The City Times February/March 2018

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The City Times

This Month: Chelmsford Restaurant Festival (See the What’s On Pages)

Including: Boreham, Broomfield, Danbury, Great Baddow, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, The Walthams and Writtle

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Issue Number 53: - 15th February - 14th March 2018

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CT Welcome Hello readers,

MULTI-SPORT TODDLER CLASSES

Welcome to the February/March edition.

Our What’s On page is fuller than it has been for a while, so there must be lots going on - including the Chelmsford Restaurant Festival.

࡟ HOCKEY

Even though there has been a bit of snow at the time of writing, the spring weather is beginning to show signs of breaking through on some days!

࡟ BASKETBALL ࡟ FOOTBALL ࡟ RUGBY

࡟ CRICKET

Enjoy your month!

࡟ TENNIS

Regards

AND MUCH MORE!

Nick & Paul www.thecitytimes.co.uk | www.moulshamtimes.com

Advertising Editorial Nick Garner Paul Mclean 07970 206682 07595 949701 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

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Disclaimer: It’s Your Media Ltd publish 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, Chelmsford. Reg No 9154871. Printed by Printwize.

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CT Fashion - a Date with Your Wardrobe After the pain of January, February feels like a breath of fresh air doesn’t it? The evenings are getting slightly lighter and our hearts begin to lift with the prospect of spring just around the corner... and that’s not the only thing that’s got us a’fluttering, is it? Yep, it’s the month of organised love celebrating. Whether we’re in relationships, going out for mates’ dates or simply practising a bit of fashionable self-love, there’s no chance we’re getting through February without some kind of love-inspired date in our calendars. With that in mind, I’ve come up with a few outfits to get us through the courting season and beyond!. Quick, make a date with your wardrobe and get ready to spread the love with these outfit winners...

to) a quick city get away and have no idea what to don as you explore? Opt for comfy and versatile attire. Team flat shoes (maybe a pair of quilted slip on trainers or snug loafers) with dark jeans and a light jacket. My personal favourite would be a leather jacket. Plan for unpredictable weather by layering cleverly; think a vest and shirt and carry a light scarf for a splash of colour. Don’t forget the sunnies (yes, the sun does occasionally come out in February).

This season’s comfy but stylish dropped hem tops are perfect for all day wear and can take you through the day into night without making you feel over or underdressed. (Dorothy Perkins have some beautiful styles - some with some great off-the-shoulder necklines - for around £20).

1. The Cuddly Night in Costume: So you’re thinking more slippers and a takeaway than a swanky meal and LBD? No worries, you can still make your night in outfit special. Aim for something you feel comfortable in but also keeps you feeling sparkly - it is still date night, even if you’re in front of the TV! You could go with my favourite silk-style PJs (Boux Avenue have some gorgeous styles) and team with some thick socks. Bliss. Or, if you’re really up for the occasion, H&M have a shorts and shirt pair of heart print pyjamas for under £20 - win win.

2. The Meal Outfit: Are you being treated (or treating someone to) a fancy meal? No idea what to wear? Look no further. It’s still pretty chilly out so you’ll need a coat - maybe even an old faithful trench style (Debenhams have some fantastic offerings if your wardrobe is missing one of these timeless pieces) - and either a dress and tights or this season’s ‘nice top.’ The Bardot style is still really on-trend at the moment; think sultry and flirty, teamed with your favourite dark jeans and heeled boots. Or jeans and a meeting cropped top would be just as flirty if you’re feeling particularly fresh. (Topshop and River Island have some great wrap cropped tops that would suit those of us who don’t fancy having their midriff actually showing - the trick is to wear a pair of high waisted jeans that meet the hemline of the top (especially handy after a 3 course dinner!)

3. The City Getaway Get Up: So you’ve planned (or been treated

4. The Girls’ Get Together Garb: So maybe your OH/Significant Other is your old faithful best friend and you are dutifully spending a date shopping and having a glass of wine? Of course, you’ll need an outfit for that too! The perfect Galentine outfit needs to take you through the day and into the evening just in case lunch turns into dinner and dinner into drinks, right? (I’m glad to know that it’s not just me and mine!) Well, opt for this season’s take on the must have dress - the ruffle dress. Think wrap styles with flattering ruffle hems teamed with either heels or ankle boots (Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge have some fantastic offerings). Or, with florals set to hang around this season, you could team a fit and flare midi dress with boots and tights to keep you tip tapping through to the wee hours.

5. Tough Love Attire: Would you happily throw a dozen red roses at whoever dares to ask you if you’re dating? Rather suck your own toe than digest a heart shaped sweet? There’s a T-shirt for that. Slogan tees are constantly on every fashionista’s wish list, and what better way to articulate your feelings about ‘Finding The One’ than wearing them across your chest? Some of my favourites include ‘Your Loss’ and ‘Dump Him’ by Motel Rocks.

6. All You Need is Love, Love: On the other hand, if you’re happy and you know it and you really want to show it, try the up with love paraphernalia available on the high street. Dorothy Perkins have a multi coloured ‘ROMANTIC’ offering (£14) and Topshop offer a rather interesting heart tassel T-shirt by Tee & Cake (£25 - I’ll let you use your imagination as to where the tassels sit.) If you’re feeling rather flush and fancy treating yourself, Michael Kors has gone all out with a printed ‘LOVE’ black clutch bag (£175). If that isn’t self-love, I don’t know what is.

Rebecca Forde is a writer with a penchant for fashion, great literature and drinking a lot of coffee. You can contact her by emailing rebeccaforde@hotmail.co.uk. © All Images: Dorothy Perkins

Page 4

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Left-Handed Art

Bridget Metcalfe, the Chelmsford based singer, singing teacher, radio broadcaster and music critic, has recently taken on an unexpected new venture. Last year she fractured her right wrist and to avoid boredom while it healed, right-handed Bridget picked up her watercolours and began to paint with her left hand.

Still under construction, the City Park West Genesis development on Victoria Road South captured Bridget’s attention. Having moved into one of the new apartments, she began to paint what she could see from her windows. The multi-storey buildings, the cranes, the scaffolding and the developing urban site were her inspiration. She describes herself as ‘a colourist’ because her work is vibrant and full of vivid colours - not what you’d perhaps imagine on a building site.

The collection can be viewed at an exhibition called Left Handed Art which opens on Tuesday 6th March at 7pm at the new Transition gallery (close to Chelmsford’s train and bus stations), The Anne Knight Buildings, Fenton Court, City Park West, Chelmsford CM1 1LW. Tel: 01245 698 563 for information.

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All Things Music - by Nick Garner Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival Things are moving forward at a pace now that we are working in association with the Maldon Festival, which we are thrilled about.

They are in their eleventh year of bringing fantastic classical music with a touch of jazz and world music to the area, regularly featuring top artists from around the world. We have had some productive meetings and we now have a lot of people getting on board to help us make this festival a success - but we still have a long way to go...

We have more or less planned out the two weekends of the festival which will be on 23rd and 24th June and 30th June and 1st July. On the first weekend we are planning to have a parade to end up at the bowl outside John Lewis, where we are also planning a host of events across the weekend. On the Sunday we will be utilising the High Street where we are also hoping to have a host of stalls selling crafts and food and drinks, plus lots of entertainment.

On the second weekend we will be working with both the River Festival and Dragon Boat Race. Also on the Saturday in Central Park will be Sounds of Essex run by the Essex Music Hub, working with young people and schools. As well as all this, we have an amazing arts trail coming together plus a lot of different types of workshops planned. We will be making use of all the shopping centres in Chelmsford as well a many other spaces.

The plans for the weekdays are also coming together. As we move ahead, we will of course have lots more to announce. If you are interested in getting involved in any way, then please email us at contact@chelmsfordaacf.org.

Music We have kicked off 2018 with some great music already, and will continue to bring you this high standard of music for the rest of the year. The United Brethren in New Writtle Street in Chelmsford is putting on lots of new acts every week with their Saturday Night Live and their Sunday Sessions and monthly Friday night gigs. See the What’s On guide for who’s playing and when.

On 15th March at the Bassment, we welcome the return of Guy Tortora and Ben Tyzak. A day later on Friday 16th March at the football club we have The Pretty Things - still with original singer Phil May and guitarist Dick Taylor - playing as part of their farewell tour. They have been a very influential band over many years; The Who, Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop and many other top acts credit them as a major influence. Opening on the night is the band I am in, Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective. We are signed to the same record label as The Pretty Things (3M’s Music) and we will be debuting our first album, Diff’rent Gravy, on the night. Local brewery Round Tower have also brewed us a beer which will available in bottle and on draught.

We are really excited with the album and the beer and hope all those who come along like them well.

Moving on to April, at the Bassment we have Dave Kelly (who plays with Paul Jones in the Blues Band). He will have Denny Newman with him who used to play with Mick Taylor of The Rolling Stones. A great night that will be on Thursday 5th April. On the Wednesday 25th April we have the great Albert Lee playing for us again, and tickets are selling fast for this gig once more. Opening will be Connor Selby.

Some of the other shows coming up this year at the football club are top American Blues man Larry Garner with the Norman Beaker band on the 18th May, with Mississippi MacDonald and the Soul Fixers supporting.

On May 15th U2 tribute band U2 Tribe are playing and on July 28th it’s Zoot Money and his Big Roll Band. We miss out August and return on 14th September with Jim Cregan, who has previously played with Rod Stewart - who he was also producer and musical director for, over a period of 18 years. Jim will bring along his band featuring Ben Mills on vocals.

On to autumn, and on October 12th we have the best and first Fleetwood Mac tribute act, Fleetwood Bac. They have actually been endorsed by both Mick Fleetwood and Peter Green. Slim Chance play on 9th November - the band that Ronnie Lane formed after he left The Faces. This line-up still has three of the original members (Charlie Hart, Steve Simpson and Steve Bingham) playing. We end the year at the football club on 7th December with Limehouse Lizzy, surely the best Thin Lizzy tribute band around - a must see.

As you can see, we have lots already booked. There will of course be lots more going on in and around Chelmsford over the coming months. As ever, please do try to come out and support the great live scene that we have in Essex, because if you do not we may lose it.

At the end of last month at the Bassment, we were fortunate enough to put on the Bad Day Blues Band, who you should keep and eye and ear out for as they were really good. Joe Anderton opened for them on the night, and he just gets better and better. Our show at the football club was a return for The Jam Project, who of course played a hugely entertaining set of Jam material. Spencer M Taylor opened the night playing a mix of some covers among his mainly original material. Spencer is a very good songwriter, singer and guitarist and was very well received.

On 23rd February at the football club we have The Cureheads playing (said to currently be the best tribute band to The Cure around) with The White Gospel opening for them. Tickets are still available for this event.

On the 10 March at the Bassment we have our fourth Essex Delta Blues Day raising money for the Chelmsford Homeless Charity CHESS. There will be 18 acts playing for free nonstop from noon to midnight on two stages. See the advert in this edition of the magazine for the full line-up and ticket details. th

For more information on all of the above and more, see the links below and go to our the What’s On page to see what else in happening in your area. Check around the Internet too - Facebook is always good as is Twitter also your local papers and community boards. www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic

CT Thoughts

Intentionally losing a game of rock, paper scissors is just as hard as trying to win...

Page 6

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A New Local Plan Is Coming!

Chelmsford continues to grow, and the City Council’s new Local Plan is your opportunity to help shape how Chelmsford should develop and improve up to 2036 and beyond.

Consultation on the pre-submission Local Plan document runs from 8.45am on 31st January until 4.45pm on 14th March.

The Local Plan identifies how many houses, jobs and businesses are being planned for and their locations, along with facilities to support growth - such as where children will go to school, where people will work, and how they will get around. It covers the whole of the City Council’s area.

What Is Being Proposed for the City Centre?

The council is committed to maximising the use of brownfield sites for development and regenerating empty or underused sites in well connected locations.

About 2,200 new homes alongside commercial development could potentially be accommodated in Chelmsford’s city centre by 2036, with increased school and healthcare capacity, improved vehicle, public transport, walking and cycling routes, and enhanced public realm.

How Do I Find out More?

You can view and comment on the pre-submission Local Plan and its sustainability and habitats appraisals at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/ planningpolicyconsult.

You can also read the consultation documents during normal opening hours at the City Council’s Customer Service Centre and in local libraries.

Or you can visit a public drop-in event: for dates and venues and for more Local Plan information, please visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/presubmission.

All comments received will be sent with the Local Plan to the Planning Inspector holding an Independent Examination later in the year.

Helpline: (01245) 606 330 Email: planning.policy@chelmsford.gov.uk

March/April Issue Deadlines: Artwork - 7th March Articles - 28th February

CT Thoughts

Which letter in the word scent is silent, the c or the s?

CT Gardening - by Tom Cole

Goodness me it’s chilly out there in the garden, but on the other hand the days are lighter and spring is just around the corner. There’s a load to do, so let’s get on with reminding you about a few jobs for this month...

Tip for February If your soil is on the drier side at the moment, do start to cultivate in readiness for sowing and or planting out young vegetable or salad plants. Avoid wetter soils as these could compact. I tend to use a board to work from to spread my weight, which in turn helps reduce soil compaction. To improve your clay based soils don’t forget to add organic matter and grit, as this will open up the soil and improve drainage and air flow around root systems. This will also keep you nice and toasty… and fit!

If you’ve got a clay based soil hold back from sowing directly.

Alternatively, sow non-based deep rooting veg into modular trays and pots. If you’re lucky to have a slightly more free draining soil, this will warm up quickly and enable you to direct sow parsnip and also pop in broad beans.

College, we need to start in containers and then move out to flowering sites from about the end of March onwards.

This is a busy pruning month! Any winter flowering shrubs can be pruned if they’ve finished flowering, such as flowering currants, Kerria japonica and Forsythia species. Cut back flowering growth to the ground or to a strong young shoot lower down. Aim to take out at least ¼ of the ageing stems to the base of the plant each year to keep air flowing and thereby reduce any chances of disease. Also, don’t forget to prune whippy young stems of Wisteria species back hard to 2 buds.

Moving inside, houseplants can be fed once they start to put on new growth. Use fertiliser sticks or proprietary feeds for key plants, eg, orchid drip feeders - small cylindrical tubes of feed whereby the thin end can be cut and the whole tube inverted and stuck into the top of a potted orchid.

Start to chit potatoes. I use an old egg carton to place individual tubers (‘eyes’ facing skywards) and pop onto a windowsill to force young shoots to develop. This is ‘chitting’. At the same time I use black polythene laid on to prepared soil to help heat up the ground in preparation for planting.

As we are still liable for a frost and some of your fruit trees are blooming, spend the time to cover and protect blooms from overnight frosts. I use horticultural fleece; if not available, double thickness netting. You can use this method for any early flowering soft fruits too.

Start sowing hardy annuals, such as honesty, into trays of seed/ cutting compost, or directly onto a prepared seedbed if you can create a friable soil at this time of the year. At Writtle University

Lastly, if you’re interested in developing your theory or practical horticultural skills as a keen amateur, or are someone wishing to pursue a change in career, why not contact us for more information?

For RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture, email christina. lavelle@writtle.ac.uk for information on availability of days and times.

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For RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture (1 year, day release), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation & Development (September - February), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance (Starting 22nd February - June 2018) and for RHS Level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture, email tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk for information on availability of days and times.

We also offer a very comprehensive range of short courses in gardening. Follow this link for further information: writtle.ac.uk/ ShortCourses.

Happy Gardening For any gardening tips contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

Page 8 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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CT Food - by John Jacobs

Down Our Street Street food. It’s the ‘in thing’. I avoid ‘in things’. I am rarely accused of living en message with the restaurant trade. Even when I stood at the pass of a multi-award winning dinery, it loathed me to create dishes that needed presenting on a bed, with an air - or a foam. True, I once made a tarte that looked like a Mondrian painting, but that was simply due to an element of boredom and a large budget.

Why has street food imbedded itself in our psyche? I have a theory it’s due to implication. I’ve been privileged to travel the world and the implication is that street food is quick, cheap, made with whatever is available, simplistic, cooked without health and safety hygiene ratings by vendors seeking meagre returns for survival. Street food is street food because there is no need for a twelve burner aluminum and stainless steel kitchen with full extractor. It is street food because there is no money to set up in premises. It is on the, well, street.

Local life buzzes and thrives around these smoking, noisy carts and stands. Street food can define a whole region or a single street in a small market town. The sizzling sounds of charring meat and clatter of steel woks and utensils is enough. The overwhelmingly desirable perfumes of shallots, garlic, chilis and spices lure passing trade to surrender to temptation. In some countries, outsiders such as myself with delicate constitutions may well submit to risk because the desire is overwhelming and worth a gamble. I have spent many a night wondering when the pain will end so I can go out and try some more.

Street food does not have a breakfast and brunch option with vegetarian alternatives and dessert menu. Neither does it have a gluten rating, allergen food guide or the opportunity to book for your work’s Christmas party. It will not pedal cycle tepid bratwurst or kimchee to your home in under an hour. Street food does not and cannot aspire to operating an overpriced chain of vending carts in all major cities and will not ask for your email address to wish you a happy birthday with a two-for-one offer on cocktails, nor require you

to appear in marketing photos wearing a tie and having a business lunch.

To summarise, street food is... delicious, inexpensive, locally sourced, occasionally unidentifiable, likely to hurt you. If you travel to faraway lands and manage to find and sample this incredible food without the need for a medical evac’, congratulations. You absolutely rock. If you’re someone who has just returned to your office to tell everyone you’ve had the most amazing street food from that restaurant in Bayswater, go grab yourself a goji berry muffin and keep it to yourself.

New in Chelmsford Bananatree, 25-27 Exchange Way. Indochinese cuisine offering the best of pan-Asian street food.

Red Thai Pork Kebabs (street style) 1 carton of coconut cream 2 tbsps Thai red curry paste 2 tsp muscovado sugar 1 lime, squeezed 1 tsp Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce 1 ½ lb lean pork (fillets are particularly tender or you could use pork steaks or thick boneless chops) 1 medium red onion, diced Mix together the coconut cream, curry paste, sugar, lime juice and fish or soy sauce in a non-metallic bowl. Cut the pork into about 2.5cm/1in cubes and stir into the sauce. Leave to marinate in the fridge overnight or for about 2 hours at room temperature, stirring every so often.

Skewer up and place under a hot grill or on a griddle pan (bit too cold for barbecues yet).

Happy February team Chelmsford!

Page 10 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Hairy Monster - Random Thoughts

As an emergency blood rider I frequently delivered plasma to hospitals late at night when most people were snuggly tucked up in their beds. Blatting down the A12 on my motorbike at one o’clock in the morning to collect the insulated boxes from the Blood Bank was a real adrenalin rush and I (and all my fellow volunteers) loved the experience. However, when you arrive at the hospital and walk through the out patients waiting area, the feeling of euphoria drains and anger replaces it. Drunken patients waiting to be treated for minor injuries from falling off pavements, fighting someone who disagreed with their opinions or looked at their girl/boyfriend the ‘wrong’ way...

In 2015 there were more than a million alcohol related hospital admissions. So whilst I would usually defend to my death the NHS principle of free treatment for all, why do we not start charging people for these self inflicted injuries? Our hospitals are now more than ever under financial pressure, and whilst the revenue raised might not match the £350 million a week we are being promised if and when we leave the EU, it might allow a few more cancer patients to have their life saving operation a week or two earlier.

I briefly mentioned Britain’s obesity epidemic last month and now I’d like to cover another weight issue. There seems to be a commonly held view that people with no excess fat must somehow be suffering from anorexia or bulimia. Hey! I’ve got news for you - they might actually be ‘suffering’ from self control. My mate Skooby is the most annoyingly healthy specimen it has been my dubious honour to have known for many years. He doesn’t go to the gym or run marathons or don luminous lycra and cycle to the ends of the earth on a Sunday morning. What he does is eat healthy food, drink wine occasionally (in moderation) and walk his grandchildren to school in the morning.

It really galls him that people think it’s ok to say ‘ooh, you’re slim/ skinny/thin’ yet it’s not okay for him to call them fat. He’s not ‘slim’, ‘skinny’ or ‘thin’ - he eats fewer calories than he burns. Simple!

Skooby and I grew up in the ’50s when food was rationed, and I’m the first to admit that it could be bland and tasteless, but it was healthy.

In fact, I can only remember one fat person from when I was a child in Gloucester - Mrs Barker. I remember her vividly because my big brother dared me to call her ‘fat a***’ - and I got a right slap from my mum for doing so. In conclusion, next time you think someone is underweight, challenge them to a run round the block and see who wins!

When I was in southern Spain a few weeks back, I was listening to some ex-pats talking about who should rule Gibraltar. The majority were adamant that this particularly unattractive rocky outcrop in the neck of the Mediterranean Sea is the property of the United Kingdom and we should defend its sovereignty at all costs. Now I’m the first to admit I’m a bit of a pleb when it comes to politics, but I really can’t understand why we would want to claim sovereignty over such an inhospitable, distant and dreary place. Geographically, it is clearly part of the Iberian Peninsula and I can see why the Spanish are incensed that we want to cling to it at any cost. After all, how would we feel if Spain claimed dominion over Canvey Island? On second thoughts, that probably isn’t a good example, but you get my drift.

My solution is to negotiate with the Spanish Government and make a deal whereby we swap our Gibraltar for their Majorca. We get their sunshine island, their sandy beaches and their cheap alcohol and they get our grubby, monkey-infested anachronistic tourist trap. Can’t think why nobody has come up with this idea before.

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What’s on in the Area

February

Friday 16th Bassment - Backwater Channels presents: Different People + Leontas + The Recoupes + Skuft Civic - Oh! Carol - The Musical Story of Neil Sedaka Cramphorn - Undiscovered Solo Final The Golden Fleece - Head KEGS - CAMRA Winter Beer Festival Old Court Theatre - Mad Forest Star & Garter - Hit Parade Saturday 17th Bassment - Drama Llamas Presents! Third Dart + Wolfe Sunday + Hassan Dervish CCFC Home: Chelmsford City v Hemel Hempstead Town Civic - Think Floyd Cramphorn - Undiscovered Band Final The Golden Fleece - Red Leaf KEGS - CAMRA Winter Beer Festival Old Court Theatre - Mad Forest Quaker Meeting House - Asylum Monologues Star & Garter - Rewind United Brethren - Spencer M Taylor Sunday 18th The Transition - Drum Circle Workshop with Dom Monaco United Brethren - Sunday Sessions: Paolo Morena (3pm) Tuesday 20th Boreham Village Hall - Ballroom and Latin American Dance (classes for beginners & improvers - www.danceasy.co.uk) CCFC Away: Weston-Super-Mare v Chelmsford City Cramphorn - Goodbye Christopher Robin (PG) Baby Cinema Cramphorn - The Killing of a Sacred Deer (15) Wednesday 21st The Chichester Hotel, Rawreth - Belvedere Jazz & Music Club: Sinatra at the Movies - Simply Swing Cramphorn - David Hockney at the Royal Academy of Arts The Three Elms - The DW Jazz Quartet Thursday 22nd Bassment - Wallop! presents: Concrete Caverns + Rome Champino The Golden Fleece - Quiz night Ingatestone Hall - Kids Inspire World Cup Wine Tasting Friday 23rd Bassment - WDR presents: Dr Chan + NoS Trees + Tall + The Howling Fields Cathedral - Lunchtime Concert Chelmsford City FC - The Cureheads + The White Gospel Civic - Wilkie Collins’ The Ghost’s Touch Cramphorn - Human Flow (12A) The Golden Fleece - Mushroom Clown Star & Garter - The Strides United Brethren - Foxtrot Oskar Saturday 24th Bassment - Saturday’s Alright For Dancin’ CCFC Away: Oxford City v Chelmsford City Civic - Wilkie Collins’ The Ghost’s Touch The Golden Fleece - Choice Star & Garter - Electrum Page 12

Saturday 24th (continued...)

The Three Elms - Tapas night United Brethren - Paolo Morena Sunday 25th Cramphorn - Chatroom and Citizenship (13+) The Transition - Yoga & Chi Running Workshop Monday 26th White Horse, Great Baddow - Clairvoyant Night Tuesday 27th Civic - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cramphorn - Logan Lucky (12a) Wednesday 28th Anglia Ruskin University - Essex Book Festival launch with Billy Bragg Bassment - Alter States presents: Cassie Holt + The Delta Jacks Civic - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cramphorn - The Winter’s Tale LIVE from the Royal Opera House The Chichester Hotel, Rawreth - Belvedere Jazz & Music Club: Midland Youth Jazz Orchestra + male vocalist

March

Thursday 1st Bassment - Bassment Blues Jam Civic - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cramphorn - The Time Machine The Golden Fleece - Quiz night The Three Elms - St Davids Day: Chicken and Lekk hotpot Friday 2nd Bassment - Shakey’s SXSW CD Launch with The Kubricks + Spencer M Taylor Cathedral - Lunchtime concert Trinity Methodist Church - Chelmsford Civic Society AGM + Talk with MP Vicky Ford Civic - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cramphorn - A Ghost Story (12a) The Golden Fleece - Expose Star & Garter - The Sounds Saturday 3rd Alehouse - Chelmsford Record Fair Bassment - Hannah Williams & The Affirmations + Primo Nelson Baddow Road Car Park - Spring river litter clean up CCFC Home: Chelmsford City v Whitehawk Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Two Brewers: Film & Food: Chocolat Christchurch - Gemma Summerfield (soprano) singing with the Essex Symphony Orchestra Civic - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cramphorn - Gordon Giltrap Hyde Hall - Step into Spring The Golden Fleece - Ultimate 80s Star & Garter - Lithium United Brethren - Andy Twyman Sunday 4th Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - The Wine Cellar: Speakeasy Afternoon - Cheese, Wine and Jazz

Please note, all events are subject to change. Please visit the relevant websites or Facebook pages for more details

Sunday 4th (continued...)

Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Acanteen: Comedy Night Cramphorn - The Flames of Paris (live from the Bolshoi Ballet) Hyde Hall - Step into Spring United Brethren - Sunday Sessions: Clare Free (3pm) Woolpack - GC’s Jazz Club: Guest - Adam Glasser Harmonica & Sam Edwards Trio Tuesday 6th Boreham Village Hall - Ballroom and Latin American Dance (classes for beginners & improvers - www.danceasy.co.uk) Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Galvin Green Man: Food Book Launch - Jose Pizarro Cramphorn - Lucky Logan (12a) Baby Cinema Cramphorn - Carmen (live from the Royal Opera House) The Three Elms - Blues and Chilli with The Blues Experience The Transition - The Left Handed Painter: Bridget Metcalfe Wednesday 7th Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Chop Bloc: Steak and Salsa Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Anglia Ruskin University: The Angry Chef: Bad Science and the Truth About Healthy Eating The Chichester Hotel, Rawreth - Belvedere Jazz & Music Club: Skelton Skinner All Stars Septet Hyde Hall - Little Acorns Thursday 8th Bassment - Jazz Funk with Solar Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Chop Bloc: Butchery Masterclass Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - UB: Perfect Day Caterers pop-up celebrating local produce Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Acanteen: Meantime beer tasting and burger pairing Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Two Brewers: Chef’s Travels: Ed’s Table Civic - Hammers Heroes Cramphorn - The King Lear The Golden Fleece - Quiz night The Three Elms - National Pie Week Buy 1, get 1 half price Friday 9th Bassment - Friday Night’s Alright!

Cathedral - Lunchtime concert Civic - Jackson Live in Concert, starring Who’s Bad Cramphorn - Museum Talk: The Chelmsford Poor Law Union, its workhouse and the early days of St John’s hospital The Golden Fleece - 6 String Makeover Star & Garter - The Phil Ball Band The Three Elms - National Pie Week Buy 1, get 1 half price Saturday 10th Bassment - Essex Delta Blues Day (all dayer) CCFC Away: Hungerford Town FC v Chelmsford City Chelmsford Restaurant Festival - Channels: Mother in law brunch Civic - Sinfonia Viva: Relaxed Concert (2pm) Civic - Sinfonia Viva (7.30pm) Cramphorn - Call Me By Your Name (15) The Golden Fleece - The Strides Star & Garter - The Class The Three Elms - National Pie Week Buy 1, get 1 half price United Brethren - Joe Anderton & Connor Selby Sunday 11th Civic - The Everly Brothers’ Dream The Golden Fleece - S Factor The Three Elms - Mothering Sunday (3 courses £19) United Brethren - Sunday Sessions: Vicky Martin (Delta Ladies) (3pm)

Tuesday 13th Boreham Village Hall - Ballroom and Latin American Dance (classes for beginners & improvers - www.danceasy.co.uk) Civic - Professor Robert Winston: Improve Your Learning Cramphorn - Camp Rock, The Musical Wednesday 14th The Chichester Hotel, Rawreth - Belvedere Jazz & Music Club: Pete Neighbour (clarinet quartet) Cramphorn - Camp Rock, The Musical Thursday 15th Bassment - BRITC presents: Guy Tortora & Ben Tyzak Civic - Tassles: The Burlesque Show (18yrs+) Cramphorn - Camp Rock, The Musical The Golden Fleece - Quiz night Friday 16th Bassment - Friday Night’s Alright!

Cathedral - Lunchtime concert Chelmsford Cty FC - The Pretty Things + Jamie Williams and the Roots Collective Civic - Andy Kirkpatrick (16+) Cramphorn - Camp Rock, The Musical The Golden Fleece - Charlie’s Aunt Kegs - Big Pink Quiz Star & Garter - Strikeout Saturday 17th Bassment - WDR presents: TV Smith + Graves CCFC Away: Truro City v Chelmsford City Civic - Crooners Cramphorn - Camp Rock, The Musical The Golden Fleece - Adrenaline O’Connors - Winston and the Lads on St Patrick’s Day Star & Garter - The Kopy Katz The Three Elms - Celebrate St Patrick’s Day (traditional Irish feast; 3 courses £19) St Luke’s Church, Tiptree - Concert: The Chelmsford Singers United Brethren - The Buskin Boys Sunday 18th Cramphorn - Chelmsford Jazz Club: Searching for Hope’ with Herwig Gradischnig (sax), Steve Fishwick (trumpet), Claus Raible (piano), Giorgos Antonia (bass) and Matt Home (drums) O’Connors - Matt Buckle United Brethren - Sunday Sessions: Dave Ferra (3pm)

Perfect Day Caterers Pop-Up @ The United Brethren Thursday 8th March 2018 @ 7pm United Brethren, New Writtle Street, Chelmsford

Perfect Day Caterers, a local business providing catering for events and weddings, has partnered with The United Brethren in New Writtle Street, Chelmsford, to provide unique food and wine experiences.

With Perfect Day Caterers passion for fine dining and The United Brethren’s love for the perfect drink, we’re the perfect partners!

During the Chelmsford Restaurant Festival, we’ll be running a special 5-course tasting menu with paired wines to celebrate local produce.

We’ll be sourcing the best ingredients and drinks that local producers have to offer, some of which are right here in Chelmsford!

See the menu here now and get in touch to book you tickets. Tickets are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment.

Vegetarian/vegan options are available. Please let us know of any special dietary requirements or allergies at the time of booking.

Booking is essential as places are limited. To book, please call The United Brethren on 01245 257 478 or email scott@pinupbeers.com.

Please send us your events for the next edition (for events between 15th March 21st April) to: editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

CT Business: Come into My Parlour - by Lindsay Whitehouse In my Collins English Dictionary the word ‘sale’ means ‘exchange of goods for money’.

The definition of the word ‘service’ is ‘a system that provides something needed by the public’. Shaun Candler and his team at McCartney Estate Agents in Moulsham Street are proof personified of the dictionary definitions of those two words.

Essex born and bred, Shaun set up his agency in Chelmsford over 25 years ago. He started out in the banking industry when he left school and moved on to a number of estate agents to build up experience before launching his own company. He has developed his business to provide a wide ranging, all encompassing, property service for landlords, tenants, buyers, and sellers.

He explained that he is independent and therefore has no allegiance to anyone and no external pressure to hit sales targets. He is not a fan of selling properties for a fixed price, so I pressed him on this point. He explained that an agent who agrees a fixed price for a sale will often stop work as soon as a sale can be agreed, often for a low price in order to gain an early buyer.

Shaun explained that he can often get about £15,000 more than online agents for an average price property. I did some sums and quickly calculated that using industry norms for either fixed rate fees or percentage based fees, Shaun could put an extra £12,000 or so in the pocket of a seller. Yes, you would pay more in agent’s fees, but if you get more money in your own pocket, then it’s a good deal for everyone.

and Shaun is happy to oblige. He gets lots of referrals - and you don’t get those unless you provide a great all round service.

His team offer a full service to landlords. If you want to let out your house, the team will agree a percentage fee and provide a full property management service. This includes a full internal inspection every quarter, built in rent reviews as well as management of repairs, and they will always deal directly with the tenant on behalf of the landlord. He told me of a case at Christmas time where a tenant’s cooker failed. Shaun arranged for a new cooker to be delivered, then a plumber to connect it. He went to the property to personally oversee all this work so that the tenant could cook Christmas dinner.

The landlord knew nothing about this, it just happened. All part of the service.

McCartneys tend to keep their landlords. Some of them started out with just one or two houses to rent and now they have a large empire.

They let Shaun and his team look after them due to their confidence in the service provided.

Shaun feels that attaining city status in 2012 has been a wonderful development opportunity for business in Chelmsford. He has noticed more and more people moving out of East London to locate here because property prices are cheaper and the rail network is extensive. Sometimes Londoners who move here can actually get to work in London even quicker than they did when they lived in a London borough. The growing entertainment, shopping and leisure features here clearly add to the attraction of Chelmsford as a place to be.

For those of you who follow Phil and Kirsty on Channel 4, you will know that Chelmsford features more and more on their show. Clearly Phil and Kirsty like Shaun’s way of working, as Shaun’s team have also featured on their programme and Shaun is often a port of call to the BBC for comment about the property market locally.

If you go to Shaun’s team as a buyer or seller, you will have a named person who will look after you from start to finish and you can seek their help to solve any problems that arise. They will spend time with you to find out your exact needs if you are a buyer and they will arrange the best way to market and show your property if you are a seller.

I pressed him further on the service he provides. He told me that as soon as a sale is agreed then one of his sales team will constantly chase the conveyancing solicitors. If a problem occurs, perhaps the survey has revealed a bit of a damp problem, then Shaun’s team will sort out the problem; they can utilise their extensive contact list of building professionals to get someone in to fix the damp problem quickly at a fair price. Often his team can broker some shared costs between buyer and seller so that everyone is happy with the outcome and the sale stays alive. If you buy through McCartney, leave all the chasing of solicitors to them - they do it all for you.

The team can also recommend good places to go for independent financial advice to get the best mortgage deal. They know which solicitors they can best work with to keep the process moving and keep the customer updated.

If you are new to the area, McCartney can tell you where to look for good schools, advise on proximity to leisure and entertainment facilities and where there are good parking schemes for residents.

Most of his staff have worked for him for 10 years plus and all of them live and work in Chelmsford so they all know the city well. Some of Shaun’s early customers from the 1990s come into the office and ask for him personally because he looked after them well in the past,

Quite often, their local contacts means they can send you to your dream property which has not yet even been advertised - that’s what local knowledge will do for you. You can go into a real office and meet a real person with local knowledge, who can access the services of money people, legal people, builders, electricians, decorators, cleaners, gardeners and anyone else with a skill that you need, with regard to with buying, selling, or letting.

I think we would find it pretty difficult to do all those things ourselves if we just stuck with an Internet based service where you talk to a different person every time who can be hundreds of miles away.

I likened Shaun to a big friendly spider at the centre of a web, with all different strands running from the centre. If you call in to see him you can access all of those strands and remove the worry associated with the biggest financial transaction in our lives. You can also enjoy the support mechanism around the emotion of buying, selling or letting.

Choosing where to live is so much more than just clicking on an icon and agreeing the cheapest fixed price to make a sale.

You can view McCartney’s advert on the back of this magazine and also on the back of the Moulsham Times.

McCartney Estate Agents: 01245 266 980 www.mccartneyestateagents.co.uk

Get the Best out of Help to Buy!

Is this the year that you take your first step onto the home ownership ladder? Not sure where to start or what opportunities might be available to you?

Come and join us at Chelmsford City Racecourse on Saturday 24th March 2018.

“Our Help to Buy Home Show feedback is always so positive. It’s incredibly useful to have so many housing professionals in one place and these events provide a unique chance for buyers to make really informed decisions about their future.” says Ansonia Burgess, Help to Buy East and South East Manager.

Help to Buy East and South East host regular events with all you need to know about the various schemes conveniently gathered under one roof. Housing associations and developers will be on hand to explain the products specifically designed to make buying a home more affordable, such as Help to Buy equity loans and shared ownership. We will also have independent financial advisors offering invaluable financial and mortgage advice alongside independent legal advisors.

Whatever your position, whether you are merely browsing or in a position to buy, we recommend this opportunity to speak directly to friendly industry professionals and get your home ownership questions answered. Come along and discover if home ownership is closer than you think.

Get social with us to find out about the latest properties and Help to Buy news: www.facebook.com/HelptoBuyESE twitter.com/helptobuyEaSE www.helptobuyese.org.uk 03333 214 044 helptobuyeastandsoutheast@bpha.org.uk

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Page 15

Quiz Time - by John Theedom 1.

2.

3.

4.

What kind of cereal is ‘spelt’?

What shape are honeycomb cells?

Which TV drama is set in the fictitious village of Portwenn?

Which Spanish football club did Gary Lineker join in 1986?

5. Corfe Castle is in which English county?

6. Where will you find an inglenook?

7. What does the shop name NISA stand for?

8. During the filming of Mission Impossible, which part of his body did Tom Cruise break?

9. Before BR, there were 4 main rail companys: LMS, LNER, Great Western and which other?

10. What is taphophobia?

11. What do the initials APR stand for?

12. Which country has the longest alphabet with 72 characters?

13. Which part of your body is affected by diverticulitis?

14. Which politition was the last Governor of Hong Kong?

15. What is the name of Prince Harry’s girlfriend?

16. To which English county does the term salopian apply?

17. Who was Johny Dankworth’s female partner?

18. Which group had an international hit in 1976 with Car Wash?

19. Who has been the quizmaster of TV’s University Challenge since the ‘90s?

20. In which year did Elvis Presley star in Love Me Tender’?

21. Why do we ‘hang up’ to end a phone call?

22. John Surtees was a famous sportsman in which 2 sports?

23. Name the dog in the show Annie?

24. Who was married to Humphrey Bogart from 1945 to 1957?

25. The lack of which food content causes beri-beri?

26. What type of creature is a hairstreak?

27. Who has been named as UK’s most prolific male cinema star, having been in 70 films?

28. Liz Dawn played which character in Coronation Street?

29. Tonsure is what?

30. What is the singer Beyonce’s surname?

31. What is a solidus?

32. What is a dirndl?

33. On a compass, what is opposite WNW? 34. What was the surname of Wallis Simpson’s first husband who she divorced in 1927?

35. From which animal do we get baleen?

36. What colour was Ivor The Engine?

37. Which artist recorded Tubular Bells in 1973?

38. From what are you suffering if you have otalgia?

39. What was Walt Disney’s middle name?

40. What was the birth name of Doris Day?

Chelmsford Team Take on Monte Carlo Rally Challenge!

Nigel Duchars is leading a team from Chelmsford taking part in Europe’s largest banger driving challenge this summer. The Monte Carlo or Bust Rally will see around 75 vehicles, each purchased for £500 or less, travel from the UK to Monte Carlo via Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Switzerland and Italy.

The rally challenges entrants to source and decorate a banger for less than £500 and take part in a variety of fun challenges along the way competing for points and prizes.The 3-day crusade will see the bangers visit some of Europe’s most exciting locations and experience spectacular roads with backdrops of sun, sea, sand and snow!

The team now have until May to get their car and fancy dress ready for the event. More information can be found on the event website at www.bustrallies.com.

Beer - by Simon Tippler of Round Tower Brewery

Did you make it along to Chelmsford CAMRA Winter Beer & Cider Festival 2018?

If you did, hopefully you had the chance to try some of our Chelmsford Brown Ale as well as some of the other great beers available. For example, beers from as far afield as Northern Ireland and Scotland that are not normally seen in Chelmsford.

Another interesting point was that there were 40 unfined (vegan) beers available this year, showing that CAMRA is moving with the times and getting away from the old hang up that cloudy beer is bad beer. That said, some cloudy beer is bad and can be caused by the publican not allowing enough time for the beer to settle fully, coming to the end of the barrel or an untoward infection.

Previous participants have raised over £300,000 for UK charities and received media coverage on both sides of the Channel. Organisers are confident that the 2018 rally will be an even bigger success!

Rally spokesperson, Simon Johnston, comments: “We are delighted that Nigel and the team are joining us this summer on Europe’s ultimate banger rally adventure. This is a brilliant opportunity to have an amazing driving experience in one of the worst cars from Chelmsford!”

However, some cloudy beer is very good beer; if the brewer intends it to be cloudy then it will be perfect. Many people recognise that the finings added to beer to promote quick clearing beer, not only aid the removal of yeast but also strip out many other particles responsible for flavour. If the beer has been dry hopped - that is had lots of hops added after the boil (either into the fermenter or possibly straight into the cask) - then the beer is likely to have a haze when it is poured.

For years cloudy cider has been viewed as acceptable and now beer is catching up!

Oh and it was lovely to see the return of Harvey’s Prince of Denmark to the winter beer festival.

NATIONAL PIE WEEK THURSDAY 8TH – SATURDAY 10TH MARCH Celebrate at The Three Elms with Fresh Homemade Pies!

Order One & Get The Second Half Price!

MOTHERING SUNDAY SUNDAY 11TH MARCH 3 courses £19

EASTER WEEKEND REAL ALE & CIDER FESTIVAL FRIDAY 30TH MARCH – MONDAY 2ND APRIL LIVE MUSIC, MARQUEE, HOT MEALS £5, REAL ALES & CIDERS!

01245 443151 www.the-three-elms.com

Landowners Conference

On 21st February, between 10am and 4pm, Hastoe Housing Association is hosting a Landowners Conference at Chelmsford City Racecourse. The aim of the event is simple: to connect landowners with legal advisors, planners and housing associations to help boost the supply of affordable homes in rural areas.

We know that there is a housing crisis in rural England. Rural house prices are £18,000 higher than the national average, but rural wages are lower. In order to ensure villages in rural areas like north Essex and East Anglia continue to thrive, we need to ensure young families can afford to live in them.

A big part of the solution is engaging rural landowners. But policy makers do not recognise their potential. So many landowners want to provide new affordable housing for their villages - in fact, many do already, and they care about what is built on their land and the legacy that this will leave for their families and wider community.

The problem is many landowners put off the decision to release land for new housing because of issues like tax, planning and concern about losing control of what will be built on their land. That’s why Hastoe is keen to support them and show them it is possible to build quality, affordable homes, with community support.

Men2Sing

Performing at the Chelmsford Social Club on Saturday 10th March.

Featuring our most popular songs, this will be a fun and relaxed performance. ELO (Mr Blue Sky), Queen (Don’t Stop Me Now), Michael Bublé (Crazy Little Thing Called Love), Simon & Garfunkel (Bridge Over Troubled Water) and many more. Grab a drink from the bar and join a table with your friends!

We will be joined by Gia Macuja Atchison, the West End star known for her roles in The Lion King and Miss Saigon, who will sing as our guest soloist.

Booking is via Eventbrite at www.eventbrite.co.uk. Alternatively, phone Bob Hemmings on 07512 060 159.

If you can’t make it this time, then please share this invite to your friends - we’re sure they’d love to hear us!

CT Thoughts

The word ‘swims’ upside down is still ‘swims’!

So I encourage any landowner reading this to attend the event on 21st February. Entry is free with lunch provided. It is possible to turn your land into quality homes the whole community can be proud of. www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Page 17

Wildlife Corner - by Nick Green January 2018 experienced significant rainfall on several days and suffered storms Davide and Georgina with windy conditions added in.

River water levels remained high and frosts were experienced several times.

The Essex Bird Watching Society is holding a Coastal and Marshland Birds of Essex conference on Saturday 17th March at Writtle University College. All details of the event, speakers and subjects, can be found at the society’s website, www.ebws.org.uk.

Redwing (copyright: Glyn Evans)

The redwing Turdus iliacus is a common winter visitor and passage migrant and one of our winter thrushes, the other being the fieldfare.

The redwing’s breeding range is from Scandinavia to Eastern Siberia, but small numbers nest in Scotland.

The main arrival month is October and numbers can vary dramatically from year to year. Hard weather movements are not unusual in bad winters. The species is usually found in flocks and occurs in a

wide range of habitats from parkland, rural areas and grassy fields (looking for the invertebrates) and regularly occurs in towns looking for cotoneaster and other berries.

The redwing is about the size of a song thrush, but note the prominent white stripes above the eye and beneath the cheek plus also the rusty-red flanks with prominent streaking from the upper breast. The call is a distinctive, high pitched ‘tzzseep’ - listen out for this in autumn or in hard weather as flocks pass overhead on clear nights.

Recent Essex Wildlife News The most noteworthy January 2018 news: A November moth Epirrita dilutata was found at a north Chelmsford location at the end of the month.

Hawfinches continued to be seen at various woods all around the county, as mentioned last month.

Abberton Reservoir: 3 great white egret, 3 bitterns, 10 smew, 3 little stint, slavonian and black-necked grebes. The Naze: 2 shorelark.

Rainham Marshes RSPB: water pipit, 2 firecrest. Abbotts Hall Farm Essex Wildlife Trust: glossy ibis, ring-necked duck. Great Braxted Park: waxwing, up to 20 hawfinches. Wallasea Island RSPB: 2 whooper swans, white-fronted and pink-footed geese.

Nationally, notable selected highlights included: Cornwall: Pacific diver. Isles of Scilly: snowy owl. Yorkshire: desert wheatear. Shetland Isles: an American pied-billed grebe, white-billed diver, surf scoter and king eider. Dorset: an American stilt sandpiper.

Chelmsford Library News

Spring Is on Its Way! The Essex Book Festival is on the horizon and will consist of lots of events. Visit essexbookfestival.org.uk to explore the 100 events in 40 venues with 200 artists and writers taking part. The Essex Book Festival runs from 1­- 31st March.

Chelmsford Central Library is holding an Essex Author’s Day on Saturday 17th March. There will be seminars and workshops which will bring Essex based authors and writers together under one roof.

Aspiring authors are welcome come along and find out more information on how to get published and tips on publicising your book. A pop-up podium will be in the library for you to meet and ask questions of local authors. Visit essexbookfestival.org.uk to book your place.

Further Dates for Your Diary Chelmsford Library is launching a Master Block Builders Construction Club on Saturday 10th March from 3-4.30pm for ages 8 plus. Get your creative thoughts ready and come along and create your fantastic construction.

Easter is not Easter without a bonnet - so come along on Tuesday 10th April between 10am-3pm and use your imagination to design and make your own creation. There will be a Hat Trail to follow and the new Children’s Library will be showcased.

Children’s authors, Jan Williams and John Leslie, will be available to chat and answer your questions too. There will be something for everyone, so come and discover new authors and let your imagination craft some wonderful Easter bonnets.

To keep up to date, please ‘follow’ and or ‘like’ us on our new Chelmsford Library Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/ EssexLibraries.

For more information visit libraries.essex.gov.uk.

Page 18

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Page 19

Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms A popular issue that we we are sometimes approached about as therapists is making and breaking habits. Wanting to stop smoking/ lose weight or wanting to create and maintain motivation to go the gym or look for a new job are all things we have been approached with. Why are habits such an issue for people? Many of us have all the best intentions but the power of a habit stops us from pursuing these intentions and turning them into positive actions!

A habit is an action performed over and over again by the subconscious mind because it believes the action to be of benefit to us. Habits are also designed to save time and thinking energy.

The action of driving a vehicle is a habit because most of us don’t consciously think about gear changes etc, we’re too busy looking out for hazards and perhaps looking where we’re going if driving in an unfamiliar area. Changing a habit is much more difficult than creating one. Such habits as eating chocolate for comfort or smoking when stressed are hard habits to kick because the subconscious has attributed an emotional connection to the action it believes is still of benefit.

Most habits are run straight from the subconscious, and this is why hypnotherapy is an effective treatment method. Habits such as hair pulling, thumb sucking, excessive consumption of food, alcohol or cigarettes, are some of the main reasons why people seek hypnotherapy. A habit is a good method for the subconscious to use to relieve stress because not only does performing the habit make us feel secure, it is also a way of quick problem solving. Our subconscious will search its archives for a way to avoid a difficult situation.

Unfortunately, self defeating behaviours can become habits. Smoking is a big one; when someone comes to a therapist wanting to stop smoking the first thing we might want to find out is why they started in the first place. This gives us some of the reason as to why the subconscious wants to hang on to it. For example, if someone started smoking when they joined a new group of friends so they would fit in, the client might subconsciously want to continue the habit just in case they might feel insecure if they stopped. Even if none of the client’s friends smoke now, the belief has been reinforced over time by consistently performing the habit. Next we need to find out why the client doesn’t want to smoke anymore - what’s their motivation? For example, if the client needs to stop smoking for health reasons, we might heavily lean the hypnotherapy session towards this element.

We also need to know the habit more in depth - so how, when and where the habit manifests itself. Does the client religiously smoke a cigarette on the way to the train station everyday? This might be a hard action to reverse, habits make us feel secure, so not lighting up on the way to the train station could feel very odd at first.

Importantly for the treatment of habits, the client must identify certain elements of their habit (how it began, when they perform it, what benefit they believe they gain from performing the habit) and realise that it is their responsibility change it. The client must recognise and accept the fact that their habit is no longer useful.

I believe if you don’t want to stop the habit then you won’t. This, I suspect, is why so many people claim they can’t stop a habit or why no matter what they try, nothing works. The hypnotherapy content should focus on the benefits of breaking the habit and the client must realise they no longer need to sustain it.

There is an interesting method of forcing the patient to perform the habit in order to ‘put them off’, for example I’ve heard many times of parents, on finding out their child smokes, threatening to make them smoke 50 packs of cigarettes all at once to make the child sick of smoking. In a therapeutic setting this wouldn’t be possible as it is unethical and puts the patient’s health at risk.

A therapeutic example of this method though would be for a client presenting with a nail biting habit biting their nails in front of a mirror, to ‘sensitise’ them. This causes the client to become more vividly aware of their actions and the sensations attached to it. Personally I

wouldn’t use this method, because firstly I don’t think it’s very ethical and secondly it really depends on what the habit is!

Remember, any action can become a habit including positive ones.

So for example, if you want to start working out it’s a good idea to do this at the same time on the same days for the same length of time.

Your subconscious should eventually become used to you performing this habit, so if you weren’t to go to the gym when you normally would it would feel very odd indeed!

I wouldn’t like to say how long it takes to create a habit because everybody is different. What I will say though is that if you were to say ‘I’ll get to the gym 3 times this week’ but don’t set any actual days, you’d be surprised at how easily you forget to get to the gym.

If you were to put in your diary that you go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8am for 30 minutes, you’re creating meaning for the event by linking it to things you already recognise (the days of the week). This means your subconscious and your conscious mind are much more likely to remember to go to the gym!

Additionally, a habit is created and maintained when the subconscious believes there is a benefit for you. So as soon as you feel the benefit, even if you’re just really proud of yourself for going to the gym in the first place, reinforce this feeling over and over so that you start to link feeling good/positive etc with going to the gym.

If anyone is interested in therapy, at Chelmsford Therapy Rooms we have a range of therapists that can help with a multitude of issues. We offer many therapies from hypnotherapy to counselling to nutrition. Please see the website www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms. co.uk, or you can email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or call 0330 100 5162.

Chelmsford Therapy Rooms is owned and run by Jenny Hartill, an integrative counsellor and hypnotherapist, who is happy to answer any questions!

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Kids Page by Kip McGrath - Answers on their website: www.kipmcgrathchelmsford.co.uk

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Exercise Your Soul

by Kellie Jones “Practice isn’t about trying to throw ourselves away and become something better. It’s about befriending who we are already.”

(Pema Chodron).

I had an interesting conversation this week which triggered something in me that had me musing all day.

Then I came across the above quote which truly hit the spot. Having been through many transformations within my practise I can honestly say that I have achieved a loving friendship with myself. Of course I am a human with a default mode that pops up every now and again, mostly to remind me that it is so much better feeling good feelings about myself.

From an early age we start to compare ourselves to others. We are tested and measured against standards created to discipline and mould us into good citizens rather than be encouraged to be the best version of ourselves we can be. I do not believe in blame, but I do believe we can change the current collective mindset. If those of us who have suffered the ‘not good enough’ feeling are rebellious enough to become friends with our true selves, regardless, then it will give permission for others to do the same.

Yoga is about removing judgment and letting us be at peace with who we are now. Even if the only yoga you practise are the physical asanas, you will start to learn about yourself. Maybe at first you learn that if you push or force yourself down the ‘not good enough yet’ avenue that injury is likely. This is not what yoga is aiming for, but we all have to start somewhere. Originally the physical asanas were introduced so that yogis could meditate for longer and not be uncomfortable. In a culture in which we rush from one day to the next, constantly trying to change ourselves and our future, yoga opens up the possibility of connecting to what we already have - to who we already are.

Self-study, or svadhyaya in it’s Sanskrit form, is not about being selfcritical but learning to be ok with whatever comes up, regardless, without judging it. I can understand why people run away from themselves because they most likely believe that what they will find is not good enough - what a paradox! This practise may take years but there is no end point other than to allow it to become a natural part of our day so that we live our lives in a better feeling way. I know that I do not ever wish to go back to treating myself the way I did, to keep myself small to help others feel better. This teaches nothing to no-one except that it’s ok to stay small! I love the way I feel most days now and thank the universe for meditation, yoga and myself for that.

If Only I Had the Time...

As a local Galleywood author, I often give talks about writing to local groups - WI, Townswomen’s Guilds, creative writing groups or book groups, etc. And there’s sometimes this comment from someone in the audience: ‘I’d like to write a book too... if only I had the time.’

When I explain that the first six of my published novels were written while I still worked full time as a medical secretary at Broomfield Hospital, and that my earliest published work was fitted in while I also had three teenage daughters, a dog, two cats, a husband and a house to look after, the audience often falls silent. But I’m not trying to be clever. I’m just pointing out that I write first and foremost because it’s what I love doing, and that if you want to do something enough, you’ll find the time for it - by giving up something else. I chose to use my evenings, hardly ever watching TV. Perhaps I also neglected the housework a little, but let’s not go there!

Since I retired, life is of course much easier and I can write whenever I like, fitting it around other activities which are much nicer than working! I’ve been lucky: my books have been quite popular and I know I have a lot of fans in and around the Chelmsford area who I’m especially grateful to. I had a lot of positive feedback about the last book The Vets At Hope Green, and it’s with much pleasure that I can tell you my eighteenth novel, The Pets At Primrose Cottage, will be published in paperback on 22nd March by Ebury Publishing. It will of course be on sale in Chelmsford Waterstones and all local bookshops, as well as on Amazon. It’s another gentle, contemporary story this time set in a fictional small Dartmoor town, and once again there are a lot of cats, dogs, and other pets involved!

Thank you, Chelmsford book lovers, for your support as always.

If you want to find out more about me, please have a look at my website www.sheilanorton.com. If you too would like to write a book, remember there is always time - you just have to make it!

I believe that our soul is our essence, our intrinsic nature and when we practise becoming kinder and more compassionate to ourselves, we nurture our true nature and ultimately exercise our soul.

If you would like to step up your self study then join us for a 30-day unlimited access challenge for just £45 at www. hummingbirdyoga.co.uk, or download our free app at Apple or Google Play.

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The History of Marconi in Chelmsford Part Five - by Stephen Norris ‘There was a high degree of skill at all levels with the top research people, who were leading the world, dealing with the skilled men on the shop floor’.

That Marconi no longer operates in the town at all is testimony to corporate mismanagement on a scale that can have rarely been seen before or since. The name disappeared from Chelmsford only a few years after Marconi Radar was producing half of the radar equipment in the country.

Before its demise, Marconi in its various guises contributed a great deal towards technological development in Britain in the first 60 years after the Second World War. Marconi continued to be at the forefront of innovation in the transmission of sound and vision. The advent of the Cold War meant that new radar systems were needed for defence, and radar found numerous uses in civil aviation and maritime operations. The company appeared to have survived two take-overs, but the attachment that many workers felt towards the company, which had led to many examples of three generations of the same family working at the New Street factory, gradually ebbed away, and after the 1970s there was an increasing separation between managers and the workforce. The company frittered away its initial advantage in the field of computer technology and by the 1990s the top management was even resistant to the use of personal computers at the firm. Again the firm was at the forefront of mobile phone technology at the end of the twentieth century, only to throw this lead away. At the turn of the century the company’s staple products, which were still earning the company significant income, were ditched in favour of investment in the new Internet dot-com boom. Today, only the BAE Systems Advanced Technology Centre, which was the old Marconi Research Laboratory at Great Baddow, the New Street site (which is now being redeveloped) and e2v on Waterhouse Lane remain.

The needs of war had led Marconi to have control of 36 factories in the mid-Essex area and in and around London. In the Chelmsford area the stands of Chelmsford City Football Club, a Methodist church, the old New London Road skating rink and two pubs had all been used. Many of these were used because of the dispersed sites plan and were soon sold off. Before the end of the war a certain amount of planning had been carried out for the time when the company became its own master again.

Marconi looked at the likely competition it would face; firstly there were a number of companies of similar size, experience and level of international sales. Secondly there had been a number of businesses which had concentrated on electrical engineering before the war, but which had been drawn into producing electronic equipment during the war, that were likely to continue after the war. Thirdly there were firms which before the war hadn’t competed with Marconi because they concentrated on radio receivers for the domestic market rather than transmitters - the capital equipment that Marconi concentrated on. These competitors had been drawn into the production of transmitters during the war and were likely to continue. Lastly, government research establishments, which had expanded rapidly during the war, were likely to continue to conduct this research.

They had poached a number of Marconi’s best engineers and so the company faced a severe shortage of skilled engineers.

war, one of the company’s strengths was its imperial connections.

The imperial network of radio stations built by Marconi led it to dominate radio services in the Empire and Commonwealth. After the war, the government decided to nationalise these services that were run by Cable and Wireless Limited. C and W was also a holding company for Marconi. The Government therefore had to dispose of the rest of the Marconi Company.

A company of Marconi’s standing with its vast amount of accumulated technological knowledge and acquired engineering expertise was bound to be an attractive proposition to major English and international companies. After much interest from the United States, where the electronics industry was making huge strides, the English Electric Company (EE) bought Marconi for £3,750,000. It also bought a 42% stake in Marconi International Marine Communications Company Limited and took complete control of Marconi Instruments Limited.

English Electric had been formed in 1918 after a lateral merger between four companies involved in different areas of electrical engineering. After a good start the company, like Marconi, was affected by the depression of the late 1920s. Once GH Nelson was made Managing Director however, the company’s fortunes revived and had considerably expanded by the time the Second World War started. During the war, in addition to its normal products, it built vast shadow factories and made huge amounts of armaments.

Nelson was a man of considerable foresight and saw that the fields of electric power and electronics were likely to converge. Marconi’s leading position in radio and capital electronic equipment would, he felt, give EE a more balanced industrial base with which to compete at home and abroad.

The takeover caused shock and initial concern at Chelmsford. In addition, the separation from Cable and Wireless meant a serious potential loss of revenue for Marconi. Previously it had an almost complete monopoly in the supply of transmitting equipment to the imperial stations. Now it would have to compete with other firms for these orders.

In addition, the pre-war management structure dominated by engineers needed to be changed in favour of more managers with commercial acumen. Equipment built before the war was of ‘superlative craftsmanship built without regard to price’ - the specification delivered was often better than the customer required!

Annual Museum Lecture I am pleased to be doing the annual museum lecture at the Cramphorn on Friday 9th of March. It is on The Chelmsford Poor Law Union, Its Workhouse and the Early Days of St John’s Hospital.

Tickets are available from the Civic Theatre.

Another problem the company faced upon the cessation of hostilities was that the equipment at the New Street factory was antiquated and there was no chance, given the post-war economic conditions, of replacing it. This company had still retained however, a core of workers who were Marconi men to the bone. The Chairman, Admiral HW Grant, made it a principle to know each worker personally, and he was quickly on the scene when the factory was bombed during the war.

Marconi’s problems were added to by an unexpected development which was to have huge consequences for the company. Before the Page 24 Please let our advertisers know you saw their advert in The City Times

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Flambard Williams Shake up the Property Market We are extremely excited to announce the launch of our local residential property arm.

Flambard Williams have long been experts in the provision of Buy to Let properties to clients around the globe, and we have processed tens of millions of pounds worth of property over the last 5 years for both investors and residential clients. However, the question we get asked more than any other is whether we offer a residential sales side of our business to local clients. We have now decided to respond to client demand and are delighted to announce that we will be launching our local residential side as of 2018.

We are not here to simply make up the numbers. At Flambard Williams, we feel that only a few agents deal with the majority of the property sales across Essex and many of these estate agents charge exuberant fees for doing very little.

Flambard Williams offer the same service as any other estate agent - we’ll just do it for a fraction of the price When you think about what an agent simply does, they take pictures, value your home, put it on the Internet and wait for calls to come in. If you are lucky they will show potential buyers around - but seriously, should they be charging up to 3% for this? With the current average house price (at the time of print) being close to £400,000 in Chelmsford, fees can range from anywhere between £4,000 up to an eye watering £12,000. We are looking to charge a flat fee of just £995 to clients who wish to sell their home in the Essex area.

So if you are interested in selling your home, call us today on 01245 206 225.

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Pilates, Yoga, Meditation Book your space online or call: Small Classes & 1-2-1’s www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk Inspirational Teachers 01245 422556 Friendly, Community Vibe Reeds Farm Estate, Writtle, CM1 2ST www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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Essex Symphony Orchestra at Christchurch Saturday 3rd March 2017 Soloist: Gemma Summerfield Gemma’s abridged biography from the Countess of Munster Trust At the 2015 Kathleen Ferrier Awards: Gemma Summerfield ‘swept the board’ winning both First Prize and the Song Prize for her performance of Sibelius’s Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte. Gemma Summerfield has completed her studies at the Royal College of Music International Opera School and continues to work closely with vocal teacher Rosa Mannion and coach Simon Lepper.

Gemma is a holder of the Worshipful Company of Musicians’ Silver Medal, a Samling Artist and an Associate Artist with Classical Opera. Also a graduate of The Solti Accademia and Oxenfoord International Summer School, Gemma has taken part in numerous masterclasses.

Also an active recitalist, Gemma has appeared in prestigious venues such as Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and St John’s Smith Square and has made her debut on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune ahead of their live broadcast of Classical Opera’s 1767 - a retrospective. Upcoming appearances see Gemma take to the international platform in Switzerland, Oman and Ireland alongside her regular presence in the UK. She is delighted to receive support from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust and is also a Richard Carne Scholar and an active participant for Live Music Now.

the National Opera Studio. He began his professional life as a member of the music staff at English National Opera. This led to further engagements with English Touring Opera, The Royal Opera, Glyndebourne and Opera North.

Philip began to be recognised as a conductor whilst working for English Touring Opera, for whom he conducted The Marriage of Figaro, Pearl Fishers, La Cenerentola and Daughter of the Regiment. Increasingly in demand as an assistant conductor at Opera North, he was headhunted for the position of Chorus Master, a post he held for four years. Whilst at Opera North he conducted Sweeney Todd, La Traviata and the Brahms Requiem in York Minster with the Chorus and Orchestra of Opera North.

In 2004 Philip moved back to London to pursue his busy freelance career. He is Music Director to W11 Opera for Young People, commissioning and performing a new piece each year with a cast of 85 young people. He was Music Director to Swansea City Opera and conducted Il Tabarro and Gianni Schicchi for English Touring Opera, with whom he recently conducted the Olivier Award winning Paul Bunyan.

Philip’s opera From Cars to Mars was commissioned by Swansea City Opera and was performed by a cast of homeless people in the city. His second opera, The Glass Knight, was commissioned for the community of Saffron Walden in 2016.

Conductor: Philip Sunderland Royal Academy Opera - Head of Preparatory and Vocal Faculty Opera - Experienced conductor with major British opera companies.

Former Chorus Master with Opera North and Music Director, W11 Opera for Young People.

Saturday 3rd March, 19.30 at Christ Church, 164 New London Road, Chelmsford, CM2 0AW.

Philip Sunderland studied at the Royal Academy of Music and

www.essexsymphony.org.uk

Tickets: Available from Daces and Allegro Music in Chelmsford and also online at www.ticketsource.co.uk.

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Peace Is the Issue Unfortunately, statistics have shown that youngsters sometimes believe that they have only one way to deal with their problems. This is often solved by self harming leading to suicide or by joining gangs.

If this trend continues to develop, we may not have enough young people capable of leading our countries in the 21st century. They do not see themselves as leaders and often feel they are not taken notice of and not listened to. Most felt that they would only be listened to if they were violent or destructive.

The Rotary Peace Project was developed to empower young people to feel confident to become leaders in their homes, schools and communities. The Peace Project is a skill based programme, written and facilitated by Rotarians.

Rotary concentrates on six Areas of Focus which are: fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies and promoting peace. A pretty hefty brief, even for governments, and it is the last of these, peace, that comes to the fore in February when we celebrate World Peace Month.

To mark the occasion, Rotary International President Ian Riseley has organised the Presidential Peacebuilding Conference at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry on 24th February which is aimed at young people.

Since World War II, Coventry has become known as the City of Peace and Reconciliation and has formed many twin cities all over the world.

Headline topics to be covered will be Today’s Enemies are Tomorrow’s Friends and Disease Prevention. There is a panel of highly respected speakers from Rotary, Government and academic areas who will involve the whole group, and this will also include young peace advocates who have been supported by Rotary grants.

As with all these events, the purpose is sharing ideas and thoughts in an environment in which they feel safe. The young people will be encouraged and enabled to discuss issues that have been raised in the plenary talks with guidance on how to share ideas, debate concepts and achieve consensus. The aim is to enable young people to make better informed decisions about their lives, how they affect the lives of others, and what actions they might take in the future to create more peaceful communities. It is hoped that Nobel Peace Laureate, Shirin Ebadi, will be speaking.

Jean Best, a Rotary Peace Champion, had questioned why Rotary was not developing young people much earlier in their lives such as during secondary schooling. Consequently, young people were not being empowered with peace and conflict resolution. The problem exemplified itself as she visited schools in the role of Her Majesty’s Inspector of Education. Young people were struggling to cope with making choices in their social skills, at home, school and in their community. This was leading youngsters into indecision and lack of self confidence when trying to deal with their own personal conflict and broader problems in their homes and community. Statistics proved that there is a growing rise of youngsters suffering from bullying in a variety of forms. This spans from name calling in the playground to cyber bullying by text or email.

There will be a total of six presidential peace building conferences in 2018 located in various cities in the world, Coventry being the only British one. The university specialising in peace studies in the UK is in Bradford and students from all over the world study there.

“Peace is much more than the mere absence of violence” said Rotary President Ian HS Riseley. “We must shift the world’s conversation about peace to a positive, achievable and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.”

Conflict starts with bullying in schools, so it is important to lend support at all levels and understand and deal with the underlying causes of all forms of conflict and develop effective methods to bring about peaceful resolution. Since 2002 the Rotary Peace Centres have trained more than one thousand Peace Fellows who have gone on to work in government, law enforcement, education, justice and NGOs. If this can help solve differences in the future without resorting to war then it will have been money well spent.

The peace initiative is just another example of Rotary - People of Action. If you would like to find out more how you could become a Rotarian and make a difference, visit www.rotary1240.org or give me a call on 01245 260 349.

Stan Keller

CT Thoughts

Many animals probably need glasses but nobody knows!

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Baby-Led Mess, I Mean Weaning! - by Eleanor Searle At six months old it was time to start thinking about how we were going to start transitioning our baby from breast milk to food. My limited understanding of the process meant that I thought that I’d need to blend, mush and squash everything until eventually he was able to manage proper food.

Interested in gathering some more information on the weaning process, I signed up for a Happy Tums weaning course at The Nesting Place and was introduced the concept of baby-led weaning.

Baby-led weaning was a bit of a revolution for me, as it meant the opportunity to forget purées and weaning spoons, and simply let my baby feed himself.

I felt that it offered several advantages over the ‘blend it’ methods in terms of enabling my baby to eat what we did, saving time and money. Also, more importantly though, giving him the opportunity to truly learn about food.

Through baby-led weaning, he not only gets to learn what food tastes like but also what it looks and feels like. He’s in control so he can gauge how much he wants to eat and whether or not he is full, fostering a healthy relationship with food. In my mind, this is so important, as so often I see people in my physio clinic who have health problems that are influenced by their unhealthy relationships with food.

Another key benefit for me relates to the fact that this promotes his fine motor skills. Picking up food helps his dexterity, promotes handeye and hand-to-mouth coordination with the reward of yummy food when he gets his hand or spoon in the right place.

One of my major reservations, other than the level of mess, was that I could end up with a 6-year old who was still eating with his hands.

However, as baby-led weaning lets us sit down to eat as a family, it enables him see how we eat, as well as learning that eating food is both enjoyable and social. On the course, they recommended putting a spoon on the table so that little ones have the opportunity to use it.

In our house, a spoon is an object of great fascination; sometimes he even manages to get food on it and the right end in his mouth at the same time, so I guess that I don’t need to worry about long term cave man-like eating habits!

The other concern for most parents is choking, but actually I think that the risk of choking is probably reduced as he is given pieces of food far too big to get stuck, thus he sucks or bites off what he can mange. Also, I’m not the one shovelling it in, so when there is a bit that he has to work a bit harder with, he naturally takes his time to deal with it, rather than me creating a production line of spoonfulls, without truly knowing if the last one has fully been swallowed.

I’m now a real advocate of baby-led weaning, as it has worked beautifully for us and meant that I just give him whatever healthy food we are also eating. I’ll write more about baby-led weaning next month and offer some practical tips, including when to start weaning and which foods to wait until they are a year old to try, but right now it’s lunch time and prawns and avocado are on the menu...

For more of my mummy blogs and other health and lifestyle blogs please visit our website: www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk/blog.

Professional Ballet Dancer Joins the Chelmsford Ballet Company for Snow Queen The Chelmsford Ballet Company takes on the classic Snow Queen this year, which will see professional ballet dancer James Parratt join the much loved company cast as Kay. James Parratt trained at Penny Taylor School of Dance and went on to train at Central School of Ballet, where he graduated with a BA Hons in Professional Dance and Performance. Whilst at Central, James competed in the Genée International Ballet Competition, where he was a finalist. During his third year of training, James was a part of Ballet Central and performed with Kidd Pivot in Polaris, choreographed by Crystal Pite, at Sadler’s Wells.

After graduating in 2016, James moved to Dresden in Germany where he was a guest apprentice with Semperoper Ballet and performed in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon. He then danced with New English Ballet Theatre where he performed pieces by Jenna Lee, Daniela Cardim and Valentino Zucchetti at Sadler’s Wells and other UK theatres.

Based on Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairytale, Snow Queen tells the age old story of the fight between good and evil.

Audiences will be swept along a magical journey with Gerda and Kay, danced by Georgia Olley and Parratt respectively. The Chelmsford Ballet Company will return to its classical roots with this tale; Gerda seeks to break the cruel spell cast by the Snow Queen, embarking on adventure through enchanted forests, meeting fantastical animals, and seeking to triumph over evil.

The Chelmsford Ballet Company will perform Snow Queen from 21st - 24th March 2018 at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford. Tickets are now on sale. To purchase tickets, contact the box office on 01245 606 505 or visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres.

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Stargazing with Mark Willis - February/March An amazing science fact: You thought that the telescope was the oldest astronomical tool, right? Well it turns out that the Ishango Bone beats it by 20,000 years! The Ishango Bone is thought to be a lunar calendar, found in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.

28th February - 20:00: Planets are a bit shy at the moment. The only one on show is Uranus. However, if you don’t mind getting up for 5am, you’ll see Jupiter, Mars and Saturn due south. At 05:10 the International Space Station rises in the south and passes between Mars and Saturn. The good news is that later in the year, the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars will become evening objects for those of you (like me) who are not morning people!

2nd March: The full Moon was known by native Americans as the full worm Moon because at this time of the year when the ground would begin to soften, this Moon would announce the earthworms rising to the surface.

find Mercury and Venus just one degree apart and then the planets are a little further apart on 20th. Be careful of glare from the setting Sun. 18th March - 18:15: Looking due west, Mercury and Venus are now in conjunction with the slim crescent Moon below. Again, be careful of glare from the setting Sun. New Moon: On 15th February and 17th March 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 your questions….

Mark Willis presents Willis Wireless every Monday at 7pm on Chelmsford Community Radio on 104.4 FM and online at chelmsfordcommunityradio.com.

3rd March at 18:00 and 20th March at 19:00: Looking due west, you’ll

Twitter: @WillisWireless Email: mark.willis@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

Chelmsford Jazz Club

We’re also looking at other venues around the city for events outside the regular Cramphorn Theatre Sunday sessions.

Chelmsford Jazz Club at the Cramphorn Theatre has been a regular part of live music in the city (or the town as it was back then) since 1985. After a strong start, audiences started to fall away even after a very successful Humphrey Lyttleton concert in April 1988, and we hit a crisis in late 1989. The November newsletter from that year said: “It is with deep regret that your committee has to tell you that in all probability this will be the last concert that the club will be able to present. In going ahead with the concert, and presumably getting our current level of support, we will be left with nil bank balance at the end.”

But it wasn’t the end after all. The next newsletter we have (January 1990) reports on ‘a new beginning’ and announces a ‘Dixieland Express’ concert with Digby Fairweather and Dave Shepherd. It was a Sunday at 12:15 in the Cramphorn - same as our concerts still are to this day, but the ticket prices were £3 for members and £4 for nonmembers. Those prices may have risen since then, but we still remain one of the less expensive jazz venues around while continuing to present very good quality musicians and bands from all over the UK and beyond.

After 33 years we are planning something of a relaunch this year to attract a new and younger audience with a wider variety of styles of jazz while retaining the core of swing, mainstream and early bebop styles that the club’s success has been based around. The success of events such as the Writtle Jazz & Blues Festival shows that the interest and enthusiasm is out there - all we have to do is tap into it!

We replaced the old dark and gloomy website with a new one last year (www.chelmsfordjazzclub.co.uk) and introduced some other changes to make the club more approachable and audience friendly.

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Last November we worked with Chelmsford Community Radio to launch a new monthly jazz show Chelmer Jazz Time based around the club, but also aiming to cover all the live jazz in and around Chelmsford no matter who puts it on.

The show goes out 7pm - 8pm on the fourth Sunday of each month and it’s also on CCR’s catch-up service and the club website where there is a page dedicated to the radio show.

The January show featured an interview with rising star singer Sara Dowling (www. saradowling.co.uk) who gave us a truly memorable concert last September - and some excellent news is that she will be back at the Cramphorn in September this year.

Chelmsford Jazz Club membership costs just £10 for a single membership or £15 for joint, and that gets you £4 off your tickets - £12 for members and £16 for non-members. You can join online on the website, or just come along to a concert where Christine, our Membership Secretary, will be delighted to sign you up.

We look forward to meeting old and new jazz lovers at the Cramphorn. Come and join us!

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Highwood Building Services

All roofing work undertaken Home Improvements • Extensions • Alterations Garages • Wall Rebuilds • Free Estimates We are a local family run business with 30 years experience! Call us for a free no obligation quotation

01245 422712 / 07711 606561 - We will beat any written quote! www.highwoodbuildingservices.co.uk info@highwoodbuildingservices.co.uk

Japanese Massage in Chelmsford

Rent Guaranteed Dear Landlord, If you are planning to let your properties, we can help you and guarantee the flowing: 1 Guarantee you receive rent for 1-5 years, even if the property is unoccupied.

2 No voids, no hassle.

3 We can pay you deposit and rent to you in advance.

Please contact: 07760 402255

Have you been working for a long timee Whatts your choice for relaxationn Of course Japanese massage. £50/30 mins £70/hour For appointments, please call: 07387890076

01245 261104

Balti King 50% OFF

ALL FOOD WITH THIS VOUCHER FROM THE EAT IN MENU 7 DAYS A WEEK - SMALL OR BIG PARTIES BOOK IN ADVANCE OR TELL US IF YOU ORDER TAKEAWAY/DESERTS NOT INCLUDED THIS OFFER IS N NOT TO BE USED IN CONJUNTION WITH ANY OTHER OFFER 190 MOULSHAM STREET, CHELMSFORD TEL: 01245 264038/354450

Alan Witham Decorating

contact@1664fitness.com

07710465753 Former Royal Marine Commando Personal Trainer

• Corporate Health and Fitness Packages • Individual or Group Personal Training • Nutrition • Fat loss • Functional Fitness • Lifestyle and Health

• Self Defence

www.1664fitness.com Page 31

Advertise on this page for £25 + VAT per issue

Full Decorating Service • Interior and exterior decorating • Furniture painting • Over 35 years experience Call for a free quote 07941347502/01277 412922

www.alanwithamdecorating.co.ùk info@alanwithamdecorating.co.uk www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT ESTATE AGENT SERVING CHELMSFORD FOR 25 YEARS FOR A FREE PROFESSIONAL VALUATION CALL 01245 266980 Cutmore Place £309,995

Chelmerton Avenue £550,000

Modern semi-detached house Two bedrooms Conservatory Two parking spaces

1930s detached house Three bedrooms Immaculate décor throughout Off street parking

Rochford Road £369,995

Victorian terrace house Two double bedrooms Much improved South facing rear garden Devon Mews £312,500

• Spacious End Terrace Mews • Two bedrooms • Courtyard setting • Allocated parking

County Place £315,000

• First floor apartment • Two bedrooms • Views over Ccricket ground • Carport/communal gardens Goldlay Road £440,000

Victorian semi-detached Three bedrooms 80ft south facing garden • Many original features

Parker Road £325,000

Victorian terrace house Two bedrooms Many original features South facing rear garden Rothesay Avenue £675,000

Detached chalet style bungalow Four double bedrooms 60ft south facing rear garden Off road parking/garage King Charles Court £399,995

Three bedroom townhouse Modern décor throughout Off street parking No onward chain