Moulsham Times January 2015

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Issue Number 25 - January 2015

MT Welcome Dear readers,

Hayy New Year to you all. We hope you had a good Christmas holiday.

So here we are 2015 already! The year Marty McFly and Doc Brown travelled to in Back To The Future Part II, will the hover board be available to all?

Lots of great things happening locally this year, The Fling and 3Foot People festivals return in the summer, along with some new events for 2015. Remember to let us know of your events and stories and we will do our best to publish them.

Regards Nick & Paul

Editorial Advertising Paul Mclean Nick Garner 07595 949701 07970 206682 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk Disclaimer: It’s Your Media publish the Moulsham Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Its Your Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of Its Your Media Ltd. Reg Co No. 09154871. Printed by Imagery UK.

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MT

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is Changing!

We’re aiming to set up a community trust for Old Moulsham and Central Chelmsford. At our MoulshamFirst meeting in December, there was unanimous agreement of all present that we should go ahead with forming an association that reaches out to all who live or work in the Moulsham and central ward of the City Council. We are proposing a model where people who live, work, or have an interest in the community across the ward are eligible to join the trust as members and trustees will be nominated and elected from the membership.

We are meeting early in the new year when the constitution will be drafted and then circulated to everyone registered with MoulshamFirst (you can register your interest on our website: www. moulshamfirst.org.uk).

The constitution will be based on the following: Name: Old Moulsham and Central Chelmsford Community Trust

Objectives: To promote – • Community safety, health and well being • Educational activities for all • Citizenship and community development • The arts • The protection of the environment – (a) built/made environment (planning issues, streets and footpaths, street lighting, etc.), (b) natural environment (open spaces, parks, waterways, etc.)

• Social and ethnic cohesion We are proposing a board of trustees of seven or nine, and will consult on membership fees and benefits. More information will be out in January – in the meantime look out our website www. moulshamfirst.org.uk and get in touch via the website or via this journal.

Regal Kitchens voted best company for customer service Regal Kitchens are delighted to have scooped the coveted Excellence in Customer Service Award at this year’s Essex Business Awards ceremony. This family run business, with showrooms in Billericay and Chelmsford is leading the way within the kitchen industry, having previously secured the Customer Service Gold Award and the FIRA Gold Award for the highest installation standards.

Installations Director, Phil Edgell said: “Our clients needs and expectations are evolving and much of our work now includes home alterations and extensions, in addition to fitting the kitchen itself. From design, right through to completion of the project, we are totally committed to ensuring our customers remain delighted with all that we do. Finishing our work to the highest standard, on time and within budget is key.”

Regal’s latest scoop reflects their commitment to living up to the company’s ethos ‘where client is king’ and how they go out of their way to ensure customer satisfaction. Their whole approach to customer service is documented within their Customer Charter (a copy of which can be downloaded at: www.regalkitchens. co.uk).

Sales Director, John Martin added: “we’d like to thank the whole team at Regal for making winning this award possible.

We’d also like to thank all our customers, past, present and future for entrusting us with their kitchens and their homes.” www.regalkitchens.co.uk.

FREE MAIN COURSE OFFER AT THE COUNTY HOTEL The perfect opportunity to sample the delights of our AA Restaurant.

Offer valid when choosing items from our Restaurant a la carte menu only when ordering a minimum of two courses per person.

The cheapest main course item is free.

Must be pre-booked and bring in a copy of this voucher.

Limited availability for this offer. Max table x 4. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer/discount scheme.

Valid January till 12th February 2015.

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Tel: (01245) 455700

29 Rainsford Road, Chelmsford Essex CM1 2PZ Bookings: Karen Murrell kmurrell@countyhotelgroup.co.uk

5

From the House

As the New Year approaches, many people give some thought as to what they can choose as their New Year’s Resolution. As someone who has always loved to read, I have recently given my support to a new national campaign called Read On. Get On, which is being supported

by Save the Children.

The aim of the campaign is to get the poorest children reading and to encourage improvements in children’s reading attainment by the age of 11. Whilst recent data shows that 88% of children in Chelmsford read ‘well’ this is short of the best performing areas across the country and is something I would like to see improved.

The ability to read is a key building block of society and one of the most important skills that every child must master. We are

by Simon Burns MP Read On. Get On.

doing our children a disservice if we do not have high aspirations that every child leaves school able to read. Eliminating illiteracy is central to the Government’s education plans.

Research from Save the Children suggests that just ten minutes reading a day could change everything, so at the start of this new year, it would be wonderful if people could take the time to read with their children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren etc and as the campaign so aptly suggests, Let’s Get Everyone Reading.

Park Smart: Find Your Perfect Car Parking Space in Chelmsford Chelmsford City Council is providing a useful guide to help you save money and time by finding a car park to suit your needs.

With the news that the Bond Street car park will close at midnight on 3 January 2015 to enable works to start on the city’s exciting new retail development, it is a great time to explore Chelmsford’s alternative parking.

For Christmas shopping trips why not choose Meadows Retail (behind Iceland), or High Chelmer (Victoria Road South). Wharf Road (near the Essex Records Office) offers an ideal long stay parking option at only £4.50 - perfect for a full day out shopping, dining and enjoying leisure activities.

For excellent value weekend parking, try Townfield Street (next to the railway station) which is perfect for West End shopping, offering unique restaurants and boutiques and all within a couple of minutes’ walk from the High Street. Townfield Street is only £2.50 per day on weekends and Baddow Road (near the Odeon Roundabout) is priced

at only £4.50 a day for weekend parking.

For a fun day out why not visit a show at the Chelmsford City Theatres, next to the Fairfield Road car park (on Coval Lane)?

Chelmsford Council is also offering three lucky winners the chance of winning free parking for all theatre productions for the first three months of 2015.

To assist your daily commute, check out Chelmsford City Council’s season tickets which offer great value for money. Details about Premium Season Tickets, Annual 7 Permits and Business Permits can be found at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking.

Finally, beat the January blues with Chelmsford City Council’s promotional January sales. We are offering five lucky winners the chance to park in Waterloo Lane 1 and/or Waterloo Lane 2 on Saturday evenings for free. Visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking for more details.

MONDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

WEDNESDAYS

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

Life Church Hall Street off Moulsham Street Chelmsford Chelmsfo CM2 0HG 5:30pm Angie 07814 992628

THURSDAYS

NEW CONSULTANT 7th JANUARY Boreham Village Hall Main Road Boreham CM3 3JD 5:30pm and 7:30pm Glynn 07984 049777

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

Millennium Community Centre Recreation Ground Baddow Road Great Baddow CM2 9RL 9:30am and 11:30am Lucy 01245 262457

NEW VENUE Sandon Village Hall Woodhill Road Sandon CM2 7SQ 7:00pm Lucy 01245 262457

TUESDAYS

NEW 3.30pm SESSION from 6th JANUARY Broomfield Village Hall 158 Main Road (behind Angel Pub) Broomfield CM1 7AH 3.30pm, 5:00pm and 7:00pm Victoria 07823 441198 Millennium Community Centre Recreation Ground Baddow Road Great Great Baddow CM2 9RL 5:30pm and 7:30pm Samantha 01245 266442 NEW GROUP OPENING 6th JANUARY Salvation Army Hall Maldon Road Hatfield Peveral CM3 2HS 7.30pm Lesley 07973 239899

Church Of St Augustine Of Canterbury St Augustines Way Springfield CM1 6GQ 9:30am and 11:30am Emma 07887 692906

Writtle Community Association Longmeads House 12-14 Redwood Drive Writtle CM1 3LY 7:00pm Lesley 07973 239899 Springfield Park Baptist Church Springfield Park Road Spingfield CM2 6EB 7.30pm Victoria 07823 441198

St Michael's Church of England Junior School Barnard Road Galleywood CM2 8RR 7:30pm Emma 07887 692906

Newlands Spring Community Hall Dickens Place Chelmsford CM1 4UU 7:30pm Kierra 07971 349932

Chelmer Village Hall Chelmer Village Way (Next to Asda) Chelmer Village CM2 6RE 7:30pm Emma 07887 692906

FRIDAYS

The Church Of Ascension Maltese Road Chelmsford CM1 2PB 9:30am Samantha 01245 266442

SATURDAYS

Springfield Park Baptist Church Springfield Park Road Spingfield CM2 6EB 8.30am Emma 07887 692906

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7

India Is No place to Be Riding a Motorbike!

I survived India - I survived riding on awful roads with awful drivers, India is no place to be riding a motorbike!

India fascinates me, it always has, a country with 1.2 billion people where most appear to be in poverty, but there are a few who excel in the new world of IT. They all smile and get on with life be it collecting rubbish from the streets to recycle and sell, or working in a modern high rise call centre. The women wear the most amazing coloured saris that brighten up the dirty, drab city streets and the rickshaw guys paint their bikes the most amazing colours. I will return to India.

in Bangkok without breaking down as the tyres have holes in them and saying many mechanical parts are long beyond their best is an understatement!

It’s all about the people I was put in contact with Ceyhan in Istanbul back in April who let me stay in his apartment whilst he was away and use his garage/ workshop to service my bike. When he realised I needed a mechanic in Bangkok, he put me in contact with Cem, his friend here. Cem has helped find the perfect mechanic, fed and watered me and given me so much local knowledge. I mention this as this is common throughout my travels, people just want to help, they are so genuinely happy when they can help, their smiles beam when they realise they’ve helped.

Having ridden through the harsh deserts of Iran & Pakistan and the dangerous roads of India, it feels good to be in South East Asia where the atmosphere is so much more relaxed. The adventure won’t be so adventurous for the next few months which, both concerns me and pleases me.

After months of planning (thanks to Max from Russia) I met 10 people from all parts of the world to ride across Myanmar (Burma).

Myanmar was run by a military junta until 2011 when after elections in 2010 a partially civilian government was installed, although the military still has 25% of seats. This means that after years of closure, Myanmar is now open for tourism even though there are restrictions.

For 10 days with a guide who we didn’t have to continually ride with we discovered a new land. We saw and experienced the traditional Burma where the roads are mud and the beautiful people work in the fields as well as the modern Myanmar with perfect tarmac roads with the most modern buildings either side. The rural side of Myanmar was fascinating to see, we were just in time to capture what still is an ancient way of life before the road builders spread their tarmac to these remote areas.

Myanmar people are beautiful, continually smile and are a pleasure to be in the company of. Myanmar is clean and quiet. Don’t leave it too long before you visit if you want the mud roads.

I arrived in Thailand a week ago and am waiting for my daughter to arrive when we will travel around the country for the next 6 weeks.

My tired bike is now with the best bike mechanic in Bangkok waiting for new parts to arrive from the UK, so when I return to continue my travels she’ll be ready for adventure again. I’m amazed I arrived here

You can follow me at danskeates.com

Happy New Year to all our readers, advertisers and writers.

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MT Gardening What a truly marvellous Christmas… did you survive the New Year celebrations? All I know is that my outdoor gym, the garden, is calling me… as I’ve ever so slightly over indulged myself. Be honest, haven’t we all in some way?

As we move into January and through to February it’s the ideal time to plant. There’s less growth to check, and certainly no need for watering unless the ground is particularly dry, then it is good practice to water newly planted stock well to ensure roots have good contact with the soil. Don’t feed at this stage, leave that until March and then apply a more general purpose feed such as Growmore, Vitax Q4 or Fish, blood and bone. I would recommend a rate of 35g/ m². Lightly work in around your planted borders and if sufficient moisture is present in March, follow this with a generous layer (mulch) of wellrotted organic matter. Use your own rotted garden compost, farm yard manure, leaf mould or mushroom compost if you can get it. Aim for at least 10cm depth and take care not to bring the mulch right up to the trunk of young trees and stems of woodies and perennials as this could potentially scorch young growth; just leave a little gap between stems and edge of compost.

Lastly It was a little wet in my garden last autumn, so I’ve only just been able to get onto my drying out, slightly raised beds to dig them over.

Add copious quantities of well organic matter to the surface; I’m going for around 15cm depth all over. Follow this by turning in to at least 1 spits depth and if able level out, consolidate with feet or the back of a metal rake by tamping down onto soil, as this improves water holding ability. You’re then ready for sowing if using covers. I’ll be popping in mixed salad leaves; containing sorrel, chard, lettuce and rocket for cut and come again. My other beds are sorted with onion sets and another for asparagus.

News and events from the Writtle College This year the horticultural team will be leading a group of Level 3 (‘A’ level equivalent) students in competing at the Ideal Home Exhibition as part of the Young Gardener of the Year competition. We’re hoping to maintain our high standard of achieving golds and winning best in show – no pressure guys! I’ll report back nearer the time as this show starts 20th March through to 6th April. Young Gardener of the Year is an annual competition, in association with the Prince’s Foundation for Building Community which celebrates young ‘green’ talent and sees six of the UK’s leading horticultural colleges go head-to-head to create a show stopping sustainable garden to be visited by thousands of visitors at the Ideal Home Show. Additionally, we have the chance to be awarded with either the Best in Show or The People’s Choice accolades. Wish us luck!

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Also, if you want to develop your garden/landscape skills further or indeed, want to know more about everything we offer at the college, why not pop along to our information event on Wednesday 7th January between 6-7:30pm? Turn up to the main campus or book a space online following this link: http://www.writtle.ac.uk/InformationEvents.

Good luck and happy gardening!

For any gardening tips why not contact Tom Cole, Head of Faculty for Land & Environment, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

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National Tree Week - High Chelmer’s London Plane National Tree Week ran from 29th November to 7th December 2014 and was marked in Chelmsford by the city centre community announcing which tree will be Chelmsford’s first National Tree Week representative.

The London Plane tree in High Chelmer has been chosen as the city of Chelmsford’s favourite tree. It was chosen by representatives of the city centre’s community and groups protecting our heritage and history, as standing tall and proud - a healthy fine specimen of a tree that provides shade and shelter to many people near the pedestrian crossing on Market Road.

Each year since 1975, National Tree Week has encouraged us to celebrate our beautiful surroundings. Commonly described as the lungs of the earth, trees are such an important part of the world around us. They provide us with oxygen and are great for animals, birds and insects who need them for food and a home to live in.

The London Plane has especially fine properties as a large-growing, shade-providing urban tree. It copes well with heat and cold, the wet and dry, compaction of the soil and pollutants generated by cities.

It is not known how old a London Plane may become because none have been known to have died of old age. The oldest trees of this species date from first plantings around 1660-80. A short guide to the London Plane is available here http://www.treetree.co.uk/treetree_downloads/The_London_Plane.pdf.

Simon Mouncey, from the new Old Moulsham and Central Chelmsford Community Trust, said - “this tree represents Chelmsford because it has been here longer than any of us, as Chelmsford continues to grow. It is witness to a changing Chelmsford and Louis and his

Simon Mouncey city centre community representative and Edith Miller from Transition Chelmsford with son Louis and the declaration marking the High Chelmer Tree as Chelmsford’s 2014 representative for National Tree Week. generation will be able to meet here under its broad shading and sheltering boughs when we, and much of Chelmsford that is familiar to us now, is long gone. No one knows how old any tree of this type is because they never die. If anything were to happen to this tree I think there would be a curse on Chelmsford.”

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11

FROM COUNTY HALL

by Cllr Dick Madden

Happy New Year, it’s 2015, what will this year bring? Oh, of course I do hope fellow residents, you all had a wonderful Christmas and now as we enter into 2015 our Christmas decorations will be replaced with energy and enthusiasm! We have a General Election in May. Right that’s enough of the politics.

What then for me at ECC County Hall? Well, just before Christmas I got called by the Leader of the Council and informed I was no longer the Cabinet Member for Families and Children, but from the 9th December 2014 was the Cabinet Member for Adults and Children.

What does that mean, I here you ask? Well it means besides being accountable on behalf of the public of Essex for the safeguarding of children, looked after, fostered and adopted and all children with physical and mental disabilities, the role will be expanded to include adults. This being the safeguarding of those with physical and mental disabilities, elderly adults in care homes and - wrapped around both areas of adults and children - domestic abuse.

It is a great honour to be given this newly created role in the Essex County Council Political Cabinet and one I recognise as both challenging and demanding. However I assure you - not only for our community but all communities in the county of Essex - I will try my best to represent all the public of Essex in some of the most sensitive areas that can impact in our daily lives. I look forward to the challenge.

A bit of news for you from County Hall regarding highways. A positive outcome for our roads, after being scanned with some super duper equipment, they have again improved compared to last year. Yes I know there are some estate roads that need attention, which have been reported, but if you consider over the past three years

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the number of roads that have been resurfaced and summarily repaired, we have not had a bad deal. Also, though I have received very few negative comments about part-night lighting, our county highways department have recently announced trials - not in our area but other parts of the county - with LED lighting. LED lighting uses less energy and when controlled, less light pollution, which were two major reasons why we now have part-night lighting across our county. Will our lights come back on? I don’t know yet, let’s see how the trials progress.

As we now progress through 2015, what do I hope for our community? Well, our community is made up of the city centre, Old Moulsham and Moulsham Lodge. Let me start with Moulsham Lodge. The ‘Old Cop Shop’ has been decorated and my hope for the new year is that this newly developed community hub is well used and is of benefit to you all. With regard to Old Moulsham I do hope, with other residents, we are successful in finding and developing our own community hub similar to Moulsham Lodge. Finally, for the city centre, I hope to see all the building work completed and the public again able to have access to Shire Hall.

Finally Kathryn, I and all our family wish you a happy and healthy New Year.

BE SAFE Dick Madden

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MT Baking by Alison Motley

Happy New Year everyone!

I cannot believe that it is 2015 already and with the Christmas decorations taken down, the house feels a little empty and it seems a long wait until spring. Gone is the one time of the year when it seemed perfectly acceptable to drink a glass of champagne and eat half a tin of Quality Street (except for those Strawberry Delights of course) before 9am! Or was that just me?

January is the month when many of us jump on the scales and think about losing some of that ’one more mince pie won’t hurt‘ weight we’ve recently gained, but it can be hard when you still have those Christmas leftovers.

Some would suggest we throw them out and restock with lettuce leaves and lemon juice, ready to start the new year with a fridge full of rabbit food and a list full of resolutions. Not only is that a shocking waste of food and money, but can you really bring yourself to throw away that block of stilton you bravely fought a granny for in M&S on Christmas Eve? Me neither!

As for resolutions, research suggests that over 80% of us have broken them by February. Let’s be honest, can you really give up coffee, find a new job and lose weight at the same time?! My New Year’s resolution for 2015 is just to try to be a bit kinder to everyone.

My first effort involved inviting a guy with just a couple of items to go in front of me in the supermarket queue, he was so shocked and grateful it made his day and his happy face released more endorphins in me than an hour down the gym!

So resolutions sorted, it’s back to those lovely leftovers. I have been helped this month by the fantastic people over at www. lovefoodhatewaste.com, a not-for-profit organisation working hard to reduce food waste in the UK. They have some staggering facts and figures about food waste - did you know we throw away 7 million tonnes of food and drink in the UK each year, costing the average household £470?

Thankfully, their easy to use website also has some brilliant hints and tips for savvy food shopping and storage, great ideas for meal planning and portion control, a whole host of easy recipes and even handy tools like a great money saving app.

This recipe has been adapted from their website and is tasty, healthy, and quick to throw together. There are no exact quantities or ingredients for the vegetable base, the whole point is to use whatever you have languishing in the fridge. It is fairly forgiving so

don’t be afraid to adapt it to what you have. I have made several different variations depending on what leftovers I had, and they all tasted great. Feel free to experiment with the herbs and spices too depending upon what you have in your cupboards. You could also throw in any leftover turkey or ham, chopped into the vegetables.

Now what can I do with those leftover Quality Street... Strawberry Delight cookies anyone?

Christmas Leftovers Crumble - Serves approx 4: Selection of root vegetables e.g. carrot, parsnip, swede, turnip, jerusalum artichoke 2 leeks or small onions 1 small tin of sweetcorn, drained or 2 handfuls of frozen sweetcorn or peas 1 red, yellow or orange pepper.

2 handfuls of cooked chopped greens e.g. spinach, kale, brussel sprouts or green cabbage 1 tin chopped tomatoes plus water to make up to 750ml liquid 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube Dried herbs and spices to taste e.g. mixed herbs, oregano, chilli powder, paprika Salt and black pepper 110g plain flour 110g cheese e.g. cheddar, stilton, gruyere, red leicester , grated 50g butter, cubed 1. Preheat oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas mark 7.

2. Pour the chopped tomatoes and water into a large pan and bring to the boil.

3. Crumble in the stock cube and herbs/spices and stir to dissolve.

4. Peel and chop the root vegetables, leeks/onions and peppers, and add these to the pan.

5. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.

6. Add the sweetcorn/peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Season to taste.

7. Spoon the vegetables into an ovenproof dish and scatter over the greens.

8. Sift the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub in with fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the cheese and some extra herbs if liked.

9. Sprinkle crumble over the vegetables and bake for approx 20 minutes until bubbling and golden.

I’d love to hear from readers with any suggestions and ideas, or what recipes you would like to see here. Drop me an email at motleybakes@aol.com.

The Bay Horse

Two years since it’s quarter of a million pound refurbishment, The Bay Horse has become one of the most beautiful and acclaimed restaurants in the city of Chelmsford.

Reputed to be the oldest tavern in Chelmsford, this Grade II listed Tudor building has been lovingly restored and renovated, combining modern design with period features, to create a bright and airy space.

Over the past two years, The Bay Horse has gone from strength to strength. Acclaimed by critics and diners alike, customers have been returning regularly. Special events have proved a huge success; the free Guy Fawkes evenings in aid of Help for Heroes have seen breathtaking firework displays with hog roasts, children’s entertainers, face painters and more. Christmas Eve with live music and complimentary Christmas goodies have become a favourite with Chelmsford locals, and New Year’s Eve gala dinners have delighted hundreds of customers.

In contrast to the usual faceless high street branded restaurants, The Bay Horse focus on high-quality dining, a warm welcome and the personal touch. Hosts welcome all customers into the venue and go the extra mile to ensure every visit is one to remember.

Masters of molecular gastronomy, the award-winning chefs at The Bay Horse prepare delicious and varied seasonal menus. Each dish is freshly cooked from the finest, locally sourced, organic ingredients.

Daily specials are available and from January 2015 a new express lunch menu will be available for city workers, which means customers can enjoy fresh healthy lunches and avoid factory-packed sandwiches. Even the breads are cooked daily.

The unrushed atmosphere means customers can take their time enjoying their food and socialising and after a beautiful meal, there are plenty of sinful desserts and cheeseboards to choose from.

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Known for the best drinks in town, The Bay Horse’s resident mixologists combine and blend flavours to create the most stunning cocktails, whilst a selection of real ales, fine wines and cold beers are also available.

The beautifully decorated venue sets the perfect evening ambience, and candlelit tables are available for couples and groups. Special occasions are the speciality and whether it’s a couple celebrating an anniversary, a family getting together for a birthday, or even a large group, The Bay Horse can accommodate everyone. The on-site events team takes away all the streses of organising an occasion, making sure everything goes smoothly and every detail is perfect.

Every weekend The Bay Horse welcomes the finest live musicians – from jazz pianists to acoustic guitar players and singers. From 10pm you can hear acoustic versions of the latest hits alongside classics, as our musicians entertain our friendly clientele into the night.

Striking the perfect balance on high-quality audio equipment, it’s loud enough for a dance, but won’t overpower conversation.

Sundays mean delicious roast dinners. Step out of the cold and into the warm, as our chefs prepare the tastiest seasonal vegetables to accompany perfectly cooked mouth-watering roasted meats.

This January, The Bay Horse kicks off the new year with a fantastic new a la carte menu. From our handmade burgers to our beer battered north Atlantic cod the new menu is sure to delight. New visitors can expect a classic menu with a modern twist, whilst regulars have an entirely new selection to sample (with a few old favourites too!) - including our home prepared Pie of the Day! After their sensational renovation of the Bay Horse, the team have acquired The Yew Tree in Manuden, a restaurant and boutique hotel, which has opened to rave reviews. This January their third venue opens in North End, Great Dunmow and after the success of The Bay Horse and The Yew Tree, it seems The Butchers Arms is destined for great things!

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Music News / Review and Blues in the City Another year - where do they go? It only seems like yesterday we were celebrating the new millennium. 2014 was a good year with lots having happened not only for Blues in the City, also Paul and I with our It’s Your Group which now comprises of It’s Your Media which publishes the Moulsham Times, Chelmsford The City Times and new in 2014, Braintree Life. We also have It’s Your Music which promotes and puts on live music all over Essex. Our first venture was a successful stage at The Fling and then at the Tour de France. From there we started to put on our own shows, the first being the legendry Eddie and the Hot Rods and many others since. We are looking forward to doing more in 2015. Finally we have It’s Your Agency which is our booking agency where we have already over 40 acts on our books, from some of the smaller to acts to the Blockheads. It’s Your Agency books acts into anything from small venues to festivals and small to big tours in the UK and Europe. We are also able to book corporate events and weddings. We have partners in this field who can organise and plan your event and provide speakers from sports personalities to some of the top comedians. We have access to the very best sound and lighting and staging, along with all the technicians you will need to provide equipment for small pubs to a full festival set up. So do check our websites - www.itsyourmedia. co.uk or www.itsyourmusic.co.uk, lastly www.itsyouragency.co.uk. You can also follow all these on twitter and facebook.

Blues in the City has had a great year with our festival and I want to thank the Bassment and all of you for your support and I am looking forward to 2015. We ended the year with a great show that saw three of the best musicians playing with a welcome return to Martin McNeill playing guitar, harmonicas and singing some of the very best blues. Then another welcome

Martin McNeill return to another two greats, Guy Tortora (guitar, vocals and harmonica) with Janos Bajtala on keyboards who stunned us all with his amazing skills. We could not have had a better end to the year at the Bassment. Then on Friday, It’s Your Music put on two monster acts at the Billericay Town Football Club, as a true double headline show with firstly, the amazing Rosco Levee & the Southern Slide and then the amazing 24 Pesos. Both acts played great sets and thrilled all who attended the night.

acts that are not worth missing. Then on Saturday 21st March I am putting on the very first Essex Delta Blues Day at the Bassment.

Rosco Levee & The Southern Slide This is planned to be from noon to midnight with 18 acts on two stages and will be nonstop, so a big task but I am sure it will work. I still have a couple of spots left, but I am also looking for sponsorship as the ticket sales will only pay for the promotion of the event and it would be good to be able to give the musicians from Essex some money. If you know of anyone or a company that maybe able to help then please contact me. My contact details are: 07970 206682 or info@bluesinthecity.co.uk and we can discuss it further. I am also starting to plan the Blues in the City Festival 2015 from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th October 2015.

Lastly my thoughts on hearing all about Marconi and Hall Street and what we have in Chelmsford to celebrate Marconi and his legacy.

Let’s create something that can make us stand out in the world to attract tourists and people to come to our city therefore helping employment and revenues for the city.

My idea, if you, or someone you know can help to build a multipurpose venue, somewhere that can that be a place to be proud of and set us apart in the world and celebrate the Marconi legacy along with a place to house live events.

Why not create a new build that can house a space that can host events such as concerts of all types from ballet to comedy or music for up to 3000 people so we can attract the larger acts and also use the space for exhibitions, trade shows and conferences as well?

Attached to this could be a space to house and celebrate Marconi, maybe add a studio for the likes of BBC Radio Essex, a recording studio and then around the outside: shops, artist’s studios, galleries, cafes etc... Make these local independents and not the same old multi chains. You could have areas for children and recreation and maybe a space to celebrate some of our other greats, both living and past in Essex. It is a big project and would need a lot of money, but I am sure where there is a will there is a way, as many other places around the world have done similar things. Why not Chelmsford?

Let’s really put us on the map and make us great. I welcome your thoughts and comments.

Guy Tortora and Janos Bajtala The next BITC at the Bassment is on Wednesday 14th 2015 (see the advert on page 3) with a welcome return of The Sharpees and a first at the Bassment for us - with Blues Spiders. These are two great

Julian Burdock (24 Pesos)

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West Meets East: Tantrika Comes to Essex by Jon Power One colourful character that few Essex folk will be aware of, because he spent much of his life in foreign countries, was born on the London-Essex borders in 1911 from a family with roots in Epping on the paternal side, while his mother’s family hailed from the Brighton area of Sussex. The native in question was born Lawrence Miles, but gained other names from his travels. In India he was known as Mahendranath Dadaji: meaning great auspicious Nath yogi, the Thunderer, Da da being the sound of thunder.

energy that could be utilised to martial or slave labour ends. In Indian Tantrika and also Vajrayana Buddhism and Chinese Taoism the psychosomatic effects of sexual energy are utilised for spiritual ends through various schools as variants of yoga. Outside the five directional schools of Indian Tantrika there are to be found other degenerate forms of associated practice, with rogue gurus (would-be teachers) that have not helped to give Tantrika a favourable public face. Nor have Western sex freaks looking for exotic kicks.

The Brighton side of the family provided an early formative event when Dadaji’s great aunt, Madam Clay Palmer, a fortune teller for Queen Victoria, initiated him aged twelve, into the lineage of her inherited pre-Christian nature religion that had survived underground during the heresy purges of the Middle Ages. In his twenties he was involved with the Communist Party in the Brighton area and arrested for his part in demonstrations for jobs, during the inter-war period. He fought against the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War, and served in the British Army, which included a tour of duty in Egypt. He reached the rank of Sergeant-Major but never took a commission.

I first came into contact with Dadaji through a friend, Sam from Maldon who lived on a farm, and when there was little work in the winter he would take off to abroad and with the Beatles promoting Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Indian culture in the late 1960s, increasingly Sam went to India. When Sam started to bring back tales of two ex-pats living in India it opened up the possibilities for learning about that country in a way that bye-passed the language barrier.

The first of the two Brits I got to correspond with was the Scot, John Spiers (1907-1979) who ran a magazine called Values from South India, and he taught me serious astrology. Dadaji was a contributor to Values and my correspondence with both characters lasted over 20 years. Although I could not afford to visit India until I was in my 40s I did meet Dadaji several times when he returned to England for a few months and stopped with an Indian family related to one he knew in Gujarat, where he lived in India.

The philosophical side to his nature which began with Aunt Clay, brought him into contact with characters who were to enjoy notoriety at the hands of the sensationalist press, as he came to know the ‘Father of Modern Witchcraft’, Gerald Gardner, who claimed to have been initiated into the Craft by a group related to Clay’s that met in the New Forest. Later he met the infamous Aleister Crowley, ‘Wickedest Joker in the World’, whose work as an Oriental scholar is usually overlooked, while his research into Middle Eastern Magic was the target of press and religious Victorian moralist attack.

Crowley had been mountaineering in Nepal and was for a long time record holder for climbing K2 in the Himalayas. He shared much of the information with Dadaji he had gleaned from his oriental travels, which also included a walk across China, on subjects such as yoga and Taoism including the I Ching oracle. He told Dadaji that if he had his life to live over he would go to India, and advised him to do just that. Dadaji had promised his mother that he would not leave England while she was alive, but when she was run over by a bus, and Crowley also died he began to think seriously about going permanently abroad. He began by a six month spirit quest, as Native Americans would call it, living in a makeshift hermitage near High Beach in Epping Forest. He then set off, not directly for India, but for travel finance reasons to Australia, then back tracked through Thailand, where he studied with Thai Shamen, as well as studying Taoism and Zen from other Oriental masters.

Dadaji finally arrived in India at Bombay (today Mumbai) in 1953 aged 42. He was met at the quayside by a native who said he was expecting him, whether that was through mystical insight or the grapevine was never made clear. The native belonged to a Shaivite cult called the Adi-Naths (adi means original), who took as founding fathers the Saints Dattatreya and Matseyendranath, and the Indian Gentleman initiated Dadaji - as Mahendranath - into the cult. Further travels into the Himalayas saw him become a Tibetan Red Hat Lama and in North India he was initiated into a Tantrik Mother Goddess cult of the Uttara kaulas. Uttara means ‘north’ and the Uttarakaulas are one of the five major Tantrik clans: one for each of the cardinal directions and one for above.

Tantrika is perhaps the least understood of Eastern spiritual traditions, thanks mainly to early translators who encountered it during the British Raj rule of India and saw its practices through the eyes of repressive Victorian morality, which chose to harness sexual energy through celibacy and the resultant frustrated male

As Dadaji knew his days on the Earth were nearing their end he began to write about the Nath Yogi and Uttara Tantrik traditions and co-oped myself and a younger Scot, Mike, who had taught himself the sacred Hindu language of Sanskrit and translated numerous spiritual treatises, to adapt the traditions for a Western audience.

Mike had been to India to meet Dadaji and was asked to head up the Westernised Naths, and the Westernised dialect of the Uttara tradition became my responsibility. Although a slow process at first, thanks to the power of the internet both groups now have hundreds of associate members worldwide.

In 1972 when I was training to teach art, art Historian Phillip Rawson staged a large exhibition of Tantrik Folk Art at London’s Hayward Gallery, which I absorbed into the Surrealist techniques I was developing at the time and was able to present these at university using Jungian psychology as a yardstick for judgement of the content. So during my career I have been able to create and exhibit canvasses influenced

by Tantrik iconography as a means of teaching practices associated with the Uttarakaula tradition, as well as publishing a book explaining these techniques of spiritual liberation and enlightenment. The advantage of doing that when you are in your 60s is that nobody expects demonstrations!

Dadaji died in 1991 in Mehmadabad, in Gujarat, India aged 80, after a series of strokes.

Sponsor MT History

2015 Cultural Events - The Fling and 3Foot People Fesitval’s It’s not long until the 2015 Cultural Events Calendar kicks off again with the city’s most popular events.

CITYdiversions will descend on Chelmsford with an array of street performers from around the world, exciting developments are coming to The Fling Festival and as the icing on the cultural cake; the 3foot People Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary!

On 30th June and 1st and 2nd July, the UK’s largest festival for pre-school children, The 3foot People Festival, returns to Chelmsford’s Hylands Park.

This award winning event (Best Event 2015 Essex Mums¸Best Festival 2014 Essex Tourism & Hospitality Awards) welcomes nearly 13,000 big (and little) people across 3 days within the beautiful grounds of Hylands Estate. Parents, carers and children will be overwhelmed with wonder as they experience this unique festival. The village of tents, tepees and domes will host an array of activities and performances to inspire and entertain all day long.

Tickets for 2015’s event go on sale from 22nd April.

Send your letters to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk, we would love to hear from you.

Following The 3foot People Festival, adults are invited to join in the seventh Fling Festival - also taking place in Chelmsford’s Hylands Park - on Saturday 4th July. The Festival is like no-other, curated purely for adults focussing on celebrating the creativity of adulthood through play and culture.

A bespoke day of live music, burlesque and cabaret, enlightening talks and wordsmiths, surreal theatre and immersive arts and crafts, the scrummiest food and more await those who visit the intimate tented venues in the gorgeous landscaped Hylands Estate.

Advanced tickets for 2015’s Fling Festival go on sale on February 3rd, with a limited number of VIP tickets also available.

The cultural events calendar will also include more festivals through out the year such as our ever popular CITYdiversions Festival, Chelmsford Mini Games, Halloween and Christmas Events.

For more details on these unique festivals visit www.chelmsford. gov.uk/events, find @CultEventsTeam on Twitter or like the testivals pages on Facebook.

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MT Therapy by Jenny Hartill Carrying on my series of articles on self defeating behaviours, in particular looking at addiction, today I’m writing on another type of addiction that can be life threatening and is one of the worst substance addictions to suffer from.

Anyone familiar with the programmes “Fat: The Fight of My Life” or “Obese: A Year to Save My Life” will also be aware of food addiction.

In these programmes personal trainer Jesse Pavelka helps individuals who’s food addiction has got so out of hand they are literally going to feed themselves to death unless they do something immediately. Food addiction is much more common than you’d think and you don’t have to take it to the extreme to cause yourself serious harm. Food addiction is distinctly different to other types of substance abuse because we need food to survive. We don’t need alcohol to survive or drugs to survive, even if the addict believes this on a psychological level. In the case of food addiction, the addict believing that they need food is absolutely correct, they just don’t need the amount (and mostly the type) of food that they are consuming. The addict may not necessarily recognise food as fuel

at all, food is something that enriches their life to such an extent that it has become not just a necessity to survive but a friend. They connect empathy with food, it’s always there to comfort them and it fills a hole that they feel inside of themselves. Almost all food addicts are extremely insecure, food is filling an emotional gap in their life that they are unable to fulfil themselves.

For the record. food addiction is completely different to Prader-Willi syndrome - this is a condition caused by a rare genetic disorder where 7 genes are either deleted or unexpressed. One of the symptoms can be extreme and insatiable appetite leading to morbid obesity. Although it is said to be the most common genetic cause of morbid obesity in children, please note there are lots of symptoms including low muscle tone, short stature, incomplete sexual development, cognitive disabilities, problem behaviours and many, many more traits of this condition. There is currently no consensus as to the cause for an insatiable appetite as a particular symptom.

Those suffering with food addiction aren’t just greedy, they suffer considerable psychological and emotional pain when they try to control their addiction. For example, some addicts report that they feel as though they have suffered a death in the family if they cannot have their favourite food or they can’t consume as much as usual. Many food addicts will report that they “do not feel full” even if they’ve eaten the required calorie intake for the day and therefore conclude that they “must need more than the average person” - this is just the food addiction making excuses.

The addict feels emotionally empty To celebrate the birth of our new studio we are offering rather than hungry but they have discounted prices for January: used food to fill this emotional gap for so long that they see emotional emptiness and hunger as one and the • Rehearsals: £30 for 4 hour slots • Recording Sessions: £50 for 3 hours same. Most food addicts seem to be • Music Production: £70 for 3 hours • DJ Lessons: £15 per hour attracted to high fat, high sugar, high • Logic X & Ableton 1 day crash courses: £100 each cholesterol foods. This is probably because these foods tend to include chemicals and sugars and flavourings These offers are valid until the end of January 2015. designed to give us the best taste possible, to a food addict this is like a high from a drug. Also, too much sugar can have all sorts of effects on us, think about the effect sugar has on children. If the food addict has been “high on sugar” in the past, perhaps they are subconsciously searching for that original high as well as treating their emotional pain.

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When a food addict tries to control their addiction they may find that they suffer from severe emotional and behavioural changes, for example constant crying, being irrational, snapping at people, acting “like a child” etc. This is akin to withdrawal for a an addict, although the behaviours may seem very immature there is a very good reason for this. Usually a food addiction takes a while to manifest, as a child the only thing we can control is what we put in our bodies. Therefore if the food addict has suffered a trauma at a young age, 20

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they could’ve used food for comfort. When we take this comfort away, the food addict regresses to the age they were at when the trauma occurred. If the trauma occurred in later or in adult life, the food addict will still regress to that age and they will demonstrate the symptoms of the unresolved issues… hence the behaviours and emotions can range from crying (they’re upset about something) to anger (they’re holding on to internal rage) to panic (they feel vulnerable).

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So, how do we treat a food addict? Firstly I would ensure they’ve been to a see a doctor and had a check-up. How at risk of diabetes are they? What’s their blood pressure like? How healthy is their heart? Apart from the fact I need to ensure the client is healthy enough for therapy, the client needs to face reality - and the reality is that if they carry on abusing their body in this way they will die.

MT The client needs to realise that overfeeding themselves is abuse, that their body can only take so much. I then would ask the client if they’re ready to learn how to control their addiction. The first few months, even the first couple of years, could be absolute hell. They will need to make some serious changes not just to their diet but to their entire life. If they have to drive past McDonalds everyday to work and they can’t resist going in, they need to find a different route that doesn’t take them anywhere near any food outlets!

Then I would look at their life as it is now, how do they feel within MT themselves? Usually a food addict has low self esteem, I would MT perform a Rosenberg Self Esteem test to see where they are on the scale. I would look at beliefs about themselves the client has and I would use psychodynamic therapy to see whether the client has suffered any trauma in the past that could’ve led to the addiction.

Psychodynamic theory would also be helpful in ascertaining why a food addiction manifested as opposed to any other self defeating behaviour. I need to know if the client has any other self defeating behaviours. I would use CBT including affirmations so the client has some positive words to help them trough the tough times. Any other therapy would depend on why the client has food addiction and how the client responds to therapy. free to contact me via my website www.counsellinginchelmsford. co.uk.

If I can be of any help or if anyone has any questions, please feel

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Wine Corner

Hello again. I am writing this before Christmas, but you will be reading it after Christmas, so I hope you had a good time and I wish you all a very Happy New Year.

This month, I thought I would take a look at the major wine growing areas of France. Going sort of clockwise from the top (at about one o’clock) we start with the Champagne area around Reims.

Champagne is made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (surprisingly both red grapes) and also Chardonnay. These must be grown in the Champagne area in order to call the wine by this name. As I have mentioned before, there are many other sparkling wines from all over the world, but they cannot be called Champagne.

Alsace is further east, on the German border and here, they produce the classic Riesling (pronounced reesling not riseling), as well as Pinot Gris (Grigio) and other mainly white wines. These are generally very light wines with a distinctive taste, not dissimilar to the German whites just over the border.

Burgundy, one of my favourite areas, is next on the clock. In the north of the region we have Chardonnay, and Chablis. In the middle, there are lovely Burgundy reds and moving south, there are the Beaujolais vineyards. All very good wines, the number of vineyards in the area is breathtaking, when you travel through, there seems to be one around every corner. I would like to live over there, but would probably be like the child in the sweetshop and over indulge too often. Perhaps it’s better that I stay over here. My French is not too good. I once tried to ask for some cheese in a shop, very impressed when the shopkeeper replied OK. I very much enjoyed the pate that I had bought!

Nothing to do with the wine clock of France, but I recently surprised my family by buying a Windows phone. I had seen friends diving for their phones each time a bit of information was required or tapping out lengthy texts on a regular basis. I was also intrigued with these apps everyone (including my young grandchildren) were talking about. There seem to be thousands of them for anything from bus times to naming the stars if you point the phone at them. So, off I went to see what I could explore with my new phone. Three weeks later, I can see the time, make a call and struggle for ten minutes writing a short text, wow. Incidentally, the letters on the phone for texting are very small and I quite often miss the one I am intending to use and press the wrong key. I concentrate on the wording then, with all the errors, the text looks like something the French policeman in ‘Allo ‘Allo would say. “I well mit you it the bis step”, I have been known to text!

A bit further south of this region is the Rhone area. You won’t be surprised that many of it’s vineyards are on the banks of the river Rhone hence names like Cotes du Rhone Villages. Other red wines from the area are the famous Chateauneuf Du Pape, St Joseph and Crozes Hermitage as well as Viognier white, amongst others .

Now, at about nine o’clock we have the lovely Loire. Spreading across about half of the country from east of Paris to the Bay of Biscay, it contains a wide range of whites, rose and red grapes that are turned into very nice wines, especially the famous whites, but also the reds. Famous in the west for the rose, although generally sweeter than the ones from the south, they are lovely to drink on a warm sunny day in the garden, not for December perhaps. They will go well with light foods and can be a very pleasant drink just on it’s own.

France is a lovely country to visit. In the north, there are channel beaches, large and sandy. Brittany is delightful, with the southern coast providing pretty villages and the historic town of Carnac, where you will find the alignments, a 4 kilometre row of standing stones. There are similar sites with standing stones all the way up the western coast of France, England and Scotland. Most are in very straight lines or circles so the builders had not tasted the local wines, I would guess.

By the time you get to the south, the temperatures have grown. It is interesting to drive on the motorway to the sun where the overhead gantries show the temperature hotting up as you drive south. Then, of course, the Mediterranean sea towns. At each stop, you can sample the wonderful variety of wines. It’s great.

So, I hope that the new year brings you all you wish for and that you make time (see what I did there) for a drink or two.

Bin end chuckles. A white horse walks into a bar. The bartender says “do you know we sell a drink named after you?” “Really?”said the horse, “you sell a drink called Malcolm?”

Keep calm and carry on drinking (in moderation).

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Progressing round the clock, at about just gone five o’clock, we have Provence, mainly know for it’s lovely rose. I do like these, they tend to be dryer that those from the Loire, but both very nice in their own way.

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At about six o’clock, we find Languedoc and Roussillon. There are a lot of vin de pays wines here and it is the largest producer of wine in France. They are lovely deep reds, often quite high in alcohol.

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Then to the mighty Bordeaux region, using Cabernet and Merlot blends to make a great range of fine wines. You will have seen from the last couple of articles by Shirley Shiraz how wonderful this area is. Just a reminder that places like Saint Emilion, where the wine can be quite expensive, are often surrounded by satellite vineyards that are growing very similar grapes, but the wines tend to be a bit cheaper. One such area is Montagne, which is less than half a mile from the centre of St Emilion, so look out for wines like that for a bit of a saving.

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MT Charity Presentation

On Tuesday December 16th at The Anchor in Moulsham Street, Steve Seager presented Help For Heros and The Royal British Legion Chelmsford with cheques for ÂŁ1500 each. The money was raised in memory of Nipper.

Nipper’s family attended to see the unveiling of his memorial bench and plaque and were the first to try the bench which is now situated outside the pub as a lasting memory.

Calling local charities! As regular readers will know we feature a charity in each of our magazines every month.

We need to fill our spaces for 2015.

If you work or volunteer for a charity and would like to be featured, please email editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk.

The GORDON BROWN Approach to Weight Loss In recent months, the agenda of the big three political parties has turned to how they are going to reduce the deficit. in complete contrast to this, this article is all about how to PRODUCE a deficit… a calorie deficit that is, which is vital if your aim is to lose body fat.

Think of it as the Gordon Brown approach to weight loss. In the sense that he was responsible for creating the financial deficit which we find ourselves in. This view, of course is largely dependent on your political persuasion. Those to the right will likely agree, those to the left will cite a global banking crisis as the cause of the deficit. For the sake of argument (and if I am being honest to give me a more attention catching headline) I am going to say that Gordon Brown was responsible for the deficit.

Doubtless there are some of you reading this that have read diet books which tell you that calories are not important, that you can lose weight without reducing the amount of calories you consume. Sorry to be the harbinger of bad news but this is simply not true. Granted there are many diets out there which do not blatantly ask you to focus on calorie counting, but instead ask you to eat more or less of a certain type of food, or ask you to not eat certain foods at certain times of the day, but these are tricks. They are the David Blaines of the diet world. In a roundabout way all of these diets lead you to consume less calories, hence the weight loss. This ‘tricking’ is not necessarily a bad thing especially when you think how hard it can be psychologically to lose weight. All I am saying is, essentially to lose fat you must burn more calories than you consume and there are various ways we can do this.

CREATING THE DEFICIT We know a fundamental part of any fat loss diet is creating a calorie deficit - we must use more calories than we consume. This can be done in three ways: 1. You consume fewer calories (you eat less).

2. You use more calories (you move and exercise more).

3. You consume fewer calories (by eating less) and use more calories (by doing more physical work).

The most effective option being the 3rd, as combing exercise along with a diet means you will not lose as much lean tissue as you would if you were to just solely diet alone. This will leave your body feeling and looking tighter.

HOW TO CONSUME FEWER CALORIES. So how do we go about consuming fewer calories? Firstly you do not have to necessarily count every calorie you consume. You can if you like, but you do not have to. Simply being mindful of your old eating habits and then altering them appropriately is often sufficed to create a calorie deficit.

Below are some of the more popular, least intrusive and easy to follow methods which have worked with my clients. (Please be aware that the list is by no means exhaustive. There are a lot more scientific and accurate methods which I use with some clients to create a more accurate bespoke calorie deficit. For more information on this please drop me an email matt@mlrpt.co.uk).

USE A SMALLER PLATE. You do not have to change the types of food you are eating, merely because the plate is smaller, the portions are smaller hence fewer calories.

EAT WHEN HUNGRY, NOT STARVING. STOP WHEN FULL, NOT STUFFED. Once again you do not have to change what you are eating just stop eating before you are stuffed – do not be afraid to leave food on your plate.

EAT PROTEIN WITH EVERY MEAL. This will involve changing your food choices slightly but it will be worth it. Every time you eat, try to include some lean protein in your meal. Protein leaves you feeling fuller for longer, meaning less chance of hunger and cravings later in the day.

HOW TO USE MORE CALORIES. Granted, this is stating the obvious, but one the easiest ways to burn more calories is to exercise and for my clients this involves training with me where I am able to motivate them; however, alongside this I ask them to perform their own www.moulshamtimes.com

independent exercise. Below I am going to share with you some of the methods I have used with my clients to increase their physical activity levels when we are not training together.

GET A PEDOMETER. Get yourself a pedometer and record how far you normally walk each day for one week. In the second week try to increase the number steps you done in the previous week by 10%.

Continue you this week by week until you get to 8000 – 10000 steps per day.

LAY DOWN THE ANCHOR. Get yourself an anchor point which will trigger you to do some physical activity/exercise. For example you may enjoy watching Coronation Street, in this scenario your anchor could be the commercial break. When the adverts start that will be your trigger to do 5 squats. Start small and get bigger, begin with 5 squats and build to 10, 15 until eventually your squatting for the entirety of the whole commercial break. As time goes on try to build in as many anchor points as you can in different parts of your life. For example, every time you walk up your stairs at home perform 20 step ups! Sorry if you live in a bungalow!

ENTER THE LONDON MARATHON, THE MALDON MUD RUN OR WHATEVER. Well it does not have to be a marathon but enter yourself into some sort of exercise event, that way it will give your training some focus and hopefully motivate you to exercise.

DEALING WITH THE DEFICIT. We know that eating less and doing more creates a calorie deficit and much like the biggest issue facing any chancellor of the exchequer of the present or future… how are we going to deal with this deficit? Ask anyone in society paying the bedroom tax and they will tell you dealing with the deficit is tough.

And in many ways dealing with your own calorie deficit is going to be tough too!

At some point on your diet, you will be hungry. For some people these feelings will be very frequent, for others less so, but at some point you will definitely feel hungry. After all, a fat loss diet does involve consuming fewer calories than you are using!

THE CARROT OR CHOCOLATE TEST. It is at these times you have to decide whether you are hungry or just craving. One method I use for dealing with this is what I call the ‘Carrot or Chocolate Test’. When you are feeling hungry ask yourself this, could you eat a carrot? (Feel free to substitute the imaginary a carrot with any other vegetable of your choice). If you could eat the carrot you are obviously hungry and not craving, feel free to eat something making a sensible food choice.

If you feel you could eat the chocolate but not the carrot you are more than likely just craving. You must do your best to deal with this craving by distracting your thoughts from it. These feelings can last around twenty minutes and ways to get rid of these cravings include reading, going for walk, brushing your teeth and a more novel way is to perhaps tap your forehead. Recently I read a research article on this which said it had some success and who knows it may work for you!

If you really cannot get rid of the cravings and absolutely have to succumb to them, do so but do it sensibly. If it’s a Mars Bar your’e craving, have a fun size bar not a normal size bar! But most importantly of all once you have treated yourself to the fun size Mars bar please, please, please do not think all is lost and jack in your diet completely. Once you fall of the horse you must get back on straight away and as Marvin Gaye so succinctly put it, you must ‘keep on keeping on’.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this article. For a more individualised approach to fat loss please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Many thanks, Matt Russell | MLR Personal/Performance Training www.mlrpt.co.uk | matt@mlrpt.co.uk | 07939 316 401 Please follow at www.twitter.com/mlrpt Please like at www.facebook. com/mlrpt. Please ‘subscribe’ at www.youtube.com/mlrpt.

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Ami’s Diary

I’ve had a fun month – I went to Harbour Studios at Battlesbridge with the 4th Moulsham Guides. We went into the recording studio and sung ‘Let It Go’ which we all got as a CD to take home. It was brilliant!

I went to London for a TV commercial casting for a car advert. I had to pretend to feel car sick, be sick, then feel better, then be sick again. I don’t know if I got the job but I then went to Hamleys and also saw the Christmas lights in Regent Street which was fun.

I’ve been busy rehearsing for my Theatretrain show, Step into

Christmas, at the Adelphi Theatre. We had a band call in London a week before the show, where all the centres meet up for the first time to put together all the performances we have been learning. Robert Hyman, who is our musical director and a composer, leads us - with artistic director and founder of Theatretrain, Kevin Dowsett to make sure we get it right. On the day of the show, we arrived at the theatre early and rehearsed before the show. Made in Dagenham was also on at the theatre, so we didn’t have much dressing room space and had to run to the Strand Palace Hotel to change costumes – and lots of people outside cheered when they saw us which was really funny.

I did feel nervous before my duet but then as soon as I went on stage my nerves went and I loved every minute of singing Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree. The audience clapped and sung along which made me smile even more.

The final edit has been done for a video called Queensway in which I acted the role of Megan who gets kidnapped by a bully. The Crowd Funding campaign is being launched early in 2015 to raise money for the feature film to be produced, which I hope I am cast in too. The video sets the scene of the feature film and reveals the characters which can be seen on vimeo: http://vimeo.com/113157040

UK Songwriting Contest New for 2015, Future Music is launching a UK songwriting contest to find the best songwriters in the UK. The UK songwriting contest will provide the opportunity for both aspiring and established songwriters to get their music heard and potentially get signed. There is also the opportunity to perform in a grand final showcase in London.

A prestigious panel of music industry judges will be at every stage of the songwriting contest, offering songwriters exposure of their music to the most influential decision-makers in the music industry, including A&R representatives who work for the UK’s three major record labels – Sony Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group and Universal Music.

Acts do not need to have a professional recording to enter the songwriting competition, as entries will be judged on their originality, melody, composition, lyrics (where applicable) and the potential to be a hit song.

A Showcase of UK Songwriting Talent...

The winning acts that make the grand final showcase in London will have the chance to perform on the stage at Dingwalls that has previously hosted the likes of Mumford & Sons, Ellie Goulding, Coldplay and the Foo Fighters - a world-renowned music venue right in the hub of London’s music scene in Camden.

So, if you think you’ve got what it takes and want your songwriting heard by music industry professionals, please enter via our website: songwritingcompetitionuk.com/enter-songwriting-contest.

The UK songwriting contest is brought to you by Future Music, the company behind the discovery of many of the best songwriters in the UK; song writers such as: Atlantic Record’s Jacob Banks Warner Music’s Birdy Sony’s Luke Friend Columbia Record’s Lucy Spraggan

Deadlines for February Edition Articles 16th January

Categories...

The songwriting contest is open to all ages; however, there will be additional categories for songwriters under the age of 15 and 18 years of age. There will also be additional songwriting awards for the categories of genres including; Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, World, Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop, Urban, Christian, Gospel, Latin, Electronic and Folk. www.moulshamtimes.com

Print ready art work 22nd January 27

Magic Box Provides Hot Water for Charity Foundation Once again, The Magic Thermodynamic Box Company have pushed the boundaries by generously donating one of their innovative renewable energy systems to a South African charity called The SOZO Foundation, who are constructing the first ever education centre in Vrygrond. The system will be used to provide the staff and students with domestic hot water 24 hours a day by using state-of-the-art technology.

The company have previously helped various charities such as The Princes Trust, Men’s Health, Age Concern and CHESS. The SOZO Foundation The Sozo Foundation was founded in 2011. While running a church youth group next to Vrygrond, Anton and Elana Cuyler realized many of the youth were skinny, hungry, homeless and failing their grades at school. Most of them came from the neighbouring township of Vrygrond, a shack area where gangsterism, abuse and drugs abound.

“How can we in the church be concerned for young people’s spiritual development, but not play a part in any other development in their lives?” - Said Anton.

Picture of the Vrygrond settlement.

The Solution The SOZO Foundation is now constructing its very own education centre.

The facility will be the first ever youth education centre in the history of the Vrygrond community and will provide places for students aged between 13 to 18, With its own computer centre and multi-learning style to create a conducive learning environment.

The Charity had to raise over £150,000 to kickstart the project, and Steve Morris held conferences promoting the scheme across London.

The Magic Thermodynamic Box Company are generously donating one of their unique, innovative renewable energy saving products to heat all of the hot water in the building The Little Magic Thermodynamic Box.

Steve Morris (Youth worker at Chafford Hundred Community Church & partner of SOZO).

Steve Morris whose career started in the London banking industry, wanted a career change that would help people that are in need and joined Essex’s Chafford Hundred Community Church as a youth worker and has now worked there for over ten years. After visiting some of the deprived areas in South Africa, he wanted to make a difference and to provide them with the education and support that was so desperately needed. So in partnership with SOZO, The Chafford Hundred Community Church decided to help raise funds.

The Little Magic Thermodynamic Box is supplied with a black aluminium panel, what can be fitted to any aspect of the property. It has been featured on the hit UK TV show Grand Designs on Channel 4 hosted by Kevin McLeod (See picture).

The Little Magic Thermodynamic Box system is an innovative solar assisted heat pump that produces hot water day and night.

“We are happy to be a part of this project and are looking forward to the completion of the centre, people in the area are suffering financially and academically so we want to help as much as we can” said Marketing Director of The Magic Thermodynamic Box Company, Alex Basile.

Due to very harsh living conditions in Vrygrond, near Cape Town the SOZO Foundation made tremendous efforts to raise money for the local community. Over 40,000 citizens live in the settlement with only 20,000 citizens being registered as a legal citizen. The citizens face many daily challenges which range from gangsterism, abuse and neglect, which has a massive impact on the youth resulting in crime and drug abuse.

For more information go to www.magicthermodynamicbox.com or call (+44) 8449671500.

View all of our magazines online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia Picture of students outside of the SOZO Education Centre.

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www.moulshamtimes.com

Moulsham Lodge Community Trust We would like to extend our grateful thanks to members of the local Mormon Community for helping us decorate the old police station on Moulsham Lodge. They achieved the amazing feat of decorating 98% of the new community hub in a single day. Between 40 and 50 people turned up during the day to contribute their DIY skills and slap on a job lot of magnolia emulsion and white gloss. This will allow us to get going a lot quicker and start using the hub for community activities sooner rather than later.

enter raffle!) If there is enough interest we will ask Ian to hold regular classes and demonstrations. So if you think you may be interested, please send me an email or give us a call to register your interest.

For anyone interested in painting we are hoping to team up with www.palettetocanvas.co.uk and Ian McDonald who is a certified Bob Ross CRI landscape instructor and also holds certification for the advanced seascape instruction. He is also a professional member of the SAA (Society For All Artists). We will be putting on a two hour demonstration in January or February and would welcome all ages to experience the joy of a painting experience. At the demonstration, he will paint a picture either of a landscape or a seascape or a combination of the two. He will also demonstrate a speed painting.

There will be a question and answer session after the demonstration where Ian will raffle his demonstration painting (this will be a free to

We will be choosing a new name for the police station in January ready for a grand opening in February (as long as all goes according to plan!) you can see how the voting is going on our Facebook page, which you can find via our website - details at the end of the article.

Our Community Choir will be performing as guests in South Woodham Ferrers on Saturday February 21st, this will be our first major performance since forming in January last year. We will be singing with Men2Sing, a male voice choir based on South Woodham Ferrers.

So if you would like to see us sing with Men2Sing please contact us for tickets which we expect to to around the £10 price.

Contact: Mark Springett Tel: 01245 351040 / 07411 808731 or text, email: enquiries@mlct.org.uk Web site www.mlct.org.uk, address 99 Gloucester Avenue, CM2 9DS.

Moulsham Lodge Camera Club

It was September when I last wrote about Moulsham Lodge Camera Club and it has been a busy few months.

In late September we visited the New Forest for our annual extended weekend away where as many of our club members, along with families, go and indulge in our photographic hobby. We made our base in Lyndhurst, staying in either local B & B’s or rented cottages. We do not travel around as a group because you end up with a lot of very similar images, but we meet in the evenings for a meal and drinks have a laugh and social gathering.

Below are this year’s participants having our customary group photo. I’m sure I will be seeing many of the images taken on this trip in next year’s competitions.

In December we held our annual cheese and wine evening when our trophies are presented to the winners of the various league competitions for colour prints, black and white prints, digital projected image (the digital equivalent of a slide) along with some others, too many to list here. www.moulshamtimes.com

Also this year, we have entered a number of outside competitions with clubs across our region with various degrees of success, but with great delight we won the North Essex Digital Projected Trophy up against 11 other clubs and one of our newer members Maureen Long won Image of the Evening. Well done Maureen.

On Monday the 5th of January 2015 at 8pm in St Luke’s Church Hall we will hold our membership enrolment evening for the coming year - I’m sure it will be a very interesting program, including competitions, guest speakers and practical evenings. Also on the same night, for the first time we will be displaying some work from our members to show what can be achieved with a digital camera and, in most cases, on a home printer.

You don’t have to be a photographer to come along and see us, just pop in to see some of the excellent pictures we produce. In my personal opinion we have some very talented members in our club, but then I’m biased. It would be great to meet you.

Best wishes for the New Year Malcolm Turner.

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Volatile Descent: A Detective Carter Mystery by JR Blake - Part 1 Steve stood within Westminster Cathedral admiring the stunning Byzantine architecture arches towering above him, offering him strength in his hour of need. The mother church of the Catholic faith had always offered comfort to him, the huge building offering him strength and space to collect his thoughts. The information he had learned hours before had both shocked and disgusted him.

He needed the strength of his faith to help him gather himself before he took action. Action he knew would change so many people’s lives forever, some would be distraught and question his actions, but he was sure that those he knew were in constant pain would benefit from this information. Wouldn’t they? Surely they deserved to know? Hiding the truth was never good or honourable, surely they would understand that? As Steve sat with head slightly forward, eyes closed, and questioned what he knew deep in his heart he had to do and prayed for guidance, he didn’t notice the soft footsteps of someone behind him. He didn’t notice them take a cloth out of their pocket and he didn’t notice them put the cloth to his mouth, as he breathed in the toxic substance he was out cold in seconds.

“Thank you. I want you to go to the crime scene. I want you to go through that building and outside it with a fine tooth comb. If forensics complain, send them to me. I’ll give them something to moan about. Then I want you to come back and interview me, I was supposed to meet the victim on the day he died and I can give you a good character reference. Something happened that worried him. Worried him enough to contact me, but before we could meet someone murdered my friend of over thirty years, I want you to find them so I can string them up in court and send them to rot in prison like the scum they are. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”

The perpetrator dragged Steve through the depths of the Cathedral towards a set of stairs that led to the highest point of the church and ultimately, to the end of Steve’s life here on earth.

“Cardiff”

DCI Charles Maslow waited patiently for his best detective to arrive.

The file that had appeared on his desk had shaken him. Not that he was going to let Carter know that. She wasn’t going to be happy about her latest assignment as it was. Maslow had known Steve for over thirty years. They were at university together and Maslow had forgotten about the events that had brought them closer together as pals. Until today. Steve’s mangled body had reminded Maslow of events he had buried a long time ago, events he was afraid were unfolding once again. Maslow let out a long sigh as Carter knocked on his door.

“Carter, you’re the best I’ve got and god knows DI Carter is the best they’ve got. I’m sorry but you’ll have to suck it up” Maslow replied.

As much as he knew how much she hated this, he needed the best on this case. No matter what. “Now, go get that whipping boy of yours and get to Westminster Cathedral pronto”.

“Enter.” Carter entered Maslow’s office. He had his back turned to her facing the window, which Carter thought was odd as she knew he wasn’t all that keen on heights. Maybe this was some sort of psychological technique to help him get over it?

Carter exited the office. She felt sorry for DCI Maslow but sending her to work with Eric flaming Carter? Her ex-husband - a man she absolutely reviled with a passion equal to her job? She’d rather put him in prison than some of the scum she’d sent to the cells. He was worse than them on many levels.

“Good morning sir,” DS Carter announced as she approached Maslow’s desk.

“Carter sit down,” Maslow replied, without turning round. Carter did as she was told. Suddenly there seemed something ominous about his demeanour. Maslow was not just challenging his problem with heights. The detective chief inspector continued: “Carter, your latest case has arrived on my desk. Originally it was thought the cause of death was suicide by jumping off a tall building. I know otherwise.

Luckily, so does your coroner friend Ms Looker who is very thorough and will be receiving a personal commendation from me to her superior.” Maslow turned to face Carter, his voice was low and slightly shaky. “Detective, this case is very important to me. I knew the victim personally and I can tell you he was not suicidal. He was Roman Catholic, suicide is something he would not even contemplate, never mind that I knew the bloke and he was happy as Larry. Until recently.”

“I’m sorry for your loss sir” Carter said, now she knew why DCI Maslow had been facing the window. He was collecting himself to face her. The height hadn’t even occurred to him.

“Crystal, sir” Carter replied. She’d never seen her boss like this.

“Good. And another thing. It’s very likely, in fact I’m certain, this case will lead you to Wales. That means we’ll be working with the local constabulary.”

“And which Constabulary would that be sir?” Carter asked. She had a bad feeling about this.

“But Sir!” Carter exclaimed.

“Yes sir” Carter said sullenly, and then she added: “and he’s not my whipping boy, he’s my partner”.

“Tell that to your ex-husband” Maslow replied.

God help him.

Tune in next time to see how Carter gets on at her crime scene, and to see exactly what happened between Carter and her exhusband…

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Rotary Support for 500 Miles Big Dinner

and walking.

500 miles is a Scottish charity founded in 2008 and run by Olivia Giles. It helps people with disabilities in Malawi and Zambia and to a limited extent in Zanzibar, by supporting the development and delivery of prosthetic and orthotic services.

The charity’s name comes from The Proclaimers’ famous lyrics, “I would walk five hundred miles”, because that’s their aim - to get disabled people in Africa up

Olivia was the principal speaker at our recent Rotary District Council Meeting at Writtle College. She had made the trip down from Edinburgh just to speak to us because she knows that Rotary is always willing to help and to listen.

Dinner hosts pay an advance a minimum donation of £25 to register, no matter the size of the dinner. All you have to do is host a dinner – or make sure you get invited to one. If you can’t cook or don’t want to, you can always host a carry out get together!

And whilst the 7th March is the actual day, you can plan your meal anytime around that date, so you need not miss out. Rotary is supporting this excellent good cause and we would like to encourage other people in the area to participate as well.

If you would like more details of how you can be part of Rotary and support many other good causes, locally and worldwide visit www. chelmsfordrotary1240.org or phone me on 01245 260349.

Happy New Year - Stan Keller

Olivia says she has been given a second chance to enjoy life – but she is a remarkable and inspirational lady. A successful lawyer, she was struck down by meningitis when she was aged 37 and had her hands and feet amputated. Rather than mope, she felt that every day was a bonus and she needed to help others who don’t have the same access to a National Health Service that provides false limbs.

She is organising an event called The Big Dinner on the 7th March 2015, Register now at www.thebigdinner.co.uk.

www.moulshamtimes.com

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