The City Times June/July 2017

The City Times

Including: Boreham, Broomfield, Danbury, Great Baddow, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, The Walthams and Writtle 10000 copies distributed monthly

Issue Number 45: 16th June - 13th July 2017

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CT Welcome Hello readers, Welcome to the June/July edition.

This month we reach local festival season with the Fling on July 1st and the Chelmsford Summer Beer and Cider Festival the following weekend!

There’s lots more going on in and around the area, so be sure to look at our What’s On page to see what is happening and where!

Regards 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 publishThe 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 - Dressing Up for the Occasion There’s something about summer that makes people want to celebrate isn’t there?

Whether it’s a soiree, a wedding ceremony or just a good old fashioned shindig, it’s likely you’ve got at least one special occasion in your diary for the warmer months.

Perkins and Miss Selfridge are the best places to spot a floral dress. Strappy or Bardot sleeves work best for a flirty, summery look. Most styles are either flatteringly cut just above the knee to show off a simple wedge or sandal, but there are some beautiful maxi style dresses available on the high street too (again, the best picks in New Look – see the yellow floral dress). The best thing about the floral dress? They can be worn with heels and a clutch for a

Of course, this then brings the age old question on everybody’s lips: ‘What do I wear to such an event?’ How can you find something that is comfortable (there’s nothing worse than dancing in shoes that bring a new meaning to the phrase, ‘killer heels’), affordable (nobody wants to break the bank for something you might only wear once) but chic and sophisticated (you totally want to be the belle of the ball, naturally)?

Well luckily for us, the high street is literally riddled with options for occasion wear this summer season. It’s like the shops can hear the nuptials and smell the champagne on the warm air. You can’t walk passed store windows without seeing a sparkly heel or a floor length frock. Yikes! Sometimes the sheer opportunity in occasion wear shopping can send us into overdrive - what is the right heel height?

What would not offend your grandma but still make you feel great?

What cut should you go for? Well fear not, fashionista - here’s a sensible, not too overdressed catwalk of your options: The Statement Dress: ‘Ah! Of course, a statement dress!’ I hear you cry, ‘thanks Sherlock Forde for helping me with my dressing conundrum!’ Hear me out; a statement dress is not for the faint hearted but will make you feel pretty darn wonderful.

Got your eye on the best man? Or perhaps you just want to stand out from the crowd?

Then the statement dress is for you. Best saved for extra special occasions, like your best friend’s wedding, a prom or gala, these are the backless, or strikingly structured dresses (perhaps a tiered tail, for instance) that you find in the designer section of Debenhams or House of Fraser. Make sure you choose a block colour such as red, cobalt or fuchsia, then team with a high nude strappy sandal and plain clutch. Simple. Just let your dress do the talking.

The Go-To Floral Dress: The floral dress is one of my favourites as it’s versatile and suits any special occasion. This season’s floral dresses are large flower prints on soft pastel hues - New Look, Dorothy

really special occasion or coupled with flats and a satchel for that BBQ you simply must attend.

The skirt and top combo: Perhaps usually saved for work, the trusty skirt and top can also be a fantastic occasion wear coupling.

It really does depend on the occasion, and in my opinion is best saved for the day sessions you might have scheduled.

This season’s skirt and top for occasion wear includes a satin or lace midi skirt with a simple T-shirt or cami in a similar shade. Think light and airy - these combos are best saved for the all day wedding or the daytime jolly.

You’ll find the best of these ensembles skirts in Primark, Topshop and New Look. Remember, keep the top simple (if you fancy the idea, a satin T-shirt really does add a wow factor) and the skirt light, bright and maybe even a floral print. Team with nude strappy sandals and you’re ready for the day.

The All in One for All Occasions: Don’t be afraid to wear a playsuit or jumpsuit to a special occasion. The all in one has had a bad rep since the phrase ‘boilersuit’ was first uttered but trust me, these jobbies have come a long way. Once popular for their comfort and casual vibes, the new age boilersuit (the jumpsuit, and shorter version playsuit) have the beauty of still being comfortable but also being fashionable and frankly, pretty sexy. Who’d’ve thought it? John Lewis and River Island offer some beautiful tailored pieces to suit any special occasion. Make sure your jumpsuit is the right length, just touching your heel, so that you can show off a pretty shoe - and keep your shoes simple and strappy. This season’s all in one is the ¾ length jumpsuit - sophisticated and chic, these stop mid calf and allow your skin to breathe whilst showing off a bit of leg and that all important fancy footwear. Wide leg styles are really flattering for bottom heavy ladies (I can speak from experience) and a wedge sandal could also be worn if it’s more of an informal, casual occasion.

See, I told you I would help you out! Here’s to a fantastic, fun-filled summer!

Rebecca Forde is a writer with a penchant for fashion, great literature and drinking a lot of coffee. She writes for pleasure on her blog and is creator of Scribble Panda - a small business offering tutoring and writing services. You can contact her by emailing rebeccaforde@hotmail.co.uk. © All Images: New Look

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Beer by Simon Tippler of roundtowerbrewery.co.uk In July, Admirals Park will once again become a point of pilgrimage for beer lovers in the area. As one of the largest beer festival in the country, people come from far and wide to sample the delights on offer. It does not just feature cask beer but also plenty of ciders and perrys are on offer. This year there is also going to be a key keg bar as well as the long established foreign beer bar run by Podge.

The beer list is being kept under wraps at the time this article is going to press, so I am unable to tell you of the delights that you will be able to sample. Remember that the beer festival is a great opportunity to try some different beers, as not only can you ‘try before you buy’, but beer is also sold by the pint, the half and even third so that you can enjoy many different beers over the course of the week.

I do however know that here at Round Tower we have made a few Festival Specials that will only be available at the festival.

Though if it becomes clear that a particular beer is particularly well received, then we may be persuaded to put it into production over the course of the year. This year we have got our first wheat beer ready to go on the bar. We have also made a rye beer which clearly demonstrates what rye adds to a beer. We have a couple of oaked specials, as well as a one-off stout. Alongside these festival specials we have also got a good range of gold and brown beer that showcase what we normally make.

We are looking forward to it and hope you are too. Come along have a beer and say hello.

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Music by Nick Garner The other week at the Bassment we had the great Angelo Palladino and the Street Hawks play for us. They wowed the audience with some great songs - they are an amazing band. They actually travelled from Leeds to play and then drove all the way back afterwards. We will definately be having them back. Supporting them was Booga Red with our very own keyboard wizard, Claire Hamlin, as well as the amazing Steve English.

Lots of us will be setting off to festivals over the summer, some of us to be spectators, while others will be lucky enough to play. Lets hope that everyone stays safe after all the awfulness that has happened recently - we want it to be fun and enjoyable.

There is so much going on in Chelmsford, so do go out and find some great live music in and around the city. Check out our What’s On guide, we have a lot of what is happening listed.

Another date for your diary is Saturday August 26th at the UB (United Brethren) in New Writtle Street Chelmsford. The pub will be holding their first mini one day festival to celebrate their first year under the current management. There will be lots of live acts, plus DJs, spoken work and a bbq, as well as lots of great drinks and more from noon until 1am.

If you know of any kind of live event going on in and around Chelmsford/Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers we want to know about it so that we can list it. Check the dates and contact details at the bottom of the What’s On page.

As ever, please do try to come out and support the great live music scene that we have in Essex, because if you do not we may lose it.

On Friday 30th June at Chelmsford City FC we have a very special show with Albert Lee who is returning to the UK to play four shows only. They have chosen us again as they liked the venue so much that they want to film and record their show for a possible live DVD (see the advert for full details) - be warned, tickets are selling fast again for this one.

We also have other great music and events happening in and around the city. The Fling Festival is on the Saturday 1st July at Hylands Park where you will be able to see us (Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective) play as well as the Blockheads and the great Dr John Cooper Clarke, as well as many other great artists and performers.

For more information on all of the above and more see the links below and visit our What’s On page to see what else in happening in your area. www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic

On Saturday 24th June Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective will be playing a double header at the Bassment with the Sharpeez, who will have none other than Brendan O’Neill (Rory Gallagher and 9 Below Zero) on drums - plus of course Bill Mead, Baz Payne and Loz Netto.

Entry is just £10 and doors open at 8pm with the show starting at 8.30pm. Blues in the City will be running a few Saturday shows at the Bassment this year as well as the normal monthly shows.

On Thursday 13th July, Blues in the City are thrilled to welcome to the Bassment Storm Warning and Clare Free. They are two fantastic acts and l urge you to come and see them play.

On Saturday 15th July at Chelmsford City FC we have the Kast off Kinks. The band consists of former members of the legendary Kinks back together playing great music and reliving the good times whilst keeping alive the songs that made The Kinks a household name.

This great line-up features Mick Avory (the original drummer on all the classic hits from 1964-84), John Dalton (bass/vocals, Kinks 60s and 70s), Ian Gibbons (keyboards/vocals, Kinks 80s & 90s and still with Ray Davies) with Dave Clarke (guitar/vocals, formerly of the Beach Boys, Noel Redding and Tim Rose). So if you love the Kinks, what is not love about this show?

A bit of news about Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective: We have just signed a record contract and are off to France at the end of July to record our album for 3Ms Music; so exciting times for us!

The Chelmsford Arts and Cultural festival plans for 13th to 15th July 2018 are taking shape and we are getting to grips with just how big and wonderful this will hopefully be for the city. I will keep you updated as the plan comes together: We want to involve all things art and all cultures.

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CT Gardening by Tom Cole

I don’t know about you, but my garden has certainly put on a huge spurt of growth within the last few weeks! As a result it’s worth considering a little strategic thinning, tying in climbers and hedge cutting.

If you have perennials such as catmint or early flowering geraniums that have flopped over and starting to smoother neighbouring plants, cut them down by half. Use shears or secateurs to reduce growth.

This will have the impact of delaying flowering and at the same time keeping the plant compact and manageable.

honeysuckle, I tend to pinch back terminal and side shoots (as this increases flowering) so ensuring that the plant remains close to any support that it’s growing on. Another bonus for the plant is that air flow increases, thereby reducing powdery mildew and other diseases.

The main nesting time is over and so it’s a perfect time for hedge maintenance - although do double check as some species may have secondary young this month with the warmer weather. Check that your hedge trimmers, shears and secateurs are nice and sharp.

Climbers and ramblers need to be secured as they grow, otherwise they will collapse and potentially their stems may snap! For

For box, I tend to wait for a dry day to reduce the risk of box blight and then set out canes and string line to ensure that cutting height and depth are maintained. Put a sheet down prior to cutting as this will save you time when collecting and composting arisings.

In other areas of the garden here are a few other jobs to keep you busy: • • • •

WE WILL BEAT ANY WRITTEN QUOTE

Position hanging baskets and pots for maximum effect.

Continue to harvest lettuce, radish, spring onion and first early potatoes. Don’t forget to keep on sowing quick maturing veggies throughout the season for successional supply.

Stake and tie in taller perennials to avoid plant collapse.

Look out for weeds and control accordingly. Use gel based products with glyphosate to control perennial weeds and hand weed annuals such as chickweed.

Lastly, with some new plantings at Writtle University College, we have also added water retaining crystals to planting holes where the soil is a little more dry. Early indications suggest that two teaspoons per planting hole really does help with reducing water stress.

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.

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CT Food By John Jacobs

It’s summer already everyone, although looking out over Central Park today one might fail to notice. I have returned from a sweltering hot Paris several pounds heavier with a change of genetic make up that is somewhere between human and pain au chocolat.

its unique identity. Highlights include chicken beyti (spicy minced chicken on the skewer with garlic), chicken guvec (chicken with green peppers, tomatoes, aubergines and onion cooked in a clay pot with tomato sauce), lamb moussaka and chicken casserole.

Bogaz

Our waiter, a passionate young chap, polite to the point of obsequiousness enthuses through the options. Don’t misinterpret that; it’s not a complaint. If it means faultless service (and in this instance, I do mean faultless) then crack on with the man-curtsey.

Recently opened to a fanfare by the Mayoress of Chelmsford, Turkish restaurant Bogaz on Moulsham Street is the newest addition to the city’s dining smorgasbord.

It took a couple of weeks to get a booking, which is to be expected when newbies come to town. Sat opposite the Bay Horse, this is definitely not the place to fall into at 11pm looking for kebab and chips. Displayed outside is the dress code: ‘No sports wear or sports trainers are allowed at any time.’ Fair enough, though ‘sportswear’ is one word. Couldn’t let that go. It itches.

There’s a second qualification: ‘To the attention of parents, children under age 16 are not able to dine in the restaurant after 6pm.

Families with children under 16 are strongly advised to book at 4pm the latest.’ This is an infinitely more polite way of saying, ‘parents, go let junior ‘express himself’ somewhere he isn’t going to annoy people with the relentless irritating behaviour that you choose to overlook’.

We order one each of the Bogaz Special Meze’s; this includes flat breads, dips, and cheeses such as grilled Hellim, calamari, falafel and many, many, MANY (I capitalised for effect; subtle isn’t it?) more.

All this followed by chargrilled lamb, shish kebabs, kofte, ribs - it seemed endless. I almost wish it were. Food from this region can be relentlessly over seasoned masking the flavours of natural ingredients, but this was beautifully balanced and cooked to suggest memories of my early years as a child of Cyprus.

One of the nicest touches came when the lights went out on the upper floor heralding the arrival of our waiter along with the rest of the waiting staff bearing a selection of homemade baklava lit by a birthday candle. They must have overheard our table talking.

Greeted affectionately at the door, we’re walked through the downstairs’ dining area which is amassed with happy faces, display cabinets of food and the open cooking area. Instantly I imbibe the charcoal grill, that leaves me pining for summer holidays (where barbecues are theatrical focal points and not the dismal gas fired monstrosities cremating bargain burgers to which we often relent).

Let me sum this up: Bogaz has set the bar extremely high and adds a different essence to the thriving and developing food scene in the heart of the city. The food is outstanding, the service peerless and for the experience, priced very well. For this reason we happily endorse Bogaz into The City Times Food Award shortlist for best newcomer. I can’t wait to go back.

As I ascend the stairs in this 160 seater behemoth, the thing that hits me with even more awe than the aroma of food, is the decor.

Someone, somewhere planned every detail, every stone in the mosaic walls, every picture, every floor board, every glass, dinner plate, knife, fork, napkin and ceiling light. Someone, somewhere put heart, love and let’s be honest, thumping great wads of cash into this space.

Opening Times: Monday: 12:00 - 23:30 Tuesday: 12:00 - 23:30 Wednesday: 12:00 - 23:30 Thursday: 12:00 - 23:30 Friday: 12:00 - 23:30 Saturday: 12:00 - 23:30 Sunday: 12:00 - 22:30

On the table are ornate menus roughly about the thickness of The Iliad, but I soon realise that the bulk is due to the enveloping hardwood covers displaying the restaurant name - presumably in case you’ve forgotten. I’m pretty sure the oak floorboards in my office aren’t as plush.

The food is traditional Turkish that skilfully blends many of the tastes of the Mediterranean islands, North Africa and the Middle East into

Lunch menu is served Monday to Friday 12:00 - 15:00 (excluding all bank holidays).

Bogaz, 45-46 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, United Kingdom, CM2 0HY, (01245 283 944).

Have a great month Chelmsford.

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What’s On in the Area

Friday 16th Asylum - The Ashtrays + Hot Tramp Bassment - Tanya Piche Band Civic - Footloose Cramphorn - Hackshaw Ridge (15) Star & Garter - Strongbox The Golden Fleece - Wishbone Saturday 17th Asylum - Kaine + Twisted Illusion + Habu Bassment - The Mighty Fallen (album launch) + Cohaagen Civic - Footloose Cramphorn - Raphael (pre-recorded World Art in Cinema) Star & Garter - Solar 9 The Golden Fleece - Acoustic Sessions (3.30pm) The Golden Fleece - The Rising (evening) United Brethren - Foxtrot Oscar Sunday 18th Blackwater Country Show - Heybridge Moulsham Open Gardens Star & Garter - Open mic/jam (3-7pm) Monday 19th Civic - Chelmsford & District Junior Schools Music Festival Tuesday 20th Chelmsford Theatre Workshop - Handbagged Civic - Chelmsford & District Junior Schools Music Festival Wednesday 21st Bassment - JAR Presents: The Horse Heads + Woodmans + Greydolf Chelmsford Theatre Workshop - Handbagged Civic - Chelmsford & District Junior Schools Music Festival Thursday 22nd Asylum - Shooty and the Bang Bang + Raz + Katy Forkings Bassment - Sus4 Chelmsford Theatre Workshop - Handbagged Civic - Chelmsford & District Junior Schools Music Festival Cramphorn - Cameraperson (15) The Golden Fleece - Quiz night Friday 23rd Asylum - Before This Silence + Siberian Divide + Men of Munga Bassment - Three Birds Blind + The Baskervilles + Lionhead Chelmsford Theatre Workshop - Handbagged The Golden Fleece - Mushroom Clown The Lion Inn - Cashcows Star & Garter - Rockhouse Saturday 24th Asylum - Lead Shot Hazard + Ragweed + For the Hornets Bassment - Sharpeez + Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective Central Park - Essex Pride Chelmsford Theatre Workshop - Handbagged Civic - Legends The Golden Fleece - Acoustic Sessions (3.30pm) The Golden Fleece - 6 String Makeover (evening) Star & Garter - Thirsty Work Sunday 25th Civic - Legends Star & Garter - Open mic/jam (3-7pm) Page 12

Monday 26th Civic - Rhythm of the Dance Tuesday 27th Cramphorn - 20th Century Women (15) Wednesday 28th Bassment - Acoustic Night: Winter + Heather Michelle (USA) + SJ Denney Cramphorn - Othello Thursday 29th Bassment - Americana: Emily Barker Civic - Stand Up, Stand Up The Golden Fleece - Quiz night Star & Garter - Acoustic Jam Friday 30th Asylum - Yossarian Bassment - Rubber Soul: Andy Smith (Portishead) DJ set + The White Gospel Chelmsford City FC - Albert Lee Civic - Stand Up, Stand Up Cramphorn - Snowden (15) The Golden Fleece - The Strides Star & Garter - Stony Road July Saturday 1st Asylum - Witch Tripper + Sickfest + Onadown Bassment - Guy Jones UK Tour Civic - Wake Me Up Hylands Park - The Fling Festival The Golden Fleece - Acoustic Sessions (3.30pm) The Golden Fleece - The Streo Jacks Star & Garter - The Locals Sunday 2nd Battlesbridge - Battlesbridge Classic Motorcycle Show Star & Garter - Open mic/jam (3-7pm) Woolpack - GC’s Jazz Club: With The Reg Webb Trio (8pm) Monday 3rd Civic - Sir Ranulph Fiennes - Mind Over Matter Cramphron - T2 Trainspotting (18) Tuesday 4th Admirals Park - Chelmsford Summer Beer & Cider Festival 2017 Civic - Chelmsford Schools Gotta Dance 2017 Wednesday 5th Admirals Park - Chelmsford Summer Beer & Cider Festival 2017 Bassment - AudioGiggle (live music & stand up comedy) Cramphorn - The Eagle Huntress (U) Hylands Stables - Jordan & The Gigolos Thursday 6th Admirals Park - Chelmsford Summer Beer & Cider Festival 2017 Asylum - Stu’s Front Room + Leon Helsby Bassment - Bassment Blues Jam Cramphorn - Hamlet: Live from the Glyndebourne Theatre Hylands Stables - Changes Two Bowie The Golden Fleece - Quiz Night The Lion Inn - Chelmsford Comedy Club

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

Friday 7th Admirals Park - Chelmsford Summer Beer & Cider Festival 2017 Asylum - The Inmates Revolt Weekender Bassment - Shakey’s Sessions: The Lowriders (more TBA) Chelmsford City Racecourse - The Shires Hylands Stables - Elvis The Golden Fleece - Beggar Star & Garter - Adrenalin Saturday 8th Admirals Park - Chelmsford Summer Beer & Cider Festival 2017 Asylum - The Inmates Revolt Weekender Bassment - WDR & Friends Presents: Dr CHAN + Muertos Hylands Stables - Classic Sinatra The Golden Fleece - Acoustic Sessions (3.30pm) The Golden Fleece - Red Leaf (evening) Star & Garter - Storm Sunday 9th Asylum - The Inmates Revolt Weekender Chelmsford Museum - Science Discovery Day: The Great Outdoors!

Star & Garter - Open mic/jam (3-7pm) Wednesday 12th Bassment - Live Indie Rock Fundraiser!

Thursday 13th Asylum - Comedy Night Bassment - Blues In The City: Storm Warning + Clare Free Civic - Where Birds Fly The Golden Fleece - Quiz night

Friday 14th Bassment - Marc Halls / We Are Fossils (UK tour) Civic - Where Bluebirds Fly The Golden Fleece - Head The Lion Inn - Nameless Saturday 15th Asylum - Prince of Orange Celebration 2017 Bassment - Mother’s Jam Presents Chelmsford City FC - Kast off Kinks Civic - Where Bluebirds Fly The Golden Fleece - Acoustic Sessions (3.30pm) The Golden Fleece - Repertoire Dogs (evening) Sunday 16th Star & Garter - Open mic/jam (3-7pm)

Please send us your events for the next edition (for events between 14th July and 20th August) to: editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

CAMRA Chelmsford Beer and Cider Summer Festival 2017

In the pursuit of Hoppiness The Chelmsford Summer Beer and Cider Festival will be returning to Admiral Park inChelmsford for four days between 4th and 8th July 2017. The festival doors will open each day from noon until 11pm.

Over 500 different drinks will be showcased throughout the week including real ciders, perries, pryders, wines and soft drinks. The festival has increased the range of gluten-free and vegan beers - so there really is something for everyone!

For the first time, CSBCF will be offering a small selection of keykeg beers. If you haven’t had an opportunity to try beer served this way yet, here is your chance. There are 13 to choose from, so sample a few and you can decide if you love the new tech or prefer the reliable cask.

This year the festival has adopted an around the world theme to the various foods on offer, from Korean street food to the traditional British fish and chips.

Each evening the festival will feature a variety of different types of entertainment and live music. In addition, this year the festival has updated its corporate packages (information is available on the website).

Festival organiser Graham Bishop commented: “This year we have continued to build on previous successes, and it is set to be the best yet!”

Graham continued to say that he often advises that people should come earlier in the week to beat the crowds and get a feel for what the festival has to offer to make sure they don’t miss out on anything!

As well as serving beer, the festival also likes to serve our community by supporting two local guest charities; this year they are Essex Search and Rescue, and Essex Dementia Care who will be at the festival raising money and awareness for their causes.

Love Beer? Then why not volunteer to help at the festival?

Over 240 volunteers help to make the Chelmsford Summer Beer and Cider Festival function throughout the week. So come and join the team where you can work hard and play hard. There are a range of roles and if you can’t see one on the website to suit you, then just drop us an email and we will guide you into a suitable position.

For more details or to volunteer, visit the website www.cbcf.info, or search ‘Chelmsford beer’ on Twitter and Facebook.

June/July Issue Deadlines: Artwork - 6th July Articles - 30th June

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Debut Novel: Zombie Park Zombie Park is the debut novel by local author Simon Marlowe.

Set in a run down mental hospital, the student nurses are wanting change and the story comically portrays 1980s political dissent against a corrupt system.

He says it “gives a view of the world from the underbelly; a world we think we all know a little bit about, but are never quite sure if our perceptions are close to reality...”

This is a gritty, down to earth novel that grips you from the first page. It’s funny, shocking and cleverly written - if you can spot the messages! The story should relate to anyone who has thought the system that they live in is a little absurd, and for people who in the past - or today - have tried to change it.

Simon says: “We are in an age where people are looking for answers, so it seemed about time we started trying to put the past into context and learn some lessons for the future.”

Simon says it has taken determination and time to write his debut novel, and a sequel is on the way. But overall, he hopes his book will inspire others to challenge themselves and the system in which they live in.

Follow Simon on Twitter and Facebook. Zombie Park is available now as a paperback or eBook and can be purchased online via Amazon, Foyles and Waterstones, or pop in to Chelmsford Foyles or Waterstones and buy a copy.

Please call it as it is - by Simon Inglis So I’m in Victoria. Arguably Australia’s prettiest state with splendid roads; from A, B and beautiful C roads that in western Victoria wind their way through green undulating valleys, pretty towns and splendid scenery. The roads are beautifully marked - unlike those in blighty. At night there seem to be more cat’s eyes than necessary. In all, it urges anyone with even a cranky old motor to just want to push on - well I know that it does for me and I’m not on a motorcycle!

In this lush pastureland where some of the most valued cows and sheep are bred, everything seems so picture postcard perfect. In fact the only thing that ruins the view are state government billboards informing one incessantly that ‘Speed Kills.’ Which speed? Any speed?

On a perfect evening early in March, weeks before the evening frosts and the clocks would change to winter time, I wound my way to the charming town of Ararat. From here I joined the Western Highway which leads directly into Melbourne via a few notable stopping points.

The Western Highway is a sublime double laned motorway without any grooves or notches, in fact parts of it somewhat resemble a runway.

I’d recalled the words of a local traffic officer who had told me socially “none of us would stop you under 130, in fact we’ve been lobbying the government for over a decade to raise the limit”- as I settled back with my cruise control set at 119kph in this long 110 zone.

Without a car in sight, I sat back and watched the world go by while listening to some tunes. As the sun dipped in my rearview mirror it seemed like the perfect end to a long driving day.

The weeks went by with their usual routine, a Monday becoming a Friday and so on - but one day in late April I found a letter addressed to me printed by Fines Victoria.

Upon opening the huge envelope, glaring at me in elaborate print and quoting various statutes passed since 1924(!) was the penalty that my vehicle and its driver, me of course, had sustained 1 demerit point. As I had zero demerits I could live with that. A fixed camera penalty for $196.00. The crime? ‘Excessive speed in a zoned 110kph area. Speed detected: 114kph.’

Yes that’s correct. $196 (£105 approximately) for exceeding the posted limit by 4 kilometres per hour! No matter speedometer error or tyre width - I was free to challenge that in court. Yet I recalled a local Brit working in Australia who had done just that, he had won his case before the magistrate yet still paid out over $2,000 in court

costs!

To be honest I had heard of the Victorian government’s 3kph tolerance, but I had never taken it terribly seriously. Add speaking with - and driving alongside - marked police cars in excess of posted limits had likely given me a false sense of security.

I’m not going to bother comparing such stupid cameras dressed up as road safey. Yet a $196 financial penalty for apparently exceeding the posted limit by just 4 kilometres per hour is stupid. We hear of people volunteering their mobile phones so that their GPS signal can be detected, we note the ever increasing use of average speed cameras, urban zones of just 40kph in all weather, day or night.

Yet in both our countries we want safer roads, drivers and cars. And we want the police to police. Hooning (street racing) behaviour, dangerous driving, drink and drugs. But 4kph? This is an underhanded form of taxation in which the principles of road safety do not apply.

Isn’t it time we resisted these petty issues? Many readers would have travelled south through roadworks on the M11 and slowed for the average speed cameras in place for roadworks on a Sunday afternoon when there are no roadworks taking place.

On a stretch of road in southern Yorkshire last year a fixed camera flashed me at a speed I honestly shouldn’t have done, I was so concerned I called the local constabulary’s traffic section that evening. The answer was something to the extent of ‘we review all photographs sir, we decide on an infringement based on traffic and weather conditions as well as the manner in which the car was being driven’. Needless to say I did not receive a ticket on that occasion.

That is sensible policing. Yet as my $196 donation to Her Majesty’s Government of Victoria, Australia shows that when you place matters in the hands of governments, very seldom does common sense prevail. When are we going to do as the Italians do, just tear up these petty notices and carry on driving?!

I’ll calm down in time, but surely we have all let governments reach ever more deeply into our pockets? I’m not concerned about surveillance in order to try and keep us safe, but while I promise my next piece will not involve speed limits, it does remain a fact that fatigue is the cruelest murderer on our roads. We should enjoy our cars wherever we live and whatever we drive and just be sensible. Sensible driving does not involve obsessive attention to the speedometer.

CT Business

Business Interview Kevin from The United Brethren This month I had the pleasure of meeting up with Scott to find out a little more about the United Brethren pub.

music scene, so every Saturday night we will always have some kind of live music set up, whether it be a 4-piece band or one man show.

So Scott when did you open your doors in Chelmsford?

“We first opened in late September 2016. We took over the place 1st of August, so it’s almost a year now that we have had the place.

“We are also looking at going into little comedy evenings and more. At the moment what we have coming up on the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of August is the UB Fest which will start Saturday 27th at 12pm and run right through to closing time at 1am Sunday. So live music all day on 2 stages, one inside and one in the beer garden, and acts that will go through lots of musical genres from blues to roots to pop, plus DJs playing northern soul etc. We are also looking to hold other events such as meet the brewer, distillers and wine makers. So lots coming up over the next year.

“We closed it down because although it was a beautiful traditional little pub, we kind of thought that we could work with it and there was a gap in the market for what we wanted to do with the place. We wanted to strip it back to being something just about products, like bringing in our beers and great gin lists etc. This didn’t really flow with what the old UB used to look like, so we closed it down for 4 weeks and myself and a couple of my business partners carried out all the work ourselves.”

So what made you want to go into this? Is it your first pub, a new venture?

“I have always been in the pub world myself. I grew up in a family with a chain of Irish pubs in the states and I went on to study hospitality.

As luck would have it I found myself back in Ireland, fell in love with a beautiful lady who now goes by the title of my wife, and got a job opportunity in London to work for a large hotel chain called Malmaison. After this I started a pub in London a very famous pub called the Fox and Anchor in the Smithfield area and developed that into a little 6 bedroom hotel/restaurant/pub which served real ales and I ran it myself. With the success of that and with the help of a backer, it then grew to 5 pubs and a wine bar.”

Is the UB different from the other pubs in Chelmsford?

“I suppose essentially, if I was to be brutally honest with you, no because every single pub and restaurant or night club works in the hospitality industry and it really depends on who owns or runs that business to see what they think hospitality is all about. To me, it’s really about looking after people. Remember, you can get great beers and great food in supermarkets these days at knocked down prices, so when people come out to any kind of establishment they want to be entertained. Where I do think the UB differs is the product range, attention to detail and how we actually look after our customers. We have our own brewery so a lot of the beers available are our own which is obviously a big point of difference. We have jumped on the gin wagon but that is through a personal love of gin by myself and Andrew whom I work alongside. We are both massive gin aficionados.

“The other way we differ is that we have taken a little bit of what people like and know of the city of London (from my old experiences) and bring it to them in their own little local pub in a back street of Chelmsford. So, attention to detail, great simple food, great product range, and a staff that are all knowledgeable and pleasant.”

Tell us a little more about your brewery?

“Pin Up Brewery started around about 8 years ago by two of my close friends, Jonny and Laurie. When they first started Jonny was a novice brewer so went on brewers’ courses, acquired his qualifications and is now the best brewer I know. The whole idea was to create great quality beer that was current and people wanted and also that can be adapted as you move on down the years.

“We started off making cask beers, but as the market has changed over the years with people now drinking more keg and tapped beers, we decided to rebrand and go down a different channel. This was to basically give people what they want and what’s current. People really seem to like it which is fantastic for us.”

Are you holding regular events at the UB and what have you got coming up?

“One of the things I really want to do with the UB is to put it on the live music map in Chelmsford. Currently you can count on one hand the great live music venues locally. I have always been into the live

“We also have different promotions every night of the week, for example Monday to Tuesday all craft beer is £3.50 a pint, Wing Ding Wednesdays, Thursdays is Ladies Night with 2 for 1 house wine and spirits, and we also do great gin and beer nights. For all our promotions search for our Facebook page.”

Are you serving food here at the UB? “We always have been ever since we opened, but when we first opened the place the kitchen needed a bit of TLC, so we operated a kitchen for the first 4 months and then closed it down at the beginning of February for 7 weeks.

“We do great pub food which is simplicity at its very best. The menu will change with the seasons but one thing that will run throughout is that we have an amazing burger and hotdog bar. I know people say, well everyone does that - but not everyone does it well! If you come to the UB you will have an amazing burger or hotdog. There is also a pub classics section which is seasonal as well. So in the winter for example you will have the big home-made pies. Unpretentious and unfussy is what we like to call it.”

So what is the future for UB? “It’s still early days, but the future is to be successful and to keep doing what we are doing. We want people to love us, use us more regularly - and make me lots of money ha! ha! The future for what we do as a small pub in Chelmsford is to hopefully get put on the map as a music venue known for great quality produce and service. We want it to feel like you are back in 1980s watching Cheers, but with better beer and better gin and a better looking cast ha! ha!”

Thanks Scott for an insight into the UB in Chelmsford. Yet another exciting addition to our vibrant and growing city.

Time Pieces The Writtle Singers are currently preparing for this year’s summer concert on Saturday 15th July. Time Pieces is a varied collection of music spanning six centuries, each referring to a time of day, year or a season. Composers include Gibbons, Morley, Brahms, Kodaly, Delius, Debussy, Whitacre and Saffron Walden’s Janet Wheeler.

The concert takes place in All Saints’ Church in Writtle. Full information and tickets can be obtained from www.writtlesingers. org, or call 07815 966 978.

Writtle Singers is a chamber choir of mixed voices. We have been delighted to welcome several new members in recent months and we’re always pleased to hear from people who might like to sing with us. Any interested singers should call the chairman on 01992 611 711.

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Helping you to put Your Best foot Forward Many people suffer from foot problems or find that they develop pain in other parts of their bodies due to the way that they stand and walk. At Stretch Physio we’re excited to be launching a new gait assessment clinic. From July our Senior Physiotherapist will be offering detailed gait assessments, including foot scanning and casting, to design you custom made orthotics. Orthotics are specialist inner soles that you wear in your shoes to optimise the alignment of your body, starting at your feet. Orthotics help to correct foot problems and pain that is driven by how you stand and walk.

The major benefit of having a detailed assessment from a physiotherapist is that we will be able to complete a detailed assessment of more than just your feet and walking pattern to establish what is causing your pain. We will look at your whole body and how you move, as although you may think that pain in the foot region directly relates to a foot problem, it is not always this straightforward. Bear in mind that if load transfer through your feet can affect other parts of the body, other parts of the body can also affect your feet and their alignment. For example, a low back condition could be causing you to limp, placing excessive load through the leg, which is irritating the soft tissue on the sole of the foot (plantar fascia). In this instance, treatment of the lower back would be the best first course of action while waiting to see if orthotics are really needed.

Our orthotics will be made specifically to fit you, taking into account your general health and lifestyle. We will examine how you stand, walk and move during day-to-day tasks or sporting activities to ensure the perfect fit and type of orthotic.

We will use our examination findings to ensure that you receive the best possible treatment for you. If you need orthotics, your key examination findings, scans and imprints will be sent to the lab where your orthotics are then made. We can request that the lab add special features to your orthotics based on your area of pain, the wear patterns on your shoes, skin changes on your feet and your lifestyle. Your orthotics can be made to fit into your everyday shoes or running shoes. Also, if you don’t need orthotics, we will tell you! If this is the case, we will be able to offer an alternative solution. Custom made orthotics work best and have the greatest impact if your feet are causing the condition being treated.

Orthotics can help to realign the bones within the foot, to control excessive mobility or stiffness of the bones and connective tissues.

They maintain a neutral alignment of the foot and reduce stress and strain on the body by maintaining the best possible foot position throughout every step. Suboptimal placement of the feet can result in increased energy required to balance, stand and walk, increasing the risk of pain. Potentially even a small abnormality in foot alignment or function can have a significant impact on the joints and soft tissue above. Custom made orthotics are specifically designed to correct foot issues and improve alignment throughout the legs and spine, reducing pain and injuries.

For more information about whether orthotics could help you, please visit our website: www.stretchphysio.co.uk, or call 01245 505 866 if you’d like to book a gait assessment and orthotic appointment.

By Ellie Searle Director Stretch Physio

Men in Sheds Members Receive Power Tools Safety Training in Volunteers Week The Community Men In Sheds West Essex members enjoyed some health and safety training on power tools over half term (coincidentally in Volunteers’ Week), so they are ready to take part safely in construction and woodworking projects.

Trevor Bennet, a participant in the project says: “We didn’t realise how much was at the college. The Men in Sheds project is about occupying our brains. We have fun doing this. If we can help someone along the way, we will.”

Susan Hastings-Herbert says: “We get regular feedback that Men In Sheds is a life saver. Men meet a great bunch of guys and often form lifelong friendships.”

Wendy Johnson, Programme Area Manager for Painting, Decorating, Carpentry, Joinery, and Brickwork at Chelmsford College says: “We were very pleased to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile project. We very much enjoyed meeting and working with the ‘shedders’ and hope that we can continue to support them in the future.”

The Community Men In Sheds West Essex project is coordinated

by CVSU (Council for Voluntary Service Uttlesford) in order to make a difference to men who may feel lonely or isolated. Many of the men taking part in the training are already highly skilled tradesmen and engineers, but they need to pass the safety training in order to be allowed to participate in the project. Men In Sheds originated in Australia and have now become a global movement, giving men somewhere to talk in a way that’s comfortable for them; ‘a safe space’ supporting a renewed sense of identity, helping raise their self-esteem and providing a sense of value.

Men involved in the Men in Sheds projects can decide what kind of projects they work on (if any). It could be woodworking, gardening, metalwork or hobby crafts for example.

The project is funded by Essex County Council and West Essex CCG and there are currently over 400 Men In Sheds projects in the UK. Anyone wanting to find out more can visit menssheds.org.uk.

CVS Uttlesford are managing and delivering the project and have several partners including Voluntary Action Epping Forest (VAEF), Rainbow Services, Harlow and with further support of Maldon District CVS. The first shed was established in Little Canfield, Uttlesford and is located on the site of the community co-operative Local Food (and more!). A second one has been set up on the Rainbow Rural farm, Barnston, a third is proposed in Harlow.

Chelmsford College has around 3,500 students and is open to all ages from 18-80 and their focus is on ‘learning a living’.

Chelmsford College are keen to support community and volunteer projects. Susan Hastings-Herbert, Shed Coordinator for West Essex, Chelmsford College offers courses in a wide range of subjects asked Wendy Johnson at the college if they would help with the including carpentry and joinery, painting and decorating and power tools training and the Community Men In Sheds West Essex brickwork. For more information please visit www.chelmsford.ac.uk. members will also receive additional training from other providers to Follow on Facebook.com/ChelmsfordCollege and on Twitter cover first aid, Working with vulnerable adults and health and safety. @ChelmsfordCol www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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therapy by Jenny Hartill Did you know that hypnotherapy can also be used to help with physical ailments, not just mental health issues? In this article I’ve taken a physical condition as an example, asthma, and explored how hypnotherapy can be helpful.

Asthma is a condition that can be life threatening or it can be a condition that lies in the background and doesn’t bother the sufferer too much. There are many treatments available for this condition from preventative to direct intervention as a result of an attack. This condition can also leave psychological effects on the sufferer; apart from the fact this can be due to the physical affects that can mean life is more difficult to handle, there is also the psychological effects of an asthma attack as these can be very frightening. I do believe that hypnotherapy can play a key role in the management of this illness and change the quality of life someone leads.

According to www.asthma.org.uk the website and national charity for asthma: “Asthma is a condition that affects the airways - the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (an asthma trigger), the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten so that the airways become narrower and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Sometimes sticky mucus or phlegm builds up which can further narrow the airways.”

The reactions described above make it difficult to breathe because they cause the airways to narrow and become irritated. Asthma is a wide reaching condition with 5.4 million people in the UK suffering and receiving treatment at present, and one in five households in the UK have someone suffering with asthma living there.

The main things a sufferer will be feeling during an attack is fear and a loss of control, even thoughts that they are going to die. The sufferer can be taught how to deal with these symptoms through self hypnosis and this should concentrate mainly on relaxation. As during an attack they will be gasping for air and probably panicking, it is important to teach the client how to calm themselves down. This relaxation will have a number of benefits, from allowing them to think logically so they can find their medication quickly and administer it correctly.

During hypnotherapy the suggestion can be given to the sufferer that they can breathe evenly and slowly, feel the air pass easily into the lungs, feel every muscle in the body relax, feeling their breathing return to normal, and these kind of suggestions will make the sufferer feel much more in control if they can use them in self hypnosis. The client should be encouraged to practice these suggestions in self hypnosis outside of therapy, so that they are prepared and feel much more in control of the situation when it occurs.

and therefore cannot guarantee that any change in the condition is normal to that condition or not.

When dealing with medical conditions, in this case our example of asthma, the therapist has to ensure they are able to deal with an asthma attack if the patient were to have one during therapy.

If the client were being treated for something else (a phobia for example) and they came across something in hypnotherapy that was uncomfortable, the subconscious could use their medical condition (in this case asthma) to bring them out of hypnosis by having an asthma attack rather than dealing with the issue. Therefore the therapist must be able to deal with this type of situation physically and emotionally, so the client can get treatment and return to normal as soon and as safely as possible.

To recap, hypnotherapy can help asthma suffers both before, during and after an attack. As I am a member of the Hypnotherapy Society I would only use hypnotherapy in conjunction with written permission from a medical professional and with the drugs the client has been given from them. Hypnotherapy can help asthma sufferers regain control of their life by reducing the anxiety felt in anticipation of an attack and also help them control their breathing and focus during an attack which could in turn make the whole experience less traumatic.

My style of hypnotherapy is used to help the client learn self hypnosis that they can practice outside of the therapy room, so that they are better prepared and have a sense of control returned to them.

Hypnotherapy can also be used to help carers and friends and family come to terms with the condition on a personal level and help them feel better prepared and more confident to be able to help their loved one live with their condition.

If anyone is interested in seeing a therapist, I own and run 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.

BEFORE YOU GO! I have a favour to ask the readers - us therapists as inundated with sales calls and one of the most popular ones is to sell us ads on the back of appointment cards. Personally I’ve never received an appointment card from my GP, but I’ve set up a survey to ask you lovely people to tell us whether you have received an appointment card and if so for which surgery. It’s anonymous so you don’t give us your name, and this is for research purposes only. I’ve plastered the survey all over social media so you can go to our Facebook page for example, or just go to this link: www. surveymonkey.co.uk/r/D9CQVHV. Thanks!!!

There are of course ethical issues to consider when clients are seeking help for physical ailments. I follow the ethical guidelines set by the Hypnotherapy Society and so as a therapist I would get written confirmation that the client is being treated by a GP or specialist and that they are happy for the patient to be treated by me. It is also important to get certain information from the client; for example an explanation of the condition and the history, how long they have been suffering, if the condition flares up at any specific time (for example asthma can be seasonal because of hayfever) and also a description of what they go through in a serious flare up and perhaps on a day to day basis, depending on how chronic their illness is. This information will allow the therapist to gauge progress made by the client as they follow their treatment plan.

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It would not be ethical to start treatment without this information, because when dealing with medical conditions with hypnotherapy it is important that if the condition changes at all the client notifies their GP immediately, because we are not medical practitioners Page 20

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Fitness and Well-Being

Why Meditation is Non-Negotiable - by Kellie Jones I know that a yoga studio owner is bound to extol the virtues of meditation, but I was once what you might term a ‘crisis meditator’.

Rather like when we work all year, get exhausted, take a long overdue rest and then come down with a cold or flu bug. What do we do? We buy some medicine to get rid of the symptoms and then go back to working just as hard. So I would let the stress of running a business, a home, a social life and keeping up appearances overwhelm until I crashed and then I would say: “I need to meditate!” I would then feel calmer and go back to the grindstone. Duh!?!?

Jumping back to November 2014, I had arrived at this very moment again and I had a bunch of things all happening at once. Having grown up in a great British ‘keep calm and carry on’ way of living, I had decided in my (not so) wisdom that I wanted to manifest the money to attend an intensive yoga teacher training with Tara Stiles in London. I set affirmations, I did a vision board but the money never materialised, (any surprise to those who get this law of attraction stuff?).

Don’t doubt the power of a vision board though; not only did I get to do the Strala Yoga course with Tara but I did it in New York not London!

Roll on to this this month and I have just finished teaching my biggest most successful #selfloveplanunderway workshop and started Strala classes at Hummingbird. The teacher teaches what she most needs to learn!

Without a doubt, meditation is the absolute cannot get away without it key to becoming sensitised to your needs. Start - start now, somehow, someway. 60 seconds a day and go from there. One of my recommendations is to turn off the negative news to help detox your mind (I haven’t watched TV for 4 years). When researching this article I cringed as I looked for reasons not to meditate but was pleasantly surprised there is not much evidence against doing so out there. The main reason I could find was: For anyone who wants to stay as they are it’s probably best not to try it!

Finally, my biggest tip is to treat yourself before you need it! I drink hot water with lemon, honey and ginger everyday so I won’t get a cold. I meditate so I won’t need a crisis cure. I notice myself before my body and mind start to scream at me for attention. Make a start and be patient with yourself, I promise that the day you experience the feel-good chemicals our amazing brains and bodies can produce by themselves is the day that meditation becomes a non-negotiable part of your day.

We hold regular meditation classes on Sundays (6.30-7.30pm), Strala Yoga & Pilates is at 8-9pm Tuesdays, and check out my #selfloveplanunderway Facebook page for more on workshops.

Peace, Love & Namaste.

3 Ne M 0D w em a C l be ys ien r Un t O (T s & h lim ff C 's i ap p pl f ite er y) o r d £3 5

Instead, all I manifested was a nasty virus that wouldn’t go away and a trapped nerve in my neck which happened after meditating at a Buddhist monk blessing! As a consolation prize, I bought myself a ticket to her book launch and took a night off from teaching advanced pilates to attend. I listened to Tara talk about sensitising to yourself, reconnecting and moving from a place of ease and self care. I started to read her book on the train on my way home and decided there and then that the only way to feel like a person who meditates is to

meditate - and I have done every day since then!

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 Page 22

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Cruz Beckham’s Rowing Row Meanwhile (as the rest of the world seemingly goes to hell in a handcart) in celeb world, the Beckham’s received a fair bit of criticism following their 12-year old son, Cruz, posting a video of himself working out on a rowing machine. This whole storm in a tea cup left me with 3 main questions:

1. Does every Beckham have a hereditary gene giving them an insatiable appetite for self promotion?

2. Why on earth have nearly two hundred thousand people (myself included) wasted 30 seconds of their life watching a kid do nothing more than row at a fair intensity on a rowing machine?

3. Why did some people on social media wrongfully condemn the Beckham’s for allowing their son to perform some form of semiserious exercise?

Now, question 1 can probably only truly be answered by doctors; the answer to question 2 is probably that more of us need to ‘get a life’; and as for question 3, I’m going to set about answering that now…

I’m sure any right-minded person would agree that all children should be doing some sort of exercise or activity, whether it be kicking a ball about with friends, playing kiss chase, climbing trees or whatever and indeed, the experts corroborate this too. A quick glance at the NHS activity guidelines pretty much tells us so. They recommend that every child between 5-18 do an hour’s worth of activity each day.

So why have the Beckham’s come in for such grief?

children and relatively inexpensive. However, if you have the inclination and the equipment, don’t be put off from allowing your children to do some strength training too. Provided it’s done sensibly it’s a great form of exercise!

And as for those ‘quick to type, slow to think’ type o’ people on social media, perhaps they should check out the facts and seek the advice of experts before giving their opinions. But then again, if we can’t expect this from the President of the United States, who can we expect it from?

To book your free trial session at my bootcamp class, or your free personal training session, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Also, if you enjoyed this please tell your friends - oh and follow me on social media too… matt@mlrpt.co.uk www.mlrpt.co.uk 07939 316 401 www.twitter.com/mlrpt www.facebook.com/mlrpt

If you are involved in a local charity, why not write an article for our charity of the month slot?

Why I think the Beckham’s have come in for particular criticism is because of the nature of what their son was doing. If he’d posted a clip of himself having a running race with his friends everything would have been hunky-dory, but some people seem to think that children training in a gym or using gym equipment is inherently more risky or dangerous than other less formal exercise. But are these people right? Let’s see what the experts say: According to the world-renowned (and more importantly well respected) American College of Sports Medicine, aerobic type training such as rowing (as Cruz was doing) is not only perfectly acceptable, but should also be vigorously encouraged.

They don’t stop there though, they go even further by saying that strength training (lifting weights), which is often demonised when talking about training children, provided it is done sensibly and under supervision is also a sensible form of exercise for children too; and indeed, our very own NHS also agrees with this sentiment.

Aerobic and strength training.

So, there you have it people, leading authorities in the world of health and fitness not only recommend aerobic training, but they are now recommending that children do some form of strength training too.

Given that, many of the tales you hear about its negative effects on the growing body have largely been debunked by the science!

But none of this is too revolutionary. If you think about it, children have been informally strength training since time immemorial.

Whether it be pulling up their entire body weight whilst climbing trees, or carrying the whole weight of another human being whilst playing piggy back - or even the more mundane task of carrying a heavy school bag laden with books and PE kit. Children have forever inadvertently been strengthening their bodies!

In conclusion…

Exercise is good for children. Traditional aerobic type activities such as running, jumping, swimming, skipping are very beneficial to www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk Page 23

Spot the Difference (Answers Page 31)

Wildlife Corner by Nick Green The dry cool weather continued through early May with little insect activity, then at last we experienced some rainfall 17-20th. Even more amazing, we then started experiencing summer temperatures above 20C and insect activity at last.

I personally have seen few young or first broods of birds, but higher temperatures in the second half of May should encourage second broods. Swifts may now be encouraged to breed, but the weather has been difficult.

10 sites in the whole of England, two of which are in Essex. The species has very specific habitat requirements where management of woodland coppicing is needed. The adults are on the wing MayJuly and in Essex the larval caterpillar plant is common cow-wheat (Melampyrum pratense) which grows in the prepared coppiced rides. and glades.

For more information, please check the Butterfly Conservation website where there is a wealth of information about all UK butterflies and how to attract them to your garden, like planting buddleia, lavender, oregano and Verbena barbarensis - www.butterflyconservation.org.

Recent Essex Wildlife News The most noteworthy May 2017 bird news: Selected highlights include Abberton Reservoir, the star bird of the month was undoubtedly the first winter Bonaparte’s gull all the way from America (and constituted just the second record for Essex) from 22nd. A red-rumped swallow on the 26th was also welcomed.

Bowers Gifford still held 2-3 black-winged stilts from March. A greenish warbler was an excellent spring find at Colne Point on 31st.

County-wide, migrants included red kites, llittle gulls. black terns, arctic terns, ring ouzels, whimbrel and greenshank amongst others.

Heath Fritillary (copyright: Jeff Delve) The heath fritillary is a very rare butterfly and restricted to some

Nationally, Britain’s first American red-winged blackbird was found on Orkney, Savi’s warblers were still reported from Minsmere RSPB and at Hickling Broad two-barred crossbill in Somerset, and little bittern on the Isles of Scilly.

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Page 25

A History of Chelmsford Prison - Part 2 by Stephen Norris Chelmsford prison was not reopened until 1931. Initially 150 convicts were brought from Parkhurst and Dartmoor. According to the new governor: “They were some of the worst boys in the country”. There was to be a special regime with regular employment, physical training and open air exercise. Voluntary workers and teachers were to be involved and each prisoner was to have a regular visitor. These good intentions unfortunately counted for little and within a year a prisoner was attacked with a bar and an attempted escape by four prisoners was foiled. Two weeks later there was a danger of a serious disorder and a service in a chapel had to be cancelled because of shouting prisoners and an undercurrent of discontent in the prison generally.

Conditions certainly improved later in the decade. In 1938 a vicar from Stratford, East London, who had been holding a mission at the prison, reported that it was a great deal better than previously.

An attempt was made to reform the character of the prisoners and there was good, sufficient food. The men worked at carpentry and engineering workshops. He said the religious services were well attended. During 1937 prisoners were entertained for the first time by sound pictures. In 1943 the prison was damaged by incendiaries; there was no loss of life and the damage would have been worse but for prisoners and wardens working together to extinguish fires.

Prisoner-warden relations started the post Second World War period in a poor state at Chelmsford prison. There was a sit-down strike in the gaol with boys from borstals refusing to work and there were several attempted escapes. In 1949 two prisoners ‘played hare and hounds’ with wardens and the police after an escape in daylight and they were not recaptured. By this time the local press were asking what was wrong with the prison.

In 1952 a Weekly News reporter was allowed inside. He found 229 young men serving sentences from two to four years corrective training. Co-operative and trustworthy young prisoners went to open prisons, but the least amenable went to Chelmsford. The reporter said that the average occupant at Chelmsford prison was ‘27 years old, has seven previous convictions and is doing three years, probably for housebreaking. He is more likely to have been a barrow boy than a skilled tradesman’.

Only 2% had served an apprenticeship of any kind. Corrective training was supposed to use educational and industrial experiences and the personal influence of the prison staff to produce a good and useful citizen. Chelmsford was the first local prison to be turned over completely to corrective training. The reporter was given an obviously stage-managed tour.

There were three workshops involving sheet metal work, brush making and tailoring. All prisoners started in the mail bag shop. Thirty men were also being trained in building work. The governor’s house, destroyed in the war by a German bomb, had been completely rebuilt by prisoners. Forty prisoners also worked outside in the town, working on housing sites, laying sewers as well as gas, electricity and water mains. A smaller group grew vegetables and looked after the flower beds inside the prison. In all, young offenders worked for 40 hours a week and there were evening classes on making soft toys and musical appreciation. The reporter maintained that the prison had a high success rate with only 30% of those discharged reoffending.

Voluntary prison visitors played an important role, but there were only 11 for the 229 prisoners. Predictably, this enlightened policy did not last and by 1956 the prison housed hardened criminals of all ages.

By 1972 the prison was again causing concern. A detective questioning an inmate said the jail was ‘loaded up with drugs’ and that there was widespread drug trafficking. One month later there was a riot with prisoners staging a sit-in demonstration on the prison roof. A special disciplinary board of visiting magistrates was brought in to hear the 56 cases, of which only 3 were dismissed. Seventy prisoners had caused £5,000 of damage. The riot was caused by

a tightening up in security during the previous 18 months, where Chelmsford prison had lost its security wing, but TV cameras and high wire fences had been installed. There was a shortage of wardens who refused to do overtime. Reformers, led by the Howard League for Prison Reform, said that ‘the 19th century fortress-like prison should be pulled down’.

The Home Office admitted the prison was overcrowded but said that it couldn’t be closed. Five years later there were widespread reports regarding privileged prisoners who were supposed to be living the ‘high life’ in jail. The Weekly News thought that those who did best out of the liberal regime at Chelmsford were tough violent criminals whose notoriety afforded them respect.

In March 1978 there was an inferno which swept through the prison. Initially the police thought that it was caused by a crude fire bomb but later stated that it was the result of an electrical failure.

The prisoners were well behaved while the fire was being brought under control. 75 firemen were involved fighting the fire and it was estimated that repairs would cost £1,250,000. Most of the money was spent on a control centre at the heart of the prison providing an advanced electronic system. The basic layout of the prison remained unchanged with it remaining a Category B prison with many prisoners serving sentences for violent crimes and murder. While the prison was closed, it was used for two weeks to shoot a number of scenes for the film version of the BBC television series Porridge.

Despite the rebuilding, six years later a new governor criticised conditions at the prison due to a shortage of staff, overcrowding and a lack of facilities. The prison was regularly holding 390 prisoners although it had a supposed maximum of 238. It had reverted to being a prison for young offenders between 17 and 21 years of age, but now had few training facilities. At any one time only 80 prisoners could be employed with very basic work.

The HM Inspector of Prisons report in 1990 was decidedly mixed but did say the atmosphere had improved. It was however extremely critical of the buildings and administrative aspects of the regime.

The prison had 379 prisoners who had come from the crown courts at Chelmsford and Southend. Very little use was being made of the industrial workshops. The kitchens were too small, the laundry badly laid out, the visiting area was too cramped as was the reception area and a new hospital was needed as well as a new kitchen. All these defects should have been rectified in the rebuilding after the fire.

The lack of integral sanitation was a great problem. Security was generally good with close liaison with the police. The prison had recently changed again, back from a young offenders gaol to a local prison. A number of staff were applying for jobs in other parts of the country because of the high cost of living in the Chelmsford area.

Attempts were made to improve sanitation and refurbish some of the cells, but in 1991 it was named the most overcrowded jail in England.

The arrival of payphones in 1992 did constitute a big improvement as far as the prisoners were concerned and in 1995, despite most of the recommendations of the 1990 report supposedly being carried out, a new report highlighted the drug problem again as well as assaults on staff.

A further HM Inspector of Prisons report in 1997 was even more damning. There had been a failure of senior members of the service at the prison ‘to recognise and eliminate too many unacceptable practices and deficiencies in the running of the prison’. In all, there were 143 recommendations and only 8 positive comments. The prison was severely criticised for ‘appalling 19th century attitudes to the treatment of young offenders’ and a large number of young men were ‘lost and afraid’ within the prison. Specialised treatment was needed for those between the ages 17 to 21.

There had been a recent suicide, but the suicide awareness management team had not met for a year. Bullying was still a major

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concern and in the two years after the report there were several suicides at the prison.

The new millennium started with familiar criticism of the prison. In the third inspection in three and a half years - this time unannounced - morale was found to be low, health care inadequate and there was still a shortage of staff. A year later the jail finally received a positive report, but in 2003 came yet another damning indictment, this time rating the prison 132nd out of 135 in the country.

After this low point there was considerable improvement with a zero tolerance approach to drug use in the jail and an increase in the number of prisoners involved in work activities.

In 2005 at any one time however, 200 of 565 prisoners were still unoccupied. Between 2007 and 2011 there were seven suicides in the jail and in January 2013 it was announced that the prison was to be partially closed. A proposal for a second prison in the borough at Runwell was finally dropped in 2011 after staunch local opposition; it would have housed 1,500 offenders.

Next issue: Famous trials and executions in Chelmsford.

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The Rotary Club of Chelmsford is one of the oldest in the country and on 9th June it celebrated 90 years of giving service to the community with a dinner held in Chelmsford Cathedral with the Mayor of Chelmsford as a special guest. The venue was fitting as the very first president of the club was the Bishop of Chelmsford, Guy Warman.

In the early days, the regular lunchtime meetings were held at the County Hotel and the cost of the meal was 15p! The Club Charter was presented on 9th December 1927 and the original artefacts are still used to this day.

Early activities centred on community service: Help to local boy scouts in 1927, wireless for residents of local old people’s homes in 1928-29, fund raising and other help for the unemployed in the slump of the 1930s, establishment of the annual old people’s tea in 1931, help in creating the local Citizens’ Advice Bureau in 1939...

These are great landmarks in the history of the town.

The social side of the club grew at the same time and regular speakers were invited. The first lady speaker at a lunch meeting was Miss Bancroft, Headmistress of the County High School in 1931, and the first of the annual New Year’s messages (strangely enough on November 10th) was given by the Bishop of Chelmsford, Henry Wilson in the same year.

Rotarians were involved in the war effort. In April 1939 members adopted a refugee boy who was maintained at KEGS by the club’s Benevolent Fund. The club created a House of Friendship in 1940 and for five years, supported by Inner Wheel - wives of Rotarians, this provided meals and other amenities for service people. Selfsupporting, when the project ended it had a surplus of £1,000 which was donated to St Dunstan’s. Among many other activities in support of the war effort the club adopted a trawler and sent regular parcels to the crew.

President Philip Goodman with Mayor of Chelmsford, Cllr Duncan Lumley enjoy the occasion Following the war, the Rotary Darby and Joan Club was set up in 1947 and in 1954 a St Raphael Club for the physically handicapped. The club were active in the provision of clothing for victims of the disastrous East Coast floods of 1953. To mark the Golden Jubilee of Rotary International in 1955, Chelmsford Rotary Club provided two commemorative trees in Oaklands Park and helped create a scented garden for the blind in Oaklands. Talking Newspapers for the Blind was established in the ’70s.

A three-day leisure exhibition in 1972 organised by the Vocational Service Committee was a major event in the town. The aim was to draw attention to the many voluntary leisure clubs and organisations in Chelmsford. It was held in John Payne School with the active support of headmaster Frank Cooper, who was a Rotary member.

Rotary Club of Chelmsford Celebrates its 90th Birthday

As the ’80s turned into the ’90s and the millennium loomed ahead, community service continued to be a large part of club thinking.

A number of members actively supported a Club for the Blind, members served on organisations like the Citizens’ Advice Bureau, Abbeyfield, Keene Homes and Farleigh Hospice. Overseas, the club helped to fund the transformation of a school in the Gambia.

Perhaps the biggest change undertaken came in 1999 when the club finally voted to admit women members. Another major change came when in 1994 the club ceased having lunch meetings at the County Hotel and moved to the Marconi Club.

Fellowship has always been a key feature of Rotary. Sunday rambles followed by lunch, which began as a fundraising activity for Farleigh, continue now for their social value and there is a wide variety of outings, etc.

The club has been very active in support of the young and old of Chelmsford. The younger generation, through competitions such as Youth Speaks and Young Musician, and the older people by way of summer parties and the traditional Christmas pantomime. The club has provided much help to Rotaract and Interact clubs which are part of the Rotary family before they join as Rotarians.

Fundraising and charitable donations remain high on the Rotary agenda. Successful sponsored Walk and Ride events have been organised by the club. There have been disaster relief collections, and Christmas collections have been carried out at various supermarkets and at the railway station. An attempt to create the biggest ever quiz at the Essex Cricket Ground was sadly thwarted by bad weather on the day.

In recent times, there have been long-term projects in support of Farleigh Hospice and CHESS, the homeless charity for people in Chelmsford. The club’s major international undertaking of the 21st century has been a joint venture with the Rotary Club of Sahiwal, Pakistan. There have been seven different projects to create a series of improvements to a variety of schools in the Sahiwal area, mainly concerning developments to water supplies and toilet facilities and the provision of furniture. Part of the funding has been through a series of annual jazz nights.

Some members of the club went on to hold prominent positions in Rotary. Stamp Wortley became Vice President of RIBI in 1950 and President in 1951. Later he became a Rotary International Director and 2nd Vice President. Bert Raven became District Vice Chairman in 1953 and chairman and Rotary International representative in 1955-7. Later, Ron Rider was added to the list of members who have been District Governors. It was not until 2014 that I became the first member of the club in modern times to be elected District Governor.

I continue to hold prominent leadership roles at district, national and international levels and, in particular, I am tasked with helping to change the public image of Rotary to encourage membership growth.

For 90 years the Rotary Club of Chelmsford has been in the forefront of enhancements to the lives of local people. If you would like to know more about what Rotary is currently doing and how you can be involved with its plans for the future, please visit www. chelmsfordrotary1240.org or give me a call on 01245 260 349.

Stan Keller Public Image Chairman

fundraising sleep out in South Woodham Ferrers For Refugee Week 2017, Amnesty International’s Chelmsford Group has teamed up with a local charity to organise a fundraising sleep out in South Woodham Ferrers later this month.

Side By Side Humanitarian Aid to Refugees was founded in 2015 by two Essex mums to provide practical support to refugees, and the money raised will go towards their work and Amnesty’s own campaign.

Amnesty member David Rey of South Woodham Ferrers, who is also a trustee of Side By Side, said: “We are looking for people of all ages to join us to sleep out and raise money through sponsorship. We have been kindly given the use of a meadow alongside the River Crouch for the night and there are plans for some cultural events during the evening. Participants will be eating after sunset too, with the food cooked over open fires.” The meal (known as Iftar) has a special significance as it marks the end of the day’s Ramadan fast.

Pauline Davidson, a volunteer who regularly travels to northern France with Side By Side, is excited to be taking part.

“It will be lovely to share Iftar together.

Some of my best meals in camp were breaking fast during Ramadan.”

“It’s important to remind readers that the refugee crisis hasn’t gone away” said David. “This sleep out is a great opportunity to raise funds, but just as importantly, it’s a way to increase awareness of the perilous situation our many friends, brothers and sisters are facing on a daily basis.” In April he travelled to Dunkirk with a group of Side By Side volunteers, delivering £800-worth of goods to the Gynécologie Sans Frontières organisation which provides basic necessities to refugee families from all over Europe. “Happily, our much needed milk powder, baby bottles and cleaning materials were safely stored and survived the devastating fire that engulfed the camp a few days after we left.”

Side By Side has benefited from a number of fundraising events at the Ilford school where David works as a teacher, and can provide resources to communities, organisations and other schools which would like to get involved.

The sleep out is on Friday 23rd June on the outskirts of South Woodham Ferrers. Full details of the event and a sponsor form are on Amnesty International Chelmsford’s Facebook page - www.facebook.com/AmnestyInternational-Chelmsford. Alternatively, get in touch with David Rey by email at sidebysiderefugees@gmail.com.

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Stargazing with Mark Willis - June/July While summer is really nice, it does limit the amount of stargazing you can do. If you’re prepared to stay up late you can still do some impressive stargazing. However, if you’re unable to stay up late, then use the opportunity to do some midday solar observing.

Never, ever look up - especially with telescopes or binoculars - at the Sun. Blindness can result! Follow the instructions on the web for safe solar observing.

The safest way to observe the Sun is to attend a public solar observing event. The North Essex Astronomical Society hold these; just google their name and there are details on their website giving dates of these events. They are free, although you will have to pay to park your car.

Saturday 24th June - 22:50: Saturn appears SSE reasonably well about the horizon. Saturn may be more noticeable as just above

Friends Enjoy a Busy Summer Programme The Friends of Chelmsford Museums have been kept very active since their last City Times report. Activities have included summer visits, museum visitor activities, and meetings about the Museums Heritage Lottery Fund proposals which involve an increased role at the museum for volunteers.

In May a guided tour of Coggleshall proved very popular reflecting the attraction of the historic town which has many surviving medieval timber buildings, an exceptional church in St. Peter-ad-Vincula and the fine Abbey Grange Barn run by the National Trust. June has seen a visit nearer to home but no less interesting to St John’s Church and Furzelea Gardens at Danbury.

If these kind of visits sound interesting to you, please do consider joining us on the next outing, which will be to the Museum of East Anglian Life at Stowmarket in Suffolk on Saturday 22nd July. This open air museum within its seventy-five acres has more than twenty historic buildings and structures which include a water mill, an historic chapel, the Abbot’s Hall and gardens, and a Victorian Walled Garden. The museum special exhibitions for 2017 are The Museum at 50 and Fabric, Fields and French Knots which looks at East Anglia in stitch.

Our group will have an Introductary talk and a tour of the Industrial Zone. The visit will be by coach picking up from outside Oaklands Park at 9.30am and The Vineyards in Great Baddow at 9.40am.

The cost to non-members, who are welcome, is £26 and covers the coach, museum entry and the tour (for further details about this visit and all Friends events see www.friendschelmsmuseums.btck.co.uk).

Following the many months of preparation, consultation and discussion it is fingers crossed for a positive decision on 22nd June

it you will see the Ophiuchids Meteor Shower. Looking SW roughly the same height above the horizon is Jupiter. Almost directly above Jupiter is the very bright star, Arcturus.

New Moon: On June 24th and July 30th there will be a new Moon. This means the skies will be extra dark, which is a great opportunity to see planets, galaxies and deep space objects.

As usual, email me with any questions.

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

Twitter: @WillisWirelessEmail: mark.willis@ chelmsfordcommunityradio.com when the Heritage Lottery Fund will decide on the application for a grant which will enable a major revamping of museum displays and the creation of a café to serve visitors to the museum and park. If the proposals interest you, a small exhibition of floor and park plans, along with designer graphics, is currently on display at the museum.

In the meantime it is business as usual at Chelmsford Museum in Oaklnds Park, and Friends are among those invited to be present on the evening of Friday 23rd June for a private view of the next special exhibition about The Chelmsford Star Co-op: Supporting the Local Community for 150 years. This tells the fascinating history of the society since it was founded 150 years age and celebrates the considerable contribution that it has made to local causes, charities and community groups (for more see City Times no. 44, CT Business report). The exhibition will be officially opened by Chelmsford city Mayor, Councillor Duncan Lumley, supported by the President of Chelmsford Star, Susan Sullivan. Entry to the exhibition is free and it will be open to visitors from 24th June -28th August.

Sunday 18th June is Moulsham Open Gardens Day organised on behalf of the Farleigh Hospice. While making your way between the open gardens, remember to take in the delights of Oaklands Park which provides a pleasant natural link through from Moulsham Street to the Vicarage Road/Longstomps/Princes Road junction where the Princes Road allotments are located. This is the one day each year when the allotments are open to the public. Plot holders will be on hand to show off their crops and surplus produce will be on sale to raise funds for the charity, and you will also be able to enjoy the wildlife haven that the site also provides so close to Chelmsford Museum.

Love your museum, be a friend.

Chelmsford Library News Summer is on its way!

Up And Coming Events

Calling all teenagers aged 14 and above and can commit a few hours over the 6 weeks summer holidays!

Summer Teading Challenge Calling all children; Animal Agents Launches on 15th July across Essex Libraries. Join up at any Essex Library and read 6 books, collect stickers and obtain your medal!

Interested?

Essex Libraries are looking for volunteers for their Summer Reading Challenge. Meet new people, work as part of team and gain valuable experience working with the public. Apply online at: libraries.essex. gov.uk (closing date for applications 18th June).

Membership Library cards can be issued from birth, so newborns to great great grandparents are all welcome (up 14 items onto each ticket).

If you are on holiday with a long drive ahead, why not choose from a wide range of spoken word on CD and e-audio? Pop in and discover all the great services available at your local library.

Something for the grownups Meet Anthony Boniface (Chelmsford Library Thursday 22nd June 4-5pm) when he will be reciting poems from his books Wild Sonnets: Thirty Poems About Wildlife and The Call of the Kokako: Poems from Far-flung Places.

Contact Chelmsford Library for details Chelmsford.library@essex.gov. uk.

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