Chelmsford The City Times March/April 2014

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Issue Number 6 - March 2014/April 2014

Local Author’s New Novel Commemorates a 50th Anniversary Anyone living in or around Chelmsford fifty years ago may remember that it was at Easter of 1964 that thousands Mods and Rockers from all the surrounding areas roared up the A12 on their scooters and bikes, en route to Clacton for their first serious confrontation. This was subsequently repeated at other seaside resorts during the Whitsun and August bank holidays, causing consternation and moral outrage in the press and among the older generation.

I was only fourteen at the time but I remember it well. I was a Wannabe Mod (unfortunately I couldn’t afford the fashions), a staunch Beatles fan, and like all my friends, was caught up in all the excitement of being a teenager in the new, exhilarating decade of the 1960s, when the country was full of optimism about the future and young people were beginning to make our voices heard.

Fifty years on, I’m now the author of eleven published novels, and when recently I was contemplating writing something completely different, I hit upon the idea of a novel set in those turbulent – but in some ways more innocent – times. My new novel, YESTERDAY, is being published on 17 April, to coincide with the anniversary of the Easter riots at Clacton in1964.

The story opens in 2004, when my heroine Cathy is a middle-aged journalist, writing a feature for a national magazine about the Mods and Rockers to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the events in Clacton. To do so, she needs to revisit her own troubled teenage years, bringing back painful personal memories of abuse, bullying and violence. The background of YESTERDAY is full of 1960s detail, but it’s also a story of drama and intrigue, about growing up, friendships, first love, and family breakdown. Throughout time, of course, there have always been stories about teenagers caught up in conflicts between two ‘gangs’– for instance Romeo and Juliet and West Side Story – and I think the appeal is in the emotions and tragedies involved. After all, love, violence, jealousy and bigotry are common to every generation, not just those of us who remember the headlines of 1964 about rioting Mods and Rockers!

YESTERDAY by Sheila Norton is available as a Kindle eBook on Amazon from 17 April 2014, launch price £1.99.

Next deadlines Editorial copy - 4th April Art work - 7th April Finished art work - 11th April

CT Welcome

Welcome to the March edition of Chelmsford The City Times.

This month again we have some new writers for you, we are quickly running out of space!

There is lots and lots going on this month in and around the city, our events listings are larger than ever. Please keep sending them in to us at editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk.

From this issue we have new pick up points in Sainsburys and Morrisons (Newlands Spring) along with Chelmsford City FC. Remember we are also in pubs and cafes in Great Baddow, Danbury and Writtle.

We hope you enjoy reading!

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

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CT Fashion

For a minute there it looked like spring was on its way, but even if the weather is not playing fair, the spring collections have now hit the shops. So how do we navigate our way from winter to spring, when it’s not quite springy enough to put away our winter clothes?

The term is called ‘Transitional Dressing’ and I can show how, plus, I will throw in some fabulous spring must haves that you can buy on our very own high street.

Firstly we need to assess our wardrobe in its current state.

Pack Those Woollies Away Can some of those woolly jumpers go into storage?

Pack them away in laundry bags or vacuum storage bags and don’t forget to put a little fabric bag or sock with some mothballs in.

The Jacket is Our Friend The jacket in many guises can be introduced back into your wardrobe; it could be your trusty denim, (which is always stylish) or a combat jacket, a swing jacket, a blazer, even a short mac (which is perfect for all this wet weather).

Try layering a boyfriend shirt or pretty blouse with a medium knit jumper over the top, this can then be worn over a flippy skirt and tights and ankle boots or a more structured pencil skirt.

For men similar rules apply, think about layering. It’s a great look and it’s practical. Give this one a try… denim shirt, medium knit, denim jacket and reefer jacket or mac. Discard a layer whenever our great British weather dictates. Or if you have to be suited and booted for work, why not invest in a three piece, so the jacket can come off in the office and your waistcoat and shirt combo still looks smart (think Dermot O’Leary).

Tights Will See you Through You can pack away your thick tights ladies, but you should keep your patterned, coloured, opaques and 20 deniers, because we will be seeing more and more dresses, skirts and shorts in our shops over the coming months.

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Prints are Charming for Spring It is time to get those prints out, those printed dresses, shirts, tops or scarves, need to come back into your wardrobe. The days are lighter, so colour and pattern really need to be

explored, don’t be afraid to mix them up either, think gingham, and a floral together.

Men can also introduce more prints back into their wardrobe; there are some great printed shirts out there for this spring.

Put Away your Knee-Highs Put away your knee-high boots and bring back your ankle boots. If you haven’t got a pair, then invest in some, you will be surprised at how much wear you get out of them and come early summer you will also be able to wear them with bare legs.

If you Want to Get Ahead this Spring, Get a Hat Don’t be afraid to wear a hat, they are super stylish and they protect your hair from the elements, think fedora, trilby, bowler, even a beanie, which will toughen up a girlie look.

Men… think caps, trilbys and beanies.

Skirt Around the Issue If you have any mid-length flared skirts still hanging in your wardrobe from seasons back, then now is the time to rediscover them. If mid-length is too long then over the knee will be just fine. Team with a tucked in shirt or blouse or buttoned up cardi.

Pale is Interesting If you look around the high street you will see things are lightening up, creams, whites, light greys, pastels, and neutrals are all featuring on the high street, but in thicker and textured fabrics. So bring out yours and wear together. For example, you could try this: a white shirt with a pastel knit, paired with nude chinos or stonewash jeans with tan loafers or white converse.

Spring Buys Cara Cable sweater 5330451452 £55.00 Monsoon.

Deena denim jacket 5930500212 £49.00 Monsoon.

Printed tweed moto jacket £74.95 Gap. Tunbridge trench coat £78.00 Fat Face.

Maywell Ditsy shirt £49.95 Joules at Quadrant.

Suede ankle boot Orla £55.00 (in the sale) they also have a large selection of non sale ankle boots at Jones Bootmaker at Quadrant.

Lola suede heeled ankle boots £65.00 FatFace.

Trilby hat 59104941009 £17.00 Accessorize.

Light weight bowler hat £18.00 19K17FNAV Topshop.

Leather cross body bag 302430065 £49.95 (pastel blue) Gap. Vintage 1980s mid length circle skirt £34.00 Now and Then.

Vintage men’s Blue Harbour pure wool checked flat cap T094427. £17.50 Marks and Spencer.

Men’s duffel coat 65-8346 £39.99 H&M. 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.

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How to Get your Central Heating System Working as it Should and Save Money.

Reducing the carbon footprint and thereby reversing climate change is the goal of the renewable energy sector. This entails considerable expenditure in new and sometimes unproven technologies. However there is another approach, save fuel and cut your energy bill by making your central heating system more efficient. The average domestic energy bill will rise to nearly £1900 by 2020*, of which 80%** is due to heating water. In the year to 2012 DECC reported an increase of 19.6% in gas expenditure and 8.4% in electricity.

There is potential to obtain substantial monetary savings by reducing energy usage, especially as the future global energy supply market is so uncertain and volatile.

Experienced plumbers complain that a high proportion of domestic central heating systems are inefficient through a number of reasons including poor design and installation, corrosion and age related defects, incompatible hardware particularly - when the system has been extended and changes in lifestyle and demand which the original system cannot satisfy. These manifest themselves as overworked boilers, cold radiators and poor circulation, inadequate space heating, lack of potable hot water and noisy plumbing.

Within the plumbing world there are central heating components that have been designed to deal with individual problems. All of these have not been completely successful in resolving all central heating ailments as each addresses a single problem and do not attempt to solve system defects as a whole. For instance solar thermal can pre-heat water but is only efficient when the sun is out. Removal of air is a key benefit to efficiency as air is the source of the chemical

reactions that cause corrosion in the system and cavitation in the circulating pumps. The result is that the performance of the boiler can be compromised.

In 2005 it became mandatory for all new gas boilers to be ‘Condensing’. This type of boiler is typically over 90% efficient as it uses flue gases to pre-heat the water in the flow return. However if the return water has a temperature of above 56 degrees c it will not condense and the boiler will become inefficient.

This scenario is very common as a high flow temperature is required to transport hot water all the way around the radiator system.

There is now a product available on the UK market that addresses all the common problems, in one unique product with the added bonus of potentially reducing fuel bills.

The Magic Heating Box combines the various established principles of a buffer tank, a de-aerator and a low-loss header.

It is a natural heat exchanger and due to its cubed design performs all its tasks more efficiently. It should prove to be the plumber’s savour for tackling defects in central heating systems and as the ultimate goal, save the planet from climate warming.

For more information on The Magic Heating Box and its attributes please contact Malcolm Stratford at Magic Thermodynamic Box. Tel: 0844 967 1500. * Taxpayers Alliance July 2013. ** Heating and Hot Water Taskforce March 2010.

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CT Cooking

by John Jacobs - The Hemingway Burger

Has it stopped? The water wings on the train are becoming an embarrassment. The river Can burst its banks creating typically British slightly understated rapids through the Viaduct in Central Park which this morning capsized an unfortunate canoeist. I watched him scramble breathlessly up the muddy bank in the freezing cold I thought it fortunate to have had my mobile phone and the presence of mind to video it.

It does appear that we are emerging from hibernation and this is the time of year Chelmsford starts springing to life. Along with the cherry blossom in the park, anticipation blooms for our summer festivals, the profusion of events at Highlands Park, Blues in the City and from a personal point of view, impromptu tapas and Estrella (other beers are available) with friends when the sun sneaks through the low lying cloud.

It’s also the coming of Spring that means the countdown to the Jay’s Hospice 50 mile charity cycle ride across the Essex countryside. It’s about now I drag my sorry self out onto my bike and put in the hours in a bid to be ready, whilst avoiding being garrotted in the park by extendable dog leads. I must try harder this time. Last year, not only could I not feel my legs by the end of it but spent the following week walking like I’d done time as ‘the perdy one’ in an Alabama prison.

Spring is a recurring and rich source for writers. ‘when spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest.’ Hemingway wrote that. I prefer Tom Lehrer’s ‘all the world seems in tune on a spring afternoon when we’re poisoning pigeons in the park.’ I mention Hemingway as I was drawn to a recent article by the BBC who unearthed a burger recipe penned by the Nobel Prize winning author’s daughter and headed Papa’s Favourite Hamburger.

Typed on a yellowing scrap of paper and annotated with hand written notes, it’s a mixture of ground beef and spices which I’m going to recreate here with a few ingredient substitutes to make sourcing easier. The burger is a wonderfully tolerant and forgiving thing to make limited only to the extent of one’s imagination. Try using lamb and fresh mint or even turkey mince and sage. The egg is optional as the patty will hold well anyway. So, get the fries on, slice some gherkins and fresh plum tomatoes and toast the onset of, we hope, ironically, a dry spring.

and dry seasonings over it, then mix them into the meat with a fork or your fingers. Let the bowl of meat sit out of the icebox for ten or fifteen minutes while you set the table and make the salad.

Add the relish, capers, everything else including wine and let the meat sit, quietly marinating, for another ten minutes if possible. Now make your fat juicy patties with your hands. The patties should be an inch thick, and soft in texture but not runny. Have the oil in your frying pan hot but not smoking when you drop in the patties and then turn the heat down and fry the burgers about four minutes. Take the pan off the burner and turn the heat high again. Flip the burgers over, put the pan back on the hot fire, then after one minute, turn the heat down again and cook another three minutes. Both sides of the burgers should be crispy brown and the middle pink and juicy.

John Jacobs is the owner of The Perfectly Simple Cookery School. If you have any suggestions for future articles or would like one of your recipes included in the City Times, please contact him at john@perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk. www.perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk

Ingredients 1 lb ground lean beef.

2 cloves, minced garlic.

2 little green onions, finely chopped.

1 heaping teaspoon, India relish (cucumber relish will do).

2 tablespoons capers.

1/2 teaspoon mixed spice seasoning.

1 egg, beaten in a cup with a fork.

About 1/3 cup dry red or white wine.

1 tablespoon cooking oil.

What to do: Break up the meat with a fork and scatter the garlic, onion Page 6

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Bi-monthly Beer Festival 27th-30th March The Ale House will be holding the first of their bi-monthly beer festivals over the weekend of the 27th to 30th March.

From country wide cask ale Kicking it all off on the Thursday evening they and cider, to imported German lager and worldwide will be hosting Dave Hewitt from Hewitts brewery for a ‘Meet the Brewer’ from 7pm. bottled beers, no matter With some 24 Ales, 12 ciders and 80 bottles from what you drink, The Ale around the world there is bound to be something House is the place for you! for everyone. To bring it all to a close there will be live music on the Sunday afternoon. Food available all day until 10 o’clock.

24-26 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1TS 01245 260535 www.the-ale-house-chelmsford.co.uk

CT Gardening Kill Weeds

Getting on top of weeds early in the season means that you should prevent them seeding and becoming a problem.

Hoeing the border once a week works well. Even better, if you have a dry sunny day the heat will dry up any tops that have been cut. Good for annuals not so clever for perennials such as dandelion – these need digging out and spot weeding with a gel paint containing glyphosate. Don’t forget to mulch around newly hoed areas as this keep regrowth of unwanted plants to a minimum and also keep the moisture in!

Your Lawn Needs a New Fitness Regime After a winter of neglect, your lawn will benefit from a bit of care now. Start mowing once a week, beginning with the blades at the highest setting and gradually lowering them over the weeks. This may also be a good time to check out new deals for replacement mowers – check with all your good garden centres. Once you start mowing keep going to keep grasses short, lush and thick.

For a perfect finish, trim the lawn’s edges with long-handled shears or a grass trimmer. Even if you cannot get onto the lawn due to inclement weather, trimming the lawn edge can make all the difference.

Bare or thin patches of grass can be thickened up by raking over the surface and then resowing with an appropriate mix: look for perennial rye grass for those harder wearing lawns, use Timothy for shady conditions and finally use a mix containing mainly fescues and brown top bents for that ‘bowling green’ look.

Lastly, give the lawn a feed. If it contains weeds or moss, treat these at the same time with a combination lawn, feed and weed product. If predominantly moss then use lawn sand containing ferrous sulphate to dehydrate the moss quickly and only when black should you rake. Do this before and you’ll just spread the moss spores everywhere.

Also consider spiking and top dressing once a year. Thin out over hanging branches as this will help with drainage and hopefully the long term moss problem.

by Tom Cole The months of April and May are ideal for pruning evergreens. So if you have a Juniper, Cypress or lavenders that needs shearing or pruning this will be a good time to accomplish the task. Remove all dead, diseased, and undesirable wood.

However, do not prune back into the bare wood part of the plant as often they will not regrow.

Prune your Forsythia and Mahonias after they finish flowering – remove old flowering areas to the ground or to where there is a vegetative shoot. Finally, reduce vegetative growth by 1/3rd. This will bring the plant under control and improve air flow around the plant.

Broadleaf and needle leaf evergreens benefit most from lightly spreading a high nitrogen fertiliser around their bases – this will green up general shoot growth.

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.

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Shrubs and Trees There is still is time to plant trees and shrubs. However, by mid month it will be a little late to transplant large trees or shrubs, so do them now. Water well and check through the summer for the first couple of growing seasons to ensure that it doesn’t dry out.

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Crafts by Gemma Peacock - Felting

There are 2 different kinds of felting, well 2 that are commonly known, they are wet felting and needle felting.

Both are very different, but great results can be achieved using both methods, depending what it is that you are trying to create. Basically they are both used to enable the fibres of the wool (merino wool for wet felting and coarser wool roving for needle felting) to combine together to, you guessed it, make felt.

I was first introduced to felt when I signed up to a wet felting course held at Hylands House Estate, run by Lynne Sharpe, who at the time was one of their resident artists. I have a love of textiles and having already tried sewing, cross stich and knitting, thought I would try working with something a little different.

I was pleased to see that Lynne had already sorted the colours into groups

making it a lot easier to pick out the wool at the start of the workshop. To begin with the wool needed to be broken up into smaller pieces and laid out in layers to form a pattern (of your choice) Next comes the fun part, which involves bubble wrap and soapy water, oh and a bit of elbow grease (this is the part that combines the fibres together) Once the newly made felt has dried it is then yours to make what you like with it, and the possibilities stretch far and wide, from scarfs and brooches to bags or even hats! A craft suitable for any age and any ability.

Needle felting is slightly different in that the wool is kept dry and the fibres are drawn together using a barbed needle – a great way to vent out built up anger. With needle felting you are able to create 3D shapes, as opposed to a flat piece of work. I would say it is more suited to adults but is still achievable for a child under close supervision.

Lynne can now be found at The Make It Room in Howe Green where she still runs Wet Felting workshops as well as needle felting workshops. You can find out more about these on her website www.themakeitroom.co.uk along with

a number of other craft workshops and courses.

With regards to buying felting wool or felt related products check out Blooming Felt www.bloomingfelt.com for a huge range of products, located locally in Danbury.

Please feel free to drop me an email if you have any questions or if there’s a particular craft you’d like to hear about at gemscrafts@hotmail.co.uk Happy felting.

The Orange Tree CAMRA Pub Of The Year 2014 by Simon Tippler

The Orange Tree in Lower Anchor Street and has just been awarded ‘Pub Of The Year’

by Chelmsford & Mid Essex CAMRA. For landlord Mike Collins, it’s not the first time he has held the title Pub Of The Year, but it is the first time that The Orange Tree has received the coveted award voted for by members of the local CAMRA branch.

Silent Mike, as he is affectionately known (and if you have ever had the pleasure of meeting him you’ll know why he is called Silent) has been a landlord for many years. It’s not surprising that he does such a great job as the pub trade is in his blood; he’s the son of a publican and was born in a pub. Having run a string of pubs in east London and golf club and rugby club bars, 16 years ago he moved to Chelmsford where he ran The Queens Head (Crouch Vale’s brewery tap) for ten years until he moved to The Orange Tree.

So what does he think is the secret to running a successful pub? He said the base of any good pub is that it feels like home from home and attracts a good crowd of local customers. He also said that his pub wouldn’t be what it is now without the excellent staff he has and the wide selection of beers that are available to him.

When I asked what his top 3 beers would be, he said he would struggle and mentioned Chris ‘Podge’ Pollard who once wrote on the wall of The Queens Head ‘So much beer and so little time’.

Eventually he plumped for: 1) Oscar Wilde Mild (Mighty Oak) 2) Schiehallion (Harviestoun) 3) East Street Cream (RCH) Mike twisted my arm and asked to add a fourth on the end of the list, so his extra choice is SAS Strong Anglian Special from Crouch Vale.

beer from around the country.

As you would suspect for an award winning pub, there is always a lot going on at The Orange Tree including 2 darts teams, a rugby team, a book club, a regular charity quiz night (Tuesdays) but you are equally as welcome to sit quietly in the corner with the paper and a pint. They serve great pub grub and a selection of sandwiches every lunchtime, a full dinner menu on a Thursday night and a traditional roast on a Sunday.

Mike said it was great to win Pub Of The Year, especially as there are so many good pubs in the area and said he was also pleased for Gray & Sons to have one of their pubs reclaim the title. www.the-ot.com

The Orange Tree is known for selling a lot of dark beer and always has at least one if not two stouts available alongside a bitter and an amber and Mike is known for selecting some of the best

Wine Making by Manoah Smiley

Home made wine has an unfortunate reputation, but it needn’t be so. Homebrewing has come a long way in the last few decades, so we need not follow recipes that will only ever result in sweet, strong wine requiring 2-3 years to condition. Neither do we need to buy expensive gadgets and have a chemistry degree (though that does no harm).

In short lots of people are making great homebrew, cheaply, quickly and easily. Best of it all we’re living in the information age, and folk are sharing their successes on the web, via blogs, forums and “how to” videos. All of which can be accessed free.

So if you’ve tried making wine before but stopped, or if you’ve never tried, now is a good time to get brewing. Here’s some tips…

Don’t start your wine in an airing cupboard. A steady temperature is more important than warmth, so that unheated spare room could be perfect.

Homebrew shops stock yeasts that will ferment down to a chilly 8 degrees c.

There’s also low foaming strains if, like me, you don’t like cleaning up after vigorous,

messy fermentations. There’s others that produce esters giving the wine extra fruitiness.

Regarding time, you can make many different “quickie” wines of the same quality as those that cost £5/bottle.

They’re genuinely ready to drink only 6-8 weeks after starting and ingredients cost just 30-40p/bottle. The results are crisp, clear, pleasing, light wines (10-11%ABV), at their best when young.

Making these gives traditional wines the months or years they need to age properly (blackberry etc; my favourites to make as I love foraging).

For more expensive tastes there are quality kits. My favourite is hard to tell from a £15-23 Chateau Neuf Du Pape, but you get 6 bottles for a similar price. It’s ready to drink in a year, and deserves that time, but wait 2 or 3 years and you won’t regret it.

June’s an exciting time for homebrewers - elderflower season. So there’s ample time to get the gear together. Why not start a quickie wine now, you’ll be drinking it in May and will have learned the quickie wine process. Your second “quickie” could then be the

Page 10

base for elderflower wine. It works so well that it’s my method of choice, last year I made 20 gallons of it (120 bottles).

Regarding equipment, get yourself into attics, cellars, garages and garden sheds. Look for demijohns, fermenting buckets, barrels, airlocks, corkers, siphon tubes and hydrometers. Buying new will cost around £50-70, but by the time you’ve made 3 gallons (18 bottles) you’ll roughly break even. Start saving empty bottles, screw tops are fine.

Brewing’s an eco-friendly hobby. You’re recycling bottles and food miles are low. You’re also in control of keeping it natural or using chemicals. And did I mention delicious products at budget prices?

Want more info? Visit my blog. http:// homebrewedwines.blogspot.co.uk/ or hire me to teach you, your friends or club. I make upto 50 gallons a year, hic! www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Customers looking for great price reductions in musical instruments, accessories and sheet music often take the retail trend en-route via online shopping, however shopping online does have its ups-and-downs and in a lot of cases buying cheap can lack the quality factor depending on what it is. Music specialists James Dace Music, Moulsham Street, have greeted many disappointed customers who have bought online and while this is the case, their in-house specialist repair service has brought the quality and playability back to the customer’s instruments.

With our musical instruments, you can try before you buy while receiving experienced and professional service. So why not take advantage of the James Dace Music ‘Everything Must Go Sale’ throughout March?

As the Moulsham Street store is making way for new brands and changes to their market, music lovers can grab a brand new acoustic guitar starting from £99, electric guitars from £130 and an assortment of flutes and clarinets starting from £120 to get you started. Their mid-range guitars, woodwind and stringed instruments have also been discounted along with a great assortment of instrument accessories, sheet music and books.

When you buy an instrument in the sale you can expect some little extras thrown in along the way which you don’t always get online.

For more information contact James Dace Music Moulsham Street Chelmsford Tel: 01245 357107or email sales@ jamesdacemusic.com.

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CT What’s On In Chelmsford Mar/Apr March 14th Asylum - Intense presents Insane D & B Bassment -DJs- Andy Hatman + Paul Wilkinson Civic Theatre - The Bon Jovi Experience The Fleece - The Rising 15th Asylum - Rough Divide + Rayne Bassment -DJs Darryl Butcher + James Easter + Matt Love Cramphorn Theatre - Edinburgh warm ups The Fleece - 50/50 The Loop - Mayhem In The Loop The White Horse - St Patrick’s celebrations 16th The Alehouse - Mizenhead The White Horse - Poker night 18th Cramphorn Theatre - The Wizard Of Oz - Offspringers 19th Bassment - Fashion! New night - Hilly + guests Civic Theatre - The Nutcracker - Chelmsford Ballet Company Cramphorn Theatre - The Wizard Of Oz - Offspringers 20th Asylum - The Horse Heads + Memo + This Year’s Ghost Bassment - Edinburgh Festival comedy preview show Civic Theatre - The Nutcracker - Chelmsford Ballet Company Cramphorn Theatre - The Wizard Of Oz - Offspringers 21st Asylum - Dropper’s Neck + Create To Inspire + Lucien Sarti Bassment - Secret Company + The White Gospel Cramphorn Theatre - The Wizard Of Oz - Offspringers Civic Theatre - The Nutcracker - Chelmsford Ballet Company The Fleece - Stone The Crows The White Horse - Karaoke 22nd Asylum - Captain Blackbeard + Last Superheros + Cherry Scream Auction of Promises - Keene Hall - Galleywood Bassment -DJs Darryl Butcher + Stapleford Civic Theatre - The Nutcracker - Chelmsford Ballet Company Cramphorn Theatre - The Wizard Of Oz - Offspringers The Alehouse - Sloe Gin The Fleece - Under Ether The Loop - Drum & Bass The White Horse - Retro night 23rd Civic Theatre - An Evening With Geoff “Dusty” Miller The White Horse - Poker night Civic Theatre - Dance Digital’s Annual Spring Blast Showcase Keene Quilters - Stock Village Hall - 1pm 25th Asylum - Inexitus + Distance To Fall Civic Theatre - Entertaining Mr Sloane 26th Blues In The City @ The Bassment - Rag Mama Rag + The Jives UK Civic Theatre - Entertaining Mr Sloane Cramphorn Theatre - Lunchtime concert 27th Asylum - Point Inaudible + Yak Attack Bassment - El Sarao! - Spanish & Latin sounds Civic Theatre - The Barron Knights The Alehouse - Meet the brewer (Hewitts) / Kick Start BEER FEST 28th Asylum - Silent Divide + The Graphic Bassment - Mantango

28th (continued) Civic Theatre - The Irish House Party The Alehouse - BEER FEST The Fleece - Repertoire Dogs The White Horse - BEER FEST - Charity Race Night 29th Bassment - DJs Darryl Butcher + Firat + Sir Les Civic Theatre - Comic Capers with Steve Cole and Sarah McIntyre Civic Theatre - Oasis Uk Cramphorn Theatre - Pirates Love Underpants The Loop - Ministry FM - Vibe Essex launch The Alehouse - BEER FEST The Fleece - Undercover The White Horse - BEER FEST - Country & Western 30th Civic Theatre - Orchestra of the Swan Cramphorn Theatre - The Golden Age The Alehouse - Acoustic Sunday Session to end the BEER FEST The White Horse - BEER FEST - Poker night 31st Civic Theatre - The Mikado April 1st Civic Theatre - The Gruffalo live on stage Cramphorn Theatre - Mandela - A Long Walk To Freedom The White Horse - open mic night 2nd Bassment - Back To Mine!

Civic Theatre - The Gruffalo live on stage Cramphorn - Lunchtime concert Cramphorn - Life At The Tower Of London 3rd Asylum - Roisin O’Hagan + A Light Left On Bassment - Fling Fest comp. heat 1 Civic Theatre - The Elvis Years 1954 - 1977 Cramphorn Theatre - Inspector Norse The Girl With Two Screws Left Over 4th Asylum - Wong Unit + Meansteed + Slug Bassment - Rubber Soul!

Civic Theatre - An Evening of Burlesque Cramphorn Theatre - Finding Joy The Fleece - Voodoo Child 5th Asylum - Famous For Nothing + Bassment DJs Mat Dixon + Hilly + Darryl Butcher Concert for the Liver Trust at Ingatestone Hall The Alehouse - Circus 34 Andy Poole’s b’day The Fleece - Hot Sauce disco The White Horse - Rockin’ & Rollin’ 6th Cramphorn Theatre - The Railway Man 8th Civic Theatre - Grease - Chelmsford Young Generation 9th Civic Theatre - Grease - Chelmsford Young Generation Cramphorn Theatre - lunchtime concert 10th Asylum - The Slytones + Drop Dead Fred Bassment - Acoustic Night - Dinosaur Act + Jakob Deist Civic Theatre - Grease - Chelmsford Young Generation Cramphorn Theatre - Private Lives The Alehouse - Camerons Tap Take Over

11th Asylum - Fallen Poets + Finding Miranda + Guide Dogs For The Dead Bassment - The Kubricks + Surburban 100 Civic Theatre - Grease - Chelmsford Young Generation Cramphorn - 12 Years A Slave The Fleece - 22nd Century 12th Asylum - The Vibrators + Tickturds + Anarchist Wood + more Bassment - DJs Darryl Butcher + Jimmy Lopez Civic Theatre - Grease - Chelmsford Young Generation The Fleece - Scooby The White Horse - Soul Night 13th Cramphorn - Chelmsford Jazz Club 14th Civic Theatre - Fascinating Aida - Charm Offensive Keene Quilters - Stock Village Hall - 1pm 15th Cramphorn Theatre - American Hustle 16th Asylum - Young Claws + Tales Untold Cramphorn Theatre - lunchtime concert The Alehouse - Chris & Amy’s Acoustic Session 17th Bassment - Bank Holiday Special - Mr Thing + Dan Charnley Civic Theatre - The Panic Awards 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 White Horse - www.whbl.co.uk

Monday • 10:00 - 12:00 Monday Brunch with Alex • 19:00 - 20:30 Willis Wireless Tuesday • 10:00 - 12:00 The Tuesday Show with James Henry House • 19:00 - 20:30 Zest with Matt Willis Wednesday • 19:00 - 20:30 Off the Beaten Track with Lee Shuttlewood Thursday • 19:00 - 20:30 Local Topic Show with Reshma Friday • 19:00 - 20:30 The Friday Feeling Show with Garry Ormes • 22:00 - 23:00 Bad Standards

Saturday • 07:00 - 08:00 Dan's Early Breakfast • 08:00 - 11:00 The Dan & Sam Show • 11:00 - 12:00 Natalie Aston • 12:00 - 14:00 Live at Lunch with Pat & Ben • 14:00 - 16:00 Will & Becky • 16:00 - 17:00 The Rock Show with Angie • 17:00 - 20:00 Music Mix • 21:00 - 23:00 Conscious Reggae Show with Percival Lock • 23:00 - 23:59 Trance Journey with Sunny Jim (on till 1am)

Listen on tablets, smartphones & via the web:

Weekdays • 07:00 - 10:00 The CCR Breakfast Show • 16:00 - 19:00 Drivetime with Emily

www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

NEW Community Station for Chelmsford

We're a new not-for-profit Community Radio Station, adding more shows each week. We also broadcast from local community groups and events.

Listen via the Tunein App for iOS, Android & Windows Phone, and through the web at www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

17th April 2014 7.45pm Civic Theatre Tickets £6 In aid of

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Jems by Darren Lerigo

morning. She also had to learn HTML and CSS so she could create it. “I won’t be beaten by technology,” she told me, “it is not a case of why am I doing it, but why not?”

Does she still get up at 5am though?

“Stuart is here, and keeps the web stuff going now. It was worth it at the time, but now it is better to have someone else take it on.”

Hello, my name is Darren Lerigo and I shall be writing for you about businesses based in Chelmsford. I have previously started and run three businesses, the latest – Modern Mint Ltd, a garden design firm – begun in January this year when I moved to Essex from Hampshire.

Essex seems to have a strong culture of entrepreneurship, of people getting out there and making things happen. I am excited to have the opportunity to meet and learn from these people.

My first interview was with Jems Party and Dance Centre, a fancy dress hire and dancewear shop on Parkway run by Janet and David Meadows.

“We’ve been going 27 years now,” Janet tells me as we sit down in her store for a chat, while behind us a small boy tries every trick he knows to convince his mother to buy him a smurf suit, “the first customer came to our house to try on their costume, and had to use the bedroom to get changed in.”

When Janet had her first daughter she couldn’t go back to the bank she worked for, so needed another income. She began by making every single costume herself, “I had to, because back then you couldn’t get them, not like now. Now it’s a buy through business.”

Soon after she decided to expand the business, so she moved to new premises at the top of Moulsham Mill. Her husband David sold his fish and chip shop and they began working together. This also meant they could both have time with their daughter.

“Family is important. We needed something flexible, so this job share and family share meant one person didn’t get stuck or have boundaries. We would even have the children in the shop with us early on.”

What strikes me most about Janet is her flexible attitude to the situations she finds herself in, her willingness to work hard and make things happen.

When more people began shopping online she would get up at 5am to work on a web shop, which they needed to expand for the business. She would then do a full work-day in the shop, before going home and continuing where she had left off that

What advice would she give a new entrepreneur, or someone just starting up in business? “Go with what’s wanted,” she says. Perhaps she learnt this from her father? “He left riots in Cyprus in the 50’s, got off the train in Paris and walked straight into the middle of another riot there. Thinking ‘I’ve just come from this’ he got back on the train and headed for London.”

Using Facebook makes it easy for Janet to keep in touch with family in Cyprus. She feels an affinity for her roots there and even began learning Turkish three years ago, alongside the German and French she also speaks. What else inspired her to learn another language? “Get things done or time will go…!” she tells me.

If you need a costume for a night out David and Janet, with nearly three decades of work in the industry, are worth speaking to. They can direct you to what you need, what is best value and what accessories can flesh out a basic costume.

“The costume hire business is very hands on. A lot of repeat business and recommendations. We try to make suggestions and help people.” It is also a very seasonal business; Halloween and New Years Eve are busiest for costumes, then January and September for the dancewear.

Wanting to know what is most popular right now, David laughs as he hands me a Captain America all-in-one skin suit. I’m not sure it would be my first choice, but I can see how the term ‘all-in-one skin suit’ would have a certain appeal when preparing for a big night out, “they are popular with a lot of young guys.”

They also sell a range of contact lenses, something they hadn’t done in the past because they were unsure of the quality, “but that has really changed.” They are now a big seller.

It was an interesting first interview as I begin my journey to discover new business owners in Chelmsford, meeting local entrepreneurs and trying to determine what drives people to work for themselves. Janet’s attitude to whatever life had to throw her way and desire to learn seemed to be her inspiration.

So if you find yourself in a situation where you require a costume – or just fancy wearing an all in one skin suit – head down to Jems on Parkway and speak to Janet and David Meadows.

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the bestofChelmsford by Tom Bosher Here at thebestof Chelmsford we are the champions of Buy Local, you’ll see our stickers in over 200 businesses the length and breadth of our patch which is CM0 to CM4 inclusive.

meeting. We’ll come to you it won’t take hours 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!

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.

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

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

BAD Publicity... Can it Ruin a Business?

Let’s face it, we all love a scandal! Scandals sell newspapers and it seems we love to hate large companies involved in scandals too. So it got me thinking - can a business survive a media scandal?

With a huge media focus on phone-hacking, large corporates deliberately avoiding taxes, horse-meat contamination, recalls on cars, the list is endless. Many businesses will suffer the inevitable effects of bad publicity. Decreased consumer confidence can lead to losing customers, lost sales, loss of profit, staff redundancies and even going out of business.

Celebrities are not safe either. Many have recently been the subject of bad publicity. The allegations surrounding the late Jimmy Savile and his associates have had endless column inches, TV and radio devoted to them. I’m not knocking our media but it seems that once a bad publicity story rears its head, our media is like a dog with a bone – it will just not let go.

Old-timers will recognize the old saying ‘there’s no such thing as BAD publicity’. I learnt this was associated with Phineas T. Barnum, the 19th century American showman. Barnum was implying that literally any type of publicity is good and no publicity at all is bad for business. OR IS IT? Barnum was a self-publicist and never missed an opportunity to present his wares to the public. He worked publicity in his favour, BUT today publicity has moved on and become significantly more complex since Barnum’s day.

You see, today, virtually all media has an online offering. And online virtually means real-time. So, when news breaks it has the capacity to go global within seconds.

Twitter is probably the fastest way for publicity to spread. Next time you are on Twitter, check out the # trends to see what breaking news is out there. Now look how frequently those trends change. Today’s newspaper is tomorrow’s fish and chip paper after all. If you do use Twitter for business remember that the reputation of a company can be ruined in the 140 characters of a Tweet.

Part of the service that I offer at sarahBee marketing is Crisis Management. When a bad piece of adverse publicity hits the headlines then a large company will usually have a professional PR expert on hand to ‘manage the crisis’. This usually means that the PR will put out a public statement that advises that the company is aware of the issue and is ‘looking into it’. Essentially this buys the company more time to find facts and work on a strategy with the PR expert.

Whatever business you are in, you should always have at least a bit of a plan for crisis management. The media loves scare stories so just be aware that something COULD be printed/ posted or tweeted about your business – even if it is untrue.

Obviously slanderous comments will not go unchallenged but sometimes mud sticks, if you know what I mean. If you are business owner, then please take ten minutes now to consider the following: 1. Write down the name and contact details of your key media spokesperson (e.g. your MD, Head of Marketing etc).

2. Share the details of your key media spokesperson with your management team.

3. Arrange some media training for your key media spokesperson.

4. Have the ability to post a holding statement on your website at short notice.

5. Make sure ex-employees no longer have access to your social media accounts.

6. Make staff aware that they are not to give any media interviews without your prior approval. I always tell my clients that bad publicity is generally very rare, but it’s always best to be prepared, just in case. If you do want expert advice, then give sarahBee marketing a buzz on 01371 859104 or visit www. sarahbeemarketing.com.

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Angel Broomfield City Detective Agency Episode 3 - The Case of the German Sausage

by Simon Culleton Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s very own private detective was raised by 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 of 221 ½ 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 sliding down the staircase bannister of Oakland’s Park museum speeding towards a sharp object ruthlessly placed at the bottom, to make an unforgettable impact.

There was no avoiding it, the steep gradient of the banister and the speed of which Angel slid down the pre-oiled smooth oak gave no time for options. John looked away and winced remembering a similar situation in his school days involving Perky Upton the school bully and head prefect, some goose fat secretly scrapped from the left overs plate from the staff Sunday lunch and an under ripe gherkin.

Suddenly,with a dull thumping sound, Angel smashed into the bottom of the bannister yet with surprising relief to both John and Angel he suffered little or no ill effects. Something had cushioned the blow. To the marvel of Angel the sharp object that was placed at the bottom of the banister to do him harm had now been rendered harmless by being wrapped in what seemed to be a ladies dress.

“It was the only way I could save you” pleaded Helen who was now standing there in her pink frilly underwear. For a moment both men stood in silence, John’s jaw dropped so low that a cricket ball could be placed inside his mouth.

Angel shook himself out of his stupor.

“But, how did you manage to get your dress off so quickly?” asked Angel.

Helen squirmed on the spot.

“Before I became a landlady” admitted Helen “I was a stripper”. John’s mouth could now fit in two cricket balls. Yet Helen continued, while curling one of her blonde locks around her finger as she pleaded, “I was young and needed the money and we were paid per strip.

In my prime I could preform four strips a minute and was the second highest earner in the strip joint next to Ejector Button Jilly who’s flight lieutenant boyfriend Wing Commander Bradshaw had stolen the ejector seat mechanism

from his Harrier Jet and wired it to her dress. Suddenly Helen stopped talking and gasped as she noticed in the apex of her eye that the small package which they had been chasing was placed in-between the balustrades on the upstair landing. Forgetting her scanty appearance Helen bounded up the wooden staircase missing every second step as she ran. Angel and John followed Helen (Benny Hill style) up the stairs.

Helen grabbed the package and ripped it open like a child on christmas morning scattering it’s contents on the floor. In front of them lay an old fob watch and a message scrawled on a piece of paper which Angel read aloud:“One of them is a German spy”.

“So they’re up to their old tricks again”, said John rolling up his sleeves. Angel pocketed the watch and announced,“we must search the house and look for this German spy”, and then realising that Helen was still in her underwear Angel draping his jacket over her bare shoulders. This action was much to the consternation of John but relief to Angel who could not look upon the sight of bare flesh without it evoking the memory of the nuns’ secret over 70s naturist convention where Angel was coerced into being a judge for the hand stand, star jump and cart wheel competition, where sister O’Donavon, in her eagerness to complete another rotation had spun uncontrollably into the judge’s table consequentially falling onto Angel blocking his air waves for a full 30 seconds; the memory of which still caused Angel sleepless nights.

Shaking himself out of this thought Angel proclaimed: “the games a foot”, and with that the three of them ran from room to room searching high and low until at last they came to the entrance of the room exhibiting Chelmsford’s military history. “It must be one of them” stated Angel pointing at the two people inside the room. On one side was an old lady wearing thick spectacles squinting through the glass cabinet full of medals.

On the other side of the room was a tall blonde headed man with piercing blue eyes, standing bolt upright, wearing Jack boots, a long grey coat and a small shiny helmet with a spike on top. He was also eating a large sausage.“I don’t know about you” deduced Angel “but one of them is distinctly suspicious”. John muscled through and walked straight up to the old lady; “games up Jerry” he said.

Helen slapped a hand on her forehead.

Angel casually sauntered up to the tall man and enquired “are you German”?

“Nein” came a sharp reply, “I am English through unt through. I like gardening, moaning about zee vetter and making jokes about zee breaking of zee vind.”

“Definitely English” said John. Helen interrupted.

“I see you have a large German sausage”. “Jawohl, I mean yes you cannot miss it” he answered then added. “I much prefer your English bangers”. He then thrust the German sausage into Helen’s hand and simultaneously dipping his head and clicking his heels he marched out of the room lifting his feet up high in front of him as he walked. Angel spoke thoughtfully,....

“There’s something not quite right about that fellow.” Suddenly a loud voice shattered the silence. It was from a security guard now standing inside the room.

“There is no eating in here”, he demanded “someone has just complained, so hand over the sausage and you three come with me.” Angel, who had been peering out of the window now looked back in alarm, “I’ve just seen that tall man get into the sports car and drive away, he must be the German spy” Helen rolled her eyes.“You don’t say”.

“There is no time to lose”, insisted Angel “We must go after him”. “Oh no you don’t” demanded the security guard blocking their exit. Then in a flash of inspiration Angel grabbed the sausage from Helen and remembering words of sister O’Connors in the 1967 Secret Nun’s Fencing competition where she uttered the phrase while lunging forwards for the winning strike to the chest of the East German sister Von Heapalot, “they don’t like it up em”.

Angel charged. Throwing the sausage like a spear Angel forced the security guard to yield so the three of them could make their escape and run down the stairs. The only exit available to them was the automatic glass doors. As they raced towards the doors they began to close, the security guard having radioed forward. John was the first to run clear managing to get easily through the rapidly closing doors. Helen was not so lucky and was almost caught by what seemed like a two sided glass guillotine.

She struggled to break free as her clothing was caught and it was only because of the quick thinking of John who loosened her clothing to affect her escape so that Helen could break free though reluctantly she was back in just her underwear again thinking ‘’I’m so pleased I wore a matching pair”.Both Helen and John now strained to stop the doors from closing as Angel dived like superman into the decreasing gap. It was no use, Angel only manage to get his upper body outside with the doors now clamping him like a crocodile at the waist leaving his lower body, still inside. The security guard, now steaming with anger holding the German sausage in his hand charged like a bull at Angels vulnerable behind shouting “I’ll show you who doesn’t like it up em”. Helen and John pulled at Angel as the security guard thrust forward and.....

Tune in to the next addition to see if Angel can be pulled free? Will Helen ever get her clothes back on? And will Angel learn a new use for a german sausage? All this and more with ‘Angel Broomfield City Detective’.

Gig Review

Richard Townend/The Blues Consortium - Blues In The City The Bassment - 19 FEBRUARY 2014

By Mike Lightfoot - SAINT FM Richard Townend kicked this evening off with an inspirational solo performance. Some of the songs performed tonight came from the excellent new Mighty Bosscats album, Boiling Point, such is their strength that they came across just as strong in a one man performance. Particularly impressive were Elvis Come Home and Take Me To Waco Station both of which went down extremely well with the audience.

The Blues Consortium, consisting of veterans Del Stoton (vocals) and Chris Campbell (guitar), together with youngsters Adam Wright (bass) and Paul Beddow (drums), were on top form. The set consisted mainly of blues standards such as Sitting On Top Of The World, Crossroads etc, but these guys play them with such intensity you would have thought their lives depended on them.

Keep your eye open for these guys because they are extremely entertaining and well worth going to see.

Next up RAG MAMA RAG and THE JIVES

March 26th, Visit www.bluesinthecity.co.uk or www.facebook.com/ bluesinthecity.

CT CHARITY - Age UK Essex Just how old is old nowadays? 50?

65? Or maybe 80? 102-year-old French cyclist Robert Marchand certainly doesn’t feel old he’s attempting to break his own world record by covering over 25km in an hour. And how about 99-year-old Margaret Rigby, the oldest recipient in this year’s New Year Honours List? She’ll be given the British Empire Medal for her 86 years service to Girl Guiding at Buckingham Palace just a few days after her 100th birthday - and says she has every intention of continuing her work!

confidence. There’s also our Active Lives and Dementia Connections programmes which offer targeted, short-term support. So whether you just want a chat over a cuppa or some company on a stroll in the park, we’re here for you.

Bird o

f Prey

Last year we helped over 40,000 people in Essex make the most of later life. We are very proud of the work we do but there is always more we want to achieve. If you can support us in any way, we’d love to hear from you.

For more information about our services please visit our website, www.ageuk.org.uk/essex, or call us on 01245 346 106.

Images used under license from Shutterstock.com.

But the truth is, none of us really know exactly when we will begin to feel old. It might be when cleaning your own home becomes too much of a chore, illness makes it hard for you to enjoy your favourite hobby or when the death of a loved-one leaves you feeling lonely. It can creep up on us at anytime.

Thistle Dry Cleaners 174 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford

25%

At Age UK Essex, we don’t want anyone to feel old. We believe age should be celebrated and that later life should be a time of enjoyment where you get to carry on socialising, learning and contributing to your community. And that’s exactly why we provide essential support services to older people in Essex we think everyone, no matter what their age, should be able to enjoy life.

So what is it that we do to help make growing old easier?

Firstly, for anyone over 50 in need of support or guidance, there’s our free and confidential information and advice line.

Run by a group of trained advisers, it offers information on a range of topics including welfare benefits, social care and bereavement. They can also refer you to other services like our advocacy team who help older people deal with the challenges they face with health and social care settings.

Secondly, we offer more practical, domestic support. Our professional home help team deliver a range of services from housework to shopping as well as a dedicated sitting service which offers valuable respite to carers. We also have a mobile team of busy toenail trimmers who work at a variety of easily accessible venues across the county.

Lastly, but very importantly, we offer a range of free befriending services that provide friendship and support for anyone who feels lonely or needs help to rebuild their

off

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Voucher must be shown when depositing items.

Open 8.30am - 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Tel 01245 287919

www.thistledrycleaners.com

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Willowmere and Chasewater Angling Club Willowmere and Chasewater Angling Club is a friendly local club. This year they are increasing their membership. This opportunity does not occur too often and so gives them some scope to accept new members either game or coarse anglers.

Willowmere is their premier trout water, a three acre lake surrounded by mature trees fringed with bulrushes. There are fishing boats available but also the option of jetty or bank fishing on two sides.

Chasewater is a four acre lake of mixed fishing with three islands and ‘moat’ and ‘pool’ areas being an L’ shape. The water in the moat is within fly casting distance and the lake is shared with a limited number of coarse anglers.

Located on land near the village of Writtle, within 4 miles of Chelmsford, the waters are managed and controlled by bailiffs.

Willowmere and Chasewater Angling Club has high principles and aims to develop a fishery that maintains a balance between a picturesque environment and exceptional fishing, thus giving the angler a place that takes them away from the pressures of work and into the heart of the natural world.

They encourage members to participate in the sport of freshwater angling without discrimination in any form. They aim to foster a community spirit between individual members through exchange of skills, knowledge and experience.

Visit their website at: www.willowmere.info or contact their Membership Secretary; John Shea on 07584 295 178.

Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill

Hypnotherapy is an incredibly helpful technique to use when I have a client suffering with stress. Most of my clients are stressed to a certain degree because when we’re going through emotional pain and mental anguish, stress is undoubtedly going to be a bi-product! Hypnotherapy not only is great for de-stressing but it’s also a fantastic way to teach people how to relax. For those who genuinely don’t know how to relax, hypnotherapy can show you how by using a step-bystep technique that is easy to follow and to understand.

Some people are convinced that they “don’t feel stress”, because of this they have concluded that they are unaffected by certain outside events and because they “don’t feel stress” believe they must therefore be immune to it. Stress is normal, everyone has the ability to feel stress because it’s linked to our “fight or flight” response that has been keeping us alive for thousands of years, those that think they never feel stress are in fact probably in denial or don’t recognise what stress is. It’s not that they don’t feel stressed, it’s that they sweep it under the carpet and likely have another coping mechanism or behaviour that they may not be aware of, for example they may drink excessively therefore escaping their stress rather than facing up to it.

The ability to deal with stress is partly genetic and partly environmental. We do need stress as it also motivates us, eg, eustress is short-term stress that motivates us and increases performance, a sales person selling on deadline may book the best deal of their life under eustress. However, constant stress over a long period of time can lead to chronic stress, which is a very serious condition as it has physical symptoms as well as psychological ones, and it can lead to further physical problems. Stress can also lead to anxiety as anxiety can lead to stress because they are both connected to the fight or flight response that aims to ensure our safety.

Some of the physical symptoms of stress include headaches, nausea, aching muscles, IBS and high blood pressure.

Emotional symptoms include moodiness, irritability or short temper, agitation, inability to relax, feeling overwhelmed, and general unhappiness. Cognitive symptoms include memory problems, worrying lots and an inability to concentrate.

Behavioural symptoms include change in sleeping pattern, developing a self defeating behaviour like excessive drinking, procrastinating and nervous habits like nail biting or pacing.

There are many, many more symptoms, too many to list as I’ll run out of word count!

In my opinion the best way to treat stress is to learn how to relax, however there may be underlying issues as to what is causing the stress so I would help the client to deal with those in the long term. Being unable to relax could exacerbate the physical and mental symptoms of stress. Remember that whilst you may not be able to change your world, you can change your reaction to it. A relaxed person will respond to a stressful situation very differently to an already stressed person and there will be more room in the calm person’s conscious to deal with the situation because they’re not already worrying about twenty other things at the same time.

Hypnotherapy is so effective at treating stress that I offer it at the end of counselling sessions or on its own just for relaxation. The relaxation sessions are shorter and don’t include any suggestions, I simply perform the PMR (progressive muscle relaxation – relaxing your body one part at a time) and then the deepener (to relax the mind, usually imagining going down some stairs into deep relaxation is an

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www.counsellinginchelmsford.co.uk 07528822928

effective way of inducing a trance but more specific deepeners can be written) and then I encourage the client into their special place and allow them to relax there for about ten minutes. When the client is reoriented they feel a little woozy, but very, very relaxed. In total the Relaxation Hypnotherapy session takes about forty minutes. The results I’ve seen from adding hypnotherapy onto sessions to treat stress has been phenomenal. Just from having hypnotherapy sessions once per week where the client can completely relax and get away from any stress they may be feeling has resulted in clients feeling happier, more stable, able to cope better with life with a much more positive mindset and they’re a lot, lot calmer! Another feature of stress is that when we’re really feeling it everything can seem worse, like the world is against us, therefore dealing with stress really can make life seem much better!

I could also write a screed specifically to deal with stress using suggestion therapy. There are two ways of doing this. I could encourage the client to identify the negative reactions they have to a stressor and then ask their subconscious to find a new positive response to this situation, for example if somebody is feeling stressed because they doubt themselves quite a lot I could thank their inner critic for wanting to help but remind it that perhaps some positive encouragement and reinforcement from the subconscious may actually be more beneficial than criticising negatively. This would aim to encourage the client’s psyche to put less pressure on them.

The second way of dealing with stress through suggestion therapy is to write some responses myself (this depends on the specific situation) and then incorporate these responses into the screed to help the subconscious take them on so they eventually become habitual. For example if someone feels stressed because they have an exam I would give suggestions to encourage the subconscious to feel calm leading up to, within and after the exam and then I would paint a picture of them being wonderfully calm and relaxed in the exam so that all the knowledge they have learned flows easily to the conscious mind.

Apart from using hypnotherapy for stress in my private practice I also run workshops on stress management for businesses who want to tackle the issue of stress head on, creating a calmer, happier and more productive workforce.

The workshop teaches clients how to spot and deal with stress, and hypnotherapy is used to show the clients how to relax. Everyone feels stressed at some time in their lives, and as we spend most of our lives at work these days the Stress Management Workshops are a great way for me to reach lots of people and teach the importance of understanding stress.

Stress is the main reason people “pull a sickie”, are genuinely ill, and develop other mental health issues that affect their performance both at work and at home. Learning how to relax and handle your stress can change your life for the better!

For more information about Stress Management Workshops please visit www.cloud9corporate.counsellinginchelmsford. co.uk.

If anyone has any questions, queries or issues you want me to write about please get in touch.

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CT Fitness Is your stress-busting workout making you more stressed?

My current commute to work is actually one of the most interesting parts of my day. It’s an hour when I can listen to a health podcast, write a little, or read something interesting.

Now, while it isn’t too stressful most days, it certainly niggles, and the rush to get out of the office when I’m desperate to make it home for my son’s bathtime, or the feeling when I get to Liverpool Street to find there’s no trains - that’s stressful.

And stress is a cumulative thing. Work stress when you have unrealistic deadlines, stress from your homelife as you rush from thing to thing, stress from the unpaid bills and stress from your exercise that you think de-stresses you.

Now, putting your body under stress itself is not the problem. After all, dealing with a stressor is how we improve. We lift heavy weights, the muscles are broken down a bit, and we

come back stronger.

But too much stress can have a negative effect on your body, so if you’re already stressed and you add to that with a lot of stress-inducing workouts there might be trouble.

Here’s what you can do: Be honest about your stress levels Are you a stressed out person? The first stage is to accept that. Once you do, you can work out ways to cope a little better.

What can you change? If you’ve realised that the intense classes are not leaving you feeling refreshed and revitalised, stop them. Now. Don’t Overtrain When you put your nervous system under stress, you need time to recover.

Rest and real food are your friends.

Find Other Ways to De-Stress Breath. Read. Meditate. Everyone has their own method of relaxing. Find yours.

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Reducing the stress in other aspects of your life may mean that you can better cope with your exercise plan.

Stress is not always the bad guy. In small doses, it can shock your system into change, which is exactly why I lift heavy and sprint. But, if you’re eating well, lifting strong, and still finding that you’re struggling to burn fat, take a look at the stress in your life and see if you can reduce it. It might just make the difference.

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www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

March, Mother’s and Me-Time!

Yay, spring is finally here! Did you know that March was the original beginning of the year? The word March is named after Mars, the God of War so maybe a good time to perfect your warrior pose!

There is a saying that,”in the spring, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love”, which is a shame as Valentine’s Day was last month! Our fabulous team members, Susan Myers & Steve Johansen ran a Partner Yoga workshop for this occasion and it was so much fun we’re going to run it again minus the romance so everyone can have a go. (See pic below).

At the same time, most women turn to thoughts of springcleaning. The Spring Equinox represents renewal for the home, as well as nature. The act of “spring cleaning” is said to remove negative energy accumulated over the dark winter months and prepares the home for the

positive growing energy of spring and summer.

It’s also a time when mothers hope to get a day off from their duties so this is where we come in pretty handy! You can now go straight to our website, pick a gift card for any amount with lots of lovely designs and send it by e-mail to your mum, no matter how last minute you are. You could treat your mum to a whole month of classes for just £30 and maybe add one of our amazing therapies too.

So on that note, we are excited to announce our collaboration with Claire Davie, owner of top beauty salon in Chelmsford, The Beauty Rooms. Claire and some of her lovely team will be running a pop-up salon at Hummingbird on Wednesdays, Saturdays & Sundays from March 12th. Keep your eye on our Facebook page for opening offers!

Sundays are my day off so I’ll be booking myself a little retreat at my own business… Hmm, think I’ll have a facial & manicure followed up with meditation and a blast of rocket yoga, I’m so lucky!

Na-Mama-Ste! “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy.

No man does. That’s his.” ~ Oscar Wilde

http://www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk/therapies.html http://www.the-beauty-rooms.co.uk

CT History Francis Bacon (1909-1992) made the news in 2013 when a triptych of his paintings sold for a record sum of $1,000,000 at Christies auctioneers.

Before his death he was already regarded as England’s foremost artist.

Although his early life involved many changes of places where he lived, later in life he settled in London, where he frequented the bars of Soho, gambling and drinking with the likes of fellow painter Lucien Freud, who at other times has held records for sale of paintings.

Less written of were his connections with Essex, and in particular Wivenhoe on the Colne estuary just East of Colchester.

Bacon began his life in Ireland, in County Kildare, where his family were involved with the horse breeding and and training prevalent in the area.

From an early age he developed an unusual psychology and fell out with his father because of his liking of dressing in women’s clothing, which precluded the development of his full-blown homosexual orientation. It was later revealed that his father had him horse-whipped by a groom, but this had quite the opposite effect to the desired one as in later life he also developed a liking for masochistic sex.

When Francis was 10 his family moved to London and then Cheltenham, where he briefly went to a public school before narrowly escaping expulsion in an early indication of fallings out with authorative ogranisations. By 1926 he had moved back to London, but also lived in Berlin and Paris before 1929 when he again returned to London, living the life of a ‘rent boy’ for older men, one of whom set him up with a studio in Queensbury.

Francis Bacon by John Power

the technique of Post Impressionist Paul Cezanne. It began with Pablo Picasso (1881- 1973), fellow Spaniard Juan Gris (1887-1927) and French painter Georges Braque (1882-1963). From the early analytic phase it developed into Synthetic Cubism, anarchic designerism combining African art and cave painting and Albert Einstein’s ideas on time to show multiple viewpoints of objects simultaneously: a portrait could combine a profile and frontal view in the same image, for instance. Bacon’s figures also abandon conventional portrayal, not by geometrical analysis but rather by smeared paint that caught the effects of movement, often borrowed from photographic images collected in encyclopaedic fashion by Victorian Eadweard Muybridge. Bacon was a pioneer of the use of photo images as source material in place of preparatory sketches. This technique was later popularised by Sir Peter Blake and other ‘Pop’ Artists. Another device often employed by Bacon was white outline ‘cages’ that isolate, often screaming figures from their surroundings in existential terror. This style emerged in the ‘50s and ‘60s after reflections influenced by his Catholic upbringing like ‘Figures at the base of the Crucifixtion’ (1944), screaming Popes and carcasses (of Bacon?) as reflections of wartime corpses. He said that the figures screaming at the base of the crucifixtion were based on photos of Adolf Hitler. Gay relationships with gallery owners made sure that his work found exposure to the public. After that time he often worked in series of variations on a theme, and in later life oddly recognisable portraits, given his style of working.

caused critics to associate his work with Post War Existentialist philosophy, and it is true that he read Frederich Nietzche at an early age, with the author’s ‘God is Dead’ motto. The revealed horrors of the concentration camps did much to add to this post war nihilism. His smearing image style of working were to a large extent ‘hit and miss’ and his wastage rate of canvasses was quite high. This did not go unnoticed by one of his dustman, who wound up in court after trying to sell the un-signed discards that he salvaged.

Bacon had his first association with Wivenhoe in the 50s when he lived in Queens Road with John Deakin, Soho ‘society’ photographer of Francis’ drinking chums. Frannie kept a cottage studio there himself for many years.

My encounters with him in the village and its Bohemian Art colony rather than Bacon began painting in his 20s. He Apart from Bacon’s Soho chums like the more up-market arts club arose was untutored and this first burst of Freud and Henrietta Moraes, a frequent because two gay friends of his (who creativity was not sustained as painting subject for portraits was George Dyer, a became a civil partnership later) lived in but channelled into the applied arts in young east end crook,who according to the village and provided an escape from the form of interior design of rugs and legend was attempting to burgle Bacon’s the City: Denis Wirth-Miller and Dickie furniture in particular. It was this lack flat when he was caught by the painter, Chopping. Dickie had produced the of tuition that led to his original and who instead of turning him in to the distinctive revolver and rose style still distinctive style of painting that was to police befriended him and employed life covers for the hard back editions of emerge after the Second World War, a him to administer masochistic beatings the James Bond books, and Ian Fleming time that contributed to his often horrific [!] Dyer was the first of Bacon’s younger even wrote it into his will that he wanted portrayals of human figures smeared in lovers, whereas he had previously that to continue after he died. Denis ephemeral movement across canvasses. consorted with wealthy older men. Dyer was a painter, somewhat overshadowed He was however, inevitably influenced committed suicide in 1971 when he felt by his friend’s reputations. Various art by the background of the contemporary he was being excluded from Bacon’s students took advantage of the trio’s movements of the time and inter-war art world social circle as he began to better financial circumstances and at period, arguably Cubism and Surrealism be a celebrity. He had two Tate Gallery least one suffered a nervous breakdown in particular. Cubism, as the name retrospectives and one in Paris. trying to cope with Francis’ dark nature. suggested, began by analysing subject I first encountered his unmistakeable matter into volumetric forms, following Bacon’s caged screaming figures broad jowled appearance in a bar Page 24 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

carriage on a London to Wivenhoe train, when I lived in the village, and later that evening those of us in one of the village’s pubs were treated to a display of Frannie, Denis and Isabel Rawsthorne (who had been painted by Bacon and Picasso and sculpted by Alberto Giacommetti) working their way through bottles of gin, John Wayne style, at the bar, before attempting to negotiate the Quay en route to Denis’s house. They survived this. It was but one of the many debacles that local publicans and restaurant owners had to contend with. If you’re going to do it do it in style!

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Chelmsford Civic Society: The Crunch

Rotary Leaders Gather in San Diego

In the last issue of Chelmsford The City Times I mentioned that I was about to go to America for a week of intensive training. One of the features that distinguishes Rotary from other service organisations is its global framework.

In January just over 500 leaders together with their spouses, representing 200 countries, met in San Diego to discuss the forthcoming year in terms of strategy and suggested projects.

Stan Keller the incoming District Governor in our area meets Rotary International President Elect Gary Huang together with their respective wives, Sheila and Corinna.

Rotary takes the view that to be truly successful the governors (the leaders) need the full support of their families and that’s why the other halves are required to attend. Rotary is dual gender so a governor could equally be a female and the term spouse could mean husband, wife or partner.

It was wonderful meeting like-minded people from all over the world, from different races and religions, coming together with a common goal – to make a positive difference to other people’s lives. During a breakout session I could find myself discussing funding for a peace scholar who one day may be at the forefront of peace and resolution conflict negotiations or at another session I could be talking about a joint sanitation requirement in Africa which would be impossible for one district to finance on its own. Working in conjunction with other Rotary clubs in other parts of the world these large scale projects become feasible. These collaborative projects seem the way forward and making the personal contacts with global partners gives an invaluable opportunity to learn who you are dealing with before embarking on such important decisions.

The theme for the year which begins 1st July is Light Up Rotary. There could be many ways to interpret this but I think it means raising public awareness of what Rotary does and encouraging similar community spirited people to become a Rotarian or help with its activities. There is an old Chinese saying which roughly says that if you light one candle there is no longer complete darkness so each individual makes a difference, no matter how small it may seem.

In San Diego we looked at the problems facing the world in various areas of focus: literacy, health, hunger, water, sanitation, peace and conflict resolution and economic expansion just as every government has to do. But we are not the United Nations nor a government agency, Rotarians are volunteers – not just any old volunteers but those that make things happen. Take the fantastic example of the work Rotary has done in eradicating polio which is down to just three countries now that India has joined the list of polio free places.

If you have an idea, if you have some time to make a commitment, if you would like to find out what’s happening in and around Chelmsford and if you would like to find out how you can join a Rotary club then visit www. chelmsfordrotary1240.org or phone me. We would be delighted to hear from you - Stan Keller 01245 260349.

Future of Chelmsford’s Civic Society

The Civic Society has been making the case for sensitive development combined with promotion of Chelmsford’s heritage for just over 50 years. A packed meeting in January was informed that the society needs more active members if it is going to continue.

Some of the longstanding officers are about to step down. If the society is to make an impact on the city, active members are required to fulfil the following roles: Committee members to help run the society.

Enthusiastic individuals to assist with tasks such as: edit the newsletter, manage the web site and social media presence, maintain members contact list, arrange speakers and facility hire and handle publicity.

The future of the society will be determined at our Annual General Meeting starting 7.30pm in the Centre for Volunteers, Burgess Well House, Coval Lane, CM1 1FW (next to Council Offices) on Wednesday 19th March 2014.

If we are able to sustain a revitalised society, we will engage members and guests present in planning our programme for 2014-2015.

We recommend that the society concentrates on four aims. These are: Protecting and promoting the city heritage: for example, increasing recognition of the Marconi heritage, providing more visitor information and collaboration with the city council on opening up more Chelmsford properties during the heritage open days in September.

Advocating sensitive development in the city centre: monitoring major planning applications. enhancing the rivers and canal and securing the future of Shire Hall.

Delivering our Chelmsford Remembers project: the impact of the First World War on Chelmsford, our contribution to the county’s Essex at War programme on the centenary of the conflict.

Arranging a programme for members on topics of interest, like the recent successful session on the city vision for bus services.

Anyone interested in getting involved in the work of Chelmsford’s City Society can find out more and express an interest in advance of the AGM. They can contact John Hammond e-mail johnhamx@hotmail.com

Cully’s Corner - Moving Forward by Simon Culleton We are all going to lose something very soon! It will be taken from us in the dead of night, stolen without a squeak or a murmur, gifted away without a fight. We will awake in the morning stretching and yawning and it will be gone, never to be seen again... well at least for about six months.

Some will have noted it’s passing, even prepared for it, smugly setting their clocks the night before ready for the imminent loss. Others, like myself will arrive promptly the next morning at a pre- arranged meeting only to discover that no-one is there, leaving me wondering if my supposed friends had finally had enough of me. (I shouldn’t have made that comment about his wife). Then, to my relief another person who has also forgotten that the clocks had gone forward will arrive and share my stupidity in realising that the meeting had already been and gone. Some will not even have noted that the clocks had changed until Monday morning when driving to work with a smile on their face at the apparent lack of traffic.

It was during the First World War 1916 that the clocks were first tampered with.

The reasoning behind it was to give the farmers more daylight hours to gather their crops and this in turn would help the war effort. Germany noticed what England was up to and copied the idea,

changing their own clocks to help their own war effort thus defeating the object of advantage. In the Second World War England reinstated the daylight savings for the same reasons as before and as before for the same reasons Germany copied it. Then (this is where my history gets a bit fuzzy) in 1966 England won the football world cup, Germany seeing this copied it in 1974 and again 1990 (not to mention the European championships) leaving me with the rather tenuous connection that ‘daylight savings’ has never come to any good.

Here in Chelmsford throughout March we will gain about an extra 4 minutes of daylight a day leading to the clocks going forward. Sunset 1st March 5.38pm, Sunset. 30th March 7.28pm Then, from one day to the next when the clocks go forward on the 31st at 2am we will gain a whole extra half an hour of ‘daylight’, though would have lost an hour the night before to have gained it. Yet, will you be making use of the extra 4 minutes of sunlight a day? Perhaps digging another row in the garden, jogging another lap around the block or if you’re ‘Roger Bannister’ another mile. I researched into things you could do in four minutes and without being rude I couldn’t find many. There was a guitar piece which lasted 4 minutes called ‘4 minutes to live’. I’ve listened to this piece of music and and I’m sure there are people that will think it’s wonderful yet I must admit that if I only had 4 minutes to February 2015.

I’m sure I’m not alone in looking around my place of business half way through yet another 8-hour day and thinking: “Is this really all there is to life?” My friend, Barry O’Connor and I found ourselves asking this question more and more until finally deciding that, no, there’s a lot more to life than a 9-5 so we decided to do something completely different.

After months of work and planning we decided that we could actually pull it off and so off we went to shop for a 4x4 which we’re going to attempt to drive around the world, leaving the UK in

Since learning of our plan a lot of people have asked us “why?!” It may sound trite at first but “why wouldn’t we want to do something like this?!” is the best and most honest answer we can come up with.

Granted, come 2015 we’re effectively going to be both homeless and jobless and we’ll have sold everything we own apart from some camping gear and our 4x4, so I can understand why people might balk at such a radical change, but change is the point. We’ve decided we don’t want routine and dependable, or even safe!

We want a real adventure and we’re both more than happy to swap the comfort and security of homes and jobs for the chance to watch the sun set over

live and I had to listen to it I’d probably be willing to make it 3. Incidentally, it takes an average of 20 minutes to drink a beer, which means in March (here is the science bit) you can sit in the beer garden and consume an extra 5 pints in daylight in March, that is of course if the weather is not inclement which it invariably will be.

For some people the extra sunlight will not just be a mere relief, but a life changing comforting appeasement from SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder) an illness where depression is truly connected to the lack of sunlight. I have my own version of this affliction which I suffer from throughout the year, aptly named: SSW (Sick of the Stupid Weather). Fortunately, it never rains in the pub.

So look on the bright side, (no pun intended) on the 31st you may have got one hour older in a split second but didn’t age a minutes. And as for the hour that you have lost, well you will get it back again on 26th October. Then you can do with it what ever you want, though statistically most of the country and indeed in Chelmsford people including myself, will be using it in the same way..... staying in bed.

Spring forward, fall back simon@limepad.com

the Sahara and see the sky fill with stars or trek across the endless miles of the Mongolian steppe. Now that’s living! We have a little under a year to go before we start the first leg of our journey which will take us across Europe, Central Asia, China and then finally South East Asia to end up at the southernmost point of Malaysia.

It seems like a long time but with the insane amount of planning, research and work on the 4x4 we’re both hoping we’ve given ourselves enough time to do it! If you’re interested in what we’re doing then please come and check us out at http://greatbigadventure.co.uk and you can follow our progress as we get ready for this gloriously foolhardy undertaking and keep track of us on our journey.

Wish us luck! Something tells me we’re going to need it!

By Ian King

The Comedy Club Chelmsford @ Chelmsford City FC on Friday 28th March The Festival Of Comedy Readers Offer Firstly a huge thank-you to everyone that joined us last month for the first show of 2014 which sold out! What a fantastic night it was!

If you still haven’t visited the new home of live comedy in Chelmsford, We continue our monthly shows on Friday 28th March with another 3 top comedians from the prestigious UK comedy circuit, and a guest spot from Tania Edwards. With waitress service to your candle lit tables throughout the show, come and see what all the fuss is about!

Kicking off proceedings, our host & MC for the night is John Ryan. John is an Edinburgh Highlight award winner.

He uses his acerbic wit and seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the world around him to keep any audience on their toes. His East End Irish upbringing gives him the rare ability to connect with people from diverse backgrounds. No stranger to either the strange or the norm, he will put an amusing spin on any subject matter going. John has a reputation for thinking on his feet and

confidently and cleverly adapting his show to any audience.

Opening the show we welcome Johnny Kats. A talented and energetic performer with an arsenal of impersonations, Johnny is a dynamic stand-up comedian.

Johnny began performing stand-up in Australia and is now based in the UK. Johnny performs in all major comedy clubs across the UK and also performs regularly across continental Europe.

In his first year of comedy in 2002 he made the JJJ radio stand-up state finals for RAW comedy.

Headlining this big night of live comedy we welcome to Essex Rich Wilson. “He’s a very very funny man” - Frank Skinner.

With subject matters ranging from being a young father to observational material on the absurdities of life in general, Rich Wilson has rapidly become one of the most in demand comedians in the country. Plus with an exceptional ability to think on his feet, Rich has proved to be a top compere able to tame even the toughest of crowds with his likable,

Page 29

charming manner. With Rich Wilson you are guaranteed a fantastic evening of top class entertainment.

Tickets for Friday March 28th are £14 and available online at www. thecomedyclub.co.uk or by calling 0203 3761 112.

As mentioned in previous editions, The Comedy Club & Butlins present The Festival of Comedy at Bognor Regis 6th – 9th June with 70 of your favourite acts performing over 3 days! Headline acts include Al Murray, Lee Nelson & the man of a 1000 voices from Police Academy.

Michael Winslow. As a City Times reader, if you book before April 1st you will receive a £10 discount per booking, and the chance of winning a backstage pass to meet the biggest names in comedy.

Simply visit www.thecomedyclub.co.uk and use offer code COMEDYCLUB to book.

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Calling All Creatives for Big and Small Festival Fun Would you like to play a part in creating exciting events providing intriguing experiences for curious people, both big and little? Do you have what it takes to inspire and delight pre-school children at one festival and an adultsonly audience at another? Chelmsford City Council’s Cultural Events Team are inviting talented creative people to propose imaginative activities they’d like to present at The 3foot People and The Fling Festivals at Hylands Park this year.

The UK’s largest event for pre-school children, The 3foot People Festival, returns for its ninth year and takes place from Tuesday 24 to Thursday 26 June, welcoming nearly 13,000 children and their carers. The site contains dozens of activities and performances to enthuse both children and adults alike, including arts and craft-making sessions, a massive sandpit, a mini farm, storytelling, and many more.

Following last year’s sell-out success, The Fling Festival returns this summer on Saturday 28 June. A fabulous cast of professional and amateur performers will share numerous mini stages and

tented venues offering live music, dancing, comedy, silent disco, cabaret, poetry, massage, games, workshops and much more aimed at adults of all ages (no children are permitted).

Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet Member for Leisure and Cultural Services, Councillor Ray Ride commented: “this is an open invitation to creative people from across the land and is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the talent of local residents at events that draw crowds from far and wide. We recognise the value to both young and old being given the chance to participate in good quality cultural activity and these two festivals provide an incredible way to inspire many thousands of people.”

If you would like to submit a proposal for an activity or performance that you would like to bring to one or both festivals, please do so by Friday 4 April.

For more information about The 3foot People Festival and The Fling Festival and how to propose activities please visit: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/events.

You can also like ‘The Fling Festival’ and

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‘The 3foot People Festival’ on Facebook and follow festival developments via @ FlingFestival on Twitter.

A limited number of first tier tickets for The Fling Festival are now on sale. To buy tickets for The Fling Festival, please visit: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/fling. An allocation of tickets for The 3foot People Festival will go on sale from Saturday 26th April.

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, The City Times and Heybridge Creative.

The 3foot People Festival is generously sponsored by Seymour House Day Nurseries.

The Fling is supported by The Bassment, Dancing Giraffe and The Comedy Club Ltd.

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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