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MT Welcome Hi readers, Welcome to the May edition. There are lots of events coming up as we move from spring in to summer; remember to also pick our other magazine The City Times and check the What’s On pages. Enjoy your month! Regards Paul & Nick
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MT Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms Last time I wrote about some of the varied career options available as a therapist. In this article I’m writing about where to look if you want to train as a therapist.
There are loads of different routes and types of therapist, but for simplicity, here are the five main areas of therapy that you can train to work in:
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1. Counselling: In theory, counsellors work shorter-term with life issues such as bereavement and relationships. Psychotherapy: A psychotherapist works over a longer period of time with more complicated or enduring mental health issues. In reality, there is a huge overlap and in practice, you will see counsellors and psychotherapists doing both shorter and longer term work for a very wide range of issues. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): This is a main type of therapy offered on the NHS, but other forms of therapy are also available. CBT training can also be at post graduate level requiring a previous degree in a mental health related field in addition to some experience. However, you will find there are many different courses out there - some are short courses claiming you can be qualified to treat someone using CBT in a very short space of time with no previous experience necessary. Be very careful of these, treating mental health issues is a serious profession and you need plenty of experience and practice hours. I’ve even seen short courses on Groupon where everything is done remotely. Some of these are CPD accredited, meaning an already qualified therapist can claim this course as continued professional development - it’s not a course to make you a qualified CBT therapist. Clinical or Counselling Psychology: Clinical and counselling psychology are legally protected terms that cannot be used by anyone who is not officially trained in these. A clinical or counselling psychologist acquires a PhD and registration with the Health and Care Professions Council. You must have a degree in psychology first. Psychiatry: Requires training as a medical doctor first. psychiatrists are allowed to make diagnoses or prescribe drugs when assessing clients.
BACP: This is one of the UK’s largest professional bodies for counselling and psychotherapy. The association is made up of a number of different membership categories, eg, Associate Member, Member (MBACP), Accredited Member (MBACP Accred), with the different categories standing for different levels of training and experience. Accredited Members have achieved a substantial level of training and experience approved by the association. UKCP: The UKCP is the leading professional body for the education, training, accreditation and regulation of psychotherapists and psychotherapeutic counsellors. BABCP: The BABCP is the lead organisation for cognitive behavioural therapy in the UK. Membership is open to anyone with an interest in the practice, theory or development of CBT. BABCP also provides accreditation for CBT therapists. BPS: The British Psychological Society is a registered charity which acts as the representative body for psychology and psychologists in the UK, and is responsible for the promotion of excellence and ethical practice in the science, education, and application of the discipline. Personally I’m a member of the National Counselling Society. Because I always wanted to go into private practice I wasn’t so bothered about the bias of recruiters. That said, the NCS has made fantastic headway in encouraging recruiters to acknowledge their members as possible candidates, so hopefully things are changing. Being on the accredited voluntary register has probably helped them to achieve this, but to their credit the NCS have worked incredibly hard to promote the counselling profession. If you want to advertise yourself as a therapist once qualified, or if you are looking for a therapist, I suggest going to the Counselling Directory. This is because therapists have to supply proof to them that they are accredited by one of the professional bodies that they recognise. Please note not all professional bodies are on the accredited voluntary register. This doesn’t mean they’re ‘dodgy’ - it costs a lot of money even just to apply to be on the AVR (£15,000 last time I checked) and then in order to remain on the AVR you pay a yearly fee (£10,000 per year last time I checked) so some organisations may not be able to afford it, or they may simply wish to spend their funds on other activities they feel help their members.
Whichever route you choose, the financial and emotional investment is substantial. It is generally accepted that if you haven’t ever had therapy, you should have therapy during training. Some courses require you to have a certain number of therapy hours. Professional counsellor training takes three to five years and can be diploma or degree level. Qualification requires a minimum number of client hours acquired through a work placement. An example of how to gain a counselling qualification would be: beginning with an introduction to counselling, you then attend classes to gain a certificate in counselling skills (one year), followed by a diploma in counselling (two to three years).
Good luck to any budding therapists out there! If you would like to look at a full list of organisations provided by the Counselling Directory you can use this link: www.counselling-directory.org.uk/ accreditation.html.
Alternatively, you can train through a university counselling degree. Every course is rooted in an academic theory that informs the way counselling is conducted in practice. There are numerous counselling theories (some of which I have written about in past articles) and all courses list their theoretical approach in advance. Once trained, you become a counsellor of your chosen approach, which has an impact on your style of counselling and the way you work with clients.
Chelmsford Therapy Rooms is owned and run by Jenny Hartill, an Integrative Counsellor and Hypnotherapist, who is happy to answer any questions!
So, where to train? I suggest that you look at the membership organisations and the courses they accredit. This is the safest way to find something that is a genuine course and you’ll end up with a genuine qualification able to work ethically and be a member of an organisation that is on the AVR (Accredited Voluntary Register) that was set up by the government to promote best practice within the field. Please note that not all accrediting bodies are recognised by recruiters. The main ones are:
If anyone is interested in seeing a therapist, Chelmsford Therapy Rooms has a range of therapists that can help with a multitude of issues. We offer many therapies from hypnotherapy to counselling to nutrition. Please see the website www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk or you can email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk or call 0330 100 5162.
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Prices correct at time of press. Computer generated image is indicative only, specification on site may differ. Photography of Marconi Evolution and may include optional upgrades at additional cost. *YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT. Help to Buy is subject to the Homes and Communities Agency’s (HCA) terms and conditions and is available on new build homes up to £600,000 to customers where the property represents their only residence. Not available on second, additional homes, buy-to-let or let-to-buy properties. HomeBuy agent eligibility check required. The equity loan is interest free for the first five years and needs to be a minimum of 10% of the purchase price up to a maximum of 20%. After five years, an annual fee of 1.75% of the outstanding equity loan is charged. This is increased annually by RPI plus 1%. The equity loan must be repaid after 25 years, or earlier if you sell your home. A monthly management fee of £1 is payable by the equity loan borrower by direct debit, from the start of the loan until it is repaid. The management fee and interest fees are not capital repayments to the equity loan and do not reduce the amount owing. Help to Buy operates under terms and conditions imposed by the HCA and may be subject to change. Please visit www. helptobuy.gov.uk for further information.
Vicky Ford the MP for Chelmsford
As your Member of Parliament, I wanted to update you on what action the Government has taken on chemical weapons. Some constituents have also written to me to share their thoughts. The use of chemical weapons is despicable. International law has had a clear prohibition on the use of chemical weapons for nearly 100 years.
weapons in Syria and around the world. The action was agreed by the Cabinet after considering advice from the Attorney General, the National Security Council, and after being briefed by intelligence teams. I fully support the Prime Minister in her decision. The use of military force as a last resort was necessary and proportionate in order to prevent further humanitarian atrocities.
75 people, including children, are believed to have lost their lives in a chemical attack in Douma, Syria and there are reports of a further 500 casualties.
This is not about intervening in a civil war or a regime change. It is about alleviating further humanitarian suffering and defending international law against the use of chemical weapons.
We have also seen a Russian made chemical nerve agent used in the UK on the streets of Salisbury in an attempted assassination.
There is no plausible alternative; since 2013, Russia has persistently blocked the UN from acting against the use of chemical weapons by President Assad.
Alongside our French and American allies, the UK has undertaken limited, targeted and essential measures to degrade President Assad’s chemical weapons capability and deter the use of chemical
We cannot allow the use of despicable chemical weapons to continue and must stand firm to defend international law.
From County Hall - by Cllr Dick Madden
What great weather we had last weekend. It led to Kathryn and me working hard in our back garden revealing (below the long grass, winter weeds and grandchildren-dropped toys) an actual garden. This is now neatly trimmed and it all led to the BBQ being rolled out and it seemed, hordes of grandchildren descending on us with tired parents, these being our children and their husbands and wives, this being the virtues of being a close family. It was great. However, with the sun and summer coming soon I’m conscious from contact from you that concern is being expressed again regarding behaviour of drug deals taking place in our residential streets and individuals openly smoking marijuana. I have contacted the local police and I am aware police activity has led to arrests of drug suppliers, and believe me the police are taking this matter seriously. A request from the police that will assist them is that in the event you witness or see open drug dealing and/or inappropriate behaviour, you have a few options to communicate with the police. Obviously in the event of an emergency you should always call 999, or if not immediate, you can telephone 101 and request Essex Police and you will end up talking to the Essex Police information room. Another option is to email ChelmsfordandMaldonCPT@essex.pnn.police. uk and describe what you have witnessed and the behaviour of individuals.
Finally, you can go to the Essex Police website www.essex.police.uk and do it online. This is a new process - if you go to this website you will be guided on how to report crime, antisocial behaviour and other suspicious activity. It is imperative that when you have information or witness criminal or antisocial behaviour, you use one of these options to contact the police before emailing myself. The sooner the police build up their intelligence of local communities and criminal activity, the sooner they can put in effect arrests, raids and positive policing. On an entertainment note, Chelmsford City Council is delighted to announce the comedy and arts line-up for the Fling Festival 2018: “Fling Festival returns to Hylands Park, Chelmsford on Saturday 30th June. Created purely for adults, The Fling is like no other festival, with festival goer’s curiosity encouraged and diversity in entertainment celebrated.
nominated for the Edinburgh Comedy Award, but has also appeared on a selection of TV shows, including Mock The Week and Russell Howard’s Good News. Other acts include Never Mind The Buzzcocks regular Ben Norris and unassuming comic genius, Addy Van Der Borgh. More to be announced soon! “For outlandish entertainment look no further than the Cabaret Palace, where some of the most sought after acts from the global cabaret scene are set to enchant, surprise and dazzle the audience. Expect burlesque, knife throwing, pole dance, magic, hula, showgirls, and the first ever Fling boylesque show. “After the success of last year, we welcome back the bizarrely brilliant Social Club. Think Phoenix Nights meets Bethnal Green Working Mens’ Club, with an array of bespoke attractions from Bonkers Bingo and Play Your Cards Right, to Knobbly Knees and Pub Quiz. “This year also sees a new addition, Joskins Fayre, a traditional American carnival with a twist, featuring digital interactive freak show, Zoltar fortune teller, wonky coconut shy and more. “As well as all this, there are the usual Fling favourites; Bollywood Tent, Space Hopper Racing, Adult Crafting, Storytelling, Dance Workshops, Pimms Beach, Fire Garden, Walkabout fun and much more. “Fling Festival is strictly for those aged 18 years and older. Early Bird and VIP tickets have sold out. Tier 3 tickets are now on sale from £26.00, available online via www.flingfestival.com, over the phone by calling 01245 606 505, or in person from the Civic Theatre Box Office, Fairfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1JG. “For up-to-date festival information, including exciting announcements coming up over the next few weeks, please visit the official website, www.flingfestival.com, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @flingfestival. “The Fling Festival is produced by Chelmsford City Council’s awardwinning Events Team. For more information please call 01245 606 987 or email events@chelmsford.gov.uk.” The Fling Festival sounds good and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
“The hugely popular Comedy Big Top this year features a bevy of Enjoy any hot weather. leading acts from the circuit, including Terry Alderton, whose mindblowing whirlwind of physical and verbal clowning has seen him on BE SAFE. Live At The Apollo, McIntyre’s Road Show, Royal Variety Performance and Eastenders. We also have Carl Donnelly who has not only been Dick 6 www.moulshamtimes.com
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7
MT Health Knee Pain Readers of mine last month may remember my optimism that spring was just around the corner despite the fact that I was writing on a snowy and blustery day, still very much feeling like we were in the depths of winter. Well, what a joy it is to now be sitting in the sun slurping my coffee to the sound of birdsong calling all around.
Spring is my favourite season (although autumn is a close second for me) and I love to see the happiness that the warmer weather brings to people. There is a palpable lift in everyone’s mood and a spring in their step. Understandably, people are excited to be coming out of hibernation. It’s a time to get back in the garden, get out on our bikes and enjoy long walks. It’s with this added activity that I wanted to talk about knee pain. In the clinic we have seen a spate of it recently - and in many cases it could have been prevented with the correct preparation. The knee is a funny little joint. It’s actually made of three joints and has many ligaments holding it together and some beefy cartilage in the middle called the meniscus. The reason I think it is a funny joint is that it doesn’t really make any decisions - it does what it’s told. From below, the knee is hugely influenced by how the foot and ankle interact with the floor because this affects how the shin bone (the tibia) moves. From above, it is impacted by the hips and spine because the powerful muscles of the hips and core affect how the thigh bone (the femur) moves. From both above and below the knee is dictated to. So How Do Knee Injuries Happen? There are a few structures in the knee that are likely to get injured. It could be the cartilage, the ligaments, the tendons or it could be joint degeneration, like arthritis. Generally, injuries occur when there is either a lack of flexibility to cope with the life you live, or a lack of strength to live the life you live. If we think about the things that influence the knee that we mentioned above, to prevent knee pain we need to ask if the hips and lower back and the feet and ankles are flexible, and then check the stability.
If you actually have pain in the knees already, we recommend seeing an expert who can help you figure out the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. A clear diagnosis is needed, but then you need to know whether the problem is coming from the ground up or from the top down and whether you need more flexibility, more strength - or both. As you enjoy the weather and get on your bike, take long walks and bend and twist in the garden, don’t let your knees hold you back! As always, you can get in touch at chris@fortephysicalhealth.co.uk or check us out on Facebook (www.facebook.com/fortephysicalhealth) for exercise videos and health tips. Have a healthy, mobile month!
Life T M Hack
Clean out an old sun tan lotion bottle to store keys (etc) to keep them safe at the beach!
When we have pain, it’s human nature to focus on it. If your knee is sore it’s very easy to think it’s the knee’s fault. It’s a lot harder to find the why behind a problem. As a rule, we recommend spending some time each week focusing on stretching the whole body, working through tensions in the feet, hips and back. It doesn’t have to take long I’m a big fan of spending just a few minutes stretching while I’m watching Netflix in the evening. We then need to work on our core strength and balance to create stability in the system. Although this is an article about knee pain, the prevention tactics are to work globally around the body, stretching and strengthening as you go. If you are completely new to exercise and don’t know where to start, we have lots of videos on our Facebook page to help. 8
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Prices correct at time of press. Computer generated images are indicative only, specification on site may differ. *YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT. Help to Buy is subject to the Homes and Communities Agency’s (HCA) terms and conditions and is available on new build homes up to £600,000 to customers where the property represents their only residence. Not available on second, additional homes, buy-to-let or let-to-buy properties. HomeBuy agent eligibility check required. The equity loan is interest free for the first five years and needs to be a minimum of 10% of the purchase price up to a maximum of 20%. After five years, an annual fee of 1.75% of the outstanding equity loan is charged. This is increased annually by RPI plus 1%. The equity loan must be repaid after 25 years, or earlier if you sell your home. A monthly management fee of £1 is payable by the equity loan borrower by direct debit, from the start of the loan until it is repaid. The management fee and interest fees are not capital repayments to the equity loan and do not reduce the amount owing. Help to Buy operates under terms and conditions imposed by the HCA and may be subject to change. Please visit www.helptobuy.gov.uk for further information.
MT Gardening
This month is beginning to warm up just lovely, which of course spurs us - and our plants - on. For me, my veg trug is being well and truly used to its best this year in its second season of use... and its just so perfect for growing salad leaves, small leaved carrots and beetroot. Easy to work at with no bending and ending up with an aching back! On my list of to-dos at this time is sorting out the hanging baskets. I’ve got a couple of ceramic ones which I use for succulents, just allowing them to cascade over the side. I was careful to ensure that there was plenty of horticultural grit added to the bottom of the basket, and as a result this certainly ensured minimal rotting over the winter/spring months. Try out the following as they’re so straight forward and very low maintenance: mini sedums, echeverias and house leeks. For my other baskets I’m moving to creating other sustainable displays using a mix of perennials and the odd tender plant such as heliotrope or scented pelargoniums - and maybe the odd bedding plant for a splash of colour. The bedding plants are changed when they aren’t at they’re best. Later on in the year I’ll squeeze in a few
spring flowering bulbs. This year I’m trying a few dwarf Narcissus cvs and Tulipa cvs cultivars, such as Narcissus ‘Minnow’ and Tulipa ‘Pulchella’. With both types of hanging baskets I’m using soil based compost, but appreciate that this can be a little heavy if the baskets are heading towards 14 or 16”. In this instance blend your composts and use a 50:50 split between John Innes Potting Compost No 2 and a multipurpose type. This will certainly make it easier to move around. With the choice of plants I’m using I’m not so keen to top up feed with liquid fertilisers, however, if you’re using exclusively bedding plant material use a good flower promoting liquid feed after 4-6 weeks of potting up - Tomorite will do, just follow the directions on the container for the best results. Other Jobs for the Garden: • Prune mop headed hydrangeas by removing dead flower heads and cut to the nearest pair of buds or leaves. • Prune winter flowering honeysuckles by removing old flowering wood to the ground or to where there is a healthy vegetative shoot. Once complete, reduce vegetative shoots by a third. • Take care with containers that they do not dry out. Keep soil moist and liquid feed in every 2-3 weeks with a general purpose feed. • Dead-head fading bulb flowers; snap off flower heads and leave foliage to naturally die down over the next 6-8 weeks. Liquid feed when in leaf to boost bulbs fir next year’s displays. If you want to further your knowledge and understanding of these or other gardening jobs, why not consider one of the following courses at Writtle University College? For RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture (1 year, day release), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation & Development (September February), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance and for RHS Level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture email tom.cole@writtle. ac.uk for information on availability of days and times. If you’d like a shorter programme, 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, container gardening and successful care of lawns. For the professional, a whole load of competence certificates covering arboriculture, pesticide application and use of various machinery and equipment. Happy Gardening For any gardening tips contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.
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Music and Blues and Roots in the City - by Nick Garner Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival Well things are well and truly underway now that the schedule is all coming together. Everyone is working so hard to make this what will surely be a fantastic event.
Music We had a great show at the football club with the very welcome return of Albert Lee and his band. He now has a young English line-up who are superb, and they played to a capacity crowd.
We now have a second patron; so as well as Suzi Quatro we also have Gilson Lavis, who was the drummer with Squeeze and more recently has been with Jools Holland for the last thirty years. He is also a top portrait artist of some renown - as well as attending the festival, Chelmer Fine Art will have a selling exhibition of his work during the festival.
The evening started with one of our own young bright hopes for the future Connor Selby, who played a thirty minute acoustic set. He played a perfect set, with his rich warm voice and amazing repertoire of originals and covers that the audience loved.
We have some amazing sponsors getting on board who I will tell you more about in the next edition of the City Times - but we still need more... The festival begins on the 23rd June, where we will start with a walking parade from Elim Church in Hall Street (off Moulsham Street) at 11.30am and will head to the Bond Street Bowl where the main festival will then get underway. We will have circus acts, dancing, live music, craft and street food and many stalls. We have a fantastic programme featuring dance acts from around the world, and the music will range from choirs to a guitar orchestra as well as bands. This is for the whole family and for people of all ages and we plan to continue until late evening. On the Sunday we also take over the High Street with the Bearded Gypsy Market plus many more stalls and street entertainment - both in the High Street itself and the shopping centres. The Bond Street Bowl will also still be hosting dance and live music for your enjoyment. We will have storytellers popping up and we will have street entertainers for the very young (and the seniors and all in between). There will be workshops as well as art exhibitions all over the city including at Gallery 43 and Oaklands Museum, as well as a big event in the courtyard at Hylands Park. The Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival is also in association with the Maldon Festival (now in its eleventh year) bringing the very best of classical music to you. Alongside this, we will be featuring our own lunchtime concerts going on all over Chelmsford during the festival. During the week we are planning events around Old Moulsham and in the city centre at The Meadows. We will have a great artist-musician called Steve Pablo Jones, who is renowned for his amazing painting of the musical greats. You will be able to see him at work and buy original arworks or prints - and he is always happy to talk. A full list of the entertainment on offer will be published very soon. On the Saturday of the second weekend, we are teaming up with Sounds of Essex who have a big event going on in Central Park that will feature some of the best musicians from schools from all over Essex. Of course, there will be more going on across the city again as the River Festival will also have started as part of the Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival. On the Sunday there will be Dragon Boat Racing, street artists and a cultural fair in Oaklands Park. As you can see we have lots going on - and we think there is surely something for everyone. We want this to grow over the years to become a major international event that we can attract people and artists to from around the globe - hopefully not just for the festival, but throughout the year as well.
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Next up it was the man himself, Albert Lee and his very fine band. Albert played all of the favourites and we were treated to some wonderful four part harmonies as well. The band played two sets lasting nearly two hours, and the audience loved it as much as the band. This was the first leg of the tour and as ever Albert stayed afterwards and chatted and signed autographs and had his photo taken - a true gentleman that we cannot wait to welcome him back again. With May having two bank holidays there is going to be lots going on. Many of the pubs and clubs are doing some special events and (weather permitting) I am sure the barbeques will be out as well. I know the UB (United Brethren) has quite a full weekend planned for the second bank holiday and I am sure the others in the area will as well. I have two shows coming up; the first is at the football club on Friday 15th May with Larry Garner, who is one of the American blues greats. Larry has won countless awards and has been inducted to the American Blues Hall of Fame. He is a great singer-songwriter and guitarist and also a very funny man. He will have the great Norman Beaker and his band backing him on the night, while opening the night will be Mississippi MacDonald with the Soul Fixers. This is a new band for Mississippi and I am sure they will be fantastic. See the advert in this magazine for full details. We are back at the Bassment on Thursday 24th May with The Sharpeez - Bill Mead’s band. Hee will be joined by Brendan O’Neill on drums (Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero), Loz Netto on lead guitar (Ben E. King, Sniff and the Tears and Moon) and Michael Steed on bass (The Marmalade and The Rubettes). Opening the night we have two of our own greats with Joe Anderton and Connor Selby and entry in advance is just £5 or £7 on the door. Doors open at 8pm show starts at 8.45pm. There is of course a lot more going on in and around Chelmsford and Maldon this month. In the United Brethren in Chelmsford you will find great live music every Saturday night and Sunday afternoon from 3pm to 6pm, with acts coming from all over the UK to play, so check them out for sure. Facebook is a good place to search, as well as our own What’s On pages and adverts in the City Times. 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 or 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 any of our Facebook pages, check out the ‘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 Festival email: hello@chelmsfordfestival.org www.chelmsfordfestival.org www.facebook.com/chelmsfordaacf Twitter: @chelmsfordaacf
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Pistachio Meringue with Summer Berries With summer almost with us, I can’t help but start to think about delicious and indulgent summer desserts. This recipe I believe is the ultimate for a summer garden party. So, if you are planning a celebration this summer, why not give this recipe a go? It’s also really versatile as you can either make individual meringues, a large pavlova for all you guests to share, or turn it into an Eton Mess and serve in jam jars to feed even more people!
occasions, from small intimate dinner parties to BBQs and even weddings. To find out more about me or Perfect Day Caterers, visit www.perfectdaycaterers.co.uk or email me at beverley@ perfectdaycaterers.co.uk, I’d love to hear from you!
This meringue recipe has crushed pistachios mixed through it which makes a meringue that’s crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside… so good! Combined with fresh fruit and cream, it’s the perfect summer dessert. Ingredients (serves 8 people): 100g shelled pistachios 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar 4 egg whites 200g golden caster sugar 300ml double cream 50g caster sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste 1 punnet of strawberries and blueberries Method 1. Preheat the oven to 140C. Line a couple of baking trays with baking parchment. 2. Put the pistachio nuts in a frying pan over a high heat until they are nice and golden. Then blitz in a food processor or use a pestle and mortar to create a course crumb. 3. Whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until they form stiff peaks. Then gradually add the caster sugar, a tablespoon at a time. The mixture will become glossy and smooth. 4. Fold through half the ground pistachios and the vinegar. 5. Spoon the meringue mixture onto the baking tray to create 8 large meringue nests and 8 smaller ones. Use a spoon to slightly hollow out the middle of the meringue nests and rough up the edges to create texture as they cook. 6. Bake the meringues for 45 minutes, then turn the oven off and open the door slightly to allow the meringues to cool and dry out (you can leave them for a couple of hours or even overnight). 7. Whip up the double cream with the sugar and vanilla bean paste until thick. 8. Now you’re ready to plate up; put the large meringues on each plate as a base, then layer up with whipped cream and fruit, then top with the smaller meringue, more cream and fruit and finally sprinkle with the remaining crushed pistachio nuts. Thanks for reading my recipe. I am the owner of Perfect Day Caterers, an event catering business. I cater for all kinds of special
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Help Stop Home Take-Over Gangs Exploiting People in Essex Crimestoppers in Essex has launched a campaign to stop criminal gangs taking over the homes of people in and around Chelmsford who can’t fend for themselves. The practice is called ‘cuckooing’, where gangs target the homes of vulnerable people and use the property as a base for drugs dealing or other criminal activities. Crimestoppers charity and community safety partnerships across the county are campaigning to stop gangs using violence and abuse to take over defenceless people’s homes. Anyone who has information or prefers not to talk to the police can contact Crimestoppers charity 100% anonymously. Our charity gives people the power to speak up, stay safe and stop crime by calling our professionally staffed 24-hour UK contact centre on 0800 555 111, or by using the non-traceable Anonymous Online Form. There’s no ID, no police contact, no witness statements, no courts. Victims of cuckooing are often drug users, but can include those suffering from mental or physical health concerns, female sex workers, single mums, or those living in poverty and older people. Victims may suffer from other forms of addiction, such as alcoholism. Once they gain control, gangs move in with the risk of sexual exploitation and violence. Children as well as adults are used as drug runners. Gangs may use properties in rural areas, including flats, holiday lets, budget hotels and caravan parks. Colin Dobinson of Crimestoppers in Essex said: “Gangs could have access to several addresses. They move quickly between vulnerable
people’s homes for just a few hours, a couple of days or sometimes longer. It helps them evade detection. “Crimestoppers wants your help to make our communities safer because everyone has the right to feel safe from crime, wherever they live and work.” Some vulnerable adults may even be forced to leave their homes, making themselves homeless whilst leaving gangs free to sell drugs. Caroline Wiggins, of the Essex Community Safety Partnership said: “Tackling gangs and organised crime groups is one of our priorities across the county and we are delighted to be able to support this Crimestoppers campaign. It is vital to get the message out to local communities so they can be aware of the signs and help protect those vulnerable people in our society who are at risk of being targeted by these gangs.” Signs of cuckooing include: • An increase in people entering and leaving. • An increase in cars or bikes outside. • Curtains may be closed most of the time. • Possible increase in antisocial behaviour . • A build-up of litter. • Signs of drugs use. • Lack of healthcare visitors. Crimestoppers charity can be contacted 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or at crimestoppers-uk.org 100% anonymously. For more information, please contact press.office@crimestoppers-uk. org.
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Christ Church Christian Aid Week
Christian Aid Week 13-19th May 2018 Imagine a family, maybe 3 generations of the same family living together in abject poverty. They have little to eat, no clean water to drink, no sanitation, no health care, and no access to education. Now image you actually know these people. Maybe think of your own family having to live in these conditions. What would you do to help? I guess the answer is anything you possibly could.
We can’t however simply jump in the car and drive to visit this family, whether they be in the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Burundi, which culturecheatsheet.org cite as the three poorest countries in the world. On their website Christian Aid state that: ‘Poverty is an outrage against humanity. It robs people of their dignity and lets injustice thrive. But together we have the power to transform lives.’ The statistics about world poverty are truly repugnant. According to dosomething.org, over half the world’s population - approximately 3 billion people - live on under $2.50 a day and over 1 billion children live in extreme poverty. Statistics like this make me want to run away, I can’t imagine 3 billion people or a billion children, they are simply statistics, but I can imagine the family I talked about at the beginning of this article. I can also relate to the Christian Aid statement ‘together we have the power to transform lives.’ Christian Aid states that: ‘We stand together. For dignity. For equality. For justice. Everyone is equal in the sight of God. Yet we live in a world where poverty still persists.’ For over 70 years, Christian Aid has ‘been standing with the poorest of our neighbours. We work in 37 countries, with people of all faiths and none, to stand up for dignity, equality and justice. Will you #StandTogether with us this Christian Aid Week (13-19th May 2018) to help families live full lives, free from poverty?’ You can donate money via www.christianaid.org.uk/christian-aidweek or host a Big Brekkie to raise funds. To find out more visit www. christianaid.org.uk/christian-aid-week/big-brekkie. You could also help build hope this Christian Aid Week by calling on the Prime Minister to speak up for millions of internally displaced people worldwide. You can do this by signing the petition at www. christianaid.org.uk/campaigns/christian-aid-week-campaign-action. I have just taken my first step in helping my imaginary family by signing the petition to the Prime Minister and I hereby pledge to give up one large coffee a day at £2.40 during Christian Aid Week. This means that at the end of the week I will have £16.80 to give to Christian Aid. Could you do something similar? To find out more about what happens at Christ Church URC, visit www.christchurchchelmsfordurc.org.uk, or follow us on Twitter @ ChristChurchCM2. Jean Burrows Christ Church URC
Quirky Quiz by John Theedom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
What is a polygraph machine used for? Where is the chapel of St Peter Ad Murum? What is the name of the owner of Facebook? Match play and bogey are terms used in which sport? What is Dusty Springfield’s real name? How would you use a loupe?
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40.
What kind of fruit is a plantain? In which popular TV programme did ‘stupid boy’ appear? How many farthings were there in the pre-decimal pound? Which animals feature in the ad for comparethemarket.com? How long is a league? What kind of creature is a red admiral? In old photos, what colour is sepia? In stained glass windows, what kind of metal is used for retaining the pieces of glass? Apart from fish, what is a mullet? How wide is a table tennis table? What kind of fruit is a rambuton? What is ergot? How many degrees are there in each sign of the Zodiac? What is a yellowhammer? Who is the new presenter of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Where on your body is the carpus? What does a tegestologist collect? Who founded the SAS in WW2? What is the correct name for the Essex/Dartford Bridge? Which side of the road do they drive on in Australia? What is Mr Stallone’s first name? What colour are magnolia flowers? What is the number of the main road that passes Duxford Airfield? Which cartoon character features in The Halifax ad on TV? On our new £1 coin, how many flats are there on the edge? How many chambers are there in your heart? Windrush is derived from what? How old was Mrs Bush Snr when she died recently? What is the surname of the recently disgraced Ant & Dec partner? How tall is Nelson’s Column? What is bruxism? When would you use a sennet? Who is the founder of Apple? Who was the male star in Little House on the Prairie?
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Chelmsford Drag and Street Rod Club Chelmsford Drag and Street Rod Club are marking their 50th anniversary by having a free car show at Oaklands Park in Moulsham Street, Chelmsford on Sunday 13th May from 10am until 4pm by kind permission of Chelmsford City Council. The club was formed in 1968 by Roger Sinclair, John Matthams and Bob Rothwell and they used to meet at Roger’s home until numbers increased.They then moved to the British Legion Hall at Galleywood and then on to St Anne’s Castle in Great Leighs. In 1974 the club was one of the clubs which helped to form the Associaton of Street Clubs which then became The National Association of Street Clubs. They held annual car shows at Knebworth, Essex County Show Ground and latterly at Trinity Park, Ipswich and attracted cars from all over Europe. In the early years, the Chelmsford club hired a local cinema to hold late night film shows (featuring American Graffiti, Two Lane Blacktop etc). Some of the club members even appeared in the film Shutdown which went out on general release with Carwash. The club also had a float in the Chelmsford Carnival. The club also takes some credit for shaping the Type 2 Regs (now under threat) for custom built vehicles. We continue to fight for this through our MP in support of the kit car industry. Since 2012, Chelmsford Drag and Street Rod Club has held events
to raise funds for various charities and has so far raised nearly £1,2000. The club caters for a mixture of street rods and dragsters and will have some of these cars on show on 13th May in front of the museum at Oaklands Park. Please come along and bring any memorabilia you may have. Meetings are now held at the Horse and Groom Pub on Galleywood Common on the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month from about 8pm. The club looks forward to seeing you! Roger Sinclair (Club President) and Mick Kemp (Club Secretary)
Life T M Hack
Use a hanging shoe rack for storing cleaning supplies by hanging up inside a cupboard door!
Moulsham Infant School World Book Day We were lucky enough to celebrate World Book Day twice this year due to snow - the children looked fantastic dressed up as their favourite book character or ready for a ‘bedtime story’ in pyjamas.
As part of this celebration, each class buddied up with a class from Moulsham Junior School. Year 1 and Year 2 went to the Junior School where they spent the morning learning a story and creating a stick puppet show before performing it to the rest of their group. Four classes from the Junior School visited our reception classes where they spent the morning sharing stories, reenacting traditional tales using puppets, and completing a book character hunt around the school.
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Graceful Success - by Mark Roberts My first article for the Moulsham Times was written in February 2015 and my intention then was to introduce the benefits of coaching to the wider public. I started with an article titled, Who Needs a Personal Coach? I explained the benefits of coaching in this way… ‘Imagine having access to somebody who is always on your side, who champions your cause as much as you do, believing in you and your ability to achieve, someone who listens to you at the deepest level, without judgement; somebody who asks you great questions, unlocking resources and potential you didn’t know you possessed, someone who helps you to see your world differently, enabling you to create results that would have previously seemed impossible, somebody who helps you to create realistic goals, challenging you to take those first tentative steps towards success.’ Those words expressed my coaching values then and I still hold them to be true today. They are the benefits you should expect from a good coach. Coaching is essentially about personal growth and achievement, the relationship between coach and client is synergistic, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts - a kind of 1 plus 1 equals 4 situation. Over time, through coaching, the client develops an expanded awareness enabling them to find their true path to success - personally, professionally and spiritually. The coach is likewise rewarded, gaining in experience and personal insight. It is a true win-win relationship. As a coach I encourage clients to take a considered approach towards achieving goals through the adoption of intelligent life strategies. This requires a developed practise of conscious choicemaking (a topic covered in previous articles). As a quick reminder, it means avoiding preprogrammed habitual responses in similar situations, which usually result in the same outcome. Such outcomes may be fine if the results are good, but inevitably there is little personal growth in doing the same thing time after time. There is nothing wrong with habitual behaviour where it has been deliberately developed to promote a positive outcome, this is usually referred to as ‘good practise’. Nevertheless, it is still important to maintain a high degree of awareness through regular monitoring just to ensure it is still working for you. To develop good habits requires present moment awareness, which means learning to ‘live in the moment’. You may be thinking, how else can I live, but in the moment? The truth is that the majority of us either focus on what has already happened - the past; or what we are going to do - the future. Living in the moment takes a degree of effort - try focusing just on your breath for 10 minutes and see how long you can last before your mind wanders elsewhere! The good news is that you can and will develop the skill through the practise of mindfulness, which is born out of meditation, but don’t let this scare you off! I am not suggesting that you should take up formal meditation, but you could start by taking up informal mindfulness, a process of developing mindful attention in your everyday life (for more on this just ask the Internet). Deep down, we all have an innate desire to lead fulfilling lives with meaning, lives that sit beyond material gain and physical pleasure. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with those things, but material pleasures are ephemeral, like a sugar rush, and soon need topping up to maintain the hit. Through the practise of mindfulness and conscious choice making it is possible to bring finesse, grace and elegance to your life. With practise you will elevate it to an art form that will bring both happiness and pleasure - a blissful, graceful state that the rush of material wealth couldn’t hope to match. Practise mindful attention every day and learn to live in the moment. Let’s face it - you can’t live anywhere else. There is no growth in the 20
past - it no longer exists. You can plan for the future, but you cannot reside there - it doesn’t exist yet. You can only live now, in the present moment, because that’s all there is. In every moment, your thinking predicts how you will act and your actions create your future - your reality. Mindfulness will focus your attention on what is happening in the present moment, and in time your awareness will expand as you experience the graceful beauty of now. Your version of what constitutes success is personal to you and defined by you. Your ability to achieve will depend on your attitude, taking the right action and having a strategy for overcoming hurdles along the way. This is true whether you seek material success, or personal growth. A good coach will help you unlock the knowledge and skills you already possess, a great coach will take you to another level, encouraging you to reach higher and seek personal growth through mindful attention. Whatever path you ultimately choose, coaching will enhance your journey and set you on the path to graceful success. Go create… For more about Mark Roberts, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/intelligentlifestrategies.
Chelmsford Foodbank Announces Rise in Number of Food Supplies Given to Local People in the Last Year Between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018, 3,495 three-day emergency food supplies were provided to local people in crisis by Chelmsford Foodbank, compared to 3,218 in the previous year. Of this number, 1,335 went to children. The foodbank, a member of The Trussell Trust’s network which has today reported a UK-wide increase foodbank use, believes the local increase is due to people struggling with continued issues with benefit payments, insecure or low paid work and debt. As part of a national network campaigning for change, the foodbank is working hard to offer practical emergency support to help prevent people affected going hungry, whilst simultaneously participating in vital research and raising awareness about the issues local people are facing. Ruth Leverett, Foodbank Manager of Chelmsford Foodbank said: “We don’t want to be here forever. No one in Chelmsford should need a foodbank’s help and we want to see an end to local people needing emergency food at all. It doesn’t have to be this way - with a benefits system that catches people before they fall into crisis, and secure work that provides people with enough money to cover the cost of essentials, this is possible. But until that time, we’ll continue to provide vital support when it matters most - we’re dedicated to ensuring that people in our community with no money for food are able to access emergency support, and that has only been possible in the last year because of the incredible generosity shown by local people in donating food, time and funds. Thank you.” The running costs for the foodbank are around £18,000 a year, all of which is raised locally to enable them to continue their work. Costs include warehouse space, to sort and stock donated food, a van to pick up donated food and deliver to distribution centres and other overheads like utilities and insurances. The foodbank welcomes any new offers of help with funding - local businesses, organisations and individuals interested in supporting the foodbank’s work can find out more at www.chelmsford.foodbank. org.uk.
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Wine Corner Hello everyone, as I start writing this, it’s raining again. Still, the forecast said it may snow, so I guess I should count my blessings! Glad to say that as I finish, it’s a sunny 22 degrees and I’ve got my shorts on, much to the dismay of the neighbours... I’m looking forward to the better weather as we are off to Moreton-in-Marsh soon, a nice little campsite right in the town centre with it’s shops and pubs. What do you like to see in a pub? What makes a good pub? Me, I have several things that draw me in and make me want to go back. It just takes a bit of effort from the landlord and staff to make the difference. Sadly, some pubs just do not have it. Firstly, a good car park - or better still, a bus stop right outside. I like to see the entrances clearly marked. The number of times I have tried to get through a locked or unused door during my first visit. It’s embarrassing, and all the locals know that you are a stranger. Then the welcome: sometimes, when it’s a busy pub, it is difficult for the staff to keep an eye open, but a smile and hello when you get to the bar is great. It means that you know that they have noticed you and, therefore, don’t need to go through that really annoying ‘who’s next?’ palava. A good choice of drinks is essential - for me that’s wine, and I generally find that if they have a good range of beers, the wine cellar is also good. Friendly staff who actually remember you half an hour later when you buy another round is a bonus, and food. We often have a snack if we go to a pub at lunchtime and it is surprising how many pubs have signs outside saying food served all day, but when you ask for the menu they say ‘we don’t do food today, it’s Monday...’ For me, that is an immediate about turn and walk out. Why do some pubs have music playing in every bar? Most annoying if you are in for a chat. So that’s it for me, fortunately most of the pubs round Chelmsford pass the test! Whine Corner: I see in the newspaper today that some bloke is reported as being Meghan’s first boyfriend! There was a photo too. Whatever next, exciting facts about her family’s milkman and paper boy? Bloomin’ ridiculous! The newspapers have also reported that she is having help with ‘English’ English. So I have had a thought, wouldn’t it be a laugh to take it one stage further and teach her cockney rhyming slang, especially made up for her world. Some examples? London town/‘crown’, Derek Nimmo/‘limo’, heated quarrel/‘Balmoral’. It would be a riot if she decided to make a speech in East London. On a different subject, I was watching the news recently and they reported that, surprise, surprise, car sales were down, with diesels 22
showing the greatest reduction. Now I’m not an economist, but when the Government does a U-turn and now states that drivers of diesel engined vehicles are killing people with their emissions and then putting a large surcharge on new cars, I would be more inclined to say that a headline ‘diesel engine vehicles sales have increased’ may be news. It came as no surprise to me (or probably any of you). I wonder how much these people who choose the ‘news’ on the news get paid. I think we could do a better job... I have been writing this column for quite some while now, so I thought that I would set a little quiz. I say set a quiz, but most of these came from the Internet. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
What is the Shiraz grape known as in France? Is Pouilly Fume made in the Loire or Burgundy? What grape variety is used to make Chablis? Where is the wine growing region of Hawkes Bay? Which of these is not a wine growing area: Wales, Normandy or Spain? Which group sang about a Champagne Supernova? Why is the glass used in some wine bottles tinted? What language does the word alcohol come from? What percentage of your wine is water? Where does the colour of the wine come from? Is Chablis a suitable wine to accompany beef, in some people’s view? A nebuchadnezzar holds how many bottles? What is the name of the wine steward who specialises in wine? Germany’s wine reputation is mainly based on which grape? Can white wine be made from red grapes? What does Spanish word Sangria mean? What makes wine taste ‘oaky’? What wine growing country is the oldest in North America still producing wine? Which colour wine can be tannic? Which wine growing country is the world’s largest produce of olive oil?
Answers on page 27! Bin end chuckles: If anyone knows how to mend broken hinges, my door is always open... People who use selfie sticks need to have a good look at themselves... Keep calm, and carry on drinking (in moderation).
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Street Food ROKS
The street food revolution is happening, it is all around you - in markets and at events and festivals both big and small. You will find beautifully restored vintage trucks and stalls selling some of the freshest, most unusual and innovative food in the country. The days of greasy burger vans are dwindling and in their place are vibrant traders selling the freshest produce they can get their hands on. If you walk into town on a Friday and Saturday, or have been to The Fling or Beer and Cider Festival at some point in the last few years, you may have been fortunate enough to have tried some of the fantastic street food Chelmsford has to offer. One such stall, ROK Kitchen, a former regular on the market and Chelmsford based, is doing very well indeed. In fact, this year they are finalists in the British Street Food Awards. The British Street Food Awards is an annual event headed by award winning food journalist and broadcaster Richard Johnson, a man who sees food as an adventure and street food as the pinnacle of what is fresh and cutting edge about food in Britain. The competition works with a preliminary round of regional events - the winners of which compete at the final in London. Steve, the owner of ROK Kitchen says: “It’s an honour to be selected as finalists - there were over 3000 applicants, only a handful of traders are selected for each region, so we are thrilled to be competing in May. Winners in the past have gone on to open restaurants and compete in the European Street Food Awards, both of which are exciting prospects for us. Thanks to all those who have helped us reach this level. I’ve had the privilege to work alongside so many wonderful, helpful traders who have given me tons of fantastic advice over the years. I would also like to thank all our customers for loving the food and being really supportive as we’ve grown.” If you would like to go and support ROK Kitchen, the southern heat,
where finalists from London and the south compete, takes place on the late May Bank Holiday 26th, 27th and 28th at Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth. There will be lots of entertainment on offer and probably the best street food in the country. Steve went on to say: “We know Portsmouth isn’t close, but it would be amazing if the people of Chelmsford could show up and give us their vote.” If you would like to know more about the British Street Food Awards, you can find out online or by downloading the app at britishstreetfood.co.uk. You can also find out more about where ROK Kitchen will be trading by finding and liking them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/Koggiofood.
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Chelmsford Hits the High Notes Chelmsford Rotary Club held its Annual Jazz Night at Writtle Sports and Social Club on Friday 20th April. This year the entertainment was provided by the Essex Youth Jazz Sextet under its Musical Director, Martin Hathaway. Martin who was born and brought up in Chelmsford is now a Professor of Jazz at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, besides being the Musical Director of the Essex Youth Jazz Orchestra and a widely known and respected jazz musician playing with various jazz bands locally and nationally.
time the winning schools were: Intermediates - Springwood High School from Kings Lynn, and Seniors - Dame Alice Owens School from London. The subject chosen by the Intermediate winners was E Safety and that of the seniors was Can We Ever Win the Fight Against Slavery in the UK? Over the same weekend, Rotarians showed just how busy they can get, as it was also the local heat of the Rotary Young Leaders Award which was held at Danbury Open Centre. Youngsters work in teams and it is wonderful to see them developing team building and communication skills. More about this in a future issue when the results are in. It’s so rewarding making a contribution to the development of our local young people. If this is something that appeals to you then please contact me to find out how you can join Rotary. Visit www. rotary1240.org, or call me on 01245 260 349. Stan Keller
Are You a Local Author? If so we are starting a book review feature and would love to give a copy of your book to one of our reviewers! Please email paul@itsyourmedia.co.uk if you are interested.
With Martin on alto sax was Kerensa Newcombe (trumpet), Ina Kruger (trombone and vocalist), Will Hobson (piano), Joe WardThreadwell (drums) and Harrison Dolphin (double bass). All these young people are accomplished musicians at a tender age and if they decide to make music a career I am sure they will all do very well. Joe was playing with the other five members for the very first time, not that you would know it. At just fourteen years old he was tremendous and it was only because Martin Hathaway told the audience that Joe was making his debut that we could appreciate his talent even more. The sextet are all part of the main Essex Youth Jazz Orchestra and they perform regularly around the county. A wide variety of jazz numbers were played in the two sessions including those by Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller. Certainly jazz aficionados were well catered for and the pieces included a couple composed by Martin. One was called Chelmsford and another Billericay Boys. The sextet provided lively entertainment for the audience who were greatly appreciative of the music and individual contributions of members of the sextet. The venue was a new one for Chelmsford Rotary, and the Writtle Sports and Social Club was turned into a jazz style club where everyone sat around tables with their drinks and nibbles. It proved a success too, because around £700 was raised on the night towards Rotary charities from ticket sales and the raffle with prizes generously donated by Chelmsford Rotary Club members. Chelmsford Rotary is especially glad to be supporting the Essex Youth Orchestra, as youth competitions are a very important part of what Rotary does locally. The next day on Saturday 21st April, the regional finals of the Rotary Youth Speak Competition were held at ARU University in Chelmsford. Schools from all over the south east of England competed, each having won their own district final. This
Quirky Quiz Answers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Lie detection Bradwell, Essex Mark Zuckerberg Golf Mary O’Brien Magnification Banana Dad’s Army (Ian Lavender) 9. 240 x 4 = 960 10. Meerkats 11. Approximately 3 feet 12. Butterfly 13. Pale brown 14. Lead 15. Hairstyle 16. 5ft 17. Plum 18. Disease in cereal grain 19. 30 20. Bird 21. Jeremy Clarkson 22. Wrist
23. Beer mats 24. David Stirling 25. Queen Elizabeth II Bridge 26. Right 27. Sylvester 28. Pink 29. M11 30. Top Cat 31. 12 32. Four 33. The name of the boat that brought Caribbean’s to Tilbury Docks 34. 92 35. McPartlin 36. 70ft 37. Grinding of one’s teeth 38. A signal played on a trumpet 39. Steve Jobs 40. Michael Landon
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American Women Writers and Muses After World War II, on the Road to Emancipation 2: The Other Mrs Cassady - by John Power Carolyn Cassady was the second wife of Neal Cassady, who was Dean Moriarty, the anti-hero of Jack Kerouac’s 1950s American novel, On the Road, which had been made into a film by Francis Ford Coppola and Walter Salles released earlier in 2013. Through the research into the Beat Generation writers by Essex author Dr Chris Challis, Carolyn had come to have connections with Chelmsford and Ingatestone. Equally well known through On the Road was Cassady’s first wife, LuAnne, who takes the role of Marylou in the book and film. Carolyn (Camille in the On the Road film and book) was an educated woman who Neal had met when she was a student of art and theatre design at the University of Denver, Colorado. As such she was able to write about the genesis of the Beat Generation herself in Off the Road, an edited version of a longer text which became the film Heartbeat and enjoyed literary celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic. Cassady’s first wife LuAnne came from a less privilaged background and for many years was known by all but those close to her by what Kerouac, calling himself Sal Paradise in On the Road, had written about her.
twenties. But he was to practice serial infidelity throughout his life and divorced her when he got Carolyn (then Robinson) pregnant so that the child would have married parents. The second marriage does not seem to have been a highly sexual one. Carolyn told me she had been raped by both her brothers when she was 10 years old and did not achieve sexual liberation until the 1960s. So Cassady continued to run back to LuAnne and go with other women after the marriage, which was itself dissolved in 1963. LuAnne was born in 1930, during the Depression years, the daughter of James Bullard and Thelma Stone. For work, James moved to Los Angeles, but Thelma chose to stay at the family ranch near Denver with her two older sons from a previous marriage, while LuAnne went to school in LA for 8 years until she was 12. When she rejoined her mother in Denver she had remarried and LuAnne took her stepfather’s surname to create a family identity, but this alienated her from her father for most of the rest of her life. As US finances began to recover, her mother owned a bar called Thelma’s Crystal Bar and life became very different for LuAnne as she witnessed the unstable marriage with her stepfather, which often became violent. As she herself grew to enter adolescent maturity prematurely her step father became a predatorial threat, which helped her mother decide to let her marry Neal Cassady. They lived with an aunt and LuAnne worked as a domestic drudge for very long hours to support them. When Neal saw her hands raw from work, he told her to take money from where her employer kept it and he stole a car for them to escape in. That eventually led to the life On the Road that Kerouac chronicled. A Denver friend that Neal had relied on for for transport when he had none, Al Hinkel (Ed Dunkel in On the Road), said later to writer Gerald Nicosia that when he wrote up LuAnne’s story with her daughter Anne Marie Santos as The One and Only published in 2013, LuAnne was smart and pretty but troubled by her parents divorce and became sexually active aged 14 when she had also had to fight off her stepfather’s advances. Despite her sexually precocious appetites, she was no juvenile delinquent and only stole at Neal’s behest and out of need for food. Dunkel said she always felt a responsibility over misdeeds of those around her, as their travels took them to New York and New Orleans and meetings with other aspiring writers like Allen Ginsberg (Carlo Marx in On the Road), junkies like William Burroughs (Old Bull Lee in On the Road), or the poorer variety of beatnik junkie like Herbert Huncke, who had to steal to feed his habit.
The main characters of On the Road are Sal and Dean, whose macho chauvinistic outlook was the norm in pre-sexual equality America. It seems that at first meeting the two men did not relate to each other, because although Jack had been a football hero his nature was more of a shy sensitive intellectual with ambitions as a writer, whereas Cassady had grown up in the flop houses of Denver with an alcoholic father during the Great Depression and learned the petty criminal ways in that environment and in reform school. He boasted that he had stolen 500 cars - or borrowed them at least, as he always intended to return them, minus the petrol consumed, before the owner knew they were missing. But as they got to know one another, what Carl Jung called the ‘shadow’ archetype came in to play: they saw in each other what they were not, and Cassady aspired to become a writer and indeed did write an autobiography, The First Third, while Kerouac was attracted to the freewheeling libertine lifestyle of Cassady who became the ‘hero’ in more than one of his books. Cassady married LuAnne when she was only 16 while he was in his
Cassady’s thanks for the adventures saw him dump LuAnne and Kerouac in San Francisco to go back to Carolyn and his daughter. It is difficult to see how Kerouac could still idolise Cassady after this. Indeed, it did mark a rift between them, yet Jack still agreed to another trip down to Mexico for more drink, drugs and brothels, only to be deserted again when he fell ill with dysentry. Cassady was mainly a literary inspiration after that. Although Neal, Carolyn and Jack did manage to effect a ménage à trois of sorts in San Francisco for a while. Jack moved on to idolise Gary Snyder in his follow up novel to the On the Road saga, Dharma Bums, and enthuse about Gary’s West Coast Zen Buddhism that old friend Allen Ginsberg and newer arrivals to beat-thinking were beginning to look at. Snyder went to Japan to study Zen and managed to sidestep immediate beat celebrity. LuAnne married a sailor called Ray Murphy at this time, but he proved to be jealous and abusive - which at least Cassady had never been. The marriage lasted only two difficult years, but did yield Anne Marie, who helped Gerald Nicosia write The One and Only tribute to her
mother. After that, Neal worked on the railway to support Carolyn and his daughter until a couple of federal agents trapped him into giving them three marijuana joints and he got a three year prison sentence. LuAnne fell back on the experience she had gained at her mother’s bar working at LA night clubs like that of Sam Catchini (the Little Bohemia Club), and the club of Joe DeSanti, where she got to know several rising stars like Johnny Mathis. She was married four times. Underworld connections gave her temporary relief from bowel cancer that had had her hospitalised for long periods on a couple of occasions. She became a morphine addict, but after the financial problems that ruined what had become by then a prosperous life, she managed to quit the drugs before she died. Neal and Carolyn had studied the remarkably accurate psychic readings of Edgar Cayce and Neal evidently shared this enthusiasm with LuAnne, as when she was in Virginia Beach with daughter Anne Marie they visited the Edgar Cayce foundation set up to study his psychic revelations. Anne Marie also recounts an amusing irony: she was of the later hippie development out of the beats and often went to see groups like The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and The Doors. By that time Neal Cassady was enjoying some counter culture celebrity driving the ‘Further’ bus for Ken Kesey’s Merry Pranksters - the Grateful Dead were often part of the bus crew. As he often did, Neal looked up LuAnne on his travels, looking for a place to stop over with the bus. She was out, and Anne Marie treated this rather rough looking, washed out (by then) LSD and amphetamine user with caution and turned them away. If she had known the ’Dead were on the bus she would have let them in without a second thought. A further irony was that she may have been turning away her own father, as Neal always said that he, and not Murphy, was her father!
downfall was echoed by Kerouac whose celebrity led him from beer and marijuana to brandy, and his stomach burst as he drank himself to death in his forties. Fat and bloated and militantly right wing and Catholic, he turned his back on his old friends and lived with his mother after numerous failed relationships and marriages. LuAnne could only look on as the self destructive duo went their separate roads to demise. A game she used to play with Jack was cloud watching, to see what forms their minds could create. Towards the end he told her: “I don’t see anything in the clouds anymore...” LuAnne died of cancer in 2008. When Coppola and Salles made the On the Road movie, daughter Anne Marie got to do a body double for her mother, but LuAnne never got to see it.
Neal continued contact with LuAnne until near the end of his life, and letters show that she still loved him and he remained charismatic despite all his faults. His freewheeling celebrity status was his downfall as he walked tirelessly along a Mexican rail track high on amphetamines, until he collapsed and died of exposure. That
Answers to wine quiz 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Syrah Burgundy Chardonnay New Zealand Normandy, they produce cider Oasis Protect from the light Arabic 85% Skins No, although I don’t think you would get thrown out it you did these days 20 Sommelier (or smart Alecs as I call them) Riesling Yes Blood The barrels it is stored in Mexico (Casa Madero, 1597) Red Spain
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All About Moulsham Lodge & Tile Kiln
Moulsham Lodge Community Trust I was very excited to talk to Simon Medhurst recently; he is the Great Grandson of Robert Hichens, who was the Quartermaster and Helmsman on the Titanic.
He was telling me about all of the original items from the Titanic that will be available to view at the exhibition. I also believe there will be exhibits from the Marconi links to the Titanic, so true local interest in what is a captivating subject. Please do come along and explore the history of this great ship. MLCT will hopefully be providing access into a couple of family history sites on the day if you are interested in finding out about your own family history. We would like to run a regular Family History Club, so please come along if you are interested in that.
with some live entertainment (do you know anyone that might like to perform doesn’t have to be singers?), lots of kids crafts, local craft stalls, animal corner, a treasure hunt and much more to be confirmed. After Sunday’s Table Top Sale we are planning a regular slot in the diaries and will be announcing dates next month.
Saturday June 30th the day of our annual Community Day is fast approaching, we are still finalising all of the activities and next month we will publish the final line-up. We hope to have New City Voices, a local theatre group performing mini plays, a family BBQ
www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07411 808 731 Also on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward
Baddow BusGate, as you may recall, is a bus-only lane in Baddow Road which has been suggested by Essex County Council as a scheme that would help improve traffic flow around the city. Lots of people were extremely unhappy with this including GBENA (Great Baddow East Neighbourhood Association), who have mounted a very professional campaign to object against the plan. GBENA recently held a public meeting at Hamptons Sports and Leisure which I attended where between 400 and 500 people turned up. The objective of the meeting was to inform people of the history, the issues ECC had identified, and the facts that GBENA had checked against these claims, so that the public could go fully informed to any further consultation events, of which two are planned on: Thursday, May 31st (2-8pm) and Tuesday, June 5th (3-9pm). The venue is yet to be confirmed but will be in Great Baddow. This will be ticket only and at the time of writing it is not known how the tickets are to be applied for.
GBENA have spent a lot of their own time fact checking the consultation documents and subsequent reports, and it is quite startling to find out that a lot of the data ECC used was a few of years’ old and out of date. One of the key points that ECC said why it wanted to implement the BusGate was to improve pollution, but Chelmsford city’s own pollution reports say that pollution has been decreasing on an annual basis. GBENA have also received advice from other organisations so that they could themselves offer up alternatives, as it is often the case that when people object against something they then don’t themselves offer alternatives. During the public meeting I counted at least 11 alternative ideas, including slip roads from Van Diemens to Parkway and from the Chelmer Road to Essex Yeomanry Way 28
(Baddow Bypass), moving the crossing on Van Diemens further up and a revolutionary traffic control system called SCOOT, as well as better bus services. The planning authority for all developments in Chelmsford is Chelmsford City Council, in their new City LIFE newspaper that goes out to all residents this spring, they say: ‘Chelmsford City Council welcomes this much needed investment and is supportive of its seven core objectives of supporting economic growth, improving connectivity, managing capacity, promoting sustainable transport modes, protecting the environment and adding safety and resilience into the city’s transport network. ‘However, in its consultation response to Essex County Council, the City Council stated that it did not support the Baddow Bus Gate project, and the wider impact it could have in terms of potential diverted car journeys through Great Baddow village and the Moulsham Lodge Estate, with an added potential for worsening queuing times and congestion on the Baddow Bypass.’ If the main planning authority recognise it’s not the right thing to do and groups like GBENA are challenging the facts and offering solutions, then isn’t it time for Cllr Bentley at ECC to reconsider the options? If you want more info, the GBENA Facebook group and the dedicated ‘Say No To Baddow Road Closure(GBENA)’ has lots of information and you can share your views. mark.springett@chelmsford.gov.uk Twitter: @markspringett Also find me on Facebook as Cllr Mark Springett 07411 808 731 www.markspringett.com
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Tile Kiln Corner by Linda Mascot As mentioned in the last edition, the community space at 155 Robin Way has been totally revamped by Tile Kiln Church. Rachel Bell commented: “The Kiln is run by Tile Kiln Church and aims to provide various services which will meet some of the emotional, social and spiritual needs of the local community.
“It is set up as a small but versatile space which enables us to run our regular Open Door Coffee Drop-Ins, training and support groups, such as the current Early Years Parenting Course and the Life Boosting Group for the more senior citizens in the community. The space is also used by private practitioners to offer counselling services. “Keep an eye out for information on other support groups and
activities that will take place over the next few months.
“Why not come and join us at an Open Door session? Currently opening between 8am and 12noon on Monday and Wednesday mornings. We offer a friendly welcome, good coffee and tea and the opportunity to connect with others in the community. Everyone is welcome and refreshments are free… We’d love to see you there!” A time for community to come together will be on Sunday 24th June when the Clay Pigeon and Tile Kiln Church are planning a day of fun and activity for all the family. This will also take the opportunity to recognise 20 years of The Fledgelings Preschool (formerly Gooding’s Preschool) at this event, so if anyone has photos from their time at Fledgelings and would like to contribute some to a memory board, please drop into Tile Kiln Church or The Kiln over the next few weeks. Put the date in your diaries and for more information regarding The Kiln or the Community Day, email Rachel at: rachel_be11@ blueyonder.co.uk. Please get in touch if you have any events/information about the Tile Kiln community that you would like me to feature in future articles. mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot
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Kids Inspire Week 12-19th May 2018
Kids Inspire empowers children and young people to make sense of their experiences and feelings to improve their emotional wellbeing. We address root causes rather than simply treating symptoms, to achieve outcomes that last. Kids Inspire believe that supporting children to cope with/overcome emotional and behavioural difficulties is essential to reaching their full potential. For further information contact louise@kidsinspire.org.uk
Kids Inspire Week takes place from the 12-19th May 2018 alongside Mental Health Awareness Week. We hope you will join in the fun and organise a fundraiser in your home, community, office, school or place of work. Get in touch for details of our Right Royal Bake Off to mark the occasion of Harry and Meghan’s wedding. Don’t forget to take photos of your fundraising and hashtag us (#Kidsinspireweek) to raise awareness of Kids Inspire and the work we are doing to support young people with emerging mental health in our local community. By raising money for Kids Inspire you will help us continue to provide our services and respond to the increasing number of children referred. • • •
Organise your own fundraiser Nominate Kids Inspire as your Charity of the Year Text ‘love43 £3’ to 70070
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The Driving Dead - by Simon Inglis
My apologies, that’s an awful pun on The Walking Dead. Yet I’ve got to say, in Australia one can pretty much drive when dead...
I live some 200 kilometres west of Melbourne, in a rural city known by commuters travelling between Melbourne and Adelaide. These are the two closest mainland state capitals of Victoria and South Australia respectively. Our town has various fast food joints, a McDonald’s, KFC and a number of petrol stations off the motorway. A mile out of town is a large services and there are twenty or more hotels a GPS would pick up. So the average person here is well used to commuting vast distances and in a fairly extreme climate.
Summer has been brutal and thankfully the weather is starting to change. As the rolling hills turn green, soon we’ll face higher altitude snowfalls and daily ice on our windows. People here drive older cars than those in inner eastern Melbourne but there’s an interesting mix. Capital city escapees are arriving cashed-up with their Euro-barges and luxury SUVs, locals stick to mostly big cars or solid 4WDs. I’m a bit odd but our smallest car, a family car in Blighty, almost feels intimidated on the road next to the locals as well as Australia’s problematic truck population - a story for another time, suffice to say rail is heavily under represented.
Australia likely remains the most urbanised nation on earth despite the laughable and very fake Outback or Crocodile Dundee image. Even where I live with a population of some 10,000, we’re considered slightly ‘country’ to say the least. Melbourne likes to thrive off its image as The World’s Most Liveable City despite a choking and growing (straight up Chicago-style in large parts) population, gridlocked traffic and orbital home prices. So as the memory of Easter and cheating cricketers is shelved for the annual worship at the alter of Aussie Rules Football (World Cup? What World Cup, now that the novelty of merely qualifying is over! Yet I digress...) it’s most notable that for the first time I can recall a holiday road safety campaign that focused on fatigue. It’s fair to say we drivers were squarely bombarded with fatigue advertising and signage. Great news. Or is it? In a country in which that Melbourne to Adelaide ‘commute’ passes some 737 kilometres over mostly uninteresting flat plains and little townships some 50 kilometres apart, when not bypassed, on excellently surfaced roads with good
markings and an almost ridiculous number of ‘catseyes’ - a 700 kilometre trip should take perhaps 6 to 7 hours. In Germany. In France? In Britain with its 70mph limit? No. In Australia we are more likely to travel this distance with very little traffic by European standards in a maddening 9 hours. It’s 110 or 100 kilometres an hour all the way. And my goodness is it policed! From average speed cameras to state government unmarked cars taking your holiday photographs! To reluctant and bored police officers pulling drivers in for a breath and drug analysis, instant numberplate and licence cameras, unnecessary ‘slow-down’ zones... the various state governments unashamedly pursue revenue. It isn’t even officially denied anymore! Add in strange and differing state laws (just 25kph when passing an emergency vehicle in South Australia) or Victoria’s plainly idiotic 3kph speeding ‘tolerance’ (indeed I was nabbed at 114kph in a 110 zone - $196!). Increasing the speed limits on good dual carriageway (M or A roads) in clear weather seems obvious. Reducing travel times to what I knew in the 1970s when my family hustled along in more primitive vehicles at a steady 140?! No. Not in the new Australia we enjoy today. No one can take risks and get hurt. Yet in the real world they do, and as any Speed Awareness Course instructor will tell you, fatigue is a very serious issue in Britain just as it is anywhere else. Thus, despite intelligent advertising campaigns in Australia, we are still mostly nagged about the dangers of ‘speed’. It’s not the ridiculously perilous maniac running on 3 bald tyres with amphetamines in his veins while trying to pilot a rustbucket - rather it’s mum and dad from the city in their SUV with every existing driver aid at 120 kilometres an hour that’s deemed the risk. In Australia it isn’t advised to walk when dead. Yet driving dead, or driving while playing dead, cruise set to exactly 100kph, your motor ticking over at 2100rpm, one arm dangling on the driver’s door and busy fingers traversing the steering wheel buttons for that favourite tune, seems to be encouraged by our dear leaders in the various transport departments. Yes, when I die there’s little I’ll be good for. Yet, failing fully autonomous cars, I reckon I can still drive after death on Australian motorways. Just prop me up and set the cruise control. I’m starting to believe the transport boffins would never know the difference! Oh, but I honestly would like to congratulate the person (persons?) who made fatigue an issue this Easter. Bump the limit to 130kph, enforce a strict tolerance at that level and kill mobile phone signals while driving - and given faster travelling times and more attentive drivers, we will likely see the still awful road toll and associated life altering injuries genuinely reduce.
Life T M Hack
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Great Baddow Barber Shop
Traditional & Modern English Barber Established over 4 years ago in Great Baddow, we have a reputation for a quality haircut by professional barbers at a reasonable price.
• Free Parking • Children welcome • No appointment • Credit cards taken
01245476975 www.greatbaddowbarbershop.co.uk 11 Maldon Rd, Gt Baddow, CM2 7DW (next to House of Flowers)
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Barber of the Year Jenny Winters started in the world of hair straight from school working in a top hairdressers. Here she quickly showed her immense skill and attention to detail in everything from cuts, colours and styling. It was because of this she became very restless and felt unfulfilled.
It was after 10 years that she decide to chase her dreams and she packed up and moved to Australia. Being a skilled equestrian, she worked as a cowgirl on a farm searching for something but not knowing quite what it was. It wasn’t until she moved to Byron Bay and took a position at a shoe box-sized barber shop called The Barber of the Bay that she realised what she had been missing. She was immediately drawn in by the cool retro style and the precision and skill needed in the world of men’s hair. On coming back to the UK there was no way she was going back to a generic hairdresser, she wanted to hone her skills. So she took a job at another retro www.moulshamtimes.com
inspired barber shop whilst she searched for her own dream premises. That’s when she came across Baddow Road in Chelmsford, and that is where she decided to home PhoneyPony Barbers. Jenny quickly started training an apprentice and decided to enter The Great British Barber Bash, to which she was selected out of hundreds of entrants from across the UK and Ireland. She moved on to the top 5 and took along Gordon Smith (who owns I Squad - an award winning shop on Baddow Road) as her model. It was Jenny’s passion, skill and incredible attention to detail which was the reason why she was awarded first place at this year’s competition. Jenny Winters feels incredible and is honoured to be Best British Barber and be a part of what is becoming an award winning street in Chelmsford.
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