Hello readers,
Welcome to The City Times December/January edition.
If you are reading this issue before Chrismas, then merry Chrismas! if you are reading it afterwards, then we hope you had a good festive break.
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What a year it has been! We are now onto our third prime minister, and we had a budget that was just so awful it was laughable. We may now actually be getting somewhere, except for the upheaval due to all the strikes that are currently happening. I think the unions should look at where we are and what has happened and should give some space to let us get into a better position first, as it will be us the public who will pay for the wage rises in one way or another via tax or price rises.
We had a blazing summer of course, then the wind and rain came and now the cold is with us, although as I write the sun is shining. This is, I believe, down to global warming. With this cold snap it is inevitable that the heating has to go on, although I am being a lot more frugal with it and wrapping up more as I suspect a lot of you are doing also. My thoughts are with those less fortunate than me, which includes the homeless, across the festive season and beyond... So many people are on their own, so do give a thought to those on the streets and your neighbours and friends and family who may be alone and may feel a bit down. I know this only too well, as I feel very lonely at times and for many it’s the same. I am lucky this year as I will be with my son and my ex-wife (who is still a best friend) on Christmas Day. Then we will join our daughter and her family on Boxing Day. I am so looking forward to this!
With all the festive festivities going on, there has been lots happening across the country, although a lot of us are cutting back of course. I think many are thinking about what they really need to spend money on, and do we really need to send cards this year... I have not sent cards for many years as I’d rather give the money to a local charity. As is the same with many people, I do not really carry cash, so the charity boxes are not filling up as fast - and with all the postal strikes and costs, will your cards even get to where they should in time anyway? So maybe think about doing it online and donate to a charity instead.
I am looking forward to 2023; hopefully it will be a better year. I hear a lot of others thinking the same thing - that we are in for a better year ahead, not only for the arts but for us all.
It is good to see that 3foot People and The Fling festivals are returning in 2023 to Chelmsford. The Civic Theatre will also be reopening at last, and I am looking forward to seeing what they have done.
Do not forget to check out our What’s On guide in this magazine. Plese do let us know of anything that may be of interest to our readers. And if you have any comments we are always happy to hear them and happy to publish all those that might be of interest to our readers.
It has been a busy year and 2023 looks like it will be even busier. Hopefully we will not see the cancellations that have seen throughout 2022 for one reason or another - many due to lack of pre-booking for small and large shows. This affects shows across the whole of the world. As l always say, if you do not support your local venues and promoters, you will not only lose them but you will start to lose the acts as well - and that is not just in the music industry, it affects all aspects of the arts, sadly.
I was unable to review my last shows at the Social Club but our new writer Lydia Ransom has done so for Slim Chance (see page 11) and
Connor Selby (see the next issue). Connor had some big news to announce at his show, as he has been signed to the Mascot record label group earlier in the year, he released his first single on the gig day, and he has his album being rereleased next year with four new bonus tracks. There is more big news on the way from him, so watch this space. We would advise following all the acts who play for us to see what they have coming up as like Connor he is on the up, so don’t miss out by not following him.
We closed our year at The Orange Tree with the One Tree Hillbillies, and as ever it was a great night. I have had my first night at Hot Box in Chelmsford the other Monday. I put on Matt Woosey with his trio - and what a great show it was! Dave, who owns Hot Box, said it was in his top ten gigs of the past six years since he has been there! Matt will be back to play in June 2023...
We had Slim Chance and The Ugly Guys play the Social Club the other week. Both bands were stunning. We will be rebooking them for sure as they enjoyed it as much as all of us did.
I have been to a few gigs during the last month; like Roscoe Wilson and friends, Saints and Sinners, and Martin Turner who we have playing in March next year. I cannot wait; he will be playing all the Wishbone Ash material. I also had Clare Secretan and Alex Hearn play along with Josh Graham - this show was excellent. All top class players and those who attended were wowed by them.
2023 is shaping up well as you will see if you check out my advert in this mag. I am just waiting on some amazing acts to fix their dates with us for next year to add to an already great lineup. We will hopefully have Eric Bell returning as well as Los Pacaminos, Jim Cregan, Robbie McIntosh, Hamish Stuart plus many more - including a great Pink Floyd tribute act called The Post Floyd Dream, who are great. I would advise check the links below to keep up to date.
We are taking a break until Friday 20th January, when we will return with Nine Below Zero who will have Al Perez opening for them. Many other venues are not slowing down, so we would suggest you check out our What’s On guide or search social media - there is plenty happening all over, and not just in Essex either.
I plan to get out as much as I can to places like Hot Box and other venues. I will also be going to some jam sessions - hopefully to blow some harmonicas and maybe play a bit of guitar as well, so be prewarned!
We are off to the very last Rock and Blues event at Butlins in Skegness in January with some friends. It’s sad to see the end having played there a good few times as well as having seen many great acts playing. It is also the last of the Big Weekends at Butlins now that they have been taken over - so we will wait to see what happens next.
I hope you have a good festive season if you celebrate it, and lets all hope that 2023 is a better year for us all.
It would be fantastic if you could share our magazines The City Times and Moulsham Times with others too. We continue to publish both magazines in print and online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia. If you are interested in advertising your business or event with us then please contact us at ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk, or if you have an event or want to comment, or even have an article that could be of interest, then please send to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk and we will reply to you as soon as we can.
For all our updates and information on Black Frog Presents shows at the Chelmsford Social Club or The Orange Tree go to www.linktr. ee/BlackFrogPresents, or scan the QR code on otheur poster in this magazine. You can also pre-book for the paid shows with a text or call to 07508 496 411 and then pay cash or card on the door at the advance price.
This is going to be my last City Times article, so it makes sense to say the things I would tell you about nutrition and health if I was never going to get to talk to you again, if this our last conversation… so here are what I consider some of the most important tips about eating and your health going forward…
Vitamin D3 - seasonal right now because at this darkest time of the year we don’t get enough from the sun. Our skin makes vitamin D3 when exposed to enough sunlight, but that’s not between October and April in the UK. Vitamin D3 helps our immune system (a lack of it plays a big part in why people all around you right now are going down with coughs, colds and sore throats at this time of year - it’s the lack of D3). Take at least 1000ius (25 micrograms) of D3 every day during the winter, especially if you are elderly.
Eat organic fruit and veg if you can possibly afford it - and plenty of it. Organic produce is grown without pesticides and with natural rather than artificial fertilisers. Not only does this mean no toxic residues of chemicals in your body, it means the fruit and vegetables contain more of the micro-minerals that we need - in small quantities, but none-the-less do need for our body to function optimally. Our depleted soil sadly means most people are deficient in these in today’s world. Most of our nutrients are in fruit and veg, including salad, so eat plenty each day, some raw and uncooked - it really makes a difference to energy levels and overall health. I know you know this, but try and actually do it.
Following on from this, because the micro minerals (sometimes called trace minerals) are so important to the working of your body, things like manganese, copper, iodine, cobalt and selenium, it is a good idea to take extra each day in a supplement containing a wide range of these to be sure. There are many liquid supplements; green powders made from a wide range of organic vegetables (my favourite is Pure Synergy’s Organic Superfood) and also the black tar-like substance from Siberia or the Himalayas called shilajit resindissolve it in hot drinks.
Next up is fats, and there is huge confusion still surrounding these. The key point is we need plenty of Omega 3 oils for physical and mental health (sometimes known as ‘essential fatty acids’). This could be from quality fish oil or from plant oils such as flax seed or chia seed - I am a fan of Udo’s Choice blend. It’s all about the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6. The modern diet tends to have far more Omega 6 than 3, and we need it the other way round. Omega 3 lowers inflammation in the body and is important for memory and mood. Other fats that are good for us include coconut oil and olive oil, but neither are Omega 3/essential fatty acids - so you need to get these whatever other good fats you are consuming.
Vitamin K2. You may be wondering what this is. It’s a fat-soluble vitamin, so you need enough fat in your diet for it to work in your body. You will often find it in a supplement with vitamin D3. It plays a very important role in keeping calcium in your body in your bones and out of your body tissues. As we age there is a tendency for bones to lose their calcium and for it to be deposited in places such as the inside of our blood vessels - this is not good and plays a part in the clogging up of our arteries…
Blood sugar stability has become known in the last 5 years as a key indicator for longevity. This means keeping the lowest and highest points of your blood sugar in small window, such as less than 2.0 mmol/L fluctuation (which is the units used to measure blood glucose in this country). Ideally, blood glucose should be kept under 7.8
mmol/L. Now, how are you going to know what your blood sugar might be in any given moment? This is where the excellent little devices called Continuous Glucose Monitors come in. They are a relatively new invention and as their names suggests, continuously monitor blood glucose via a small round box that sticks to the back of your arm and communicates your blood glucose reading to an app on your smart phone. The device lasts for 2 weeks and in that time you can see how changing aspects of your diet, exercise and sleep pattern can work to give you greater blood glucose stability. There are a number of companies making them. Although they are marketed to people with diabetes, you don’t have to have diabetes to benefit. I tried the Freestyle Libre 2, but there are many to choose from. You may need a few 2-week sessions to fully get the benefits.
Intermittent fasting has been popularised by the TV doctor Malcolm Mosely for good reason. This approach does much to improve overall health, and stabilise blood sugar, as well as help you lose weight. Check out his books for more information.
Keep warm in the cold - a topical subject. If you have a poor circulation you will feel the cold more. Having cold hands and feet gives you a greater sense of feeling cold overall. The amino acid L-Arginine, taken as a supplement, plays a part in keeping the tiny blood capillaries open over for the following 12 hours or so, helping you feel warm. I’ve been experimenting with this over recent months and it really works. Take 500-1000mg of L-Arginine on an empty stomach for best results.
In the past, people used to eat a lot more saturated fat from meat, especially in the winter when they needed to keep warm. When our liver is dealing with this fat it produces a lot of heat in a way that it doesn’t with non-saturated fats. Plant sources of saturated fats such as coconut oil and palm oil, have all the benefits of saturated fat without the health downsides and will heat you up if you eat a significant quality. Try cooking your chips or roast potatoes in coconut oil for a warm glow an hour or so after eating.
Eat decent chocolate - by this I mean chocolate that contains its cocoa fat from the chocolate bean. This is a healthy plant based saturated fat (see above). Look on the ingredients and check you don’t see ‘vegetable oil’ which means the healthy cocoa fat has been replaced with cheaper vegetable oil and sold on. Green and Blacks and Lindt retain their cocoa fat, but alas Cadbury’s doesn’t.
Look after your micro biome - your gut bacteria. Supplement it regularly with good bacteria from fermented foods and supplements. We will hear more about the importance of our gut bacteria in the future - it is a growing field...
Finally, you may recall Davina McCall calling for testosterone to become available for women in the UK for HRT. Maybe she didn’t know about the supplement, DHEA. This is a precursor to testosterone and is taken as a supplement - 50 to 100mg for perimenopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal women. This can be very useful for physical and mental health at this time. Men can benefit from taking it too. Only available online from US-based websites such as iherb.com.
I am currently offering low cost nutrition consultations focused on mental health. If you would like one of these, get in touch at lisactfood@gmail.com.
Thanks to Lisa for all of the articles that she has written. We have new writers for the next issue.
As I write this, it’s very cold out there! However, it’s not too cold to undertake some tree planting, taking hardwood stem cuttings and a final heavy mulch for dahlias.
Trees will not grow where soil contains too little air or where soil moisture is either excessive or insufficient. Preplanting soil preparation should aim to improve these conditions:
• Choose a well drained site.
• Remove turf and all other plant growth in an area three or four times the tree’s root ball to eliminate competition for nutrients and water in the soil.
• Dig the soil incorporating organic matter such as well-rotted manure or garden compost in the uppermost part.
• Loosen the soil to a depth greater than the height of the rootball and over an area of about 1m to eliminate compaction and improve drainage.
• It is not beneficial to apply fertiliser at planting time. However, on poor soils sprinkling an inoculant of mycorrhizal fungi (eg, Rootgrow) over and in contact with the roots may help trees and shrubs establish.
For planting:
• Once the site has been prepared, dig the planting hole, between 3 and four times the width of the tree’s root-ball and about 1½ times the depth of the root ball. Square holes are now considered to be better than round ones at encouraging roots to move out into the soil.
• On heavy soils, push the fork into the bottom and sides of the
hole to loosen the soil and improve drainage.
• Soak the container in a bucket of water for an hour. Remove any weeds from the surface of the compost,
• Remove the tree from the container and gently tease out the roots to encourage them to grow into the surrounding soil. This is essential if the tree is pot bound. Trees with a full, but not pot-bound root system can have the outer surface scored with a garden knife, by making three or four vertical cuts on the root-ball.
• Check the planting depth by placing the tree in the hole. Place a cane across the planting hole. Position the tree so that the first flare of roots are level with the soil surface when planting is complete. With container grown plants, the top layers of compost may need to be scraped away to reveal the flare of roots. Deep planting prevents essential air movement to the root system and makes the lower trunk vulnerable to disease. This can lead to poor establishment.
• Adjust the level by adding or removing soil from beneath the root-ball.
• Backfill the hole, firming the soil in stages to remove any air pockets. Avoid firming too heavily on clay soil as this may compact the soil and impede drainage.
• Position a short tree stake, clear of the root ball and at 450 to the tree, angled into the prevailing wind. Attach the tree to the stake using a tree tie.
• On a windy site, two short vertical stakes can be positioned on either side of the root-ball.
• On sandy soils, a shallow moat around the tree helps to channel water to the roots.
• Check the head of the tree for any damaged or crossing branches.
• Protect from deer or rabbit damage where necessary by using tree spirals, chicken wire guards or similar.
• Water well and mulch. This can be a layer of organic matter such as finely shredded bark, 7-10cm thick, or a mulching mat made of landscaping fabric. The organic mulch must be kept 10cm (4in) clear of the stem to prevent the stem from rotting.
It’s a great time to expand your woody plant stock. Look at this hardwood stem cutting technique www.rhs.org.uk/propagation/ hardwood-cuttings. Just one warning: avoid times of severe frost.
Lastly, if you haven’t done so already, get those dahlias heavily mulched if you are not going to lift them. Although if you have very heavy clay-based soil, it would be best to lift and store. We’ve been doing this to our dahlia collection at Capel Manor College, Enfield campus, with no losses to date: www.rhs.org.uk/preventionprotection/overwintering-tender-plants-lifting-or-mulching.
Checkout other tasks to do in December here: www.which.co.uk/ reviews/gardening-through-the-year/article/gardening-through-theyear/gardening-jobs-for-november-aMkIV9c5CMov.
Happy gardening!
For any gardening tips please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RR, or by email to tom.cole@capel.ac.uk.
Mr and Mrs W had already had their extension plans approved when they started trawling the internet for local kitchen design and supply companies who might be able to help with their project. They are both young professionals and were looking for someone who could project-manage their installation. After reading some of the glowing reviews left online by previous customers, they decided to visit the Regal showroom to gather some ideas.
The designer spent some time with the clients to plan the perfect layout as well as looking at different storage ideas and space-saving solutions. The clients were looking forward to having a large openplan space to host dinner parties with family and friends. Once the design of the kitchen was finalised, they then moved onto colour and product choices.
The clients were torn between two colours initially, but the designer suggested having a two-tone colour scheme to give more character to the room. They chose Anthracite painted timber doors on the island and Grey Mist for the rest of the kitchen. This was teamed with Noble Carrara quartz worktops which added brightness and luxury to this already amazing kitchen.
To make use of the space they had available, designer Stacey recommended they include a large corner larder with some pull-out storage solutions to help them house all of their cookery and baking equipment and keep it all nearby for ease when preparing meals. They also decided to use the large corner larder to house smaller appliances to keep the worktops clear.
A full set of NEFF appliances was provided to help the customers cook up a storm when they entertain. The placement of the pull-out bins directly under the island, which is their main working space, makes cooking preparation and clearing away easy and no longer a chore. A Pro 3 Flex Quooker tap was installed, as the clients work
from home a lot, meaning making tea and coffee could now be very quick on busy days.
The clients wanted to incorporate a seating area within the kitchen itself. After seeing a bespoke wooden addition to an island we have in the showroom, it was decided to add this similar detail to their island and the result is stunning.
To find out how Regal can transform your kitchen, contact their showroom on 01245 351 151. www.regalkitchens.co.uk
The 6-piece band rocked out to some of their classic hits, including Annie and Flossie Lane, paying tribute to the late rock legend Ronnie Lane of The Faces and The Small Faces.
Slim Chance are no stranger to the rock and roll music scene in Essex, dating back to their success in the 70s, their sound draws inspiration from iconic bands such as Fleetwood Mac and The Who, breaking traditions in genre.
Attending their intimate gig at the Social Club feels profound - being in the presence of artists who have collaborated with some of the greats in recent years, including Elton John and Chris Jagger. All uniquely talented, it seems only right to sit back in awe of their multi-faceted performance. Charlie Hart stands front of stage, joined by original band members Steve Bingham and Steve Simpson, providing the centre piece for the eclectic mix of instruments.
In fact, for each track a new instrument will appear on stage, including the likes of harmonica, banjo and sax. Breaking away from the kind of linear back-to-back album play-through gig you might expect, they sway from conformity and take you on a journey through the decades, treating their guests to some country traveller throwbacks written by the late Ronnie Lane, straight through to their more recent recordings complied during lockdown.
Keeping the audience on their feet through every twist and turn, Charlie and the guys take intervals to chat to the crowd - reminiscing on anecdotes with Ronnie, discussing their recent recording sessions and the YouTube success with that - they are proud of their achievements and still passionate about writing and performing music nearly 60 years after the band originally formed.
The performance gives way to truly accentuate each individuals musical skill, with jaw-dropping guitar solos and jazz interludes on piano. The guys exude cool... Charismatic, they own the stage with their eye-catching wardrobe and effortless charm.
If you’re a fan of pop culture of any age, Slim Chance know how to entertainrocking out to Chuck Berry’s You Never Can Tell, which featured notably in the film Pulp Fiction. The band has a chuckle exclaiming: “It goes to show!” taken from the lyrics of the rhythm and blues track. All the usual suspects make an appearance, notably the piano and saxophone for this toe-tapper.
It’s essential to see bands like this live to really understand how they have pioneered the music scene. It makes sense that so many iconic British
Lydia Ransome
It is not an exaggeration to say that 2022 has been an extraordinary year for all of us and some events will shape our futures more than others, but that does not mean that we should stop thinking about ‘here and now’. Retirement is a reality for many and it’s important that we are all aware of the bigger picture and what to look out for when making decisions if you are over 55.
1. How Much Do I Have?
The full state pension is currently about £185.15 a week - unlikely to be enough for most people, especially with inflation rises. It is your private pension savings that are designed to provide you with income that should ensure comfortable and secure retirement. Depending on the level of your savings and which withdrawal strategy you adopt, do avoid the temptation to start spending early and run the risk of running out of money later on.
2. How Long Do I Have?
We cannot predict our life expectancy, but as a rule of thumb you will spend on different things in a different way if you expect to live for another 40 years than if your life expectancy is 10 years. Don’t underestimate your longevity and overestimate your pension pot provision.
3. How Much Do I Need?
Your pension savings should absolutely meet your needs and beyond. The pendulum is always swinging - you may need less if you are mortgage-free, but a lot more if you require later life care. Keep reviewing your retirement provisions on a regular basis.
4. How Much of a Risk?
Typically any pension savings yet to be withdrawn stay invested,
meaning that their value fluctuates. Do not dismiss your investment strategy - it is not set in stone and must be monitored. If you experience major change in value downward, contact your independent financial adviser - this is not the time to DIY-it.
5. How Much of a Tax?
Taxes in their many guises are inevitable, currently your standard personal tax-free allowance is £12,570. So any income received, classed as ‘earned income’, from your pension pot in excess of this will be taxed at your marginal rate. Tax legislation changes frequently so don’t get caught out and keep an eye on income tax rules.
To sum up, as we edge towards the end of 2022, don’t lose sight of your financial goals and plan for your future. We are always happy to listen to your concerns and guide you through the retirement planning maze. Your largest assets are probably your home and your pensionmake sure to maintain both to the same high standards.
Silvia Johnson Bsc(Hons), DipPFS, EFA, CertCII (MP) is a Director and Independent Financial Adviser at Royale Thames Wealth and provides independent financial advice to individuals and businesses.
www.royalthameswealth.co.uk silvia@royalthameswealth.co.uk 07908 109 741 / 020 8720 7249
Royale Thames Wealth Ltd is an Appointed Representative of New Leaf Distribution Ltd which is authorised and regulated by Financial Conduct Authority number 460421. The value of your investment may go up as well as down and the value is not guaranteed. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Wills and Estate Planning are not regulated by the FCA.
Hillsborough’(1989) - 97 dead, Grenfell Tower (2017) - 72 dead, London (2005) - 52 dead, Manchester Arena (2017) - 23 dead, plus hundreds injured. What have these names got in common? They were all let down by the so-called emergency services. Some let down worse than others, but all brought grief both to families and individuals whose lives were permanently scarred by these tragic events. The public inquiries after each tragedy unearthed a huge catalogue of incompetence, missed opportunities and communication fiasco, a chaotic response and a perfect storm of failures.
Yet, those responsible have the audacity to face the cameras and disgracefully disgorge the mantra: ‘Our thoughts are with the families who have lost loved ones’. No they are not. Their thoughts are concentrated on how they can save their jobs. It seems that not one head has rolled throughout this terrible period of death and destruction. Why not? If my daughter had been a victim of any one of these events, I would be campaigning for those responsible to be sacked.
‘No one person could be held responsible for what happened. It was a collective responsibility.’ No it wasn’t. A collective is a group of individuals each of whom carries personal responsibility for their actions.
‘Lessons must be learned’. That fantasy followed the suicide bombers, who in 2005 killed 52 innocent people in London. Lessons are never learned, if they were, we would not have the traumas we have had to suffer.
Might I suggest that all so-called emergency services personnel are herded into a large cinema and persuaded to watch a Humphrey Jennings World War 2 documentary, And Fires Were Started It covered the German Blitz on London and showed what the emergency services then were really like, especially the fire service.
What the firemen went through during that turgid time puts to shame our present emergency services. When the Blitz firemen in London ran out of water because of burst and damaged water mains, they were left with no alternative but to take water from the River Thames, a gargantuan operation while the bombs kept falling and fires were started.
There are too many chiefs in our emergency services and not enough Indians. Staffing problems is a lame excuse for incompetence. Staff are out there, but the means to get them into employment leaves a lot to be desired. I believe that you could remove an entire middle managed stream from the NHS and use the money saved to recruit more nurses etc for the NHS.
Inevitably, there will be more tragic events in Britain to deal with. One can only hope that by that time our so-called emergency services have put their respective houses in order and have created a joined up system of operation.
In January 2023, Chelmsford Theatre Workshop is debuting a brandnew play, Marriage Bureau, by TV and radio dramatist and author Richard Kurti, based on the book of the same name written by Mary Oliver, the young entrepreneur behind Britain’s first dating agency.
Aided by her business partner Heather Jenner, the 25-year-old pair opened Britain’s first marriage bureau in Bond Street on 17th April 1939. Mary wrote her memoirs of the bureau’s early years in 1942, detailing its inception, their many clients and stumbling blocks along the way. Her detailed, first-person account veers from fondness for her clients to hilarious, snippy criticism; but sadly, most likely through wartime paper rationing, the book was never republished and disappeared into obscurity.
Kurti (Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal for Sky TV, I, Robot, The Martian Chronicles and Mahabharata Now for Radio 4) stumbled upon the book in 2016 as part of research for another project and was inspired by Mary’s witty and acerbic account of match-making in wartime London. Despite the decades between them, she and the Tinder generation clearly had a lot in common and Kurti resolved to make her voice heard by the 21st century. Marriage Bureau was republished in 2021 by B7 Media and the book has been optioned for development as a film.
Chelmsford Theatre Workshop is no stranger to staging new material by upcoming and established writers - Stephen Briggs’ adaption of Terry Pratchett’s Interesting Times premiered at the Old Court Theatre. But how did Marriage Bureau find its way to Chelmsford?
Marriage Bureau’s director, Helen Quigley, has been involved with CTW for nearly 20 years, so when submissions opened for the 2022-2023 season, Helen had one play in mind: “I’ve worked with Richard on several radio dramas for the BBC and Audible, so when he asked if I’d narrate the audiobook, I got to know Mary and her clients very well.
From there, it was clear to me that the Old Court should be the play’s first home. CTW’s Marriage Bureau will be the first ‘workshopped’ version of the play and the amateur theatre premiere.”
Richard says, “Helen’s reading of the audiobook was so spot on, it was clear she had a brilliant and instinctive understanding of the source material, so when she suggested directing the premiere of the stage play at CTW, I was delighted. CTW is overflowing with talent and experience, and the passion they bring to their productions is evident in their successful and ambitious shows. Mary and Heather would be delighted to be in such good hands!”
Marriage Bureau runs from 31st January to 4th February 2023 at the Old Court Theatre in Chelmsford. A TalkBack Q&A with Richard Kurti, the cast and crew will take place after the performance on Friday 3rd February. More details and tickets are available via ctw.org.uk/marriage-bureau.
Marriage Bureau by Richard Kurti
Fleeing an arranged marriage in India, Mary Oliver throws her past life into the ocean winds on the ship home - And meets Heather Jenner, her future business partner. Fed up with the limited mechanisms for meeting the opposite sex in the 1930s, Mary and Heather decide there has to be a better way. They come up with a system that allows them to match people together - likes, dislikes, core beliefs and values - and use that information to make introductions between complete strangers all looking to find love. Unfortunately, their landlady is convinced it’s a cover for a brothel, polite society shuns their efforts, war in Europe is looming and managing the clients is like herding cats. Well behaved women seldom make history, and Mary and Heather refuse to give up, no matter what the obstacles.
The book, Marriage Bureau, by Mary Oliver and Mary Benedetta, is available from Amazon, and the audiobook read by Helen Quigley can be downloaded from Audible.
Earlier this year, residents were invited to submit short stories of 750 words or less, inspired by the theme ‘Essex in the past, present or future’, to an Essex Year of Reading competition. The competition inspired people of different ages and from across the county to get involved, with winners ranging from ages 4 to 75-years-old.
The entries have now been judged and the winners of the Essex Year of Reading’s short story writing competition have been announced.
The Chelmsford-based winners include 4-year-old Bertie Booker (top right), the Early Years category winner, whose story described robbers completing a bank heist in Chelmsford city; 8-year-old Harrison White (bottom left), who won the SEND category with a time travelling story about the search for a magical golden helmet; and 16-year-old Casey Jackson, whose historical story about a witch in Chelmsford, Chelmsford Charmed, won the Key Stage 4 category.
Alongside them, 11-year-old Mylie Holden (bottom right) from Great Baddow won the Key Stage 2 category with her moving story, A Wonderful Place in Essex about Little Havens Hospice, while Abigail Harverson (top left), a 17-year-old from Bicknacre, won the Key Stage 5 category with Abigail’s Pilgrimage, a beautifully illustrated piece of work about a pilgrimage along St Peter’s Way.
The winners’ stories have been shared on the Essex Year of Reading app and will be published in the Essex Year of Reading anthology, a collection of work by the people of Essex.
The Essex Year of Reading was created to instil a lifelong love of reading in every Essex child. The anthology will be published next year to celebrate what has been achieved throughout the campaign and to establish a legacy for it.
Councillor Tony Ball, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Education Excellence, Lifelong Learning and Employability, said: “I’d like to congratulate all the winners of the Essex Year of Reading short story competition. Writing goes hand-in-hand with reading in terms of the benefits to children’s development, and both are key skills that can help them in other areas.
“I’ve been lucky enough to read through the entries and seen the level of talent we have in Essex. I hope competitions like this one inspire our budding writers to keep creating.”
All the staff at Chelmsford Library wish our customers a very merry Christmas and happy New Year! Apart from the bank holidays, we will be open as usual and are a warm and welcoming place, so come and see what we have on offer for all ages. Special winter events include:
The Winter Reading Challenge is up and running! Children need to complete 6 reading related challenges from a list of 12, such as, read a book by an author you’ve never read before; create a Lego character or scene inspired by the book you are reading.
Children who complete the challenge will receive a free packet of seed that they can plant to welcome in the spring, and early finishers will also receive a free book provided by Penguin Books, while stocks last. The Winter Reading Challenge runs until 28th January, so come and join in the fun - and its free!
All shortlisted pieces of work are available to read on the Essex Year of Reading app, which can be downloaded for free via the App Store or Google Play.
To discover more about the Essex Year of Reading, visit www. essexyearofreading.co.uk.
As the weather gets colder and the cost of living keeps rising, we would like to welcome you to come and use our library as a warm space. We have comfortable seating areas and free Wi-Fi. We offer community tea times on alternate Saturdays and will be increasing these events in the coming weeks, so watch out for details and come and join us for a hot drink and refreshments.
Check out our website for full details of all our events and services, including dates and times and how to book your place - there are too many to list here! Please visit libraries.essex.gov.uk. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter or by subscribing to our newsletter; all details on our website. Details of new events are regularly added, so do keep in touch!
Friday 16th
Hot Box - Rank-O
Old Chelmsfordians - Larry Berkovitz, Zak Barrett and Friends
(Christmas jazz)
Fleece - Sons of Southpaw
Old Court Theatre - Goodnight Mr Tom
Rettendon Lodge (Battlesbridge) - Belvedere Jazz & Music
Supper Club: Christmas Gala Night with Jeff Hooper (7.45pmto book phone Phil on 07850 607 075)
Saturday 17th
Chelmsford Social Club - Nine Lives
Christchurch - Essex Police Band Christmas Concert
The Fleece - The Heaters
Hot Box - Jar Records Presents: Gionatan Scali + Sounds Like Chad
Chelmsford (Viaduct Road) - The Viaduct Road Record Fair: Intense Records, Radio City Social and Hot Box (lots of vinyl and CDs)
Old Chelmsfordians - Larry Berkovitz, Zak Barrett and Friends (Christmas jazz)
Old Court Theatre - Goodnight Mr Tom
Sunday 18th
Old Chelmsfordians - Larry Berkovitz, Zak Barrett and Friends (Christmas jazz)
Royal Air Forces Association (Hall Street, CM2 OHG) -
Christmas Buffet & Bar (2pm £5 members/£6 non-members)
Monday 19th
Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club night
Sandon School - Scottish Country Dancing (7.30pm - 9.30pmwww.sandonscotdance.org.uk - sandonscotdance@gmail.com)
Tuesday 20th
Hot box - Independance
Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - Country Dancing (barn dance - 7.50pm - £2 - 01245 475 660)
Woolpack - Quiz
Wednesday 21st
Hot Box - Black Pines + Admissions
Thursday 22nd
Hot Box - The Skraelings WInter Solstice Sesh
Friday 23rd
Hot Box - Rubber Soul: Snowboy
Orange Tree - Paul & Crispin’s Christmas Selection Box
RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair yoga
The White Swan (Bicknacre) - Rockin’ Christmas Party
Sunday 25th
Central Park - Christmas Day Park Run
Monday 26th
Bassment - Winter Wonderland
Courtyard - Maravilosa
Tuesday 27th
Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - Country Dancing (barn dance, £2 - 7.50pm - 01245 475 660)
Woolpack - Quiz
Thursday 29th
Hylands House - Dick Whittington and his Cat
Friday 30th
RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair Yoga
Saturday 31st
Bassment - Time Warp New Year’s Countdown
Danbury Sports & Social Club - All Dressed Up New Year’s
Board
RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm)
Woolpack - Rewind
Sunday 1st
Chelmsford Cathedral - Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at Christmas
Monday 2nd
The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night
Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club night
Sandon School - Scottish Country Dancing (7.30pm - 9.30pmwww.sandonscotdance.org.uk - sandonscotdance@gmail.com)
Tuesday 3rd
Woolpack - Quiz
Wednesday 4th
Rettendon Lodge (Battlesbridge) - Belvedere Jazz & Music
Supper Club: The Essex Hot Five (7.45pm - to book, call Phil on 07850 607 075)
Thursday 5th
Courtyard - Speed Dating
Hot Box - Resonance Open System
Friday 6th
RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair yoga
Saturday 7th
The Oddfellows - The Brit Invasion
RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm)
The UB - Music for Pleaseure Presents: Bowie Night
The Village Hall (Wickham) - Wickham Bishops Jazz Club: Allen Beechey and The Wickham Bishops New Orleans All Stars (7.30pm)
Sunday 8th
Hot Box - Jazz Sundays with Zak Barrett
Monday 9th
The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night
Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club Night
Tuesday 10th
Sandon School - Scottish Country Dancing (7.30pm - 9.30pmwww.sandonscotdance.org.uk - sandonscotdance@gmail.com)
Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - country dancing (barn dance, £2 - 7.50pm - 01245 475 660)
Woolpack - Quiz
Wednesday 11th
Trinity Methodist Church - National Trust (a talk is to be given by Phil McKinder on the ‘Lynton & Lynmouth Floods’)
Hotbox - The Big Music Quiz
Friday 13th
Danbury Sports & Social Club - Comedy Showcase
Hot Box - Rank-O
Saturday 14th
Anglia University - Undergraduate Open Day
Hot Box -
The Lion Inn - The Lion House Chelmsford Wedding Show
Sunday 15th
Hylands Estate - Open Day
Monday 16th
The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night
Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club Night
Tuesday 17th
Sandon School - Scottish Country Dancing (7.30pm - 9.30pmwww.sandonscotdance.org.uk - sandonscotdance@gmail.com)
Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - country dancing (barn dance, £2 - 7.50pm - 01245 475 660)
Woolpack - Quiz
Wednesday 18th
Hotbox - The Big Music Quiz
Thursday 19th
Hot Box - Ignition: Kaine + Osmium Guillotine + Reverent Son
On All events are correct at time of going to press. Please check with the venue for updates
Friday 20th
Chelmsford Social Club - Nine Below Zero + Al Perez Hot Box - Rank-O
Saturday 21st
The Norton - D’Ukes
The Village Hall (Wickham) - Wickham Bishops Jazz Club: The Pete Rudeforth Band (6.30 for 7.30pm, email: wickhambishopsjazzclub@gmail.com, tel: 07548 775 777) Writtle University College - Open Day event
Chelmsford Theatre reopens to the public in early 2023 following an exciting refurbishment of its front of house spaces. With its reopening comes a new season of diverse, exhilarating shows and performances. Theatre Director Lee Henderson says there’s something available for every age and mood: “This season we’ve got such a huge range of shows for our audiences to enjoy. From drama to comedy to music, you’ll find something to make you laugh, cry, sing, dance or to give you those chilling goosebumps. My team really can’t wait to welcome you back and to share the theatre’s beautiful, refreshed spaces with you.”
Stars from the sensational production Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat come to Chelmsford Theatre for this vibrant show. Produced by Red Entertainment in association with Chelmsford Theatre, the show kicks off at Chelmsford Theatre on 3rd March at 7.30pm before continuing on a whistlestop tour of the UK.
Expect Broadway and West End glamour with energetic songs from the nation’s most loved musicals including Joseph, Jesus Christ Superstar, SIX, Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, We Will Rock You, Jersey Boys, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge and more!
Top comedy acts this season include former BBC Radio 4 comic songwriter Mitch Benn. Mitch has toured the UK and overseas for over 20 years and is considered one of the finest musical comedy writers in the UK. He brings his latest melodic tour It’s About Time to Chelmsford Theatre Studio on 21st January at 8pm.
Comedy fans will also be delighted by the appearance of Eshaan Akbar on 30th March, 8pm. Eshaan is known from Mock The Week, QI, LBC, Radio 4 and as the voices of Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid on the Spitting Image podcast. In his hilarious debut tour, The Pretender, he confronts the real truth: none of us really know what we’re doing.
Social media sensation Tom Houghton’s Absolute Shambles tour comes to Chelmsford Theatre Studio on 2nd February from 8pm. Join Tom as he recounts hysterical stories of his unbelievable experiences navigating the pitfalls of online celebrity and perils of post-palace living.
Cahoots Theatre Company presents marvellous tales and spectacular tunes in Wodehouse In Wonderland - a touring production of William Humble’s play. Based on the life and writings of PG Wodehouse, expect plenty of humour and buffoonery as the author attempts to write his latest instalment of Jeeves and Wooster while facing many distractions. The show stars none other than Robert Daws, who played Tuppy Glossop in the long running TV series Jeeves and Wooster, and starred in Poldark, The Royal, Rock and Chips and How the Other Half Loves. The play runs for three nights between 17th and 19th April.
For the first time since before the pandemic, live screenings are
returning to Chelmsford Theatre in 2023. Classic performances of opera and ballet will be streamed live from the comfort of Chelmsford Theatre Studio. Productions from the Royal Opera House and The Royal Ballet include Puccini’s dramatic Turandot (26th March, 2pm), Mozart’s comic opera The Marriage of Figaro (27th April, 6.45pm), the emotional Like Water for Chocolate (19th January, 7.15pm) and family favourite The Sleeping Beauty (24th May, 7.15pm).
Throughout the spring season, Seventh Art productions will also bring blockbuster exhibitions from around the world. A private view of the largest Vermeer exhibition in history will screen from Chelmsford Theatre Studio (18th April, 7.30pm), featuring talks from the director of the Rijksmuseum and the exhibition curator. The Ashmolean’s popular exhibition Tokyo Stories will also be screening (23rd May, 7.30pm), presenting 400 years of dynamic Japanese art.
A selection of National Theatre shows will also be screened live from Chelmsford Theatre on selected dates in 2023. Full details and tickets will be released on our www.chelmsfordtheatre.co.uk on Friday 9th December.
Plenty of joy, surprise and laughter is in store for little ones to enjoy at the theatre in 2023. Twirlywoos Live will be brought to life on stage in an inventive and colourful puppet show from the producers of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show. Great BigHoo, Toodloo, Chickedy, Chick and their friends will be live on 30th March at 1.30pm and 4pm for an enchanting introduction to theatre for little ones.
The well-beloved fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears comes to Chelmsford Theatre in pantomime style on 8th April. KD Theatre Productions and Harlow Playhouse provide all the ingredients for a fun family show that is ‘just right’! Two performances will take place at 1pm and 5pm and families will have an opportunity to meet the characters after the show.
Mousetrap Comes to Chelmsford for Its 70th
The world’s longest running play, Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year having premiered in October 1952. To mark this milestone, Mousetrap will be visiting 70 venues across the UK and Ireland in 2022 and 2023, including Chelmsford Theatre for six days from 3rd July 2023.
This record breaking West End production is the genre defining murder mystery from the best selling novelist of all time. As news spreads of a murder in London, a group of strangers find themselves snowed in at a remote countryside guesthouse. When a police sergeant arrives, the guests discover that a killer is in their midst!
Audiences are asked not to reveal the play’s secrets so that the mystery can be enjoyed by future theatre goers.
To find out about all the shows on at Chelmsford Theatre in 2023 and to book tickets, visit www.chelmsfordtheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01245 606 505.
An independent charitable trust is responding to the cost-of-living crisis and the impact it is having on local charities, by launching an appeal - and they need your help.
Andy Payne Worpole, head of programmes at ECF, said: “There will be many people in Essex forced to choose between heating and eating this winter, and this will be dangerous for those who are elderly or have health conditions.
“Our appeal is one opportunity for local people to support vulnerable communities. It may be that you receive the Winter Fuel Allowance or the Energy Rebate and don’t need it to pay your own bills, so you could consider donating this.
“All donations will help provide grants to cover the rising running costs of local charities, fuel and food costs, support activities that reduce loneliness and isolation, and help people to access specialist services. Please give whatever you can to help us support as many people as possible.”
The Surviving Winter Appeal, organised by Essex Community Foundation (ECF), is an opportunity for local residents to support vulnerable people.
The appeal calls for donations to raise vital funds to support charities during a time of increased demand for their services, and to help older and vulnerable people get through the colder months.
Some of you may have met me out and about with the Adult Lucky Dips to fundraise for Lyme disease and ME research. I was misdiagnosed for approx 2 decades with many things including ME/ CFS, fibromyalgia and migraines. I went on an ME trial 7 years ago, and discovered that numerous symptoms were caused by Lyme disease and I have been in treatment since 2015.
The appeal runs annually and has previously supported winter clothing packs, lunch clubs that create a warm and welcoming space for elderly people, and homeless charities to provide extra beds during the colder months.
To make a donation to the appeal, please visit www. essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk, or call 01245 355 947. Cheques can also be sent to the Essex Community Foundation offices: 3 Hoffmanns Way, Chelmsford, CM1 1GU.
As a patient, I fundraise for research as a positive focus for myself, but more importantly because there are countless people who have not been diagnosed or may have the wrong diagnosis.
I wrote Little book of Lyme which is available on Amazon and all profits are donated to research. I would ask people with fatigue or other symptoms to take a look at Little Book Of Lyme. The contents explain excellent medical treatment that I received in an easy to read non-medical language. It also covers other illnesses such as anaemia, cell and mitochondria problems among other things. It provides full information and links to follow, and I hope may help people when seeing their GP to find an answer for many of the unexplained symptoms that a person may be experiencing. It is information from medical experts, not from personal research, so it is really good content!
For animal friends, you may have read about Trixie’s birthday party in July’s edition of The City Times. When Trixie isn’t having parties or being asleep, she keeps her paw in as a model for benoxer.com.
Benoxer.com sell superior travel and exercise harnesses for dogs (and all quadrupeds). These harnesses are the only ones of their kind and are animal welfare based and aimed at keeping your dog more comfortable and safer when travelling. As you can see from the picture, these harnesses are completely different to standard car harnesses. Benoxer support my fundraising and animal welfare/ rescue too. Please purchase your harness from benoxer.com as they will make a donation to Lyme Disease and/or ME Research. They have discount codes, and other items for your essential pet pack.
If anyone remembers your adult lucky dips and would like any more for a cheeky Christmas gift, secret Santa, party games etc, please do feel free to send me an email to donatesmart@outlook.com. Or If you would just like to make a donation to support my fundraising for research, please send donations as a friend via PayPal to donatesmart@outlook.com. Any donations and support are always gratefully received and very much appreciated. So please do spare a pound or few if you are able.
Merry Christmas to you Paul and Nick and to all your readers. Here’s hoping 2023 is going to be a really good year!
Much love all, Jo & Trixie
Chelmsford Football Club played its first amateur matches in the 1870s. The club struggled in its early years and was actually disbanded in May 1883, only to be reformed later the same year. It was decided to join the new county football association and wear light and dark blue shirts. The club normally used the cricket club’s ground in New Street. For a while the club also used Colchester’s ground, which caused some friction between the two sets of supporters. In 1893 the club reached the final of the Essex Senior Cup. They beat Romford in front of a 3,000 crowd and thousands met the team off the train back at Chelmsford.
Well before the end of the century there were a number of other established football clubs in the town. The Anchor Works had a cricket and football club by 1882, and by 1896 a new club, Old Cromptonians, was playing and beating the current Anchor Arc Works team. At the turn of the century both Chelmsford United and Chelmsford Swifts could field strong local teams. Chelmsford FC still had the strongest representation in Essex county teams however.
In 1895 they had been founder members of the North Essex League. During the early 1900s they moved leagues several times; to the South Essex League, the South East Anglian League and they spent one season in the Spartan League in 1908-9. In 1912 they became one of the founder members of the Athenian League. During 1922, the club was relegated and dropped into the Middlesex County League. In 1923 they entered a team in the Essex and Suffolk Border League in which they finished second. They then moved up into the London League. In the following 5 years, they won the East Anglian Cup 3 times.
The club had been playing at Kings Head Meadow, but in 1925 moved to a ground at New Writtle Street where they didn’t have to fish the ball out of the river! In 1931 the club won the London League and also reached the first round of the FA Cup. Surprisingly, for those who think football hooliganism is a comparatively recent phenomenon, after a rough match between Grays and Chelmsford in 1932, a large number of spectators crowded round the dressing rooms and made a rush for the players. Several players were injured. The one policeman on duty was powerless to prevent the mayhem ans police reinforcements did not arrive in time.
In 1935 the club was one of the founder members of the Eastern Counties League, but left two years later to join the Essex County League. Chelmsford stayed in that league for just a single season.
If the club was to join the new Southern League, it had to turn professional. Negotiations took place between the amateur club and the new club. Chelmsford City, the club’s new unwarranted name, agreed to take over the New Writtle Street ground with an option to buy it for £2,000. The new directors met the entire liabilities of the previous club, and facilities were brought up to the required standard. The intention was eventually to provide a ground capable of holding 25-30,000 people. A new supporters’ club reached 1,000 members as the season started.
A new manager, Billy Walker, was brought in to build a new team of the required standard. Walker had scored 244 goals in 531 league games for Aston Villa and had previously managed Sheffield Wednesday. After Chelmsford, he managed Nottingham Forest when they won the FA Cup. He assembled a team capable of achieving football league status, which included several internationals with a good deal of league experience. It was not until the ninth match against Cardiff that a victory was achieved however. Walker left before three months of the season had been completed. City’s outstanding achievement that season was reaching the fourth round of the FA Cup, where a home crowd of 10,200 saw Chelmsford beat Southampton 4-1. In the next round, they were drawn away against
Birmingham City. Chelmsford lost 6-0 in front of a crowd of 45,000, including 4,500 who had made the trip up from Essex. The club gained just over £1,000 from the game. A run of 8 wins in 9 games took City to mid table in the league by the end of the season.
In the following season, the players were to wear numbers on their backs for the first time. All games were abandoned at the start of the war though. A number of friendly games were however played during the ‘phoney war’ period, with Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea, Fulham and Aston Villa all sending teams. Southend United also used the ground in the early part of the war. From 1941, Marconi used the City ground for storing supplies. It also became a site for barrage balloons.
Bowling became very popular in the town during the late Victorian and Edwardian period. For this reason the Recreation Ground (now Central Park), which opened in 1894, not only had three tennis courts, an athletics track and the space for a cricket pitch, but also a bowling green. This proved so popular that a second green was added in 1906 and led to the establishment of the Chelmsford Bowling Club. Members wore slippers on the green.
Bowls was also played in the large gardens of private houses - Canon Lake had his own bowling team. Another bowling green was laid down in 1908 by the Arc Works Club, and both Marconi and Hoffmann had their own bowling greens. In 1908, the Falcon Private Bowling Club was established at the rear of the Falcon public house. This was soon transferred to the gardens of the Bell Hotel on the corner of Tindal Street. The club moved to Seymour Street in 1937 where it was reckoned to have one of the finest greens in the country. John Ockelford Thompson, the seven times mayor, was a keen bowls enthusiast and had a green in the grounds of his house at Brierly Place. The Brierly Place team were given the right to use the name of Princess Mary Louise, granddaughter of Queen Victoria, for their club.
Meadows Shopmobility is a local award-winning charity that helps people with mobility problems.
We have various scooters and wheelchairs available to use. You do not have to be registered disabled to use our services - if you have long-term or short-term health problems, our service is for you. If you struggle to walk far and can only visit a few areas in the city before you must go home, then a scooter is just what you need. It is easy to use our scheme.
If you have relatives that come and visit you from out of the area, we can also help them with their mobility needs. You can take out a membership subscription or pay per use. Just bring along some ID with your name and address to use our services.
Another service we offer is to those that use their own equipment, especially if you drive your scooter into town. Come to us and swap your scooter for one of ours to go shopping with. We will charge yours up whilst you shop so you can be out and about longer with no worries about having enough charge to get home again. A membership subscription is required; please ask for details using information at the end of this article.
Chelmsford city centre is a lovely vibrant place to visit. The two shopping centres and the High Street have a great selection of cafés, restaurants, and shops. There are also fabulous markets in the High Street and the undercover market in High Chelmer. Both offer a different shopping experiences. Travel a bit further into Baddow Road or Moulsham Street, and you will find independent shops, restaurants, and bars. The Riverside and Chelmer retail parks are also accessible on a scooter, via the pedestrian and cycle paths that run through and around the city.
The shops have lots of Christmas goodies available and there is a very festive air about the city. The Christmas lights are very much worth a visit too. Chelmsford Museum and Moulsham Mill are also easy to get to on a scooter. The museum has a variety of displays throughout the year - check their website for details - www. chelmsford.gov.uk/museums.
The home of Chelmsford Community Radio is based in Moulsham Mill and has a lovely café to stop in for a while. Chelmsford is your oyster to visit with our services helping you to do so. The only time limit on your visit is our opening hours!
The current opening hours are Monday and Saturday 9.30am - 2.30pm, and Tuesday - Friday 9.30am - 4pm.
In December we will be open each Thursday until 7pm, so you can take advantage of the late-night shopping. Bring family and friends for an all-inclusive shopping experience.
We also have a holiday hire service for those that would like to go away but need mobility equipment. The scooters come apart to fit into the boot of a car. They are ideal for day trips on a coach. There are also wheelchairs available for holiday hire. This is a chargeable service, prices upon request. Call Geraldine in our office to find out more. Book early to avoid disappointment.
Meadows Shopmobility is a self-funding charity. To raise funds we also run Chelmsford Community Bookshop, which can be found in Market Road opposite Chelmsford Library. There is a plethora of books available with genres ranging from horror to romance, information books and autobiographies. All the books have been donated to us and we resell them at reasonable prices. There is also a selection of smaller items, perfect for stocking fillers. We accept all donations of books, nothing donated ever goes to waste. Unfortunately, we cannot take magazines.
The charity is run by volunteers and a manager that organises the day to day running. If you have 3 hours to spare each week and would like to volunteer, please get in touch. It is a very rewarding place to volunteer. Morning and afternoon shifts available. Please call us on 01245 357 097.
We are based in QPark Car Park Can Bridge Way Chelmsford. (Opposite the Odeon Cinema) Our office is located on the ground floor by the disabled bays.
We have Facebook pages, so please ‘like’ and follow us - search for ‘Meadows Shop Mobility’ and ‘Chelmsford Community Bookshop’.
meadowsshopmobility.org.uk
meadowsshopmobilitycio@gmail.com 01245 357 097
Environment is on everyone’s agenda these days whether it be because of rising energy prices or climate change. Rotary is confronting the problems with various initiatives and has added the ‘Environment’ as one of its key Areas of Focus.
An important part of tackling these issues is a partnership with Treekly whose mission is to turn ‘footsteps into forests’. Nationally, Rotary set an initial target of planting 5 million trees in 2022 by setting up a Steps League.
Rotarians download a free app and sign up to walk 5,000 steps five times a week. There are options to upgrade to Treekly Plus at a cost of £39.99 for a full year or 12 month offset TreePack for £59.99. Users of the free version will have up to one tree a week planted on their behalf which is funded by the app’s sponsor.
Treekly’s tree planting partner is Eden Reforestation Projects, who have the necessary experience in tree planting around the world and hold a 100% rating from Charity Navigator for impact and results. The decision was taken to plant native species of mangroves at Moraharivo, Madagascar. Mangroves have a unique root system which stores ‘blue carbon’ in the waterlogged soil for millennia and importantly have a short growth phase of just 25 years, during which time they capture up to 10 times more carbon than rainforests. There are additional benefits to Treekly besides ensuring that the mangroves are permanent and sustainable. Firstly, local people are employed to do the planting and to provide forest guards thereby providing fair-wage employment to people living in impoverished communities. Additionally, this reforestation ensures increased fisheries, improved farming, cleaner water and the formation of microenterprise centres. As the reforestation effort goes on, healthy forests are beginning to emerge and all the negative effects of deforestation begin to disappear.
Although Madagascar suffers drought, mangroves grow in the ocean, specifically in intertidal zones and they do not require rain to grow because they filter out the water from the saltwater they get flooded with.
Such is the evidence regarding the unique benefits of mangroves that at COP26, Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta committed Rotary clubs to other mangrove initiatives, such as in Kenya where mangroves are harvested for timber. More than 130,000 mangrove propagules and seedlings, have been planted together with an education programme for local residents about the importance of mangroves and how to sustain them.
In the Philippines and in Samoa there have been a number of plantings to protect and restore mangroves along shorelines as part of the Project Green environmental initiative whilst in the British Virgin Islands, hundreds of mangroves that were wiped out by hurricanes in 2017 have now been replanted.
Martin Zimmer is a professor who leads the mangrove ecology working group at the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research in Bremen, Germany. As someone who has been working in coastal ecology for decades, Zimmer is excited to share his mangrove enchantment with ever more people: “They are probably the most beautiful, most fascinating, and at the same time mystic and even mythical, ecosystem that I know of,” he says. “These dense trees
with these aerial roots are all over the place, and you have to climb through or over them.” He says there’s a very specific, peaceful sound that you hear in the mangroves - like lip-smacking, or a gentle popping - as waves roll over crab burrows and sediment. It’s the soundtrack of an ecosystem that’s quietly working to stabilise the coast.
It has been calculated that an individual needs to plant 20 trees per month to offset their own carbon footprint, which usually means adding up things like diet, car usage, travel, heating your home, and general purchases. A fair estimate puts this at 12 tonnes per year for the average adult in UK. With hundreds of Rotarians signing up to the Treekly app and participating in other global mangrove projects, this is a significant contribution to Rotary’s Environment Area of Focus.
I am delighted to have the opportunity to share my love of yoga with you all. Each month I will focus on a different pose, with the aim of inspiring you to practice.
Virabhadrasana I (veeruh-buh-DRAHS-uh-nuh) or Warrior I is one of the more common but challenging yoga poses. In Warrior I you to push yourself physically and mentally, developing an inner focus, determination and physical stability, allowing you to set free your inner warrior.
Warrior I is a strong pose, stretching and strengthening just about every part of the body from your feet to the tips of your fingers. Its challenge is especially noticeable in the quadriceps and calf muscles. Warrior I also draws its name from the opposing forces within the alignment of the pose. During the pose you’re encouraged to: lift up with the torso and arms, lower the hips downwards, push the back leg away while drawing the hip forward, broaden shoulders, reach up with the hands, holding the pose, for three or five long slow breaths. Promoting mental focus, physical, strength, stability, and determination.
As with all yoga poses, we should start by just taking a moment to focus on how our body feels, how fast our breath is and how focused our mind is. We then try to establish a long slow steady even breath in and out through our nose, aiming for the inhalation and exhalation of the same length.
Having mastered your breath, take a step back (leg length apart), the shorter the stance the easier the pose is, larger the stance the harder the pose becomes. Make sure the step is wide but not so far back as to make it uncomfortable, the front foot should point straight forward, and the rear foot should be turned forward about 45-degree angle. Ground both feet, finding the four corners of the feet, eg, big toe and little toe joints, inside and outside of the heels.
Then bend into the front knee, making sure the front knee stays directly above the ankle. It is important to make sure that you don’t position your knee too far forwards. An outward rotation of both thighs will help keep the front knee tracking above the ankle. Twist the hips, drawing the hip of your back leg forward and the hip of front leg backwards as far as possible to square the hips and shoulders towards the front of the room. Breathe in and raise your chest, your head and your arms.
As you breathe out, try to relax your shoulders, tuck your tail bone under to stand a little taller and to ease deeper into the pose. With each inhalation, try to position your shoulders above your hips, lengthen your spine further, keeping your shoulders relaxed, reach through your fingers towards the ceiling, hands can be together in prayer or shoulder width apart, focus your attention towards the front of the room at eye level.
Refocus on your steady even breath. Find strength with each in inhalation and ease with each exhalation. To gain the most from this rewarding and challenging pose, hold the posture for three or five long slow steady breaths.
Enjoy the challenge of this pose, and I hope that it inspires you to find your inner strength through yoga, as I have. Join me for a Hatha yoga class at Hummingbird this new year, or be encouraged to practice yourself at home.
www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk
their mental health. Kind, empathetic volunteers are needed to help run these.
Volunteer with Essex Waterways
Volunteer at Broomfield Hospital
Broomfield Hospital has lots of volunteer roles available, all of which offer the chance to make a real difference to the lives of patients, their loved ones, and to hard working NHS staff.
Roles include helping in wards, at mealtimes, in the gardens, at help desks, at the breast clinic, on chemotherapy wards, and in physical therapy.
Help a young person at risk of homelessness
Nightstop provides same-day emergency accommodation to those aged 16 - 25 who are at risk of becoming homeless. Volunteers are needed to offer a safe, warm bedroom for just one to two nights while longer-term accommodation is arranged. The young people are carefully screened, and volunteers are fully reimbursed for their costs. The people needing help are often scared teenagers who just need a hot meal and a kind word.
Group support volunteer for young families - HomeStart Essex
Becoming a parent can be an incredibly isolating experience. It can feel overwhelming, and like you’re doing everything wrong. HomeStart run face-to-face and online well-being groups to provide young parents with coping mechanisms, build friendships and peer support, talk openly in a non-judgmental environment, and improve
We are looking for volunteers to help out with winter projects along the navigation. There are many different ways you can get involved, including: towpath taskforce, weed boat work, willow husbandry, work parties, and lock gate maintenance. Volunteers will need to enjoy working outdoors, be reasonably fit and enjoy practical work.
Social media volunteer at Millrace Furniture Restoration
We are looking for a volunteer to help develop and update our social media, to advertise and promote our work, and to assist in the development of our website and overall online presence.
Millrace Furniture gives support, lessons, and practice skills to help people who are recovering from mental ill health.
Puppy and dog socialiser - medical detection dogs
We are looking for caring and committed homes that can support our puppies and young dogs during their socialising and training journeys. We provide food and equipment for the young dogs and cover all veterinary costs. You will need to be able to take your puppy to training classes in Colchester.
By raising one of these our dogs in your home you would be helping to provide life saving care to someone in the future.
Volunteers for community bookshop/charity shop
We need enthusiastic, friendly volunteers to help in our charity bookshop on Market Road.
Rob And Ollie (or Ollie and Rob if you prefer) are the answer to the idea: what if someone just recorded 2 guys down the pub chatting absolute waffle... You’ll get games, stories and the most random assortment of music you could hope for. Ben Kearns famously doesn’t shy away from musical boundaries, however these guys haven’t even learned what those are yet.
Rob started dipping his show toes in hospital radio for multiple years, before enjoying time at Heart, Radio X and Capital, before a move to Malta to be part of 89.7 Bay fm.
Ollie, on the other hand, had no radio experience and thought it would be light work to laugh and talk rubbish each week - how he was in for a surprise... From this, he pulled Rob out of hiding for what is now Rob And Ollie.
So if you’ve got nothing better to do between 7pm and 8pm every Thursday, which let’s face it, is a pretty nothing night, then throw on CCR 104.4 and kick back while listening to 2 people struggle their way through their childhood dreams.
www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com
’Tis the season to plan for Christmas and look into the opportunities for the new year!
I guess most of your Christmas plans are well under way by now, but if you are anything like me, there’s always something else to do isn’t there? In the rush of the season, it is all the more important to create some ‘me’ time! And that is when crafting comes into play. Crafting is therapeutic and contributes hugely for our well-being.
A friend of mine makes a Christmas album every year where she records all of her family’s memories: from all the preparations, all the baking and decorating! It was a new thing for me and since last year was my first Christmas in a new place, I decided to make new routines, so I made my first Christmas album. I even recorded my failed attempt at making a gingerbread house!
Why don’t you join me on Saturday 17th December when we will be making an album to record your 2022 Christmas memories?
This time of year is also exciting because we are looking for the new year ahead and start dreaming of our 2023 holidays. Scrap-Circle can help you with an exciting Craft Cruise to Spain and Portugal in August (4th -10th) when we will be crafting every day in the comfort of our air-conditioned craft room and visiting 5 beautiful cities around Spain and Portugal, as well as enjoying all the shows and the food that Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas offers.
Alternatively, you can look forward to one of our craft weekends. Just imagine, a relaxing weekend by a beautiful lake in Cambridgeshire, with all meals included and crafting among friends into the small hours of the night, if you wish to! New dates are now out and ready for you to book at www.scrap-circle.co.uk: 21st-23rd April, 13th-15th October and 8th-10th December.
Furthermore, our monthly Craft Days are held at Highwood Village Hall near Chelmsford on the following dates (all Saturdays unless otherwise indicated): 28th January, 25th February, 25th March, 29th April, 20th May, 24th June, Wednesday 26th July, 19th August, 23rd September, 28th October, 25th November and 16th December.
Prices are the same as this year too, which is a bonus! It’s £20 without project or £25 with project for the day (9.30am - 4.30pm; see more information and booking details on the website).
You can also treat yourself with a subscription to a Craft Box. It’s produced every 3 month (so 4 boxes/year): January- March; AprilJune; July - September; October - December.
There is a range of 5 different sizes and contents - a lot to choose from and always a special treat! Plus, if you subscribe between now and the end of January, you will receive a little extra bonus in your first box.
You can subscribe very easily by logging on my website www.scrapcircle.co.uk.
Wishing you a merry Christmas and a happy - and crafting - New Year!
The Ideas Hub’s educational team is preparing, with pupils at Kings Road School and Parkwood Academy, a Light Parade to take place on the 9th February, at 6pm at Chelmsford Museum, Oakland Park.
Everyone is welcome to join in with their own lanterns and/or dressed up. The theme is ‘Chelmsford Pioneers’ with Crompton being the star of the show. The parade will will finish with an amazing fire show. Tickets are free, thanks to a grant from Arts Council England.
The Ideas Hub is supporting the Afghan refugees in Chelmsford. Afghan people are so full of gentleness and kindness! They speak two languages: Dari and Pashto and are learning English. The children will be trilingual and possibly quadrilingual with a language learnt at school! Working closely with this group has brought so much joy and allowed me to make fascinating little cultural discovery - such as when babies are born, mums put make up on their eyes.
Ideas Hub’s project, The Art Place in Meadows Shopping centre, allows us to support many people and is a hub for inclusivity in Chelmsford and between the traders and the team, we are able to speak at least 15 languages fluently!
I really enjoy discovering world influences through the artwork in the gallery: from the eggshell paintings created by Hong Kong artist May Tang, Indian god paintings by artist Nisa Jay, and artist Elena Khomutova-Miller’s flowers where Picasso’s influence is clearly felt but also a South American ‘je-ne-sais-quoi’, to name just some of my favourite art/artists there.
I am mostly proud that our shop offers arts and crafts from around the world, including handmade clothing with patterns and styles representative of Middle East, South Asian, South American and African cultures, as well as toys and other wonderful gifts. I love seeing crafters marvelling at may be a Turkish design, a North African embroidery, or a Japanese crochet, discovering and learning from
each other’s skills.
The best is to observes customers’ joy to be able to buy that item like in their country or family country of origin. Bringing home to home! Most of all, I enjoy hearing so many languages spoken. We boost a team of volunteers from around the world and it is so much fun to learn about all the different cultures. In addition, this rich environment enables the support of many residents in many tricky situations through peers and language support, including of course Ukrainians at the moment, but many other nationalities (41 recorded).
Again, The Art Place is bringing a sense of home, family and belonging in many people’s life at a time of loneliness and challenge and thank you for supporting us with buying your gifts from the Art Place. Please tell all your friends, family, neighbour colleagues about us as we are going to need all the support possible to take us through the first months of the new year.
For information about workshops including holiday workshops and events, please visit: www.ideashubchelmsford.org/whatson and follow us on social media.
The festive season is here and our bookshop windows are crammed with brightly-coloured front covers and great gift ideas for all ages and genres. Christmas is the best time for many of our Brentwood Writers’ Circle members whether well known or first-time authors.
The month of December is inevitably busy for our members, particularly those who have striven to meet their own publishers’ deadlines. Writing books is not for the faint hearted! However, there is great joy when the deed is done and the debut author can, at last, see their hard work displayed for all to see (hopefully) in their local book shop.
Yesterday’s Christmas party in Bardswell Social Club brought dozens of our writers together, some who, because of covid restrictions, have only had contact by Zoom. With abundant festive food and music, we were able to catch up with some of our homegrown authors and welcomed several new faces. Among some newly published books, one member Cherry Burroughs brought her hot off the press debut book The Farmer and the Fury
Cherry said: “I started writing as a teenager, keeping a daily journal, writing short stories and some poetry. Those early years instilled a writing habit which has remained with me, and I still write something creative every day, even if it is only a line or two. I’m an avid reader of all types of fiction which provides a drip-feed for improving my creative writing. When in my twenties, I toyed with the idea of enrolling for a degree in literature, but eventually chose law and became a family law barrister.
“I had always wanted to write a book but couldn’t find a subject matter that interested me to the extent I could commit my time and energy to a full novel. Then I read about the great North Sea flood of 1953 and became fascinated by the subject. I love reading history
and spent about eighteen months researching the topic. I also had many conversations with my husband and his farming colleagues about the impact of the great flood on the farming community in Essex. Some had experienced the flood first-hand, and had a relative or knew someone who lived through that devastating time. The Farmer and the Fury is my debut novel. I am so thrilled it is finished and now on sale.”
Cherry’s book is available on Amazon in print and e-book. Cherry’s website is www.cherryburroughs.co.uk.
Brentwood Writers’ Circle meets at Bardswell Social Club, Brentwood, on the first Saturday monthly, 2.30pm - 4.30pm, and welcomes new writers. Details can be found at www.brentwoodwriterscircle.com.
What was the most popular name for boys in 2021?
Which word goes with both ‘Sodbury’ and ‘Ongar’ to name another town?
What is a wadi?
What is the medical term for an irregular heartbeat?
In which year did Bill Gates launch Microsoft Windows?
What is the definition of the word herf?
Which surname links these famous people: Matt, Will and Robert?
In the USA, what was a speakeasy?
Which sportsman earned the title ‘Superbrat’?
Which TV comedy series featured Tim Healy, Kevin Whately and Jimmy Nail as builders in Germany?
Which creature represents the star sign Aries?
What exactly is a piebald?
What is the name of the MP who went to Australia for I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here?
What have Japanese researchers discovered about rats?
How much has our government given to the French to allow our border force officers into France?
Rod Stewart had his first child at the age of 17, because of that he has given his son some good advice, what is it?
Why are poppies worn on November 11th?
What is the average time, per day, that Brits spend on their phones?
Which product does Anna Ryder Richardson advertise?
(Answers on page 31)
What is the non-cash banking system that has just collapsed?
Which football manager has had a one match ban imposed due to his ‘demonstrative behaviour’?
On the Ukrainian national flag, is the yellow at top or bottom?
How many sets of teeth does a dog have in its lifetime?
American soldiers are referred to as GIs, what do the initials mean?
What drink is made from vodka and tomato juice?
Which North African city has a name meaning ‘white house’ in Spanish?
Colonel Tom Parker was manager for which famous singer?
Which male singing voice comes below tenor?
The sea parrot is more commonly known as what?
Before skating, what was Christopher Dean’s job?
Who plays Lieutenant Columbo in the TV series?
Why do we pasteurise our milk?
In photography, what is SLR?
Where would you play a game called Aunt Sally?
What does a phillumenist collect?
If a postage stamp has the name Suomi, where does it come from?
Which is the heaviest insect?
Why do glow worms glow in the dark?
How many children did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert have?
Which musical instrument is played with a plectrum?
20th December: Leonids Meteor Shower - Look toward the eastern horizon, at around 7.30pm and this meteor shower will be visible. As with all meteor showers, they are motionless in space. Instead, the Earth moves around its solar orbit to meet them. The Leonids Meteor Shower are the remnants of Comet Tempel-Tuttle. Meteors enter the Earth’s atmosphere at about 70 kilometres per second! Best observed between midnight and dawn.
21st December: Winter solstice. Tonight, the night will be at longest and the day at its shortest. You can do a little dance, as from tomorrow, the nights will grow shorter and the days will grow longer. This will, of course, continue to be the case until the Summer Solstice.
22nd December: Ursid Meteor Shower. This meteor shower usually produces about five meteors per hour.
26th December: Mercury rising to its highest altitude, (9 degrees). This is the best chance to spot this little planet. I warn you, it is much more faint than Venus. I’ve only seen Mercury twice! Good luck.
1st January: Look South after 8pm. You will see a close approach of the Moon and Mars. Mars is sitting above a bright open cluster called Hyades, with the Moon close by to the right. Uranus is also on view with a telescope, if you want to make a night of it.
3rd-4th January: Quantrantids Meteor Shower. Sadly, this year, the Moon is nearly full, spoiling an otherwise good show. Next year, will be much better. The Quantrantids meteor show is associated with Asteroid 2003 EH1.
New Moon: On 21st January and 20th February there will be a new Moon. This means the skies will be extra dark which is a great opportunity to see planets, galaxies and deep space objects.
As usual, email me with any questions…
www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com mark.willis@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com
According to the Met Office, the first half of November was very mild with Porthmadog in Wales with a record temperature of 21.2C thanks to the jet stream and southerly winds. However, the latter half experienced far more normal temperatures - and rainfall. It was the third mildest November since records began, however, Sussex received four times its expected rainfall!
Bird flu (strain H5N1): Some 80 cases noted, mainly in Norfolk. Visit this link for more information: www.gov.uk/guidance/avian-influenzabird-flu.
Greenfinch/Chaffinch Trichomonas disease: Please clean your bird feeders regularly.
Blackbird: The Usutu virus (USUV) is transmitted by mosquitoes. First noted in Greater London in 2020, incidental hosts can include bats and sometimes humans. Check the Garden Wildlife website for details: gardenwildlifehealth.org/what-if.
The snow bunting is a locally common winter visitor and passage migrant, having a northerly breeding distribution north of the Arctic Circle. There is a small breeding population in the Scottish mountains. Most move south in winter.
Selected November Highlights
Butterflies: red admiral and small tortoiseshell dur the mild period.
The Naze: Dusky warbler. Colne Point: 2 Dartford Warblers, snow bunting. Abberton Reservoir: 3 great northern divers, Slavonian grebe, long-tailed duck, 5 Bewick’s swans, spoonbill, 14 great white egret, spotted redshank, short-eared owl. Old Hall Marshes RSPB: red-necked phalarope. Hanningfield Reservoir: An American spotted sandpiper from 8th. Canvey Point: 3 little auk.
In Essex, the north-east part of the county is favoured from Harwich to East Mersea with shell and shingle banks. With climate change and higher winter temperatures, birds tend to stay nearer their breeding grounds and fewer winter south. The first autumn record is usually in October with peak passage in November. The call is distinctive with a rippling “til-lil-it-it” and a bright whistled “pew”.
Noah Chipping
Dry river bed
Arrhythmia
1985
A gathering where people enjoy hand-rolled cigars
Smith
A bar selling illegal alcohol during the Prohibition period
John McEnroe
Auf Wiedersehen Pet
A ram
Black and white horse
Matt Hancock
They can ‘boogie’ to music
£80 million ‘Keep It In your trousers’ Col Haig brought them back from the battlefield in WW1
4 hours
Conservatory Insulation Bitcoin by FTX
Jergen Klopp
Bottom Two Government Issue
Bloody Mary Casablanca
Elvis Presley Baritone Puffin
Policeman
Peter Falk
To kill bacteria
Single Lens Reflex
At the fairground
Matchbox labels
Finland
Beetle
To attract males
Nine Guitar
