Chelmsford The City Times August/September 2014

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the City Times Aug/Sep

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Issue Number 11 - August/September 2014

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CT Welcome Hi readers,

Again a busy month around the city with lots going on!! This month we have V Festival and a further three concerts at Hylands Park, Brownstock and later in September, City Diversions Festival and in October The Ideas Festival (more on these next month).

This month we have two, yes two great competitions for you. A chance to win tickets to Flashback 80s and Wet Wet Wet and also the chance for solo or duo singing acts to get a bypass straight in to the second stage of Open Mic UK - see page 13 for details.

No news from Media Towers this month, we are busy working on all three magazines and some more musical events!

Enjoy Nick & Paul

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk, www.moulshamtimes.com & www.braintreelife.co.uk Editorial Advertising Paul Mclean Nick Garner 07595 949701 07970 206682 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk Disclaimer: It’s Your Media Ltd publish Chelmsford The City Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Media Ltd. Registered offices 15 Hayes Close, Chesmford. Reg No 9154871. Printed by Imagery UK.

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CT Fashion - This Old Thing

I love the British high street, I think we have one of the most exciting and fast moving around when it comes to fashion, but I also love vintage fashion. I have some fantastic vintage clothes that I have picked up over the years, a printed vintage cotton dress with yellow cherries on, a black and white paisley coat dress that my mum gave me, a black cocktail dress with lace sleeves and cowl collar, to name but a few. When I do edit my wardrobe, my vintage clothes are the ones that never find their way to a charity shop. They remain as treasured and loved pieces that I will never get bored of.

If you haven’t been tuning in to Dawn O’Porter’s new show, This Old Thing, on channel 4, then you should watch it on catch up. It’s a cross between The Great British Sewing Bee and Gok Wan’s Fashion Fix. Dawn shows the high street-weary that they can inject some pizzazz into their wardrobe by shopping for vintage. She also shows how a few simple alterations can transform vintage pieces into something truly unique. Like the people on the show, most people would not dream of shopping vintage, reasons can range from: it’s smelly, it’s fancy dress, it’s weird and it’s old, but out of that lot, old - is the only accurate observation and once it is washed and smells gorgeous, it’s no different from your high street clothes.

There are a few important positives about shopping vintage: it’s greener - no mass production here! It’s a one off (you won’t be down the pub wearing the same dress as someone else) and the quality and workmanship is always better, as it had to stand the test of time. Vintage is great for unusual accessories, like shoes, bags and jewellery. It is fantastic for occasion wear. And quite often when you find the right vintage fit, whether it be day dress or jacket, then nothing fits you better.

If you lived somewhere like Brighton you cannot move for vintage shops, they are everywhere and in London there is probably one or more in most postcodes, but we are also lucky enough to have one in Chelmsford.

Now and Then designer dress agency and vintage boutique is at 17 Baddow Road, and is a great shop with some fantastic pieces and should not be overlooked if you are clothes shopping in Chelmsford. The dress agency is downstairs and the vintage shop is upstairs. It’s without a doubt my favourite shop in Chelmsford, in fact just before starting this article, I popped in and bought two really

great dresses.

The girls at Now and Then are very friendly and will help you find that something special, so don’t be afraid to ask. And please support them, it’s important for places like Chelmsford and Braintree to have fantastic independent shops like this, to live up to our city status and so it can become a better shopping destination.

Still in doubt about how to shop vintage? then read on…

Your Guide to Vintage Shopping Rummage around: don’t be afraid to rummage, take things off the rail and really have a look at everything.

Try it on: try a few things on, don’t pick up one thing expecting it to fit, take a selection of things into the changing room and try it all on.

Ask a friend: sometimes vintage clothes can be hard to get in to or out of, ask a friend to help.

Mix it up: definitely mix vintage with other high street buys you already have (it’s the best way not to look like your wearing fancy dress).

Stay era-aware: if you are wearing a seventies Ossie Clark dress for example, you could carry a twenties beaded clutch bag, but don’t try and wear a seventies shirt, with fifties skirt and forties shoes (you will end up looking like you got dressed in a museum!)

Grab a Granny: ask your grandma or your mum if they have kept anything from a bygone era, you never know what you might find.

If it’s torn, it can be worn: don’t discount anything, if there is any damage, stains can be washed and most things can be repaired.

Don’t falter just alter: if you find the dress of your dreams, but find the length unflattering, then ask around, most people know someone who will do an inexpensive alteration for you.

Have fun: lastly have fun and prepare to wear. Unveil your vintage find somewhere, like a wedding or party or simply wear it to Tescos (other supermarkets are available!)

Emma Smith lives in Chelmsford and is a style consultant.

She offers personal shopping and wardrobe planning. You can contact her via her website www.emmasmith.co.uk or email her emma@emmasmith.co.uk.

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CT Cooking

By John Jacobs

I scoffed. A loud derisive supercilious thong drenching scoff. I was trawling through the TV listings looking for anything without the word ‘celebrity’ in the title when I settled on a TV chef telling me that in these times of global rumpus and financial brouhaha we could substitute the haunch of venison for wild boar. Sage advice. Ever since the recession I’ve replaced the decorative gold leaf on my black truffle in champagne aspic for automobile spray paint though truthfully fish fingers don’t cut it in my caviar sandwiches.

About 20 minutes before serving, drain of the potatoes, season and deposit into the oven with the pork. In a hot griddle pan fry off slices of aubergine until nicely coloured with fancy stripes and put to one side. Put the mushrooms into the same pan and sauté with a little additional butter.

Many years ago when I first entered the workplace fresh faced and idealistic, it mattered not that I was being paid less than a moderately successful child chimney sweep, just that I had enough to pay the motor insurance for an elderly Dagenham dustbin and for the room I rented from the unconscientiously clad earth mother who insisted on reading me self penned poems about the tragedy of autumn or some other Mcgonagallesque rubbish. I shopped for groceries at my local Sainsburys and once a week filled a basket with the muted colour of its own brand trusting in the apocryphal that it was all probably made in the same place. It never occurred to me that there might be stigma attached to supermarket own brands. I recall standing in line at the checkout whereupon a kindly lady peered in my basket, looked me square in the eyes and gave me the kind of compassionate stare one would reserve for an orphaned puppy with a limb missing.

Twenty years on and having given up a career in pettifogging for the hot stoves of cheffery, I still regularly go back to basics. This month I set myself a challenge, to create a dish of restaurant quality food just using ingredients from one of the big four’s cheap and cheerful range. The biggest surprise was the breadth of available ingredients on offer, from feta cheese to thin cut salami, apples and oranges to Parmesan and pears. I busily filled my basket with varied foodstuffs that looked fine aiming to figure it all out in a Ready Stead Cook style cook-off all the while genuinely becoming more and more surprised at the quality of ingredients available at a fraction of the price I would normally pay.

Once you’ve done this, take the foil off the pork and leave in the oven to crisp up the bacon.

Apple Jus Peal 3 of the apples and chop into smallish cubes. Gently cook these off in a pan with a little salted butter and water until they start to break down. Add the puree to the juices from the pork and stir until the consistency of gravy. If you need a little more liquid, just add water.

Cut the pork into healthy doorstep sized slices.

Your potatoes should be nicely browned by now and ready to be dished up with all the other yummy ingredients. Of course, you don’t have to dress the plate like I’ve done but hopefully will give you some inspiration.

John is a former overweight lawyer and now the owner of The Perfectly Simple Cookery School and author of Meze, Misery & Moussaka (available by mail order).

As ever, thank you for your kind e-mails and recipe ideas. All contributions are gratefully received at john@perfectlysimplecookery. co.uk or get in touch via the website perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk happy eatery Chelmsfordians.

Roasted Stuffed leg of pork with char grilled peppers, aubergine and apple jus.

All ingredients are from Sainsbury’s Basics range and feeds up to 5.

Total cost of ingredients - £9.21 Cost per head - £1.84 Ingredients: 1 pack smoked backed bacon 1 boneless leg of pork 1 tin new potatoes 1 punnet mushrooms 1 bag mixed peppers 3 loose apples

14 Duke St Chelmsford, CM1 1HL 01245 767628

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Method Place the rashers of bacon on a chopping board so they make a rectangle that the leg of pork can sit on. Open up the leg of pork, score the inside butterfly style and season with black pepper. Don’t be tempted to add salt as we’re leaving this overnight in the fridge and don’t want the meat to dry out. In a pan heat some olive oil and fry off strips of mixed peppers. Once cooled, line them inside the pork leg in strips. Place the pork onto the rashers and roll back into shape so that the peppers are on the inside and bacon holding it closed on the outside. Wrap the whole thing tightly with cling film and pop into the fridge overnight to hold its shape.

When ready to cook, remove the cling film put the pork on a preheating wrack and into a warm oven at about 150 degrees. Cover with foil and slow cook for 3-4 hours.

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CT Gardening Summer can be a difficult time for us gardeners, what with the hot weather, constant watering, lawn mowing… and don’t forget the pest, disease and weed issues. We need to take special care during these times and also think about the autumn. Yes, I know and summer isn’t even over yet! Even in this lazy month, there are some jobs that really must be done, and a few bits and pieces to cover a few projects to take you through to the autumn and beyond.

General Tasks Water hanging baskets daily. Despite the recent torrential rain, hanging baskets and small containers still need daily watering. Water bounces off the leaf canopy so even in a downpour, little rain reaches the potting compost and the plants’ roots. In a really hot spell any full-grown basket may need watering twice daily. Continue to feed weekly with a high potash plant food such as Tomorite.

by Tom Cole if necessary. This will allow wounds to heal before winter.

Tie in new growth on climbers, such as honeysuckle or jasmine.

Tie short stems to canes in the direction you want them to grow. Once they reach the main support, the canes can be removed.

Hoe weeds as they germinate. Wet conditions always result in weedseed germination.

Trim leaves on pyracantha to expose the berries and encourage ripening. Cut back new growth to just in front of the old - or where there are fruitlets appearing. This summer prune will also maintain the shape of the plant. The same can be done for wall grown Cotoneasters.

Take stock of your garden now. Are there not enough flowers?

Are there gaps? Are there plants you’d like to change? Put sticks alongside plants you decide need attention, ready for action in the autumn. Take pictures so that you can remind yourself of what you’d like to change for next year. Preparation is key to success.

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.

If your rain-water barrels are overflowing in a downpour, rush out and use the water to make room for more! Shrubs, roses and in particular, wall-hugging plants, will all benefit from the extra drink. In dry spells, water camellias and azaleas thoroughly. They are sensitive if soil dries out at this time of year. Dry conditions now will result in dropped blooms in spring. Container-grown plants are particularly at risk.

Dead-head annual flowers frequently. Showy plants, such as petunias, will flower all summer long if dying blooms are removed and seed heads are not permitted to develop. If they are allowed to set seed, they will stop producing new flowers.

Don’t take off just the flower head, trim back to a leaf joint. This keeps the plant tidy and is less likely to result in dieback. Remove any dead or damaged leaves to prevent attracting fungal pathogens.

Check ties on plants, such as roses or fuchsias grown as standards, and loosen if necessary. The recent wet weather will probably have generated a growth spurt, resulting in thicker stems.

Pick sweet peas every other day to prevent them from setting seed, even if your vases are already full. The more you pick, the more flowers will be produced.

Prune wisteria. Cut back to two or three leaves on the new whippy wood and you could be blessed with another flush of flowers. Repeat next February by cutting back any whippy growth to 2 buds - or tie in long stems to extend the framework. Remember with this old favourite, that flowering occurs on old growth NOT new. On new plants, tie in this season’s whippy growth securely to robust support wires. Never allow this vigorous plant to grow up to the guttering on your house or onto the roof – the weight could bring down gutters and pop off tiles or create areas for water to get into your nice dry house!

Prune ornamental trees, such as flowering cherries or mountain ash, Page 8

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Three Days of Live Music to Take Place at Hylands Park in September UK Events will bring three days of live music set within the grounds of Hylands House and a promise of something truly unique.

Last Night of the Proms– Sunday 7th September A Sunday night extravaganza within the confines of Hylands Park.

It will be presented by Aled Jones, who will also be performing alongside the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra with conductor Timothy Redmond and will feature a special guest to be announced soon!

Gates open at 6:00pm with music from 7:00pm until 9:00pm.

Flashback Festival Hylands Park – Saturday 13th September Flashback Festival will be a party event taking people back to the 80s with a line-up incorporating some of the greatest artists from that era.

What better way is there to spend a long summer evening than listening to your favorite performers in the charming location of Hylands House?

Featuring headliner Billy Ocean as well as performances from Heather Small, Marc Almond, ABC, Hue and Cry, Go West, From the Jam and The Doctor (Dr & The Medics).

of hours.”

The band are sure to play an array of hits including Sweet Little Mystery, Love Is All Around and Goodnight Girl - a spectacle which is set to be a momentous occasion!

Tickets can be purchased at www.ukeventsandproduction.com or by calling 0845 075 6101. Camping tickets and VIP packages are also available.

TICKET PRICES General Admission (adult) - £37.95 General Admission (child*) - £22.00 Camping (adult) - £49.95 Camping (child*) - £34.00 *Child tickets apply to under 14s. Under 5s are free of charge but will require a ticket which is to be pre-booked in advance through the ticket line on 0845 075 6101.

For more information on UK Events please visit: www.ukeventsandproduction.com/index.html www.facebook.com/ukeventsandproduction www.twitter.com/UK__Events

For 80s enthusiasts this is a must, but the show caters for everyone so whether you want to sit back and relax, or dance the night away Flashback is the event for you!

Gates open at 4:00pm with music from 5:00pm until 11:00pm.

Wet Wet Wet - Sunday 14th September Helping to top off the summer will be one of Britain’s best-loved and most successful groups, Wet Wet Wet, who have been making people smile, swoon and dance for over 25 years. Set within these alluring surroundings is the promise of something truly unique.

With their most recent release, Step By Step - The Greatest Hits, they will be pulling out all the stops and as Marti Pellow from the group has said “it is special for us. I hope it’s special for the fans to.

We just want to go and entertain people with these songs. That’s all we’ve ever wanted to do, put a smile on people’s faces for a couple

is month at the Ale House August Saturday 16th Joel Fisk 8pm (Solo Blues Rock) Sunday 17th Mizenhead 4pm (traditional Irish & Scottish music) Saturday 23rd 8pm Half Ton Man ( Rock ‘n’ Blues) Saturday 30th Jamie Williams & e Roots Collective September Saturday 13th Rockin Dad 9pm (rock covers band) 24-26 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford, CM1 1TS 01245 260535 www.the-ale-house-chelmsford.co.uk

Laura Wright - Performing at Last Night at the Proms - Interview by Darren Lerigo On September 7th Hylands House will play host to another huge music event – Last Night of the Proms with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Presented by Aled Jones, it promises to be an excellent night. So to get you even more excited, we had the chance to interview one of the evening’s special guests, Laura Wright.

Laura has sold over a million albums, is an ambassador for Arthritis UK and has often performed at Twickenham singing the national anthem for the England Rugby team. That’s not to mention her own rugby skills playing full back for Rosslyn Park or the stamina necessary to run in the London marathon earlier this year.

With such a busy schedule where does she find the time to relax?

“I’m from Suffolk and going back home to family is important, priceless actually. I have three brothers and they love to get involved and the time I spend with them helps to keep me focussed on what I am doing”.

“I have sung in Essex a few times with All Angels (a classical crossover group she was a member of) but coming to Essex now will be great. Friends and family will be there so I am looking forward to it. I also started yoga a few months ago, a ‘hot power yoga’. That gives me a chance to have time for myself. I have a love of sports, the competitiveness, lifting weights… but the yoga helps with flexibility.

I also like to take the dog for a walk…”

If you follow Laura on Twitter you will be able to see a picture of her dog.

“His name is Boris. He’s very funny.”

He certainly has a look of mischief.

I was speaking to Laura while she was in Edinburgh, rehearsing for a show her mother, live performance artist Caroline Wright, has created called Out of Water.

“It is a challenging piece, and I’m suffering with a cold, so I’m trying to steam a lot.”

With Laura’s work crossing so many boundaries, what can the people of Essex do to get ready for the show in Hylands Park?

“Bring a picnic, flags to wave, wine – a good bottle of wine – and just get ready for a great night.”

You heard it here first Essex – grab that bottle of wine, grab that flag, and make your way to Hylands Park to let soprano Laura Wright, the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, Aled Jones and Only Men Aloud entertain you!

By Darren Lerigo of www.modernmint.co.uk

Over 20,000 Visitors Enjoyed the Chelmsford Beer Festival Many people see the Chelmsford Beer and Cider Festival held in Admirals Park as a great party In the park and this year was no exception with the usual array of stag and hen nights.

Last year Ray and Sam had the same idea and having attended the festival for many years they decided that it would be very fitting to hold their stag and hen parties on the opening Tuesday so there would be ample time to recover ready for getting married on Friday 11th July 2014.

Hence, the wedding venue and reception were booked last year around the festival dates. Unfortunately, due to the football World Cup the dates of this year’s Summer Beer and Cider Festival moved so they had to have a post wedding party at the festival instead. Joss Ridley, landlord of the Compasses in Littley Green, had his stag night at the festival and married Linda on Saturday 19th July.

Soaring Cider Sales Soaring temperatures saw soaring cider sales yet again. With a choice of 115 to choose from at any 1 time and 160 over the course of the week, this was biggest cider bar in East Anglia - including over 30 perries (made from fermented pear juice) and several pyders made with the juice of apples and pears. Customers choose Chelmsford for choice as the Great British Beer Festival only has a range of 77 at the cider bar. Cooled thirst-quenchers were the order of the day with lots of scintillating ciders to tantalise the taste buds so nearly 15,000 pints of cider were sold.

Brewery Bar Bonanza Beers from the brewery bars proved to be very popular with Chelmsford’s own micro-brewery Round Tower having their first

brewery bar. Brewer Simon Tippler is already planning for next year.

Other newbies were Camerons and Oakham Ales who joined Brentwood, Bishop Nick, Felstar, Wibblers and Woodfordes. The main Camra beer bars boasted beer with a wide variety of styles from around the UK to keep the customers satisfied. Over 300 real ales

including golden ales, bitters, milds, stouts, porters , fruit beer, IPAs and real cask lagers flowed keep the flag flying for real ale.

Eclectic Entertainment Over 20,000 visitors enjoyed the party atmosphere with many showing their appreciation of the varied music on offer provided by 9 bands by dancing and singing along. Acoustic, ukulele, folk, rock, soul and jazz were on offer so there was something for all tastes to enjoy. Even a flash mob of Morris Men took people by surprise on the opening night waving their hankies and showing off their skills. As usual the kid’s funfair, face painting and ice cream van on the Family Funday on Saturday kept faces smiling.

CHEERS!!!!

The Summer Beer Festival - an Insider’s Perspective by Simon Tippler

The recent Chelmsford & Mid Essex CAMRA Beer and Cider Festival was a big event, not just for the beer drinkers of Chelmsford and surrounding areas, but for us here at Round Tower.

This year was the first time we have ever run a bar at a beer festival.

The lead up to it started months ago when we looked at our brewing schedule and decided which beers we wanted to show-case at the festival. Then we set about working out how we were going to fit in the brewing around our other brewing commitments. We were pleased to turn up with six great beers showing a range from a Moulsham Mild 3.5% through golds and browns to Slipstream 6% (Black IPA) and also our special 7% Stout. We also rallied round our friends to help us by volunteering to staff the bar and were delighted that so many wanted to help out.

By the time we turned up with our beer on Sunday 13th July, most of the infrastructure was in place. We put our beer onto the stillage and covered it with the cooling jackets. We also brought some spare beer to replace the casks when they were finished and this was placed in one of the several portable cold rooms that were available for use on site.

It was a long week as work in the brewery had to carry on alongside running the bar at the festival. We spent the morning in the brewery then skated into the festival just before the gates opened to the public. After time was called and all the public had left, the racking begins! This means we remove our empty casks and replace them with full ones ready for the next day, finally heading home to bed for a few hours sleep.

Real ale has to be racked for anything from a few hours to a few days before it clears and drops bright and is ready to serve. It is a bit of a juggling act to make sure you have enough beer on the racking and bright for each day. Once all the beer on the racking is gone it will then be hours before new beer is ready to serve which is why bars have to close or run out of beer when there are high numbers of customers. As our first experience of a brewery bar, it was a real learning curve and we were glad to work with other breweries who were happy to share their experience if we needed it.

On Sunday 20th it was time to pack up and take away all of our empty casks and the army of volunteers start the hard work of dismantling all the bars, pipes and infrastructure.

For us, Tuesday was the start of the festival and we were excited For us, one of the best bits was the reception we received when when the first customers came onto the site and tried our beer. people discovered that Chelmsford has its own brewery. As our beer Although open to the public, Tuesday afternoon is trade session is sold through retailers and pubs, meeting the drinkers is a real and most of the local brewers were in attendance along with many pleasure and was so great to get lots of feedback. Although it was of the local publicans. It was a good opportunity for us to renew hard work for us, it would never happen without all the hard work old friendships and cement new ones within the brewing and pub and dedication of the CAMRA volunteers who make it all possible, community. Throughout the week, we worked alongside other local who started meeting and planning almost a year ago to make sure breweries who also had bars, including the teams from Felstar, the event was a success. Well done Chelmsford CAMRA - a very Bishop Nick, Brentwood and Wibblers. successful year!

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CT What’s On In Chelmsford Aug/Sep August 15th Asylum - Roisin O’Hagan + Vixation + The Feb 21s + Starlings The Bassment - Indie Disco with The Sand Pilots The Fleece - Twisted Logistics Star & Garter - DJ Adam 16th The Ale House - Joel Fisk - 8pm Asylum - All Dayer from 1pm The Bassment - Alternative Disco The Fleece - Kinetic The White Horse B & L - Enjoy Soul 17th The Ale House - Mizenhead - 4pm The Fleece - Metal Night + WWE Summslam Med Fusion - Dig Over - Matt Love - Danny Bounce - Blokey - 12-6pm 19th Civic Theatre - Ha Ha Hood 20th Asylum - Andy Poole’s Music Quiz The Bassment - Sam Reck Band Civic Theatre - Ha Ha Hood The Fleece - Midweek Garden Party 21st Asylum - Blue Nevusa + A Higher Demise The Bassment - Muertros + Killatrix Civic Theatre - Ha Ha Hood The Fleece - Funky Thursdays 22nd The Bassment - Brownstock pre-party Alex Fox + Midnight Barbers + Mandeville + Brownstock DJs Civic Theatre - Ha Ha Hood The Fleece - Scooby Smiths - Shakeys Sessions - Sound Mirrors + Ekko Ekko White Horse B & L - The all day BBQ + Sarah Hughes live 23rd The Ale House - Half Ton Man - 8pm Asylum - Electric Spivs The Bassment - Alternative Disco Civic Theatre - Ha Ha Hood The Fleece - Parklife White Horse B & L - Carnival weekend style disco 24th The Bassment - Bank Holiday Special The Fleece - FleeceFest 14 - from 4pm Star & Garter - Sarah Beth 27th The Bassment - Al’s Accordian Band The Fleece - Midweek Garden Party 28th Asylum - Acoustic Night - George Edwards + Sam Washington + Lemoncurd Kid + Guide Dogs FOr The Dead + Pad Cleary + Cameron Sanderson The Bassment - Girls With Guitars The Fleece - Funky Thursdays 29th The Bassment - Rubber Soul The Fleece - Sax on Fire 30th The Ale House - Jamie Williams & Roots Collective Asylum - The Metal Priestess The Bassment - Alternative Disco The Fleece - Beggar Star & Garter - Lithium 31st Admirals Park - Whitehorse vs Anchor Twenty20 cricket

September 3rd Cramphorn Theatre - The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Fleece - Midweek Garden Party 4th The Fleece - Jam night with Paolo Morena The Woolpack - Late summer beer festival 5th Asylum - Lianne Kaye + Montossori Jacks The Bassment - The Kubricks Chelmsford City FC - Social Dance Party The Fleece - Voodoo Child The Woolpack - Late summer beer festival 6th The Fleece - Six String Makeover Indigo - CGCCC Fundraiser - See page 18 for details White Horse B & L - Great Rock ‘n’ Roll with DJ Gary The Woolpack - Late summer beer festival 7th Chelmsford City FC - Antique Fair Cramphorn Theatre - Chelmsford Jazz Club Hylands Park - Last Night at The Proms The Woolpack - Late summer beer festival 8th Civic Theatre - Stones In His Pockets 9th Civic Theatre - Stones In His Pockets 11th The Basssment - Acoustic Underground 13th 12th Asylum - Ethereal Fire + Yes Sunshine Asylum - Steve Hooker Hylands Park - Flashback 80s 14th Hylands Park - Wet Wet Wet 17th The Bassment - Blues in the City - Kent DuChaine & Leadbessie + The Hokum Boys 18th Asylum - David Huges Civic Theatre - Think Floyd Cramphorn Theatre - Bridget Christie Please note, all events are subject to change. Please visit their websites or facebook pages for more details.

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

Events can be charity events, jumble sales, dance classes, school reunions, garden parties, live music, local theatre etc.

24th August Charity Day We are holding a charity fundraiser on 24th August in aid of Southampton Hospital Charity. The hospital are trying to raise £250,000 to purchase a portable CT scanner, which will mean they do not have to move patients away from the ward and across the hospital for the vital CT scans they have during their time on the ward. This is very time consuming for the hospital, and removes not only the patient, but three members of staff away from the vital care they need to give patients at all times.

Please come and support this great cause.

Blues in the City

Competition Time

On Wednesday 17th of September we have a very special guest playing our monthly night at the Bassment and is the warm up to the festival with a much welcomed return to Kent DuChaine & Leadbessie (Kent’s guitar). Kent played the festival last year and is an absolute legend hailing from the USA - a true Delta blues man. This is a rare treat and an intimate gig with Kent. You will see exactly why if you attend this warm up show for the festival.

Here at The City Times we love to give things away! We have a pair of tickets to Wet Wet Wet and Flashback 80s at Hylands Park!

Kent DuChaine has listened to, hung out with, opened up for, travelled and played with most of the great Blues men and women his whole adult life. The list is too long to name them all, but some of the major ones are: Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor, BB, Albert and Freddie King, Willie Dixon, Bukka White, Johnny Shines, Robert Lockwood Jr, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Furry Lewis and Son House. These were the big Country and Urban Blues influences who Kent heard and/or played with.

Which Wet Wet Wet single was featured in Four Weddings and a Funeral?

The festival is nearly upon us, have you got your tickets yet? If not you can buy them from the Ale House or online (see the advert for more details). Remember, this is a not-for-profit event and all profits will go to the Helen Rollason Cancer Charity.

Next Issue Dealines Copy - 28th August Print ready artwork - 2nd September Singing competition audition dates have now been announced for Open Mic UK 2014 the Nationwide singing competition searching for the UK’s best singers, singer/songwriters, rappers and vocalists!

Open Mic UK is brought to you

by Future Music, the company behind the discovery of artists such as Luke Friend, Jacob Banks, Warner Music’s Birdy, Columbia Record’s Lucy Spraggan, Union J’s Jaymi Hensley and Jahmene Douglas both of which are now signed to Sony Music. Open Mic UK is an exciting competition to get involved with and the singing competition audition dates for 2014 have just been announced!

A Chance to Win Tickets to See Wet Wet Wet and Flashback 80s To enter all you have to do is answer either of the following questions.

Wet Wet Wet

A) Love Me Do B) Love Is All Around C) All you Need Is Love Flashback 80s Which group has Heather Small as the lead singer?

A) M People B) Foster The People C) ABBA Please send email your answer along with your phone number to comp@itsyourmedia.co.uk.

Closing date is midnight on the 31st August 2014. The tickets will be subject to the event organiser’s terms. The winner will be contacted as soon as the draw has been made. Every effort will be made to contact the winner, if they do not respond within 3 working days the draw will be redrawn.

Chelmsford

Blues in the City Festival 2014

Blues, Booze, Rock & Roots 26th to 28th Sept 2014

There will be thousands of pounds worth of competition prizes up for grabs along the way including recording studio time and music development classes. The overall winner will receive a comprehensive winner’s package as well as a main prize of £5,000 in cash to spend as they wish on the development of their act!

Open Mic UK will be holding singing competition auditions up and down the country for 2014! Book your singing competition audition now to secure your place!

If you wish to find out more about Open Mic UK please visit: www.openmicuk.co.uk.

City Times Competition to Win a Place in the Second Round!

We have been given one slot to bypass the first round. The competition is for solo and duos - no full bands. All you need to do is send us a video of you singing an original song ideally, along with your contact details to comp@itsyourmedia.co.uk. We have three expert judges to judge the entires and will then send the winner straight in to the next round. If you do not win you can still enter via the website above.

Good luck!

For more info go to: www.bluesinthecity.co.uk For Tickets go to: www.wegottickets.com/f/7755

CT Business

sponsored by:

The Lemon Tree Moulsham Street by Darren Lerigo

This month I’m taking a short break from my business, Modern Mint Ltd, to talk to Kelly and Leyla, a mother and daughter team who run the lovely Lemon Tree Café on Moulsham Street. They recently celebrated their 2 year birthday (with a delicious slice of cake, of course) and we had the chance to talk with them about how business is going…

of the room”.

“Leyla had originally run a boutique clothes shop here. She had always been in retail, in clothes and she had the lease here but it was costing too much money. It changed from a boutique because I couldn’t help my daughter, I don’t know anything about it. I can be more hands on here.

“We have started doing lunch platters for local businesses, we are updating Facebook, we are now members of the Moulsham Traders Association”.

“We decided to do something different – no fried food! Others do fried food on Moulsham Street. We bake cakes, do a vegetable lasagne, quiche… One person asked are we doing bacon yet? No, and we never will. You can have ham with your breakfast but I am not frying food…”

It is a good difference because the coffee shop smells nice.

I like that Kelly and Leyla stick to their guns on this. They are right too – when you walk into the Lemon Tree Café, you can smell the cakes that have just come out of the oven. It is a heavenly smell. They also do a range of gluten-free cakes for people who prefer them.

“There was no kitchen before - no counter, no fridges. It was a retail clothing boutique. My daughter is an interior designer and chose the colours, the signs were made by another relative, the kitchen was fitted by my son, so materials was all it cost for putting this place together. We don’t want it to feel cramped in here – we could squeeze more people in but then it might put people off”.

How hard is the work?

“We are happy to open late if people want to use it for meetings, have coffees and cake”.

Any plans for the future?

“Here we make the decisions, we can try things. There is a plan to change out the back, maybe for mothers who can then bring their kids, books, toys… they’ll have their own room and this will let the mums actually have a coffee without worrying if their little one will run out the door. They need that, the mums – that moment, that time…”

I ask Leyla how she feels about running the Lemon Tree Café?

“It has been good for me. Mum knows how to do it because she has done it before, but I have matured. I naturally do it now”.

If you want a coffee and a cake, we highly recommend visiting the Lemon Tree café run by Kelly and Leyla on Moulsham Street.

I’ll be taking time off from my work at Modern Mint Ltd to go back for another slice of cake!

By Darren Lerigo www.modernmint.co.uk info@modernmint.co.uk

All About Local by bestofchelmsford

“After 10 hours we are wondering if we are ever going to feel normal again. We start baking in the morning because we have time then, but recently the mornings are getting so much busier. We had no dishwasher for maybe only the first month but it seemed like longer, cleaning up seemed to take us into the night. Even now we need 3 dishwashers to keep up.

Here at thebestofchelmsford we are all about local. Stuck for something to do this weekend? Visit our interactive events section and find out what’s going on in and around Chelmsford, if you have your own event you can even post it there at no charge. If you’re looking for any local offers then our offers section is where you want to be.

“We could open Sundays, but we already do six days and I want to see my children, my two grandsons… how busy can you get? You then need the staff to cope”.

Our business section is full of businesses that are recommended by local people just like you and remember, as we are not a directory, you can be sure that only trusted businesses are listed on thebestofchelmsford. We don’t want to give you hundreds of businesses to choose from, we only want to give you the best.

Do you have staff working for you now?

“We have another lady who is great with people, really how we want to be with our customers. But she has a daughter and has to balance work with family commitments. We are lucky with our customers, they are good people. We try to be relaxed in here”.

At this moment a lady gives a cheery goodbye as she walks out.

There really is a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere about the Lemon Tree Café.

“She came in last week, and now she has come back. Some people come in everyday, some once a week. We need more people to notice us – you are only allowed one A-board on the street at the front, so we need to make the shop more noticeable. But you adapt and learn”.

Our village pages have just been launched which give the businesses on thebestof that extra platform. Are you in one of our village areas?

They cover Ingatestone & Margaretting, Stock, South Woodham Ferrers, Burnham on Crouch, Danbury & Bicknacre, Hatfield Peverel & Boreham, Rettendon and Great Baddow.

We would also love you to recommend the local businesses you think stand out from the rest. Its all about getting those quality businesses recognised. You can do this via our website or just give us a call and if any of the businesses join thebestofchelmsford due to your referral we will give you a £40 thank you.

For everything local why not join us today either online or via our app.

Do you open in the evenings? Do any events?

Thebestofchelmsford - bringing trusted businesses and the community together.

“Yes, we try and run charity days – Comic Relief, Farleigh Hospice, Macmillan. We run a psychic night, the lady came to us and asked if she can do it. A very popular night, people are squeezed in the length

Contact us on 01245 70 10 20 or visit our website at: www.thebestof.co.uk/chelmsford and let’s see how we can get your business noticed.

Page 14

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Sarah Brockwell sarahBee marketing based in Essex

Aqua4baby – A Career Reinvention All Pregnant Women Want to Hear About!

The sun in shining and it is HOT!! Well it is at the time of writing anyway!

Summer can be a tricky time for mums-to-be as you become more sensitive to the sun’s rays and can feel hot and bothered very quickly - not to mention the joys of swollen ankles and feet. If this is you or you know someone that could really do with some respite and relaxation during pregnancy I recently met up with a lady who may be able to help…

For those who read my column regularly I get out and about every month meeting inspiring women who have re-invented their career.

This month I sat down over breakfast with the delightful Jan Phelps of Aqua4baby.

I first heard of Jan when a pregnant friend of mine attended her classes and literally raved about them. She described the class as the most relaxing time of her week and also the highlight of it.

Jan teaches Aquanatal to expectant mums.

Aquanatal is a form of gentle exercise which is done while in water. It encompasses yoga techniques which are enhanced by the buoyancy of the water as your body is relieved of the weight of your baby. It is a wonderful form of relaxation and also helps prepare your mind and body for birth through breathing techniques, gentle stretching and helping maintain body movements during pregnancy. In Jan’s own words ‘Aquanatal refreshes the body and mind by giving great benefits to women of all stages of pregnancy. It increases sleep and eases joints. Tummy time is the best feeling and allows time for mum-to-be to bond with baby and love to grow’.

to meet other mums-to-be. Jan really encourages this aspect of the class as it is so important to build up a network of people to support you after your baby is born. Julia, who is currently attending Jan’s classes, feels this is a really important element of them; ‘it’s been such a great opportunity to meet other first-time mums-to-be and talk through our experiences during our pregnancies as well as make new friends!

Jan is wonderful as she has a special way of getting everyone to bond as a group and also shares all her tips and advice to give you the best pregnancy experience’.

While chatting to Jan it was utterly apparent how passionate she is about working with mums-to-be. However, like so many of the inspirational women I have met in recent months this was not her original career and she has trodden a number of paths before finding herself here. Jan began her career in London working at the Tower Thistle Hotel after completing her degree in Hotel and Catering Operations Management. She worked her way up from floor supervisor to PA to the head of department and she loved her job - enjoying meeting the diversity of people, cultures and the challenge of her role. When she fell pregnant with her first child it became apparent that working in the hotel industry was not compatible with family life. Jan showed her resourcefulness and went on to become assistant chef at Great Waltham Primary School and assistant manager at Muddy Waters restaurant in Chelmsford.

However her most significant career change was just around the corner…

When pregnant with her second child, Jan attended Aquanatal classes in Chelmsford, then run by midwife Chris Johnston. Chris was approaching retirement and looking for someone to take over the class and Jan realised this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. ‘The Job attracted It is also a great way for pregnant women me as it fitted the things that gave me a Page 15

buzz - meeting new people, cultures, helping people feeling I was doing some good. I got great benefits from these classes and did not want them to be lost to all future pregnant women. The physical and emotional benefits are empowering – enabling the pregnant women to feel they know their bodies and the benefits of talking with other mums-to-be about their fears and anxieties and letting go of their emotions of pregnancy without the negative comments of everyday society’.

Jan spent a year training to be an Aquanatal teacher; at first teaching alongside a friend and then branching out on her own when Aqua4baby was born. She runs her classes on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from Newland Springs School – please contact her at jan@aqua4baby.co.uk or visit her website www.aqua4baby. co.uk.

I so enjoyed chatting to Jan as she had become increasingly on my radar in recent months as many of the women she teaches have also come to me to do Hypnobirthing as our courses are very complimentary. She echoes so many of my own words in her passion for teaching pregnant women when she says ‘I love it, I love listening to the mums – the excitement of mums having the delivery of their choice, to know a new baby is in the world who had a stress free birth is a wonderful feeling’.

If you are a woman who has reinvented herself and your career has taken a change in direction I would love to hear from you! I am always on the lookout for interesting and inspiring stories so please get in touch at: linda@bunintheovenbirthing,co.uk.

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Angel Broomfield City Detective Agency Episode 8: The Case of the Greased Piggy

by Simon Culleton

Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s very own private detective was raised by nuns in a secret monastery in Boreham with only complete volumes of Sherlock Holmes for company.

Angel is now a resident at 221½ Moulsham Street at The City Detective Agency and with his trusty side kick John and the radiant Helen, Angel is ready to serve the city.

We left Angel in episode 7 hoisted into the air by a crane operated by the German spy and suspended over the Hoffmans building site. The German could be seen in the cockpit pulling on the levers in an attempt to make Angel fall. As he swung violently from side to side Angel decided to take his chances with an open top tour bus that was passing. Angel loosened his belt releasing the hook of the crane from the back of his trousers sending him flying into the air. The tour bus was full to bursting point with American tourists, as Angel fell out of the sky. Fortunately his fall was broken by a huge lady wearing a pink track suit and sun glasses who’s years of eating burgers as well as her over size silicon implants finally paid off as it took the brunt of the fall. The rest of the American tourists on the bus thought it was all part of the tour and applauded and whooped with excitement.

All doors conform fully to EU safety directives

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“Well I’ll be a son of a gun,” cried a man wearing a Stetson hat and bootlace tie. “ That’s a big entrance for a Britisher. I come from Texas, everything’s big in Texas.”

“Not everything honey” said his wife under her breath sitting next to him. The bus pulled to a stop outside The Chancellor Hall, where a huge banner over the doors advertised Chelmsford’s annual Country and Western Meeting. The driver announced that dinner was served inside which made the Texans file out in such force that Angel couldn’t help but be swept along. Within a moment Angel was standing inside a rodeo area where wide brimmed hat and checked shirts were the order of the day. The Wild West theme continued throughout with a saloon at one end complete with spittoons and dancing girls. The confederate flag hung from the ceiling underneath which a straw cover area was fenced off where cowboys sat on top cheering a man who stood balanced on the saddle of his trotting pony while jumping through the hoops of a whirling lasso. To Angel’s relief, he noticed a familiar face on the other side of the hall.

“We’re here”, shouted Helen standing on a straw bail.

“We followed the bus”. John was standing next to her waving a piece of paper in her hand.

“And we have the missing clue”, He said. Angel was so excited to see them that he vaulted the fence and ran across the pen arena to meet them when suddenly he was picked up by a spot light which dazzled him so much that he was rooted to the spot. The loud speakers announced in a southern twang: “y’all put your hands together for the first competitor for the catch and brand, anyone care to join him?” Within a moment large forearms were revealed as cowboys rolled up their checkered shirts and entered the arena with hats pulled down tight. Suddenly a klaxon was sounded and a cheer went up as a stream of greased up pigs where let loose in the arena. The last time Angel was in this situation was when an angry bull had ran into the monastery during a botched artificial insemination program and had to be brought down by sister Hefty O’ Henry, who eventually head locked the bull into submission though had nearly been mistaken by the bull as part of the program. Both Helen and John jumped into the arena and joined Angel.

“The only way we are going to get out of here” said Helen, “is to win this competition. Within a moment Angel, John and Helen, along with all the other cowboys, were diving in all directions in an attempt to catch a piggy. Sometimes Angel

would get hold of a trotter only for it to slip away and another time he would dive and miss completely. Helen faired a little better actually managing to ride a pig for a moment, her nightclub mud wrestling days coming in handy. Though at one point she mistook a cowboy for a pig and rode him instead. John on the other hand had been mistaken for a pig himself and a large unshaven cowboy was grabbling him from behind shouting “squeal like a pig boy”. Angel, spotted a lone pig and with a superman dive flew through the air to catch him. Fortunately the pig had grown up on a southern farm and spent his life avoiding the farmers affections so easily dodged Angel, sending him hurtling through a fence and into a table of cowboys soaking them in splashed beer. “It wasn’t my fault” protested Angel scrambling to his feet. A tall Texan in a black silk shirt and a shiny six shooter hanging on his hip slowly rose to his feet standing 6ft 6 under a black Stetson.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Within a split second the whole place became completely silent and all eyes where on them. A woman whispered from the crowd “That’s Mad Mickey Maroon, the fastest shot east of the Mississippi.

Somebody pushed a gun into Angel’s hand as Mad Mickey growled out one word: “draw”. Angel stood completely still, knowing one move and the cowboy would shoot. Then at that moment a fly landed on Angel’s nose and began to crawl up his nostril. Angel was desperate not to move yet the irritation was so bad that……

Tune into the next edition to see if Angel can avoid blowing his nose.

Will Helen catch a little pig? Can John squeal like one?. Find out all this and more in the next addition of Angel Broomfield, City Detective.

New Street now and then.

RIght 2014, left New Street 1966 From Doug Bacon City Slickers by Nick Schofield

CT CHARITY Event - CGCCC About Us We are CGCCC and we are a non-profit organisation based in Chelmsford, Essex who are trying to build awareness of Goblet Cell Carcinoid and to help fund doctors, research facilities and our supporting charities – Royal Free Hospital Charity, and Net Patient Foundation - so that together we can find a cure to this terrible illness as well as other rare cancers.

We were founded in July 2012 By Mark Devine and Wayne Dixon after a friend was diagnosed with Goblet Cell Carcinoid (GCC). After contacting the doctors we found out that there is no government funding for this as well as other rare types of cancer. We therefore took it on ourselves with the help of The Royal Free Hospital charity and the Net Patient Foundation to fund research into GCC and all rare cancers.

We hold many events throughout the calendar year ranging from music festivals, fundraising days, sponsored walks and sports events and many more.

We have helped people from the UK as well as people form USA, Australia, Canada, and all over world by offering support, supplying them with up to date information on treatments and helping them get in touch with the best specialist for them depending on their location.

Previous Events Since being founded, we have managed to raise a large amount of money so far by holding a fundraising day on September 21st 2012 at the Wheatsheaf, Chelmsford where we had live music from Paolo Morena, Hilary Cornell, The Hudares and Chase The Enemy, comedians, A raffle with prizes donated by Jimmy Carr, Megabowl B&Q and many more worth over £1000. We also did a charity walk from London Liverpool Street Station back to Chelmsford, it took 10 of us 11 1/2 hours to complete the walk, Last year Mark took part in the London spartan race.

Sometimes I feel we are getting nowhere and no one is listening to what we are trying to say but then I receive an email from someone who wants to know if I can help them with finding a specialist near them or what foods are best to eat with a certain type of chemotherapy, or just wants more information about what GCC actually is! Considering the majority of emails we receive are from outside the UK it isn’t easy trying to help them, but we do and we have received some lovely messages from people we have never met.

Here are a few.

Liby - “I have found Karen and she has connected me with a private group on Facebook with others that have Carcinoid/NETS and I have been talking so much with them. It has been a wonderful experience thus far. Thank you for your help. I even had someone suggest I look at your site, which I told them you were where I started and helped me with my connection with Zebra Zone. Thank you Wayne”.

Bec (Australia) - “Thanks again, and THANK YOU for setting up such a great page :)”.

Michaela -“Hi Wayne thank you so much for all of the information.

I will have a look through it all. If I need anything further I will be in touch. Once again thank you so much. Kind regards”.

Kevin (USA) - “Just wanted to say a big thank you for all your help in finding me the information I required, this is a difficult time and I’m finding it hard to talk to my family about how I am feeling but I am grateful to have someone like you to talk to when I am feeling low, please keep up the good work Wayne”.

Considering there isn’t any government funding for GCC because the survival rate is very low makes our fundraising that little bit more difficult, but we will continue to raise funds and we will continue to believe that one day they will find a cure.

Thank you to everyone who has been there to support Mark and I, it has been an interesting 3 years and we have met and talked to some amazing people along our journey.

Future Events Saturday 6th September at Indigo, 16 Victoria Road, Chelmsford.

Cure Goblet Cell Carcinoid Cancer are back for their third music event! If you managed to attend any of their previous events than you will know what a great success they have been. There will be live music from Leanne Louise, The Hudares, Oink, Hilary Cornell and John Chapman and other entertainment for you. If you have any questions please get in contact. We can’t wait to meet you all.

Last of all I would like to thank Mark Devine for his support and help in setting up CGCCC without him this wouldn’t be possible. Also my son, William Dixon who has helped to raise funds and who got an A* in his English GCSE for writing about CGCCC.

HELP THE FIGHT! NO UNDER 18s unless accompanied by an adult.

Thank you

Saturday 20th September - Charity Walk - London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford.

On Saturday September 20th co-founders Mark Devine and Wayne Dixon along with 20 fellow volunteers will be taking part in a charity walk from London Liverpool Street to Chelmsford, Essex, they will attempting to beat the time previously set 2 years ago. if any one would like to take part in this event please feel free to contact Mark or Wayne.

Wayne Dixon - Co-Founder

This cancer has touched the hearts of many and I know that because of what Mark and I have done over the past few years more people are aware of Goblet Cell Carcinoid.

It has been 3 years since Mark Devine and I created Cure Goblet Cell Carcinoid (CGCCC); We created this fundraising group after my wife was diagnosed with GCC in June 2012 and we struggled to find information or help with questions so that just encouraged us to help others more. We have high hopes of being a registered charity one day but until then we will continue to raise money for this very rare Cancer. If I am honest, it hasn’t been the easiest of times trying to arrange fundraisers and trying to raise awareness has been difficult at times as well. With myself raising 3 children and Mark working full time it is difficult to find the time to organise everything but we manage it, somehow.

Page 18

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Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill

This article discusses the use of hypnotherapy in childbirth. Hypnosis is used to encourage the mother to feel more comfortable and in control.

Women are told all of their lives childbirth is the most excruciating, all consuming, horrible, almost unbearable pain they will ever experience. When I was training our tutor asked the class “what is the most terrible pain you have ever experienced?” and every woman in the class who’d experienced childbirth said that this was the worst pain they had ever felt. I’m not disputing this, but many times I’ve heard such comments as “you don’t know pain until you’ve given birth”, “It’s an unimaginable type of pain”, “It’s the worst type of pain anyone can ever experience” – the mind is extremely suggestible. If women all of their lives are told about this terrible, unbearable pain they are likely to feel scared, doubt themselves that they can actually handle it, and in fact expect to feel out of control and in excruciating agony when the time comes to have a child. Then we have society’s expectation that “you are not a real woman until you have had a child” – what an awful amount of pressure females must experience then just to keep the human race going! And then we have to think about the partners in all of this, the ones that are not going to experience this excruciating agony, what can they do? They might feel helpless, distraught, they have also heard of this terrible pain that is worse than torture and now they may have to watch their partner go thorough this! How awful!!!

Hang on a minute.

The human species is very successful. The process via which we procreate has been in existence since we have. So where does this fear of childbirth come from? Allow me to provide a brief history: In early medicine, men took the lead in obstetrics but Hippocrates and Aristotle didn’t mention pain when writing about natural uncomplicated childbirth. It was seen as a natural process and the mother should be given all the help and support she required.

Aristotle wrote about the importance of relaxation and emphasised the mind-body connection as this greatly affects our perception of pain.

At the end of the second century AD there began an increasing contempt towards women led by some misguided elements that had found their way into early Christian doctrine. St Clement of Alexandria wrote: “every woman should be filled with shame by the thought that she is a woman” (misogynistic, much?). Around this time female healers were executed and the entire role of women in society was redefined. It was common practice to segregate women during pregnancy and childbirth and doctors had to gain permission from monks and priests to treat the sick. Pregnancy was even sometimes seen as a sin, women were not deserving enough to receive help from doctors and birth became a feared and pain-filled ordeal because it was associated with the “dirtiness” of sex.

In the Middle Ages (500AD – 1500AD) barber-surgeons began trying to monopolise childbirth services. Women were forbidden to practice medicine or midwifery and midwives were accused of witchcraft and killed.

In the early 16th century the writings of Soranus (a classical Roman who attended births circa 98AD) were discovered and midwifery came back into practice with the first book on obstetrics being written (“Der Schwangern Frauen und Hebamen Rosengarten”, known as “The Rosengarten”, written by Eucharius Rosslin and translated into Dutch in 1516 – if you’re interested), but the field was still seen as a dishonourable one.

Between 1600-1700 bishops in the Church of England became the first to legislate control over midwifery, the midwife had to be loyal to the church since they could baptize infants in emergencies. Again, not much attention appears to be paid to the welfare of the mother.

By the mid 18th century chloroform has been invented but women are not allowed it for pain control in childbirth. Doctors are allowed to attend but those who had chosen obstetrics usually did so because they were incompetent in other areas and sometimes turned up drunk.

Queen Victoria led the way in the late 1800s for pain relief in childbirth, herself insisting she had chloroform. This led to another change in the way childbirth was handled, with mothers now being shipped off to hospital and the father’s not allowed to attend.

Maternity wards resembled something out of a horror story and incidences of infections such as Puerperal Fever became common – it was actually safer to give birth at home!

Thank goodness for Florence Nightingale who made great progress in cleaning up maternity wards, insisting doctors were competent, sober and clean. However pain relief had become the norm, in some cases over prescribed, pain was seen as unavoidable and the entire birth process taken out of the mother’s control as they were anaesthetized and drugged up to the eyeballs on chloroform.

In the present day things have improved dramatically, however most women opt to give birth in hospital because “what if something goes wrong?” – it seems that childbirth is expected to be a dangerous operation with massive risk of complication. This is usually because we don’t understand childbirth the way we used to thousands of years ago, it’s now assumed this is a medical issue for the doctors to deal with. And why shouldn’t we think that? If we look at the history of childbirth things haven’t exactly been a bed of roses for women over the last few hundred years! So how can hypnotherapy help? By putting the mother back in control, allowing her to understand her body and the way it works and giving her coping mechanisms that allow her to work with the natural birth process. The mother is giving birth, she knows through the signals her body gives her because this is a natural process and how she feels and what to do. There are various styles used in hypnotherapy, below is a breakdown of some of them: Focussing away from the pain so you become less aware of it – this takes a great deal of practice and this method has been critisised for not allowing the mother to engage fully in the birth process.

Accepting pain as a signaling system for the point of labour you are at – this can be very useful for keeping in touch with your body but everyone has a different pain threshold so this must be taken into account.

Pain is an unavoidable part of childbirth that must be tolerated and learnt from – this method is designed to test the woman’s coping strategies and ability to cope with varying degrees of pain.

Examine the theory that childbirth has to be unbearably painful and uncomfortable – looking at ways to work with not against our bodies.

Using hypnosis to assist pregnancy and childbirth works by relieving anxiety, preparing the body for pregnancy and birth, allaying fears and dispelling myths and building trust between the woman’s mind, body, and those attending the birth. In order to achieve this I need to know how the woman feels about pregnancy and birth in the first place, how she feels about the relevant stages (opening of the cervix, pushing, delivering the placenta etc) and then I would build a relevant and personalised screed. The screed would focus on feeling in control and being connected with the experience. I would also teach relaxation techniques so that the mother can relax and visualise at will, this would take the form of a basic PMR with emphasis on the client’s ability to become in tune and in control of their body and emotional state. I can also teach breathing techniques specifically for relaxation although the client would need to take note of the difference between this and the techniques she learns in antenatal classes. I would introduce deepening techniques to help with pain control (similar to last month’s techniques in the pain article). The birthing environment is also paramount to consider as there may be additional techniques the client can use depending on where they

are. In terms of dealing with contractions in a hypnotherapy screed, I like to use visual metaphors. For example the contraction is like going up a mountain (and seeing the most beautiful view where you feel so relaxed etc) and then floating back down again (relaxed and in control, waiting for the next one, bringing you closer to the birth of your baby�).

Carrying on the subject of procreation, next time I will discuss how hypnotherapy can help with fertility issues. If you have any questions or comments please contact me!

Jenny Hartill Cloud9 Counselling and Hypnotherapy www.counsellinginchelmsford.co.uk info@cloud9-counselling.co.uk

Your New No-Barrier Workout by Keith Porter As humans, we see barriers. They’re inevitable in every part of our life.

Take the gym for example. we sign up because things have gotten out of hand. We’re out of shape, tired, and we’ve made a commitment to ourselves to try to be healthier.

minimal effort.

The answer? A body-blasting bodyweight workout.

Here’s what I do: The Warm Up

So we go gung-ho into it, but over time, life gets in the way. Our jobs, family, and social obligations pull at our time. There is always a reason not to go.

Take 5-7 minutes to do things like jogging with high knees, jogging while flicking your heels to touch your bum, making big circles with your arms, and standing on one leg while swinging the other one and keeping your upper body upright.

And unless we go somewhere to exercise, unless we put on special clothes and go to that special place designated for fitness, we don’t do it. How could we without specific machines and bodypump and lycra and a steam room?

I recognised these feelings and signals in myself a long time ago.

I used to say that if I woke up, got out of bed and made it to the bathroom, I’d make it to the gym. If my brain convinced me that I needed the extra sleep, or it was too cold, or it was raining, I rolled over and drifted back off to dreamland.

The Workout

So I had to break down the barriers. A workout where the only decision I would have to make would be to stand up. It had to be quick, easy, with no equipment. Something I could do in the spare room in my pants if I didn’t have any clean gym gear (sorry about that image). That would get up a sweat and keep me in decent shape with

20 x body weight squats 20 x push-ups 20 x burpees 1 min plank 30 secs side plank (each side) Go from one straight to the next without resting. Rest for two minutes at the end, or until you’re fully recovered and ready to go again. Go again, for two more rounds.

And that’s it. That’s the workout that keeps me in decent shape.

To find out more about personal training or paleo eating, visit www. liveasimplelife.co.uk.

James Wilkinson’s Charity Art Show at Hylands House in aid of Little Havens

International superstar Kimberley Wyatt (Pussycat Dolls) performed a jam packed DJ set at Chelmsford’s prestige nightclub Evoke, on Saturday as part of the new Luminar re-launch along side resident DJ Jamie Jayy. You can find the club & Jamie Jayy on twitter at @evokenightclub & @djjamiejayy

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Searching for Information about Two Local Men who Fought in the Great War We are researching men with a connection to the Hylands Estate who served in World War One for an exhibition in Hylands House in September. We have been lucky enough to find descendants of some of them and we hope that we can find people in this area with a connection to two of the men who survived the War. We have already discovered a lot about these men, but as they both were born and died in the Chelmsford area, there may be family here still.

Frederick Edward Johnson lived in Widford and was awarded the Military Medal. He was a patient in Hylands Military Hospital during the war with diphtheria and went on to also serve in World War Two. He married and had two sons who both married in the Chelmsford registration district and they each went on to have a son. Frederick died on 12th April 1967 and was cremated in Chelmsford.

The other is Sidney Arthur Emery who lived in London Lodge in Hylands Park. His father was the head gamekeeper on the estate and before the war, Sidney was a gamekeeper. But after his return from France with gunshot wounds, he worked as a gardener. We haven’t found a marriage for him, but know he died in November 1971 and was buried in the cemetery in Writtle Road.

In this, the anniversary of the start of WW1, families are thinking of their men who served and searching for information about them.So there is chance that someone may know something about these men. If you know someone with the same surname, please ask them! They can make contact by email – linda.knock@sky.com. Thank you.

Sept

CT History Castles of Essex by John Power Nearly all the remains of castles in Essex date back to the era just after the Norman Conquest, when William the Conqueror awarded lands in England to French nobles who had supported him in the invasion. So the general pattern for buildings is the motte and bailey design. That is to say a mound of earth created on which to build the keep, the main building for the lord of the manor and his entourage, surrounded by a space for smaller dwellings and craftsmen’s premises inside an outer defensive wall, the bailey, and sometimes with a moat for further defense. The sites were often those chosen previously by Saxons for water supply and the defensive high land advantage, but eventually their wooden forts were gradually replaced by stone structures as a demonstration of the takeover of power bases. North-east Essex has several remains of such castles.

Saffron Walden was built by Geoffrey de Mandeville, who had been a battle commander for William at Hastings in 1066. It followed the motte and bailey format. But in what amounted to England’s first civil war since the battle, King Stephen, William’s grandson (ruled 1135-54), ordered Geoffrey to surrender the castle in 1143, which he did but then went on the offensive against Stephen’s strongholds in Cambridgeshire and died in a siege the following year. The castle was rendered dysfunctional by Henry II (r. 1154-89). Only the ruins of the keep and its mound remain visible, as most of the stone was robbed out for other buildings being a rare building commodity in Essex.

Pleshey: William had also given the lands around present day High Easter to Geoffrey de Mandeville and so in the 12th century a motte and bailey castle replaced the wooden ediface at Pleshey and had a moat added as an extra defence. It was again in Henry II’s reign that it was partially dismantled but rebuilt around 1200. It passed to the dukes of Gloucester through marriage, but Richard II (r. 1377-99) executed the last duke and it fell into ruin again as stone was robbed out for other building. Only the earthworks and the land bridge across the moat survive.

Stebbing castle is near Dunmow. After 1066 the surrounding lands were held by Henry de Ferrers and a motte and bailey with a moat was constructed. In the 13th century it passed to the Scots clan Douglas when Eleanor, widow of William de Ferrers, married again into the Douglas family. The lands became forfeit when the laird went to fight against Edward I (r.1272-1307) in the Wars of Scottish Independence. He died in the Tower of London after torture without leaving children. Only the mound and moat survive.

Clavering is eight miles S.W. of Bishop’s Stortford and was built on a late Anglo-Saxon site chosen for its defensive position overlooking the River Stort. The moat ditch and wooden outer fortifications were added to with stone, so the castle does not follow the motte and bailey format but the construction was referred to as medieval ringwork, so extensive earthworks form the remains. The River Stort was diverted to to fill the moat.

Stansted Montflitchet was another Iron Age hill fort overlooking the River Stort, which became a Roman fort. Saxons and Vikings also made use of the site so it was trashed by the Normans then rebuilt as a motte and bailey by them. A wooden reconstruction with a minature tower for the lord of the manor and outer stockade (where stakes were not driven into the underlying archaeology), was rebuilt at the end of the 20th century as a tourist attraction. Animals and staff in period costume roam the grounds and it is used for historic re-enactments.

Ongar was again an 11th to 12th century motte and bailey construction. It is thought to have been built by Eustace II, Count of Boulogne who was given the manor in 1086. A stone keep was added but pulled down in the 16th century in the Tudor era. Then a less martial looking brick house was erected on the site, and which itself was destroyed in the 18th century. Only earthworks remain on private land, but they are are visible to the public.

Hedingham Castle was the seat of the De Veres, Earls of Oxford.

Aubrey, the third Earl, had it built in the 13th century with a Benedictine nunnery and hospital attached. Robert de Vere was one of the barons who signed the Magna Carta curbing King John’s powers in 1218 earlier in the century. It is the best preserved keep in Essex. It is also close to the Colne Valley Steam Railway so easy to double up for tourist visits.

Colchester Castle was originally a Celtic hillfort site, but was transformed by the Romans into a temple site, which became dedicated to Emperor Claudius (r. 54-60 C.E.) at the centre of the extensive Roman town. However, as the centre of Celtic fury at Roman rule, it was destroyed in Boudica’s revolt. A chared layer under the High Street is still exposed by modern building site foundation excavations to show how the rest of the town was dealt with. Many parts of the strengthened town wall and its gates are still to be found within the contemporary town buildings, as well as other sites, like potteries and a chariot racing track outside the Roman town perimeter. Professor Ronald Hutton has even suggested that the town retained a version of the Roman name Camulodinum as Camelot, the Arthurian capital. It seems unlikely that so little record of that chieftain from such a location would not have survived.

What eventually became the castle keep for William the Conqueror was built between 1069 and 1080 - with a lapse for the army to deal with Viking encroachments. Roman brick was used to build the keep.

It was thought to have been three stories high and at one and a half times the size of the Tower of London was the largest keep in the country. It also made use of the extensive Roman vaults as dungeons and for storage.

In 1215 it was captured by King John in the Baron’s Revolt that led to Magna Carta. In 1648 in Cromwell’s Civil War, the town was besieged and Royalists Sir Charles Lucas and George Lisle were executed on the site of the castle. In 1650 it was condemned and sold for demolition, which proved so expensive the effort was abandoned, leaving the half keep we see today. In 1727 M.P. Charles Gray and his in-laws bought the building, and in 1740 began restoration creating Castle Park too, as well as adding a library and a study. In 1922 Castle Park was given to the town and the remains of the castle became a museum, which went through a major refurbishment during 2013 and 2014.

As we move to the south of the county we encounter the remains of Rayleigh Castle, which again was a timber motte and bailey built after 1066. Not wholly of Norman descent, Swein Fitzwimarc owned the surrounding lands in 1086 at the time of the Doomsday Book audit. He was a favourite of Saxon king Edward the Confessor, but managed to retain lands in Rochford and Barstable areas with the castle being their administrative centre. Stonework was added in 1140 by Swein’s son, but his grandson lost the lands to the crown in trial by combat. King John gave them to his chief minister Hubert de Burgh in 1200. When his son died the lands reverted to the crown and the stone was removed to help build Hadleigh Castle as the site returned to pasture. Leaving only the earthworks as a reminder of its past to the present day.

Hadleigh Castle was begun in 1215 by Hubert de Burgh, who also owned Windsor and Dover castles. He was not only King John’s First Minister but in effect ran the country while Henry III was a boy. They quarrelled in 1239 when Henry was grown up, and Hubert was forced to give the lands and castle to the crown. Edward II (r.1307-27) used the castle as a royal residence and saw it’s value as a strategic site on the Thames estuary during the 100 Years War with France, so excavated and rebuilt parts of it after landslips that had occurred in 1274 due to poor foundations. Edward III (r. 1327-77) showed little interest in it, so it was leased out and eventually sold to Lord Riche in 1551 during the short reign of Henry the VIII’s son, Edward VI. Riche sold it for building materials. A small part of the building, which was once a grand edifice, survives to the present day.

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City Diversions Festival 2014 You are invited to witness an imaginative journey of flight with the show ‘Firebirds’ presented by Theatre Titanik from Germany. Gather from 8.30pm for a promenade of four marvellous machines and their eccentric pilots as they make make their way around Saltcoats Park, attempting to win the audience’s favour. Which of them do you think is the best? How will you show your approval? Will any of these curious machines manage to rise into the air from the runway?

Pyro effects are the sparkling power behind the outrageous flying attempts. There’s envy and indignation between the competitors that causes mishaps and look out for the Black Angel who plays his own particular game...

and Europe. Most of the promenade acts will pass through the High Street and also High Chelmer and Meadows shopping centres. Static shows can be found in Bell Meadow and other locations. And once things finish here remember the party continues at the university and a finale at 8.30pm.

The walk between the city centre and ARU is less than 10 minutes.

A vintage bus will provide a free service between the top of the High Street and campus. Please check the festival website for a map and also limited bus operating times. www.chelmsford.gov.uk/citydiversions

Preceding the Firebirds show will be approx 30 minutes of wandering performance through the gathering crowds. The Firebirds show lasts about 50 minutes.

Please remember to wear sensible clothes, bring waterproofs (not umbrellas, please) for inclement weather and visit the festival website before travelling. Note that there is limited parking at Saltcoats Park.

Enjoy the festival celebrations both in Chelmsford city centre and at Anglian Ruskin University.

From 10.30am until late, the university will host free outdoor and tented performances, an international food market, vintage craft stalls and wonderful vintage fairground rides. At 8.30pm, Anglia Ruskin University invite you to see their festival finale show Spark! featuring high-impact, choreographed drumming and lighting in a 40 minute show not to be missed.

Between 12noon to 5pm, the city centre enjoys a great variety of shows from street bands and theatre companies from across the UK

South Woodham show - Saturday 20th September Chelmsford/ ARU will be Saturday 27th September

An Interview with Ray Hurd a 3-D Printing Engineer

By Pat Roebins

The subject of 3-D printing, a supposedly life changing technology, and the hype surrounding it, has fascinated me for some time now so I was intrigued and delighted to have the opportunity to talk to Ray Hurd, a 3-D printing engineer based in Chelmsford.

Ray has been an engineering designer for many years but in the last couple of years he has been investigating the world of 3-D printing including building his own 3-D printer.

So, let’s get down to basics, if you’re new to 3-D printing as I am, you’ll need to know what 3-D printing actually is. Ray tells me that in layman’s terms, it simply translates as a machine which is able to create 3-D objects by printing them. This is achieved through a process whereby layers of material are laid down and further layers are added until the object, or model, is complete. He says that the amateur or hobbyist can have a small 3-D printer at home but there is, of course, a limit to what they can print. Commercial organisations however, are printing large items in a large number of different types of materials. The sort of thing the home user can produce includes some items which would be impossible to manufacture in other ways – which sounds very useful! For example there may be broken plastic items around the house that have become obsolete. but you could print a replacement for these. Other home production items could include, for example, such things as coat hooks, boxes, clothes pegs and door handles (the list is non-exhaustible) and what’s more you can print them to your own unique design. Ray explained that the cost of printing these items can vary between a few pence to several pounds. He also explained that it’s something you need to be patient with as 3-D printing isn’t fast, you have to be prepared to wait whilst the item is printed layer-by-layer. The size of object you can print depends on the size of the ‘printer envelope’ - this is the size on a particular 3-D printing machine that can be printed in terms of length, width and height. For a typical home 3-D printer that would be about 20 x 20 x 20cm.

Materials for use in 3-D printers are known as ‘filament’ and are supplied on spools. The most common materials used on the home printer are PLA and ABS. These are both thermoplastics. The 3-D printer extrudes the material through a heated nozzle and as the melted plastic is laid down onto the print surface it solidifies.

I’ve heard that there are some very diverse materials now being used in 3-D printing and Ray confirmed that there is a huge amount being printed around the world. So much so that he was only able to touch on a few of the main things, which are quite extraordinary and include: body parts - including bones, limbs and even human organs. Titanium metal components for the aircraft industry (some are already in use), the automotive industry and bicycle manufacturers. Food stuffs are being 3-D printed but are currently limited to a few such as sugar and chocolate which easily lend themselves to melting and solidifying, perfect for 3-D printing!

Amazingly, in several places around the world, work is being done on developing 3-D printed houses. Jewellery can now be 3-D printed in gold and silver and there are sites online who offer to print your design in an array of materials.

The subject which really fascinates me is the printing of human organs and I asked Ray to explain about this in a bit more detail.

He said that according to reports, there are universities in America who are deeply involved in developing human organs. Human cells are obtained from humans and grown to increase their number and then used in a 3-D printer called a ‘bio printer’. There has been some limited success but to print a complete human organ ready

for transplant is quite a few years away yet. Apparently someone is offering $1 million for the first company to produce a human kidney that works. There are mixed feelings towards the controversial subject of printing of human organs, which is understandable.

Getting back to the subject of home-based 3-D printing, I wondered where someone like me could buy a 3-D printer from. Ray said that there are several companies producing different types of ‘FDM’ 3-D printers. FDM stands for ‘filament deposition modelling’. Some of the big high street companies are now making it possible to order a 3-D printer through their stores. And the cost? They vary from £500 upwards.

If you want to delve a bit deeper into this fascinating subject then Ray Hurd’s new book ‘3-D Printing – What is it?’ can be ordered from his website: www.3d-printing-essex.co.uk.

a fun and exciting pre-school sports development programme based around non contact rugby for children from 18 months to 6 yrs.

classes start September 2014 in Chelmsford, Broomfield Village Hall CM1 7AH for more information go to www.ruggerbugs.co.uk Or contact us : tel: 08456 432 462 email: office@ruggerbugs.co.uk

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Come Fly with Me by Simon Culleton I was reading a book on holiday statistics last week (I know, I have a wild life) and one questionnaire that I read had an alarming conclusion: people find going on holiday more stressful than child birth, moving house or being robbed. Having experienced at least two of those, I find that statistic completely believable especially where airports are concerned. I can recall endless hours of waiting in airports after countless delays. I’ve had my luggage lost and a plane go without me (not good for the ego) and generally been herded around the terminal with all the other bewildered cattle.

Once, after a 7 hour delay at an airport in Houston, Texas we were told that we could not take off due to a technical problem, the cause of which I later found out, the pilot had gone home.

Over two thirds of the UK will go on holiday this year and an increasing majority of those will be flying to get there, joining a 2.8 billion world wide passenger list. That’s a lot of suitcase packing, airport taxi runs, check in, going through security and being body searched (I always think of this as a free

massage), finding your gate, then, finally boarding your flight and fastening your seat belt only to hear the pilot announce another delay. The flight itself, especially if it’s a cheap economy one - which most of mine are, can be rather squashed and sardine-like; The thought of which would be unbearable to those suffering from aerophobia: I don’t have a fear of flying, I rather enjoy it. It’s the fear of crashing that scares me.

Yet no matter how comfortable you may be with flying, it’s impossible not to feel vulnerable 40,000 feet in the air along with another 6,000 planes at any one time sharing your air space and only the calming voice of an over-worked pilot to keep your nerves from shattering. “This is your captain speaking. I’m tired, hungry and this is my nineteenth flight today, now please sit back and enjoy your flight.” I’m joking of course; pilots nowadays are of a very high spec with years of training behind them. I’m pleased to say that the horror stories that hit the headlines in past decades are behind us now i.e. In America both pilots left the cockpit of a Boeing DC9 and went back for a toilet break when turbulence caused the door to slam shut. As the plane flew on autopilot the door had to be hurriedly axed open in front of what I can only imagine were frantic passengers. Another passenger flight in Russia ended tragically in the Siberian mountains when the pilot gave the controls

to his young daughter who he had sneaked into the cock pit: “daddy, look what I can do...” am assured that in these days of high security such mistakes would not happen.

Flying is still the safest form of transport and 2012 saw aviation’s safest year.

Here in Chelmsford we are very lucky to have Stansted as our closest airport and an easy 25 minutes drive away. It’s still only the fourth busiest in the country and compared to Heathrow’s labyrinth of a confusing infrastructure, Stansted is a walk in the park. Technology is at the forefront of most airports with computerised check-in from your home and seat selection via your mobile. Last week I was at Stansted airport on a pick-up when I noticed that even the chauffeurs that stood around the arrival area waiting for their clients had discarded the traditional piece of cardboard with the name written on it and now held up iPads.

Everything is changing in airports for the better in a continual strive for modernisation.

Although one tradition seems to be holding strong… The flight I was waiting for was delayed. simon@limepad.com

Page 29 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Used Stamp Appeal for RNIB

RNIB need your stamps! Stamp recycling can raise thousands of pounds each year to help blind and partially sighted people. Please save all the stamps you receive and send them to RNIB. For more details visit www.rnib.org.uk and search stamps or send your stamps to: RNIB Stamp Recycling 20 Bowers Road Benfleet England SS7 5PZ Many thanks RNIB

View all of our magazines online at: www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

Rotary Asked to Help Out at the Last Minute There is nothing new under the sun or so they say, but nevertheless I am constantly being told about new Rotary events and projects. Just a few days ago I was approached by The Tom Bowdidge Foundation to see if Rotary clubs could assist with a tractor ride on behalf of the charity which supports young people with cancer. It is all being arranged at very short notice and the foundation realised that Rotary with its connections throughout the country - and in fact in Europe, as well - would be the organisation that would help, if anyone could. The UK journey starts at John O’Groats and goes down through Britain until it ends at Lands End. It then meanders through Belgium and Scandinavia before doing the return trip from Lands End to John O’Groats. A total of 8000 miles. In each town that the tractor stops for an overnight, rest Rotarians will meet the driver, making him welcome and also try to assist with raising money for the

charity by publicising the ride. With only a week to organise anything at all, leaders of Rotary clubs in Britain were notified of the route and they gave their assurances that they would do their best to help in any way possible. A friendly face en-route certainly makes the journey easier for driver Peter and that’s what Rotary provides every day of the year – a friendly face and a helping hand.

Something else Rotarians have been up to recently is joining in a carnival to raise money for the local community. They came up with the idea of dressing the float in the style of Dad’s Army, bearing in mind the commemorations that are going on at the moment for the Second World War and World War One. The club was delighted to learn that they won first prize for their carnival float. And well deserved it was.

So whilst it may be true that is nothing completely new, there are variations on a theme - helping another charity, sharing in the fun, having fun yourself. That’s what Rotary is all about. If you would like to find out more about joining a club, or helping in occasional projects, then visit www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org, or call me on 01245 260349 (office hours).

Stan Keller

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