Moulsham Times - January 2022

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MoulshamTimes

Covering: Old Moulsham, Moulsham Lodge, Tile Kiln

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Issue Number 109 - January 2022

MAKE IT HAPPEN Book your free trial *Ts & Cs apply

chelmsford.gov.uk/make-it-happen

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MT Welcome

01245 698 045 07939 609 732 07548 944 727

Hi readers,

Welcome to the January edition of Moulsham Times.

Firstly, a happy New Year to all of our advertisers, readers and writers!

Please do not hesitate to contact me using the details below if you wish to advertise your business or event in the February issue.

Regards

Specialists in new boilers and heating systems.

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Advertising & Editorial Paul Mclean 01245 262082/07595 949701 paul@moulshamtimes.com Disclaimer: It’s Your Magazines Ltd publish the Moulsham Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Magazines Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Magazines Ltd. Reg Co No. 12080535. Printed by Warners (Midlands) PLC.

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It’s Time to Make It Happen…

Keep that New Year promise to yourself and commit to a stronger body and mind in 2022.

Restore the spring in your step by becoming part of the Chelmsford city sports community who are already making use of the incredible gym, fitness and sports facilities that are available right on your doorstep.

With four leisure centres to choose from all in the local area, we are sure to have the perfect facilities and opportunities for you to achieve your personal goals!

Perhaps you want to get fitter, start a new regular routine, or simply meet new friends. No matter what your reasons for joining our community, there is sure to be a suitable membership waiting for you.

What better time to say, ‘this year I will!’

Have a Free Trial on Us! Still unsure whether membership is for you? Why not come to one of our four centres and try out our amazing facilities, free of charge (terms and conditions apply - see below). Check out our specialist equipment, get to know your surroundings and experience first-hand how we’re striving to keep you safe during your visit!

Memberships We have a great range of memberships, with something to suit everyone: Wellness Anytime: Unlimited use of the fantastic facilities at any time (Riverside Leisure Centre, Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre, South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre and Dovedale Sports Centre).

Wellness Off Peak: Unlimited access of our leisure centre facilities during off peak hours (Riverside Leisure Centre, Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre and South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre only).

Corporate Memberships: Let us help get your team leading healthy and active lifestyles with bespoke packages available for your company.

Kids, Young Adult, and Family memberships are also available.

Ready to join? Please contact us for more details or visit the website or contact us for your free trial!

Great Value Monthly Memberships Become a Premium Monthly Member with no joining fee, offering you flexibility and peace of mind that your workouts can suit your lifestyle.

With different options available for everyone, it’s time to make it happen!

Multi-Site or Centre Specific Premium Memberships to Suit Everyone Our fantastic value multi-site and centre specific monthly memberships offer unlimited use of the gym and free exercise classes with priority booking via the website or app. There is also free parking at each centre for our Premium Members.

Other facilities across the Chelmsford city sports network include: • Three swimming pools, sensory splash zone and flume.

• State of the art Technogym equipment across four gyms.

• Large free weight areas and functional training zones.

• Over 200 exercise classes per week, including virtual classes.

• Professional indoor and outdoor athletics facilities.

• Ice rink (Riverside only).

• Crèche (Riverside only).

• Friendly and welcoming environment.

• Ongoing free support to achieve your goals.

• Free health checks and personalised programmes.

• All ages and abilities welcome.

Contact Us Call Riverside Leisure Centre on 01245 615 079.

Call Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre on 01245 605 666.

Call South Woodham Ferrers Leisure Centre on 01245 605 600.

Call Dovedale Sports Centre on 01245 605 685.

Or alternatively, you can enquire online.

Free Trial Terms and Conditions • Offer valid until 28th February 2022.

• For over 18s only.

• Pre-booking essential.

• Use of facilities subject to availability.

• No obligation to join.

• Subject to satisfactory completion of medical questionnaire.

• You must not have used the centre in the last 6 months to qualify for a trial.

Call us on 01245 615 079 to book your free trial, or enquire online at www.chelmsford.gov.uk/make-it-happen.

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The Bay Horse - Moulsham Street

Following the closure of the Bay Horse back in 2020, the new management team wanted to get the pub back to its rock roots by making it a live music venue once again. They had originally planned to open the doors in the autumn of 2020, but due to the pandemic it took over 6 months for them to get everything refurbished and ready to open.

The newly refurbished Bay Horse reopened it doors in May 2021.

With it’s classic rock-themed decor and statement Vespa scooter on display. The Bay has undergone a huge transformation over the past few months; the new owners and manager team have worked hard to give the pub some unique character - and boy, they have really nailed it! The whole pub is like a haven for rock music throughout the ages, with custom built seating booths linked to various iconic rock bands like AC/DC, The Who, Pink Floyd, Queen and Guns N’ Roses.

Everywhere you look there is something rock related.

attention from within the music community with more and more acts contacting the team wanting to play at the pub. There is currently a live band booked in for pretty much every Friday and Saturday night up until May next year.

So if you fancy a night out to see a live band or two, check out the Bay’s line-up on the website at: www.bayhorsechelmsford.com/ events.

All gigs are free admission and there is no need to book tickets, so you can just rock up and then rock out!

Upon opening, live music wasn’t an option and it wasn’t until later in the year that the Covid restrictions were relaxed allowing the Bay to once again have live bands playing. Friday the 23rd July 2021 was the first live music gig that the newly refurbished Bay hosted and it was the start of something great. The new management team wanted to make the Bay Horse the place to be for live music, and they have successfully establish themselves as one of Chelmsford’s most popular live music venues by regularly having the best live bands playing live over the past 4 months.

The past 4 months has been a rollercoaster of live music acts, covering many different genres and styles of rock. There really is something for everyone each month, from ska, new age and punk, to classic rock cover acts and sixties tribute bands. There have so far been far too many bands to mention them all, but bands like the Skaphonics, It’s Not a Phase Mum, Hot Rock Jukebox and Exempt have absolutely packed the place out and given everyone there an amazing live perfomance to remember. It’s fair to say that all the acts are top class and never disapoint.

The Friday and Saturday line-ups are now starting to get some real

Ask us about free editorial with long term bookings!

Paul@moulshamtimes.com www.moulshamtimes.com

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MT Health: Overcoming ‘Lazy Mode’ - By Chris at Forté Physical Health The new year can feel like a fresh start after the whole world hits the pause button over the festive season.

The break from work and the slowing down of life gives us time to reflect, and often we realise we have not been as kind to ourselves as we would like. Self-care may have been neglected, priorities misplaced.

I can speak personally and say that I have neglected certain habits of health that have helped me feel great in the past.

For unknown reasons, they have slowly drifted to the wayside.

As an osteopath who helps people with their well-being, this is a topic that fascinates me. Why don’t we do the things that we know to be good for us? It’s such a curious trait of the human condition.

Over the years, I have been through countless cycles of being on the wagon and off the wagon. I have also seen this happen time and time again in my patients.

When we are on the wagon (let’s call it ‘active mode’), it feels the easiest thing in the world to eat well, exercise regularly and go to bed on time. It makes us feel good, so why wouldn’t we do all these things?

Then something happens; an invisible force causes the pendulum to swing. Before you know it, you are in what I call ‘lazy mode’.

In lazy mode, your mind lies to you. It tells you things like, ‘okay, just one more biscuit, and then I’ll start eating clean again’ - or, ‘you’re tired today, you can start your running programme tomorrow’.

Another voice in your mind reminds you that you used to feel great when you cut out processed foods and exercised regularly, but it’s like that voice is locked in a soundproof chamber. The voice of lazy mode is much louder, and it feels like the truth.

There is another mode though, and I call it the ‘in-betweeny mode’. This is where your actions would suggest you are still in lazy mode, but the voice locked in the soundproof chamber has found a way to escape. She’s louder. You remember that she’s telling the truth.

You did feel better when you stuck to your healthy habits, when you prioritised your well-being.

have a craving, it involves a trip to the shop, not a trip to the cupboard.

Set an alarm and put your phone in a box at 8pm if you are someone who finds themselves staring at blue screens late into the night. Mute all the WhatsApp groups that make you angry. You get the point; make it harder to do the thing that has a negative impact on your health.

Meanwhile, make it easier to do the good habits. Plan your food shops so you are stocked up on fresh food. Have healthy snacks in the cupboard for when you have a craving - a handful of almonds and a glass of water can be a lifesaver! Put your gym gear on the floor next to your bed so that the first thing you do in the morning is get dressed for exercise.

Changing your environment to make bad habits harder and good habits easier is the number one thing you can do to improve your wellbeing.

Secondly, start small. I like to use one of Newton’s laws of motion as a metaphor here. Newton states that an object at rest will stay at rest.

An object in motion will stay in motion. Overcoming the inertia of being at rest requires more force than staying in motion, so all you need to focus on is getting in motion.

At first, it doesn’t really matter what you do. It doesn’t matter how long you spend in the gym, how far you run, or how many superfoods you fit into your lunch - you can figure out the details later. What matters is that you get started, and to help you with that, start small.

You don’t need to turn your life upside down in the month of January, you just need to create some momentum so that you can keep going throughout the year. A 4-minute workout gets the heart going and is better than not doing it at all. It also gets you in motion so that you can turn up the next day and do the same again.

Being in motion is so much more important than what you do when you are in motion.

Lastly, create an identity around your new habits. In James Clear’s book Atomic Habits he has a whole chapter dedicated to this topic, and it is one of my favourites. In your mind and when you speak to people out loud, make sure you use language that identifies with the habits you want to create.

Rather than think, ‘I have to exercise’, say to yourself, ‘I am someone who exercises regularly’, or, ‘I am someone that doesn’t miss a workout’.

Creating this identity normalises the process and makes you feel less of an imposter. The language we use internally and externally has been shown to be important in guiding our behaviours, so take note of how you speak to yourself and create a healthy identity in your mind.

The body will then follow.

Once you have these tactics in place, don’t forget to be kind to yourself. We all fall off the wagon from time to time; you just need to jump back on at the first opportunity.

If pain and injury are holding you back, we have a team of osteopaths and a sports massage therapist to help in my clinic. We also like to discuss lifestyle factors - not just to get you out of pain, but to help you live a healthy life with well-being as a priority.

So why aren’t you doing it then? Well, here are my three top tips for those of you in in-betweeny mode:

If you want to learn more, go to fortephysicalhealth.co.uk, or you can say ‘hi’ at info@fortephysicalhealth.co.uk.

First up, change your environment. If you want to quit a bad habit, make it harder to do it. Put barriers between you and the thing you don’t want to do. Don’t buy the food you overeat so that when you

I wish you the very best start to this new year, and until next time, have a healthy and happy month!

6 www.moulshamtimes.com

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Regal Kitchens - Case Study

When VG and her husband purchased their house for them and their twin children, they quickly realised that the kitchen was too small for their family.

Not really knowing where they start, they spoke with builders and nationwide kitchen companies but really struggled to connect with anyone who could help realise their vision.

It was then that VG’s father reminded her who had helped with their kitchen 15 years earlier, so they booked an appointment with Regal Kitchens in Chelmsford.

they have seen before. They most certainly are not an off-the-shelf company; Regal have created an amazing bespoke kitchen which we love.”

Regal Kitchens’ beautiful showroom in Chelmsford is situated at 2 Navigation Road, CM2 6HX and open 7-days per week between 10am and 4pm. www.regalkitchens.co.uk whereclientisking

Pretty quickly it was decided to remove a wall to really open the space up giving a wonderful 6m run of furniture. This allowed space for an integrated fridge, freezer, oven, hob, sink and dishwasher along the one wall, leaving a space for a beautiful island (1.8 x .9m) with seating and additional cabinetry and a good sized family table adjoined.

In the utility room, a larder was used to completely cover the boiler leaving room for a generous pantry and a ‘boot room area’. By stacking the washing machine and tumble dryer we were able to also put in a utility sink.

Mixing Dust Grey and Rose Pink cabinets with the Carrera quartz creates a vibrant, youthful, modern look and has been well received by friends and family alike.

The client says, “Regal have created the most beautiful and outstanding family kitchen for us. They worked very closely with us to get the design just right. Nothing was too much trouble for them.

They worked tirelessly to ensure that the finish and fitting of the kitchen, appliances and flooring was perfect throughout. They also worked and communicated very well with the other tradesmen we had carrying out work on our home, which made us feel comfortable that there would be no unexpected issues cropping up with various parts of our home renovation. Everyone always asks who supplied our kitchen as it really is so beautiful and different (colours) to anything 8

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Inspired Financial Services - Local Mortgage and Insurance Broker

Inspired Financial Services are fully qualified mortgage and professional financial services advisors, providing mortgage and insurance advice.

“We have worked together for a number of years as fully qualified mortgage advisers, beginning our careers within estate agency.

Quickly realising the similarities in the way we work and the level of our customer service, we established our very own company, Inspired Financial Services. We pride ourselves on offering a high standard of care to every client ensuring they are kept informed throughout the moving process and at future reviews. Our aim is always to make the process stress-free for our clients, keeping them at the centre of everything we do.”

Honest & Professional Mortgage Advisors offering the following services: - First Time Buyers - Re-mortgages - Buy to Let Mortgages - Home Movers - New Builds (Help to buy) - Insurances

Chris previously worked as a financial trader in London for 12 years but wanted to use his financial knowledge to help people to buy their first homes, move home or remortgage. The relationship building aspect is what drives Chris and gives him such job satisfaction.

This has been key to the success of building growing his personal business and now Inspired Financial Solutions.

Buying and insuring your most valuable assets can be a complex buisness.

We make it easy and rewarding.

Be Inspired!

Natalie began her career in banking, helping vulnerable customers manage their finances through difficult times in their lives. She went on to obtain her CeMAP qualification to be able to give mortgage advice. Combining the care aspect of her initial role with the expertise of mortgage advising has allowed her to maintain excellent relationships with new and existing clients, leading to positive testimonials and referrals.

Natalie Leeman: natalie@inspired-financial.com, 07794 357 091 Chris Parkin: chris@inspired-financial.com, 07421 369 392

Contact the team on: 07421 369392 info@inspired-financial.com www.inspired-financial.com Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

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Please call Michael on:

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MT Gardening

Happy New Year! I’ve absolutely got to get out and work off the festive season…

Thank goodness for a garden and a myriad of containers to deal with.

Gardening with containers is an increasingly popular and versatile type of gardening suitable for indoors or outdoors. Containers may be used to enliven buildings and areas of hard landscaping, provide seasonal change, or offer a growing environment to suit plants that grow well in conditions that cannot be offered in the garden.

Containers are a good way to experiment with planting combinations, can provide an instant effect and may be rearranged to give dynamic interest to specific areas, either to disguise or as a focal point.

The choice of shape, style and material of containers helps to establish or reinforce the style of a garden. Plants tend to do better in larger containers where there are greater reserves of water and nutrients, and there is less temperature variation.

• • •

Place containers away from wind tunnels, for instance between buildings.

Consider the effects of radiant heat from paving and buildings, this may help to over-winter a plant of borderline tenderness, but will also increase evapotranspiration.

Containers often look most effective when grouped together.

Growing Media • Specially formulated container composts contain controlled release fertilisers and water-retaining gels, but these may also be added to standard composts.

• Soil-less composts are lightweight, an important consideration for a balcony or roof terrace.

• Soil-less composts are difficult to re-wet if they dry out completely.

• Permanent plantings may benefit from soil-based composts, such as John Innes No. 3, which retain water and nutrients well, maintain their structure, and are easier to re-wet.

• Heavier soil-based composts aid stability if growing tall plants which are prone to blowing over.

Plant Choice • Seasonal planting is relatively easy to manage provided plants are fed and watered regularly.

• Permanent planting, or a mixture of permanent and seasonal planting, may offer opportunities to grow plants with specific requirements - eg, ericaceous plants, or alpines.

• Plants of similar vigour should be selected to ensure a balanced display.

• Combine plants with different colours, texture, form and habit or use several plants of one species to create a visually interesting display.

Siting Containers • Site containers where they will not be a tripping hazard and where they cannot topple over. Consider securing containers to, or within, a permanent structure.

• Safe and convenient access for maintenance is essential.

Maintenance • In addition to the incorporation of controlled release fertiliser at planting, plants may be given a dilute feed during the growing season if growth is slow. A balanced feed is suitable for permanent or foliage plants, but a high potassium feed such as tomato food is best for floral displays. Start this from March.

Over 25 years experieince • Regular and sufficient watering is essential if plants are to 20% discount when you flourish in containers. Water daily, or twice daily in hot weather, preferably in the evening and consider a timed trickle or drip mention Mousham Times! irrigation system.

• Trees • Pruning • Hedges • Roots Removed • Topping • Patios • Dead-head regularly to promote flowering and remove damaged leaves and shoots.

• Rotovating • Turfing • Fencing • Garden Design • Decking • Monitor pests and diseases and treat promptly. Closely planted • Block Paving • Tar & Shingle • Guttering • Chimney Repairs containers are particularly prone to fungal diseases in wet • Building Work• Roofing • Fascias & Soffits • Drainage solutions weather.

• Re-pot permanent plantings, or replace the top few centimetres of compost annually.

Extra Discount on All Tree Work In December

Try Out the Following for Spring Interest • Evergreens such as Hedera helix ‘Silver Queen’ are a good foil for other plants and Bergenia cordifolia has the bonus of early spring flowers.

• Crocus, daffodil and tulips are colourful and may be planted in layers to flower in succession.

• Polyanthus and pansies are inexpensive and flower over a long period.

• Attractive stems of Salix babylonica ‘Tortuosa’ and Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’ provide an interesting vertical feature.

Here are your jobs for January: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/ january/jobs.

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Happy gardening!

For any gardening tips, please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RQ by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@capel. ac.uk.

Unit 1, The Paddocks, Highwood, Chelmsford, CM1 3PU 10

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Happy New Year and Theatre refurb - By Cllr Marie Goldman Happy New Year! I have to be honest, I’m writing this a week or so before Christmas and I don’t know what’s in store for 2022 - or even the next few days - when it comes to Covid, which means I’m going to start off by simply wishing that you, your family and your loved ones keep safe, warm and well in these challenging times.

So, rather than focus on the unknown and less cheerful subjects, I want to use this month’s article to look ahead at something positive and exciting coming up in 2022.

Theatre Refurbishment As Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet Member for Connected Chelmsford, my portfolio covers the Council’s cultural offerings. This means I’m lucky enough to look after Chelmsford Museum as well as Chelmsford City Theatres. The very exciting news for 2022 is that a makeover is planned for the theatres’ front of house in the summer months to coincide with the Civic’s 60th birthday.

the new café that will be created in the Cramphorn foyer throughout the day.

The design brief has been to make the spaces as flexible as possible, allowing the possibility of hiring them out and encouraging people to drop into the theatre for drinks and a snack - even if they aren’t coming to watch a performance.

Most of the renovation work will take place over the summer when the theatre is usually ‘dark’ anyway, so minimising any loss of revenue for being closed. I hope you’re as excited as I am to see it reopen after the summer, and to see it celebrate its 60th birthday.

Cllr Marie Goldman Deputy Leader, Chelmsford City Council City Councillor for Moulsham & Central County Councillor for Chelmsford Central

I’m absolutely thrilled this is happening, for many reasons. First of all, it’s been a very long time since the front of house at the theatre was refurbished and it really is showing its age. Not only will the foyer be refurbished, making it more attractive and inviting, but we’re also planning some exciting updates to both the Civic Theatre bar and the Cramphorn foyer. I’m sure many theatre goers will also be very pleased to know that the rather outdated toilets will be given a fresh new look, bringing them up to the standard that theatre patrons in the 21st century might hope to see. We’ll be increasing the number of toilets, hopefully lessening the queues at busy times. There will also be accessibility improvements and, hopefully, improvements to the sound system and lighting.

I am genuinely excited about this refurbishment, not just because of the time that has passed since the front of house was last given some love and attention, but because of what it signals for the future of culture in Chelmsford. I’m very keen to help grow Chelmsford’s cultural scene, and there have been good steps towards making that happen over the past year in particular, but there’s lots still to do. Please do watch out for and get involved with the city’s cultural events.

Finally, in these financially difficult times, councils need to make the most of their assets and make them work for the benefit of all residents. At the moment, the theatres and the theatre building - especially the front of house - stand empty for most of the day. I think that’s a lost opportunity. We should be making the theatre work for its living at all times of the day, which is exactly what these refurbishment plans are designed to do. By investing capital into the theatre, we hope to be able to generate revenue from the bars and Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

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Nick Garner’s Music & Ramblings Well, where did that go? What a year 2021 has been - let’s hope this new year is better than that one...

I read that when the Spanish Flu hit in 1918, it took 3 years before the epidemic really lifted - something many may have forgotten or maybe just do not even know much about. We are lucky, as we have vaccines and better worldwide communication to hopefully keep on top of this. While more people are getting this new variant, hospitalisation and deaths seem to still be down compared to when this all started. Let’s all take heed though, so that we can beat this sooner rather than later, as I want to be able to party with one and all and celebrate with you all.

Things are tough out there. I know I am a bit lucky being an elder of the planet. I hope that all of you get back to work and your lives get back on track for you your families, friends and colleagues soon.

If you’re able to support your local community by shopping locally, please do. Use local trades when you can, as we can ill afford to lose any more businesses - and besides, local is always best I think. This is not just about shops, it’s about services, food outlets, pubs, venues, gyms and all trades.

Me, with some of my family Look local first, whether in these magazines, or online or in any similar publications - and of course, there is nothing better than a recommendation.

Music We are hopeful that all our planned shows will go ahead as we had to postpone the last two of 2021, although we have already rebooked Denny Newman for Friday 13th May 2022 with himself and Robbie McIntosh on guitars (note that Robbie will be headlining his own show on Friday 27th May with his own band). We think both are more than worth seeiing live, as they will be quite different. Denny has a good friend of ours in Zoot Money on keys, along with Jeff Allen on drums and Denny’s son Scott on bass. A great band that will blow you all away we are sure.

We kick off the year on Friday 21st January with the one and only Rolling Clones - they are about as close as it gets to the Rolling Stones at a fraction of the cost! The Sons of Illinois, a great new Chicago blues outfit, will be opening - this show will not disappoint!

If that was not enough, after a long wait for us and them Eddie and the Hot Rods get to play their memorial show for the late great Barrie Masters, along with Department S on the bill as well.

Oh gosh we move to Friday 11th February and we have Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young returning to entertain with Borderline Music opening on the night. This is going to be a night for dancing and tequila.

Friday 18th February sees Nicky Moore (Nicky was known as ‘the voice’) and his band the Blues Corporation play. With Nicky not being well, the band have not played together for seven years now. Nick Junior will take on lead vocal duties having been taught by his dad he is awesome and has been part of the band for the past 12 years.

His brother, the incredible Timmy, is on guitars and be prepared to be blown away by his playing. We also welcome back the great rhythm section Ed Collins and Pete Shaw. We know Nicky is coming along (he said ‘I would not miss this for anything’) and if well enough will be on 12

that stage singing. We are also thrilled to have none other than Bex Marshall opening the night; she is outstanding having played with Janis Joplin’s old band and with Jefferson Airplane. She also played at the Oscars in 2019.

Time to catch my breath, as next on Friday 25th February after having to reschedule a couple of times, we finally have the great Eric Bell playing - the man who formed the mighty Thin Lizzy and played on Whisky In The Jar. He will stun you with his playing. To open, we have none other than our very own Trevor Gentry and his band Stony Road.

We could literally fill this magazine with all the rest we have booked so far for 2022...

Saturday 5th March will be a first for us with Howie Casey and his Beatles With Wings 12-piece band. Howie is from Liverpool and plays the saxophone and yes, he was playing The Cavern with Derry and the Seniors when The Beatles were regulars. When McCartney left The Beatles he invited Howie to perform with Wings which he did for six years. He also played and recording with Ringo Starr, T-Rex, The Who, ABC, AC/DC, Elton John etc. I think you will agree this will be nothing less than great as he also has the musical arrangements from the Wings Over the World tour, so the sound is authentic and played as Paul wanted it to be played. Opening we have The 251s making it a great line-up.

I will cover future acts in the coming editions in more detail. So in brief: Saturday 12th March, Kokomo (British soul pioneers); Friday 18th March, Cregan & Co (Jim Cregan); Friday 8th April, U2 Tribe; Friday 22nd April, Sari Schorr (USA); Friday 29th April, Totally Blondie. Moving into May and we have a rescheduled show on Friday 13th May, Denny Newman and Friends; Friday 20th May, Twister who opened for Sham 69 in 2018; Friday 27th May, Robbie McIntosh and his world class band.

Another rescheduled show, on Friday 3rd June we have The Strawbs and this time it’s the full electric band; Saturday 18th June we have a midday to 11pm festival featuring acts from Cambridge including Kimberly Rew and Lee Cave-Berry. Kimberley is formerly of Robyn Hitchcock’s The Soft Boys and his own band Katrina and the Waves.

Moving into September, and we kick off with Chesney Hawkes. Then it’s the Feelgood Band (Wilco Johnson loves them) and we round off September with Lindisfarne. Further down the line, we have Albert Lee returning, then that fine Americana act, Police Dog Hogan. We have also just rebooked Slim Chance for December, and for the Christmas show (we had to book him early) it’s Connor Selby and his amazing band.

If you have anything you think that could be of interest to our readers for either publication, it may be an event or a topic of interest, then let us know at editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk. Have you done anything unusual this year or are you planning something? If so, we want to know about it! If you or know someone who may wish to advertise with us, please contact ads@itsyourmedia.couk and we can send you full details.

Please note that you can get tickets for our shows (please pay cash in person) from the Social Club and from Intense Records, Hopsters and Chelmsford 4Good. Tickets are also available online from www. wegottickets.com/blackfrogpresents or via our ticket hotline at no extra charge on 07508 496 411 (call or text).

For all Black Frog Presents gig updates and information go www.linktr. ee/blackfrogpresents or scan the QR code in my poster on page 21 of this magazine.

It would be fantastic if you could share our magazines the City Times and Moulsham Times for us. We continue to publish both magazines online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia.

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MT History: The Scots’ King of Writtle - By Henri Lewi Writtle, the birthplace of kings? Possibly, but it’s not that simple.

It had long been claimed that the King of Scots, Robert the Bruce was born in Writtle, but it is more likely that ‘The Bruce’ was born in Scotland in 1274.

He ascended the throne in 1306 after a series of battles fought against the English King Edward I, which was known as the War of Scottish Independence. There is no doubt that the Scots king ‘The Bruce’ owned land in Essex as well as elsewhere and whilst for many years it was claimed that he’d been born in Writtle, this is now thought to be unlikely - but there is no doubt that his father (also called Robert) was born in this part of Essex in 1243.

From here on in it all gets complicated, as all major participants in this story are called Robert and it is likely that this is where the confusion arose. The de Brus family (also known by their anglicised name Bruce) had a direct claim to the Scottish throne via their paternal grandfather King David 1st. So, starting with the Robert the Bruce’s grandfather, Robert de Brus the 5th Lord of Annandale, we can let the role of Writtle in the Scottish kingship unfold...

Robert de Brus the 5th Lord of Annandale - (let’s call him RdeB) together with his wife Isabel received the lands of Writtle from Henry 3rd in 1240 in gratitude for RdeB’s support of the king during the Barons War - you begin to wonder whether England was really ever at peace in the last millennium. RdeB had extensive land holdings in Scotland, Northumberland and Yorkshire and so leased out the lands around Writtle to the Bache family, but retained a hunting lodge within the vicinity of the village in the grounds of what is now Writtle College (the lands of Writtle would be later reclaimed by the Scots king, Robert the Bruce sometime in the 1320s). It was here in Writtle in this hunting lodge that RdeB’s son Robert the 6th Lord of Annandale (who we’ll call Bob VI) was born. The 6th Lord (Bob VI)

would in turn would be father to the above-mentioned Scots king, Robert the Bruce. With all these Roberts associated with Writtle there’s plenty of confusion about who was born when and where, but the argument, whilst not still fully settled, agrees that RdeB obtained the land of Writtle, his son Bob VI was definitely born in Writtle, and his son King Robert the Bruce, (King of Scotland 13061329) was more likely to have born in Scotland (possibly in Turnberry Castle in Ayrshire) in 1274, but there are just too many Roberts to be completely sure! Still today there are a number of historians who claim that both Robert the Bruce and his father Bob VI, (Robert, the 6th Lord of Annandale) were both born in Writtle.

During the Scottish wars of independence, Robert the Bruce who had a strong claim to the Scottish kingship, supported the incumbent king, John Balliol until his abdication in 1296. Just as in the film The Godfather and the TV series Gomorrah, 10 years of political infighting and murder finally allowed Robert the Bruce to ascend the Scottish throne in 1306. The Scottish wars against England continued, with failure (a defeat) followed by a successful guerrilla campaign, and ultimately a final Scottish victory at Bannockburn.

It was said, that sometime after his initial defeat and on the run from the numerous marauding English forces that Robert the Bruce spent time hiding out in various caves - and the legend of the spider trying to repeatedly spin its web inspiring the fleeing Scots king to persist in his war against the invading English army was born. Whether this was true or not is immaterial, but the legend persists to this day.

The outcome was that Robert the Bruce was ultimately successful in his campaign against the English ending with a comprehensive victory against Edward the Second’s forces at Bannockburn in 1314, allowing this son of Writtle to establish an independent kingdom of Scotland.

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Chelmsford - By Vicky Ford MP Much of 2021 has been dominated by the pandemic and it is still an unsettling and challenging time. I wanted to share with you twelve happy memories from last year to bring in the New Year!

1. The Army and Navy Junction: Last summer, over 5,000 local residents visited the virtual exhibition to look at the options for a new Army and Navy junction. Thanks to their feedback and a great deal of work by engineers, we now have a preferred design for the new junction. The ‘hamburger’ style design is the most likely option to reduce congestion in Chelmsford.

Engineers will now start even more detailed work on the business case and prepare the funding bid.

2. Investing in our NHS: Many NHS workers have given their all for us during the pandemic. In September 2021 the Government announced an additional £5.4 billion cash injection to the NHS to support COVID-19 response and reduce backlogs. This brings the Government’s total investment to health services for COVID-19 so far this year to over £34 billion. Mid Essex has historically received lower funding for the NHS than many other parts of the country, but thanks to levelling up we are now receiving more. Work has also accelerated on delivering the new medical centre at Beaulieu Park which will take pressure off GP surgeries across the city.

3. More Police in Essex: There are now 674 more police officers in Essex than there were when I became MP for Chelmsford in 2017 and the numbers continue to grow. Our police have been outstanding, especially at tackling violent crime and county lines drugs.

8. Holiday Fun: Children from across Chelmsford had a huge amount of fun last year taking part in holiday activities and food schemes. These projects, which I launched as Children’s Minister, made sure vulnerable children and those on free school meals could take part in fun, enriching and healthy activities especially during the long summer break. It also helped families with childcare.

9. Job Opportunities: There are a currently huge number of jobs available in Chelmsford. Work coaches at the new Job Centre Plus in the Meadows Shopping Centre are giving bespoke one-on-one advice to help people improve their skills and find new opportunities. The Government’s new Lifetime Skills Guarantee will offer 11 million adults a free qualification. In October 2021, the claimant percentage of the 16-64 population in Chelmsford was 3.6% compared to 4.8% nationally.

10. Making the World Safer: I was delighted to be able to meet up with members of the Royal Navy and the crew of HMS Trent in West Africa at the end of last year when I launched a major international conference on maritime security.

Over 90% of the world’s piracy attacks currently take place in the Gulf of Guinea and more than £6 billion of UK trade passes through these seas each year, so improving safety on the sea is vital for trade and jobs in Britain too.

11. Science and Technology: Last summer was a huge moment for Chelmsford when the British Science Festival came to Essex for the first time in its history. There were over 100 events in multiple locations across the city. The family science day at Anglia Ruskin University was packed, inspiring a budding generation of young scientists to get ready to tackle the issues of the future.

4. Opportunities for Young People: Last September, there was a fabulous atmosphere at the Apprenticeship and Jobs Fair in Chelmsford. There was a great line-up of different employers exhibiting, from engineering and financial services to construction, health and beauty, communications, professional services, care, hospitality, local government, even space science and the military. It was the second time I have hosted such an event and I am determined it will become an annual fixture.

5. Tackling Climate Change: I know many Chelmsford residents care about the environment. The UK has been leading the world in the fight against climate change. I had the huge honour of representing the UK at COP26 in Glasgow. During my time at the world leaders’ summit, I was able to encourage many different leaders to commit to the Forest and Land Use Pledge which aims to tackle deforestation, as well as progress many other issues to help move the climate change dial. Please see here for my video update and more details: www.vickyford.uk/campaigns/protectingenvironment-cop26-update.

6. Supporting our Schools: Disruption to education has been a huge struggle for many children and young people, but our headteachers, teachers and school staff have done an amazing job supporting them. In the last general election I promised to fight for fairer funding for our schools. Last year, Chelmsford schools funding increased by a record 6 percent, well ahead of the average across the country.

7. Safety in Chelmsford: A £550,000 investment in Chelmsford will help to keep people safer, especially in the Bunny Walks area. The funding comes from a new Government scheme to deliver safer streets. The focus of the scheme is particularly to improve safety for women and girls. Thank you to our Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst for making sure that Chelmsford was successful with our funding bid.

12. Thinking of Others: Christmas is a time when we think of others across the world. In Senegal in November, I visited a women’s health clinic that the UK helped to set up. I heard from many of the women present how it is helping to give them choice over planning their families, which is also helping them to have control over their lives.

I wish you and your loved ones a peaceful and happy New Year.

Vicky

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Located inside Moulsham Mill (Parkway, CM2 7PX)

Enjoy a delicious range of hot and cold snacks and drinks whilst supporting a great local cause!

See our article on page 19

Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

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Hi, everyone. I hope you were able to celebrate Christmas with your family and friends, and that we can now look forward to better things for 2022.

A few things have caught my eye recently. The first was the news that someone has designed a supermarket shopping trolley with handles that are on each side of the trolley instead of the current ones that have the bar across from one side to the other. Is this for the benefit of the customer, or some high tech ergonomic design to make it easier to push in a straight line (wonky trolleys are the bane of my life)? I’m afraid not. Apparently some ‘experts’ have suggested this change will encourage customers to buy more goods. No, me neither!

Also reported this month, it seems that albatrosses, one of the most loyally monogamous creatures on earth, are divorcing their partners. Apparently, researchers blame climate change. Who are these researchers, and where do the birds find a religious albatross to carry out the wedding in the first place? Perhaps the ‘experts’ were able to access some albatross solicitor accounts and carry out some analysis. Who knows, or cares?

Now for something different. I watch quite a few programmes on television and many things seem to get me annoyed. While watching episodes of several series, I sometimes get confused. As I am engrossed in the plot, suddenly the main character looks years younger. The greying man I was seeing suddenly has a flock of dark hair. Teenagers, too have changed, becoming young children.

Now I know I can get a bit confused these days, but after watching for a further ten minutes, I wind the programme back and see the message ‘ten years earlier’ on the screen. I often seem to miss these, as they are mainly just flashed on the screen for a couple of seconds and I am not concentrating. Some don’t even show a message and I have to pick up on the fact that earlier in the programme the main character does not have facial hair but in the present, he has. I watch these programmes to relax, not expecting that I should be paying constant attention to these details.

Delivering the Moulsham Times gets a bit tricky at this time of year, with slippery steps and paths and additional hazards like Christmas light cables. I have found that I am increasingly looking downwards to avoid an incident. On one occasion recently, I bumped into somebody on their path and immediately said how sorry I was. I looked up, straight into the eyes of a blow-up snowman. I felt a bit silly!

aware that humans could understand that a dog is saying, ‘it’s a bit nippy mate, I need a coat...’

There seem to be loads of quiz shows on at the moment. I guess they’re relatively cheap to produce, as they pay just one big ‘celebrity’ and possibly a bit of prize money. But, I don’t know about you, I want something a bit challenging, not Mastermind specialist subjects - they’re too hard. However, some are not quite as challenging as others. I have just watched one called Sitting on a Fortune hosted by a well known ex-England footballer. Briefly, contestants have to answer general knowledge questions while sitting on chairs set out in a row behind each other that swivel round 90 degrees. Each contestant chooses which chair that they would like and once they are all seated, the one in the first chair tries to answer three questions. If they get them right, they go through to the next round, the one at the back is eliminated. Are you following this?

To cut a long story short, this goes on until one person wins up to £100,000. Not bad eh? So, as the second player is eliminated, the host congratulated her for being a great contestant. All she has done is choose where to sit twice and then lost the game. Great player?

Perhaps not.

I’ve been looking at unusual Christmas gifts on the internet. No, I don’t know either, I must be getting bored. It’s amazing what you can get, how about Turkish Delight Liqueur for someone who has a sweet tooth and likes alcohol? Another alcoholic one; a bottle of red wine that can be posted through your letter box? Smashing! This one sold out remarkably quickly - a self-watering herb house. Not to be sniffed at. What about a giant personalised face cushion? That is a cushion with a photo of your, or should it be their, face.

Do you know someone who likes Marmite? You could get a jar with a name on. This is my favourite: You can pay to adopt a sloth. I presume you don’t actually get a live one, but maybe get a photo and a certificate. I wonder how they know which is yours... Here’s another strange one, a fortune cookie bath bomb. Wouldn’t the lucky message inside get all soggy and unreadable?

Well, I don’t think I will be getting any of these, so that’s time lost in my life I’ll never get back - and I am sad to say, you’ve lost time too if you managed to get to the end of this article!

Bin End Chuckles Autocorrect can go straight to He’ll...

Two guy’s stole a calendar, they go six months each...

Stay safe and well.

I notice that with the cold weather arriving, more and more dogs on their daily walk have woollen jackets - or are they cardigans, or coats?

It does seem that the dogs like wearing them, trotting along with their head held high and their tail wagging. My question to the owners is; How do you know that your dog needs a coat, when others do not? I read recently that dogs can understand over 200 words, but I wasn’t Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

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Pilates for Your Best New Year - By Erica Foulds Happy New Year to you! We at Hummingbird are sending out all our positivity, health and love to help you start your new year the best way. In the month where it is all about having a fresh, clean slate, this year especially I want to give you a few amazing tips or exercises that come from pilates, for resetting your mind and body involving some key movements that your spine will thank you for, both now and into year ahead!

Not only do I love the positivity, motivation and vibes around the studio at this time of year, whether its chatting about resolutions, exercise challenges you’re keen to give a go, or just giggling talking about how many mince pies one plank can burn off, but it’s also the time when I remind myself and my classes what it is that we want to get from our time together in class.

Last year you may remember I wrote about the 8 Core Principles of Pilates (as followed by Mr Joseph Pilates himself) - and they work so perfectly with a new year new you plan because they are so simple and achievable - who doesn’t like something that’s guaranteed to feel great!? These principles, along with a few simple moves based around how your spine and major joints are designed to work, can create a gorgeous combo that can be done at any time of your day!

I’ve chosen 5 wonderful moves, that with the application of pilates principles can give you more from each exercise: Standing Roll Down, the Full Body Warm Up Standing feet hip width, take a big stretch of your arms to the ceiling then reach through the space around you until hands meet the thighs, nod your chin to the chest, round your shoulders forward, bend the knees as much as you need, run your hands down your thighs, to knees and below if you can. Once you’ve gone as far as comfortable, gradually stack the body back up to vertical (repeat x5).

This is wonderful for centering and concentration, spending several breathes in each phase helping to slow your thoughts and mind as you spend time curving through the spine. Try to enjoy the stretches this creates rather than rush to finish. Concentrate on the feeling; it may be quite deep, but is brilliant to open tight back muscles.

Seated Roll Back, for Switching on the Core Sat with feet hip width, knees bent, hands hooked around back of thigh, sit tall, begin to tuck the tailbone under, curve the back into a profile view capital ‘C’, draw the naval into the lower back, unravel until seated again (repeat x10). The graceful fluid flow and controlled breathing exercise here combines great mobility and abdominal

strength. The breath of exhaling to curve in to the move and the inhalation to sit tall each time is wonderful for the diaphragm and circulating fresh blood around the body!

Basic Swan, for Extending the Spine Lay on your front, legs together, arms by your shoulders, hands flat on ground, (like a grasshopper), face straight down, press through the heel of hand, on inhalation begin to lift from middle of chest and gently look forward. If your lower back feels heavy or uncomfortable you’re too high - lower the chest back to the floor on exhalation (repeat x5). This amazing upper body exercise moves the spine through its curve into extension and is a brilliant antedote to desk or device-hunched posture. It builds stamina for the core using commonly weaker upper body muscles.

Seated Saw, Spinal Rotation Sitting on floor or deep cushion, legs comfortably wide and as straight as you can, arms held up shoulder height, sitting tall, rotate the chest and arms left, begin to fold over the left leg right hand reaching to left knee/ankle/or even foot! (Repeat alternate sides x10 without stopping). This popular rotation practises precision and alignment, is brilliant for mid back flexibility and contributing to better posture muscles around the upper body. Practise results in the more amazing your back can feel!

Laying Lumbar Rolls for Stiff Lower Back Relief On your back, arms out to 90 degrees, knees together rolling from side to side slowly. There is no doubt this relaxing stretch feels wonderful on the lower back - it can be done any time of day and mobilises this typical area of tightness!

At Hummingbird Pilates and Yoga at Reeds Farm, Writtle we have class levels from beginners to the well seasoned on the mat! All classes are 8 in studio or 2-way streamed through Zoom, 8 max.

If you would like to chat about getting started, find us on Facebook or Instagram (@hummingbirdpilatesyoga). Search ‘Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga Writtle’, or visit www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk, or email us at info@hummingbirdpilatesyoga.co.uk - you can even call us.

See you on the mat soon!

Erica xx hummingbirdpilatesyoga.co.uk 01245 422 556

Chelmsford Community Radio - Update!

To start with, good news for the Radio Café, which helps raise money for us to stay on air: We are delighted to have been awarded our 5-star hygiene rating from Chelmsford City Council!

Over the Christmas holidays, we dual-broadcast a special schedule alongside our friends at Hospital Radio Chelmsford. If you missed any of it (including our latest panto) then you can catch up on our mixcloud page www.mixcloud.com/chelmsfordcr.

Don’t forget that our app also has a link to mixcloud and is available for both Android and Apple devices - search your preferred app store

for ‘CCR 104.4’.

Finally, thank you very much to those who took part in our survey.

There will be another one in the autumn. Remember, if you can’t wait till then, you can get in touch via our website at www. chelmsfordcommunityradio.com, or on our social media pages by searching for ‘@chelmsfordcr’. www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com www.facebook.com/ChelmsfordCR

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St Luke’s Christmas Tree Festival 2021 - Another Success!

It’s been two years since our first every Christmas Tree Festival and we’ve experienced some extraordinary times over that period, so we decided to create another opportunity for our community of Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln to come together safely. Our 2021 Christmas Tree Festival had the theme ‘At the Heart of Christmas’ and we were amazed by how creatively the theme was embraced!

Over the weekend of 18th - 19th December, we had 22 Christmas trees on display - each one with its own story. They were provided by a range of uniformed groups, local churches, businesses and families from across Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln.

A small selection of the imaginatively created Christmas Trees at our Christmas Tree Festival Tree Carol Service - it was so lovely to sing by candlelight surrounded by the beautiful trees.

At the Heart of Our Christmas - everyone was invited to write their thoughts, wishes and prayers for what was at the heart of their Christmas this year

All visitors to the festival were asked to vote for their favourite children/young person’s Christmas tree - and the winner, by a narrow margin, was ‘Sharing’ by 2nd Moulsham Guides. When asked about what was at the heart of Christmas, the girls answered, ‘family and sharing’, so all the chocolates and sweets used in creating the tree will be donated to Chelmsford Food Bank to be shared with other Chelmsford families. What a fantastic idea!

Thank you to everyone who joined in our Christmas Tree Festival. Will we do another next year? Watch this space!

Christmas doesn’t stop on Christmas Day though and we will be (subject to further Government announcements) holding a Christingle Service on 16th January at 10.15am - it’s an informal service, which also includes making and lighting our Christingles, and we would love you to join us.

Decorated Christmas Trees from 11th Chelmsford Scouts, Beavers, Swazi Cubs, and Zulu Cubs During the weekend over 200 adults and children enjoyed our festival, which also included two children’s Christmas workshops with activities such as printing wrapping paper and making decorations, visits to Santa’s Grotto, and a Christmas mini-market with local stall holders. The festival closed with our Rockin’ Around the Christmas 20

To see pictures of all the Christmas trees and to find out more about St Luke’s and our services, please check out our website at www.stlukemoulsham.co.uk, or you can find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/stlukesmoulshamlodge.

We wish you a joyous New Year!

Lucy Bubb St Luke’s Church, Gloucester Avenue, Moulsham Lodge, CM2 9DT

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MT Therapy - Chelmsford Therapy Rooms

Hi everyone, I hope you’re well!

Continuing my article from last week on narcissistic behaviours, this issue let’s take a look at at the group of behaviours I refer to as victim narcissistic behaviour.

Just as a quick reminder, it’s generally accepted that there are two overall subtypes of narcissistic behaviour. This makes three in total, with pathological narcissistic behaviour being a culmination of all the main behaviours. For the purposes of this article I’m going to include all of the narcissistic behaviours named in these subtypes and rename the subtypes so that the behaviour is easier to identify.

•

• •

•

A person displaying victim narcissistic behaviour is very different to those displaying dominant narcissistic behaviour. In fact, they will likely claim to be a victim of dominant narcissistic behaviour. Usually they are, but more on that later. Those displaying victim narcissistic behaviour are often referred to as the ‘introverted’ version of the narcissist, a ‘vulnerable’ narcissist or even a ‘covert’ narcissist.

Personally, I don’t think that those fit. I feel the term ‘introverted narcissist’ is a little insulting to introverts, referring to someone as a ‘vulnerable narcissist’ might cause us to empathise with them and, although all narcissists are vulnerable because of their fractured ego, implies the person exhibiting the narcissistic behaviour is unaware of it. The term ‘covert narcissist’ implies the person knows what they’re doing and is trying to cover it up, like a spy. This type of narcissistic behaviour tends to read as though the person displaying it feels like a victim and projects this onto other people in order to get what they want so I felt the term ‘victim narcissist’ fitted better. Here is a list of some victim Narcissistic Behaviour: • • •

• •

• • • •

Defensive.

Hypersensitive.

Fragile grandiosity, which functions mainly as a cover for feelings of inadequacy. For example: ‘I’m not going to contact any of my friends whilst we’re in lockdown because I want to see who contacts me. Then I’ll know who my real friends are and who is deserving of my friendship’.

Tendency to withdraw from social situations, especially if their needs of ego stroking will not be met.

There is a strong connection with borderline personality disorder (BPD) as those displaying victim narcissistic behaviour also might have a fear of abandonment, interpersonal and affective instability, impulsivity, chronic feelings of emptiness, suicidal ideation and self-mutilation. I’ve noticed that those displaying victim narcissistic behaviour are often diagnosed with BPD. Over-sensitive. Feelings easily hurt.

Huge feelings of shame.

Seeks to counteract or cancel out deep feelings of inferiority and lack of self-esteem.

Offsets deficits by creating illusions of being superior, exceptional, admirable, noteworthy. They might paint themselves as being a ‘good person’ and pretend to act as the rescuer, but in the end they are the one that ends up being rescued. By this, I mean that they will demand your attention constantly, although they have claimed they are a good person, they need this reinforced all the time - and I mean all the time. One of the ways this type of narcissist controls their victims is through anxiety.

They’re like an energy vampire, draining your energy but keeping you on your toes at the same time. It’s exhausting. But you can’t leave them. They create a bond that makes people feel like they have to look after this person. They rely on fear and guilt tripping to manipulate. They might make you afraid to leave them in case something bad happens, or they might make you feel obligated to stay with them because they ‘need someone’. They might even make you feel as though you are the only person who can help them, and if you do decide to leave, the consequences can be dire...

•

This type of narcissist is quick to revenge. If they feel they have been wronged you won’t hear the end of it. Crucially, since they are more shame-based, they are more easily triggered into what’s known as ‘narcissistic rage’, which drives them to take spectacular revenge.

Self-worth results from self-enhancement, and again reinforcement constantly from others.

Lack of boundaries - those displaying victim narcissistic behaviour often come across as rather child-like. They might ask you to do something that is completely inappropriate or disrespectful because it fulfils their needs. They’ll likely do this in a manipulative way…

Covertly manipulative - by this I mean that the manipulation is covered up in a clever way so that they gain what they want without looking like a villain. They often present as somewhat depressed, victimised or even needy. They might even manipulate in such a way that the other person believes they will gain from the situation too, but this gain is often exaggerated or a lie and it is the victim narcissist who in fact gets what they want. They will play on your heart strings, appeal to your empathy, even make things up, in order to acquire the power they need. All without empathy...

Lack empathy - however, sometimes they will come across as an empath, and in fact insist they are empathic, but this is another part of their manipulation.

According to Lorna Slade, a psychotherapist who specialises in healing from narcissistic abuse, the victim narcissist can be more dangerous than the dominant narcissist. She says: “A sense of victimhood appears to be primary, in which the narcissist will persecute from the victim position, often denigrating themselves and thereby fishing for reassurance. Since they are poor problemsolvers, I see coverts resorting to the ‘victim’ role as a semiconscious and very dark tool in their toolkit. Once in victim mode they are emotionally persuasive way beyond the ability of a neurotypical person. The sheer effective power of coverts’ ability to manipulate other people never ceases to amaze me.”

If you’re interested in learning more about narcissistic behaviour, I’m running a course on narcissism in the new year via Zoom. The course is recorded, so don’t worry if you can’t make it. I’ll send the recordings to you once they’ve processed. If you’d like to keep up-todate with my courses and attend any of them, just go to www.ctrntraining.co.uk and join the mailing list. You’ll also find all the courses I offer on the website.

I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and continue to have a great New Year!

Jenny Hartill is a therapist and owner of Cloud9 Therapy and Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. 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.

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22 www.moulshamtimes.com

www.chelmsfordcivicsociety.co.uk info@chelmsfordcivicsociety.co.uk The aims of Chelmsford Civic Society is to stimulate public interest in, and appreciation and care of, the history, appearance and character of Chelmsford.

• The preservation of buildings Recent Highlights • History and architecture Ongoing campaign - uses for the Shire Hall • River banks, parks and trees Organisers of Heritage Open Days for the city • Future planning and land use Marconi Scandal talk with Hugh Pym • Transport, road and car parking Up and coming Talks/Trips • Recycling and litter disposal AGM talk with the Dean of the Cathedral • Passionate about historical Trip to the Secret Nuclear Bunker interest and planning matters If you would like to join Chelmsford Civic Society please visit our web site www.chelmsfordcivicsociety.co.ukwhere you can download a membership form.

Charity No. 271779

My First Year as a Health and Awareness Coach - By Ola Adamolekun

Hello peeps, I can’t believe that I’ve been a health and wellness coach for just over a year. I launched my website in November 2020, but I didn’t start working in my business till January 2021, so that’s where I’m starting from.

Sacrament Church Hall. I had loads of fun with the ladies there especially the session on exercise.

I think now when people ask me what I do for a living, I can confidently say I’m a health and wellness coach, because that’s what I’ve been doing for 90% of this year! So, I’m going to take you on a whistle stop tour of 12 month into the life of a health and wellness coach.

The summer flew by and in September I ran my SugarFree Challenge on Facebook. I had 51 people sign up, OK, I twisted a few arms, but it meant I finally got to grips with social media!

The year started with me posting my first article in the Moulsham Times - who knew I could write? I’m still not sure I’m any good at it, but some people read my articles and seem to like them! I also started to get to grips with social media and started posting regularly on my business page. I started warming to the idea that health and wellness coaches don’t just see patients on a one-to-one basis.

But saying that, I did get my first one-to-one clients and started working with them (even though I was suffering from imposter syndrome!). They were all online clients, because at the start of year we were in lockdown so I couldn’t meet people face-to-face. However, there was one client who I regularly met in the park.

I spent most of the spring doing loads of CPD and learning more about health and wellness. I’ve always been a fitness fan, so in July I qualified as fitness instructor to add another string to my bow as an all-round health professional. So we’re well into summer now and have been let out of lockdown...

I took this opportunity to launch my first group mini course - Good Health4Less. I ran this with the Little Edi Foundation at Blessed www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

November 2021 saw the launch of another mini course, but this time for my church - a 6-week introduction to health and well-being called The Elijah Project. Now here we are at the end of the year - I can’t believe it’s gone so fast. I’m ending it with the launch of a 12-week group programme called Wellfit. It’s running at Moulsham Lodge Community Trust and it’s a holistic programme which includes exercise classes, nutrition and all other aspects of well-being. This might not have been the year I planned, but I’ve really enjoyed engaging with local people in my community and would love to do more of it.

So, what’s next for me? I could tell you, but I’d have to kill you, so you’ll just have to watch this space. On a final note, I’d just like to wish you all a happy New Year and thank you for reading! www.beencouragedwellness.co.uk www.facebook.com/BeEncouragedBeStrong 23

MT Finance - A Flying Start This Christmas - Could £9,000 a Year Make Your Child a Millionaire?

For the children in your family there is a lasting gift that could give them a great start in life. It’s not always easy to decide on gifts to buy loved ones, and for the children each festive season is not complete without presents in a stocking or under the tree, but there is also a lasting gift that could give them a great start in life: an investment.

Christmas Present: The Earlier the Better Starting as early as possible could make a huge difference to the savings your child can accumulate in a Junior ISA, and regular small amounts can add up over time. If parents put away just £100 a month from birth this could result in a sum of £34,673 at age 18 (assuming growth of 5% a year after charges).

Investing Towards Life’s Milestones Education, a first car, getting married and the need to accumulate a deposit for a house are some of the costs faced by the younger generation. Investing from an early age could be a great way to give your child or grandchild a head start. Junior ISAs are a popular option as family and friends can help build up tax-efficient investments for a child with the same tax benefits as an adult ISA. There is no capital gains tax and no further tax to pay on income. Withdrawals are possible from age 18.

Waiting until the child is ten and investing a monthly amount of £300 would result in a sum of £35,308 at age 18 assuming the same level of growth. The amount spent on contributions is higher in this instance (£28,800 compared with £21,600), but the end sum is similar. That’s because of the missed years of compound growth when starting later - showing how it can really pay to invest little and often. However, there are no guarantees and investments in Junior ISA accounts can rise and fall, so a child could get back less than invested.

Investing for Children: First Steps The first decision to make is what you are saving for, and the likely timeframe. This will, to some extent, dictate the type of investment you choose. Investments for children generally have time on their side, so taking on the risk and volatility of the stock market in pursuit of higher returns is worth considering.

Christmas Future: An ISA Millionaire?

Whatever your goals, it can be amazing how regular investing and compound returns can work their magic over long periods of time.

The £9,000 annual Junior ISA allowance allows ample scope to build a decent education fund or a house deposit. £9,000 invested each year for 18 years with returns of 7% annually builds a pot worth £336,411. A more achievable 5% return generates £274,851 for when a child reaches adulthood.

Leaving money in cash is the lowest risk approach. It provides little return, but it does have the important advantage of keeping capital secure. However cash is unlikely to grow fast enough to keep up with inflation (the increase in the cost of living), especially over long periods.

The main other types of assets - equities, bonds, property and so - each have different characteristics, but unlike cash, all can fall as well as rise in value to a greater or lesser extent. History shows that over the long-term, equities (representing shares in individual companies) are the most volatile asset class but have also provided the best returns.

Christmas Past: Stocks and Shares Versus Cash The table below shows how much £9,000 - the current annual Junior ISA allowance - would be worth if it was invested in a variety of different index tracking equity funds featured on our Preferred List over the past ten years. The percentage performance by year for each fund for the past five years is also shown.

Junior ISAs automatically convert to adult ISAs at age 18, so it’s possible to continue the investing habit with the same account. With lots of commitments in early adulthood it might not be possible to add to investments that much, however, continuing at the rate of £9,000 a year - or £750 a month - can lead to some outstanding results over time and could even make your child a millionaire.

Once 18, the ISA allowance meaningfully rises to the current level of £20,000; regular subscriptions and a growing ISA portfolio can be a powerful tool in providing for the future.

A parent or legal guardian of an eligible child can open a Junior ISA, manage the account, and make the investment decisions.

Grandparents, relatives, or family friends can then also contribute at any time up to the annual investment limit.

Junior ISAs are easy to manage and flexible. Depending on the provider, there are also a wide range of investment choices, including thousands of funds, investment trusts, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and shares. Your financial adviser can help to guide you as to the most suitable options on the market.

Graham Austin, Chartered FCSI Investment Manager Graham.Austin@charles-stanley.co.uk 0207 149 6696

Figures are shown on a total return basis, bid to bid price with net income reinvested (source: FE Analytics, 10-year data: 30/11/2011 to 30/11/2021). Please note that the Junior ISA limit was much lower than £9,000 ten years ago, so this table is purely for illustrative purposes.

In comparison to the major stock market areas, a cash account or cash ISA would have typically provided a much smaller return and struggled to keep up with inflation - above illustrated by the UK Consumer Prices Index. However, past performance is not a guide to the future and with cash capital would not have been at risk.

Investing should only be considered for long term goals because the value of investments can fall as well as rise, especially over shorter periods.

The value of investments can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than invested. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. The information in this article is for general information purposes and is not a trading recommendation.

Charles Stanley is one of the UK’s leading wealth management firms. We provide a range of financial planning and investment management services to private clients, trusts and charities.

Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 55 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 3AS.

24 www.moulshamtimes.com

The Singing Chef

Duck With Easy Plum Sauce

I hope you weren’t expecting a nice healthy New Year’s resolution-style recipie from me this month... It’s far to cold for all that business!

What we need is comfort food right now - not every night, but as a treat at the weekend or a cheer me up Monday dish.

I buy a whole frozen duck from the Chinese supermarket, along with a large jar or plum sauce and frozen pancakes. It’s so much better value to buy it this way. with seasonal vegetables and red wine - oh, and plently of black pepper.

Sarah is a singer and vocal coach based in Chelmsford and offers singing lessons to people of all ages and abilities. You can email Sarah at sarahmtfood@gmail.com or search for ‘Sarah Beth Vocal Coaching’ on Facebook.

Follow Us on Instagram moulshamtimes

Like Us on Facebook This is what the fussy ones have - my eldest and I love a more refined dinner. You can however buy pre-portioned duck breasts or legs.

facebook.com/moulshamtimes

Ingredients • Duck • Plums • Diced shallots • Butter oil • Stock or gravy • Plum sauce

Method Cook your duck as per the packaging instructions, then leave to rest.

Slow fry the shallots in a little butter and oil then add plums, plum sauce, and stock (I used leftover gravy, it worked fine). Simmer for 5 minutes.

Add Dijon mustard, butter and spring onions to your mash and serve www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

25

Breakfast With Santa This popular Christmas event sold out very quickly with people being put on a waiting list for possible cancellations.

It is our biggest fundraising event of the year and provides important funding for the following year.

In this month’s article, we would like to thank all of the volunteers who helped over the Saturday and Sunday - we couldn’t have done it without you. Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

A special thanks to our Santa, former Councillor Dick Madden.

Dick was also a trustee until this year when he stood down to enjoy much more free time. We would also like to thank Dick for all his help to MLCT during his time as a county councillor, as he played a significant part in getting to where we are today. Thanks Dick.

Another trustee, Jo Westram, is leaving the area. Jo has been involved for a few years and been part of our team organising and delivering events as well as coordinating our relationships with other organisations who we want to work in partnership with. We will all miss Jo and good luck in your new community. Jo still plans to be involved and will help ‘virtually’.

We’d also like to thank Chandler, our local building supplies company who supplied the pallets that Santa’s new Grotto was built Santa (Dick) pictured here with Jo. from, you can see Santa and Mrs Santa in the grotto in the picture on the left.

You can see lots more pictures on our website. Once again thanks to all, same time next year! www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07434 678 999

An Update From Moulsham Lodge Ward Councillor Rob Gisby

It is always a challenge to write an article a couple of weeks ahead of publication and with current uncertainty, it is even more difficult.

I wanted to start though by saying how lovely it has been to see the decorations up and around the lodge and also the fantastic entries in the Christmas Tree Festival at St Luke’s, well done to all involved and for the huge effort that goes into making these things happen - it means a lot to the community. Last year some residents decided to keep their lights up beyond Christmas to brighten winter months, I imagine this may happen again this year.

At the time of writing, it’s not completely clear what will have been permitted at Christmas 2021 or indeed, what may feel sensible to do in terms of gatherings generally - but I hope you all had the best Christmas and New Year celebrations possible in the circumstances.

In another community effort, each year volunteers and businesses come together to support Farleigh Hospice to raise funds by collecting Christmas trees for recycling. I’ve done this for a couple of years now and whilst last years’ collection had to be cancelled at short notice, I remain hopeful it can go ahead this year. If you would like to register to have your tree be collected for a small donation, please register prior to 4th January. Or if you want to volunteer, do take a look at the link below or search for ‘Farleigh Hospice Events’. www.farleighhospice.org/events/christmas-tree-recycling-2022.

Being the New Year, I might ordinarily mention New Year’s resolutions, but I’m not one for doing this - I feel they start the year with the burden of another thing we mustn’t fail... For a number of years now I prefer to take a pause and talk about all the things we did achieve in the last year - when things are busy or difficult, it’s so easy

to forget to be kind to ourselves.

January can be a challenging month for many, with the Christmas festivities having passed and not yet moving into the brighter springtime. However, there are some great resources out there for us all. The Five Ways to Wellbeing, developed by the New Economics Foundation and widely used by the NHS and organisations such as Mind, present a simple way to help your emotional health, based around 5 simple principles of Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Learn and Give. Just search ‘five ways to wellbeing’.

Remember there is support out there if you or your family are struggling. Have a look at the resources on the Essex County Council ‘Getting Help and Support’ page or call their Mental Health and Wellbeing Team on 0333 032 2958.

You can get in touch with me via Chelmsford City Council, through my Facebook page (search ‘Cllr Rob Gisby’) or via Chelmsford Conservative Association. Please do reach out - I look forward to hearing from you.

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2022.

Stay safe, keep well, be kind.

Cllr Rob Gisby Conservative Ward Councillor for Moulsham Lodge

To read this magazine and the City Times online, go to www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

26 www.moulshamtimes.com

Tile Kiln Corner - By Cllr Linda Mascot Chelmsford City Council is aiming to plant a tree for every resident of the city and needs your help!

If you know of a location where you would like to see trees planted, please email me and I’ll pass these on to be considered for planting. I am hoping to arrange community planting days, so I’ll publicise these through this column and we can all play our part in this important project. Volunteers are also required for large planting sessions arranged for parks and other large open spaces, so let me know if you’d like to be involved.

of 101. If possible, take a photograph of the vehicle and registration to provide as many details as possible when phoning. If there are parking restrictions in place, then report this via Chelmsford City Council’s website: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/ parking-restrictions/report-a-parking-issue. This will take you to the parking enforcement page where parking issues reported will be passed to Enforcement Officers who regular patrol areas and enforce any illegal parking they see. They cannot investigate parking on pavements, private land or grass verges. Reports logged on the website require your name, contact details, location of illegally parked vehicle, registration number, make. model and colour.

Officers will then acknowledge your request, visit the location to investigate as soon as possible and report back to you the outcome of the investigation.

If you have a persistent parking problem and would like to request restrictions in your area, the South Essex Parking Partnership (SEPP) has an online form and is responsible for resident parking schemes and double yellow lines: www.chelmsford.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/ parking-restrictions/request-a-parking-restriction.

I have recently reported street lights that haven’t been working, poor quality road surface repairs (water sitting in dips in the road), and potholes through the ECC Highways portal - you too can report roads, footpaths and street lights in need of repair here: www. essexhighways.org/tell-us/report-all-issues.aspx.

We have increasing cases of Covid and more people self-isolating; if you need any help or support at this time, CVS are a local Community Resilience Hub and continue to work in partnership with Chelmsford City Council. You can call the direct local community helpline and be connected to local support and services on 01245 280 731.

Parking issues in Tile Kiln, Widford and around Hillside Grove continue to be the main reason I am contacted as a city councillor.

Often this is due to inconsiderate parking without formal parking restrictions which causes anguish to pedestrians,wheelchair or pram users and other motorists. If you see a vehicle that is parked in such a way as to cause an obstruction, I would advise reporting online via the police website or by calling the non-emergency police number

If you or anyone you know is struggling with their mental health at this time of year, you are not alone. There are resources to help you on the Essex County Council website at www.essex.gov.uk/mentalhealth/get-help-and-support. Or contact the Samaritans at any time by ringing 116 123 from any phone.

Wishing you and your families all a happy and healthy New Year. mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot

A Wise Word From My Daughter (Aged 4½) My 4½ year old daughter said to me a few weeks ago: “Daddy, make sure you tell them that one day when Jesus returns there’ll be no more sad things and no more crying.”

She was concerned that some people didn’t know that.

I

wonder whether you know that? It’s hard to predict as I write this in December, how things will be in January 2022 as you read this. However, in early 2022 I’m almost certain we’ll still be in the midst of the Omicron variant and experiencing some restrictions on everyday life.

Covid has caused untold loss, grief, pain, sadness, loneliness, mourning, death, suffering… the list goes on.

But did you know that the promise of Jesus Christ is that when he returns he will bring his good and true justice? That justice will bring an end to all suffering and loss, all tears and loneliness, all death.

Jesus promises that the day will come when, to quote my daughter again, “there’ll be no more sad things and no more crying.”

That might seem like a fairy tale. But I know the longing for this to be true is in you, just as it’s in me too. If not? The meaning and purpose www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

of life ebbs away.

The good news is that you can know that this promise is true! Did you know that? Everyone who believes in Jesus Christ, every Christian, doesn’t just believe a list of things, they experience the truth of this the very reality of the living Jesus Christ is experienced by those who trust him, and that brings confidence that this promise is true.

I don’t know what you’ve faced over this Christmas, I don’t know what you’ve had to face over the pandemic, but I know that there will be some sorrow, some sadness, some loss, some suffering. You don’t have to face that on your own and without hope. Ask Jesus, he’s reaching out to you.

Trust Jesus, the day is coming when “there’ll be no more sad things and no more crying.”

Tim Goodall Pastor, Tile Kiln Church tim.goodall@tilekilnchurch.org.uk YouTube: tinyurl.com/y24qlkvx www.facebook.com/tilekilnchurch www.tilekilnchurch.org.uk 27

Quiz Time - By John Theedom 1.

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In the world of food, what is gnocchi?

What job did Sweeny Todd have?

What is Queen Elizabeth II’s favourite tipple?

What does the modern word skillets describe?

What do phillumenists collect?

Who is our Foreign Secretary?

Who is the well-publicised character who is trying to get married in prison?

What type of bird is a lanner?

Which of the Channel Islands is the only one to run a train service?

When wearing your poppy, which direction should the leaf be pointing?

What is wasabi?

How many guys are there in the name of the food chain?

Which organisation was founded in 1650 by George Fox? Which year was Sussex split into east and west?

An aubergine comes from which continent?

From which fruit are prunes made?

A coat of which metal is deposited in the process of galvanising?

What is crewel?

In which UK city is Knotty Ash? What do you do with oolong?

Which historic event took place in Britain in November 1965?

What is nankeen?

In which British city would you find the Serpentine Gallery?

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Amy Winehouse’s dress that she wore at her last appearance sold at auction for how much?

What is the title of the new TV programme for dogs?

Who, what or where are snollygosters?

What did Peter Piper pick?

In Birmingham, what is Old Joe? Who was the first Roman Catholic US president?

British cyclist Chris Froome was born in which country?

Apart from foul language, what else can be smut?

Seven Sisters in London is name after which 7 trees?

What was Margaret Thatcher’s middle name?

Where in Essex is Cut Throat Lane?

To which of your senses does the term gustatory apply?

A standard game of ten pin bowling is comprised of 10 what?

In which English county is Weston-SuperMare?

Which English resort has Palace and West Piers?

Which musical instrument did the astronomer Patrick Moore play?

In which type of restaurant would you expect to be served wonton?

(Answers on page 31)

28 www.moulshamtimes.com

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The Pandemic Has Hit Drug and Alcohol Services Hard At Futures in Mind, we have seen a high increase of people referring into our service, either needing peer support for alcohol and substance addiction or mental ill health, after coming out of a very difficult 18 months. It’s important that people who are in recovery from alcohol or substance addiction and in need of mental health support aren’t forgotten while we start to get back to normal.

With the increased referrals into the Futures in Mind service, we are looking for enthusiastic and supportive people who would like to give back and volunteer within their community. Volunteers are an integral part to the running of Futures in Mind, ensuring the people using our service receive the support they need during their recovery.

Are you looking to give your spare time to support people recovering from alcohol and substance addiction, or supporting people with mental ill health? Would you like to learn more about yourself and take time out of your day to help others?

We know that the pandemic has hit the public’s mental health hard as well as those who have been struggling with addiction; both of these groups haven’t been able to receive the support and socialisation they need to improve mental health or help with their recovery.

The Futures in Mind service offers a variety of community groups, activities, befriending and mentoring services, which are open to adults who would like to share their experiences with peers in a safe and welcoming environment. These activities span a wide variety of areas including, Dunmow, Braintree, Chelmsford, Colchester, Basildon, Brentwood and Harlow, to name just a few.

Graham, a volunteer at Futures in Mind said: “Volunteering for me has meant getting new experiences that have opened doors for me, enabled me to understand more about how the world works, and meet some very lovely people. As a result of my volunteering opportunities, I have completed training and studies that have taken my life and career in directions I never would have anticipated.”

He continued: “There’s the initial impact of working in a volunteering role with all the reward and enjoyment that it brings, and then there’s the wider impact on my life and philosophy. A definite winwin. It’s truly been transformative for me.”

If you’re based in Essex and are looking to spend your spare time volunteering, whether you’re working, a student, retired or currently out of work, please visit our website at www.futuresinmind.org.uk/ work-with-us/volunteering-opportunities to apply for our volunteering positions.

30 www.moulshamtimes.com

Sue Campbell MCFHP MAFHP

Home Visiting Foot Health Practitioner

Treatment of common foot problems • Routine nail care • Corn & callus • Ingrowing toenails • Hard skin

01245 917744 or 07583 477846

Quiz Answers 1.

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Pasta dumplings Barber Gin and dubonnet Takeaway sandwich packets Matchboxes Liz Truss Julian Assange Falcon Alderney There is no specified direction, originals had no leaf Japanese horseradish Five Society of Friends (Quakers) 1974 Asia

Winter Wordsearch Answers

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Plums Zinc A type of yarn Liverpool Make yourself a cup of tea 2 men due to be hanged, were taken from the death cell when the government cancelled the death penalty Yellowish cotton cloth London £180,000 DogTV US slang term for a politician who cares more for personal gain than serving people ‘A peck of pickled peppers’

28. The world’s oldest free-standing clock tower 29. John Kennedy in 1960 30. Kenya 31. A fungus affecting plants 32. Elms 33. Hilda 34. Witham, near the railway station 35. Taste 36. Frames 37. North Somerset 38. Brighton 39. Xylophone 40. Chinese

Chelmsford Wordsearch Answers

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