MoulshamTimes
MT Welcome
Hi readers,
Welcome to the November edition of Moulsham Times
We hope you had a good Halloween and enjoyed fireworks night. Unfortunately, this time of year means the clocks change and the evenings are now getting darker...
The next edition of the magazine will be out from November 30th. If you wish to advertise any Christmas events, or if any restaurants are looking to advertise for the Christmas and New Year period - this will be the issue for you!
Please contact us for prices for advertising and distribution details and we can send you over a detailed price list.
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
It was wonderful to see so many people come to the Apprenticeship, Jobs and Skills Fair at Anglia Ruskin University. This is the fourth time I have worked to arrange this event and over 20 companies and other organisations attended. Five and a half million people have started apprenticeships in the UK since 2010 and over 600 different apprenticeship standards have been introduced. This has given young people many more options for ways to learn skills and start careers.
I spoke to a large number of sixth formers from different Chelmsford schools who had decided to attend, as well as many others who were looking for new roles. Some told me they found opportunities that they wanted to explore further, while others listened carefully to advice on preparing CVs and applying for roles. Others were interested to hear about the voluntary roles that can help build experience. Apprenticeships are not for everyone, but I hope that this event helped to show some of the choices available.
I recently spent a day out on patrol with our local police in the city centre, where there had been a slight uptick in crime and anti-social behaviour towards the end of the summer. It is extremely important that this is stopped, so following requests from local residents and businesses, I had asked the police for more intensive and visible local patrols. The increased police operations have been extremely successful. In the first three weeks, 53 people were arrested. These arrests were for a variety of different offences; from theft and shoplifting, to assault and drug dealing. On the day I was out with the police they were also doing a joint operation with British Transport Police. This resulted in 3 people being arrested for drug dealing.
Train users will be interested to know that the new CCTV on our Greater Anglia trains is also enabling British Transport Police to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. If you experience or witness any incidents on the trains, you can text 61016. This is especially important for safety of women and girls on the trains.
Thank you to all the members of the public who continue to report incidents, this really helps the police to build evidence and it also helps me make the case for more resources. I am publishing a weekly summary of what actions the police have taken locally, so if you want to know more please do follow my Facebook page.
I have greatly enjoyed being on the steering committee for this year’s Chelmsford Science Festival hosted by Anglia Ruskin University, where thousands of people came to the family fun days. Children enjoyed building bridges, creating enormous bubbles and sending rockets off to space! The gym had been turned into two huge planetarium domes, and nimble-fingered families were making model satellites together.
On the subject of bridges, its great that the new connector bridge between the Boreham Interchange and Beaulieu has now opened. It will reduce traffic congestion in the North East of Chelmsford.
Regal Kitchens News
Regal Kitchens in Chelmsford has set a high bar when it comes to kitchen design and customer service during its 15 year history at their flagship store at Navigation Road.
This month, the local award-winning family business relocated to their brand new showroom in Beehive Lane, after 3 months working to renovate a new warehouse into a stunning showroom. Boasting 10 beautiful displays showing off the latest innovations and colour palettes, Regal opened the doors to their new premises to the public early in October which has been well received by the local community.
At the end of September, the kitchen experts attended the KBSA (Kitchen and Bathroom Specialist Association) conference and awards held at the Belfry Hotel and received another accolade to add to their ever growing trophy cabinet. The coveted Customer Service Award is only bestowed on the company with the provably highest standards of client care. Director John Martin said, “We are over the moon to have received this amazing award, it is testament to our team and helps give customers reassurance that their kitchen transformation is in the best hands, living up to our motto: Where Client Is King.”
To celebrate the opening of their brand new showroom, Regal has organised a NEFF demonstration day for Saturday 25th November, featuring a finalist from this year’s Masterchef competition.
Anurag Aggarwal, who lives in Basildon, wowed the Masterchef judges earlier this year with his culinary creativity and authentic flavours whilst still staying true to his Indian roots. He will be joined by Yui Miles, who has worked with Regal on several events in the past. Yui was a quarter finalist on Masterchef in 2019 and her first cookbook Thai Made Easy was released in September this year.
The chefs will prepare fusion dishes together during the event for all attendees to sample whilst they meet the Regal staff and enjoy complimentary drinks.
Blesma Christmas Carol Service
Chelmsford Cathedral will ring out to the sounds of a very special Christmas Carol Service on Tuesday, December 12th. Blesma, the Limbless Veterans, will hold its annual service with readings, carols, choir performances in an hour-long event followed by mulled wine and mince pies. Veterans and staff from the charity, whose headquarters are in Chelmsford, will be attending and there is a chance to meet them and learn how it supports injured veterans and their families for life.
Blesma member Simon Bell, a former RAF medic who suffered 26 years of extreme pain following a motorcycle accident, will give one of the readings: “I’m honoured, excited and a little nervous,” said Simon, 58, from Watton, Norfolk. “I had to abandon my military career because it was discovered I had dyslexia and, at the time, that was a no-go for the RAF.” Simon, who worked as a fabricator-welder after being medically discharged, became a Christian in 1998 and has performed missionary work around the world. “I’m delighted to have been chosen to give the reading and this service will bring the community and Blesma together so that people can realise the great work the charity does.”
The doors open at 7pm and the service, featuring performances by soprano Naomi Kilby and the Essex Police Community Choir, starts at 7.30pm. “We’re delighted to be holding our carol service once again at the magnificent Chelmsford Cathedral and look forward to bringing together a local community of injured veterans, members of the public and Blesma ambassadors for a festive evening of Christmas readings and carols,” said Anna Scalera, Blesma’s Head of Fundraising.
Tickets are free but booking via the Blesma website or emailing fundraising@blesma.org is required as space is limited.
My Last Article - By Chris at Forté Physical Health
After seven and a half years, I have decided to relieve our editor of the burden of chasing me for missed deadlines.
As I scroll through the long list of documents in my folder titled Editorials, I see that I have written about a plethora of physical health conditions and well-being philosophies. I have written about back pain, shoulder pain, sciatica, plantar fasciitis, pillow choices, why sitting is bad, how to make good habits stick, and many others.
But there are a few common threads that link all of these articles, and if you pay attention to these threads, it gives you a blueprint on how to look after your body for the long term.
In this last article, I would like to highlight these principles, and my hope is that you can continue to follow them for years to come.
Move Often
Sitting is the enemy. It tightens your joints, weakens your muscles, changes your hormones and makes you store more fat. Get up, wriggle around, go for a walk. Move!
Lift Heavy Things
Strength training is essential. For everyone. No excuses, not any more; there is too much research behind this one one. Strength training is defined as lifting something heavy, and ‘heavy’ is unique to you. You need to move your body or lift weights in a way where it gets very difficult to do any more repetitions.
I focus on strength for a few different movements: push, pull, hip hinge, squat and twist. These five different patterns cover most of the potential human movements. Find a strength exercise for each of these five patterns and do three sets of each three times a week.
This could be the most important thing you do to reduce your risk of pain and live a healthy later life.
Seek Help
There are people out there to help you with anything.
Are you inspired to start a strength routine but don’t know where to start? Find a personal trainer.
Is pain getting in the way of living how you want to live? Find a local osteopath.
Want some motivation to go to the gym? Find a training partner.
I like to say that I have a team around me. Some of the team are real people, and some are people I follow online or authors of books. I bought a running plan online - that’s my running coach. I admire someone’s training on Instagram - she’s my weightlifting coach. The osteopaths in my clinic piece me back together when I need it. And a book on my bookshelf is my nutrition bible, so the author is my nutritionist!
Everyone needs help. The skill in life is finding the right person or resource to fast-track your progress. Stand on the shoulders of giants, and enjoy the benefits that come your way.
Find Joy in the Lifestyle
Looking after your health isn’t a burden; it is a joy.
Going to the gym, preparing healthy meals and going to bed on time are acts of self-care. Of self-love. The more you practice these habits, the better you feel. Every element of your day becomes more enjoyable because you have prioritised your well-being.
The progress you make in your fitness becomes addictive. You want more. You find yourself restructuring your life around it. It is a virtuous
circle. You feel good, so you want to do more. You do more, so you feel better.
Take the first step, lean into the process, and you will get carried along by finding joy.
For people interested in following my personal health journey, I have a YouTube channel you can find by searching ‘Chris Branch’ on YouTube. And if you need a trusty local osteopath to help you along, you can find my clinic at fortephysicalhealth.co.uk. I usually sign off with an ‘until next time...’, but for now, there won’t be a next time! But I still wish you a healthy and happy month ahead.
I have found much joy in writing these articles, and I hope some of them have helped you along the way, too.
Over and out :)
Editors’ note: We would like to thank Chris so much for writing around 90 articles in the last 7 and a half years. Without our writers, and of course our advertisers, we would not be able to produce this magazine for our lovely readers each month!
If you are in the same line of business and wish to write and advertise in Chris’s place, please either email paul@moulshamtimes.com, or call 01245 262 082.
MT Gardening
As daylight and heat become limiting, plants are starting to get themselves ready for the winter months. Leaves are falling everywhere from deciduous trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials. Plants are going into low activity and as a result, this is a great time to move plants and plant something new with limited impact. I’ll be doing this shortly as I’m installing an area of groundcover plants for a shady area of the garden and I’m going to use the following:
• Lamium maculatum ‘White Nancy’ (dead nettle) - the cultivars of dead nettle make excellent ground cover plants for shady areas. They can be cut back with hedging shears to keep the leaf colour fresh.
• Ajuga reptans ‘Catlin’s Giant’ (bugle) - Ajuga or bugle makes a colourful ground cover. The leaves of this cultivar are larger than Ajuga reptans but still retain the glossy purple colouring.
• Pachysandra terminalis - An evergreen foliage plant equally at home in sun or shade.
• Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (spurge) - a spurge that is suitable for shade, it carries the typical sulphur yellow flowers in late spring.
It doesn’t really matter what you are planting; however, do follow all the usual ground preparation steps. Weed control is particularly important, as it is very difficult to control weeds that grow through ground cover.
The basic steps for soil preparation are:
• Weed.
• Cultivate.
• Firm - to remove air pockets.
• Level, or smooth, sloping ground.
As I have stated already, the ideal time for planting is autumn (although spring is fine if it’s difficult to get onto the ground at the moment). This is when plants will establish best and a minimum of aftercare, such as irrigation, will be required.
Plants are spaced to a little less than their estimated spread. Individual planting holes are dug and a base dressing of fertiliser, such as bonemeal at 70g/m², may be added. The plants are placed into the soil at the same height they were in the container, soil is firmed around the roots, and plants thoroughly watered.
A weed mat can be spread over the entire site to be planted with ground cover. The plants can then be planted through this (cut an ‘X’ in the weed mat with a knife and then peel back). This method is not suitable for plants that will spread underground such as Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety.’
As you move into the next growing season, regular maintenance is needed even on low maintenance plants. Maintenance is particularly important when the plants are immature, as this will aid establishment.
Irrigation: Regular irrigation to a deep level will encourage deep root penetration. This will improve the plant’s tolerance to drought conditions. Seep hoses are extremely useful.
Weed removal: Thorough soil preparation should ensure that weed problems are reduced. Occasional weeds can be removed by hand or, if this is not practical, spot treated with an herbicide.
Pruning: Many of the perennial groundcover plants will benefit from pruning with hedging shears early in the growing season to keep them dense.
Pests and diseases: Ground cover plants do not suffer from many pests and diseases, but plants growing in dry conditions may suffer from powdery mildew.
Lastly, here are a few other tasks to get sorted for this month and as we move forward into November:
• With perennials that have died back, remove old foliage and dead flower stems and compost. Take care though, as a number of perennials really come into their own during the autumn/ winter months with decorative seed heads and changing foliage colour. I tend to leave plants such as Rudbeckias, Echinaceas and all grasses until next February when I’ll cut them down to the ground.
• Staying on the perennial subject, this is an ideal time to move burgeoning clumps, those that may have also died off in the centre, and plan for spreading them around the garden or giving to friends and family. This is the perfect time to move grasses as they are still in active growth (you can also do this in spring next year) as they are more likely to survive the process. I’ve found in the past that when moved in the dormant season, they often die off.
• Spruce up any patio containers to extend the season of interest. Your garden centres and nurseries are full of little gems that could add sparkle to any display. Pansies (Viola x wittrockiana), forget-me-knots (Myosotis sylvestris), wallflowers (Erysimum chieri), primroses (Primula vulgaris) and cowslips (Primula veris) - always under-plant with suitably sized bulbs and corms. Here are just a few of my favourites such as Hyacinthus orientalis, Iris reticulata, Tulipa ‘West Point’ and Narcissus ‘Tete-a-tete’.
Check out these additional garden jobs for the month of November www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/november.
Happy gardening… and most importantly, keep safe
Regards for now.
Tom Cole
Nick Garner’s Music & Ramblings
It’s November; how has that happened? It must be my age I suppose! It’s autumn now and we are preparing for winter - and yes, we have had our first frost already. Right after another small heatwave and a storm with heavy rain and wind... Well you know my thoughts about this with the weather.
We have recently had Oktoberfest, why I don’t really know as this is a German event and not English - maybe its another excuse that people can drink to excess? Who knows! We are also now approaching Guy Fawkes night, which sadly means fireworks going off for weeks upsetting and worrying many humans and our pets and wildlife. Why do they have to be so loud? There is no need for it - we should only have professional displays going on.
We have just had half term so it will soon be (yes, I am going to say it) Christmas! It really isn’t that far away now; another moment in time to get into more debt, and also tough for some people who struggle with being alone. It can be a very lonely time for many - and l do know about that, trust me. But of course, for many it is a good time; all I ask is that we all think about others at Christmas.
In autumn, I do love the trees as they change colour at this time of year. It’s beautiful, as are the cold crisp dry days with that haze of frost. It’s good walking weather to warm yourself up in. Talking about the cold, it’s time to think about putting the heating on again - but who can afford to do that now? I have been turning mine off more and more and I just put on more layers to keep warm. There is now talk about prices going up to help the energy companies, who I believe are making vulgar profits...
Moulsham Street looks to be thriving with some new businesses opening up, including a new dentists, a tattoo shop and a cocktail bar called Ditto. I hear KFC are returning (though I prefer the independents myself). Though it is very sad to see that Boots the chemist has closed as this was my chemist of choice for many years and I always found them to be very helpful.
Have you got anything planned for this month or next? Or do you know of anything of interest happening? If so, please do let us know and we will try to get into the next edition of The City Times - which is now ten years old. It comes out as issue 120 from 16th November.
Music
l recently put on Track Dogs at Hot Box, and also went to London to see Dhani Harrison, the son of George Harrison. I also put on Albert Lee and his band, plus Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral as well. I have to say all of the shows were great. We have had some excellent shows recently. We sadly had to postpone the sellout Rhino’s Revenge show at Hot Box on Thursday 12th October, as Rhino was taken ill - but we have rescheduled it now for Thursday 30th November. We strongly advise booking in advance or you may not get in, as we really expect it to sell out again. Details are in the advert in this edition.
We put on the fabulous Korgis the other Friday and they were just magnificent as they were before. Why we didn’t pull more people to see them I do not know, as I don’t think I can do much more to publicise these shows.
We also had Robbie McIntosh play at Hot Box, and the Social Club with Mim Grey. I do not know if there is a finer all-round guitarist on this planet than Robbie, so the shows should be packed as he deserves. To keep the crowds arriving, you can maybe help us spread the word. We and the acts would very much appreciate it!
The other Saturday I went to the Barleylands Sports and Social Club for the Blues at Barleylands final show, featuring Automatic Slim
playing. After 41 years they have decided to call it a day. What a great show this was. The club said it is their busiest show to date and was packed. We had lots of fun. So the band has called it a day - well, for now anyway... As you never know these days.
We do have some more great shows coming up and we are also getting busy for 2024 as well, which I will mention a little to you here, and a lot more next month.
If you like your jazz then this is for you: There is a Christmas jazz event happening at the Chelmsford Social Club with three shows over two days. The first is on Friday 22nd December at 8pm, and the second on Saturday 23rd December at 3pm and the third on the same day at 8pm. The cost is £20 inclusive, and doors open 30 minutes before showtime. Featured will be Larry Berkovitz and Zak Barrett presenting and playing with Domonic Copestick, Adam Mader, Robert Rickenberg, Andy Frost and Rowan Ward. This is going to be fantastic with some top jazz musicians playing for you. You can book this show via www.wegottickets.com/xmasjazz.
As we near the end of another year we still have some great shows for you over at Hot Box and the Social Club. Just take a look at who we have...
We have Imagine the Beatles, who we think are the best fab four tribute out there. We also welcome back our Wille Edwards with Harry, both of Wille and the Bandits - Joe Anderton will be opening the show. Back to Hot Box, and we have Jack Lukeman. If you do not know him check him out - he sung for Ireland at the Ireland against the All-Blacks rugby match. Also, the legend that is Trevor Horn has a new album out and he has Jack singing on two tracks.
Back to the Social Club and we have Voodoo Room playing the very best of Cream, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton - and they do it so well. We also have the Small Fakers back playing the very best of The Small Faces. Back at Hot Box and we have Rhinos Revenge on Thursday 30th
Over again to the Social Club on the 1st December for Connor Selby with his band, then on 7th December we have Tim Edey and Clive Carroll at Hot Box - quite possibly two of the world’s best acoustic guitarists. We end 2023 on December 8th at the Social Club with a very welcome return of Totally Blondie, who we know you all loved. Then, its 2024 and more about that in the next edition...
If you have anything you think that could be of interest to our readers for either publication, then please let us know by emailing editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk - it may be an event or a topic of interest. Or have you done anything unusual or are you planning something? If so, we want to know about it. If you know of someone who may wish to advertise with us, then please ask them to contact ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk and we can send over full details.
You can get tickets for all our shows in Chelmsford from Intense Records, Hopsters and Chelmsford 4Good - please pay cash in person when you buy. 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 rather than the walk-up price.
Please take a look at our Black Frog Presents adverts in this mag to see some of the amazing acts that are coming to play at the Chelmsford Social Club and Hot Box.
For all Black Frog Presents gig updates and information, go to www. linktr.ee/BlackFrogPresents, or scan the QR code in the poster in this magazine. It would be fantastic if you could also share our magazines The City Times and Moulsham Times for us too. We continue to publish both magazines online as well at www.moulshamtimes.com and www.thecitytimes.co.uk.
Hello! I hope you’re all keeping well and dry, especially given the recent turn in the weather. I have to admit that I enjoyed the warm weather that we had in much of October, but it’s also very worrying. Temperatures of consistently over 20 degrees at that time of the year is yet more evidence of global warmingand a reminder that we are nowhere near close to having done enough to combat it.
What worries me is not that scientists can get predictions wrong (show me anyone who is right all of the time), but that when they are wrong it doesn’t necessarily mean things won’t be as bad as they predicted - sometimes it can be a LOT worse. In the context of climate change, I find that pretty terrifying.
But the good news is that we can all play our part in doing more to protect the climate - not just for us, but for our children and grandchildren, and all those yet to come. It can be something quite big, like taking advantage of the new uplift in grants for replacing gas or oil boilers with a heat pump (the grant is now £7,500), or it can be an everyday small thing, such as walking or taking public transport instead of jumping in the car. Or even just remembering to put a cardboard box in the recycling sack instead of in the bin. We can all do a bit more to help - and everything, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem, will contribute to achieving our goal.
I mentioned public transport, but I know that many of us are frustrated by the unreliability of our local public transport network with the lack of buses being a regular topic for complaint in my inbox. Unfortunately, as buses are privatised, councils - and councillorsdon’t have very much say over how they operate. That may change in the coming months and years with a possible devolution settlement on the horizon for Essex (more about that in a future article), but for the moment at least, my main way of tackling this issue is relaying personal experiences about the problems with the buses to our contacts at First Bus to help them understand the issues and hopefully improve their service. So, if you experience any particular issues, please do let me know by sending me an email here - marie. goldman@chelmsfordlibdems.org.uk.
In other news, I’m very pleased to say that work is finally getting underway at Sutherland Lodge Surgery on Baddow Road for a big refurbishment project that has been planned for quite some time, but was delayed. I know many Moulsham residents will be registered at this surgery (it’s where I’m registered too) and I’m especially happy to be able to say that this project is being part-funded using Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding from Chelmsford City Council.
This is money that is specifically set aside for projects that improve local infrastructure. Over £500,000 is going towards this project. Similarly, the City Council has also just provided nearly £1,000,000 to Trinity Road Primary School where a new classroom and other facilities have just been built. It’s so important to be investing in these projects for the benefit of our local community, and I’m proud to be part of an administration that understands this.
Listening to the needs and concerns of local residents is key to the role of a good councillor and I like getting out and about talking to residents on the doorstep, or taking part in local councillor surgeries.
I recently attended a session held at The Copper Pot on Gloucester Avenue where your city councillors and I joined local Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) to speak to local residents about various issues. I was pleased to be able to confirm to one resident who was concerned about inconsiderate drivers parking on corners that the double yellow lines will soon be going in around the junctions with Gloucester Avenue.
I’m still trying to convince Essex County Council to fix the streetlights in Central Park. I recently recorded a video to show them just how dark it is without two lights in particular, which haven’t been working for ages. (Watch my video here: youtu.be/pbKBmsGBZzU). I now understand that UK Power Networks have cut the power supply to one of them (nobody has yet been able to tell me why), but Essex County Council have said they are investigating. I will keep chasing them on this. It simply isn’t good enough that they haven’t been working for such a long time.
Finally, if you’re wandering into the city centre along the river, you’ll see that work has begun on removing and replacing the Bailey Bridge between Baddow Road car park and the Essex Record Office. The old bridge will be dismantled and stored safely while an alternative use is sought for it. The new bridge is necessary to provide essential access to unlock the old gas works site, now known as Waterside, for future development. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next here, especially as it will shape our city’s future for generations to come and provide lots of much-needed homes.
As usual, if you have anything you want to get in touch about, please send me an email here: marie.goldman@chelmsfordlibdems.org.uk. Keep well.
Marie
Non-Spoiler Film Reviews - By Henry Godfrey-Evans
Past Lives
A truly unique movie right from its starting point. Where many Hollywood movies skip over realistic conversation, this relies on it.
While that means it’s not the most gripping thing to watch, if you lend your full attention you can draw some genuinely profound lessons from it, and the poignance is almost haunting at times.
Not for everyone, but for those who it entices, it’ll be a favourite. 81/100
Dumb Money
If anyone even vaguely remembers the whole Gamestop stock palaver then you may be interested enough to learn about it through the medium of film.
When real stories are processed this way they have the challenge of being true to what happened whilst also being dramatic and entertaining. This film achieves it.
You 100% feel the gravity of the event through the lenses of the mega-rich hedge funders, the man who started it all, and his supporters.
Really good film, an excellent final act. 83/100
Expendables 4
The first film was a solid addition to the vast and mostly unoriginal world of action. I don’t find car chases that exciting, and that’s a meproblem, but nevertheless, I can’t give you an impartial review on that basis.
If you like that sort of stuff then great - here is more of it. Watch the other three films if you’d like even more still.
It was a bit dull - and honestly, the critics were saying worse... 24/100
The Creator
Envisage your classic humans vs robots dystopian storyline: ‘Do they have feelings?’
1 hour in: ‘Oh no, they may have some feelings’. It really wasn’t much better than the classic man vs machinery writing with some xenophobia parallels.
The frustration is that the film was beautiful, and it sounded like I was experiencing some of the gargantuan weaponry first-hand. On a relatively low budget too. If the writing was strong then this film would have been an event.
71/100
Saw X
Do you like gore? If you don’t then skip right ahead to my The Great Escaper review
It doesn’t have the mystery of the first one, it rather leans into the cheesiness of the sequels, but I would say far better. There’s a conflict you have between seeing a violent sadist complete his desires whilst battling your own disdain for the characters he’s punishing… it’s exhausting.
The traps were not as clever as I’d seen previously, and it had really regressed into the shock value by this stage of the film, so I was less interested. However, it was a solid mystery and there was some fun conflict.
63/100
The Great Escaper
‘Usher in the plodding, slow-moving British film about an elderly person. Watch it while it goes, how adorable.’
That’s how I felt and that’s how I thought it was going to feel for 100 minutes, but I was wiping tears by the end. I don’t think I was majorly impressed by the story (true or otherwise), but the filmmaking made me believe in the relationship these two folks had.
The way it flashed back sparingly and brought it to the front when I wasn’t expecting it. By the last 5 minutes, Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson had me distraught.
75/100
Blackberry
This is history that everyone remembers. I remember the first smartphone I used, how amazing but faulted it was. I thought it was an encapsulating look back through the history of it.
I also thought Glenn Howerton was terrific as the ‘clenched business guy with forehead vein’. The way they combined the nerdy-tech world with the business-savvy world was hilarious and memorable.
The historical events took hold a bit and I drifted off slightly, but then I think things concluded fantastically and artistically. It ended unexpectedly and with a clear message.
82/100
PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie
My commitment is unparalleled guys, you honestly don’t deserve me.
I should have expected nothing but it’s the hope that kills you.
10/100
Sumotherhood
Real tryhard film. Dialogue was written and acted until the joke broke and then broke a few more times. Definitely had it’s moments, and it was unique, but it came across as a film that didn’t know which bits were going to work, and therefore just chucked it all in.
About 1,000 things thrown at the wall, 80 or so stuck - but in fairness, they stuck.
63/100
Trolls Band Together
I watch films like Trolls so you don’t have to. Don’t take my sacrifice in vain.
17/100
Killer Of the Flower Moon
Breaking my rule of sleeping on it first before reviewing, because my deadline for this is tomorrow.
A thoroughly interesting and magnificently acted story that was - in fact - stuffed into a 3 and a half hour runtime. No filler, no dragging out points. It was just a long story.
Not for everyone though, some people will probably give it higher props than it deserves to showcase that they ‘got it’ - really good stuff though.
85/100
henrygodfreyevans@gmail.com
Chelmsford Christmas Lights Switch-On 2023
This year’s Chelmsford Christmas Lights Switch-On event takes place in the city centre on Sunday 19th November from 12pm - 5pm. The event marks the beginning of Chelmsford’s festive celebrations with an array of Christmas themed entertainment programmed throughout December up until Christmas Day. Full info will be available in the coming weeks via www.chelmsfordforyou.co.uk.
The Christmas Lights Switch-On will see a mix of fantastic entertainment across two stages, with the main stage returning to outside Shire Hall, making it the first switch-on event to take place in the newly developed Tindal Square. Expect a hearty selection of amazing local talent from dance acts to choirs, theatre performances to solo singers, and Christmas hits to the world’s finest Christmas mariachi band. Plus, not forgetting your usual competitions, giveaways, mayor speech and community award winners announcements.
Alongside the stage entertainment, there’s an array of attractions programmed throughout the High Street, including walkabout acts, children’s rides, candy floss, food stalls and more. And not forgetting all your classic festive faves - roasted horse chestnuts, mulled wine, Christmas market, panto characters and a visit from The Grinch. The event will once again finish with the hugely popular and fabulous firework display over the city centre marking the switching on of Chelmsford’s Christmas lights.
Chelmsford For You manager Sara Tupper says: “We are really excited to bring the city centre to life again this festive season with our beautiful light scheme. The switch on itself is a magical event and this year promises to deliver just that. It’s a great opportunity to get behind businesses in the city centre, support local and celebrate our community. The perfect way to get into the Christmas spirit! The Christmas Lights Switch-On is curated and delivered by Chelmsford’s Business Improvement District, Chelmsford For You, funded by Chelmsford’s city centre businesses.”
Stay up-to-date with everything Christmas in the city via: Instagram and Facebook by searching, ‘ChelmsfordForYou’. Our website is www.chelmsfordforyou.co.uk. For queries and further info please contact, info@chelmsfordforyou.co.uk.
Chelmsford For You Community Awards
The annual Chelmsford For You Community Awards recognise individuals who’ve made a difference to the Chelmsford community. The worthy winners of each category will have the honour of switching on this year’s Christmas lights.
Keep your eyes on the Chelmsford For You website and social media to cast your vote across three categories - Inspirational Young Person (under 18s), Inspirational Adult (18+) and Environmental Champion. www.chelmsfordforyou.co.uk/cm1stmas-community-awards.
Essex Dementia Care and KEGS Join Forces on Dementia Awareness Project
Local charity, Essex Dementia Care’s Senior Manager, Kelly Bleasdale visited KEGS School in Chelmsford to congratulate and present the winning students with their prizes.
Over 50 pupils entered the Dementia Awareness house art and poetry competition last term. Kelly said, “A big thank you to all that entered, it was a great pleasure working with KEGS on this project and judging the outstanding entries was a privilege. It is our mission to help more people with activity based dementia care. However, we are also always keen to raise awareness for dementia in the community and are grateful to the school for their participation.”
Keith Milliken, a representative of the leadership team at KEGS commented, “It was a pleasure to meet Kelly and have her distribute the prizes to our winners. We are so glad to have been able to work with EDC on this venture and have such a substantial number of students, across all year groups, submit an entry in the form of artwork, poetry or a short story connected to memories. No doubt, the link with the work of Essex Dementia Care has sparked conversations here at school and at home for many of our staff and students. Thank you once again and we hope to be part of your plans for 2024.”
For more information on all services and support provided by
please visit: www.essexdementiacare.org.uk or call 01245 363 789 to speak to an experienced team member.
Living Life at St Luke’s, Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln
Have you been to any of our events at St Luke’s, your parish church, recently? If not, don’t worry because there’s more opportunities for you!
Variety Concert - Friday 6th October
Last month we held our first variety concert raising funds for Chelmsford Food Bank and St Luke’s. We had a fantastic audience and five superb local acts: CheGo - Chelmsford’s Guitar Orchestra, St Luke’s Music Group, Ashley Thompson, one of our local councillors, Tutti Flutti, The Remedy. The next variety concert will be in the spring, so do get in contact if you are a local amateur entertainer and would like to be involved.
ADVENTure - Sunday 3rd December
Come and join us on Sunday 3rd December, from 2pm - 5pm for an ADVENTure. Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas; a time to prepare for the celebrations of the birth of Jesus!
Being part of our ADVENTure, there will be lots of Christmas craft activities for everyone, young and old, whether you think you’ve got craft skills or not… and you’ll be able to take your creations home with you.
You’ll also be able to join in our carol service at the end of the afternoon - a wonderful opportunity to sing your favourite carols. Put the date in your diary now and keep an eye out for posters and more information on social media - we look forward to welcoming you.
Weekly Services
Everyone is welcome to join our weekly services on a Sunday at 10am followed by refreshments, and our Prayer Time on Tuesdays at 2pm.
www.stlukemoulshamlodge.co.uk Facebook: @stlukesmoulshamlodge
St Luke’s Church, Gloucester Avenue, Moulsham Lodge, CM2 9DT
Essex Dementia Care: Senior Manager Kelly Bleasdale awarded the prizes, pictured alongside the winners and Mr Carter from KEGS.
Hello all, I hope you’re doing well. The weather has been a bit strange lately, one day it’s like summer, the next is the opposite. I went outside for my short walk this morning and came straight back in to get a thicker coat and gloves. Very chilly, but bright. We were on the south cost last week and the weather was OK, until it poured over Thursday night and collapsed the awning on the motorhome. Got to get that fixed now.
I have noticed that more Christmas stuff is creeping into the shops now, along with some company’s thinking that, for reasons I don’t understand, I would like a new sofa for the festive season. Another was selling fridges. Why would I want to do that? It’s crackers!
Some of the odd news stories this month:
In Lincolnshire, the first ever Chinese mitten crab trap was installed and the public were asked to report sightings. The crab is called this because its furry claws resemble mittens. It is being hunted because it is eating a lot of fauna and affecting the environment. I bet they shelled a lot of money on that project.
A person has been stalking the streets of a small Scottish town dressed in a Pennywise-style clown outfit (which, apparently, is worn by a character in a horror film - no, me neither) frightening the residents. I think he told the police that he was ‘just doing it for a laugh’.
Some parts of France are experiencing an infestation of bed bugs, especially in hotels and on trains. The government said quality of both were not up to scratch.
In the USA, at a baseball match, a man turned up with an alligator, scaring the crowd. Apparently, he was on a pre-arranged visit to meet the players. Officials told the owner to take the creature out - and make it snappy.
Reading my newspaper today, I note that, during these times of terrible news in the world, they have found room to give us the latest update on the disagreements between two footballer’s wives. You remember I’m sure, the massive coverage of the case some months ago. I really don’t get it. Why is this ‘news’? In addition, there is a two page article on the 15 engagement rings a famous ex-footballer has given to his wife over the years. Apparently, they are worth about £30 million. News? Is it me?
Often these days, a cartoon pops up on my Facebook account (well, get tech wizard me!). They are mostly from some time ago, I think - but I must admit, I find them so funny. The Road Runner ones, for those who have not had the pleasure of seeing these, have the same theme each time. A coyote is trying to catch a chicken-like bird (loosely based on a real creature called a greater roadrunner). Wile E Coyote tries everything to catch him, but always ends up getting caught in his own traps. So far as I know, he has never caught the the bird. It is so simple and I know exactly what is going to happen each time, but it still makes me laugh (yes, even now). Same goes for Tom and Jerry or John and Terry as I used to call them to amuse the grandchildren. Having said that, I don’t think they thought it was funny, but I kept saying it anyway.
Talking of predictable things that make me laugh. I always laugh when Trigger in Only Fools and Horses, calls Rodney ‘Dave’ every single time I see it. It is very clever writing. Captain Mainwaring (did you know his first name was George? Nor me) in Dad’s Army, telling Pike that he’s a ‘stupid boy’. I am easily amused as you can see.
On a totally different subject, we are going on a trip soon, so I decided to check on the location of road closures on my route. Well, here we go: A12 southbound, Dartford Crossing, M3 for starters. My route planner estimates just over four hours for the trip. I will
let you know if we get there by the end of that day. Perhaps I had better identify some alternative routes, but then many drivers use satellite navigation these days and these technological devices can show you alternative routes as you go. Unfortunately, at least half of those delayed are doing the same thing. So, decisions, decisions, decisions!
The football team I support is Southampton. We were relegated to the Championship last season and I am amazed what impact this has. Not on the financials, thanks to the parachute payment, or the size of the crowds at home and away, but the coverage in the press. Teams in the Premiership sometimes get whole page match analysis in both Sunday and Monday editions. The Championship sides sometimes get as little as a summary on a quarter page. Surely the lower leagues attendance total must be close to the Premierships? Not fair if you ask me, but then I may be biased. OK, who of you is murmuring a sentence with sour and grapes in it?
Bin End Chuckles
I can’t count how many maths exams I failed in school...
I used to have a handle on life, but then it broke...
Stay well and be nice to one another!
Grove Road Evangelical Church
My wife and I worked as missionaries in Normandy from 2005 to 2009. For a while we lived in Dives-sur-Mer, near where William the Conqueror built his fleet of boats to ferry his army to Britain in 1066. We were living at the centre of French-British history! But there was a downside to where we were living...
The town’s Catholic church was only a few hundred yards from the house and three times every day they rang their bells - 7am, noon and 7pm. When there were weddings and special days, the bells were rung more, but not the tuneful peals you get from English church bells. Rather it was a dreadful noise that I soon got fed up listening to. I quickly realised there was only one solution: I started praying that the bells would be silenced - and one morning there was no 7am noise! Nothing at lunch time, nor at 7pm. It was the same the next day, and while we were living in Dives-sur-Mer, never again did the bells disturb me. A sign in the church said they had discovered major cracks in the tower, so the ringing of the bells had
to cease until repairs were able to be carried out.
Maybe you have something far more troublesome in your life than the noise of bells being rung... The Bible teaches us that if we bring our needs to God through prayer to the Lord Jesus, he will help us, whatever the situation we face might be. There is an old saying: ‘Prayer changes things’. Prayer, through Jesus, can change our lives. So why not come and join us at 11am each Sunday and learn more about what God can do for you if you trust in Jesus and ask him for his help?
Philip Loose, Senior Pastor
Grove Road Evangelical Church (Behind Tesco Express, Moulsham Street)
www.grecuk.co.uk pastor@grecuk.co.uk
MT History: The A12 - By Henri Lewi
Most of us have driven on it, and most of us have sat in stalled traffic jams on it, but nevertheless the A12 remains one of the most important routes in England. It connects London with the busy passenger and freight ports of Harwich and Felixstowe, as well as linking the capital with the cities of Chelmsford and Colchester as well as the large provincial town of Ipswich. In addition to the M11, the A12 is one of the major routes serving East Anglia. Because of its heavy usage by freight and car traffic, with its constant road works, the A12 is now ranked as one of the more unpopular routes in England because of delays, diversions and stationary traffic.
But why the A12? It began life as one of the important roads linking Roman Londinium with the provincial capital of Camulodunum, which is now known as Colchester. The original road ran from Old Ford in London, through Romford and Brentwood and north to Caesaromagus (Chelmsford) onward to the Camulodunum and further northwards through East Anglia to the Roman town of Venta Icenorum, just outside Norwich. The paved road built by the Romans was known as ‘Inter V’ in the Antonine Classification. This was a publication, known as an ‘itinerarium’, essentially a register of all the stations and distances along all Roman routes throughout the empire, first ordered and published by the Emperor Antonine. Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius, known as the Emperor Antonine, was the Roman Emperor between 138 and 161CE. This empire now included Britannica, which had been conquered by the Roman Emperor Claudius in 43CE.
Over the centuries, parts this route fell in to disrepair and other roads were subsequently constructed. The old Roman road that ran through Essex to Ipswich became known as the Great Essex Road, and the link from Ipswich to Great Yarmouth was more latterly built and operated by the ‘Ipswich to South Town and Bungay Turnpike Trust’ and ran that particular segment of the route from the mid 18th century to the latter end of the 19th century.
The various constituent parts that now make up the A12 were reorganised in 1922 into the main body of the road that we all now recognise. Work had begun on a road numbering system in England in 1913 and was based on the radial routes out of London, using the A1 as the central northern road as the basis for classifying these routes. Zone 1 subsequently renamed all the roads east of the A1 and north of the Thames as the A11, A12 and A13, with the A11 heading north to Cambridge and the A12 to East Anglia.
So when you sit in your car stuck in a traffic jam on the A12, just remember that parts of the route you’re taking are nearly 2,000 years old, so its not surprising that there are multiple and what seems like never ending continuous road works, so be patient.
Old Park Meadow Charity Coffee Morning
On the 11th of October, Old Park Meadow hosted a special charity coffee morning in honour of Baby Loss Awareness Week and successfully raised £135.50.
Delyse Jackaman, manager of Old Park Meadow said, “We wanted to help spread awareness of the work that Baby Loss Awareness does for families. By holding this event, we hope it enables families who have suffered a loss to get the support they need.”
In their efforts to collect donations, the Old Park Meadow team treated their coffee morning guests to tea, coffee, cakes and raffle. The team wanted to say thank you to all who attended.
Old Park Meadow holds a coffee morning every Wednesday between 10am - 12pm which is open to anyone that would like to come along.
To find out more about Old Park Meadow and the services on offer, please visit oldparkmeadow.co.uk or call 01245 806 332.
The Rucksack Project started in Chelmsford in 2015 with Cool to Be Kind at the helm, and the response was humbling. We received hundreds of filled rucksacks from several organisations and many individuals to keep the homeless warm that winter. The Rucksack Project is rooted in community: ‘I can’t believe so many people want to help us’ was a phrase that stayed with our organisation after the first successful Rucksack Project and it remains a key motivation for our volunteers.
This year, we are launching the Rucksack Project again and we are asking for your support. Please help us give warmth this winter. The project is simple: We are asking for a rucksack with two straps and for it to be filled with warm clothes and a sleeping bag, sourced from items that you no longer use at home or find in a charity shop.
A list of items to be included in the rucksack and details of who to contact to drop off donations can be viewed via our website at, www.c2bk.co.uk, or our Facebook page - search, ‘cooltobekindchelmsford’.
Concrete Canvas Artists Create New Murals in Chelmsford’s Twin City, Backnang
Scotty Irving (@Brave_Arts), Howard Elston (@Essex_Rockerz) and Candy Joyce (Project Manager, @ConcreteCanvasChelmsford) spent 4 days in Chelmsford’s twin city of Backnang at the beginning of October to create two new murals as part of Backnang’s partnership festival.
The artists were invited by Bandhaus Theatre in Backnang to create the two artworks on either side of a 9m tall utilities tower. The designs were created prior to visiting Backnang and were inspired by the connection between the two cities and some of the history of Backnang. Howard’s piece, Future Goose, depicts a futuristic goose with a headset and a tablet, with the words ‘Technology Connects Us...’ set against a space environment. Howard says, “I did some research on Backnang and discovered an interesting aspect of 17th century Backnang history called the Goose War which I knew I wanted to include in the mural.”
Scotty was inspired by the fact that components for satellites are manufactured in both Chelmsford (at e2V) and Backnang (at Tesat Spacecom). He says, ”The image represents the similar industries of the twin cities, and the way this technology allows people to communicate with each other.” The mural depicts two characters, one upright and the other upside down. Both wear headsets to communicate with each other and symbolically represent the two twin cities in conversation.
Candy says, “It has been a great experience to paint in Backnang and strengthen the connection between our cities. I am looking forward to inviting street artists from Backnang to come and paint in Chelmsford for Concrete Canvas 2024.” The artists were also interviewed by two members of the local school Radio Club, the interview will air on their regular show, Back to Backnang, which is on Sundays at 5pm on Chelmsford Community Radio.
The festival was organised by the BacknangChelmsford Partnership Association. The programme also covered theatre, dance and music including a live set from Chelmsford’s own Gentlemen of Io. Artists came from Backnang, our other twin city Annonay, France, and Backnangs other twin city Bácsalmás, Hungary. The partnership association also organises exchanges and other connections between the cities and include schools, groups and sports clubs.
The artists were really grateful to be hosted by two families from Backnang, Wolfgang and Ingrid Hockauf and Sabrina and Marc Moser. Inge Wagner, chairman of the Friends of the Backnang-Annonay town twinning association thought it important that visitors can be accommodated with host families: “Then you actually see how the other culture lives. When people meet, sit together and celebrate, that’s the basis for peaceful coexistence.”
All Hail the Squat - The King or Queen of Exercise -
This is the final part of my mini-series on powerlifting for the everyday person - and I’ve left the best till last. All hail the squat, known by some as the king of all exercises (unless you’re a body builder and then it’s more likely to be the bench press).
Why is the squat so important? Of the 3 exercises, it’s the most functional. Everyone squats whether they realise it or not. What do you do when you sit on the toilet or when you sit on a chair? You squat! And that’s why it’s so important - it enables you to move more effectively for longer. One of the main problems when we age is frailty, and this causes falls. Not to be morbid, but a high number of people don’t come out of hospital after a fall due to complications with their joints.
Like the deadlift and the push up, there are so many variations but before we go into that, let’s look at the benefits of squatting:
1. They make your legs stronger - that’s all the different parts of your legs. Thighs, hamstrings, calves and even your glutes. They also lessen the chance of you injuring your knees. Contrary to popular belief, squats don’t damage your knees. Done correctly they can improve the strength and stability of your knees. This directly impacts on you being able to get off the floor if you fall over.
By Ola Adamolekun
2. They help your bone mineral density - as we age, we lose bone density which can lead to sarcopenia.
3. They improve your flexibility.
4. You can do them anywhere. In the gym, in the office, waiting for the kettle to boil. The squat is so versatile that you can do a variation of this exercise anywhere.
Now that you know the benefits, where do you start? I say start by just getting out of your seat - because that is a squat. The best place to start is with your own body weight. The squat is also called a ‘sit to stand’ so if you have difficulty with mobility that’s the best place to start. If you’re fit and healthy and just want to stay that way, there are different options.
Here is how I start my clients off and then progress them:
1. Body weight squats allow you to learn the basic exercise pattern and how that works with your body. Everybody is different, so your squat will be specific to your body mechanics.
2. Resistance band squats: This is the first step to adding weights to your squats and resistance bands have the advantage of being flexible and super joint friendly.
3. Goblet squats: These can be done with a kettlebell or a dumbbell. You hold it in front of you close to your chest and it helps you keep your chest upright and stops you from bending forward too much. This variation really helps with your posture.
4. Dumbbell squats: There a few variations of these and once you master goblet squats, you’ll have the right technique and correct posture to try dumbbell squats.
5. Barbell squats: The big daddy of squats. I’d advise that you get someone to teach you how to barbell squat because it can be dangerous. However, once you master the technique, the sky is the limit.
Now you know where to start, you have no excuse not to squat. If you want help, feel free to contact me - I’m sure I can get you off to a flying start. Until next time... happy squatting!
www.beencouragedwellness.co.uk www.facebook.com/BeEncouragedBeStrong
CCR Latest News
It was lovely to meet people at the Anglia Ruskin Science Fair last month. Lots of fun was to be had making sound effects on our stand, and it’s great to hear so many compliments from listeners to our service.
New show alert! We are pleased to welcome the Chelmsford Lions to our monthly Community Takeover show slot. The Lions team will be showcasing what they get up to, including news on their fundraising endeavours and how they benefit other organisations in the Chelmsford area and beyond.
The show will also give an interesting insight into how local Lions groups contribute to the wider Lion network over the UK. You can tune in to their first show on Sunday 26th November and thereafter on the 4th Sunday of each month. Don’t forget our other Community Takeover shows are also available - Géné Radio from the Guides is on the first Sunday of the Month, and the Rotary Roundup team will
be with you on the 3rd Sunday of the month. Tune in between 10am and 12noon.
We are also pleased to bring you a new classical music show on Sundays from 8pm - 9pm called Smooth Classics. We hope that you will join us in welcoming new presenter Deborah to our line-up and give her your support.
Don’t forget, you can get in touch with Chelmsford Community Radio via our website www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com or via our social media pages by searching, ‘@chelmsfordcr’.
To read this magazine online visit moulshamtimes.com.
For the City Times, go to thecitytimes.co.uk.
MT Finance - Are Equities or Bonds the Best?
The idea behind equity investing is that by taking more risk than a bond, you should get more reward. The annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank warned the world that growth will be slower this year and next, though they still expect growth overall to be around 3%.
Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the IMF, recognised that the US economy had recovered better than many others from the pandemic falls, and worries that lower income countries have suffered most. She expects interest rates to stay higher for longer to purge inflation from the system. She does not want further tightening or financial instability and thinks governments need to be more attentive to debts and deficits which have gone up. Growth and low inflation are often important to successful investing in financial assets.
The idea behind equity investing is that by taking more risk than a bond you should get more reward. Economies usually expand and people’s real incomes rise, punctuated by occasional recessions or setbacks. In most countries, real incomes are much higher than 50 or 100 years ago - and technology has transformed business size and profitability. By having a share in a competitive business, the shareholder should benefit from rising turnover and profits as the economy expands.
Shareholders can gain from company success, by receiving more dividend payments from rising profits, or by the company reinvesting the profits and creating more assets which shareholders collectively own. Overall, it is usually stated that investing in shares rather than bonds has produced higher annual returns when smoothed out for the ups and downs of stock markets. In any individual year or couple of years, you could end up losing more in equities than in bonds. If central banks hike rates too much and bring on a downturn, many companies will lose some turnover and struggle with profits. It is also important to point out that If you choose the wrong shares, you can lose the whole investment. You can also choose the wrong economies and markets to back.
Indian Stock Market a Success
For some markets, this general principle of share growth has worked well. Take India, for example. This large economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. As it grows so the number of quoted profitable companies expends, and so each successful company increases its turnover, dividends, and earnings. The Indian stock market has so far reflected this. The Sensex Index has risen from around 5,000 in early 2000 to a greatly increased peak of over 41,000 by January 2020 and has recovered from the COVID-19 sell-off to a recent high of c. 66,000.
The same is not true of China, despite this giant having a great growth rate throughout the current century so far. The Shanghai Index reached a peak of 5,818 in October 2007. It only got back to a lesser peak of 5,166 in June 2015, and today languishes at c. 3,100 at the time of writing, some 47% down on its all-time high. This is not a good reward for investors who correctly bet China would grow well over those 16 years.
Chinese investment is complicated by the extent of government involvement in the economy, with much activity in nationalised businesses that do not allow outside investors, or through heavily regulated private-sector companies where the government may limit the scope for shareholders to benefit from growth. There are also governance issues, with some Western investors not wishing to commit their capital to the country given the ongoing influence of the Chinese government.
Us Markets Also Have Performed
The case for equity investing has been more than redeemed by the performance of US shares in general and the stunning rises in the digital giant companies the US has bred this century. The Nasdaq index, representing the technology part of the US market, is the
second largest stock market in the world in its own right. This index has gained 168% on its very elevated peak of 10th March 2000 and is up 413% on its November 2007 high. These figures remind us that it took Nasdaq a long time to regain its 2000 high before taking off in the middle of the last decade.
The overall world share index is now dominated by US companies, representing 69% of the advanced world index. In order to gain from good share appreciation, an investor in recent years needed some direct or indirect exposure to these winners.
What About Bonds?
Bonds which generated good returns until the start of the rate rises in 2022 performed badly as rates rose, forcing bond prices down. Today these bonds represent much better value as they offer the prospect of decent income after a long period of depressed yields. Investors have been reminded the hard way that owning a ‘safe’ government bond that does not repay any time soon can lose you money, given the inverse relationship between interest rates and bond prices (as interest rates move up, bond prices go down and vice versa). When interest rates come down owners of longer-dated bonds should experience good gains in market valuations of their investment.
Most government bonds are safer than other financial investments. Most government bonds are safer than other financial investments in the sense that the main countries issuing them are unlikely to fail to pay the interest and to meet the date for repayment. Where an individual company can cut a dividend or go bankrupt wiping out shareholders, most advanced-country government bonds will be repaid in full and on time. Some holders plan to keep the bonds until they repay, so the daily fluctuations of price are of no great concern. Some countries, however, end up reneging on payments and redemptions, whilst as interest rates move around the day-to-day value of a bond can vary a lot. Wars, revolutions, and coups can change a country’s ability and willingness to repay old debts incurred by previous governments. Stability of a country’s institutions and the pursuit of peace make for better bond investments.
No Simple Answer
The conclusion from these past patterns is there is no simple eternal investment truth or easy way of forecasting what will happen next. Bonds and equities have different characteristics and are suitable for a range of different investment needs. The extra risk of a share repays if the company flourishes and grows its profits, thereby increasing the value of the company. A bond from a reliable borrower can deliver a good running income that is predictable and can offer capital gains once interest rates have reached their peak in a cycle. We also must consider that high interest rates mean better returns on cash, for those who do not wish to be exposed to the fluctuations in the stock or bond market. The long-term evidence suggests that both equities and bonds should provide a greater return than cash when you consider a multi-year period, however, higher interest rates are beneficial for those savers who have waited patiently for an improvement on the meagre returns on offer for much of the past decade.
Graham Austin, Chartered FCSI Investment Director
Graham.Austin@charles-stanley.co.uk 0207 149 6696
The value of investments can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than invested. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. The information in this article is for general information purposes and is not a trading recommendation. Charles Stanley is not a tax adviser. Nothing in this article should be construed as personal advice based on your circumstances. No news or research item is a personal recommendation to deal. Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 55 Bishopsgate, London EC2N 3AS.
The Singing Chef
Method
Brown Butter Potato Soup and Cheesy Skins
Ingredients (Serves 2)
4 baking potatoes. 125g salted butter. 1 litre chicken or vegetable stock. 150ml crème fresh. Salt and pepper to taste.
Prick and bake 4 baking potatoes in the oven until crispy on the outside and soft in the middle.
In a saucepan, melt the butter - don’t leave the butter unattended. The butter will first start to foam then will smell nutty and then will start to look a nutty colour, when it does, remove it from the heat and go to next step.
Scoop out the soft potato from the skins and add to the pan and mix in with the butter - again, don’t leave the butter unattended. It will first start to foam then will smell nutty and then will start to look a nutty colour, when it does remove it from the heat and add the potato. Add chicken stock and crème fresh and blend and season to taste.
Add the grated cheese and a drizzle of oil to the potato skins and season. Grill untill bubbly and serve with the soup.
You can email Sarah at sarahmtfood@gmail.com.
Breakfast With Santa tickets sold out in four days! This is a record, we’ve had thoughts about additional sitting times, and we may think about this in the future - but we do this with the help of 20 to 30 volunteers, so it is a big commitment to cover over another weekend or later sittings. We’ll let you know for next year...
We have a Christmas market fayre that we are calling Made With Love. This is on 4th November from 10am till 3pm - the Copper Pot Café will be open as usual. There will be a range of crafts from local crafters and the MLCT Craft team will have their own Christmasthemed table.
Men’s Shed, which is every Friday from 1pm till 3pm, has been busy this month. Malcolm (pictured right) is one of our shedders, and he made a new Copper Pot sign for the back seating area of the café. Another,
John, made us a nice new commemoration plaque for our defibrillator.
Big News
The Copper Pot Café is now open on a Monday!
The Copper Pot Café has been working hard to get to a point where they can be open on a Monday, and with a little bit of staff reorganisation on shifts with Laura and Sue, we are now pleased to say people can enjoy the same menu on a Monday.
Copper Pot Café is open Monday - Friday from 8am till 4pm, and Saturday from 9am - 3pm.
www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07434 678 999
An Update From Moulsham Lodge Ward - By
All Change on Gloucester Avenue
When we were elected as your city councillors last May, residents were quick to tell us that Moulsham Lodge was a quiet place, but there’s certainly plenty of change on the cards right now...
One very common thing people are raising with us on the doorstep is unsafe parking on the many small junctions which lead off Gloucester Avenue. Sightlines are often poor and safety is compromised and it clearly isn’t sustainable for this to continue. We’re very pleased to inform those not already aware that we are having a Traffic Regulation Order (or TRO for short) put in place so that all of these small junctions, right along Gloucester Avenue, are going to have junction protection double yellow lines put in soon to help alleviate this very real issue.
If Moulsham Lodge can be said to have a sort of mini-village centre, then surely it is on Gloucester Avenue with the parade of shops there. Things are changing here too, it would seem. The eagle-eyed amongst you who go around reading planning permission notices stuck on lamp posts (what, just us?) may have picked up that the Co-op is intending to remain where it is whilst downsizing to a smaller unit. We will keep our ears to the ground to see what will become of the vacant space, and let’s all hope it will add to the variety of the local retail and services offer for us all here in Moulsham Lodge. If you have any suggestions, then please let us know and we can speak to the management company. By the way, make sure you don’t get caught out when parking in the car park there - it’s a 90 minute limit in there now.
Many of you got in touch to express your understandable disappointment when the Gloucester Avenue Post Office, which was situated inside McColl’s, closed down a little while ago. Well, there’s been a degree of progress here too.
Moulsham Local, at 124 Gloucester Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 9LG, began hosting what the Post Office are describing as a ‘newer, lighter branch format developed to take advantage of the opportunities in the pre-paid parcels market and helping to address
Ashley Thompson
&
Simon Goldman
gaps in service coverage’. The new Drop & Collect at Moulsham Local, will offer Post Office services from a handheld device, providing convenient access for customers to bill payments and prepaid parcel collections and returns. A wider range of Post Office services are available from the nearby branches at Great Baddow Post Office, The Vineyards, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 7QS and Moulsham Post Office, 67-68 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, CM2 0JA.
It is perhaps regrettable, and for some a little inconvenient, that things like banking services won’t be available at the new Drop & Collect Post Office, but we are keeping our ears to the ground and advocating for the maximum service levels possible, and we’re definitely open to ideas for different ways in which these might potentially be achieved. One idea we are exploring is a banking hub. Meanwhile, we have been liaising with Chelmsford College to have more litter bins installed, and we wish to thank all those residents that have engaged actively in litter picking in an effort to tackle this problem. Maybe we can do a community litter pick soon, what do you think?
And finally, a couple of dates for your diary. 19th November is the Christmas Lights Switch-On in the city centre. There’s always a great buzz around the place for this event and they’ll be plenty of activities going on too. Then on Sunday 26th November the place to be seems to be St Luke’s Church in Moulsham Lodge, who have the pleasure of welcoming their new Priest-in-Charge with a service from 3.30pm.
As always, please do contact us with any news or issues that you may have and we look forward to seeing at our next surgery at The Copper Pot with the Community Police on 4th November at 1pm.
ashley.thompson@chelmsfordlibdems.org.uk simon.goldman@chelmsfordlibdems.org.uk
Or follow us on the following platforms: Chelmsford Liberal Democrats Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChelmsLibDems
Facebook: Simon Goldman - Moulsham Lodge Councillor Twitter: twitter.com/ChelmsLibDems
Tile Kiln Corner - By Cllr Linda Mascot
At Tile Kiln Church, long awaited improvements to the building have begun. The works include turning the current kitchen into toilets with the new kitchen to be built out into the car park and two small offices to be erected at the rear of the church.
Admin Leader Liz Parker explained: “As a church we have always wanted to make the most of the building that we have, providing activities available to the community whilst also operating the preschool.
“Although at present we have in place a safe system from the point of view of safeguarding and fire risk, one of the main aims of these works is to enhance that safety, making the preschool totally separate. We expect the works to be completed in mid-February, but until then we are not starting any new activities in
case they are disrupted by lack of power etc. Please keep an eye out after spring half-term for information about new ventures and the return of old favourites, like the Holiday Club for primary-aged children that will be taking place in the Easter holidays.
“While the contractors are working, we are temporarily losing half the car park. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to parents of preschool children and visitors to church activities and services.”
These are the dates for Christmas services at Tile Kiln Church:
Sunday 17th December - Carol service. Sunday 24th December - Nativity for all ages.
Monday 25th December - Christmas morning worship.
Nearer the time, residents of Tile Kiln estate will receive a card through the door with more details. If you have any questions about the Christmas programme or the building project, please email admin@tilekilnchurch.org.uk.
The Christmas Train is Coming...
It was a balmy early October afternoon when I first saw them… Mince pies.
Oh, no - already?! I like Christmas. Honest, I do. But I have a big preference for Christmas at Christmas time - not during an October heatwave!
Nevertheless, our shops like to get out ahead of everyone, and I suppose there must be people about who enjoy mince pies all year round. If I’m completely honest, I’ve been thinking about Christmas since late July, when I began to set the dates for our Christmas services (make sure you check out the poster on this page).
So, whilst I’d like to formally invite you to join us at one or more of our Christmas Services - Carol Service on 17th December, 6pm; Nativity Service on 24th December, 10.30am (you get to dress up for this one!); Christmas Morning Service on Christmas Day, 10.30am - I’d also like to say something about time and seasons.
There is a time for everything, the Bible tells us. A season for everything under the sun (are you humming along to The Byrds yet?). The wisdom of this is that we shouldn’t wish time away. We can spend so long living in the past (often in regret) or in the future (often longing for the next big, exciting thing) that the present becomes a time of low level misery we must simply endure.
I guess that’s why Christmas countdowns start so early - it’s the big, exciting thing about winter.
But can I encourage you today to be present? Because time is, in fact, a gift from God. It is the gift that enables all the other gifts he gives. Too often we’re living in the past or the future because of pain or hurt - we can’t look the present in the eye, it’ll cause us too much pain; we’ll become too intimately aware of our loneliness, emptiness, wounds.
But Jesus Christ is right here, today, in the present moment, and he will help and heal you, if you want him to. He’ll do that in this present
moment - all you need do is ask him.
The Christmas story proves this - Jesus, the Son of God, born as a baby, right in the present mess of the world, in order to bring salvation, hope and healing to everyone who asks him for it. So, today, ask Jesus to help - he’s here in this present moment.
If you want to know more or have any questions, please get in touch!
PS: Don’t forget to pop those Tile Kiln Church Christmas Services in your diary!
Tim Goodall, Pastor, Tile Kiln Church
tim.goodall@ tilekilnchurch. org.uk 07821 866 301 YouTube: tinyurl.com/y24qlkvx Faceook: www.facebook.com/tilekilnchurch www.tilekilnchurch.org.uk
Quiz Time - By John Theedom
What is the name of the man who entered the grounds of Windsor Castle to kill QE II?
With which sort of music is Enrico Caruso usually associated?
Brass is an alloy of which 2 metals?
Which Scottish scientist/inventor patented the telephone in 1876?
When was the UK’s first national census?
What was it that Peter Piper picked?
What is the term for the study of mankind?
Acme is what exactly?
What year did the UK’s lease on Hong Kong end?
What is wrong with the famous London Millenium Bridge?
Why has Joe Biden removed his dog from The White House?
What drama has befallen the Mont Blanc mountain?
Which star sang the song Are We There Yet?
What is the name of the retiring Rolls Royce CEO after 14 years service?
The term ‘phase in’ means what?
Who is the ex-Emmerdale star who is now a farmer?
What type of plant is a coleus?
What is the night before All Saints Day called?
What is the name for a powerful family?
What type of plant is a briar?
What would you do with kale?
Where was Charlie Chaplin born?
What sport does Darcy Graham play?
Who is the TV chef, Rick ……?
What is the name of Holly Willoughby’s husband?
Which football team plays home games at Old Trafford?
What is the longest bone in the human leg?
Which rock group comprised Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham?
Which channel is Big Brother now on?
What is scaling down a building or cliff using a rope called?
Who banned Christmas in Britain in 1647??
What do Americans call courgettes?
What does the phrase ‘dolce vita’ mean?
Who created the Red Bull Soapbox Race series on TV?
In rhyming slang, what are your ‘yarmouths’?
Who sang Joe Le Taxi?
What type of creature is a possum?
What word can be part of a fish and a measure of liquid?
Which part of your eye is light-sensitive?
Who’s Gone Fishing on TV?
Chelmsford FoodCycle volunteers
Week in, week out, FoodCycle nourish the hungry and lonely in our community with delicious meals and friendly conversation, using food which would otherwise go to waste. They need people to help on Thursday afternoons and evenings, at Springfield Baptist Church as:
Hosting volunteers
As a hosting volunteer, you’ll support the team in creating a warm, welcoming environment for guests. You’ll serve food, share a meal with our guests, encourage conversation and clean up after the meal.
Collections and delivery
You’ll pick up surplus food collections from our partner supermarkets and local retailers, insuring a prompt, reliable and friendly collection each week. You’ll then bring the surplus food back to our project and store it securely.
Cooking volunteer
You’ll support the team in creating recipe ideas, help with the preparation of food and the cooking of the meal.
Volunteer car/minibus driver - Chelmsford Community Transport
We need friendly, patient volunteers to help drive vulnerable people to social clubs, shops and medical appointments in Chelmsford. You’ll drive your own car and transport mostly elderly people (prearranged) to various places: shopping, medical appointments, day centres, and clubs. Interesting conversation guaranteed! Petrol money reimbursed.
Collection tin volunteer - British Heart Foundation
Could you look after collection tins in your local community? This
would involve placing collection tins in shops and businesses, counting and banking these tins 4 times a year, thanking the local shops and businesses for their support.
Knit and crochet for good causes! - ladies’ knitting group Are you a keen knitter, or have you always wanted to learn how? We are welcoming volunteers to join a ladies’ only knitting group at Hamptons Sport and Leisure Centre in Great Baddow. Over lots of coffee and cake we chat, create, laugh, and make things for good causes! Monday mornings.
Construction training for young people in Chelmsford areavolunteer at Essex Youth Build
Essex Youthbuild is a charity that has been working with teenagers helping them gain construction and employability skills for more than 12 years. Volunteers are needed to provide support to 14 - 19 year olds in a workshop environment. A good understanding of manual tasks and DIY types activities is essential.
Jaswant Singh Chail
Opera
Copper and zinc
Alexander Graham Bell
1801 (& first census with names was 1841)
‘A Peck Of Pickled Peppers’ Anthropology
A peak or pinnacle, highest point 1997
It is ‘wobbly’ and needs repairing
A series of biting incidents
It has shrunk by more than 2 metres
Rick Astley
Torsten Müller-Ötvös
Introduce gradually
Kelvin Fletcher
House plant with colourful leaves
All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween)
Dynasty
Wild rose
Eat it, it is a hardy cabbage with curly leaves
In a workhouse in Lambeth, London
Rugby
Stein
Dan Baldwin
Manchester United Femur
Led Zeppelin
ITV2
Abseiling
Oliver Cromwell
Zucchini
French for a life of indolence and selfindulgence
F1 driver Max Verstappen
Slippers (kippers)
Vanessa Paradis
A marsupial that lives in trees
Gill (quarter of a pint)
Retina
Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse
