Moulsham Times - May 2022

Welcome to the April edition of the Moulsham Times

We did not had a massive response to our street party shout out so have not listed them in this edition. We did though get lots of responses to the Creamfields competition, and the lucky winners will been told about their win this weekend!

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

Regards

Paul 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.

Chelmsford - By Vicky Ford MP

I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the people of Chelmsford opening their homes to the people of Ukraine. I have been helping some constituents with these visa applications. If you need help welcoming refugees in Chelmsford, please do get in touch.

I visited Chelmsford Library recently. It was very good to see so many children enjoying the Circus Skills course that ran during the Easter holidays, and many young people also enjoying studying in the library. If you do need to access the Family Hub services, the best thing to do at the moment is to call them on 0300 247 0014.

I am sure that readers of Moulsham Times will understand that since Russia invaded Ukraine, life has been very busy for UK ministers in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Recently, I travelled to Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. All three are Commonwealth members with long standing relationships with the UK and have had new presidents in the past 8-24 months, each of whom are determined to make a better future for their citizens. All three countries have very high levels of poverty, and Malawi is one of the five poorest countries in the world.

In Tanzania and Zambia, I heard from UK owned businesses how the new leadership is helping to create a more stable environment. I encouraged the President of Malawi to keep up the work to tackle corruption, as this will be vital to unlocking investment in that country.

Investing in education is also vital for economic development, and

girls often face extra barriers to attending school. The UK is a leading country on supporting girls’ education across the world, and I visited schools to see UK led projects. In Malawi, I attended a maths class where a new British led project is dramatically improving the way maths is taught.

These countries are suffering dramatically from climate change. In Tanzania, a British environmentalist has been working with local people to agree a 40 year plan to protect the forest - the project is backed by income from international Carbon Finance funding from global businesses under the rules agreed at COP26, and the trees that the local community protect are being monitored by satellite. Local people are using the funds they receive to invest in health clinics, schools and projects to support small businesses - if this can happen, then there is hope for all our futures.

If there is an issue with which I can help, please email me at vicky. ford.mp@parliament.uk.

Tiles and Stone Direct in Chelmsford, Essex Features on Channel 4’s Luxury for Less

Tiles and Stone Direct is a local tile showroom based in Springfield, Chelmsford. The showroom celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year and was recently contacted by Channel 4 show Luxury for Less to provide their expert views on shopping for tiles.

The team was thrilled to feature on national television and be interviewed by Michelle Ackerley, a well-known TV presenter having featured on many TV programmes, including Loose Women. The team compared tiles from high street retailers that charge almost double the amount for the same or similar products. They also showcased porcelain and ceramic tiles that could replace or be substituted for marble and natural stone products that were half the price which resulted in a huge saving for customers. Luxury for Less was aired on Channel 4 on 14th April 2022 and can be viewed on catch up.

Business owner Sagren Naidoo has been in the tile industry for over 25 years, and previously worked for national tile retail companies in South Africa, the UK and Holland. Sagren started on the shop floor and worked his way up to senior management and directorships in Holland and the UK. With his experience in the corporate environment, Sagren saw the opportunity to start his own business based on great customer service, quality products and a great shopping experience at affordable prices, which he found was lacking in the branded high street stores.

Today, with a team that has grown from 2 to 7 employees, he helps thousands of customers from near and far to remodel their homes. The business’ clientele has grown through word of mouth and customers travel from as far as Kent, Surrey, Hertfordshire and London to be helped by Sagren and his team.

In recent years the business has expanded their offer to 3D designs, and a supply and install service for bathrooms and tiling. The

company has a dedicated Bathroom Design Specialist that assists customers with product choices to ensure the customer achieves their vision for their dream bathrooms. Customers can use their design service for free and there is no commitment to buy.

The business gets involved in various community projects; they sponsor Springfield FC under 10s, offer apprenticeship programmes via Chelmsford College, and it has also taken part in the recent Kickstart Scheme that helps youngsters get into work.

The showroom offers tiles, outdoor porcelain paving, bathrooms, worktops, flooring and underfloor heating along with the necessary essentials and accessories to create your desired home, office or workspace.

For more information about your tiling and bathroom requirements, please make contact via telephone on 01245 461 275, or visit the website at www.tilesandstonedirect.co.uk.

Things to Make You Healthier - By Chris at Forté Physical Health

Aren’t we lucky these days? Although the world isn’t perfect, most of us live in more comfort than the kings and queens of a hundred years ago. Our ancestors couldn’t have imagined it; hot running water, reliable cars, and worldwide communication at our fingertips.

Go back a little further in human history and the modern world would seem even more bizarre to them. Imagine telling someone who had just tracked an animal 10 miles before dragging it back to the tribe that when you had ran out of food, you pressed some buttons and someone delivered a hot meal to your door.

As far as I can tell, technological advancement seems to improve one of three things: knowledge, comfort, and convenience.

More knowledge is great, I think we can agree on that. It’s nice to feel comfortable and have a more convenient life too, but does it improve our well-being?

Often our modern luxuries can slowly harm our health, and actually, it’s the harder, less comfortable option that may be healthier for you. Today I will give three options that involve short-term pain for longterm gain. They’re not the easiest option, but there are many health benefits to be had.

I have had many ice baths in my life and I would love to say that they get easier, but unfortunately I’d be lying! However, I have become better at accepting the discomfort and I make less of a fuss. Ice baths, although uncomfortable, have many proven benefits and have become popularised by Wim Hof, who now has a series on the BBC.

The benefits of ice baths are an improved immune system, improved cardiovascular system, a better ability to deal with the cold, and perhaps most importantly, more mental resilience.

Try turning the shower to cold or getting in a bath with cold water (add ice for extra brownie points) and relaxing your breathing for about two minutes. Once you can completely relax, the work is done.

2. Intermittent Fasting

The discomfort associated with fasting is less acute than the ice bath, but it’s just as much of a turn-off for many.

We have become so accustomed to eating regularly in the modern world that the feeling of hunger can cause genuine anxiety in people. When I tell my patients that most days I skip breakfast - so I have a 16-hour fast and eat in an 8-hour eating window - and occasionally I do 3-day fasts (and once have gone five whole days without food), they tend to think I’m a bit odd!

Luckily, I have science on my side. The benefits of fasting are that it optimises your insulin and blood sugar, reduces inflammation, accelerates cell repair and helps the gut lining and microbiome (gut bacteria).

Every hour you go past a 12-hour fast, the more benefits you gain. Try a 16-hour fast to begin, and see how you feel. You will be surprised that any initial hunger you feel will pass, and then you may have moments of feeling amazing!

If you don’t currently exercise, I know how uncomfortable it can be to get started. I have been through so many cycles in my life of being on the wagon and off the wagon, so I can sympathise with how uncomfortable it is in those first few workouts.

You may see friends post online about how great they feel after a workout, but every time you try, it just feels horrendous! Well, don’t worry, that’s how it is for all of us - but the most important thing is to stick with it and keep turning up. I find that training three days a week for four weeks is where the enjoyment starts to kick in. If you stick with it for that long, you will actually start wanting to exercise; you just have to embrace the discomfort to get to that point.

If you do, you will be rewarded with more strength, flexibility, cardiovascular health and longevity. Most importantly, once you break through the first few weeks, you will be happier too.

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

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

If you already enjoy exercise, you don’t need to read this bit, but try to remember back to when you first started; it was hard, wasn’t it?

1. Ice Baths

3. Exercise!

Regal Kitchens - Case Study

Mr and Mrs S visited Regal when their current kitchen was coming to the end of its life and as they live locally, they were aware of the location of the showroom. They considered using other local companies that had been recommended to them but felt immediately comfortable with the Regal staff who understood what they wanted to achieve from the project.

The kitchen area is part of a large open-plan space and so needed to be in keeping with the style of the rest of the room. Our designer John visited the clients at home to start work on a design that would suit their family and lifestyle as well as including all the items on the clients’ wish list, which included a Quooker tap, fully integrated appliances and clever storage solutions for all their kitchen equipment.

The clients previously had an island and thought that they didn’t want to have one again as they felt it took away a lot of the space, but John reconfigured the size of the island to ensure good clearances on all sides to help with the flow of the room. The beautiful quartz worktop looks amazing in such a large piece (3.2m in length) and contrasts well with the Sand Gray cabinets which are concealing some special storage gadgetry as well as housing a full height fridge and freezer and their new 2 pyrolytic ovens, warming drawer and combi from Neff.

The clients also chose a top-of-the-range Quooker tap able to give them boiling, chilled and sparking water as well as regular hot and cold which helps suit their busy lifestyle.

Mr S says: “We visited Regal with a view to looking into a new kitchen and straight away we felt at ease in the showroom. We explained what we wanted to achieve and agreed for a site visit to see what we had. John came round and we both felt that John was on our side in terms of what we wanted, rather than what he wanted to sell. A week or so later the design was done, we chose the colours and appliances and Regal arranged for us to visit the granite wholesalers so we could see the detail in the worktop. We didn’ t go anywhere else to look for a kitchen as it was all so perfect for what we wanted. The whole

process was just flawless and communication was brilliant - being fussy, we changed a few bits, and Emma and Stacey just sorted it. Installation was swift, tidy and done to such a high standard. The kitchen just looks amazing. Thank you!”

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

If You Are No Longer in Full-Time Work, Do Something Brilliant Today - Join U3a

Chelmsford u3a is a mutual aid organisation run by the members, for the members. Our aim is to provide equal opportunities to share a wide range of educational, social and creative interests. We welcome new members and encourage new ideas.

Interest groups are integral to the u3a experience. There are no entry qualifications and no tuition fees. We offer the opportunity for you to share your knowledge and skills with others, take up something new and/or develop your interests as well as improving your health and well-being, all in a friendly atmosphere.

Currently we have nearly 30 groups with activities as diverse as philosophy, Spanish conversation, craft, travel, theatre, birdwatching, tenpin bowling and lunch clubs. The possibilities are endless - if you don’t find what you’re looking for, we’ll try to help you set up a group. Groups meet at various venues and, if you are unable to attend, Zoom meetings are usually available. Outings and visits to places of interest are also frequently arranged to complement chosen topics of interest. Costs are kept to a minimum.

As a member, you can stay connected with the various interest groups via our monthly newsletter - all contributions very welcome. You can also enjoy a wide range of speakers at monthly meetings in Chelmsford followed by informal get togethers with friends over refreshments.

Visit www.u3asites.org.uk/chelmsford to find out more about Chelmsford u3a.

MT Gardening

Continue to take care during April in to May, as it is forecast to be frosty still from time to time. Any young plants going outside need to be properly hardened off or more likely brought back in to protect them from any form of damage to young growth.

This is even more crucial for those veg and fruit growers. If you have early potatoes showing leaf growth or stone fruit flowering, be vigilant and have horticultural fleece to hand for covering plants overnight.

Any young plants, such as rocket, spinach, brassicas, lettuce or beetroot will need to the hardened off gradually to set them up for growing well, and/or reducing the possibility of bolting.

Aside from frost protection, the garden is surging ahead with loads for us all to do to keep us busy, and at the same time enjoying the fact that summer is just around the corner! Here are just a few pointers for the month ahead:

HERBACEOUS PLANTS

Fertilisation

Apply an annual application in spring of a balanced fertiliser such as Growmore at 100g/m² or blood, fish

and bone at 70g/m².

Weeding

Regular weeding will be required, particularly in the spring and early summer.

Staking

This is best carried out before being required. Materials used range from pea sticks, or lengths of hazel coppice, to bamboo canes and metal linking stakes. Staking should be as unobtrusive as possible to allow the natural form of the plant to develop and should be 15-30cm shorter than the ultimate height of the plant.

Division

Herbaceous plants require regular division to keep them floriferous and healthy. This is carried out in the autumn or spring. At this time of year, it is still possible to undertake this with bergenias, epimediums, grasses and early flowering bulbs.

Irrigation

Irrigation may be necessary in prolonged dry periods or when plants are establishing. Ground level irrigation systems such as porous pipes use water efficiently and do not damage flowers and foliage.

As with all irrigation, a thorough soaking is preferable to a light sprinkling in order to encourage plants to develop deep root systems.

PONDS

Spring

• Remove leaves and debris from the pond. Restock with new plants in spring.

• Lift and divide overcrowded plants.

• Feed container planted species with slow-release aquatic fertiliser.

Summer

• Remove dead flower heads from marginals and bog plants.

• Control weeds in the bog garden.

• Cut back over-vigorous marginals.

Be On Your Guard for the Following Pond

Issues

Algae: This is caused by high nitrate levels in the water and excess sun on the pond. It can be alleviated by increasing the amount of shade cast by floating aquatics (two thirds cover is ideal) and by not topping up with tap water which is often rich in nitrates. Algaecides can be

used to clear the water temporarily.

Barley straw has proved to be a moderately successful filter and in a large pond a whole bale can be put in. Alternatively, small barley straw pads can be purchased from garden centres.

Blanket Weed: This is a form of algae and is best removed by hand, although it can be a long job! Filters may also be used to prevent algae building up, but they are expensive. UV filters pass water over an ultra-violet light which kills the algae cells and many bacterias as well.

Lastly, check out this link for further jobs for the garden as we move through April: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/april.

Happy gardening!

For any gardening tips, please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RR, or by email tom.cole@capel.ac.uk.

The World Beneath the Waters Surface - By Holly Lucking

The sunshine on the water’s surface can make what lies beneath seem clear to the human eye. In my garden, we have a pond that started out as a sandpit, but after years of not being used it was turned into a pond, which allowed new life to grow a few feet from our house. The plants and weeds took on a life of their own, covering the floor so it was impossible to see how deep it went, but that also provided a home for the newts and frogs that live there. Recently I have noticed patches of frogspawn just on the water’s surface, and since we have had tadpoles and frogs for many years, I know exactly what will happen next.

It takes a tadpole 14 short weeks to become a fully grown frog, slightly longer for a toad, and if you have a pond in your garden or local to you, you may be wondering if it’s toadspawn or frogspawn. The main difference is that toadspawn is laid in a long line that resembles a pearl necklace and is usually strewn across the water plants, whereas frogspawn is usually situated in a clump.

There are two types of frogs native to the UK - the pool frog and the common frog. Both will grow to around 9cm long, but the pool frog males will be a little smaller than this so they are easily distinguishable from the females. Common frogs are usually green or brown in colour and have random dark blotches across their back and eyes, which is known as a mask. Pool frogs are mostly dark brown in colour and have a distinctive yellow line down the middle of their backs so it should be fairly easy to tell the difference between these two.

We can all feel pretty helpless in the cycle of life, especially when the saying is ‘let nature takes its course’, but that does not mean you cannot do your bit to make sure our amphibian friends have a peaceful introduction into the world. Even if your pond looks fit to bursting with the amount of frogspawn, do not move it. Unfortunately tadpoles do not a high chance of survival with many predators around and water diseases, so nature balances out the numbers. It is also not a good idea to move frogspawn and tadpoles to different ponds as this can spread amphibian diseases and the growth of non-native plant species to the UK. If your pond does not have any frogspawn in it, this does not mean you are doing anything wrong, simply that the environment is not suitable for frogs. It may be better suited to other aquatic delights such as newts, who have a rather complex relationship with frogs. Newts eat frogspawn which can lead to fewer frogs in a certain area, but the cycle goes both ways as with

fewer frogs, there is less food for the newts to eat which alas leads to fewer newts. Although sad, this is the vicious cycle of Mother Nature. Keep an eye out for frogspawn and toadspawn in bodies of water close by, and eventually those tiny tadpoles that will continue to grow and turn into a handsome frog.

Holly runs Holly’s Evergreen Dog Walks in the areas of Great Baddow and Moulsham Lodge, offering a friendly, professional and personal service for your dog. You can call or text on 07906 517 931, or email hollysevergreendogwalks@hotmail.com for enquiries and booking.

Nick Garner’s Music & Ramblings

Here we are now in May with spring in full flow. We have already had Easter which was great; the weather was good and so helping the local economy grow - I have heard that events and attractions around our county all did well. I did not really get out during the day - as is me, I was working away on my computer creating more events. However, I did get out in some of the evenings. Of course, as is normal for me it was for music mainly. In the past month I am lucky to have been able to put on and attend some great events (more of that later).

There has recently been an interesting discussion on Facebook about how good Colchester is and how much we seem to lack here in Chelmsford and what we need to do to improve it. It had some great comments with some great ideas coming out. One thing I am really pleased about is my idea for an arts and multi-use venue for Chelmsford got some praise, as I had thought that after all this time the idea was dead. It seems to have got people interested and talking again. Let’s see what if anything happens now...

The other week we had we had another gale blowing and it finished off my fence (just waiting for it to be fixed now). I saw bins and sacks all over the road with it being bin day on Thursday in Old Moulsham; our refuge collectors must have had fun - not!

The Chelmsford Museum in Oaklands Park has a new manager so let’s welcome Sarah Davies, who is newly married as well. Sarah formally managed our parks for us for many years. I for one am excited about her appointment, as I have, as ever, ideas for the park and museum, which I hope she and the new parks person like.

We are now approaching the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and I am sure there is going to be loads going on in our area with street parties and the like - I know The Woolpack has an event planned. By the way it is great in there again with Dave having taken over, and he has just had his first beer festival which sold out. They also have a quiz on Tuesday nights, so if you have not been there, it is well worth a visit.

Talking of The Woolpack, we had the funeral of Tish Morris the other week which was packed. The wake was in The Woolpack and her husband Steve arranged for the musician friends of them both to play. It was great, and I am sure Tish was smiling from wherever she is now - she would be so proud of Steve, as we all are.

Music

It is going to be a busy couple of months for me as you will read. We have just confirmed our first act of 2023 on Friday 20th January with Nine Below Zero! I got to see and play with my friends The Fran McGillivray Band in Barleylands the other week - and they, along with eleven other acts, will be playing at the Chelmsford Social Club on Sunday 22nd May when we do our fundraiser day for the British Heart Foundation in remembrance of friends and family past and present, and raising much needed funds for this great charity. See the poster in this magazine for full details and the superb line-up. All participants will be doing this without any charge, so all the monies taken will go to the British Heart Foundation. The cost is just £15 for twelve great acts coming from far and wide to play, so we hope you will come and support them and the charity.

I have just been to a fundraising event in Laindon in beautiful St Nicholas Church. The event was put on by Hippy Joe in memory of his dad Dave Hymash. He has has done this for a few years now, and I know they raised about £700 this time - and the music was superb as it always is.

I had to cancel the Sari Schorr show sadly due to Covid again, as she and her drummer tested positive. We are now looking to rebook her for 2023.

We recently had Hamish Stuart of the Average White Band play and we were all awe struck at just how amazing this band is - and just how nice they are as well. We are definitely going to have them back as they all said they had a great time too. Our own Joe Anderton came along and opened the night with a new band, The Old Soft Shoe, with his mate Connor playing in it. They again wowed us all - so much so that I have added this band to the Connor Selby gig on 9th December - it does mean that Joe and Connor will both be playing two sets, but they are both up for it.

We then had our own local guitar hero Paul Stevens from Old Moulsham playing with his band U2 Tribe - and they played the whole night without a support and did not disappoint. Paul played a guitar session for U2 back in the 90s which hs been included on the new U2 album, so I think it says a lot about how good Paul, is don’t you?

By the time this comes out we will have Totally Blondie and Surfquake playing - if you get your magazine early and want to see them, it’s on Friday 29th April, and you can reserve tickets by calling or texting me on 07508 496 411.

There’s lots going on for May. On Saturday 7th May we have Connor Selby playing a solo acoustic free-to-enter show in The Orange Tree in Lower Anchor Street. On Friday 13th May we have the amazing Osibisa celebrating 50 years. You may remember their big hit Sunshine Day They are regarded as the godfathers of World Music - and that is why we have Ramon Goose opening, who today is regarded as one of the foremost guitarists in World Music.

Friday May 20th is a double Americana header, with Roy Mette’s Dangerous Daydream and a superb band I have seen a few times called The Homing. This will be a great night (as they all are). Then on Sunday 22nd we have our British Heart Foundation fundraiser (see the poster for the line-up and details). On Friday 27th May we are all so looking forward to welcoming back Robbie McIntosh and his world class band to stun and amaze us all. Opening the night is Chris (Kipper) Roberts, who is a great singer-songwriter and well worth catching. To round off, on Friday 3rd June we have 80s legends The Korgis - you might remember Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime. James Warren is still fronting the band too, so this will be a fun-filled night.

We also have The Next Agenda, a new act to us and from what we have heard and seen they look great. Also coming up in June, along with the usual gigs, we have two one day festivals which you can see in our advert in this magazine.

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

Please note that you can get tickets for our shows in Chelmsford from Intense Records, Hopsters and Chelmsford 4Good - please pay cash in person. Tickets are also available online from www.wegottickets. com/BlackFrogPresents, or via our ticket hotline at no extra charge: call or text 07508 496 411 and you can then pay the advance price on entry to the show.

For all Black Frog Presents gig updates and information go www. linktr.ee/BlackFrogPresents, or scan the QR code in my poster in this magazine to keep up to speed with where we are at.

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 as well at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia.

High Sherriff Award @CCR

The latest news from Chelmsford Community Radio is that presenter Michelle Durant was delighted to be presented with a High Sheriff Award - she was completely overwhelmed and surprised by Simon Brice the High Sheriff, who was at the end of his term of office.

Michelle had interviewed Simon a few times about his work as a High Sheriff and helped explain more about the position to the Chelmsford listeners.

Equally, Simon has been very supportive of the work that goes on in community radio and recognises that it helps bring people together - especially being in the ‘Birthplace of Radio Broadcasting’ and surrounded by all of the heritage that Chelmsford has to offer.

Michelle said: “A huge thank you to anybody who has listened, been patient, kind, or offered words of encouragement over the last few years. We have a wonderful team of volunteers at CCR and I’m proud to be part of such a diverse group of people, all passionate about using radio to help others.”

We are very proud of our community connections here in Chelmsford. If you are part of a local group or organisation that would be interested in working with us, or simply just being guests on air, then do get in touch with us via admin@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com and we will do our best to help.

Radio Cafe

Aldi B&M

How Do You…

Since I’ve become a councillor, I’ve discovered a whole load of local council websites and reporting tools that are extremely useful for finding out information about local projects, reporting issues and generally finding out what’s going on. I thought it might be useful to use my column this month to provide links to some of these in case you need them for future reference. This isn’t supposed to be an exhaustive list, but rather a quick selection of some of the resources that I find myself using regularly - so you might find them useful, too. I hope it’s helpful.

Perhaps not too surprisingly, I’m going to start with… highways!

Essex Highways - ‘Tell Us’ www.essexhighways.org/tell-us

This is probably the website that I find myself using the most in my role as a local councillor. It’s the one-stop-shop for finding out if Essex Highways already knows about an issue, such as potholes, a broken streetlight, or a noisy drain cover (I get contacted about these quite often - they understandably drive residents mad!).

When you visit the website you can search for an existing problem by selecting the category of issue from the list, and then searching the map. If something has already been reported, a little map pin will mark the spot which you can click on for more information. Annoyingly, it doesn’t always provide enough information. For example, I think it would often be useful to know when something was first reported so you can gauge whether to be a bit more patient, or not. If there’s not issue listed at the location that you’re interested in, you can easily report your own issue. You should then receive an email with a tracking number and the system should update you when anything changes. If after a while no progress has been made, please do contact me as your county councillor, including the tracking number you were given, and I will chase it up.

Essex County Council - ‘Traffweb’

www.essexworkstraffweb.org.uk

This is a very useful resource for looking at Traffic Orders, Public Consultations, and - very interestingly - Road Traffic Collisions. The latter are displayed on a map. Essex Highways uses this when assessing whether traffic calming and other safety measures would be appropriate on a particular road. I am often contacted by residents claiming that a road is dangerous, and I know from experience that the first thing that Essex Highways officers will usually do when discussing this with me is to consult Traffweb. If there haven’t been any reported incidents, it’s much harder to make the case - so please do make sure that you report any incidents you witness to Essex Police here:

www.essex.police.uk/ro/report.

Chelmsford City Council - Missed Bin Collection

www.chelmsford.gov.uk/bins-and-recycling/report-a-missedcollection

I’m sure everyone will agree that the amazing men and women who collect our rubbish and our recycling do a fantastic job - one that didn’t stop at all during even the darkest days of the pandemic. But just like the rest of us, they aren’t infallible and occasionally they miss a bin or recycling sack that has been put out for collection. Never fear though, because you can report a missed collection within 24 hours of your collection day (or on the following Monday if your collection is on a Friday) using this website. So, if you’re quick, you can usually still get it collected.

I hope my top three council-based websites are helpful. As always, if I can help with anything council-related, drop me an email:

Chelmsford City Council: marie.goldman@chelmsford.gov.uk

Essex County Council: cllr.marie.goldman@essex.gov.uk

Keep safe and well.

Marie

Cllr Marie Goldman

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

Grove Road Evangelical Church

From Doubt to Faith

We recently celebrated Easter Sunday, the day Christians all over the world remember that Jesus rose from the dead - yes, really came back to life. Three days earlier he had been crucified by Roman soldiers, certified dead, buried in a tomb with a huge stone across the entrance and guarded by Jewish police. Yet there he was, alive again, still bearing the wounds inflicted while on the cross. He was seen by family and friends and not just in fleeting, shadowy, uncertain glimpses. Rather, over a period of 40 days he lived with them, ate meals with them, talked with them.

All the same, many of his friends and family needed a lot of convincing. Who in those circumstances wouldn’t! They discovered that it was a lot easier to have doubts than it was to have faith.

Among the friends of Jesus, it is probably Thomas who is most remembered for his doubts about what was going on. We still talk about a ‘doubting Thomas’ today! But Thomas the man full of doubt became Thomas the man full of faith. What made the difference? Ultimately it was the evidence. You can discover more about how Thomas the doubter became Thomas the believer and worshipper in the written eyewitness testimony that we have from one of Jesus’ closest friends - the apostle John.

But what about you? If you are a doubter, why not come along and meet us and talk with us. Maybe you will end up as a believer and a worshipper too.

Our main meetings are: Friday lunchtimes at 1.15pm; Sundays at 11am and 6pm. We look forward to seeing you. You will be very welcome.

Philip Loose, Pastor

www.grecuk.co.uk | pastor@grecuk.co.uk

Grove Road Evangelical Church (behind Tesco Express, Moulsham Street)

A First Gold Eco Award for Chelmsford Parish Church

St John the Evangelist Church, Moulsham has been granted a Gold Eco Church award. It is the 25th church in England and Wales (17th Anglican church) to receive a Gold award and the first parish church in Essex and the diocese of Chelmsford.

The award, given by the Christian conservation charity A Rocha UK, reflects the commitment made by St John’s to walk in step with nature and put creation care at the heart of its ministry and mission. The award comes at a time of increasing awareness of the threats facing the natural world and the need to take action for a better future.

Priest in charge of St John’s, Revd Gemma Fraser, said: “I am so proud of our community and the progress we have made together. The Eco Church journey has been transformational for St John’s; it’s enabled us to reconnect with our vision to love God and His world. Over the past couple of years, we have built a much deeper theological understanding of our relationship with the natural world and through that we have rediscovered God’s call to mission and service. When you work in harmony with God, blessings flow and St John’s has grown and flourished, despite the challenges of the last two years.

“We started so simply with recycling, using eco-friendly materials and the removal of single use products. Now creation care permeates every aspect of our life together; regular services with teaching on environmental and ethical issues, care of the building and financial decisions, our children’s work, community outreach, management of the churchyard and plans for the future. An integrated approach has been key to our success.”

St John’s Eco Group Chair Linda Percival added: “It has been an exciting journey. We have particularly enjoyed seeing more of our local community using the churchyard for Wild Worship, learning about creation, as well as opening our eco café, JubiLatte, and running events such as our autumn fayre where our local allotment society and craft workers really add a buzz to the day.

“It could be tempting to think that we can relax now we’ve got to gold, but there’s so much more to do. We are entering into an exciting 4 phase project to develop the churchyard and building to expand the use of St John’s as a community hub where all are welcome. We’ve started the design process for the churchyard which we hope will include a wild flower area, heritage and prayer trail, quiet garden with community mosaic and a welcoming, open space on Moulsham Street with seating. We are particularly grateful to our partners in Chelmsford City Council who not only maintain the churchyard in an eco-friendly way, but have worked with us on our plans to develop the churchyard and share our commitment to create green spaces in our communities.

“Gemma will be leaving St John’s next month after 8 years working with us; she and the family are making a move to the Suffolk countryside, so we are heading into vacancy and looking for a priest with a heart for God’s world and the skills to lead us on the next stage of the journey.”

Helen Stephens at A Rocha UK writes: “Our huge congratulations to St John’s Moulsham on their well deserved Gold Eco Church award. Everything about their approach sets them out as an exemplar of what it means to be a gold awarded church, from starting simply with smaller actions to working with their whole community including the City Council. It’s so encouraging to hear that they have been blessed as a church community through developing a deeper understanding of what it means to love God’s creation and for this to become truly integrated into who they are as a church. There is still so much for us all to do, as they recognise, but in the meantime, we hope they enjoy celebrating this award and seeing others inspired to join them in taking action to care for this amazing world.”

The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani, said: “My warm congratulations to St John the Evangelist Church, Moulsham, on being the first parish church in Chelmsford diocese to be awarded the A Rocha UK Gold Eco Church award. It’s wonderful to be able to celebrate this significant achievement. Many churches across our diocese are working towards or have achieved Eco Church awards, having taken practical steps towards becoming more environmentally friendly, and this award will be an encouragement for them too. Caring for God’s creation is integral to our mission and ministry. As Christians we believe God has entrusted the earth to humanity and it is our role to steward it with care.”

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. As I write this, I am looking out at a very summery garden - I’m even wearing shorts, but they may have to go back in the drawer soon, mornings are a bit chilly!

We were in Somerset recently, making use of the bus services. We were told that there is a bus stop within half a mile of the site. Oh good, we will visit Bath and Bristol, that will be nice. On checking the timetables I was disappointed to see that the Bath bus ran one day a week with just two buses there and back. Fortunately, it was one of the days we were there. Bristol was a daily service. Why am I writing about buses in Somerset? It is because the people were so friendly on the small mini buses. Everyone seemed to know all the passengers by name, the driver often dropped passengers at their garden gate. Several people included us in their conversations, lovely.

In Bath, which is a lovely place, they have filled the redundant red phone boxes with flowers. A sort of conversion from telephone boxes to ‘smellyphone’ boxes, you could say. A novel way to brighten up the streets.

Each month something about pets appears on the internet. This month, there was a report on the findings of experts, yes them again, regarding goldfish. You know, those ones with a memory span of about five seconds. Yes, it was a serious report. Apparently, during some experiments, it was proved that they could count. I’m not sure what form these experiments took, it wasn’t made clear, but the ‘experts’ stated that the fish could count up to five. Why only to five I wondered? Then it came to me, they must have been counting on their fish fingers! I guess another theory is that they got to five in five seconds, and couldn’t remember what number they had got to, and started again at one.

I remember watching science fiction films some years ago and seeing the cars whizzing round without the driver, driving and thinking to myself ‘that is never going to happen’. Well, I was wrong. A newspaper front page headline this week stated that the Highway Code is to be amended to allow ‘drivers’ of self drive cars to surf the net or watch films while in the car. Now, am I the only person in the country who thinks this is not necessarily a good idea? I don’t claim to be a great driver, and I observe many other vehicles being badly driven, but to overtake a car with the driver knitting a jumper would scare me a bit. I am all for progress, but I am going to worry about this for some time... Although apparently, to do this the car has to be travelling at less than 37mph and stay in one lane. That’s going to be great on motorways, with the centre lane being taken over by a queue of vehicles crawling along. I can see some cars accidentally starting their journey in the outside lane and slowing down to 37mph so that they can read that day’s newspaper and causing chaos.

We had some friends visiting recently, and while looking for somewhere to visit, I remembered Stoke Maries, the World War One aerodrome near Maldon. It was a nice sunny day and we arrived to be greeted by very friendly staff at about 11am.

Well, it turned out to be a very interesting and informative visit. We had a look at the museum where there are lots of exhibits very well presented and full of interactives and objects. Then we went outside to visit the hangers. We were trying to enter one but it was locked. Fortunately, volunteer Vaughan was on hand to let us in, giving us all the information about the replica aircraft on show. He explained what each plane was, a bit of it’s history and was able to answer all our questions. Thank you to Vaughan and all the other volunteers who give up their time to look after the site. The visit ended with a coffee in the Airmen’s Mess where they also served a range of meals and snacks. A lovely day.

Bin End Chuckles

(Once again from my one liner consultant, John).

A burglar broke into my house and stole all my soap... They made a clean getaway...

My email password has been hacked again... That’s the third time I’ve had to rename the dog...

Stay well and enjoy the sunny weather, which, hopefully will last.

We visited the local pub in the village, and I thought that I would take a look on the internet - get me! The name of their connection and its password were displayed clearly, not always the case, but I could not believe what I saw: The name was a string of letters and numbers, about twelve of them - and the password was even longer. It would have taken me about three hours to get those right on my mobile, so I didn’t bother!

On our journey, we came across what I think is a ‘hamburger’, junction, which is the one that has been chosen for the Army and Navy. I must say, this one seemed to work fine - no queues and no problems negotiating it, so, bring it on in Chelmsford!

MT History: From Sevastopol to Chelmsford

- By Henri Lewi

With the war in Ukraine being transmitted daily into our homes, it is worth reminding ourselves of our direct links that Chelmsford has with Ukraine.

For those of us who have visited the Chelmsford Museum in Oaklands Park, many of us will have noticed the cannon on the lawn in front of the museum. The cannon, a 36 pounder, was one of many captured during siege of Sevastopol that finally ended in 1855 during the Crimean War (1853-1856).

Sevastopol, on the south-western corner of the Crimean Peninsula, was the principal Russian naval base in the Black Sea and home of the Russian Tsar’s Black Sea fleet and presented a direct threat to the shipping and trade in the eastern Mediterranean. The port of Sevastopol was protected by the heavily armed (with cannon at least) fortress and numerous Russian troops. During the year-long siege of the fortress there were a number of notable battles that took place beyond the siege lines surrounding the town of Sevastopol and many of us are familiar with the battles of Balaclava and Inkerman, and most of us have heard of the Charge of the Light Brigade immortalised in the poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

The phrase ‘The Thin Red Line’ originates from the Battle of Balaclava when the 93rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot held off a charge by Russian cavalry outside the British controlled port of Balaklava using musket fire and bayonet. The phrase was derived from the description of the battle by Times journalist WH Russell, who described the 93rd as standing as ‘a thin red streak topped with a line of steel’. Whilst used many times since, the expression was immortalised as the title of the 1998 film by Terrence Malick.

The siege and associated battles of the Crimean War were bedevilled by poor planning, poor supply, and a failure of a realistic assessment

of the problems facing a seaborne landing and invasion of a foreign country. Additionally, there was a failure in the medical treatment of battlefield casualties, the army hierarchy having completely failed to prepare for this eventuality, with the nearest hospital being the Scutari Hospital on the outskirts of Istanbul - a distance of over 500 miles! The pioneering work of Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole however, ensured that modern nursing techniques of the time were available to the many casualties that resulted from the siege, who eventually arrived at the hospital.

The fortress of Sevastopol would repeatedly be a difficult place to assault with the siege during the Crimean War lasting for almost a year; and some 90 years later, the Soviet Army defended the town and fortress for 8 months between October 1941 and July 1942, despite being assaulted by both ground forces of the German army and the Luftwaffe (German air force).

The two Essex Regiments of Foot (44th Foot and 56th Foot) that participated in the Crimean War did so with distinction, with both regiments earning battle honours at Sevastopol. Individually the 44th receiving battle honours at the battles of Alma and Inkerman. Some years later the two Essex Foot Regiments would combine to form The Essex Regiment and despite continuous amalgamations and reorganisations, the legacy of The Essex Regiment still exists within the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment.

Despite the fact that Russia unilaterally annexed Crimea and Sevastopol on 17th March 2014, the resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 27th March 2014 recognised the territorial integrity of Ukraine, stating that these annexed territories remained part of the independent sovereign state of Ukraine. Which even today is fighting for its very existence as an independent sovereign nation.

Hummingbird Pilates; Calming Your Body and Mind - By Erica Foulds

Whatever your 24 hour day, 7 day week looks like, maybe there is a level of routine, sometimes autopilot. Maybe the days pass and a week is gone. Of course, we need to get up each day, arrange meals, go to work or other places to fulfil responsibilities, but its equally important to find time to address the simple things - like, are we finding time for calm? Is the mind running away from you or has stress crept in? Are our bodies and minds in sync? Active calm seems a contradiction in itself - it seems ironic, but in our 21st century world where everything is available at the touch of a button and often you can have things ‘right now’ or within a few minutes, that we rarely need to wait, so its easy to always been in a rush and not take care of ourselves.

But Do We Really Need ‘Calm’ and Why?

Adrenaline is a hormone in the body which perfectly naturally helps us day-to-day and is most commonly known as the fright-orflight hormone, allowing the heart to beat quicker when we need a burst of energy and making us breathe faster to take in more oxygen, directing blood to muscles and brain when needed and creating alertness and quick response when required. Too much however, keeping the heart and head in constant high alert, can be detrimental - not just exhausting short-term because you cant sleep with your mind chattering and buzzing, but long-term such high levels of adrenaline can relate to heart attacks, stroke, high blood pressure, anxiety and other mental health issues.

If we actively slow dow and physically give the body the opportunity to step away from the buzz and rush, it can help to promote calm in the mind and sync them together again, but this doesn’t mean you need to stop - in fact possibly the opposite! Can we create calm from movement? Slowing our movement and breathing through use of gentle exercise like pilates can elicit a response from the brain and heart of calm, reducing the sense of being on high alert, in turn reducing adrenaline production and finding it easier to relax. Pilates and yoga are commonly recommended for blood pressure issues for this reason.

The following routine of pilates-inspired calming top to toe movements can be done every day and may help connect you to a more controlled relaxed body:

Neck Rolls: Seated or standing, relax shoulders, allow right ear to drop to shoulder, roll head forward and to left until left ear is at shoulder and repeat back again, 1 breathe per roll (repeat x5).

Hug the Bear: Standing or seated, imagine a huge teddy bear on your lap/in front of you, exhale, round your head, shoulders, chest and arms forward like a hug. Let go, inhale and lift chest and head to open to ceiling, reaching your arms behind you. Return to hug on next exhale (repeat x10).

Swinging Twists: Stand, hang arms to your sides, inhale turn upper body to right swinging the arms with you, exhale turn left swinging arms round with you, inhale to back to right. With easy momentum continue up to 20 twists.

Seated Mermaid: Sit on floor/cushion, legs crossed or out wide and straight, right hand on floor next to you, inhale lift left arm to ceiling and reach over head to right creating a side bending action, exhale return it to floor. Repeat same with left hand down, inhale right hand reaching. Alternate, totalling 5 each side.

Supine Pelvic Tilts: Lay on your back, cushion under head, knees bent, arms down. Exhale and print back of body into floor tucking tail bone to lift buttocks slightly, inhale relax back arching away from floor, ribs expanding, exhale to imprint again (repeat x10).

Lumbar Rolling: Laying on back, knees bent but together, arms wide

capital T, inhale roll knees and waist to right, exhale return to center, inhale rolling knees left, exhale to center.

Easy Single Leg Stretch: Laying on back, exhale and hug right leg to chest stretching left one away on floor, inhale slowly, next exhale hug left leg to chest extending right leg away. Repeat 10 total changes.

At Hummingbird Pilates and Yoga, at Reeds Farm, Writtle, we have plenty of classes where no experience is needed! All classes are 8 in the studio, and simultaneously streamed through Zoom for those who want to take part from home avoiding traffic, expensive fuel, being tight on time or just fancying being in your own space with the pets next to you. If you would like to chat about getting started, find us on Facebook or Instagram by searching ‘@ hummingbirdpilatesyoga’ or ‘Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga Writtle’ Or visit our website at www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk, email us at info@ hummingbirdpilatesyoga.co.uk, or even good call on 01245 422 556!

See you on the mat soon!

Erica x

50th Anniversary of Christ Church

Christ Church United Reformed Church in New London Road is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Actually, we were 50 in 2020 but for obvious reasons we were only able to hold one celebratory event. We all know there is a rather special jubilee this year, with the Queen having been on the throne for 70 years - and the United Reformed Church will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, so a lot of things for Christ Church to celebrate.

Now I enjoy a good giggle, so am really looking forward to our Comedy Night with Paul Kerensa on 6th May at 7.30pm. Paul has written for various TV shows including Miranda, Top Gear and Not Going Out. I for one hadn’t realised Top Gear had comedy script writers! Tickets are £10 from www.christchurchchelmsford.co.uk or phone 01245 354 529. I’m not the only one looking forward to the 6th May, as our minister, Rev Paul Stein has seen him perform before and loved the show!

This is the first of many events, and we will be celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June and singer/songwriter Jonathan Veira will be performing his show The Unlockdown Sessions Live on 2nd July. Jonathan is noted for his musical/singing versatility as well as being a great entertainer. Also in July we will be hosting a Holiday Club for primary aged children from Tuesday 26th - Thursday 29th

In many respects, our main event of this celebratory year is our Service of Celebration on Sunday 11th September at 10.30am and we’d love the church to be packed to the rafters, so why not join us? It doesn’t matter if you aren’t used to going to church, just let the people at the door know and you will be made very welcome.

Not surprisingly, we have a service every Sunday morning - so just turn up any week, we’d love to see you.

We are planning other events and details will be on our website www. christchurchchelmsford.co.uk, or follow us on Facebook: @ChristChurchChelmsford.

Jean Burrows Christ Church URC

MT Therapy - Chelmsford Therapy Rooms

Hi Everyone! Jenny here, I have some wonderful news to share with you all! Chelmsford Therapy Rooms is developing a therapy garden - this will be a safe space for clients to have therapy outside if they wish, but we plan to make it much more than this. First of all we’ll be growing fruit and veg to give away for free to the local community. We want to create something sustainable that will help the local community, not only from a food perspective but from a mental health perspective too.

As part of our new therapy garden, we’ll be offering classes and group therapy that combines working with the earth and nature and working on your mental health. At the moment we’re considering group classes to work on issues such as social interaction and social anxiety as well as managing general anxiety and stress. This will be a safe, nurturing environment where you will be joined by like-minded people. We’d like to bring together and support those who have experienced mental health issues, and therefore the experience will be non-judgemental and you will feel supported and nurtured rather than worrying about people judging you.

Worrying about being judged is one of the main things I come across in my therapy practice. This can develop into social anxiety, believing that everyone is judging you even just walking down the street. We want to teach you how to challenge this mindset. We want to bring people together in a positive way, to help you to make new friends and feel supported and relaxed in beautiful surroundings.

But that’s not all! We’re also working on creating an outside space for positive, mindful activities such as yoga and meditation. Somewhere you can focus on nurturing your mind and spirit. This space will be next to our fruit and veg patch and we plan to have a canopy so that when the British weather unleashes in typical fashion you will be protected! We will also make sure the floor is comfortable for you to practice your mindfulness.

All of this is work in progress, we’re working on the plot now and aim to have the garden and mindfulness space open by July.

We’re also going to be updating the original premises and opening another therapy room in the therapy garden area. The brand new therapy room resembles a log cabin inside and is absolutely beautiful! We just need to change the flooring, clean, and pop some furniture in there. I think it will be lovely for our therapists to be able to work surrounded by nature with their clients, even from the inside.

I’m aware that we’re currently in a cost of living crisis and how important mental is. Not everyone can afford private therapy, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t still be accessible to people. Therefore I have come up with a solution for local businesses that want to support the mental health of their employees. I’m launching a Mental Health Assistance Programme that offers counselling and psychological help to the employees of businesses signed up to the programme.

Businesses using the programme have a choice as to how much they put towards the therapy of their employees, based on affordability of the business and the employees own affordability. The business can pay for all of the therapy, 70% of the therapy, 50% or even 30%. We have a flat fee that we charge per session and we can help you to negotiate how much you want to put towards the therapy. This way the business invests in the employee and the employee gets the help that they need. A happy employee is a productive employee, but a grateful employee is a loyal employee. Showing this kind of investment in your workforce is incredibly important. You show that your business is compassionate, caring, and ready to put your money where your mouth is. It shows empathy, something that is valued by employees exponentially especially when you consider the stresses

of the past two years. Investing in the mental health of your workforce will lead to increased productivity and profit for your business, and increased sense of well-being for your employees.

In addition to this, I own my own training company and have been training therapists for the last couple of years. As part of the Mental Health Assistance Programme I’m offering workshops and seminars, coping techniques and exercises, all to help employees - but there’s a catch.

I’m offering something that is unique to your business and your employees. I don’t like the idea of throwing some generic mental health stuff together. If your employees have specific worries or interest in certain topics, I’ll put something together that is bespoke, engaging, and ensure that your employees gain something really, really valuable.

If a service like this sounds as though it may be of interest, or you’d just like some more information on therapy, please contact me on the details below.

If you’re interested in our therapy garden keep reading and looking out for updates!

Jenny Hartill is a therapist and owner of award winning Cloud9 Therapy and Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. For therapy enquiries 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. For any training enquiries, please email info@ctrn-training.co.uk.

R&R - Rest and... Part

R&R Part 2: Gut Health and Fasting

In the last article I talked about rest and recuperation for the body with regards to exercise. This time, I’m going to talk about resting our gut. But primarily, what exactly is the gut? The gastrointestinal track, aka the GI track, runs from our mouths right down to our anus (sorry for the language but it’s true!). It’s about 8-9 metres long - imagine having something that long coiled up inside you... Well - you do!

Most of us are familiar to some extent with our gut and what it does. But there is a lot more to it than just digesting our food and spewing out waste materials. It’s responsible for digesting, absorbing and assimilating everything we put into our mouths. So, our gut is pretty important to us.

Now, here is the problem - lots of us have such unhealthy guts and it’s one of the reasons that so many of us suffer from chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, GERD and IBS to name a few. ‘So what can I do to take better care of my gut?’ I hear you say.

Here are some things you can do:

1. Give it a break: Stop shoving food in your mouth 24/7. Our standard western diet encourages constant snacking. If you give your gut a bit of time to rest, it will perform much better - that’s what I mean by R&R. Some studies have found out that fasting increases the number of ‘good bacteria’ in our gut.

2. Take care of your gut bacteria: You might have heard of ‘good bacteria’ and ‘bad bacteria’ - these are the healthy strains and the harmful strains of our microbiome. The microbiome are microbes that exist in our digestive system. The food we eat influences how much good and harmful strains we have.

3. Get some fermented foods into your diet like yoghurt, kimchi and sauerkraut. These are great for gut health.

4. Here is my favourite - exercise! Unbelievably, exercise can have a positive effect on your gut.

Let’s talk a bit more about fasting. Many people think that fasting is scary, but humans have been doing it since the year dot. Cave men fasted when they couldn’t find enough food to hunt or gather. People have also been doing religious fasts for ages - this article is timely since we are just coming to the end of Lent where Christians fast and people give up something they would normally eat.

Fasting is not only good for our gut, but it also has a host of other benefits like restoring awareness and willpower around eating, stopping or reducing cravings and losing excess body fat especially around our organs (visceral fat) liver and our waist.

Now, before you rush out and start depriving yourself of food, please note that fasting isn’t for everyone, and you should speak to a health professional (like me!) before you try it. However, the next time you

are tempted to stuff yourself with those Easter eggs and hot cross buns, stop and spare a thought for your poor gut!

www.beencouragedwellness.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeEncouragedBeStrong

The Power of MusicA Natural Medicine

The long awaited Power of Music report created by Music for Dementia and UK Music has now been released and shows how music can be used to benefit communities to improve the health and well-being of the nation. The idea reflected in the report is to integrate music into our health care and education, unlocking its full therapeutic value.

To achieve this, the culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries will appoint the UK’s first Power of Music Commissioner to champion future developments in this area. This will be supported by a public awareness campaign and an online information platform to be developed by Universal Music.

The report highlighted that music therapy not only reduces agitation but also reduces the need for medication in 67 % of people with dementia.

Kelly Bleasdale, Senior Manager for Essex Dementia Care comments

“At EDC we are focussed on enabling our clients to continue enjoying an active, independent lifestyle for as long as possible.

“Our activity-based group sessions based in Bradwell, Braintree, Sandon, Chelmsford and Broomfield, Chelmsford offer a wide variety of fun and inspiring leisure activities. Because we have always believed in the deeply therapeutic power of music, it plays a starring role in our activity sessions. Clients enjoy singing along, recognising familiar songs, and listening to music as part of their day with us. We have witnessed first-hand how music lifts the spirit and provides a calming effect on clients in a group setting. We will continue to explore more ways to integrate music into not only our activity sessions but also into the one-2-one tailored sessions we offer.

For more information on all services provided by EDC, please visit www.essexdementiacare. org.uk, or call 01245 363 789 to speak to an experienced team.

The Singing Chef

Prawn Oil

This is a beautiful recipe - a little bit fiddly and quite fragrant, so open those windows and get the extractor fan on! I must thank Jo, our piano and keyboard expert at Allegro Music for this one.

Set asside 500g of raw whole prawns (Search on Google or YouTube for how to remove heads and shells and remove and discard the tract). Pop the peeled prawns in the fridge and keep everything else ready to fry.Ingredients

Method

Gently fry all the spices in the oil for about 10 minutes. Do not let it burn!

Add the heads and shells and fry for another 20 minutes. Drain the contence of the pan over a sieve, pushing the contence with a potato masher, making sure to get every last drop of oil. Store your oil in a jar ready to use on salads, prawns, risottos, stir frys... the list goes on. This will keep for up to 6 weeks.

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.

5 large tablespoons of olive or rapeseed oil.

1.5 teaspoons of paprika.

Half a teaspoon of ground mustard seeds.

1 teaspoon of black pepper.

Crushed garlic to taste.

Mayor Visits Our Knitters

We were delighted when the Mayor of Chelmsford recently visited our regular knitting club. The club meets every second and last Sunday of every month, and everyone is welcome with all levels of experience, from beginners to Christmas jumper experts!

April is quite the month for celebrations!

Vaisakhi, Passover, Mahavir Jayanti and Easter all fall within the month, and of course, as we move into May, Eid al-Fitr as Ramadan comes to an end. I am sure that many have enjoyed reflecting, sharing and celebrating with family and friends, especially as this has not been possible for the last couple of years.

Throughout the Easter break, many of our community and voluntary sector groups in partnership with Active Essex have been doing a brilliant job running ActivAte programmes for eligible children and young people. I know how much these places are valued by parents and enjoyed by the children experiencing the range of opportunities on offer.

Easter has also given us the gift of a much needed Bank Holiday weekend and even some good weather. I know that my family and I have taken advantage of the opportunity to get outside in the garden, enjoy some of the local Easter egg trails on offer, and get a bit of DIY and springtime sorting out done.

This month, I wanted to write about a concerning trend I have seen locally where fridges which have been left kerbside have had parts taken as scrap metal. I very much care about the environment and the challenges we face as we try to limit and reverse damage caused by our activities - something I am involved with professionally an Engineer too.

Fridges and freezers, as we know, contain refrigerants which to varying degrees can damage the ozone layer and have a very high Global Warming Potential (GWP) if released into the environmentsurprisingly, not just in the refrigeration circuit itself, but also in the foam insulation around the fridge. Reassuringly the harmfulness of more modern refrigerants and foam blowing agents is far reduced to the those contained in older appliances which may be being disposed of today.

For that reason, ethically (aside from any legal argument), it’s essential that these appliances are disposed of properly to prevent

www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07434 678 999

release of these chemicals to atmosphere. Referring to a BBC article, How Your Fridge Is Heating up the Planet, they give an example of a release a common modern refrigerant from a domestic fridge being equivalent in terms of GWP to the CO2 released by an ‘average family-sized car’ travelling 420-2,130 miles (depending on the volume released) - that’s fairly staggering.

Please never leave fridges or freezers on the kerb side hoping for them to be taken as scrap (or leave them out earlier than necessary if you have organised a collection) - why? In the last couple of weeks alone I have seen several examples in Moulsham Lodge, Old Moulsham and Galleywood where unscrupulous metal collectors have cut out components of the fridge for scrap metal value, releasing all the contained refrigerants to atmosphere - prompting me to write this piece! Here is an example below of 2 appliances which, having been left out, have had the metal compressors cut out, releasing the harmful refrigerant gas to atmosphere.

I often see messages on social media from people looking for someone to take away their fridge or asking how to dispose of it - the short answer is if you do ask for someone to collect it, they must be a registered waste carrier, and will be chargeable but loveessex.org is a brilliantly straight-forward site to ‘find out how to get rid of your rubbish, reduce your waste and recycle more in Essex’, including refrigerators - which can be taken to Chelmsford Recycling Centre off the Boreham interchange or collected for a charge by Chelmsford City Council for proper disposal.

As always, you can get in touch with me via Chelmsford City Council, through my Facebook page (Cllr Rob Gisby) or via Chelmsford Conservative Association. I’d be pleased to hear of local news or be able to support local events. Please do reach out - I look forward to hearing from you.

Stay safe, keep well, be kind.

Cllr Rob Gisby

Computer Club is available on 2nd and 4th Friday of each month10am to 12 noon.

The Copper Pot Café is open Tuesday to Saturday, with daily specials and old favourites.

Conservative Ward Councillor for Moulsham Lodge

An Update From Moulsham Lodge Ward - By Councillor Rob Gisby

Tile Kiln Corner - By Cllr Linda Mascot

I have been contacted by residents about the worrying increase in thefts from vehicles in both Tile Kiln and Galleywood recently. I’ve expressed concern to local police officers and flagged up the issue at a Neighbourhood Watch meeting. There is an issue with cars and vans parked in rear service roads and, understandably, the owners are fed up with having to replenish possessions and tools etc which are being removed overnight. I will be meeting with a community police officer to discuss their response and request a more visible police presence in this area.

To help prevent theft of keyless vehicles by thieves collecting the remote signal and transmitting it up to 100 metres with a radio transmitter device, the police recommend putting your keys in an anti-scan wallet/faraday bag, so your key is ‘cloaked’ and so will prevent this method of attack.

car. Have there been any software updates which may enhance security that you can take advantage of?

• Anti-scan wallets/faraday bags can be purchase online and in stores - these will prevent your signal being intercepted and your vehicle stolen, Essex police advice is to only buy from police approved sources.

Although there has been an increase in thefts, the figures are still low for our area, if you see anything suspicious please ring the non-emergency police number of 101 or report on the Essex Police website at www.essex.police.uk.

There has been a big shake up in the First Bus numbers and routes in Chelmsford, and the changes that directly affect residents of Tile Kiln are the previous numbers 42 and 45, which have been withdrawn and replaced by the new Chelmsford shuttles:

C1: Route C1 will replace route 42 and operate a similar frequency. On Sundays, route C1 will operate every 30 minutes between Galleywood and Broomfield Hospital without the existing extensions, beyond Broomfield Hospital and to Bishops Stortford and Halstead.

C5: Route C5 is the replacement for the Moulsham Lodge journeys on route 45. However, route C5 will operate via Gunson Gate, Waterson Vale and Van Diemans Road rather than Beehive Lane and Baddow Road. In the city, buses will terminate at the bus station.

For further information on all changes to local bus services, visit the First Bus website here: www.firstbus.co.uk/essex/news-and-serviceupdates/news/17th-april-2022-chelmsford-service-change.

Please get in touch if I can help with any local issues.

mascotlinda@gmail.com

Other Ways to Prevent Theft

Always store your keys away from household entry points; keeping your keyless fob out of sight is not enough - thieves only need to gain proximity to the key to amplify the signal.

• Despite social media posts, do not leave keys in the fridge, microwave or a tin as this may do more damage to the key and is unlikely to be effective.

• If you have a garage, use it.

• Review your car/van security. Check for after market security devices such as steering locks or trackers which are proven to deter thieves. If your vehicle has a manufacturers’ installed tracker, check with your insurers before you alter it as it may invalidate your insurance.

• Contact your dealer and talk about the digital features in your

Twitter: @lindamascot

Deadlines for the June edition:

Articles - 11th May

Print-ready artwork - 19th May

1972: Where Were You?

What were you doing back in 1972? Some of you might not have been alive of course, but many of you were. I wonder what you remember…

And if you’ve forgotten, Wikipedia helpfully has a page dedicated to all the events of that year, I’m sure you can google it.

In 1972 it was Queen Elizabeth’s 20th year on the throne, and also her and Prince Philip’s 25th wedding anniversary (there was a special coin made - any royal enthusiasts still have it?). Much more locally, it was also the year Tile Kiln Church moved onto the Tile Kiln estate.

This year of course, is the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, to be celebrated with events and parties across the land. It’s also Tile Kiln Church’s 50th birthday - to be celebrated jointly with the Queen’s Jubilee on Sunday 5th June.

We’d love to invite you to join us in this double celebration - Tile Kiln Church will be open 10am-2pm on Sunday 5th June; pop in anytime.

There will be free tea, coffee and cake and a hog roast (£1.50 per bap). You can also bring your own picnic. We’ll have a few crafts for kids and a few other stalls in the church. The Clay Pigeon pub will be open across the road.

So, no matter if you can’t remember 1972, make Sunday 5th June a memorable occasion by joining our double 50/70 celebration - I look forward to seeing you there!

Tim Goodall, Pastor, Tile Kiln Church

tim.goodall@tilekilnchurch.org.uk YouTube: tinyurl.com/y24qlkvx Facebook: www.facebook.com/tilekilnchurch www.tilekilnchurch.org.uk

Quiz Time - By John Theedom

In mathematics, what does the term ‘cos’ signify?

Why is some type of bedding called eiderdown?

What do the initials P&O stand for?

The pop group, the Bee Gees only had one number 1 album, what was it called?

Pre-euro, what was the Dutch currency unit?

Who was the very first British prime minister?

When did the Australian soap Neighbours first appear on our TV?

What is a sleeping policeman?

Which biscuit has the nickname ‘squashed fly’?

What was the name of Ross’s pet monkey in Friends?

Who is the TV personality who is the star of Dogs Behaving Very Badly?

What is Sir Elton John’s nickname?

Who is Ruth Langsford married to?

What is another name for the pirate flag skull and crossbones?

What is the first name of the singer Mr Manilow?

Who is the TV personality who wears a tall stiff shirt collar?

Who is the host of The Apprentice?

In the world of radio, what does DAB stand for?

Who is the chef in Emmerdale played by Mark Charnock?

What is a sassenach to a Scotsman?

What type of creature is a curlew?

If your doctor says you have an oedema, what do you have?

Which former Dr Who actor played the role of Worzel Gummidge?

Which precious metal has the symbol ‘Au’?

When was the London Underground opened?

What is ikebana?

What is the name for an area of 4,840sq yds?

In which English county is the town of Milton Keynes?

What is an adobe?

Which sport does Ernie Els play?

In which Charles Dickens story does Uriah Heep feature?

Who was Queen of The Fairies?

Pancake Day takes place on which day?

Which modern country used to be called Constantinople?

In cockney rhyming slang, what is a ‘whistle’?

Which country is known as the Land of The Rising Sun?

Where in your body is your epiglottis?

What are the colours of the Ukranian national flag?

In the police, what is a ‘stinger’?

What nationality is the personality, Sandi Toksvig?

(Answers on page 31)

Quiz and Wordsearch Answers

Cosine

It uses the feathers of the eider duck down

Pacific & Oriental

Spirits Having Flown Guilder

Robert Walpole in 1745

March 18th 1985

Speed bumps

Garibaldi

Marcel

Graeme Hall

Rocket Man

Eamonn Holmes

Jolly Roger

Barry

Harry Hill

Mr Alan Sugar

Digital Audio Broadcasting

Marlon

An Englishman

Bird

A swelling

Jon Pertwee

Gold

1863

The art of Japanese flower arranging 1 acre

Buckinghamshire

Brick made of mud and straw

Golf

David Copperfield

Titania

Shrove Tuesday

Istanbul, Turkey

Suit (whistle and flute)

Japan

At the root of the tongue

Blue and yellow

An extendable device for puncturing tyres in a chase

British/Danish