Chelmsford The City Times March/April 2016

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CT Welcome Hello readers

Spring is on its way and the clocks go back this month!

We have a great live music act for you at Chelmsford City Football Club this month - 80s band, The Blow Monkeys! See the advert on page 7.

Also look out for lots of events happening over the Easter weekend!

Regards Paul & Nick www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk | www.moulshamtimes.com

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

it’s your media Ltd Disclaimer: It’s Your Media Ltd publish Chelmsford The City Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Media Ltd. Registered offices: 15 Hayes Close, Chelmsford. Reg No 9154871. Printed by Imagery UK.

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CT Fashion - Date Dressing We are now well and truly into March, the evenings are lighter, the days are sunnier (if still a bit chilly) and in turn, we are all feeling a bit more like venturing out. This is the time of year that we are more likely to want to make an effort with how we dress, as we are not just thinking of diving under the duvet and donning our bobble hat! If you are embarking on a date this spring - whether in a new relationship, or married and have got a few date nights looming, or if you are happily single and just looking forward to a some great nights out with your girlfriends - we all have one thing in common; we want to look our best.

Read on for my essential tips on dressing for a date. You will also find some great outfit combinations (all high street) for every kind of date.

Outfits Ideas for Her...

Daytime Date or Relaxed Evening Date

Outdoor Date

Brunch Date

evening, do not forget a warm coat, (you want the clink of glasses to be the only sound you hear not the knocking of your knees!)

2. If your date is an all day date which rolls into the evening, you might want to think ahead; maybe take some accessories with you to update your look for the evening, like a chunky gold necklace and hoop earrings.

You could even take a top that folds up small and won’t crease.

Fitted jersey tops and lace and sequin fabrics are a good bet avoid silks and cottons.

3. If you are dressing for an evening date, keep it simple. If you have gone for a short dress, then keep your cleavage covered and vice versa. Don’t throw too much at an outfit or over accessorise, Coco Chanel once said: “It is always better to be slightly underdressed.” If your top is sequined or metallic then don’t overdo the make up; a subtle smokey eye and nude lip will work well. If you are opting for a simple little black dress, then you can go more dramatic with the make up and definitely a red lip. If you are wearing heels, think about taking, a pair of shoes that fit into your bag, www.sockshop.co.uk do a wide selection.

When dressing for an evening date, your mantra should be simple, but sexy!

4. Dress for your shape. If you are an apple-undefined waist and round tummy but good legs (like celeb Lorraine Kelly) think of structured shift dresses, pencil skirts with shell tops. If you are an upside down triangle-wider shoulder, bigger boobs, but slim legs (like Renee Zellweger circa Bridget Jones), then wrap over jersey tops or dresses are a winner, scoop necks and deep Vs are also good. Avoid big prints up top, anything with buttons or too much detail and show off your legs. If you are straight shaped-lack curves, athletic looking with an undefined waist (like model Kate Moss) then create curves; you could go for a skater dress, or a bias cut slip dress, or short skirts with vest tops and fitted jackets. If you are a pear shape-smaller boobs, bigger hips and thighs and bottom (like celeb Kimberley Walsh), then dark colours below the waist work well - indigo or black jeans and a cream top. Tunic dresses and dresses cut under the bust also work. If you are an hourglass shape-boobs and hips same width with small waist (like Holly Willoughby), you can wear any shape, but show off that waist.

Evening Date Daytime Date Relaxed Evening Date Dress - Topshop, jacket - M&S, bag - Debenhams, shoes - M&S. Outdoor Date Jumper - White Stuff, jeans - Topshop, jacket - Primark, scarf - M&S, wellies - White Stuff.

Date Dressing Tips for Her 1. Check the location of your date if someone else is deciding for you. Are you going bowling, to the theatre, a restaurant or a walk with pub lunch thrown in? If it’s bowling for example, then go for a look that’s easy to move in, like a tunic top and leggings or jeans with stretch. If you know you will be walking some miles, then wear comfy shoes and if you are trekking across fields, weatherproof boots or wellies are a must. If you are out for the

Brunch Date Top - Primark, jacket - Primark, Jeans - Primark, bag - Debenhams, boots Primark.

Evening Date Dress - Topshop, jacket - Topshop, shoes - Topshop, bag Debenhams.

Emma Smith lives in Chelmsford and is a style consultant. She offers personal shopping and wardrobe planning. You can contact her via her website, www.emmasmith.co.uk, or email emma@emmasmith. co.uk.

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MONDAYS Millennium Community Centre Recreation Ground, NEW Baddow Road, TIMES Great Baddow, CM2 9RL 9.00am, 11.00am and 1.00pm Lucy 01245 262457

Springfield Community Centre Perryfields School, Lawn Lane CM1 7PP 5:00pm and 7:00pm Angie 07814 992628

Church of Our Saviour Aston Place Chelmer Village, CM2 6ST 5.30pm and 7.30pm Emma 07887 692906 Sandon Village Hall Woodhill Road, Sandon CM2 7SQ 7.00pm Lucy 01245 262457 TUESDAYS Broomfield Village Hall 158 Main Road (behind Angel Pub), Broomfield CM1 7AH 3.00pm, 5.00pm and 7.00pm Victoria 07823 441198

Millennium Community Centre Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, 9R Great Baddow CM2 9RL 3.30pm, 5.30pm and 7.30pm Samantha 01245 266442 The Salvation Army Hall Maldon Road, Hatfield Peverel, Chelmsford, CM3 2HS 5.30pm and 7.30pm Lesley 07973 239899 WEDNESDAYS Church Of St Augustine Of Canterbury St Augustines Way, Springfield CM1 6GQ 9.30am and 11.30am Emma 07887 692906

CONSULTANT OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE PLEASE CONTACT EMMA ON 07887 692906

Life Church Hall Street, off Moulsham Street, Chelmsford CM2 0HG 5.30pm and 7.30pm Angie 07814 992628 Boreham Village Hall, Main Road, Boreham CM3 3JD 5.30pm and 7.30pm Emma 07887 692906

Writtle Community Association Longmeads House, 12-14 Redwood Drive, Writtle CM1 3LY 5.00pm and 7.00pm Jennifer 07792 516866

Springfield Park Baptist Church Springfield Park Road, Springfield CM2 6EB 7.30pm Emma 07887 692906 St Michael's Church of England Junior School, Barnard Road, Galleywood CM2 8RR 7:30pm Tracy 07981 609044 THURSDAYS THURSD Newlands Spring Community Hall, Dickens Place, Chelmsford CM1 4UU 5.30pm and 7.30pm Jennifer 07792 516866

North Springfield Baptist Church Havengore, off Pump Lane, Springfield CM1 6JP 5.30pm and 7:30pm Victoria 07823 441198

FRIDAYS The Church Of Ascension, Maltese Road, Chelmsford CM1 2PB NEW 9.15am and 11.15am TIMES Samantha 01245 266442

SATURDAYS Church Springfield Park Baptist Church, Springfield Park Road, Springfield CM2 6EB 8.30am and 10.30am Emma 07887 692906

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk Page 5

Music by Nick Garner

Spring has sprung and we are approaching the festival season. I am glad to see that The Fling is on again as well as Walthamstock.

Cosmic Puffin this year is from 29th April to 1st May - if you don’t know it check it out, it’s on Mersea Island and this is its ninth year.

This is a great festival with so many different types of stages as well as lots going on for the whole family plus camping. Check it out at www.cosmicpuffin.org.uk. Later in the year, there is also Brownstock and my Blues in the City Festival 6. We are already lining up some amazing acts for Blues in the City. Look out for many other smaller festivals in and around the area as well.

We have had some great live acts playing recently in the city and we, Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective, held our Chelmsford CD launch of Live ‘n’ Kickin’ at the Brasenose Arms and at the Ale House. I have to say it was a big success thanks to all who came along and enjoyed the shows. We are appearing for the first time in Chelmsford as a trio (which we do at times) at the Three Elms pub in Chignal St James on Easter Saturday. We do play some different songs as well in this show, but it is still about having fun, so we hope to see lots of you there.

It’s Your Music had the amazing Benny Gallagher of Gallagher & Lyle play at Chelmsford City Football Club on Sunday 28th February and what a fantastic show it was as well. I think many of the audience were surprised at how extensive his back catalogue is - so many hits that they have written for themselves and others over the years. The audience lapped up all of the amazing stories he had to tell as well.

I must also say Benny has to be one of the nicest and most humble musicians that I have had the pleasure of knowing.

It’s Your Music along with Chelmsford City Football Club are proud to be putting on The Blow Monkeys on Friday 22nd April as part of their current UK tour. The band are still the full original line-up fronted by Dr Robert. They will be playing all their hits and more and they are still actively recording new material. Supporting them is a local band who fit the bill perfectly, they are Sportsday who are described as a ‘jangly indie pop band’ and consist of Will Green, Katy Hodivala, Jack Southon and Grant Whitaker. See the advert in this publication for ticket information.

I know there is so much going on in so many of Chelmsford’s music venues and as ever Shakey is busy putting on live music around the city. The best way to keep up to date with what’s on where is to check out our What’s On guide in this publication.

Keep on supporting live music in your area so we can keep bringing you more amazing live acts to enjoy. www.bluesinthecity.co.uk, www.facebook.com/ bluesinthecitychelmsford, Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk, www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic, Twitter: @itsyourmusic.

Due to publishing times, we have been unable to review the 2nd

Essex Delta Blues Day and the Class of 76 and Headline Maniac shows this month - we will do that in the next edition.

Looking ahead, we have some great music coming up at The Bassment on the 13th April - Blues in the City has two of the very best acoustic guitarists you are likely to witness, with our very own Roy Mette, who some of you will have seen before - and for the first time in Essex we have Dave Onions, who is not just a guitarist and mandolin player, but also writes and sings some great songs coupled with a good sense of humour as well. If you do not know him check him out online and you will see why we are thrilled that he is playing for us.

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CT Gardening by Tom Cole white does the job best I think.

Rope Pergola High Riser When you look through magazines and books of stately home gardens with pictures of dreamy summer days, you may notice clematis and roses growing along ropes slung between posts, often old wood or twisted oak. This is something that many believe is not possible in their back garden - but it is. Sometimes we shy away from creating a feature from a traditional perspective but there is no need.

When looking back at garden history we find that rope walkways started to be used when sailing ships were the norm, so perhaps those wealthy homeowners were originally in the shipping industry.

Where do we purchase this rope today? B&Q and Homebase both sell it, or you could pop down to a ships’ chandler.

Walkways can be created with upright posts but it is best not to use fence posts, particularly standard softwood dark stained 10cm x 10cm (4” x 4”) - there are much more attractive ones. Buy 15cm x 15cm (6” x 6”) posts, especially in oak if you can obtain them, chamfer the edges and shape the tops to create attractive posts. The posts should be no more than eight feet apart - more and the weight of the plants will be far too much for the posts. I believe the best method for fixing the posts into the ground is with a good amount of concrete; quantities of about six to one of cement is a good mix, or use a ready mixed product called Post Fix.

So, what do we plant that will create that dreamy garden full of colour?

Roses and clematis are best, but the preparation is all important. The ground, if well prepared with compost (well rotted of course), will help feed the plants and conserve moisture which will in turn encourage growth. After planting, it is worth mulching with a layer of bark about 10cm (4”) deep, this will again conserve moisture and prevent weed growth.

So we have the ground prepared, now to add the colour. Let’s start with roses: Perhaps a creamy-yellow Alberic Barbier, New Dawn with fragrant shell pink flowers, and staying with pinks, Albertine - another rambler but early flowering. For something different look out for the rose Veilchenblau, this grey-blue flower can create an interesting alternative, flowering in midsummer. Last, but by no means least, if you want red you could do a lot worse than choose a good old favourite of mine, Paul’s Scarlet, flowering in June and continuing for a good month.

If the ropes are running to the side of a path, they need to be at head height so that you can enjoy the site and perfume of the rose and other climbing plants that you grow along them. The rope looks better passing through the wooden posts so it is necessary to use a large drill with a tank cutting blade and drill from both sides of the post.

Usually if you have drilled through first with a guide hole, the larger holes will meet in the middle. Alternately, fix plates and rings, which can be purchased in galvanised slate or even brass to give a posh look to your garden. It does come in blues and reds but natural or

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For clematis, use late flowering varieties. The reason for this is so that you can cut them down in February and the new growth can then be twined around the ropes as the clematis grows. This also allows you to prune the roses without harming the clematis. Clematis today, with so many to choose from, can become a real headache, so go for Clematis viticella as these would grow really well mixed with roses. One such C. viticella is Madame Julia Correvon, which is one of the reddest with twisted wine red petals and has the Award of Garden Merit. Another that would mix beautifully with a pale pink rose is C. Purpurea Plena Elegans with it’s tiny raspberry coloured flowers. Then there is C. Venosa Violacea with gorgeous purple veins to the white flowers. For one of my favourite clematis I would plant the Polish variety, Blue Angel, with it’s large sky blue flowers and crenulated edges.

Good luck and happy gardening!

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

Unit 1, The Paddocks, Highwood, Chelmsford, CM1 3PU Page 8 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

The Fling Festival Saturday 2nd July 2016

The Fling, a boutique festival set in the glorious surroundings of Hylands Park in Chelmsford, takes place on Saturday 2 July from 12 noon - 11pm.

Join 5000 other festival goers as they enjoy this intimate village of music, comedy and cabaret, with hundreds of spoken word, dance, poetry, burlesque, side-shows and other performances ready to entertain and inspire.

VIP Garden & Camping The Fling will also be offering onsite camping for all festival-goers to continue the fun way into the night, plus relaxed Sunday morning activities.

Ticket info Tier two tickets are now available from £23 and will be followed by tier three tickets at a slightly higher price. In all nearly 5,000 revellers are expected to experience The Fling’s intimate village of comedy, surreal theatre, fantastical storytelling, burlesque and curious sideshows amongst a banquet of unique performances from local and international headliners.

Tier two tickets are priced from £23.00 (Concessions), £25.50 (Standard), £35.50 (VIP), camping from £45.00. All tickets are available from the Festival Box Office on 01245 606505 or via www.FlingFestival.com Other bolt-on tickets for The Fling Festival 2016 Car Parking Tickets: £2.50 per car (please purchase in advance) Return Bus Tickets: £6 per person (please purchase in advance) For up-to-date festival information, visit www.

FlingFestival.com, like ‘The Fling Festival’ on Facebook and follow @FlingFestival on Twitter.

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CT Cooking by John Jacobs

Happy Easter everyone. Spring is officially here and already we’re a quarter of the way through 2016. I love the progress of seasons - and indeed the architectural evolution of my home city, ostensibly on a daily basis. There’s always somewhere new popping up to delight me as a food writer. The days begin to draw out and become warmer and our own café society brings tables and chairs onto the walkways and piazzas. Long may this continue. I only hope that never again will there be sullen voids where once healthy trees once stood for millennia to accommodate progress. High Chelmer is poorer for the loss of its watchful and sheltering old friend.

But enough of that. Spring is a time for birth and rebirth, colours returning to our parks and dinner plates as home grown fruit and veg starts coming into its own. I can reach out and touch the summer and lazy days camping in the forests of Suffolk. I do however have to buy another car as my beloved but somewhat elderly Nissan Micra, Mille, struggles to cope with two adults, dog, tent, fridge, double hammock etcetera. It’s a tenuous link I know, but as a completely nonmechanically minded soul, the prospect of buying a second hand, used, pre-loved motor fills me with utter dread. Lemons in fact. Being stuck with a dilapidated rusting bulk of ad hoc washing machine spares held together by elastic bands and superglue advertised as a ‘lovely runner, one owner, church goer, only three million miles on the clock’.

Lemons I say again. Getting stuck with a lemon.

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. On the assumption I can navigate my way through the used car market, I bring you a childhood favourite, Avgolemono, or lemon broth. This is a staple of the Cypriot diet and so widely eaten there’s a restaurant on the island that only serves this soup and is open until three in the morning to accommodate customers.

Instead of rice it uses orzo which is a pasta equivalent. Traditionally to make the stock one would boil a whole chicken with vegetables and seasoning. You could do this but stock cubes are fine.

Salt and pepper to taste 3 eggs The juice of 2 whole lemons Preparation 1. In a large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil.

2. Add the orzo, and cook until tender but still al dente, about 7 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper and reduce heat to low; simmer.

3. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and lemon juice until smooth.

4. Ladle about 1 cup of the hot broth into the egg and lemon mixture, then whisk to combine.

5. Add the mixture back to the simmering saucepan. Stir just until the soup becomes opaque and thickens as the eggs cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more salt and pepper, if desired, and serve.

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Ingredients 1.5 litres chicken stock 250g uncooked orzo

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All Things Beer

Here at Round Tower Brewery we are pleased to report that we have had a great time over the winter. It was great to have a notable mention in the list of favourite beers at the Chelmsford & Mid Essex CAMRA Winter Beer Festival in February, and especially that we were in a list with many regional breweries whose beer is widely respected.

Our beer travelled all the way up to the CAMRA National Winter Beer Festival in Derby this year and to date, is the furthest our beer has travelled.

In February we also celebrated our 3rd birthday (oh how time has flown!) with a Tap Take Over in The Hop Beer Shop on Moulsham Street. It was great to see so many people drinking our beer and enjoying themselves. We also took the opportunity to release 50 bottles of our celebratory #100, a cracking 8.9% imperial stout. The bottles sold out within 2 days. We have a few more left that we will release some time in the future...

Keep an eye on our Facebook & Twitter to see when. www.facebook. com/RoundTowerBrewery - /twitter.com/roundtowerbeers.

Looking forward to spring, we are releasing the last cask of #100, now over a year old, to the Woolpack (Mildmay Road) Easter Beer Festival. We have almost finished our series of beers named after the Blue Plaques of Chelmsford, so see if you can work out the next theme when it appears.

Now... what specials shall we brew for the Summer Beer Festival?

If you have an event coming up, please email editorial@itsyourmedia. co.uk and we will include in our what’s on guide

By Simon Tippler of roundtowerbrewery.co.uk www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk Page 11

What’s On In Chelmsford

March Friday 18th Asylum - Kaine + Core of iO + Goat Monsoon + Blessing of the Torchbearer Bassment - Mother’s Jam: Minerva Falls + Settle For Less + The Horse Heads + Revolve Chelmsford City Racecourse - Murder Mystery Dinner Civic - The Sleeping Beauty Cramphorn - Bugsy Malone Fleece - The Replik8ters Star & Garter - The Stents Saturday 19th Asylum - Loose Joints + The Electric Shakes + Distorted DJs Bassment - Saturday’s Alright For Dancin’ CCFC Home: Chelmsford City v Eastbourne Borough Chelmsford City FC - Class of ‘76 + Headline Maniacs Civic - The Sleeping Beauty Cramphorn - Bugsy Malone Fleece - Cadence Star & Garter - Solar 9 Three Elms - 6 Nations Day: Watch rugby in our mini sports bar with 6 Nations themed bar snacks!

Sunday 20th Civic - Northern Chamber Orchestra, M&G Concert Cramphorn - Spartacus (pre-recorded from the Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow) Ideas Hub - celebrating International Happiness Day Stone Bridge - History Walk (cityhistorywalks@gmail.com) Three Elms - Jamie Williams and The Roots Collective Trio Monday 21st Civic - Springblast 2016 Cramphorn - Boris Godunov (screened live from the Royal Opera House, London) Tuesday 22nd Ideas Hub - Naturally Happy Family monthly meeting Wednesday 23rd Asylum - Battle of the Bands Heat 4: Our Hands in Ruin + Fire at Dawn + Oceans Aside Bassment - Voodoo & The Crypts + 3ft High Civic - The ELO Experience Ideas Hub - Chelmsford and Maldon friends of the Earth meet up Thursday 24th Asylum - Dead United + Lupen Tooth (Bristol Werewolves) + Dead Stiff Bassment - Oxide & Neutrino Civic - Maddy Prior Fleece - The Repertoire Dogs Friday 25th Asylum - Castaway + The Vision + Grits Bassment - Rubber Soul Present Eddie Piller + Snowboy (DJ set) + Mo Fingers Chelmsford City Racecourse - Comedy with James Redmond Fleece - The Heaters Saturday 26th Asylum - Mercury Rising + Dax & Roxane + Kill The Freak Bassment - The Library Suits + Alex Fox + Jez Kemp Page 12

Saturday 26th continued Civic - D’Ukes Fleece - Kinetic Star & Garter - Thirsty Work Sunday 27th Bassment - Mojo presents: Hazard & IC3 Easter Sunday Intense Records DnB Special Three Elms - Easter Egg Hunt (3 - 5pm, roast dinners served 1 - 5pm) Monday 28th CCFC - Home: Chelmsford City v Maidstone United Three Elms - Charity Quiz Night (7.30pm) Tuesday 29th Civic - Legally Blonde Wednesday 30th Asylum - Luke Fisher + Settle For Less + Evergreen + Changing Seasons Bassment - Chelmsford Arts Collective present: On The Pulse Thursday 31st Asylum - Quiz Bassment - The Black Feathers + Steve J Curtis + The Southern Generals Chelmsford City Racecourse - Race Night Ideas Hub - Baby Clothes Swap (7.30pm) Fleece - Quiz April Friday 1st Asylum - Firestate + Silent Divide + Hope for Return Bassment - Shakey’s Sessions: Cohaagen + Painting On Pavements + Mr B & The Poets + Helen Connelly Civic - Barron Knights Fleece - Hit Parade Star & Garter - Jump Mother Crab Three Elms - Friday folk jam (8pm) Saturday 2nd Asylum - Chase the Day + Arrows of Time + Dangerroad Bassment - Sweet Release Records CCFC Home: Chelmsford City v Bath City Civic - Orchestra Of The Swan (M&G Classical Concert Series) Fleece - L.A.M.Z Star & Garter - The Statins Three Elms - Steak Night (6 - 9pm) Sunday 3rd Civic - Sing-a-long-a-Grease Cramphorn - Chelmsford Jazz Club Fleece - Wrestlemania 32 Woolpack - GC’s Jazz Club, with guests: Simon Hurley Guitar & Dan Banks Trio Tuesday 5th Civic - The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter Wednesday 6th Asylum - Battle of the Bands Heat 5: Proximus + Fisti Kuffs + Tokyo Taboo Bassment - Jazz Funk with Jason Rebello Cramphorn - Lunchtime concert Thursday 7th Asylum - Bella Figura + Bare Hunter + Robbie Ransom

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

Thursday 7th (continued) Chelmsford City Racecourse - Twilight race night Fleece - Quiz Friday 8th Asylum - Deniers + High/Low + The Tickturds Civic - Champions of Magic Fleece - Engine Saturday 9th Asylum - Sugarman Sam & The Voodoo Men + Rolled Up Sleeves Bassment - Saturday’s Alright For Dancin’ Cramphorn - Giselle Fleece - Skamite Hylands House - Keene Quilters - Patchwork in the Park Marconi Club - Swing in to Spring Star & Garter - The Aaron Randall Band Three Elms - Tapas Night (6 - 9pm) Sunday 10th Civic - The Simon and Garfunkel Story Monday 11th Cramphorn - Into The Woods Tuesday 12th Cramphorn - Into The Woods Cramphorn - Bugsy Malone Wednesday 13th Asylum - Bridge the Dark + Helen Connelly + Aaliyah Wood + Mike R.L. Bassment - Blues In The City: Dave Onions + Roy Mette Cramphorn - Lunchtime concert Cramphorn - Into The Woods Thursday 14th Asylum - Battle of the Bands Heat 6: Shavargo + Indigo + Fish Slice Bassment - WALLOP! with Stonewolf + City Of Mine + When Our Time Comes Chelmsford City Racecourse - Twilight Race Night Civic - An Audience with Ian Waite & Natalie Lowe Cramphorn - Into The Woods Fleece - Quiz Star & Garter - Mojo Moon Friday 15th Asylum - Charity Northern Soul Night Bassment - Kevin Pearce Band + Christie Isaac Civic - Ballet Central Cramphorn - Into The Woods Fleece - Steal Saturday 16th Asylum - Lady Grey & The Earls + Violetic + Souls Captive Bassment - Frére’s present Warriors Part II + Panic Awards After Party CCFC Home: Chelsmford City v Gosport Borough Civic - The Panic Awards 2016 Cramphorn - Into The Woods Fleece - The Strides Star & Garter - The Locals Three Elms - 2 courses for £12 (6 - 9pm) Sunday 17th Cramphorn - Don Quixote

Star & Garter Live music every weekend (See listings for gigs)

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March/April Issue Deadlines: Artwork - 7th April Articles - 2nd April Please send us your events for the next edition (for events between 15th April and 15th May) to: editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

We Don’t Just Hear You, We Listen, Say Chelmsford Samaritans Samaritans volunteers in Chelmsford are helping to promote the charity’s brand new We Listen campaign, which lets people know that anyone can call Samaritans, whatever they’re going through.

Striking posters in railway stations across England, Scotland and Wales contain hidden messages where people claiming to be fine are not OK at all. One says ‘I’m alright with being single I guess. It’s not ideal for the kids, but they seem to be coping’, the real message being, ‘I’m not coping’.

Supported by Network Rail and the wider rail industry, the campaign aims to show that while it’s easy to hide your feelings, when someone really listens you’re more likely to open up and start working through your problems. Good listeners can unlock the potentially damaging secrets some people keep. Samaritans are there for everyone and they don’t just hear you, they really listen.

Chelmsford branch director, Hilary says: “Life’s pressures can build without you even realising. It’s all too easy to turn away, ignore how you’re feeling, and put on a brave face. But you don’t have to do that with us. Samaritans volunteers make time for you and really listen to you, because simply being listened to can help you put into words what’s really going on in your life and help you find a way through.

It might be the pressures of family, relationships, work, health, finances - or anything else. Talk to Samaritans for free from any phone, email us, text us or come into our branch in Chelmsford and chat face to face. Whatever works best for you, we’ll listen and help you find a way through.”

and help spread the message that you don’t have to go it alone with your troubles when life is tough.”

Volunteers will be inviting travellers to find out more about the work they do and the services they offer, and encouraging commuters to spread the word about the new campaign on social media, using the hashtag #WeListen.

You can call Samaritans for free any time from any phone on 116 123 (you don’t even need credit and this number won’t show up on your phone bill), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit samaritans.org to find details of your nearest branch.

Get on board with the #WeListen campaign by following Samaritans on Twitter, @samaritans or Facebook, www.facebook.com/ samaritanscharity

Network Rail has been working with Samaritans to raise awareness of the charity’s emotional support services since 2010, along with Britain’s train operating companies and British Transport Police.

Ian Stevens is Network Rail’s Programme Manager: “Thousands of people in Chelmsford travel by rail and visit stations every day, so we’re well placed to support the Samaritans’ We Listen campaign Page 14 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Marconi ScienceWorx in Hall Street Is Open!

On Friday the 11th March we visited the new Marconi ScienceWorx in Hall Street. The official opening was as we started distributing this edition but here is a glimpse inside.

The exhibition is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11th March to 28th May and it will include a series of talks.

For more information visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/MarconiScienceWorX. And to book events please visit eventbrite.com and seach for Chelmsford Civic Society.

Chelmsford Civic Society will also be organising Heritage Open Days again this year. Look out for further information late in the year.

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Page 15

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City Times

Women Welcome at Rotary

International Women’s Day was celebrated on 8th March and it may surprise readers to know that it has been going for over 100 years. Whilst in Great Britain there is equality between the genders, it is not the case throughout the world. In Yemen for example (which ranks lowest for economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment for women), women are counted as ‘half a witness’ in court cases and are forbidden to leave the house without their husband’s permission.

In some countries in Africa and South Asia, boys are more than one and a half times more likely to complete secondary education than girls.

The Taliban declared war on girls education in Pakistan, a country which is ranked the second worst country for prejudice against women.

I had the privilege of hearing Mala Yousafzai speak at a Rotary conference about two years ago when she was just 17 years old and she was inspiring in her fight for education. She was shot and nearly

killed for speaking out in Pakistan and as a result of her efforts, she was the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

There are so many other examples that we find incomprehensible. In Saudi Arabia driving is not allowed for females and they cannot open a bank account without their husband’s permission. In Pakistan and Afghanistan, women can be forced to marry to settle a feud, while in Morocco they can be forced to marry their rapist.

Rotary is working hard in the developing world to bring justice and equality through education. The Chelmsford club has helped fund improved facilities in schools in Pakistan especially where it relates to girls and there are many initiatives for water and sanitation which specifically help girls. One of Rotary’s stated areas of focus is maternal education.

Rotary itself is open to men and women with equal opportunities to hold leading positions at all levels. In fact, the incoming national president is female and so will be the one in two years’ time. Clubs are always looking for new members and is working hard to dispel the misconception amongst many people that it is a male-only organisation. We invite you all to visit a local club to see the range of projects in which Rotary is involved, which may well inspire you to become a Rotarian. Meeting times vary between the clubs and can be breakfast, lunch or evening so enabling everyone to attend.

If you would like to know more visit www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org or better still, give me a call.

Best wishes Stan Keller 01245 260349

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Business Interview - by Tom Bosher This month we had the pleasure of interviewing the new Chelmsford City Racecourse.

Who decided to open a race course in Chelmsford and why? Was it important that you were in the only city in Essex and the newest in England?

“Chelmsford City Racecourse is built on the site of the previous Great Leighs Racecourse which was open in 2008-09. Chelmsford is a fast growing, exciting city to live in and the new racecourse is symbolic of that growth.”

Are all race courses all weather?

“We are only one of only 5 all weather courses in the UK and one of one three fully flood lit all-weather courses.”

What else other than racing happens a CCR? “We have a huge variety of different events happening here at the course, both on a raceday and non-raceday. Our events range from fitness events to comedy nights, from wedding and antique fayres to conferences and private dining events and not to mention our music concerts. Our fantastically versatile facilities are able to cater for a huge range of events and our experienced team are full of enthusiasm for trying out new ideas.”

Do you cater for events inside and out?

“Yes, we have a large acreage of outdoor space which can be utilised for events and of course we have our three large areas within the grandstand which can either be used separately, or as an entirety.”

How do you cater for food and drink?

“Our caterers, Graysons Venues, have a huge array of experience in catering for all different requirements from formal dinners to fast food outlets.”

Can the CCR be used as a venue?

“Yes the CCR is available for hire for a range of events as listed above.”

Are families welcome?

“Yes, families are welcome here at the racecourse.

Children under 18 years old are admitted free of charge on all of our standard racedays and we will be holding a Family Fun Day on the 7th August in aid of Macmillan Cancer Care, so all little ones are very welcome!”

How do you see the future for CCR? “We are aiming for the racecourse to be a 365 day a year venue encompassing a vast array of different activities on both racedays and non-racedays.

“We have some really exciting non-race day events coming up, including Simply Red in concert on the 1st July, as well as our monthly comedy night on the last Friday of every month. We have headliner James Redmond performing on the 25th March, so we

recommend booking tickets for that one quick. We also have a Murder Mystery dinner on the 18th March which will be great fun as well.”

If you would like Tom to interview you about your business please email us at ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk

bestofchelmsford

The Winner is...

The bestof Chelmsford has announced the winner of the Chelmsford Business of the Year 2016 Awards.

Independent Financial Advisers Fairey Associates Limited received 60 reviews during the course of the campaign, which ran from the 4th to the 31st of January, to win the coveted accolade of Business of the Year 2016. In second place, with 33 reviews was Ascension Global Recruitment.

The Business of the Year Awards is organised by thebestof, a marketing organisation committed to raising the profile of independent recommended businesses serving Chelmsford and the surrounding area.

During the campaign local people were asked to show their support for their favourite business by submitting a review of their service. At a national level over 48,000 verified reviews were left for those businesses who had qualified to take part in the awards. The awards operate at a national and local level with a UK Business of the Year, Category Business of the Year and Town Business of the Year.

Tom Bosher comments: “We are incredibly proud of all our local businesses who qualified for the Chelmsford Business of the Year Awards. They received some fantastic reviews from local people using their services. On behalf of the businesses I would like to thank every single person who took the time to leave a review. By doing so they publically acknowledged the contribution that these businesses make to our local economy.”

We’d like you to get in touch with us by visiting our website at www.thebestof.co.uk/chelmsford, or by giving us a call on 01245 701020.

Page 18

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Accountant to Musician - a Reinvention! by Linda McNeill I am very EXCITED about this month’s interviewee. She is someone I have got to know rather well over the last 6 years and I can’t believe it has taken me this long to write a feature on her. The lady in question is called Sue Paradine and she is a very talented musician and singer.

I first met Sue back in 2010 when she came to audition as a singer for the band I was singing in, The Shoes. She came into the rehearsal studio brimming with enthusiasm, with a huge smile on her face and literally fitted in with the other members of the band instantly - but could she sing?! Sean, our keyboard player, played the first few bars of Mercy

by Duffy and we all looked at her with baited breath - could she do it?! Well, from the moment she opened her mouth to sing she was awesome and we knew we had found our girl. When I interviewed her for this feature, she told me about the audition from her perspective and it was pretty enlightening: “I have always loved singing and was looking for a new outlet. My stepdad died in 2009 and this really brought home that life is too short so I decided to actively pursue my passion for singing and music. I found Join My Band online, found the advert for The Shoes, applied and got a reply! When I went for the audition in May 2010 I had never been so nervous. I was given 3 songs to learn for the audition. I sung these songs over and over at work for 2 weeks, taking regular toilet breaks so I could make use of the acoustics! I got to the audition about an hour too early and hid round the corner! Anyway, it went brilliantly and from that night on I was the sixth member of The Shoes.” Sue sang with the band for the next 6 years and completely loved it. “We mainly played for high end functions and weddings and so we got to be a part of many very special occasions. Singing a newly married couple’s first dance is a massive honour and it was very special.” However, as time went on she found that wanted to have more input musically: “I bought myself a guitar and began to learn. Over the last four years I have gone from a total novice to being pretty damn good. I have literally practised every night so I can be the best I can be!” She wanted to play guitar in the band but it never happened for various reasons, so she began to look for a new outlet.

Playing in a function band led Sue and I to realise there was a niche in the market for acoustic acts. The Shoes always played the evening do and our sets were made up of party tunes to get people up and dancing.

However, at a wedding or a function there is often a quiet period, often in the afternoon, which live music can really lift. It gives the guests something to focus on and be entertained by while they are mingling. We began to chat more and more about establishing such an act. In Sue’s words “we were regularly chatting about new songs we would like to try.

From the very beginning we have always been complemented on how well our voices blended and how effortlessly we sang together.

We wanted to sing a few more unusual songs or give current songs a quirky twist of our own. So we started to rehearse and The Shoesettes were born!”

Sue: “We were on a mini tour in Somerset with The Shoes back in September 2013 and we managed to secure a small gig for The Shoesettes at the same time. We hugely enjoyed performing in a different capacity and knew The Shoesettes were here to stay.” Since then, The Shoesettes have slowly been gaining momentum, initially

singing alongside The Shoes at their main gigs but then branching out on their own. “We have since performed at local festivals, wedding receptions, pubs and wine bars, and a particular favourite was playing for The New City Girls WI Centenery afternoon teas in the grounds of Chelmsford Cathedral - it was a gorgeous, sunny afternoon and such fun!”

Between us we have a fair few skills to throw into the mix and we wanted to bring these to our new act. Sue plays acoustic guitar, is an awesome percussionist, is pretty good on the bass and obviously has her vocal ability. I play clarinet, percussion and sing the lead vocals while Sue provides some gorgeous harmonies. We play a really varied mix of music and try and keep it fresh and interesting - Walk Like You from Jungle Book is a personal favourite, sung in a 1940s style with clarinet in the solos! Essentially we tailor our music to the event we are playing at and really enjoy learning special requests.

The Shoes main function band is taking a break this year so this is allowing more time to focus fully on The Shoesettes. So what is the plan?! Sue: “I am an accountant by day but ideally I want The Shoesettes and music to take on the dominant role and be my main line of business. I would like us to be playing most weekends with a regular slot in music bars and restaurants while at the same time continuing to play at wedding receptions and functions.”

Sue is a tireless worker and is ever the enthusiast - always looking to progress and improve. She has become a whizz at the more technical side of live music, becoming totally proficient at setting up the PA, recording and even making music videos. One of the most fun moments so far was when I rocked up at her flat just before Christmas to find she had screwed a green screen to the wall in her living room! You can check out the videos she has made of us on the website, www.theshoesettes.com - they are firmly tongue in cheek!

I was intrigued to ask what Sue enjoys most about The Shoesettes, “I love practising, the buzz of trying out new songs, the production side and most of all performing live - nothing beats it! The response has always been so positive and it is a joy to perform. My full time job is accountancy and always has been since college. I have a real creative side but have struggled over the years to channel it - I have done jewellery making and even qualified as a hairdresser but with singing and performing I feel have finally nailed it. It is like it is in my blood.”

Even if I do say myself, the future looks bright for The Shoesettes.

Hopefully in time Sue can fully reinvent herself from accountant to musician - I have high hopes! If you want to check out The Shoesettes please have a look at the website www.theshoesettes.com and find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/theshoesettes If you run your own business or enterprise and what to be featured in my column please get in touch at linda@bunintheovenbirthing.co.uk.

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Page 19

Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill Carrying on from the series of articles on anxiety, I’m now going to write a series on phobias. Many people claim to be ‘phobic’ of something, when actually they feel a little trepidation or uncomfortable with a situation/object/animal etc. A true phobia can be crippling and hypnotherapy is used widely to treat phobias of all kinds.

In this series I will look at a few common, interesting or seemingly strange phobias. Believe it or not, you can quite literally be phobic of anything! Today though we’re going to look at a phobia that is commonly associated with those suffering with social anxiety and panic disorders, OCD and some types of trauma. Today I will discuss agoraphobia.

When treating any kind of phobia the first thing I will look for is an initial sensitising event. This is an event that that caused the phobia, or at least the beginnings of one. For example agoraphobia is an extreme or irrational fear of open or public spaces. If, as mentioned above, the client had suffered a severe trauma in an open or public space (for example, being attacked) this could lead them to being phobic of open or public spaces because of the fear surrounding the incident and their connection of the incident to where it happened. The incident would be classed as the initial sensitising event. Agoraphobia is also very much linked to panic disorders.

Agoraphobia affects about a third of all people with panic disorders.

In studies of agoraphobics it was found that the majority of sufferers also had panic attacks and the panic attacks always started before the agoraphobia. In about 75% of the cases studied, agoraphobic episodes began within a year of the initial panic attack. This can be attributable to the sufferer not wanting the embarrassment of having a panic attack in public and so they remain at home where they feel safe. In the case of those suffering from panic disorders, the initial panic attack, if suffered in public, could well be an initial sensitising event causing the agoraphobia to develop.

Agoraphobia, however, can be a phobia that develops as a result of a progressive fear or anxiety. For example, a client may have a social anxiety (so they feel anxious around people) or they may have OCD (for example fear of germs). As we saw from last months article, OCD actually has a lot to do with control, so although the agoraphobic may say ‘I can’t go outside I’m afraid of all the germs’ - what they may actually be saying is ‘I can’t go outside because I can’t control what happens to me, I need to stay home where I feel safe and in control of my environment.’ For those with social anxiety disorders, the fear of people keeps them indoors, sometimes leading to them becoming reclusive.

Agoraphobia is not, as many people believe, just about open spaces.

It is really a fear of being in any place or situation where the sufferer does not feel safe or where the sufferer feels trapped, and they are driven by an uncontrollable urge to escape to a place of safety which, in most cases, is the person’s own home. Agoraphobia is also defined as anxiety about being in places from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or in which help may not be available in the event of having an unexpected or situationally predisposed panic attack or panic-like symptoms (for example an anxiety attack). Here is a list of what you might call typical agoraphobic fears: Being outside the home alone Being in a crowd Standing in a line/queuing Being on a bridge Travelling on public transport such as in a bus or train Travelling in a car The fears for an agoraphobic tend to happen in characteristic clusters, so for example the agoraphobic may well be ok travelling on public transport or in a car with someone they trust (often referred

to as a ‘carer’ as they tend to be the same people) because they are ‘protected’ by the fact they are still technically inside but they are petrified of being outside. Or, the agoraphobic could be particularly petrified of travelling on public transport or in a car, no matter who is with them, because they interpret the situation as being one they cannot escape from. As I have mentioned many times in my articles, anxiety related disorders are always about interpretation and mindset - as I have demonstrated above travelling on public transport or in a car could be interpreted completely differently depending on the mindset of the person.

Taking all these factors into account, it’s not surprising that sufferers of agoraphobia don’t venture very far from home. Some agoraphobics find they can get further from their safe place if accompanied by their ‘carer’. However, in the worst case scenario eventually the sufferer could become totally dependent and find that they cannot go out anywhere without their ‘carer’. Regrettably, by doing so they are only reinforcing their fears and so making recovery much harder. Once a phobia has set in then the best way to overcome it is to slowly but surely face up to the fear. This is not easy as the sufferer has to experience those horrible feelings they’re trying to desperately to avoid!

People with agoraphobia can be seriously disabled by their condition.

Severe agoraphobia often confines sufferers to their homes for many years. Some are unable to work and rely heavily on friends and family to help them by doing simple things like the shopping. Even a necessary visit to the doctors can be impossible so the sufferer has to rely on an understanding doctor who is prepared to visit them at home.

A person with severe agoraphobia will become totally dependant on family members for their help and this can in time put a strain on the carers whose lives revolve around helping the sufferer.

In terms of treating this potentially debilitating condition, if the sufferer is house-bound, they may have to find a hypnotherapist that does home visits. As far as I am aware, these are not in abundance and therefore the first step to the agoraphobics recovery may well be venturing out to their initial consultation with a hypnotherapist! I’ll go into treatment using hypnotherapy next time (ran out of space again!), however, I will say that although hypnotherapy can be extremely helpful, I would certainly use a counselling approach with additional coping techniques and strategies to help my client regain control and overcome their fear.

If anyone has any questions or you would like to get in touch please contact me via my newly re-vamped website www.cloud9-therapy. co.uk!

Jack and Jill Pre-School

Now in its 36th year, Jack and Jill pre-school are renowned for providing a wide range of activities along with their experienced and caring staff.

The pre-school runs 8 sessions across the week with mornings and afternoons available on most days.

Rated good by Ofsted and based in Broomfield, the children are encouraged to engage with the community as part of their learning and so trips are often organised to visit the local park, woods and allotment where they can explore their surroundings.

Places now being allocated for September 2016.

Book now or come and visit us for a chat! www.jackandjillpreschoolbroomfield.co.uk Contact: Julie Ellingford, 01245 442448 or 07946 635068.

Page 20

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Page 21

Fitness and Well-Being

What to Do Before You Start Training

During a training session last week I found myself wanting to apologise for the programme that I’d set my client. You see, as a stressed city worker, he’d come to me to get some of that stress out through lifting weights.

But it hasn’t worked out like that, because one of the things I’m known for is helping people fix the niggles and problems caused by sitting at a desk, not moving much, and not dealing

with injuries correctly over time.

As a semi-pro footballer and economist, this guy was in the all-too-common position of being in pain pretty much every day from a variety of muscle and movement problems, and from a largely sedentary lifestyle with occasional bouts of intense exercise.

So, rather than going straight into a squat or lift technique, we spent the first few weeks analysing his movement and beginning to unpick some of the issues. But, that translates to quite slow, methodical training sessions in our studio - a lot of exercises to increase mobility in the spine; stretching and foam rolling the shoulders and upper back to start addressing some

of the hunch gained from staring at a screen in a pressurised job all day. Mobility drills to start remembering how the body should move.

And that’s why I wanted to apologise. Because the sessions weren’t what he was expecting, but they were what he needed.

And this made me think - how often do people just jump into a training routine without first identifying the niggles and issues that need dealing with? I imagine it’s most people, because where’s the fun in doing that?!

In my own training, I start every single session with mobility work.

If I’m working out for an hour, 20 minutes will be focused on simple movements designed to

make me move more effectively, and hopefully reduce the chance of injury.

So here’s my advice. If you wake up with back pain every day, or struggle to move, do these things: See an osteopath to help diagnose and treat some of the bigger issues. Next, find a personal trainer who can work with the osteopath to get you moving efficiently again. Then, and only then, are you ready to lift heavy weights or workout at a very high intensity, all the while including mobility work in every workout. Ready?

If you’d like a free personal training consultation, drop me a line at keith@liveasimplelife. co.uk.

True ’Appiness! by Kellie Jones

Sometimes when the reminder for this article comes through I wonder what I will write about.

I knew that I had to get the word out there that we have our very own Hummingbird Pilates yoga app now, but that’s not exactly fodder for an interesting read (unless you’re in IT I suppose). So I sat and thought about what having the app means to us once the excitement of downloading it from the app store is over.

When I think back to just over 2½ years ago, when we were still booking people into classes with pen and paper, changing appointments by text, phone and email - and to be honest, it was mostly me doing all that by myself. On top of that we rented our studios out so there were confusing calls and messages to clients that they had to call another number or 3 if they wanted to join those classes. I was burning out from the chaos of keeping it under control and in the process of that I was definitely not ’appy! Radical change was needed and part of pulling it together was taking a risk at the worst time we could have taken in the midst of a recession.

We stopped renting our studios out and in the process lost a large percentage of teachers, clients and income, we rebranded, we installed online booking, got a new website and a new team. How did I get through it? Barely sometimes, but the belief that it would change my life and ultimately benefit others in the long term was what kept me going.

At the time, passing the responsibility of booking classes back to the client was such an uncomfortable feeling for someone who tends to give too much, if I’m not aware of myself. When we run on empty it seems we forget ourselves for fear of mucking up which then leads us to muck up! Now we have online booking and the availability of 2 apps for clients to book and pay for themselves, I have a wonderful team around me that share the load which has created time to be aware of myself. I cannot tell you how much more efficient I am since I started to meditate every day, now I can give myself permission to slow down and breath I probably have the most time I’ve had to myself in years

but still it seems that I get more done. Last week I went to a yoga class and the hairdressers and took my nieces for dinner on a Thursday, because on Friday, Ellie and I had a director’s day out in London, which included shopping and superfood cocktails. So our Hummingbird Pilates yoga app is definitely helping our ’appiness!!

Scientists now say that happiness is simply like a muscle and will get stronger through exercising it, by challenging yourself to grow as a person through your thoughts and actions.

With that in mind, we have so many workshops and talks coming up to help you get started with your happiness workout or as Keith said last month ‘work-in’. There is actually an ’appiness app to help you with that too if you find yourself without enough time (yet!) to join us at Hummingbird, Keith@ liveasimplelife (in the article above) or check out what MoveGB has to offer. All you need to do is download our app or sign up online and we’ll be there to greet you at the door.

I’ve even given you the QR codes to make it easier.

Wishing you health and happiness, Kellie x

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Blues Dancing - Ever Heard of It? Most people haven’t. ‘Blues dancing...?’ many say, ‘...I didn’t know you could dance to blues.’ We have heard of lindy hop, jive, swing and tango, waltz, quickstep and so on, but blues dancing? Where does it come from?

Here we go back to our history of the development of blues music. Last month I shared how the African slave brought the soul of Africa with him into the deep south of America. It was in the cotton fields that he started to experiment with voice and rhythm to make the endless days pass by. And as small gatherings of Africans got together on Saturday nights, African dance, rhythm and music became their way of getting together, relaxing and sharing. Through the 19th century we only have a few letters and folk stories to inform us as to what went on. The culture was underground. The white man saw it as devil’s music along with the dance. What was undesirable was ignored or worse, punished.

We know that by the turn of the 20th century, African workers (slavery was abolished in 1838 but its practice persisted way into the 1860s) were gathering together in juke joints, small shacks on the dusty roads, making more sophisticated yet improvised sounds with percussion guitar and harmonica, and there was dancing. The juke joints were, in every sense of the word, steamy hot places to dance off the blues. We have little evidence to go by as dancing the blues was socially undesirable and unheard of for most European Americans. But the little video evidence we do have shows a distinct African style to the dance, sometimes solo, sometimes in a loose ballroom hold, with great musicality, rhythm and soul.

It was from these earliest dance moves that lindy hop and swing emerged as black music slowly started to gain some credence and

the dance was sanitised for the white man’s enjoyment.

Music became more structured and more tailored to European consumption. Big bands came along and in the swinging 20s when lindy hop, charleston and swing were at their peak, blues dancing was simply something practiced by poor African Americans in small bars and halls in the deep south.

In the last couple of decades, however, there has arisen a blues dance revival that has stemmed from America and is now spreading throughout Europe and the Middle East. Much music, from past blues artists who have long since left this realm, is at the core of this movement. People are drawn to the blues dance community by the music and the love of self expression. Its freedom and flexibility allows the dancer to interpret the music he hears, in partnership often with a.n.other, however he feels. There is a dance aesthetic and moves that can be learned and then the rest is that magical union of music and partner. The potential for not only immense enjoyment but also personal development is huge. If you are looking to dance off your blues we would love to welcome you to our growing blues dance community in Chelmsford.

By Jenny Lynn - Blues Dance Teacher and Personal Development Mentor.

Blues dance classes at the Two Brewers Pub on Thursday nights from 8pm. For more info telephone 07773 919071.

To view our magazines online please visit www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk Page 23

Charity of the Month - Chelmsford Gymnastics Club Many of you may have watched gymnastics on TV, seen the athletes on the beam or the bars and marvelled at the incredible skills they’re performing. Some of you may have children that have done/ do gymnastics and you’ve always thought it looks like a fun and interesting sport.

moves you didn’t think you would be able to do.

Within the last year Chelmsford Gymnastics club has won a few awards, including winning the British Gymnastics’ Be Part of It competition, a national competition with the aim to raise the

Now here is a chance for any adult to have a go at gymnastics.

Chelmsford Gymnastics Club is a fully equipped gymnastics centre located on Widford Industrial Estate, close to town and with plenty of parking. The gymnastics club runs adult classes for all ages and abilities, from ex gymnasts age 18+ to beginners who have never done more than a star jump! The class is semi-structured, starting with a group warm up and some light muscle conditioning, then leaving participants to explore the equipment at their leisure with qualified coaches on hand to help. There are 3 high beams and 2 floor level beams, 3 sets of bars, a vault with run up, parallel bars, pommel horse, a trampoline and a full, Olympic size sprung floor.

awareness of the fun of gymnastics. Also, the head coach, Julie Belemore has been awarded Essex Coach of the Year presented to her by Active Essex.

Chelmsford Gymnastics Club is a charity and a not-for-profit organisation, running classes for pre-school aged children upwards.

In 2012 the club raised enough money to move into its own premises, since then the club has grown incredibly, having been able to run more classes, and accommodate more gymnasts than ever before. The club is constantly looking to raise money to improve the facilities, which will help raise the level of all currently attending gymnasts, and make it more fun for any adults who would like to have a go.

The adult classes run on a Wednesday night from 8 - 9.30pm and cost £6.20 on the door - there is no need to sign up, just turn up and have a go. You can come alone or bring a group of friends and have some fun while trying something you’ve never done before. Ladies, you don’t need to worry about wearing a leotard, just leggings or shorts and a t-shirt is perfect, as long as you feel comfortable and feel you can move around. You also don’t need to worry if you are not strong or flexible, many who attend the class are beginners so are all in the same boat. Strength and flexibility are things that come with time, and attending the class on a regular basis will help this.

Gymnastics is a fun and interesting way to exercise without going to the gym, you won’t even feel like you’re working out, but in no time you will find yourself feeling stronger and fitter, while developing

A variety of people attend the adult classes, from ex-gymnasts turned coaches, to interested parents and locals wanting to have a go. But alongside them we also cater for interAct (a charity for young people with disabilities). If you, or a member of your family is involved with the group, contact them about joining in.

For those of you looking for something a little less active, the club also holds a yoga class, run by a qualified instructor on a Thursday lunch time from 1.30 - 2.30pm, costing £6.20 per session. Again these are run on a drop in basis so you haven’t got to commit to coming every week, and you don’t need to book just turn up.

Chelmsford Gymnastics Club is looking to offer affordable sport to as much of our local community as possible, and giving people access to gymnastics they may not previously have thought they could have, in a safe and secure environment. As a charity all the money received is put back into the club, to maintain and improve the facilities, and equipment available. As a small local organisation, the club is always looking for ways to get involved in the local community and raise awareness of the sport as well as to raise money. If any local businesses are interested in a sponsorship opportunity with the club, please get in contact.

If you have any questions about the classes or queries, do not hesitate to send me an email at lara@chelmsfordgymnasticsclub.org.

Chelmsford Gymnastics Club and I are looking forward to seeing you soon!

Page 24

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Get Ready to Pass the Torch

The Olympic-style torch came to Chelmsford this week in the lead up to apprenticeship week as part of the Pass the Torch campaign to support and encourage businesses to commit to apprenticeships. The campaign showcases how apprenticeships help business to grow their own talent and develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce.

Do you need to improve the skills of your workforce?

Apprenticeships can help you to develop new and existing staff.

The torch symbolises the passing on of knowledge from one generation to the next and the campaign gives businesses and opportunity to find out more about apprenticeships and traineeships and showcase their commitment by pledging to recruit apprentices.

The torch was designed and made by apprentices at MOD Boscomb Down. They have designed the conical shape to represent the expansion of knowledge, the bright LED light to symbolise enlightenment from learning, while red and orange LEDs represent the fire and spark provided by apprentices. Even the materials have been considered to show progression (brass, aluminium and carbon fibre) and the whole development process highlights the range of skills these apprentices have learnt; CAD design, machining skills, electronics and cutting carbon fibre.

If you are interested in how apprenticeships can support your business, find out more by visiting the website: www.passthetorch. co.uk.

Pledge, pass on your knowledge, Pass the torch

www.chelmsford3dprinting.co.uk

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Page 25

Votes for Women! (Suffragism in the Chelmsford Area) by Stephen Norris One of the best films of 2015 was Suffragette. A major feature of politics in the Chelmsford area in the Edwardian period was the women’s suffrage movement with nearly all of its major figures appearing in the town before a limited enfranchisement of women was first achieved in 1918.

The movement started in the area well before the 1880s. This should be no surprise because Anne Knight, the Chelmsford anti-slavery campaigner and member of the Chartist movement, had published one of the first leaflets to call for votes for women in 1847. In the Victorian period, petitions were commonly used by the movement to gain attention to their cause. The first petition from the town was presented on the 26th of April 1872. Chelmsford’s first suffrage meeting was held on the 12th of March 1874 by a Miss Beedy and Helena Downing. A Jessie Craigen held a similar meeting at the Literary and Mechanics Institute. In 1886 the same venue hosted a meeting where the main visiting speakers were Florence Fenwick Miller and Florence Balgarnie, who was the secretary of the Women’s Suffrage Society. Interestingly, there was considerable support from local clerics, with the Reverend Stanley Gibson, the Rector of Sandon, the Reverend JW Crompton from the Free Church at Danbury and the Reverend GC Postans, the Congregationalist minister in Chelmsford all present. The meeting was well attended and chaired by WW Duffield. Carne Rasch, later to be the MP for Chelmsford, was quoted saying at the meeting “I wish the women’s suffrage every success.”

A Reverend Gibson was concerned that it might cause discontent amongst married women if, as the Women’s Suffrage Society proposed, they didn’t get the vote. Mrs Fenwick Miller opposed this clause. James Pertwee said that “when it was considered that ladies could take degrees in universities and that the franchise was now lowered to the illiterate farm labourer, he thought it was a disgrace to men and a degradation to women to keep her out of the franchise.”

Miss Balgarnie then said if those men who held their hands up against the resolution, wished to keep women out of the franchise, “they should not have invented the sewing machine, the wringing machine and all the things which lessened labour and gave women time to think.”

As in much of the country, the women’s suffrage issue was fairly quiet in the Chelmsford area during the 1890s. The work of the Women’s Liberal Association and the Primrose League showed the increased involvement of women in politics however. In 1894 there was a meeting on the issue at the Chelmsford YMCA. The Reverend FW Atkin moved a resolution in favour of extending the parliamentary franchise “to all duly qualified women being ratepayers.” It was only just passed by 2 votes. In 1899 a Mr Hoare spoke at a Women’s Liberal Association meeting held at Crane Court: “I believe in women’s suffrage but the majority of the Liberal Party may not be in favour of it.”

In the early 1900s, the women’s suffrage movement was once again in the public eye, with the founding of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) which favoured more militant tactics than the more moderate National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (NUWSS). A 1904 meeting on extending the franchise to women at the Corn Exchange was attended by locals prominent in the cause such as Aylmer Maude, Richenda Christy, Mrs Catherine Munnion and Mrs Sarah Hickley. In 1905 Mrs Dence, the wife of the prospective Liberal candidate, presided at a meeting of the Chelmsford Liberal Club when a local woman Miss Copland lectured on women’s suffrage. “Parliament ought to be a reflection of the people but it would not be while women were without the vote.” Mr Dence also spoke in favour of the vote being given to women.

Cristabel Pankhurst of the WSPU and George Bernard Shaw, spoke at a meeting of the Chelmsford Discussion Society in 1907. Later in the year, after an unruly Liberal meeting, Lord Tweedmouth commented “the way the suffragettes were ejected from the meeting at the Corn Exchange cannot be justified and people of all shades of opinion are unanimous in condemning the methods used. A political meeting is not a religious service and it is open for anyone to ask questions. The

instant each suffragette rose to ask a question, they were grabbed by a number of political ‘understrappers’ and thrown onto the street.”

Apparently “despite great care being taken with the distribution of tickets, five members of the WSPU got into the building.” Heckling followed, “women are taxpayers aren’t they?” When one man shouted back: “Then give them the vote then!” he was put out. Lord Tweedmouth said women should have patience. Mrs Drummond, who was also on the platform, replied: “We have had patience for 40 years.” Whilst this was occurring, another suffragette, Miss Maloney, addressed a crowd from the cannon in front of the Shire Hall. She complained about the way she had been ejected from the meeting.

Drummond and the other suffragettes were taken by the police to the railway station accompanied by a cheering crowd of 1,000. A letter from a resident of Hamlet Road, Moulsham, appeared in the Weekly News, blaming the stewards for problems at the meeting.

As elsewhere, 1908 saw perhaps the peak of suffragette activity in the town. August saw Mrs Billington Craig, secretary to the Women’s Freedom League speak ‘on the gun’. She had previously been one of those who had chained herself to the ‘grille’ at the Commons.

Despite this militancy she and her supporters did not see eye to eye with the WSPU. On the same day a Miss Higgins, of the WSPU, led a meeting at the conduit with addresses from a Mrs Meyer from Australia and Mrs Drummond. Mrs Cooper and Miss Joseph, of the NUWSS, spoke near the Marconi works in Hall Street during the workers’ lunch hour.

It was the November 1908 election that brought all three wings of the national women’s movement to the county town. The WSPU under ‘General’ Drummond was highly organised and very efficient. It was the failure of the Liberal Party to translate their supposed support for women’s suffrage that led the WSPU to oppose their most fervent supporters. In the 1908 election the NUWSS put three questions to each local candidate. If they answered ‘yes’ to each question they would get the organisation’s support. Both Dence and Pretyman failed the test in Chelmsford. By this time many Liberal politicians looked upon the matter in purely pragmatic terms. It was considered that most enfranchised women would vote Conservative, so they would not give effective backing to such a measure.

The Women’s Freedom League, with strong Labour affiliations, led

by Mrs Despard, was also in the town for the two weeks before the election. On November the 19th the WSPU led by Sylvia Pankhurst, Mrs Pankhurst’s second daughter and Helen Ogston, arrived in the town. Pankhurst apparently looked like an artist, slim and slight with a shrill voice. Ogston on the other hand was a brawny Scottish graduate. Later, after being on the receiving end of a sexual molestation, she took to carrying a whip around with her. The crowd were orderly to begin with but when Sylvia Pankhurst began to speak, some youths began to drag the cart she was standing on towards the market. She asked for the help of someone who she believed was a policeman, but whom it transpired was a postman. Despite further drunken interruptions “the suffragettes determined good humour and above all their logical presentation of a case which had not been put before the people of Essex, finally won sympathy.” The crowd however, made a rush at them and they had to be protected by the police. “The police escorted them from the market to the Shire Hall.”

On the Saturday evening before the election, there were four open air meetings in the town. The Tariff Reform League held a meeting near the Shire Hall, the National Trade Defence League spoke near the market, the NUWSS spoke in Tindal Square and Mrs Drummond spoke to the crowd from the balcony of the Bell Hotel. Drummond had hired one of Thomas Clarkson’s buses and a full 12 piece brass band for a procession through the town. In the photos taken by Frederick Spalding the bus was bedecked with ‘Votes for Women’ signs and WSPU banners. A poster urged the voters to ‘Keep the Liberals Out’.

The bus was then used to take the suffragettes, who were recently released from prison and who were also featured in the photos on the posters, around the villages of Essex. They returned to

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Chelmsford at 9.30pm to a huge crowd. There wasn’t any excitement on the actual polling day but there were suffragettes outside every polling station. The suffragettes said that the increased majority for the Conservatives was due to their work. Dence certainly blamed his defeat on them.

The following month the Young Liberals, despite the opposition to women’s suffrage of their seniors, invited Miss EM Gardiner of the NUWSS to speak. Most at the meeting agreed with her views.

This and the furore over the election were probably instrumental in the establishment of a local branch of the NUWSS in December 1908. Lady Rayleigh was president. The Reverend Canon Lake and the Reverend T Macdougal Mundle became vice presidents and another prominent citizen, Aylmer Maude of Great Baddow, joined the committee. Miss Ridley and Miss Chancellor were also vice presidents. Herbert Pash was one of a number of prominent Chelmsford men, along with John Ockelford Thompson, ARP Hickley and C Conybeare, who gave active support to the women’s suffrage movement. Pash gave a talk on women’s suffrage at KEGS in March 1909. Apart from meeting regularly at the Institute in 1910, the local NUWSS met at the Shire Hall with the Reverend Canon Lake presiding, when it seemed likely that a bill might be introduced into Parliament. In November 1910 Mrs Richenda Christy the honorary secretary of the local branch of the NUWSS explained the Conciliation Bill in the Essex Chronicle: “It proposed to give the vote to those women only who are on the municipal register and that it excludes ownership qualification, except where the owner actually occupies her property.”

Amongst 119 suffragettes arrested for a raid on the House of Commons, were Misses Dorothea and Madeleine Rook of Ingatestone and Miss Grace Chapelow. Chapelow was a well known figure in the Chelmsford area. She had been born in London in 1884 but later lived in Hatfield Peverel with her mother and brother. Her mother, Emily was prominent in Victorian social reform movement and she carried the flag at the funeral of Emily Davidson. During her 20s, Grace became a militant suffragette and was a friend of the Pankhursts. In 1912 she was part of a WSPU campaign in Chelmsford along with Pethwick Lawrence to explain the militant tactics used by the suffragettes. This was the start of the attacks on property. After Chapelow had spoken at the Shire Hall, a Colonel Wood cancelled further lettings by the suffragists. He was worried after damage to properties in London. When she and Grace were arrested for breaking windows with hammers and stones at the Mansion House, Dorothea Rook said: “This is not done as wanton destruction, we have done it as a protest against being deprived of the vote.” They were sentenced to two months imprisonment.

According to her close friend Florrie Kantner, Chapelow suffered physical pain, being forcibly fed in prison. She smuggled a prison cup and a knife out of Holloway in the hem of her skirt and these are now on display in Chelmsford Museum. The knife has ‘Down with Asquith’ scratched on it. Her treatment in prison may have contributed to her becoming somewhat reclusive later in life. In 1912 she was sent to prison for refusing to pay 14 shillings costs in a case involving dogs.

Chapelow, along with other WSPU members, gave up the suffrage movement during the war. In the first war she did well out of selling goats’ milk. She was a strict vegetarian and kept thirteen cats.

Chapelow died in Stock in 1971.

1909 by Georgina Brackenbury and the Reverend Claud Hinchcliffe.

In 1914 some members formed the Suffragists Church Women Protest Committee. This objected to ‘the servile attitude of the heads of the church to an unjust and irresponsible government.’ These certainly included the new Bishop of Chelmsford. After receiving a letter from them he replied: “I have never been able to advise the extension of the franchise to women because I honestly feel that... it would be detrimental to the cause of women.” In the years before the first war the local meetings of the NUWSS always emphasised their moderation.

Most of their meetings were chaired by Lady Rayleigh who regarded the widespread law breaking as foolish. Miss EM Bancroft, the headmistress of the Chelmsford County High School for Girls, said in 1911 that she “doubted whether any good cause had been so maligned and misinterpreted as that of women’s suffrage. Not only women but men were now working for its so many leagues established to support it from different points of view.” Despite Chelmsford being a hotbed of suffragism it was frequently observed that female participation in local politics could have been greater.

The town didn’t have a female councillor until Frances Chancellor, Frederick’s daughter, was elected in 1920. In 1913 there were only two female Poor Law guardians in the Chelmsford Union. The Church League for Women’s Suffrage said there should have been ten.

Limited enfranchisement for women was finally achieved in 1918 as part of the Representation of the People Act.

Stephen is the author of From A Borough To A City: A History of Chelmsford 1888 – 2012.

The movement continued to be active in Chelmsford before the first war. At the AGM of the Chelmsford and District NUWSS in January 1911, Miss Tabor of Brentwood regretted that the ordinary quiet work of the Suffrage societies was completely neglected in the papers.

Another member, RD Courtney, said in the same year that resistance to the census, a new tactic, would be futile. Miss Rook however defended this action: “Women shouldn’t be treated as chattels.”

By 1912 a branch of the Church League for Women’s Suffrage was well established, meeting at Crane Court. It had been established in www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk If you know a CLEAN joke email editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Page 27

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Wildlife Corner by Nick Green February enjoyed mainly mild weather with a few frosts to remind us it was actually winter. Some hedgerows and shrubs started flowering or started to leaf - even the magnolia tree near the Seax building was budding well.

Snowdrops, daffodils, primroses and hyacinths slowly emerged and the crocuses around the multi-storey roundabout area should be putting on a good show.

Birdwatchers are looking forward to the return of the first African spring migrants in March, including chiffchaff, sand martin, swallow, wheatear and perhaps even a black redstart. Pairs of mallard are already prospecting potential nesting sites. Tawny owls and grey herons are breeding.

The UK’s smallest bird is the goldcrest (and firecrest) at just 3 and ¼ inches (8cm), weighing on average around just 5 grammes. There is a resident population in Britain and the more northerly populations in Scandinavia and the Baltic move south in winter across the North Sea to Britain, Ireland and the Low Countries. The largest documented fall was 400 on Foulness in October Goldcrest copyright Glyn Evans

1975 with hundreds also recorded at The Naze and Cole Point.

The species typically frequents coniferous trees, favouring European larch, pine, spruce and sycamore. Their high-pitched calls can be difficult for some to hear.

Essex Wildlife clubs include: Essex Birdwatching Society - www.ebws.org.uk.

RSPB - www.rspb.org.uk/groups/chelmsford.

Essex Field Club - www.essexfieldclub.org.uk.

Essex Wildlife Trust - www.essexwt.org.uk/get-involved/local-groups/ chelmsford.

Recent Essex Wildlife News The most noteworthy February 2016 bird news: Scarcer wintering birds still included the rough-legged buzzard at Holland Haven CP all month, a glossy ibis occasionally at Wat Tyler CP and The Hythe at Colchester and the great grey shrike and bearded tits at Heybridge GP. The red-breasted goose was seen again in the Deal Hall area in the first week only.

Abberton Reservoir highlights included slavonian and black-necked grebes, red-breasted merganser, 5 (2 drakes) smew and goosanders – the café at the EWT Visitor Centre is proving popular. Fingringhoe Wick EWT was visited a couple of times and highlights included the café(!), a spotted redshank on the newly created habitat, and a bittern and water rail on the inland lake from the Thurstable Hide near the Visitor Centre. Firecrests were noted wintering in a few localities.

A Small but Perfectly Formed Nature Reserve - Marconi Ponds Well, can a nature reserve be ‘perfectly formed’? It doesn’t quite sound right, as a nature reserve is a wild place where people take second place to plants, birds, animals and trees. Developing and maintaining a nature reserve in the middle of a city is about creating a balance - between providing an environment for the maximum number of species as well as encouraging the local community to enjoy and use the reserve for pleasure and recreation.

The Marconi Ponds Nature Reserve is owned by the City Council whose parks department support the Friends group to develop and maintain the site. The nature reserve is in the centre of the city, and runs alongside the back of e2v in Waterhouse Lane and the railway embankment. You can go over the stone bridge in Central Park and follow the footpath through the last arch of the viaduct, or go down Meteor Way (the car park is free at weekends) the nature reserve begins at the end of the footpath.

The Friends group was formed over 8 years ago and many of our regular supporters can see the difference they have made, from planting hedges to developing the wild flower meadow and working on other projects. As well as carrying out regular maintenance - litter picking, cutting back nettles and brambles, the volunteers plant wild flowers, trees and monitor the wildlife species throughout the year.

We usually have a special project on the go. We built the popular Activity Trail three years ago and two of the Girl Guide groups who come regularly to help have constructed a living willow dome.

Our original pond dipping platform has proved too small for all the Beavers, Cubs and Brownies who visit for sessions during the summer months, so one of the future projects is to build a bigger and better one! We are also working with Mike Barter, a local sculptor (he created the totem poles at Hylands and Oaklands Parks), to carve some tactile, multi-purpose signs for the site.

Have we managed a perfect balance in the nature reserve? Why not come along and see for yourself. We meet for a practical session on the third Saturday of each month from 1.30pm - 3.30pm. You don’t need any special skills and we provide tools and training. There’s always a range of different tasks and we have refreshments at the end. We ask that under 16s come with an adult for Health & Safety reasons.

You will be welcomed at our Open Day on Saturday 21st May, 1pm - 4pm, where there’ll be lots of different activities, including pond dipping, making a bug home and creating a badge, try out one of the quizzes and you can help judge the photography competition.

There’ll be refreshments and lots more, all for free (donations are always welcome!) Find out more on our new website: www. marconiponds.co.uk, or visit us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ Marconi-Ponds-Nature-Reserve-397793746999634.

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Stargazing with Mark Willis - March/April Jupiter becomes visible all night long from around March 8th. Most people spot Jupiter and don’t know it. It looks like a very bright star.

Train a telescope on it, and you will see it as a disk with 3 or 4 moons around it. Regular observing will show Jupiter moves against the stars in the background. Right now, it near Regulus in Leo and by January 2017 it will have moved across to Spica.

New Moon is on 9th March and 7th April, which means lovely dark skies and a chance to see galaxies, star clusters and the more distant planets.

hours at its closest point and around 7 days to reach Planet 9 at its farthest. Unlike Earth where it takes 365 days to complete one orbit of the sun, a Planet 9 year would last around 15,000 years! Planet 9 is believed to be somewhat similar to gas/ice giant Neptune.

Don’t forget that clocks go forward one hour at 1am on Sunday 27th March.

Any questions? Email me or tweet me. I can feature any questions and their answers on my next radio show.

Lyrids Meteor Shower - this is not the best one since this clashes with the brightness of the full Moon.

Next time in City Times Stargazing with Mark Willis - Mercury in transit...

Planet 9 - You won’t be able to see this planet that’s been in the news lately. In fact, no-one has! It’s existence is ‘known’ due to calculations. The most remarkable thing about Planet 9 is that unlike our known planets which have roughly circular orbits, Planet 9 has a wildly elliptical orbit around the Sun. At its closest point it is 200 AU (astronomical unit) from the Sun and at its farthest it is a staggering 1200 AU distant. A one way radio signal would take around 28

Mark Willis presents Willis Wireless every Monday at 7pm on Chelmsford Community Radio.

Web: Tweet me: Email:

www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com @WillisWireless mark.willis@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

Heart’s Matt Mackay is Ready to Pedal for The J’s Chelmsford’s popular annual cycle ride, Pedal for The J’s, returns to the city on Sunday 1st May and cyclists are being encouraged to sign up now, ahead of the event.

Pedal for The J’s is organised by The J’s Hospice charity which supports young adults with life limiting conditions across Essex. The cycle ride is now in its seventh year and is sponsored by Beaulieu and supported by radio partner Heart and media partner the Essex Chronicle. Cyclists have a choice of 15, 35 or 50 mile circular routes from Admirals Park through the Essex countryside and The J’s Hospice is giving a reduced rate to everyone who registers by 5pm on 25th April.

Jessica Dellow, Event Manager at The J’s Hospice explained: “We are encouraging people to visit The J’s Hospice website and sign up now so they have more time to get into training before 1st May. It only costs £16 for an adult and £7 for under 16s.”

One cyclist who is already gearing up for Pedal for The J’s is Heart Radio’s weekday drivetime presenter, Matt Mackay.

Matt’s colleagues at Heart, breakfast presenters Su Harrison and Martin Day, are already supporters of The J’s Hospice; Su ran the 2014 Chelmsford Marathon (which is also organised by the charity) and Martin has cycled in Pedal for The J’s before.

All three presenters attended the charity’s Pedal for The J’s launch in January which was hosted by sponsor Beaulieu at the exciting new development on the outskirts of Chelmsford.

Matt, Martin and Su spun a bicycle wheel with envelopes on it to

decide who from Heart would be taking part in this year’s Pedal for The J’s and over what distance. It was a wheel of misfortune for Matt as Martin and Sue had put his name and the 50 mile course in every envelope to make sure he has a long cycle ride to look forward to!

However, Matt is used to their pranks and is actually looking forward to the challenge. He said: “I am delighted that Heart is the radio partner for Pedal for The J’s this year, because The J’s Hospice is a fantastic Essex charity that needs more support. 50 miles is the longest route, but it goes through some beautiful countryside so I’m hoping it will be a great ride. We want 2016 to be the most successful Pedal yet - so please sign up now or go online to my Virgin Money page (below) and sponsor me.”

Last year, over 800 cyclists took part in Pedal for The J’s, raising £45,000 (before costs). To find out more or to book your place in this year’s event, visit www.thejshospice.org.uk. To sponsor Matt, go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Ma.

Money Raised

Publicans Pete and Gill from The Three Elms in Chignal St James, have for the last 5 years, held a pre-Christmas auction on the Sunday before Christmas Day. As business grows, unfortunately we also experience the loss of some of our older regulars. It was a privilege that they favoured The Three Elms as a warm and cosy traditional pub. Farleigh Hospice in Broomfield was the chosen charity for our auction. Neighbours and regulars donated some great things from treasures dusted off from their attics, never used boxed gifts, hand-crafted jewellery, to homebrews and homemade cakes and cookies!

Gavel in hand, Landlord Pete was able to entice a tidy sum of £450 from the purses and wallets of our customers. Due to the fantastic amount raised, Farleigh Hospice will be represented at the next Ale & Cider festival on Sunday 29th May, when we hope to beat last December’s donation.

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Family Friendly Funnies

What did the mother ghost tell the baby ghost when he ate too fast?

Stop goblin your food!

Why did the student eat his homework?

The teacher told him it was a piece of cake!

What has ears but can’t hear a thing?

A cornfield!

How does the man in the moon eat his food?

In satellite dishes!

What did the hungry computer eat?

Chips, one byte at a time!

What starts with ‘t’ ends with ‘t’ and is filled with ‘t’?

A teapot!

Why do fish avoid the computer?

So they don’t get caught in the Internet!

What’s the worst thing about being an octopus?

Washing your hands before dinner!

What do cats call mice on skateboards?

Meals on Wheels!

What did the mayonnaise say to the refrigerator?

Close the door, I’m dressing!

What did the left eye say to the right eye?

Between us, something smells!

How can you tell if an elephant has been in your refrigerator?

Footprints in the cheesecake!

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