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MT Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms Hi folks, Jenny here. It’s my turn to write something this month so I thought I’d write on a subject I haven’t covered before but is quite a popular issue in the therapy room. This month I’m writing about imposter syndrome.
What is imposter syndrome? It’s the feeling of being a fraud - and everyone is about to find out. It’s the feeling of being an imposter, that you don’t belong, or don’t deserve to be in the situation you are in because you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about. Sometimes those with imposter syndrome will flick between extreme belief in themselves possibly feeling invincible, to: ‘I’m a fraud and everyone is about to find out!’. You would be surprised at just who suffers with imposter syndrome. From office workers doing their 9-5, to famous authors, actors and entrepreneurs. to quote Tina Fey, American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright: “The beauty of the imposter syndrome is you vacillate between extreme egomania and a complete feeling of ‘I’m a fraud! Oh God, they’re on to me! I’m a fraud!’ So you just try to ride the egomania when it comes and enjoy it, and then slide through the idea of fraud.” Actress Michelle Pfeifer: “I still think people will find out that I’m really not very good. It’s all been a big sham.” Or to quote Kim Walsh Phillips, entrepreneur, author and keynote speaker: “Impostor syndrome was fierce in my head. ‘They are going to find out I’m a fraud and kick me out of their circle of influence.’ That mindset kept me from soaring for a long time.” You may have noticed that all these examples are women. Imposter syndrome has traditionally been seen as something that women suffer from rather than men. Why? Back in the 1970s when psychology professor Pauline Rose Clance and her colleague Suzanne Imes first gave the feeling the name ‘impostor syndrome’, the term was specifically feminine. Women, these scientists felt, were more likely to worry about being unmasked as incompetent. However, more recent research has shown that in fact both men and women suffer with imposter syndrome, they just react differently. A team of American and German researchers recently found that when the pressure mounts and impostor syndrome really kicks in, the genders react differently. Men with impostor syndrome tended to crumble under pressure much more than the women who suffered from the same feelings. This particular team of scientists found that women tried harder because they felt there was less expectation on them and the men crumbled because they felt more was expected of them. To be honest, I found this a little sad when I read it, but it does go some way to explaining why typically imposter syndrome has been seen as a ‘female thing’. Funnily enough, I had this conversation with a colleague recently and he came up with a great angle that I hadn’t previously considered. He suggested that women’s equality is quite a recent phenomenon (in the last 100 years getting the vote, the rise of feminism etc), and so in some careers women have had to work harder to get to the top. In fact, in some careers it’s not expected they will get there at all, so when they do - boom - imposter syndrome, they question themselves; should they really be at the top of the tree etc. The ‘glass ceiling’ is often a term we hear in connection to women and their careers, that women will ‘hit the glass ceiling’. My colleague suggested that in society it’s reported over and over how women hit this glass ceiling, aren’t paid enough, are still hard done by, so when they smash though the glass ceiling they feel as though they don’t belong and question whether they are a fraud and will be found out at any moment. I think this could well be one explanation, but I think imposter
syndrome goes a lot deeper than societal expectations affecting our life script. If we take the results that the scientists found earlier, imposter syndrome affects both genders in a profound way. I believe that imposter syndrome comes from a lack of self esteem, or beliefs around self esteem being challenged, and this is why the sufferer feels like a fraud. Whether imposter syndrome causes someone to break down, feel anxious, depressed, or any number of symptoms, the question is: how can we overcome it? The coping technique I’m giving you today comes in two parts. The first part is something that Kim Walsh Phillips herself used to overcome her imposter syndrome:
“I started a mantra of: ‘You were made for this. Now rock it.’ And I started to actually believe it. Granted, I had to say it 1,345,678 times to start feeling it, but it worked. The truth is, you are a rock star and you were made for this. So go do your thing, because it’s going to be incredible.” In therapy, the mantra Kim is referring to is called an affirmation. I use affirmations with clients when I need to build a positive belief system for them, but it takes up a lot of time if you have to say it 1,345,678 times to start feeling it! So now we have the second part of my coping technique to help with that. When you’re changing a belief about yourself there’s one thing that your mind needs - proof! So not only do you need your affirmation, you need something to reinforce and prove this affirmation is correct. Otherwise why would you believe it? At the very least we can place doubt into your mind that this negative belief system is correct, therefore making it more likely your mind will accept the new positive belief. So, think about all the times you’ve achieved something, been successful, felt confident etc. Perhaps you’ve helped someone and they were really grateful. Anything that makes you feel positive, confident etc that will back up your positive affirmation will go towards combating that imposter syndrome! It might seem a little alien to you at first but, as Kim told us earlier, this method does work, and has worked for many of my clients. As therapists, we’ve come across imposter syndrome and self esteem issues in many different forms and it is possible to overcome it and achieve the goals in life you really want to! Jenny Hartill is a therapist and owner of Cloud9 Therapy and Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. She is a counsellor and hypnotherapist and can help with a multitude of issues. Please see the therapist list on the website at www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or you can email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or call 0330 100 5162 to enquire about an initial consultation. Alternatively, Jenny’s own company website is www.cloud9-therapy.co.uk, her email is info@ cloud9-therapy.co.uk and her telephone number is 07507 307 170.
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From County Hall - Dick Madden I am really looking forward to Christmas and was delighted to see the fantastic Christmas lights being switched on in Chelmsford. These are jointly funded by One Chelmsford (Chelmsford’s Business Improvement District), Chelmsford City Council, Bond Street and Can Bridge Management. I am so impressed with how they look, particularly down Bond Street, I think these are some of the best lights we’ve had in the city centre. Don’t forget that late night shopping begins in Chelmsford city centre in December. Please check with individual stores for details of their opening times. To find out more about the Christmas Lights Switch On and other seasonal celebrations, please visit the City Council’s website at: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/christmas. With the cold weather starting to come in and the grand kids getting their advent calendars, the count down to Christmas has begun! Christmas Soirée at Hylands Estate On the subject of Christmas, Hylands Estate in Chelmsford will host its annual Christmas Soirée on 11-13th December, when traditional candles are lit to bring back the warm, magical glow of Christmases past for all to enjoy. This year the much respected Cameo Players will be presenting their new show A Pickwick Christmas, where they will blend their unique mix of music, drama and joviality in the stunning neo-classical surrounds of Hylands House’s beautiful banqueting room. The Christmas Soirées are always very popular and this new production promises to be the best yet, with guests joining Mr Pickwick and a few of his closest friends for a very merry Christmas.
There will be no better experience to kick off the festive season than being in the company of one of Charles Dickens’ most beloved characters. A range of hearty Christmas refreshments and a well stocked bar will be also available on the night. The Soirée starts at 7.45pm and finishes at 10pm. Advance tickets are available from www.hylandsestate.co.uk and are priced at £16 with concessions at £15. If available on the night of performances, tickets will be £18. School Admissions Parents of children starting primary school in the academic year starting in September 2019 are now able to apply online for their child’s reception school place. Children are entitled to start primary school in the September after their fourth birthday, so parents and carers of children born between 1st September 2014 and 31st August 2015 need to apply. Parents and carers can apply for their child’s school place online (www.essex.gov.uk/Education-Schools/Schools/Admissions/Pages/ Admissions.aspx) between 12th November 2018 and 15th January 2019. Applications received after the 15th January deadline will only be considered once all the on-time applications are determined. Applying late could reduce your child’s chance of getting their preferred school place. I hope everyone enjoys the run up to Christmas. BE SAFE
Chelmsford - by Vicky Ford MP
This year the commemorations for 100 years since the end of World War I have been extraordinarily moving and a vast crowd attended the main service at Chelmsford war memorial. A huge thank you to those who played a part in the service, marched in the parade and played in the bands. A smaller crowd came together at 6am before dawn to hear a lone bagpiper playing from the top of the Cathedral tower, exactly 100 years to the moment the armistice was signed. I would also like to thank all those who have organised other events across Chelmsford, to the children and other volunteers who have made many beautiful art works that have decorated the city and to the Royal British Legion volunteers. It was lovely to join them selling poppies on the High Street. In Westminster, there was a special service in St Margaret’s at Westminster Abbey. This is where MPs went to pray on Armistice Day on the 11th hour of November 11th 100 years ago. MPs also met in the House of Commons to share stories from their own parts of the UK. I told them about the Essex Regiment Museum which is so well worth a visit. Some 9,000 members of the regiment died in the 1914-1918 war in Gallipoli, Egypt, Palestine, The Somme, Ypres, Arras and Cambrai as well as other battles. I went to Ypres in 2014 with students from an East Anglian school and a German school to unveil a memorial they had jointly designed at the site of the famous Christmas day football match of 1914.
This month we are also celebrating 100 years since women had the right to stand for election to Parliament. I joined 100 women MPs from all across the world who came together in the House of Commons for the first ever conference uniting female parliamentarians. Many of those attending had made huge changes in their own countries in areas such as support for entrepreneurs, championing girls’ education and addressing domestic violence and harassment. Many others told of the huge challenges that those across the world still face. One delegate from Afghanistan had lost her father and brothers to war, she told us that in her country “we cannot even talk of equal rights, we cannot even dream of equal rights”. She called upon the women MPs from across the world to come together to fight terrorism. One hundred years from the end of the war that was meant to end all wars, there is still much to do. Back in Chelmsford, I was delighted to present awards to our pubs and clubs. They have just won the national prize for the best pubwatch scheme in the country. I spent a busy Saturday night meeting many of the door staff, security teams and volunteers who help keep people safe at night. This has helped reduce night time violence in the city centre by 45 per cent. Our local police have also been extremely busy on a successful campaign against drugs and gangs. Do please follow their work on social media. In Westminster we have also been very busy with the annual budget. The huge £20 billion investment in the NHS will make a big difference. I was also particularly pleased to see more support for small businesses, including a cut in business rates and the introduction of a tax for digital tech giants. Many small business owners in Chelmsford have asked me to campaign for this. The government has also announced an additional £420 million for local roads, which I hope may be able to contribute towards a flyover fund for the Army and Navy.
In the House of Commons, I also told colleagues about the history of the Quaker movement in Chelmsford. At the beginning of the First World War a group of young Quakers created the Friends Ambulance Unit. They were all civilians and they worked closely with the fighting soldiers. They cared for anyone they found wounded, including Germans. By November 1918, 21 members of the unit had given As ever, please do keep in touch. My email is vicky.ford.mp@ their own lives. In 1947, the Quakers were awarded the Nobel Peace parliament.uk. Prize. 6 www.moulshamtimes.com
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MT Health
Christmas and Health - by Chris at Forté Physical Health Hmmm, Christmas and health, Christmas and health, Christmas and health... nope, I can’t link the two.
Don’t be on your phone, don’t let your thoughts stray to work, just be in the room, with them. Believe it or not, this is the most powerful thing you can do for your health.
There’s something about being human that makes us want to let loose a couple of times a year and gorge on all the naughty things. I’m one of the worst for turning into a choccie monster, so I couldn’t possibly advise against doing it yourself, but there are a few strategies I employ to make Christmas slightly healthier and not cause quite so much damage.
So enjoy Christmas, savour all the naughty foods and drinks that we let in, but I hope I have shared some useful strategies to soften the effects of it all, just a little.
1. Intermittent Fasting This is where you don’t eat for 16 hours or more; so essentially go from dinner to lunch with no food. The research is very clear on the benefits of this and it has completely dispelled the myth of ‘breakfast is the most important meal of the day’. It turns out that phrase was created by a cereal company in the 1970s. Funny that...
If you have any questions about how we can help you and your health, get in touch at info@fortephysicalhealth.co.uk, or ‘like’ our page at www.facebook.com/fortephysicalhealth for regular health tips.
By fasting for 16 hours a few times a week, you will be letting your gut recover from the onslaught of food coming its way. You are also likely to keep the calories down on those days which can help manage weight gain. During your 16 hours, just drink plenty of water, and black coffee or tea is allowed. If you feel ‘hangry’, don’t worry, it will pass. Hunger is a transient feeling which doesn’t mean you need to eat straight away. Observe the feeling and let it go. Nice and Zen. 2. Move! Every year I treat injuries in the clinic around Christmas related to being more sedentary. Many people have time off work which often means extra time in bed in the morning, more time on the sofa to watch the Christmas films and more time around the dinner table. The social side of Christmas is fantastic, but we must keep our body moving to help the joints and muscles stay loose. 3. Sleep It is only recently that the benefits of sleep have been pushed to the front of medicine. It has been quoted that sleep is the second most important factor in regard to weight loss. Diet is the most important, exercise is third! Who’d have thought?! Trying our best to get quality sleep will help us cope with the stress and busyness that Christmas can sometimes bring. Going to bed at the same time each day, avoiding screen time after 9pm, avoiding lots of alcohol and sugar and having a good morning and night routine are the things that will make the biggest positive impact to your sleep. Trying your best to do some of these things during the Christmas period will help. 4. Be Social! Again, the research is becoming clearer on this; the quality of our relationships is the biggest factor in predicting our long-term health, our longevity and our happiness.
Here at Forté Physical Health, our team of osteopaths, sports massage therapists and a nutritionist are on hand to help with all manner of ailments.
From all of us here at Forté, have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Life T M Hack
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When you are with your friends and family over Christmas, be with them. 8
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Vinyl Revival Continues for Xmas 2018! With vinyl sales on the up, it was not surprising to the staff of Intense Records in Chelmsford that the turntable was one of the most popular Christmas gift again last year. The vinyl revival is one of the fairytale success stories of recent years, having faced nearextinction in 2007, when only 205,000 LPs were sold, it’s likely we’ll see the best part of three million copies purchased this year. So it’s no surprise if we are reporting a surge in demand for record players as one of the must-have Christmas gifts this year. Jon at Intense says: “For Christmas, we are stocking a wide variety of records ideal for Christmas presents and a new range of turntables and speaker packages from leading brands such as Rega and Pro-Ject. Packages start from just £189 and include a free selection of vinyl to get your collection started.” If you already have your turntable, then Intense can provide all the essential accessories to boost up your system, from vinyl cleaning products to storage crates. To pimp your deck, choose from a range of popular Slipmatt designs or a design your own option - just bring in a picture or logo and they will print it for you. If you didn’t know, Intense Records are the only remaining independent record shop left in Chelmsford and are now a truly established music specialist. Situated under the railway arches in Chelmsford, Intense is a walk-in shop and online record store featuring the latest releases across all genres on vinyl or CD as well as a vast second-hand section. Intense have continued to diversify, stocking many more genres alongside the regular dance music; from rock to pop and from indie to jazz by popular artists such as David Bowie, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones and many more. Intense Records, 33/34 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1TS 01245 347 372 www.intenserecords.com
MT Gardening Hasn’t the autumn colour been fabulous and brighter than most years this year? Especially from the likes of sweet gum, maples and a number of shrubs like the smoke bush (deciduous Euonymus cvs). However, it’s not all just about leaves, don’t forget textured and coloured, or fruit from plants such Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Chaenomeles and Callicarpa cvs.
of the Night are good value for money.
To extend colour through to the spring there’s so much more that could be added. Only this morning I’ve popped in Cyclamen cvs for a burst of leaf and flower colour these should give me a few months worth of interest. To extend this, underplant with bulbs to compliment the display such as snowdrops, winter aconites, crocus, mini daff’s and tulips cultivars such as Red Riding Hood or Queen
Other plants I’d use would be forget-me-knots, daisy, primulas and polyanthus types, plus dwarf wallflowers and stocks. I tend to use all of these within any gaps between woodies or odd spaces in containers, all of which are great in baskets.
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On another note, having just finished delivering an Allotment and Smallholders Beginners Course for Writtle University College, there is lots that we can do in the edible garden at this time of the year. Here are just a few pointers for now: Plant onion sets and garlic. Onion sets (immature bulbs) are selected that resist bolting, such as Japanese types and cultivars like Red Baron and Sturon. These are planted so that the neck is slightly proud of the soil surface at a spacing of 5-10cm apart in the row and roughly the same distance between rows (check for individual cultivars on the packaging). Garlic cloves are planted at a depth of 5-10cm and spaced 10cm in the rows; again row spacing is around the same apart. If you’re able to get hold of elephant garlic (not true garlic, more leek-like) space these 15cm apart and rows 30cm apart. Depth is the same as for garlic. All year round lettuce can be sown directly into prepared ground for eating just before or after December. Alternatively, lettuce can be sown in window boxes. A couple of rows should give you a great supply. Broad beans (Aquadulce and The Sutton) and peas (Meteor) can be sown in trenches. Trenches are around 5-7.5cm wide by around 5cm deep. A couple of rows of beans or three of peas should work well. Add supports as growth emerges. Rather than let the peas mature to pods, eat the shoots which are packed with vitamins. Lastly, if you want to further your knowledge and understanding of these or other gardening jobs, do consider one of the following courses at Writtle University College: For RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture (1 year, day release on Thursdays), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation & Development (September - February on Thursdays), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance (starting this coming February) and for RHS Level 2 and 3 Certificates in Practical Horticulture, email tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk for information on availability of days and times. If you’ve got more time, we also offer full time Level 2 & 3 programmes plus many apprenticeship pathways.
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If you’d like a shorter programme, for say 1 or 2 days, then give our Short Courses a call. We’ve got courses on construction (erecting fences, paving and brickwork), general garden tasks such as pruning, propagation (new for this year we’re running grafting courses), container gardening, successful care of lawns and growing fruit and veg. For the professional, there are a whole load of competence certificates covering arboriculture, pesticide application and the use of various machinery and equipment. Happy gardening
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For any gardening tips contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk. Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT www.moulshamtimes.com
Music and Blues and Roots in the City - by Nick Garner Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival We hosted our first two public meetings the other week which went really well, those that came were very engaging and wanting to get involved with the festival. We are now finalising our 2019 sponsorship pack and behind the scenes arranging venues and events for the festival. We already know it is going to be bigger and more exciting next year with lots of support from many different areas. Please keep and eye on our social media and in this magazine and our sister mag City Times where we will do our best to keep you up-to-date. See the end of this article for social media links. Music and Ramblings So here I am writing about November and what is happening at the end of the year already - I cannot believe 2018 has passed so quickly! We are pleased to announce that we have a new ticket outlet for the football club gigs - Hopsters, at 47a Moulsham Street, Chelmsford. Our last night at the Bassment for Blues and Roots in the City is on Wednesday 5th December - this is the last of our regular monthly events. It will be sad to leave there, but we are already looking forward and will be starting with a new format at the UB in New Writtle Street, so keep your eyes and ears open for updates. The final Bassment gig is with Zoe Schwarz and the Blue Commotion, who have as their special guest, Danny Boy Piper. Please do your best to attend so that we can go out with a bang. Both acts are amazing and it is only £5 in advance (see the flyer in this magazine for details). On Friday 7th December at Chelmsford City FC we are thrilled to welcome back - playing on their 25th year anniversary tour Limehouse Lizzy, who as you must be aware are about the best tribute band of any in the world. Joe Anderton and Connor Selby are two of the brightest hopes in music today, not only are they great musicians but they also have fabulous voices and write great music as well - we are pleased to say that they will be opening the night. Please see the flyer in this magazine for full details of tickets and the show. Reviews Last month at the football club we had two bands with legends in them - and neither disappointed. The Ugly Guys, who have ex members of the Kursaal Flyers and Mickey Jupp, play a mix of country and Americana with originals and a couple of covers thrown in. They certainly wowed the audience with Paul’s voice and Vic’s amazing pedal steel playing along with Bob on drums and Nevil on bass - and not forgetting the fabulous guitar work of Steve.
then move into the back room for an evening of Tall Tales with Shane Ibbs and friends telling you the most fantastic tales and stories. If you have never been before I can highly recommend this to you. There is a host of great events that happen in the UB every week on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays - and now starting on Mondays as well. On Monday 17th December the One Tree Hillbillies return to bring you the wonderful sound of bluegrass with one of the top mandolin players in the world, Hippy Joe. Friday 28th December sees the return of Dave Sharp who was a member of eighties band, the Alarm who had many hits and toured regularly with U2. Dave was the guitarist and co-songwriter in the band alongside Mike Peters, and they occasionally still do some special shows together. Other UB events to look forward to are Paolo Morena’s annual festive show on the 21st and Trevor Gentry playing on New Year’s Eve. In between these dates on the 23rd, it’s party time from noon to midnight with a kitchen take over by Serious Shake, so lots of tasty bits to try. There will of course be live music and DJs playing throughout the event - and yes, it is free to enter. To find out what’s happening in your area, check out the What’s On guide in the City Times, which you can pick up all over the city or view online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia. If you are putting on an event, or know of any events that we can help publicise, please email us at editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk. As ever, please do try to come out and support the great live scene that we have in Essex, because if you do not - we may lose it. For more information on all of the above and more, see the links below and pick up a copy of the City Times and go to the What’s On pages to see what else in happening in your area. If you go to our Facebook pages, look at our ‘events’ tabs - you can see who is playing and preview the up-and-coming acts. www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic The Arts and Cultural email: hello@chelmsfordfestival.org www.chelmsfordfestival.org www.facebook.com/chelmsfordfestival Twitter: @chelmsfordaacf
Next up was Slim Chance. For those who do not know, this is the band the late great Ronnie Lane of the Small Faces and The Faces started up when he left The Faces. The band still features three original members with Steve Bingham on bass, Charlie Hart on fiddle, accordion and keyboards, and Steve Simpson on guitar, mandolin and fiddle. They are joined by Geraint Watkins on keyboards and Billy Nicholls on acoustic guitar and Brendan O’Neill on drums. Most of them have worked with Ronnie in the past as well. With the exception of Brendan, everyone sings and takes the lead. They cover all the hits and certainly get your toes tapping and put a smile on your face. A highlight of the evening with Slim Chance was when Steve Simpson and Charlie Hart played fiddles in a dual-off during Anniversary and left many of the audience open mouthed as they were stunning beyond belief. The whole night was fantastic and they are two bands we will have back to play again. There is lots going on around the Moulsham area and across the city during December. Moulsham Street and the surrounding area is lucky to have such a plethora of live venues - and not just for music. In the UB on 2nd December, Connor Selby kicks things off at 4.30pm, we 12
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The Chelmsford Ballet Company to Perform with Ballet Central as Part of Music for Christmas The Chelmsford Ballet Company, who have called the city its home for almost seventy years, will be performing as part of Hutton and Shenfield Choral Society’s Music for Christmas extravaganza on Saturday 22nd December at the Brentwood Centre, alongside the esteemed Ballet Central, Central School of Ballet’s touring company.
The two companies of dancers will be performing as part of the Christmas concert excerpts from The Nutcracker to Tchaikovsky’s captivating and possibly most famous score, performed by the Aurelian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Tim Hooper. As a truly festive performance, the evening will also include choirs, the full orchestra, audience sing-along and a visit from Father Christmas. It is a festive feast for all the family, the biggest Christmas musical spectacular in Essex. In the perfect prelude to the Christmas season, the much loved melodies set the scene for everybody’s favourite ballet.
This is an event for the whole family and a spectacle for any time of year. To book tickets visit www.ticketsource.co.uk/ huttonshenfieldchoralsociety. Fast approaching in 2019, The Chelmsford Ballet Company is anticipating its 70th anniversary celebrations throughout the year, with its annual production the highlight of this. A Midsummer Night’s Dream and 70th anniversary celebrations will run at the Civic Theatre, Chelmsford from 20th-23rd March 2019. Photo: The mice, dancers Callum McGregor and Leon Peace, by Bill Cooper
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MT Cooking - by Beverley Matthews Christmas Party Canapés \ Christmas is the perfect time of year to indulge in delicious food with friends and family. If you’re hosting a party this Christmas then these canapés are simple to make and are the perfect way to kick start any celebration! Here I’ve chosen 3 of our most popular canapés that you can prepare yourself at home. These recipes will make 30-40 canapés each. Moroccan Lamb Tortillas Ingredients: 2 lamb rumps Spices - 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp ground ginger, a good pinch of salt and pepper 1 packet of tortillas 500g Greek yoghurt 1 packet fresh mint Method 1. Rub the lamb rumps with oil and the spice mix. Then place skin down in a hot frying pan. Seal the meat on all sides making sure you get good colour on the outside of the meat, before placing in the oven skin side up for 15 minutes at 180oC. 2. Leave the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes. 3. To make the bases for the canapés, slice the tortillas into triangles then bake in the oven for around 5 minutes until crisp. 4. Finely chop the mint and mix through the yoghurt. 5. To serve, slice the lamb, place on top of the tortillas and top with the mint yoghurt. Pulled Pork Bon Bons Ingredients: 2kg pork shoulder joint 2 tsp smoked paprika & 2 tsp ground cumin 1 ltr cider Good quality BBQ sauce 2 packets pork scratchings 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup plain flour 2 cups panko breadcrumbs 3 apples (any variety will do, but Braeburn apples work well) 2 tbsp sugar 1 cinnamon stick
cider if needed). 2. Leave the pork to cool. Once cool, remove and discard the skin, then pull the meat apart and mix with a cup of BBQ sauce. Taste and season if needed. 3. Chop the pork scratchings up into small pieces then mix in with the panko breadcrumbs. 4. To make the bon bons, shape the pork into balls using your hands, then coat in flour, then beaten egg, then finally the panko and pork scratching mix. Leave to one side until you are ready to cook. (These can be made in advance and frozen. Simply cook straight from frozen when you are ready to serve!) 5. To make the apple purée, peel and core the apples and cut into small chunks. Place in a pan with the sugar, cinnamon stick and a dash of water. Simmer for around 10 minutes until the apples are soft. Discard the cinnamon stick then place the apples in a blender and blitz until smooth. Put the purée into a squeezy bottle to make serving easier. 6. When you’re ready to serve, deep fry the bon bons for around 5 minutes until they are crispy on the outside and warm in the middle. Alternatively, you can shallow fry the bon bons to get some colour on the outside and then finish cooking in the oven. Place on a serving tray and top with the apple purée (and edible flowers for extra wow factor!). Fig & Goats Cheese Pastries Ingredients: 8 figs 1 packet puff pastry 250g soft goats cheese Runny honey 1 pomegranate Method 1. Use a circle cutter to cut the puff pastry into bite sized circles. 2. Place the goats cheese into a piping bag and soften with your hands to make it easy to pipe. 3. Pipe a small amount of goats cheese onto each puff pastry base. Top with a quarter of a fig then place in the oven for 15 minutes at 180oC until the puff pastry is cooked through. 4. Top each canapé with a squeeze of honey, some pomegranate seeds and serve. I hope you get a chance to make some of these canapés during the festive period, or if you don’t fancy slaving away in the kitchen, get in touch to see if we can do all the hard work for you!
Method I am the owner of Perfect Day Caterers, an event catering business. 1. Firstly, to cook the pork, rub the joint in smoked paprika, cumin, We cater for all kinds of special occasions, from small intimate dinner salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan then pour in enough parties to canapé receptions, BBQs and weddings. To find out more cider to cover the bottom half of the pork. Cover tightly with foil about me or Perfect Day Caterers, visit www.perfectdaycaterers.co.uk and roast in the oven at 150oC for 4-6 hours until the pork is soft or email me at beverley@perfectdaycaterers.co.uk, I’d love to hear and falling apart (check the pork during cooking and add more from you! 14 www.moulshamtimes.com
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Molly’s Thoughts - Molly’s Wrap Up December people - DECEMBER. The most magical (albeit stressful) time of year has returned. After 11 months of pretending to like kale and forcing ourselves to go for the occasional jog, we finally find relief in the form of bitesize chocolate breakfasts every single day as we approach Christmas! What will you be getting up to? Personally, I spend a lot of November planning December. I imagine how great it would be to go ice skating around a Christmas tree 20 times my size and head along to all sorts of festive fayres and keeping warm by cuddling a paper cup full of mulled wine - which if you weren’t already aware is the official smell of Christmas. I think about how therapeutic it will be to decorate the tree with a hundred tiny, sparkling ornaments and wrap up the world’s gifts whilst simultaneously singing along to the Now That’s What I Call Christmas CD that makes an appearance once or twice each year. But, you guessed it, this never goes quite to plan. December absolutely FLIES by. Instead, my month is usually spent racing around shops before and after work to buy the world and his wife a gift, planning out exactly what is needed for Christmas dinner and attending Christmassy events with every group of friends and every single family member I have. Don’t get me wrong, I do find myself merrily singing along to a few too many questionable Christmas hits. Frankly, what I come to enjoy most is an unsuspecting day of nothing to do and nowhere to be. Maybe plans get cancelled last minute. Maybe what is for a moment a huge disappointment, is actually a day to put my feet up, watch Elf with the Christmas tree lights twinkling at me in the corner of my eye and fall fast asleep on the sofa, wrapped in a fluffy blanket, completely content with a very full tummy. Whilst plenty of fun is to be had this month, we can’t escape that
January, and the last year of the decade, is just a few mince pies away. Will you be partaking in dry Jan, veganuary, or be splashing out on the never ending post-Christmas sales? If you find yourself penniless, overweight and miserable congratulations! You’ve had a successful Christmas.
Charity Launches Winter Feed Appeal on #GivingTuesday Ingatestone, Essex: It’s a sad fact, but many horses will die this winter without food. Remus Horse Sanctuary has created its 2018 Winter Feed Appeal to help minimise that number. The appeal will launch officially on #GivingTuesday 27th November when the charity will also be sharing photographs and videos throughout the day demonstrating ‘a day in the life of Remus Horse Sanctuary’, via social media. Sue Burton, Founder of Remus Horse Sanctuary said: “Thousands of foals will have been born this summer only to die during the winter. This is a huge crisis and where we can we will get food and water to these horses to get them through the worst of the winter until the grass grows in the spring, but this comes at a substantial cost.” Keeping an animal fed over winter will give it a chance to thrive into spring, and forage also helps a horse keep warm. Without the sanctuary’s help, many animals will die a slow, painful and unnecessary death. Further information can be found on the JustGiving appeal page and donations can be made online here: www.justgiving.com/campaign/ RemusWinterFeedAppeal2018, or via the website at: www. remussanctuary.org/donate, or by texting ‘FEED36 £10’ to 70070 to donate to Remus with JustTextGiving. The news regularly features horses that are victims of physical and mental abuse and Remus continue to receive calls daily throughout the year. However, the cold winter months will make any situation worse and Remus need to get food and water out to them regularly to avoid starvation and ultimately death. Daisy - safe, warm and fed at Remus Horse Sanctuary - is one of eight horses that the charity rescued earlier this year. Two of those horses were left out in the summer heatwave with no food, water or shelter; two horses were kept in a cage, again with no food or water; and four stallions had been kept in closed dirty stables for two years. At present, there are more than 7,000 horses at risk in the UK and the welfare crisis in this country continues to escalate year on year with little or no progress - when the mares foal, the problem doubles and so on and so forth each year. Sue added: “We’re launching the new winter feed appeal to help raise £2,500 to feed the many neglected, unloved and abandoned horses that are either tethered by their necks on waste ground or just left wandering and unwanted with no food, water or shelter, whatever the weather.” Additionally, Remus offer plenty of foodstuffs via its online shop where people can buy a bale of hay, bag of animal food, straw bedding and more. A week’s supply of food and hay for a tethered horse will help improve their life and well-being for just £25 and help get them through the cold winter months. Visit: www.remussanctuary.org/product-category/treats-for-remus to find out more, or contact Sue Burton on: 01277 356 191.
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Christ Church Advent Ah it’s that time of year again - when I walk through the town centre and smell all the smells of Christmas and see all the Christmas decorations in the shop windows… SINCE OCTOBER! As you read this we will be in the season of advent. So, what is advent? Advent is the season of four Sundays in December that leads up to Christmas. It’s a period of waiting until Christians celebrate the arrival and birth of Jesus into our world. It’s also a period of waiting until Christmas. Some children and households will have advent calendars that count down the days before Christmas. I’m sure, like me, you remember being a young person waiting for Christmas - it was always very difficult; waiting for Christmas morning was tough! As time has passed, not much seems to have changed. We don’t really like waiting, do we? We don’t like waiting for a bus, waiting in the checkout line or at the bank, or maybe even waiting for the new John Lewis advert on the television. We live in a society where the technology revolution has meant that we have access to most things instantaneously. We have instant meals and Instagram. We can sit on our sofa and with a smartphone (or smart speaker) browse, order and find out anything, anywhere at any time of the day. We don’t have to wait long these days for very much.
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I was in London the other day and it was so busy. I needed to stop and find out which direction I needed to go, much to the dismay of those passing me. There wasn’t any time to stop or wait and take in what’s around me to find my way. People were bumping into me and pushing me and I was getting in their way, and their facial expressions showed how much they appreciated me being there that day! It seems though we have lost the art of waiting. Because in waiting there is an expectation. There is a period that one gets to have space and think. There is an excitement that builds as we consider and ponder the ‘what could be…’ I have a suspicion that this lack of waiting often effects our relationships. We can become impatient waiting for someone, or perhaps even for God to move or work in a situation. God sent Jesus Christ into the world to show us what God is like. To show us God’s character and what awaits for those who follow Jesus. My prayer this Christmas is that we learn to wait again. Learn to wait for God, learn to wait in God’s presence and learn to wait for the excitement of meeting with God again. That we may stop and look at the surroundings and we can consider once again the ‘what could be…’ God bless you and may you have a joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year. Paul Stein Minister at Christ Church URC, Chelmsford
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Moulsham Infant School School Events At Moulsham Infants we are committed to providing all children with a broad and balanced curriculum. We place a strong emphasis on valuing and developing the talents and strengths of every child through our creative and enriched approach to teaching and learning. We have had a very busy start to our school year and have already enjoyed so many events and visitors in school. The whole school celebrated harvest in different ways, years 1 and 2 visited St Luke’s Church for a special harvest festival celebration, and Reception held a whole year group assembly in school. In Reception, the children had a visit from Charlie Wilson the storyteller who shared stories and storytelling techniques with us. Reception have also involved the whole family in school by holding a grandparents’ morning. We received lots of lovely thankful comments from many grandparents who were thrilled to have spent the morning visiting their grandchildren and seeing all of their learning in school.
Year 1 have held a very popular Toys Event Day, where every child was invited to bring their favourite toy into school for a toy party. The children also participated in a variety of activities including art and cookery. In Year 2 the children started the year by learning about dinosaurs. This included a spectacular dinosaur workshop day where the children were taken back to the time of the dinosaurs to investigate their world and they all became palaeontologists. To finish the day a surprise visitor came… it was Sophie, a life size animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex! Finally, the whole school have marked Remembrance Day, with Year 2 spending two weeks learning about life as an evacuee. This included a 1940s day where the children dressed up and experienced what school was like back in the 1940s. Our motto at Moulsham Infants is ‘where learning is fun’ - and we have certainly had a creative, fun and exciting year so far!
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hour and will be followed by mulled wine, soft drinks and mince pies. There will be a collection for the mayor’s charities during the service. If you want more carols, pop down to High Chelmer on Saturday 15th December. Lots of fun outside Starbucks with Rotarians singing lustily and welcoming audience participation.
Christmas Is Coming
Christmas is steeped in traditions, and one firmly established in the calendar of communities up and down the country is the sight of Rotarians raising money for local good causes. Well, Chelmsford is no exception and the five clubs in the city will all be involved in making the festive season a little bit better for many people. The turning on of the Christmas lights in the High Street saw Rotarians led by the Chelmsford Phoenix club and abetted by others handing out mulled wine and minced pies to merrymakers. Unfortunately, this year the pies were not hot as new rules on health and safety means we cannot use our heated trolley. The pies were delicious anyway. A new initiative this year (Rotary doesn’t stand still) will be the Frost Fair at Hylands House. This event stretches over three days from Friday 30th November, Saturday 1st December and Sunday 2nd December from 10am to 5pm. I mentioned last month how plans were progressing and now it is getting close. Chelmsford Rotary Club will be the organising club for Santa’s Grotto and it will be a great day out especially for the children. Every child visiting the grotto will receive a gift and a letter from Father Christmas himself. Santa is looking forward to chatting to the children and he will have many helpers with him. Not sure if his reindeer will make it as we believe they might be busy elsewhere... It costs just £5 for children to enter the grotto, including receiving a present, so we are expecting a lot of excited youngsters. Proceeds from Santa’s Grotto will be donated to KidsInspire in Chelmsford.
Whatever the weather, you will see Rotarians collecting outside supermarkets and at the railway station. All the cash collected is used for local projects such as the pantomime concert for the elderly, support for the homeless through CHESS and donations to charities based in and around our city. Chelmsford Rotary Club has decided to put its weight behind Chelmsford Community Transport with long-term support for a vital service for local residents, and their vehicles now sport the Rotary logo. At present they are working with Broomfield Hospital to assist with transport to Maldon, Braintree, Basildon and Southend Hospitals. These days, bucket collecting is getting more difficult, as the younger generation is like the Royal Family - they don’t carry cash. This is something charities will need to address if they are to keep up the same level of assistance for the many good causes. Hopefully though, the sums will still make a significant impact to improve lives and put a smile on people’s faces. Rotary Public Image Chairman
Rotary is always looking for helpers - not just Santa’s little helpers, but those people willing to get involved either as full members, or as Friends of Rotary. If this is something you would like to try, please visit www.rotary1240.org or give me a call on 01245 260 349. Stan Keller
Halloween
On the 17th December there will be a Christmas Concert at Chelmsford Cathedral commencing at 7.15pm. It is being organised jointly by Rotary and Inner Wheel, a partner organisation comprising ladies who have a Rotary connection (although this is also changing). It will feature talented young people from Essex and a ladies choir from Burnham. Tickets are available by telephoning 07564 841 568, email districtconcert@gmail.com, or on the door at a cost of £10. Proceeds will be shared between Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. Speaking of concerts at the Cathedral, Chelmer Bridge Rotary Club will be holding their annual New Year’s Day Concert there featuring the Essex Young People’s Orchestra and the Essex Youth Jazz Sextet. Oddly enough this year it won’t be on 1st January, but on the Saturday 29th December. Tickets cost £10 and are available on the door, or email secretary@chelmsfordmildmay.rotary1240.org. Again, this demonstrates the support for our talented local young musicians and good causes. This year, Chelmer Bridge will also be helping man the sleigh in collaboration with Round Table.
On October 31st neighbours at Tile Kiln in Chelmsford were visited by Boris the Spider, a seven-foot tall creation by balloon artist Heydi Alvarado from Heydi Party Decorations.
It took 1,000 balloons and six hours to bring Boris to life and become the highlight of the Halloween celebrations delighting As you can see, the Rotary association with the cathedral is very children and adults alike. Afterwards, Boris was responsibly put to strong and the Civic Carol Service on 14th December at 6.45pm will rest until next year when Heydi brings him back, bigger and better, be led by the Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Yvonne Spence, a to give a special ‘ouch’ to a new All Hallows’ Eve. member of the Rotary Club of Chelmsford Rivermead. She will be joined by the Chelmsford Salvation Army Band, The Voice Kidd’s winner Jess Folley, West End musical star Ruthie Henshall plus local choirs and schoolchildren. The service will last approximately an 20 www.moulshamtimes.com
Wine Corner Hi everyone, I hope the colder weather and dark evenings aren’t causing you too much trouble. I have got to say, this is not my favourite time of year. Maybe I need to try out a few new wines...
I should not really complain, as we have just got back from a week in Italy where we had a great time. We flew out to Naples and had a coach ride up the mountains to the hotel. We had stayed near Sorrento in the south west and it is here you will find the wine area of Campania. Red, white and rose wines are produced here, using some less well known grape varieties, Anglianico and Piedirosso. We managed to try a number of different wines at different prices, ranging from about 5 euros to 8 euros per glass. Bottles were being sold from 10 to 18 euros, so just a bit cheaper than in the UK pubs and restaurants. There was a slightly different pricing policy in the hotel. Surprisingly I was drinking a very nice local wine at 9 euros for a bottle. On a couple of occasions, we had a night cap and this is where the measures were most interesting. The bar staff put the glass on the counter and poured the spirit, then with one eye closed, had a look at the level then topped it up again. When I asked how much it will cost, she had a glazed look in her eye and on the first night said 10. The next night it was 7 euros and I think the best was 5. I wonder if they make any money?
upside down cone, making it impossible for them to stand on the floor. Most odd, I thought the Romans were a bright race, yet they have loads of impractically shaped vessels for wine and oil. I found out later that they were shaped like that so that they can be transported by one person by spinning them along on their point. Time and motion must have been around even then!
I
Whine Corner Being someone who cannot get anything square or straight when doing DIY, I have long been an admirer of people like bricklayers and builders who are able to get all the angles perfectly right every time. Recently a main road near us was resurfaced. About time, I thought, there were several places where dips in the road became deep puddles in the rain. I have lost count of the number of times I have been splashed by passing traffic, so I was pleased that it was to be fixed. It took a few days, causing chaos for about a week, but in the end, looked good. The next time it rained, I was amazed that, to my dismay, the dips in the old surface had been very accurately recreated for the new one. Talk about precision, I could not have done that. Needless to say I still get wet on my walk to the paper shop! Just a quick word about Brexit. In amongst all the doom and gloom about ‘no deal’ the final unthinkable outcome. Apparently if this happens we may run out of Mars Bars, yes, the sweet bar. So, that’s it, we dare not have a ‘no deal’ if that is to be the result! Talking about skills, we recently celebrated our golden wedding and our daughter-in-law very kindly prepared all the food, and lovely it was. She also contacted the mother of a friend of my grandson (are you still following this?) who makes cakes. Well, what a result (see photo below), A fantastic creation of two bottles of wine in wooden wine boxes. All of this was edible and looked so real, so thank you to Liza from the Eagan Sugar and Spice Cake Company, everyone was well impressed!
For the first couple of days it was up in the twenties, so shorts and tee shirts out again. The first day was a ‘free’ day, no arranged trips, so we decided to walk into Sorrento. The town was a fifteen minute bus ride, but there was a path down the mountain, yes mountain, which was, we were told, quite easy. Well, it was all down hill, but although there was a good path, it was very steep and it took about three quarters of an hour. By the time we got down there I felt that we had earned a glass of wine or two, which we duly had. Lovely. Needless to say, we got the bus back! We tasted some lovely wines on our trip, the cafés were great with attentive staff and very reasonable prices - well the ones we went in at least. We always have a good look at the menu and wine list before we sit down, mostly we only want a snack, so it’s not too expensive. We had a coach trip along the Amalfi coast and a boat ride so that we could see the lovely villages from the bay. A visit to Capri was good, although it rained. Lovely place. Bin End Chuckles: What happens when a frog’s car breaks down? It gets toad away...
The first organised day out was to Pompeii. What a place. Very large and full of buildings that were in quite good shape. There were lots of pots and urns, most of these were shaped like an 22
Can’t find the children in the house? Just turn off the Internet and they will soon turn up... Keep calm, and carry on drinking (in moderation).
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That’s How It Used to Be - Memories of the 1940s & 1950s by Anita Marie Sackett - Reviewed by Pat Mclean The author is giving an account of what life was like in England during the 1940s and 1950s and how different it was compared to today. She lived in various locations during these decades - which I think makes it even more interesting - and has since lived in other parts of the world. She has now settled in Chelmsford and gives talks and presentations to many groups of people, including U3As and women’s institutes. In 1953 when Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne, street parties were held all over the country, and although I’m several years younger than the author, I can remember that day clearly and much of life in the 1950s, so reading this book was pure nostalgia for me. She mentions all the individual shops which existed then - no supermarkets selling everything in one place for us! What a time it must have taken our mothers, going from the butchers to greengrocers to the bakers etc. When rationing ended in the early 1950s, we could go to sweet shops and buy two ounces of sweets of our choice. My favourites were bulls eyes and pear drops. Anita mentions the coal man delivering coal in sacks and the milkman with his horse and cart. It was a fight amongst the children to see who could reach the milk cart first - not for the milk, but for what the horse left behind, to be collected in a bucket! Good for the roses, so we were told... Kids played out in the streets making their own amusement with a variety of games. No Xboxes or games consoles for us, and no television for most of us. I think this book will appeal to a wide range of age groups, as it will bring back memories for older people and can be read as recent history for younger readers. To order a copy of the book, priced at £6.00 plus £2.00 postage, email miknitahow@blueyonder.co.uk or call 01245 262 020.
Renowned Artist to Open Chelmsford Museum’s Open Art Exhibition Chelmsford Museum will be hosting its second annual open art exhibition from 24th November to 13th January 2019. 55 artists from the Chelmsford area have submitted their work to the museum for a chance to see their art hang on the museum’s walls. Well renowned artist John Doubleday will officially open the exhibition. He said: “I am looking forward to opening the exhibition and seeing the diverse work which it brings together. The exhibition is a welcome focus for those whose impetuous is their own interest in the creative process. Society needs people who think creatively, and it is a source of concern that our public life and in particular, education leaves little room for the development of creativity. We need those who can offer alternative perspectives. John continued: “In my own practice I seek to engage people, and www.moulshamtimes.com
in April next year there will be an unveiling at Oaklands Park of the National Police Dog Memorial which I have been working on for over a year. It is intended to give people the opportunity to engage in the relationship between the dogs who serve our community, their handlers and the public by whom they are largely taken for granted. For me, the commission has been a voyage of discovery. Likewise, the works in the exhibition will offer visitors an opportunity to engage with the creative journeys that come together to make the show.” 104 pieces of art have been submited for the exhibition. Mark Curteis, Assistant Museum Manager at Chelmsford Museum, said: “Over the years the Chelmsford Museum has displayed work by hundreds of top artists including John Nash RA, John Bratby RA, Alan and Elizabeth Sorrell and Beryl Cooke, to name just a few. Now art lovers could stumble upon the next Grayson Perry or Billie Bond as new work by local artists goes on display as part of the open art exhibition.” Mark continued: “It is always very exciting to see what artists there are out there in Chelmsford and the art they make - seeing if it’s colourful, surreal, nature related or geometric... It’s also fascinating to see how they capture something that we may all see every day and take for granted.” Entry to the museum is free and is open Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm (including Bank Holidays), Fridays it is closed during term time, but open 10am to 5pm during school holidays, and Sundays 1pm to 4pm. 23
You Better Watch Out, You Better Not Cry, You Better Not Pout I’m Tellin’ You Why Now that I have you humming about Christmas I’d like you to think for a moment about what might spoil it... Crime. It’s sad fact that some of the people reading this will be robbed one way or another over the Christmas period. It’s a horrible feeling and you won’t know how it will affect you until it happens. To have an intruder in your home ransacking through your belongings is just horrible, as you have this eerie silence in your home as you check it thinking where they have been and what have they have touched, still wondering if will they come back, and then going through various emotions of shock and anger. Yes, I’ve been robbed and we lost wedding jewellery that had sentiment value that can’t be recovered with insurance (which reminds me, always tell your insurance company about expensive items. Check that insurance won’t just pay you £500 for a £2k item). I wish I’d known my neighbour better on the day of the burglary. It happened at 4pm and I knew her for a chat and we’d lived as neighbours for 5 years. But when she heard the break in she didn’t have my number. When she heard I was burgled she felt so guilty, but it wasn’t her fault. Our society setup means we work so hard, but just dont know our neighbours very well. So my point is that if she had my number and had been more alert and aware of burglaries in the area, then she could have called me. I did have a house alarm but the battery was dead - a costly doh!
thefts. That sounded good, but I had no idea what that meant. A task force? Little did I know that a few days later we would find out! The community by this time were on alert thanks to actions by residents. When the next house was targeted, the police were all over it like a gravy on Christmas turkey. The response by the police was phenomenal; multiple officers, dog units and a helicopter! It might seem over-the-top, but to the Old Moulsham residents it wasn’t. We’d had enough of multiple thefts and cars being stolen in just a few weeks and this was a message to the thieves and residents that the police are here and when the residents work with the police we can get justice! Join Old Moulsham Neighbourhood Watch Facebook page; it has a lot going on, with everyone looking out for each other and providing information. For me though, the best thing is seeing from 0 NWs to 6 NWs and growing. It shows great community spirit. The worst thing that can happen is you get to meet your neighbours during Christmas and you realise that they are either Scrooge Before Christmas (hum bug) or Christmas Morning Scrooge (scarily happy...) Though the likely result is that you get to know your neighbours better - and helping each other to improve security means that your road becomes more secure and safe. It’s not enough to make your house safe if the neighbours around you get robbed. The fire service also offer a Free Home Safety Check - call 0300 303 0088. Before I go, some few useful tips over the festive period. • • •
Don’t leave your presents in the car (get a steering lock), take them into your home. Don’t publish on social media that you’re going on holiday. Make your home look like someone is at home. Get light timers/ smart lights/smart switches. Be careful how you shop - avoid large sums of cash. Be vigilant about locking up home, car and shed (this seems obvious, but I’ve seen the incidents and it’s embarrassing just how many homes aren’t locked).
We know resources are limited and police have to be selective about what crimes they go to. A bike may be precious to us, but there are thousands that look similar (mark and register your bike!) therefore we have to take preventative measures. Put a large chain or silver or gold rated D-lock on that can’t so easily be bolt cut and anchor it to your shed floor.
• •
Recently in Old Moulsham their have been a considerable increase in shed break ins and bike thefts. The Old Moulsham Neighbours Facebook page was just being hit day after day with different stories and it was just escalating.
Ayman Syed Old Moulsham Neighbourhood Watch aymansyed@gmail.com
I’m not one to sit around (though my Santa belly says different!) and as I already had connections with the police and council, I thought: ‘let’s get organised’. I contacted Chelmsford Neighbourhood Watch Chair Steve Leverett and discovered Old Moulsham had NO neighbourhood watches! Lo and behold, Old Moulsham Neighbourhood Watch Facebook was born. It’s already grown quite rapidly to over 500 people in a just few weeks. Please search for us on Facebook. Naturally, some people were sceptical and wondered is there any point telling police about every shed break, drug sell or bike theft. But every recorded incident improves intelligence. I knew this was important as this helps to create patterns and hotspots that can be analysed. A few NW coordinators, City Council members and me hogging the meeting (I did warn them!) armed with questions from Old Moulsham residents let (politely) fly. DC Gerry Parker was a straight-talking no nonsense cop; exactly what you want. He told me that a task force had been assigned to the recent
Stay warm and Happy Christmas
Deadlines for the January edition: Articles - 7th December Print ready art work - 15th December
24 www.moulshamtimes.com
General Knowledge Quiz - by John Theedom 1. Who is the English artist famous for his matchstick men? 2. Pecorino is what kind of food? 3. From which language does the word ‘trek’ come? 4. What kind of activity is pugilism? 5. What is the special type of printing for the blind? 6. Which year was The Chelsea Royal Hospital founded? 7. In bingo, what is ‘Kelly’s eye’? 8. What is aspic? 9. Who or what lives in an eyrie? 10. Who composed the music for Torville and Dean’s ice dance, Bolero? 11. A septuagenarian is how old? 12. What type of animal is a honeyguide? 13. MRI scan: what does the ‘M’ stand for? 14. Who was once Prince of Monaco? 15. What is the name of the Californian town ravaged by fire recently? 16. What are Oxford bags? 17. Anfield is the home of which UK football club? 18. When was Prince Charles born? 19. Who started the computer company Amstrad? 20. A gillie is what type of job? 21. What kind of food is Port Salut? 22. In the Monty Python sketch, Dead Parrot, what kind of parrot is used? 23. What is yogi? 24. In which UK county is Bletchley Park? 25 Marisco Castle is on which English Island?
26. What is the first name of the fashion designer Ms Westwood? 37. What does the word tertiary mean? 28. What colour is the drink absinthe? 29. Which British boxer used the catchphrase ‘Know what I mean ‘arry’? 30. What is grail? 31. Give another name for the yeti? 32. What is the detachable section of a spaceship called? 33. Which year did the Korean War end? 34. What do the initials NAAFI stand for? 35. Excaliber was the magic sword of which king? 36. An amethyst stone is what colour? 37. A corsage is what? 38. In EastEnders, who played the part of Dot’s husband? 39. What was the first name of the Australian outlaw Mr Kelly? 40. In which African country is the port of Lagos? Answers on page 31 The people who made our page for children have had to stop due to time constraints. If you would like to create a page each month for future issues please email paul@itsyourmedia.co.uk.
The Evolution of British Rock ‘n’ Roll. Part 4 - by John Power
The second skiffle club to emerge in London in 1956 was in the cellar below 44 Gerrard Street, and hosted by the 44 Skiffle and Folksong Group led by an unlikely 35 year old character called John Hasted, who taught atomic physics at University College London.
Hasted, an army officer’s son, was also of that very un-American persuasion, a communist, a leaning he had developed at university alongside an enthusiasm for music, mostly in the form of choral work at first, but the two interests converged later in a taste for political folk music, like that of the Weavers and Woody Guthrie, long before the ‘60s protest songs boom. So he began to learn the guitar. A friend called Jean Butler knew folk singing activist Pete Seeger’s contact details in the US, and he began postal tuition from him. Then with Jean, folk song collector Bert Lloyd, and another guitarist, Neste Revald, they formed a group called The Ramblers that lasted a couple of years. Hasted used his choir connections to peer behind the Soviet Iron Curtain by visiting occupied countries in Europe through events like the World Youth Festival in Warsaw. They also began a magazine modelled on Seeger’s Sing Out, called Sing, to publish songs, beginning in 1954. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament was formed in ‘58, but there were meetings in Trafalgar Square before that, organised by radicals like Hasted. At the 44 Club many other radicals joined them as folk and skiffle fused together. The many and varied guests ranged from the likes of Shirley Collins to Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. 1956 saw a third skiffle club open at the Princess Louise pub near Holborn tube station run by Hylda Sims and painter Russell Quaye, whose other ramblers, the City Ramblers, were the main attraction. Like at the 44, the music that was fostered was early political protest songs in a jug band style. Nancy Whiskey was a regular and guests included Cyril Davies, Ronnie Wood’s brother Ted, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. After three months, the ramblin’ became real as they refurbished an old ambulance, well in advance of the ‘70s/’80s ‘Peace Convoy’, and set off to Hamburg. Those that remained, like Johnny Pilgrim, kept a bohemian crash pad going for anyone who needed a roof and they became proto-beatniks before the term was widely used here, adopting American jive talk to go with it. Marijuana was certainly no new thing when sixties hippies began to use it. It had been the drug of choice for modern jazzers for a long while and saxist Tubby Hayes and Jimmy Skidmore were amongst the early victims of harassment. A ready-rolled reefer could be bought under the counter from the then all-night Charing Cross Station commuter Lyons Corner House for 2/6d (12p). That may account for the change from pubs to expresso coffee bars for the skiffle venues that developed around that time. Wally Whyton - better known later for singing to guitar accompaniment on children’s TV, but then an early skiffler - was a local and with his band The Vipers, became resident further afield in Old Compton St at the 2i’s Coffee Bar, which was to take on a legendary status as the cradle of British rock and roll. The Coffee House of Trafalgar Square had the honour of being London’s first purveyor of Expresso coffee. As such, it did not allow musicians to play on the premises, but many of those that followed certainly did. First to start this innovation was the Gyre and Gimble, or ‘G’, just down from Charing Cross, which actively encouraged them in its quiet backstreet basement. The proprietor even boasted of his clientelle of bohemians, artists, their models, and musicians on a flyer advertising the G’s snacks. Some even held forth on such esoteric subjects as yoga, numerology, phrenology, and astrology in advance of ‘60s hippie crazes. There was a traffic in surplus prescription drugs too. The regulars included many professional people, poets, writers, artists and students. Nearby St Martins School of Art accounted
for a lot of the café’s trade. Diz Disley was a prominent and early strummer, and able to replicate Django Reinhardt’s gypsy style. The café’s owner, Mr. Garfinkle, who owned the bookshop upstairs as well, made him café manager as well as being a performer. Lionel Bart, John Hasted and Tommy Hicks, later well known as Tommy Steele, could be counted amongst customers. The G was supposed to shut at 2am, which had some flexibility, but if punters were still in need of refreshments after that there was an all-night café for newspaper staff in Fleet Street. Soon, another cellar café under 9 Monmouth St that called itself The Nucleus opened, and within a couple of weeks it was doing as well as the G. It proved to be a great boon to those who missed the last train home at night, to kill time before the first morning service.
Most of the crockery came from Lyons Corner House, smuggled out gradually by Nucleus clientele. Lyons must have wondered how they were getting through so much equipment. A few other mainstream bars came to join the expresso fashion, but few were welcoming to musicians. The French in Soho did and offered a different area for location. Wally Whyton was a local so had no worries about last trains. Wally had grown up in the area from 1929. He had early ambitions to be a commercial artist, and became apprenticed to an advertising agency with several high profile clients. The agency’s studio was near the American Embassy and, like Lonnie Donegan, he went to investigate the Library of Congress record collection, (minus of course, the records Lonnie had ‘forgotten’ to return). He and his mates haunted all the record shops in the West End too, listening to but rarely buying - the latest worthwhile sounds, just as they windowshopped the fashion stores looking for cool American clothes. Wally had first learned the cornet but could only get tuition from the Salvation Army, and they wanted to put him in uniform to join their band, so instead he used the piano in his local pub to play boogiewoogie until the landlord sold him a banjo for 10/- (50p). He took lessons at Kentish Town Institute, then discovered the Spanish themed Breadbasket Café, where there were more girls than in the pubs or mainstream dance halls. He also frequented the G with three others who had formed a group and met Tommy Hicks (Steele) who came in with Johnny Booker. When Wally saw a guitar in a pawn shop, and got Diz Disley to show
him a few chords, he discarded the banjo. Wally and Johnny Booker became a guitar duo, and then a trio with G regular, Jean Vanden Bosch. Booker sang and Wally came up with a name for the group: The Vipers - not named after snakes, but jazz slang for marijuana smokers. Not because they smoked it, but because it sounded cool. ATV executives failed to make the connection when he became a children’s TV presenter a few years later. The band could expand with one or two others added to the central trio, with a fourth guitar and tea chest bass, becoming regulars at the G and Breadbasket. When the group wound up playing on the back of a lorry in a French Bastille Day Festival of Arts and Crafts around Soho, the lorry came to a halt outside the 2i’s Coffee Bar at 59 Old Compton Street previously unknown to them - and they went in for refreshments. The owner let them carry on playing inside and offered them the chance to play there one evening. That chance encounter turned out to be an occasion that changed the whole direction of how British rock ‘n’ roll would develop, as The Vipers become regular performers and transformed the 2i’s into a goldmine for the owner. Chelmsford too caught up in the late ‘50s and had it’s own subterranean Expresso café in London Road under Dobsons’ Tailors, more recently the Anglia TV Centre. It was called The Orpheus after the Greek god’s realm in the underworld. As to if it hosted skiffle, or just a juke box, it was before my time. It is possible, as it was run by a music teacher from Moulsham School. Later it was R&Bs in the mod era, wher pep pills changed hands before Who or Geno Washington gigs. When Lonnie Donegan returned from the US he decided to form his own band and move more towards variety work. Short of a good guitarist, he tried to poach Johnny Booker from The Vipers. Wally could see the financial benefits for him and said ‘Ok, go ahead’ at first. But Lonnie went one stage further in the dirty tricks game and asked Johnny to teach him a song The Vipers had adapted from an old folk tune called Sail Away Ladies, and which they called Don’t You Rock Me Daddy-O, but he also made the mistake of telling Johnny that he intended to copyright it, as was possible with traditional songs with no known writer. Johnny sought advice and was referred to a Tin Pan Alley music publisher, who beat Lonnie to it, but still did a partial trick on Johnny and put Wally’s name on it alongside his own. Still, Lonnie was thwarted and Johnny never turned up to his next recording session to record another Leadbelly song or spoke to him again. The song did make the top 10. Lonnie’s dodgy tactics did not end there, as he managed to get his name on a Woody Guthrie song he recorded, saying he had collaborated with Woody on it while in the States! Within a few weeks he was touring the country with an assorted bill of variety acts. He was now a commercial act himself. Not pushed by unscrupulous managers, but his financial opportunism was all his own. There’s a kind of natural justice at work when Lonnie is best remembered for novelty comedy records like My Old Man’s a Dustman and Does Your Chewin Gum Lose Its Flavour on the Bedpost Overnight?, rather than his part in popularising the American themed songs he had plagiarised and helped to make known.
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All About Moulsham Lodge & Tile Kiln
Moulsham Lodge Community Trust We previously held a wildlife day which was very successful, so we’re doing it again next year. It will be held on Saturday 23rd March 2019. Plans are well underway and we can confirm that there will be live exhibits and hopefully some local celebrities too.
has resulted in the marque being destroyed. Replacing it is a huge cost for the charity so we have been very pleased to receive funding towards a new one from Chandler Building Supplies. By the time you read this, the new marquee will have been put up and hopefully the breakfasts will have been enjoyed by everyone. The photograph below shows volunteers helping to erect the marquee.
Every Friday we are open at The Copper Pot Café, where working with Essex Cares, you can buy a 2 course hot meal for £6.30. This initiative allows young people with learning difficulties to be gainfully employed and they come along to the Community Station every week and serve either hot teas or coffees before the hot meal. The choice each week is detailed on the website, so you can make a decision in advance as to when you want to come along. No booking is needed, you can just turn up and lunch starts at 12 noon. New City Voices choir are holding a Christmas Concert at St Lukes Church, Gloucester Avenue on Saturday 15th December 2018. Doors open at 6pm with the concert starting at 6.30pm. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children. The choir will sing songs from their growing repertoire together with some of your favourite seasonal tunes. Proceeds from this and previous concerts are allowing the trust to purchase a defibrillator which will be ordered very soon and installed on the station walls. We have been holding our successful breakfasts with Santa for three years now, but unfortunately some bad weather over the summer
Another new edition to facilities being offered at the station is sign language lessons. A volunteer provides lessons every other Wednesday from 8pm-9pm at a cost of £3 a lesson. No booking is required. Dates of the next few sessions are 5th and 19th December, then 2nd January, then it will be every other week. www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07411 808 731 Search for us on Facebook and Twitter
Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward I wanted to talk to you about the John Shennan Playing Field, as there has been a lot of local discussion about its future following its inclusion in the draft local plan. There have been no ‘unofficial plans’, what there has been is a concept drawing representing what the draft local plan says could be provided on that site. A young architect has interpreted the draft local plan based on a similar concept at the Great Baddow Recreation ground and produced a drawing that meets the requirements set out in that draft local plan. He has been working with us since the old community centre closed and had previously designed the replacement we were looking for.
house the nursery and there would be a 150-seater community hall/ theatre, community café and a small library.
I recently asked him what he thought of the draft local plan and then asked him whether he could come up with a concept that would meet the needs of the community, but in turn trying to mitigate the problems associated with the traffic, loss of green space and overdevelopment - which was, I thought, a hard brief to answer. Why did I ask him to do this? As a councillor, I had to recognise the possibility of a development on this site. If it remained in the plan after the planning inspector had reviewed it, then we would be faced with just that reality. So, rather than accept the inevitable, why not attempt to shape the future and positively engage with the local community and for us to have a say in how the site is developed? It’s not often we get a head start on developers and planners, so this opportunity should not be missed. Now I can’t say for sure that any of the community’s ideas will ever make it into the final plan, but we won’t know until we try. So it’s now over to you. On the right is the concept drawing based on the principles in the draft local plan. What do you think? Let me know. It contains a development of dwellings (houses/apartments), green open space, a Sport England standard cricket pitch, community facility, nursery, commercial units, plenty of parking, two entrance and exit routes and a 20mph link road. The community facility would 28
These are just a few of the ideas, and it would be great to hear your views. More details will be available on my website blog at www. markspringett.co.uk/blog and there is a place to add comments. I will also bring the plans along to my regular councillor surgeries on the first Saturday of every month between 11am and 12 noon. Just to be clear, no developer has put in any plans and there is no planning application. John Shennan has only been identified as a possible site for future development. mark.springett@chelmsford.gov.uk 07411 808731 @markspringett (Twitter & Facebook)
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Tile Kiln Corner - by Linda Mascot A few weeks ago ago I had the pleasure of meeting an extraordinary and inspiring 9 year old young lady from Tile Kiln called Grace Pater.
New Year.
mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot
Grace organised (with help from mum, Karen and dad, Nick) a CHESS fundraiser Fun Day at Tile Kiln Church after seeing homeless people on the streets of Chelmsford and wanting to do something about it. Grace explained: “I feel sad for people who live on the streets, my dad gave some money to a homeless man but didn’t have enough money to give everyone we saw, so I thought I’d raise some money for them myself.” The Fundraiser held on 3rd November had a great turnout with craft stalls, Hi4 puppet show, face painting, tombola, games and refreshments (including delicious home-made cakes and cookies). Amazing Grace raised £753.33 and mum Karen enthused: “We couldn’t believe how busy it was, we’re very proud of Grace.” Helen Poulter from CHESS spoke about the important work this charity does to support the homeless: “CHESS stands for Churches Homelessness Emergency Support Scheme and has been running for 20 years. Originally, churches were opened up for people to sleep in who didn’t have anywhere else to go, today CHESS owns the old Red Cross building in New London Road with 9 separate bedrooms (including a disabled one) and a kitchen used to teach catering skills. There is also a large lounge and shower rooms. Homeless people are given a room here temporarily before moving on to an annexe off Moulsham Street until a bedsit becomes available for more permanent accommodation. We are supporting 30 people at any one time to move on to their own homes and live an independent life. We promote Wingspan Works, which is a social enterprise which has a mission to offer employment by teaching gardening and tree pruning skills.” The CHESS Winter Project offers overnight accommodation in Church Halls for all, but unfortunately some people still choose to sleep rough, despite being offered an alternative, often because of an addiction. Chelmsford City Council have a Spare Change or Real Change campaign where they advocate not giving money direct to homeless people, but instead encourage donations to CHESS via their website www.chesshomeless.org, or by texting the code ‘NITE17’ to 70070 and the amount you want to give (eg, to give £5, type ‘NITE175’) or in person at 200 New London Road, CM2 9AB. CHESS relies on the support of volunteers, so please visit the website for an application form if you are able to help. If you see someone on the streets and are concerned about them, call the Streetlink helpline on 0300 500 0914 or go to www.streetlink.org.uk. Don’t forget to visit Sue Sharp’s Christmas Light Display in her front garden on the corner of Dove Lane and Linnet Drive, the theme is Whoville from The Grinch, and it’s on from 4pm-9.30pm daily donations are for Macmillan Cancer Support. Tile Kiln Church Christmas Events Sunday 16th December, 3pm - Blue Christmas Service. Christmas isn’t an easy time for some. This is a short service of reflection and remembrance for those who have lost loved ones. Friday 21st December, 7pm - Carols at the Pub. Join us at the Clay Pigeon, Robin Way, for a good, fun evening of carol singing! Words provided, whole family welcome. Sunday 23rd December, 6pm - Carols by Candlelight. Join us for our annual carols by candelight service, followed by refreshment.
Grace Pater with mum Karen and friend Oscar
Essex Police Choir Essex Police Choir are holding their annual Christmas Charity Concert on Saturday 15th December at Trinity Methodist Church, Rainsford Road, Chelmsford CM1 2XB, staring at 7.30pm. The concert will include numbers from this year’s repertoire of songs from the shows and standards, followed by Christmas carols and songs (including audience participation). There will also be a presentation to our chosen charity, The Cancer Centre Campaign. Tickets are £10 to include tea/coffee and a mince pie and can be obtained via enquiries@essexpolicechoir.co.uk or by telephoning 07802 414 793.
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This ‘Non Driving’ Life - by Simon Inglis We adults all have our personal preferences when it comes to motoring. Our favourite brands and our favourite models within those brands. Many people pass the ‘pub test’ in reasoning why they own a such-and-such - and many do not. It’s no different at this end of the planet. Where I now live one can easily see the logic, or note the lack of logic, beneath individual choice. The dual cab has become popular in Australia which I find quite ridiculous. A few doors down from my house, the owner has a job in corrections, a few children and at least one wife somewhere. So correct me if I’m wrong (and as he’s utterly unlikely to read this I feel I can write what I wish), but unless he’s into a touch of nocturnal murdering his dual cab makes absolutely no sense.
and this brings me to a rather depressing point: From Britain to Australia, to Japan and the United States, in fact pretty much everywhere, our kids are driving less. Sure, we blame it on the nanny state, excessive regulation to absurd insurance costs. Yet the kids aren’t waiting for their 16th or 17th birthday in the way my generation did. That is, in charging to the local motor registration office, sitting the test straight after school and proudly slapping a pair of ‘L’ plates on the dinner table.
Where I live it gets cold for 6 months. It also rains a lot. Soon it shall be frightfully hot. The shelf section must be filling up with water as I type during this late spring downpour. And that is precisely the part of his car that is required to carry groceries or luggage as the 4-seat cab has no proper internal carrying space. These people are not tradies so why on earth are they, like so many others, buying something so inappropriate? Likewise a dear friend. A few years back he offloaded a Honda to be saddled with a Hyundai 4-door, at his age and for his needs an utterly silly selection. At least he makes his excuse that he maintains absolutely no interest in cars. So much for Hyundai’s customer base, but they have managed to corner a huge section of the market. Then there’s my own mother. As she continues to maintain an image of ‘an individual’ which she has successfully carried for several decades now, she recently needed a car to match. Not for her the practical Polo or heaven forbid some sort of small Toyota. After months of procrastinating, the decision to finally offload her fading E36 BMW which she’d owned for the best part of 2 decades, came down to the choice between another 3 Series or a bronze C Class. Stuttgart won the day and although she’ll barely drive it, the car and its hue matches her extroverted image to a tee. So we chose our cars for a number of reasons. Culture plays a big part - just look at the Americans. In Australia the outback image of going off-road is pretty strong, except in the inner cities in which the euro-exec reigns supreme. Other reasons are rather universal. Just look at the SUV craze enveloping the globe. Yet others, such as my mother’s, are more personal. Likewise mine, or some of my petrolhead acquaintances. A member of my family is even salivating at the opportunity to save the planet by going electric, or better still, not driving at all. For her, a Google car represents ideological perfection -
No. The kids have telephones. It doesn’t matter what part of the world we’re talking about, this generation is finding true happiness in top-spec mobile phones and has been doing so for some time. They aren’t off to the woods in their dual cabs, nor driving a golden Mercedes Benz. Rather it’s a world of unreality. Pretend friends and anti-social media and video games. In truth, everything that my generation despised and termed nerdy. How did this happen in just one generation? The rite-of-passage that was the precious driving licence is no more. Don’t believe me? Look at the numbers. Accross the developed world 30% less young adults are driving or wanting to drive. The most desired gift for today’s teenager is a top-shelf mobile phone. So while we go off and buy our inappropriate cars, perhaps we adults should reflect for a moment. We created this precious world of driver aids and complex cars that can no longer be attacked with a spanner on a Saturday afternoon. We have made the interesting used car, such as a 20 year old 7 Series, utterly unaffordable to insure. We have droned on to our kids about the evils of cigarettes and alcohol - so why blame them when they stay in their rooms with a screen all weekend? In all, perhaps the current generation’s rejection of the motor car says more about our generation than theirs.
30 www.moulshamtimes.com
Sue Campbell Great Baddow Barber Shop MCFHP MAFHP
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Quiz Answers 1. LS Lowry 2. Cheese 3. Afrikaans 4. Boxing 5. Braille 6. 1682 7. One 8. Savoury Jelly 9. Birds (nest) 10. Ravel 11. 70 12. Bird 13. Magnetic 14. Rainier 15. Paradise 16. Trousers 17. Liverpool 18. November 14th 1948 19. Sir Alan Sugar (1968) 20. Assistant at hunting or fishing www.moulshamtimes.com
21. Cheese 22. Norwegian Blue 23. Hindu mystic 24. Buckinghamshire 25. Lundy 26. Vivienne 27. Third in order or importance 28. Green 29. Frank Bruno 30. A chalice 31. Abominable snowman 32. Module 33. 1953 34. Navy, Army & Air Force Institute 35. Arthur 36. Purple 37. Small bouquet 38. John Bardon 39. Ned 40. Nigeria
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YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT ESTATE AGENT SERVING OLD MOULSHAM FOR OVER 25 YEARS FOR A FREE PROFESSIONAL VALUATION CALL 01245 266980 The Vineyards £215,000 Molrams Lane £285,000 Godfreys Mews £165,000
1st Floor retirement apartment One bedroom Communal gardens No onward chain
Modern terrace house Two bedrooms Approx 40ft rear garden No onward chain
Duplex maisonette Two double bedrooms Courtyard style garden Allocated parking
Happy Christmas to all our loyal customers and friends and best wishes for a prosperous New Year from the award winning team at McCartney To celebrate our magnificent Gold achievement in the prestigious British Property Awards 2018, we are offering a 25% discount off our standard sales/management fee for new instructions to sell/let before the 31st January 2019 when mentioning this advert. Orchard Street £315,000
• Victorian terrace house • Two bedrooms • Approximately 30ft rear garden • No onward chain
Moulsham Drive Guide Price £450,000
1930s Semi detached house Three bedrooms Off road parking • Landscaped garden
Mildmay Road £550,000
Victorian semi-detached Three double bedrooms Many original features 50ft rear garden