, including details of VIP access, for The Fling at: http://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/ frequently-asked-questions-about-fling-festival The Fling is kindly supported by High Chelmer Shopping Centre, The Meadows Chelmsford, Essex & Suffolk Water, The Printing Place, Bassment, The Comedy Club Ltd, 1159 Productions, Dancing Giraffe, The City TImes, The Essex Chronicle and BBC Essex. The New City Girls WI is a fun, dynamic, varied and supportive group of women! To find out more, please email: NewCityGirlsWI@live.com, tweet: @NewCityGirlsWI or visit our Facebook page.
The Things that Kids Say! Jan wrote in to us with this gem!
When my son was younger he used to be taken to school by a childminder in her car with her kids. They obviously used to have the car radio on with Essex FM. One day my husband decided to test him on knowing his address for child safety reasons and he finished the address off with “........Chelmsford, Essex FM” Just shows you how powerful radio can be!
In addition to our monthly meetings, we’ve already set-up a few sub-groups which all members are able to sign up to: a weekly walking group, quiz team, Screen Sirens, Come W(h) ine With Me and a craft group. We have lots of other ideas and suggestions but we need sub group leaders to run them - let us know if you’re interested. Our meetings are held at 7.30pm on the second Monday of the month. We are encouraging anyone, who knows that they would like to join our WI, to sign-up in advance of the next meeting; this cuts down on queuing and time-consuming administration on the night. Page 10 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk
CT What’s On In Chelmsford Proud sponsors of the City Times What’s On page 10% discount on all bookings throughout Jan/Feb 2014 excl Airports Quote ‘City Times’ to receive this special deal.
Featured Event: Charity Darts Tournament Thursday 27th February Chelmsford Social Club 18:30 onwards £10 pp to enter – includes entry, first drink & nibbles Pairs Tournament (open to anyone aged 18+) Mini games throughout the night Contact charleyspoons@gmail.com for more info (closing date for entrance: 19th February 2014)
February
14th Asylum - Valentines Day party (lovers and haters) 15th Asylum - A New Day + Troika + Avenging Mary Civic Theatre - Swinging In The Cotton Club Cramphorn Theatre - Roisin Conaty - Life Hunter The Music of Mozart - KEGS - www.walthamsingers.org.uk Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral 16th Civic Theatre - Rivermead Rotary Club Cramphorn Theatre - Merrily We Roll Along 17th Civic Theatre - The Play That Goes Wrong 18th Asylum - A New Beginning + Cryptic Anger Civic Theatre - The Play That Goes Wrong Grahams On The Green - Manuela Parizzo Singing 19th Blues In The City - The Blues Consortium + Richard Townend Civic Society - See details on page 18 Civic Theatre - The Play That Goes Wrong Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime Concert Winter Beer & Cider Festval - KEGS 20th Asylum - Loose Joints Civic Theatre - The Play That Goes Wrong Winter Beer & Cider Festval - KEGS 21st Asylum - Swivelman + Faceless Dolls + Valens Chelmsford City FC - Sportsman’s Dinner - Peter Shilton Civic Theatre - The Play That Goes Wrong Winter Beer & Cider Festval - KEGS 22nd Asylum - Sweet Ether + Calling All Destroyers + The Pretty Die Young Chelmsford City vs Maidenhead United Civic Theatre - The Play That Goes Wrong Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral Winter Beer & Cider Festval - KEGS 23rd Cramphorn Theatre - Tomorrow’s Talent - Heritage 25th Civic Theatre - The Witches Of Eastwick Cramphorn Theatre - We Will Be Free Grahams On The Green - Diane Moore singing 26th Civic Theatre - The Witches Of Eastwick Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime Concert
27th Chelmsford Social Club - Charity Darts Tournament Civic Theatre - The Witches Of Eastwick O’Connors - Charity Race Night 28th Asylum - Beretta Suicide + Manic Shine Civic Theatre - The Witches Of Eastwick Cramphorn Theatre - Lecture “1914 And All That”
March
1st Asylum - 7 Day Conspiracy + Shag Nasty + The 4130s Civic Theatre - The Witches Of Eastwick Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral Undiscovered Semi Final 1 - Cramphorn Theatre 7.30pm 2nd Civic Theatre Academy Of Ancient Music Undiscovered Semi Final 2 - Cramphorn Theatre 7.30pm 4th Civic Theatre - Boeing - Boeing Grahams On The Green - Glen Cooper singing 5th Civic Theatre - Boeing - Boeing Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime Concert Cramphorn Theatre - National Trust AGM + NT Archaeologist 6th Cramphorn Theathre - Trainspotting 7th Asylum - Battle of the Bands Grand Final Civic Theatre - Re-Take That Cramphorn Theathre - Trainspotting 8th Asylum - Mojokings + The Brothers Dickens Chelmsford City vs Bromley Cramphorn Theathre - Trainspotting Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral Writer’s Day - 10am - 4.30pm - Chelmsford campus 9th Cramphorn Theatre - Chelmsford Jazz Club 10th Dr Liam Fox MP: Rising Tides – 7.30pm - Chelmsford campus 11th Asylum - Midnight Barbers + Run Over Dogs Grahams On The Green - Tony Vegas singing 12th Civic Theatre - A Midsummer Night’s Dream Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime Concert Cramphorn Theatre - My Romantic History 13th Asylum - Oceans Aside + Walk In Coma Civic Theatre - Seann Walsh: The Lie-in King Tour 2013 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 Theatres - www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres
Chelmsford Winter Beer & Cider Festival The Chelmsford and Mid Essex branch of CAMRA are holding their 15th annual winter beer and cider festival between 19th and 22nd February at KEGS. Last year just over 5000 visitors drank approximately 14700 pints of beer and 2000 pints of perry and cider. This year the organisers have ordered 25% more beer and are having a third bar area making the already popular event even bigger and better than before. There will be many excellent beers worth seeking out, but as a sneak preview here are a few who deserve a special mention. Billericay Brewing now have their own brewery installed (previously they were brewing at Pitfield/Dominion) and are bringing 3 beers, including 2 new ones, Billericay Blonds 4% and Billericay Dickie, a hoppy amber bitter. To celebrate his 10th anniversary of brewing at the award winning Green Jack brewery in Lowestoft, Head Brewer Daron has brewed Dazza’s Decadence; a 10% export strength pale ale with 10 different types of hops. At the other end of the scale, Shalford Brewery (brewing just outside Braintree) are bringing Shalford Winter Ale 3.2% a ruby bitter. Round Tower Brewery based in the City centre will have 3 beers at the festival including the last two casks of Shadoxhurst Stout 5.6% which has been conditioning in cask since September and won’t be available again until the end of the year. The Cider and Perry bar will also be packed with a range of delights with over 50 different varieties to choose from. There is a new Essex cider, Cloud 9, produced by Trevor Buffet at Buffoons, in Canewdon which, unsurprisingly, is cloudy and dry but is a rather surprising 7%! You’ll also find his Maggoty Cox medium dry which is 6.5% and made with cox apples. You’ll need to grab a taste of this quick as it was one of the first to sell out at the last Winter Festival. There are also some interesting variations on the normal cider including Oak Aged
Gig Review Blues In The City hosted its strongest night yet with two stunning performances from Roy Mette and Bad Influence. Roy kicked the evening off with a wonderful acoustic set featuring tracks from his extensive back catalogue and some well chosen classics. Well known for his use of dynamics Roy’s voice moved from a gentle whisper to a roaring bellow, his guitar playing from some delicate finger picking to some thunderous chord strumming. Check out Lady Sings The Blues which segued effortlessly into Poor Wayfaring Stranger and you get the picture. A superb way to open the evening. Bad Influence performed as duo, with Val Cowell on vocals/ rhythm guitar and Richard Hayes on guitar. Val has longed been recognised for her wonderful voice but in the duo format, her rhythm guitar playing really stands out whilst Richard showed why he is recognised as one of this country’ leading slide players. Like Roy, their set veered from original material to some well chosen classics and I thought they peaked with a stunning version of Tom Petty’s Breakdown. A big thank you to the excellent crowd and lets hope this continues. Quality live music needs your support. Next month sees one of my favourite local performers, Richard Townend and Blues Consortium featuring the mighty talents of Del Stoten and Chris Campbell. Not to be missed.
Whisky Cask 5.6% medium dry and the Rum Cask 5.6% An international flavour will be provided, as always, by Podge’s Beer Bar. As we have come to expect, Chris ‘Podge’ Pollard will be bringing a wide range of unusual and rare beers from Belgium and further afield to his bar including the first Fairtrade lager, Mongozo Gluten Free Pilsner, Boon Framboise (a traditional Belgian Lambic fruit beer brewed with fresh raspberries and wild cherries) and Widmer Bros Pitch Black IPA a 6.5% beer made with Alchemy and Cascade hops. There will also be a couple of well known favourites; Brugse Zot Blond and Budvar. Alvinne Chelmsford Oak Smoked Porter will also be on sale which is a collaboration brew between Podge and Alvinne, a small brewery in Belgium. With so much great beer around, the festival needs plenty of great food to go with it. This is provided by local catering company, Hopleaf who use sausages and burgers handmade by Robinson’s in Broomfield. This year they will be bringing a couple of extra treats along including a new curry made with fresh curry leaves to go alongside the ever popular Madras and Korma. Tim from Hopleaf said “We will certainly have some homemade salt beef, something we will have to start marinating well before the festival.” What a cracking event its shaping up to be. With all that on offer it’s an unmissable event for all fans of great beer and cider in Chelmsford and beyond. Looking forward to seeing you there! http://www.chelmsfordbeerandciderfestivals.org.uk/
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Now and Then by Kate Tenbeth
Since I’ve started writing about small businesses I’ve discovered that each one reflects their owner’s personality and it’s precisely that individuality which, in turn, gives a town its character and heart. Chelmsford High Street is crammed with major retail outlets but if you stroll down any of the smaller streets you’ll find small, independent businesses owned by people who are passionate about their work, who go that extra mile because they’re doing something they love and they want you to love it too. Individuality of spirit is certainly present at Now and Then, a boutique in Baddow Road that offers a unique selection of ‘preloved’ designer and vintage clothes. To my delight the shop’s owner, Tami Frankel, was more than happy to take time off from her busy job and talk to me. I have very little knowledge or understanding of vintage and have to confess that I was slightly concerned that those involved in high end and designer clothing would make me feel uncomfortable and out of place, but nothing could have been further from the truth – Tami and her assistants Jo, Shelly and Michelle are down to earth, very friendly and I soon felt very much at ease. I chatted to Tami over a cup of coffee and in a short space of time not only learnt a lot about vintage and why it is special, but also how and why she opened Now and Then in 2011. My first question, however, was – what exactly is vintage? The answer? Anything up to and including the 1980s. Apparently style never goes out of fashion and yes, that includes the 70s (I will now look back on those photos of me wearing platform shoes and maxi dresses with a kinder eye…). Tami’s background is interesting; she is a solicitor by profession but don’t be fooled by the fact that due to her day job she mostly wears black, because she has always been passionate about anything classic and glamorous and has been going to vintage clothes fairs for as long as she can remember! She decided to open Now and Then because she had got to a point in her life where she felt she finally had the time to indulge her love of vintage. She decided that establishing a shop would not only give her credibility and a base in the market but the opportunity to get to know her customers well so she could let them know when something they liked came in. Initially, the shop’s stock was comprised of her own clothes, those of her friends, items she’d spotted at charity shops and also on eBay. Word of mouth, however, meant that people soon got to know about the shop and
started to bring in their own vintage items enabling her to stock a wider variety of goods - not just clothes, but those allimportant accessories such as handbags, jewellery, glasses, scarves, etc. Tami and her assistants are very careful about the items they take (on a sale or return basis) from clients, they ask questions about them, check on authenticity, make sure they are good quality and clean. I discovered that working in a vintage shop means that not only do you have to have a genuine passion for clothes and fashion trends but you also need to have an excellent knowledge of the different eras because each one has its own distinct style and fashion icon labels. Many of the Now and Then customers are very specific about the clothes they want so Jo, Shelly and Michelle have to know what will appeal to them and will also advise on how to store the clothes and how to clean them if need be. Now and Then customers appreciate good quality clothes and will often save up for something they love because individuality and style is important to them. As someone who is more used to crammed clothes rails in the major retail outlets I found the layout of the shop interesting and noted that the clothes were not all pushed together on rails but displayed so that each item has its own space to be seen and appreciated. I asked Tami about the current interest in vintage and she agreed that vintage is now coming into its own, and that this has helped her business solidify and grow. Ideally, she would like to see a community of independent shops in Baddow Road with a common interest in vintage and good quality goods. Like many small businesses in Chelmsford, however, she is worried that with the advent of John Lewis there will be less focus on shops with individual interests. If you have any view on this please feel free to write to the editor, it’s an interesting debate and one well worth bringing to the fore. The next time you’re in town pop into Now and Then – not only will you find unique clothes and accessories but you’ll receive a warm welcome from people who love vintage and who genuinely want to help you find something special and unique. It’s a rare treat so go on – spoil yourself! NOW AND THEN Designer dress agency and vintage boutique 17 Baddow Road, Chelmsford CM1 0BX Tel: 01245 250068
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ENERGY MATTERS by Malcolm Stratford, Magic Thermodynamic Box Company I will be writing a regular column on Energy including the latest news on the domestic energy market and the renewable energy sector. I will be reporting on best practises, new cutting edge technology products and even some that are only on the drawing board. I work as Technical Advisor at the Magic Thermodynamic Box Company, a renewable energy company whose prestigious headquarters is a three storey grade II listed building based in New London Road, Chelmsford. The company is a trade company that manufactures thermodynamic water heating products and an energy saving central heating management system in Essex. The company also prides itself on innovation and has in-house inventors who invent new products which are then manufactured and brought to market for the benefit of the domestic market. I have a great affiliation with Chelmsford being born just down the road in Ingatestone. Educated at Shenfield Technical High School my first job was in Chelmsford. My background is 30 years in real estate and banking, working for myself and for international companies. I have always been involved in sustainable energy and decided to follow this wholeheartedly. For the last 5 years I have specialised in the renewable energy sector and have used my skills and experience liaising with universities, government departments, testing laboratories and manufacturers. Global warming and climate change are hot topics and although there is not 100% consensus between scientists it is generally accepted that our actions are changing and warming the climate. As a result the weather has become less stable and this has been exemplified this January which must be one of the wettest on record. Part of this change is due to the excessive burning of fossil fuel creating a ‘greenhouse effect’ in the atmosphere. I have a 4 year old grandson and want to leave the planet in a healthy shape for him to live in. Anything that reduces our reliance on fossil fuel will help resist climate change and leave a valuable inheritance and legacy. This was one of the reasons I decided to steer my career with passion into the renewable energy sector.
Each month Sarah from sarahBee marketing gives us a top ten. This month it is tips on Twitter!
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The renewable sector created 22,800 jobs in the 15 months to July 2012 (DECC Annual Energy Report 2012). This expansion was and continues to be driven by government legally binding targets of obtaining 15% of energy needs supplied by renewables by 2020 and a reduction of 80% in emissions by 2050 (Climate Change Act 2008). New products can create clean energy thereby reducing harmful emissions and other products help to increase efficiency and as a consequence also reduce emissions. This is one of the mission statements of the Magic Thermodynamic Box Company we start with a problem, work out how to make it work and then engineer it in the UK. For further details please email: malcolm@magicthermodynamicbox.com.
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1. twitter is used by 180 million people. 2. twitter connects you to real people in real time. 3. tweeting is free - you just need an internet enabled device. 4. each tweet has to be 140 characters or less. 5. tweet useful stuff - not what you are watching on TV. 6. get followed by following other people first. 7. follow who your competitors follow. 8. use @ to tweet directly to another twitter account. 9. use # to follow and create trends. 10. use an app like hootsuite or tweetdeck to help.
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Angel Broomfield City Detective Agency Episode 2 - The Case of a Slippery End by Simon Culleton Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s very own private detective was raised by nuns in a 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 resident of 221 1/2 Moulsham Street an runs the City Detective Agency and with his trusty side kick John and the radiant landlady Helen, Angel is ready to serve the city. We left Angel last month in the middle of the road trying to catch a falling package while about to be run over by a speeding open top sports car causing possible huge skid marks. With only seconds to react Angel had to think quickly: As a lady in the crowd covered her face so she would not see the imminent splat, Angel was already flying through the air. “If I’m not mistaken” remarked John who’s eyes were following Angel’s spinning acrobatics. “That’s a back flip triple toe loop.” “Elementary” replied Angel as he landed to the applause of the crowd, although the dismount was not so gymnastic and Angel went spinning into Helen who was standing near by. Angel fell right on top of her. “Eight out of ten” proclaimed John to the two slumped bodies on the pavement, then whispered into Angel’s ear. “Need to work on your landing, dear boy”. Helen, who was laying underneath Angel remarked, “there are better ways to get to know me.” Suddenly Angel sprung to his feet screaming, “The package fell in the back of that car” and in a second he was up and off, bolting down the road to a flying start just as sister O’Hairy, the nuns champion sprinter and winner of a bronze medal in the nuns secret summer Olympics, had taught him. Helen who remained laying on the floor remarked., “they’re not normally that quick” A few minutes later both Helen and John rolled to a stop in a car outside the iron railing gate of Oakland’s Park Museum to find Angel slumped to the floor panting like a cheetah.
“Better to follow a car in a car” tutted Helen from the unwound window of her Porsche. Angel, who was too exhausted to talk, pointed towards the large imposing Victorian Museum building with the open top sports
car of which they had been chasing parked outside. After finding no sign of a package in the back of the car, the three stood like cowboys in a spaghetti western outside the museum door. “No place for a lady” stated Angel. “Marshal arts” Helen pointed to herself. “After you” beckoned John. So with a high pitched scream that would make ‘Bruce Lee’ jealous Helen flung open the door and with a leading foot sprung inside and landed like a cat on the cold marbled floor, her high pitched scream slowly fading off. The splendour of the Victorian décor, with it’s polished panelled walls and portraits with condescending stares was enough to impress, even in this situation, not to mention the stuffed bear standing in a glass case. Angel, first popped his head gingerly around the door and muttered “all clear” before casually walking in followed by John. “Bit dramatic” said John, mocking Helen with obvious jealousy. Angel looked around and smiled, “I know this place” remembered Angel “the nuns used to talk about it all the time, spent their holidays here.” “The people who used to live here left them some money too” Helen joined in. “ I remember reading about in the school history books” then Helen and Angel remembered together and said; “And some of the money went missing” John tutted at Helen. “School prefect were you?” Helen gave John a piercing stare. “You fancy me don’t you?” and John went bright red. Then they both noticed that Angel had walked up the ornate gleaming oak staircase and was smiling when looking at the shiny banister “Sister Shannon used to put me to bed with the story about how she would slide down this bannister just so she could get the feeling back into her.......” “ASK yourself this” said Helen. “where is the package, there lies the answer to the mystery, you must agree Angel....... Angel?”
He couldn’t resist it, Angel was at the top of the stairs about to mount the banister. “This must be fun, Sister Shannon said it brought tears to her eyes”. Suddenly Helen shouted out,“watch out, the bottom”.
“It’s ok, I’m wearing woollen under pants. “No, the bottom of the stair bannister,” insisted Helen who was pointing at a sharp object that had been callously placed at the bannisters end. It was too late Angel had already started his decent and with the aid of some oil that somebody had mercilessly rubbed over the surface, Angel hurtled down the wooden bannister in a scene reminiscent to Sister Fitzpatrick’s famous 1972 secret nun’s Winter Olympic’s toboggan run where sister Fitzpatrick won the gold, beating the ‘French Friars’ into silver, but she never really walked straight again. Both John and Helen could scarcely look. The speed of which Angel’s decent increased was alarming and the sharp object ruthlessly placed and the end was sure to make an impact but..... Tune in to the next addition to see if Angel can manage to stop in time and can they ever find that package and will Angel meet his end at the bottom?
CT CHARITY WHERE HAVE ALL OUR KESTRELS GONE? Once our most visible bird of prey and once the symbol of the Young Ornithologists Club and the Essex Wildlife Trust, numbers of this hovering hunter have fallen alarmingly. While this beautiful bird remains relatively widespread, kestrel numbers have plummeted. Overall we have lost 44% of our nesting kestrels since 1970. 33% of this decline has taken place since 1995. Our roadside raptor is facing tough times. changes in land management and agricultural practices have contributed to the reduction of small mammals, including voles which are the kestrels favourite food. The biggest cause of kestrel deaths is starvation, especially of juveniles in their first autumn and winter. This seems to paint a bleak picture for the kestrel’s future. One way we can help the kestrel is to provide nesting boxes, in an effort to help overcome the loss of suitable nesting habitat. So the Essex Birdwatching Society (EBWS) is raising money for Kestrel Nesting Boxes to be made and sited throughout Essex.
Essex Birdwatching Society Further details can be obtained by either visiting the EBWS website (www.ebws.org.uk) or by ringing 01245 355132, after 7pm.
Bird o Confe f Prey rence and W Exhib ildlife ition o 22nd n March 20 at Wr 14 itt Colle le ge.
During Springwatch 2013, Chris Packham highlighted the decline of the kestrel. He encouraged us to register our sightings of this bird. This can be done on the website of the Hawk Conservancy Trust (www.hawk-conservancy.org). Here you can find an identification guide and information on how to register your sightings.
EBWS is organising, in conjunction with the RSPB, a Bird of Prey Conference and Wildlife Exhibition on March 22, 2014, at Writtle College. Entrance to the conference costs only ÂŁ8 and this includes a light lunch. It will be a fantastic day for all. Entrance to the wildlife exhibition is FREE. Come along to see how you and your family can help wildlife conservation in the UK! Come along to find out more about the beautiful kestrel! Come along and find out which are the success stories of UK wildlife conservation, which ones are still on going, and which ones are failing. We need your help to transform the failures into success stories.
Next edition deadlines. The deadline for editorial copy is Friday 28th February 2014. The deadline for print ready artwork is Tuesday 4th March 2014.
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Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill Weight loss is a popular issue that presents in my practice. Often a client will come to see me for counselling and ask for hypnotherapy for weight loss as well. The first thing to ascertain is why the client wants to use hypnotherapy to lose weight, have they tried the more conventional routes and failed? Why did these other methods fail? It is important to bear in mind that just because a client wants to use hypnotherapy to lose weight, this does not automatically mean the client is obese. The general guide used to ascertain obesity is the BMI. This stands for Body Mass Index and is calculated thus: Height (squared) ----------------------------------Weight in kilograms A person is considered medically obese if their BMI is over 30. It is important to note that hypnotherapists are not doctors or nutritionists and so cannot give medical or nutritional advice to a client, as this would be unethical. However, in my opinion it does not hurt to do some research on the consequence of being overweight so that I am prepared with some information. Understanding a little more about the condition of being overweight will create empathy with the client and therefore can only serve to aid in treating them. According to the NHS in 2008 nearly 25% of adults over 16 were overweight. Obesity causes both long term and shortterm illnesses and side effects. Short term include: • Breathlessness • Increased sweating • Snoring • Difficulty sleeping • Inability to cope with sudden physical activity • Feeling very tired all day everyday • Back and joint pains These short-term suffrages could lead to these longer-term problems: • Type 2 diabetes (too much glucose) • Heart disease (heart’s blood supply blocked) • Obese adults over 40 can have their life expectancy shortened by 6-7 years • Hypertension (high blood pressure) • High cholesterol Traditionally as a society we have been fed the image of the fat jolly person, like Santa Claus for example. But looking at the above conditions it’s easy to see why so many people seek extra help to lose weight, I can’t imagine many people feeling particularly jolly if they were suffering from any of the above conditions! As a therapist I would never judge someone for being overweight, a lot of the time a client isn’t aware of the impact some of their habits have on their health, or how their portion sizes are far too large, or they’re unaware of their snacking during the day. I know the last comment sounds ridiculous, how can anyone possibly not know they are eating? Believe me, it happens – it’s called denial!
g---------------------------------------------------------------------------------So how can hypnotherapy help? Firstly hypnotherapy is Free Drink when excellent for habit breaking. If the client has some bad eating you spend £5 or more habits hypnotherapy can help break these. Hypnotherapy is One voucher per meal also great for changing mindset, many people subconsciously Valid until 31 March 2014 believe they NEED that doughnut/chocolate/cake (just made
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myself think of carrot cake…) for comfort for example, hypnotherapy can help reprogramme this so that the person finds another healthy coping mechanism for comfort rather than carrot cake. The biggest problem I come across is people with bad eating habits. Many people are lazy and just want something quick to grab after work. I am completely guilty of this, a lot of the time I work late and end up grabbing a wrap from Tesco’s after work. My chicken ceasar wrap habit got so bad I actually started having cravings on the days I didn’t have one! And they’re almost 500 calories a pop those wraps. But I wasn’t physically addicted, I was psychologically addicted. My subconscious was linking the wrap with finishing work and relaxing. Luckily I got rid of my chicken ceasar wrap habit. I prefer the southern fried chicken wraps these days. If a client comes to me with a bad eating habit, I write a screed that encourages them to choose healthy food automatically over unhealthy food. A good way of doing this I’ve found is by taking the client, under hypnosis, through a food market. They go through an unhealthy section and I encourage the subconscious to think about the negative things associated with unhealthy food. Then I take them through the healthy section and encourage the subconscious to think about how amazing this healthy food is in comparison and wouldn’t they rather eat that etc. The response I’ve had from this type of screed has been that the clients are automatically attracted to healthy eating, it doesn’t occur to them to eat unhealthy food anymore. A quick word about Gastric Band Hypnotherapy, also known as Hypno-Band and Mind Band therapy. There are two ways that I know of that therapists perform this therapy. The first is where the therapist hypnotises the client and, in basic terms, encourages the client to imagine their stomach is smaller than it is, hence less food is ingested. The second technique involves regulating hormones. Ghrelin is produced in the stomach and upper intestine in the absence of food in the digestive system and stimulates appetite. Peptide YY is produced in the digestive tract in response to a meal in the system and inhibits appetite. Another hormone called Leptin also inhibits appetite. The idea is to hypnotise the client and encourage the brain to send more signals to produce the appetite inhibiting hormones and less signals to produce the appetite stimulant. Basically, the client is changing their mindset to believe they’re full more often than they’re hungry. I have no idea how effective this technique is and don’t use it myself so I can’t really comment, also if I had a client come to me claiming to be hungry most of the time I’d suggest they see their GP to check everything is OK physically before treating the client. But in regards to the more traditional type of Hypno-Band therapy I’ve heard some people swear by it and some people claim it doesn’t work. I believe this is because we’re all individuals and some people will react well to certain therapies and therapists and some people won’t. If anyone has any questions, queries or issues you want me to write about please get in touch. Next time I’ll talk about hypnotherapy for stress.
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CT Fitness
Turning Exercise into Training
Some of you might know that I run an Outdoor Fitness session in Chelmsford on a Sunday. It’s a great bunch of people, and we’re at the stage where everyone is making real progress. Every week I can see it. The push ups are a little easier. The squats a little deeper. The sprints a little faster. It just goes to show that you can make good progress with limited equipment, some outdoor space, and a positive attitude. Outdoor Fitness is an exercise class, and exercise is different to training. For me, exercise is something we can do to improve our general fitness levels, stay in decent shape, and keep active. Training is where you have a specific goal and everything you do works towards that. You won’t smash your 5K PB just by exercising. You’ll need a programme of gradually increasing intensity to get to that goal. If like the guys and gals in my class you’re at that stage where you are exercising regularly, but have the desire to train a little harder, push a little further, and up the effort levels, then you’re entering a transition phase. Here’s how to make the most of it: Increase the intensity Training requires a different mentality to exercise – you have to push yourself harder to make measurable progress. If you currently exercise, try upping your effort levels periodically. If
you walk, try and walk a bit faster for 20 seconds, then go back to your normal pace, then repeat. Define a goal The goal could be anything. Walk into town in 14 minutes instead of 15. Run a quicker 400m. Squat 20% more weight in four weeks. As soon as you have a target and work out a path to reach it, you go into training mode. If you don’t, you won’t achieve your goal. Look at other aspects of your life and see if they match your goal. How’s your general nutrition? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you regularly stretch? Once you’ve defined your goal, change other aspects of your life alongside your training to get the absolute most out of all your hard work. Exercise has a lot of value, but when you’re ready for more, use the tips above to start training! Try Outdoor Fitness for free! Email me at keith@liveasimplelife. co.uk, or visit our website, www.liveasimplelife.co.uk.
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Real Men REALLY do Yoga & Pilates Yes it’s now official after over 30 real men attended our yoga & pilates event in aid of The Royal British Legion on Saturday 1st Feb. Over £427 was raised just on the day not including the sponsorship money to be collected!
We hope that the money raised will make a real positive difference to local people’s lives as well as inspiring more men to be interested in pilates, yoga & meditation as an amazing way of getting stronger, more flexible and de-stressed.
The day kicked off with the only man, man enough for Ashtanga Yoga, Paul Scott of The Bird in Hand pub doing a tough 1-1 lesson with Susan Myers, (it was sweaty!) Following that was Yoga for Back Pain with Vikki Stevenson, Yoga for Beginners with Steve Johansen, Pilates with yours truly Kellie Jones and the busiest class of the day Yoga for Cyclists, Runners & Triathletes with Vikki, attended by the guys from Chelmer Cycles, phew!
Finally I’d like to say a massive THANKYOU to Ellie & Gary who made this event happen, to our amazing Team Hummingbird, to Leanne Louise & all the men who bravely put themselves out of their comfort zones. To find out the final total please ‘Like’ our Facebook page and listen to Leanne Louise on YouTube.
The day ended on an emotional and pitch perfect note, with the talented Leanne Louise singing “ Beautiful Soldier” to remind us all of the real reason we were there. The idea for the event started when Ellie Searle, my fabulous business partner tried to convince her partner Gaz Faircloth to take up yoga. Gaz finally said he would do it for charity and being ex-forces himself chose The Royal British Legion. They do so much important work helping people who are in the services, veterans and their families. They run specialist centres to help those who are wounded, injured or sick, providing invaluable support, guidance and advice for those who need rehabilitation, care and emotional and financial support. By Kellie Jones
CT History
Pirates off the Essex Coast by John Power
There were pirates off the Essex coast as late as the 1960s. But they didn’t have cutlasses between their teeth or a brace of pistols in their belts; instead they had tall radio masts towering over their ships. Easter 2014 sees the 50th anniversary of the first broadcasts from the best known of these radio stations that found themselves outlawed by Harold Wilson’s Government in 1967, and that was Radio Caroline. Although in this digital age they only occasionally broadcast from their last radio ship Ross Revenge, which has found a temporary home in Tilbury Docks in recent years, although plans are underway to move the historic ship to a more accessible location. Caroline continues to broadcast, legally these days, as a digital station. Their previous ship, the Mi Amigo sank in 1980. In Chelmsford we are lucky enough to have one of the DJs from that era, Ed Swain, or Martin Fisher to give him his pirate alias, still amongst us. Luckily he was not on the Mi Amigo in 1980 when it sank, so lives to share some seaman’s yarns.
Aliases were needed at times in a radio pirate’s career, although the earliest broadcasters broke no laws, which had to be invented, because of the alleged hazards to other shipping and use of radio frequencies that were wanted by others and which also allegedly interfered with lifeboat rescue safety in the North Sea. There had been earlier radio pirates around the coasts of Holland and Scandinavia, but Caroline, in 1964 was the first to provide a strong enough signal to make themselves receivable by a large audience here in Britain. Radio London also proved popular for the same reason, but soon the coast all around England saw ships and even old sea forts brought into use for broadcasting. Screaming Lord Sutch was amongst those who turned sea forts in the Thames Estuary to this end, with Radio Sutch. It was the introduction of the Marine Broadcasting Offences act in August 1967 that outlawed the pirates, causing them to close down, all that is, except for Radio Caroline. At the time Caroline had two ships, Caroline North off the Isle of Mann and Caroline South broadcasting from the Mi Amigo off the Essex coast. Caroline continued alone but with growing debts the Dutch supply company finally took the law into its own hands and in an act of real piracy, towed the ships away to Holland. In 1972 the Mi Amigo was saved from the scrap yard when it came up for sale, there were rumours that it was to become a pirate radio museum, but in fact Caroline’s original owner, the flamboyant alternative entrepreneur Ronan O’Rahilly took charge and put the Mi Amigo out on the waves again, Caroline was back. Ed had started his career in radio and electronics at Chelmsford’s Marconi factory in 1968, but by 1976, and with
a great interest in the progressive album and pop music of the era he sought to broaden that career in a more adventurous way, and answered an advert for a Caroline engineer. The return address was in Spain, but he received no reply. Then he found the same ad repeated but giving a new address and he decided to give it a second chance, and that time got a reply offering an interview and giving a London phone number to be contacted. This turned out to be a flat where several crew members were stopping when on shore. In a very informal interview with an older woman he also chatted with other DJs and found that their musical tastes were of a similar kind,
and the possibility of dual role as engineer and jock began to emerge. After a week he received a telegram (for those old enough to remember those) saying “come quick, we need you.” Luckily, in those days the period of notice at Marconi’s was only a week, or five working days, so he managed to fulfil the request and threw any further caution to the wind. This occurred after the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act had become law, so there was a fair degree of secrecy involved in the crew’s movements. He travelled to Boulogne and was taken to flat where crew members gathered in readiness for the sea journey. The sea was too rough the following day to attempt the journey and wasn’t much better the following day as they boarded a small wooden fishing boat and cast off. Once they had left the shelter of the harbour it was obvious that it was not going to be a smooth trip, and Ed suffered severe sea-sickness. The boat’s engine even failed at one point and Ed thought they would all drown, but by then he felt so sick that he didn’t care. Once restarted they arrived at the ship boarding consisted of throwing bags up, jumping and clinging on as you were hauled up. On board it felt like the
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BBC Radio 1, although Johnnie Walker delayed that move due to loyalty to the pirate cause. Several hosted Top of the Pops and Simon Dee even got his own TV show. Tony Blackburn, Keith Skues and Emperor Rosko became household names, as did Radio London jocks like John Peel.
ship was fixed to the seabed, but as time passed it still took a while for Ed to get his sea legs. Lights on the coast were not moonrakers waiting for smuggled supplies but fans who drove to the coast and flashed their lights in support. At that time Caroline was broadcasting 24 hours per day on 259 metres and Radio Mi Amigo also broadcast on 192 metres from 6am to 6pm to Holland and Belgium, so the crew involved Dutch members too. Ed’s (or as he was to be known on air, Martin) Fisher’s first broadcast was in 1977, after only a couple of days aboard, from 4am to 6 on Tuesday 11th January.
The jocks of Ed’s era however were the true pirates even if they didn’t get the same high profile as those who became land-lubbers before the whole issue itself was less in the forefront of news as time rolled on. But it’s nice to know you can rub shoulders with their ilk in the pubs of Old Moulsham to this day.
On the face of it the pay was better than Marconi’s but it was supposed to be one month on the ship and one off, and the Martin Fisher can still be heard on Caroline every Friday secretive mode in which the organisation functioned under evening, for full details of today’s Radio Caroline and up to meant that pay-outs were intermittent, although an occasional date information on the 50th anniversary calibrations go to lump sum was nice. The longest shift Ed did was actually eleven weeks on board, and at one time he had to take www.radiocaroline.co.uk another job with Essex Telecom to make ends meet. Despite legal constraints Caroline Roadshows played venues like Paul J King Advert - size 190 x 133.5mm Chelmsford’s Chancellor Hall all over East Anglia and Kent, and Ed could often be seen at these local events when not out on the ship. After answering another advert he managed to get a secure job with FUNERAL DIRECTORS BBC TV and a couple of years later Capital Radio, and only had a distant relationship with Caroline for a while after 1979, perhaps luckily, as the Mi Amigo sank in March 1980. A Local Funeral Plan. A Local Price
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In 1983 a much larger ship, the Ross Revenge replaced the Mi Amigo and moved to its old anchorage 18 miles offshore, outside the Thames Estuary and British waters, between Kent and Essex. At one time Ed went out to the new ship to do a show and his wife had to hire a launch to go and rescue him so that he could get back for work the following day. The ship had moved even further out to sea by 1991 when it broke its moorings and went adrift, so had to be towed back to Dover by the Harbour Authority, then had to be brought back from them under salvage law. By then laws had been revised and it was possible to get short term special event broadcasting licences, so the ship went on tour doing a series of broadcasts in the Blackwater and Medway estuaries and even Canary Wharf. Also, since the 1990s, with satellite and internet radio, Caroline has been able to be wholly legal and operates on shore, so only uses the Ross Revenge for special occasions. Its current mooring is at Tilbury, but there is talk of a move and turning it into a ‘pirate’ museum. Most of the well known pirate DJs came ashore after the 1967 Wilson legislation and most got work with
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END POLIO NOW It’s the time of year when Rotarians’ minds turn to Rotary’s February anniversary. During week beginning 23 February, Rotarians across the world will be raising money for the final push in polio eradication by taking part in the Rotary Global Swimarathon, The World’s Greatest Meal to End Polio Now and the Rotary Crocus campaign. Polio has been eradicated from most countries in the world and in January 2014 India marked three years since its last case of wild polio, a landmark achievement for global public health and the worldwide effort to eradicate polio. TAKE PART IN THE WORLD’S GREATEST MEAL Throughout the world Rotarians will share a meal with their club members, friends, family or work colleagues. During the meal, donations will be raised for the END POLIO NOW campaign. Chelmsford Mildmay Rotarians will be inviting friends to come along to their weekly lunch – the same price will be paid but for only a frugal lunch with the difference in cost being donated. Elsewhere friends and neighbours will be invited round for tea or coffee in return for a donation. If you are invited do get involved! The World’s Greatest Meal was the brainchild of two Rotarians from either side of the globe - Mukesh Malhotra of the Rotary Club of Hounslow and Susanne Rea of the Rotary Club of Cairns Sunrise in Australia. The idea was launched on Facebook just before Christmas and has already attracted three thousand members from
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Rotary clubs spanning five continents. Every US dollar raised will be matched by two US dollars by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. WEAR A CROCUS AND END POLIO NOW Launched in 2012 ‘wear a crocus’ has already raised around £300,000 for End Polio Now. Fabric crocus buttonholes are offered to members of the public in return for a donation. When donors wear their crocuses they become walking adverts. Each crocus comes on an information card which tells the story of the eradication programme and Rotary’s pivotal role in it. It provides the wearer with the answer to the question ‘that’s a nice flower, what’s it for?’. The crocus was chosen as the purple colour matched the dye painted on the fingers of children who have been immunised. What will you do to help End Polio Now? http://www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org.
Cully’s Corner - Love is in the Post by Simon Culleton
‘Roses are red, violets are blue, enjoy the flowers they were sent by you.’
day and whisper sweetly into her ear “Do you want to split the bill?”
In this wintery month of February here in Chelmsford, we have but one major event to warm our hearts, that being ‘Valentine’s Day’. When I researched into this tradition, one statistic stood out uncomfortably to me: that being out of a predicted millions here in the UK that will enjoy Valentines this year, 14% of the women will send a bunch of Valentine’s flowers to themselves. There was no statistic for men doing this, although to be honest men buy flowers for themselves almost every day.... in the form of a pint. (that’s because we’re worth it).
Thinking about the true sense of Valentine’s day, which is of course to send a card incognito to the one that you hold a flame for, ie without them ever knowing it was from you. I gathered some of my own statistics of the men of Chelmsford on this particular subject, that is to say I lent over to the table next to me in the pub and questioned the men hunched around their beers and alarmingly had the same response as I did when similarly questioning some other men during a building site tea break: I could not find one to confessed to sending a Valentine’s card, yet someone must be sending them: So I’ll confess now!! If you have gorgeous brown eyes and was a legal secretary some years ago and you received a Valentine’s card - it was me. Or rather one of them was from me because you married someone else. (please don’t go “aaarrrh”).
Little did Saint Valentine know that while in a Roman prison he would send a farewell letter to his jailer’s daughter, who’s illness he had cured, signing the letter off as “Your Valentine” a tradition would grow for many thousands of years until in 2014 an estimated 1.5 billion world wide will be spent on Valentine’s gifts in the form of cards chocolates and flowers. Maybe he should have had it ‘copy written’, although it would not have helped because soon after sending the letter he was executed (look on the bright side, he saved a fortune on flowers). Chelmsford’s restaurants, like the rest of the countries will be rammed full around the 14th with doting couples holding hands over candle lit meals, gazing into each others eyes, and if your’re like me, hoping the waiter will stop playing the violin. Incidentally, Chelmsfordian’s in 2013 spent an average of £58.26 per head on Valentines day. In the restaurants traditionally mostly men will be paying the bill and to be honest it would take more of a man than me to glaze longingly into the eyes of the one I loved in a restaurant on Valentine’s
So, it seems that no matter how frivolous, unimportant and inconsequential Valentines may come across, at least going by the money spent on Valentines Day last year (9.87 million in the UK) it is important to some people and to those who are sending flowers to themselves possibly all importan. What ever makes you feel good. So if you are one of those self sending people who will run across the office floor in bounces of rehearsed excitement to the envy of your work colleagues, grabbing and hugging a bunch of roses from the embarrassed postman while chanting the words ‘who could it be?” knowing IT WAS FROM YOU, please except these humble words written here as an official Valentine’s card, so you can actually say in all honesty that you did receive one: “roses are red, violets are blue if you’re reading this column I love you. Let me know how your Valentines turned out at simon@limepad.com. Share the love.
Studio 808 by Paul Wilkinson
would book me alongside them. We were booked out to Club Tequilla in Canada and Club Rare in Dubai.
Music production started for me when I was 16 when I got my hands on Fruity Loops 3.5.6 and from then on that was it, I was hooked! I started experimenting with sounds, back then there were no YouTube tutorial videos to help and no sample loop packs where you could just throw whole loops in and write a track in minutes, back then you had to do everything for yourself!
The first bit of recognition I got was when I was 21 when I made a track for an artist called Dimples from G Fam, a music collective from north London. The track got air play on Logan Sama’s show on Kiss FM, BBC 1Xtra and BBC Asian Network. For me this was a massive boost of confidence and I believe as an artist its so import and to get good feedback in your hard work. I was well into my DJing during my early 20s and I was approached by a label that signed some of my tracks and and took me along on to their label tour with them, I was booked to play out in Winston Club in Amsterdam for 2 nights which was as an amazing experience for me. When I was 26 I was approached by The Frenchy Twins, 2 models who worked for many agencies around the world including Playboy. They asked me to help them DJ and they
In 2013 I had a vision for a studio in Chelmsford, knowing that there wasn’t a proper studio in the city centre I saw a gap in the market. I already had a great home set-up which was on par with most modern studios, so I started saving and collecting equipment. In October 2013 I managed to acquire a commercial premises in the heart of the city and commenced the building work, I got in touch with the Prince’s Trust who were very keen on my business and helped me with a £1,500 set up grant. The studio took 3 months to build and in Feb 2014 we had our business launch. We had over 30 people in and out of the studio on the day and secured many bookings from band rehearsals to music production sessions. A lot of people got in contact with me and I came across Roger Davies and Corrine Lennark who are now Studio 808’s photography and video editors. www.studio808.uk.com services: Rehearsal room for bands & DJs. Full music production suite for live recordings as well as modern electronic dance music production. Photography & video editing. Instrument & music production lessons.
The Comedy Club Chelmsford Friday 28th February @ Chelmsford City FC. The Comedy Club Chelmsford kicks of their first show of 2014 at Chelmsford City FC on Friday 28th February. The show takes place in Chelmsford City’s function suite, which is located at Salarno way within Melbourne Sports Park Chelmsford. Gracing The Comedy Club stage we welcome to Chelmsford Tim Clark, Paul McCaffrey and Mike McClean along with a guest spot from Paul Rogers. Hosting the night’s proceedings is Tim Clark. Tim has been a stand-up comic for most of his adult life, and still does over two hundred shows each year. He has appeared all over Europe, the Far East, the Middle East, and most recently at the Mumbai Comedy Store. He is resident host of British Stand-Up in Bergen, Norway. On TV he was host of the classic game show Give Us A Clue (BBC 1); the sporting chat show Under The Moon (Channel 4); as well as scores of appearances on various stand-up and panel shows Opening the show is Paul McCaffrey who has quickly established himself as one of the most exciting new acts around, winning both The London Paper and the Latitude Festival New Act competitions in 2009 and can currently be seen at some of the best comedy clubs in the country. Paul will be a familiar face, as he recently featured on a stand-up
spot on Russell Howard’s Good News (BBC3) and is currently involved in a new entertainment show being developed by Yalli Productions for BBC3. Headlining the show we welcome back to Chelmsford Mike “Squeaky” McClean who is a well known presenter, and comedian. Mike started out doing stand up comedy magic at the age of 11. Early in his career, his exuberant, larger than life personality and cheeky northern charm quickly allowed him to build a reputation on television were he presented on the Nickelodeon channel, he went on to It’s Not Fair and Mad for It on ITV, The Office Christmas special and a whole host of comedy panel shows on ITV & BBC. It was the Big Breakfast on Channel 4 that gave Mike his break and Mike was soon waking up the nation knocking on punters doors. Mike went on to be the roving reporter for Richard & Judy a show he appears on regularly. Tickets are £14 and available at www.thecomedyclub.co.uk or by calling 0203 376 1112. Doors 7.30pm show time at 9pm. Congratulations to Jane Thomas of Chelmsford who won January’s ‘ Worst Christmas Cracker Joke’ competition with - ‘what do you give a man who has everything? - antibiotics!’ Two free Tickets are on the way to you! Thank you to everyone who took part. Don’t forget to check out The Comedy Club & Butlins ‘Festival of Comedy’ at Bognor Regis 6 - 9 th June. Full line up details and booking information now live @ www.thecomedyclub. co.uk.
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CT
The Chelmsford Ballet Company In 1947, Joan Weston created the Broomfield YMCA Ballet Company in order to give the more senior students at her existing dance school the opportunity to learn and perform to the public. It was after their 1949 performance of ‘Coppélia’ at the Shire Hall that the then Mayor of Chelmsford suggested the name ‘The Chelmsford Ballet Company’, and with a small committee the company was born. Since 1949, the ballet company has staged a full-scale production every year. Initially a part of the Arts Festival, and then the Cathedral Fringe Festival, they occur today as an annual event in their own right. Today the company is led by artistic director Annette Potter, who is a former dancing member. Annette danced many leading roles with the company before moving on to teaching and choreography. The ballet company is a way for skilled dancers from across the area to perform together and to showcase their considerable talents to appreciative and receptive audiences. Theatre goers are constantly ‘thrilled’ with the productions, which always maintain the high standards set by Joan Weston. It has become a well-loved cornerstone of Chelmsford’s cultural calendar. The Chelmsford Ballet Company is “an amateur company which sets professional standards for all its work, involving professionals in its productions, courses and other teaching and workshop opportunities”. The standards are such that both junior (aged 10 and Standard/Grade 2 or above) and senior (over 14) dancers must audition to become members
and again each year to perform in any production. These high standards are maintained through the monthly company classes, where the dancers are able to meet and take a class with experienced and distinguished teachers. In the 1960s a scholarship fund was created to help young dancers moving to professional training. March 2014 will see the company perform The Nutcracker at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford, for a run of four dates for the annual show from 19-22 March. Tickets for this exciting production are on sale from www.chelmsford.gov.uk and from the box office on 01245 606505. www.thechelmsfordballetcompany.co.uk
Publish www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk www.moulshamtimes.com Advertising Editorial Nick Garner Paul Mclean 07970 206682 07595 949701 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmeida.co.uk
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Classifieds
CAODS Spell-binding ‘The Witches of Eastwick’
Chelmsford Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society (CAODS) return to the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford with the premiere of the musical version of ‘The Witches of Eastwick’, playing February 25th – March 1st 2014. The combination of Sallie Warrington’s dynamic direction and choreography with a bewitching cast make this musical comedy unmissable. ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ has it all – slick special effects and sleight-of-hand magic, flying witches, superb singing, exuberant dancing and plenty of humour too. In every sense, CAODS spring production is a truly magical show! Book your tickets now on tel: 01245 606505 or www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres.
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