Moulsham Times - September 2019

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Issue Number 79 - September 2019

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MT Welcome

Hi readers,

Welcome to the September edition of Moulsham Times.

At the end of this month (28th September) we have the Old Moulsham Community Yard Sale. There is a good number of people taking part, and lists will be availbable in the Larger Mens shop (next to Pope and Smiths), O’Connors in Hall Street (from 12pm) and on the Facebook pages for Moulsham Times and Real Old Moulsham Neighbours. See the advert on page 13.

If you wish to advertise in this magazine and reach 9,000 local readers, please telephone or email - details below.

Remember too that you can also view our magazines online at www. issuu.com/itsyourmedia.

Enjoy your month!

Regards Paul

Advertising & Editorial Paul Mclean 01245 262082 / 07595 949701 paul@moulshamtimes.com

It’s Your Magazines Ltd 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 Printwize.

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MT Therapy - by Chelmsford Therapy Rooms Hi everyone, Jenny here! Quite often when seeing clients I give them worksheets, exercises or coping techniques to take home with them. A lot of the time the people I see are very pre-occupied by their issues or worries and so I find it helpful to give them something on paper; something tangible that they can refer back to. Today I want to share something with you that might help the worriers out there! Worry is one of the main symptoms I come across in practice.

Your worries might seem very real to you, but the vast majority of the time all the ‘what ifs’ will never happen. Coping with your worry and learning that worrying isn’t the answer to everything is important.

Here are a few tips from one of my worksheets that I hope will help if you feel ruled by your worry!

9 Steps to Help You Stop Worrying!

According to Dr Leahy PhD (Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in New York), people worry because they think something bad will happen or could happen, so they activate a hypervigilant strategy of worry and think ‘if I worry I can prevent this bad thing from happening or catch it early’. Put another way; if you didn’t worry, things might get out of hand. The worrier’s credo is that if you can simply imagine something bad happening, it’s your responsibility to worry about it.

According to Dr Leahy, worriers are more likely to have IBS, nausea, fatigue and aches and pains. In addition, 93% of people with generalised anxiety disorder also have an overlapping psychiatric disorder such as depression.

Sometimes we do need to worry, for example if we run into a bear in the woods we need to worry! However, when worry becomes disproportionate and begins to interfere in our lives, we need to take action. So, with the help of Dr Leahy, here are the steps to help you stop worrying so much!

1. Make a List of Your Worries. Identify what you are worried about.

2. Analyse the List. Look at whether your worry is productive or unproductive. A productive worry is one that you can do something about right now. For example, ‘I am going to Italy, so I may be worried about making plane and hotel reservations’ this is a productive worry because you can take action now by going online to make reservations. By contrast, an unproductive worry is one which you can’t do anything about. It is more of a proliferation of ‘what ifs,’ over which you have no control and there is no productive action that will lead to a solution. For example, losing sleep and worrying about whether or not a loved one will get home from work safely is unproductive, you can’t control their journey any more than they can.

3. Embrace Uncertainty. Once you have isolated your unproductive worries, it’s time to identify what you need to accept in order to get over them. You may need to accept your own limitations or it may be a degree of uncertainty that you need to accept. For example, your loved one may well get stuck in traffic or be in an accident, nobody knows what the future holds. Many worried people equate uncertainty with a bad outcome, but uncertainty is really neutral. When you accept uncertainty, you don’t have to worry anymore. Acceptance means noticing that uncertainty exists and letting go and focusing on the things that you can control, enjoy, or appreciate.

4. Bore Yourself Calm. Leahy says to repeat a feared thought over and over and it will become boring and will go away. If your fear is dying of cancer, look in the mirror and say, ‘I may die of cancer. I may die of cancer’. Say it enough and it will lose its power. Rather than thinking this, I recommend you write it down.

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The more we focus on something the bigger it gets, so rather than obsessing over it in your head, get the worry out on paper so it becomes something that’s real, in front of you, and not causing you harm.

Make Yourself Uncomfortable. “Worriers feel that they can’t tolerate discomfort, but if you practice discomfort, you will accomplish a lot more” Leahy says. The goal is to be able to do what you don’t want to do or things that make you uncomfortable. Worriers tend to avoid new things and situations that make them uncomfortable, such as parties or public speaking engagements. The pre-emptive worry helps them avoid discomfort, but if you force yourself to do the very things that make you uncomfortable, you will rely less on worry as a coping strategy.

Stop the Clock. Worried people often have a sense of urgency.

They think ‘I need the answer right now and if I don’t get it then something terrible will happen’. Look at the advantages and disadvantages of demanding such urgency. Rather than focus on the sense of urgency, instead focus on what you observe right now. Ask yourself ‘what can I do in the present moment to make my life more pleasant or meaningful?’. You can either focus your mind on getting an answer right now or focus on improving the moment. The latter is the better strategy. Take a deep breath, read, or listen to music to stop the clock and curtail your anxiety.

This is a good practice of mindfulness, where you encourage yourself to live in the moment.

Remember That It’s Never as Bad as You Think It Will Be. Anxiety or worry is all about anticipation. The ‘what ifs’ are always way worse than how you feel when something actually happens.

Worriers tend to worry about things that even if they happen, they can’t handle it. Dr Leahy says that worriers are actually good at handling real problems.

Cry Out Loud. “The emotional part of the brain - the amygdala - is suppressed when you worry” Leahy explains. “The emotion kicks in later with gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue or rapid heart rate. Use your emotions; don’t try to get rid of them because when you are crying or angry, you are not worried.”

Crying is a very basic way of releasing emotion without having to explain everything - we cried as babies before we learned how to speak.

Talk About It. Beside the cognitive therapy techniques mentioned above - which can help change troublesome behaviours - talk therapy can also help chronic worriers worry less by getting to the root of their issues. Often talk therapy and cognitive behaviour therapy can work together.

Each individual needs to understand what causes their anxiety or what it is related to. If you dig deep enough and go back to the early bases, it goes away because you have gotten to its roots.

Jenny Hartill is a therapist and owner of Cloud9 Therapy and Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. She is a counsellor and hypnotherapist and can help with a multitude of issues. Please the therapist list on the website at www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or you can email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or call 0330 100 5162 to enquire about an initial consultation. Alternatively, Jenny’s own company website is www.cloud9-therapy.co.uk, her email is info@ cloud9-therapy.co.uk and her telephone number is 07507 307 170.

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Chelmsford - by Vicky Ford MP

It’s great to be able to share the truly excellent news that the Chancellor has now approved a £218m funding package to complete Chelmsford’s second railway station at Beaulieu Park and a north east bypass connecting the A12 to the A131.

Once completed this will mean fewer vehicles travelling into Chelmsford which will alleviate pressure at the Army and Navy, as well as along White Hart Lane and at other junctions.

locally.

Beaulieu Park Station When the station was first considered it was a for a simple two platform design. However, this would have added to congestion on the main train line. The new station will therefore provide a passing loop so that fast trains will be able to overtake stopping services. This will mean more trains will be able to use the entire Great Eastern Main Line network.

As ever, please do not hesitate to get in contact with me at vicky.ford. mp@parliament.uk or follow my page on Facebook for updates.

Army and Navy Flyover Another priority is the urgent need to find a long-term solution to the Army and Navy junction. I am extremely concerned that the flyover has had to be shut indefinitely. Safety must come first. The damage was due to the extreme hot weather in July which meant that the metal expanded, which pressed the structure outwards due to it is built on a curve.

I helped set up the Army and Navy Task Force last October. It is a cross-party group bringing together engineering and highways experts and local government representatives. Before any new scheme can be built, a robust process of design, environmental and other assessments and a public consultation is needed. The first stages of this process are already completed. Eight potential options have been shortlisted and engineers are already undertaking detailed work. Given the latest situation, the work on a long-term replacement is being accelerated with support from the Department for Transport.

This is extremely good news. Detailed meetings have been taking place and a further update is due before the end of August.

However, a new structure will take time to complete the design and to construct. In the interim, engineers are examining whether the original flyover can be repaired and used until an agreed long-term solution is in place.

In addition, Essex County Council have urgently commissioned a review of possible mitigation actions in order to reduce congestion at the junction. This review will be feeding back its initial conclusions as soon as possible in order to implement recommendations by the start of the new school year.

Policing You may have noticed more police around the city. I have been campaigning for extra police in Chelmsford since day one as your MP and even before. We now have a new Chelmsford City Centre police team whom I joined for a patrol along with our Police Commissioner, Roger Hirst. Our team has four dedicated constables and one sergeant working closely with teams covering Maldon and South Woodham Ferrers as well as the City Council Safer Community Officers. This is in addition to the local response police teams across the area.

Rough Sleeping Many members of the public stopped to talk to us about the increase in the number of people begging and rough sleeping over the past couple of months. I am very concerned that more people may be coming to Chelmsford from outside the area. In many cases begging is linked to drug taking. This is very worrying as we also know that County Lines drugs gangs can be extremely violent. Please do think twice before giving money to people on the streets and consider giving instead to one of the many charities helping the homeless

Broomfield Hospital I have also used the break in Westminster to catch up with the excellent staff at Broomfield Hospital, especially the team at the A&E emergency village. Readers may remember that I fought to keep our A&E services, and it is very good to see the extra resources and financing that are going into the frontline. Many new nurse recruits are joining the hospital staff and there is great excitement that the plans to increase specialist services across Broomfield, Basildon and Southend hospitals are now moving ahead.

Deadlines for the October edition: Articles - 18th September Print ready art work - 26th September

Bless This Mouse and Paws for Thought!

All creatures great and small - furry, feathery, or scaly, those with two legs, four legs, eight legs and even no legs - are invited to take part in a special combined Harvest Festival and Pet Blessing Service at St Luke’s Church, Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln on Sunday 6th October at 10am.

The short service is taking place on Animal Welfare Sunday, when we remember St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Lucy Bubb, Churchwarden from St Luke’s said: “The service is an opportunity to say thank you for all that God has created, especially for the companionship we receive from our pets. All of the pets will receive a blessing during the service. There will be refreshments for everyone after the service and we will have some treats for the pets, although we can’t promise to cater for exotic pets! We’re looking forward to welcoming everyone - whether you’re a regular church goer or you’ve never stepped foot inside St Luke’s - for a short lively service full of miaowing, barking, squeaking and snuffling!”

All pets and their owners (and their families) are welcome. Smaller animals should be in appropriate carriers, and dogs kept on their leads throughout - we have a small enclosed garden area if your animals need some fresh air. This service may not be suitable for pets of a nervous disposition, so if your pet is nervous or shy, don’t worry, just bring along a photo instead.

During the service we will be supporting Support Dogs, a charity that provides and trains dogs to increase the independence and quality of life for those affected by autism, epilepsy and physical disabilities.

We will also welcome donations of pet food for Chelmsford Food Bank.

We do hope that you can join us!

Sunday 6th October 2019 at 10am.

St Luke’s Church, Gloucester Avenue, Moulsham Lodge, Chelmsford CM2 9DT. For further details, check out the website at www.stlukemoulsham. co.uk, or our Facebook page. Alternatively email events@ stlukemoulsham.co.uk.

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No Solution in Sight for Flyover Cllr Marie Goldman With the school holidays now over and most people back at work, the issue of traffic congestion all around Chelmsford makes an unwelcome return. This is made worse by there being no obvious solution in sight for the now obviously decrepit Army & Navy flyover.

The cross-party task force hasn’t been able to find a short-term solution for the flyover, which means that it will probably remain closed for several more months - in fact it may never reopen.

In the medium to long-term, a solution needs to be found to deal with Chelmsford’s traffic and transport issues as a whole. We need to find innovative and sustainable ways of reducing the amount of traffic coming into Chelmsford in the first place, as well as encouraging more sustainable forms of transport: better buses, more cycle routes, perhaps another park and ride.

In the short-term, however, we are all going to have to do our best to change our travel habits. We all need to ask ourselves what we can do to ease congestion around Chelmsford. Could we walk to school?

Do we really have to drive to the shop around the corner? Could we cycle to see a friend?

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This won’t be easy and it won’t feel painless - and for lots of people, poor health, long distance and time pressures may mean it simply isn’t possible. But for many of us - if we’re being honest, probably the majority of us - we can sometimes make different choices in the way we travel, even if it isn’t all the time.

Where that’s possible, we may even surprise ourselves and find that it’s better. Better for our fitness, better for our mental health and better for our city as a whole.

Chelmsford by Night - Cllr Jeremy Lager Our city centre is a vibrant place at night, and it takes the work of many people, both paid and unpaid, to help residents and visitors to enjoy it in safety. Moulsham & Central ward councillor Jeremy Lager joined one such team of people, the Street Pastors, at the end of August, to see the work they do.

The Street Pastors are volunteers who patrol Saturday night, on the lookout for people who, for whatever reason, are in need of support or help.

Jeremy said: “As it was still the summer holidays, it was a relatively quiet night. We walked up the High Street and checked on the welfare of a couple of homeless people we met. We paid a visit to the SOS bus and saw the facilities available: paramedic, first aid, monitoring and resus equipment, as well less technical supplies like sweets, sick bowls and water. The SOS bus even helped one client in a more novel way, by providing her with a pair of flip flops, for a suitable donation!

We then toured around Bond Street, where many people are dropped off, and collected a large number of glass bottles, to prevent them getting broken and causing hazard to others later on in the night.”

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MT Health

Using the Scandinavian Philosophy ‘Lagom’ to Improve Health - by Chris at Forté Physical Health I was recently chatting to a mentor of mine and saying how difficult it is to turn my mind off when I’m not at work. I think it’s a fairly common problem that many of us can relate to. Knowing that I quite enjoy reading about life philosophy, my mentor pointed me in the direction of the Scandinavian philosophy known as ‘lagom’.

In the same way that I have managed to turn my brain off when I’m not at work, because I trust that I have done ‘enough’, maybe you can pursue your habits of health by asking, ‘what is the right amount?’

Lagom is one of those wonderful words that has no direct translation to English, but it is roughly translated as ‘just the right amount’. As a philosophy, the Scandinavians try to use it in all areas of their lives in the knowledge that too little of a given thing or activity won’t satisfy you, but excess can become a poison.

Chris Branch is the principal osteopath at Forté Physical Health. The therapists at Forté are specialists in the treatment of back pain, joint pain and sports injuries. The treatment often includes discussion of lifestyle factors to help accelerate healing and well-being.

Reading about lagom suddenly helped me to stop thinking about work when I’m no longer there. I know now that if I do the right amount of work, then I don’t need to worry about it anymore. I have done enough.

The change in me was so quick and so palpable that I have started to look at all areas of my life and ask, what is the right amount?

This is particularly helpful in the pursuit of health. There is an adage in medicine, ‘the dose makes the poison’, where if you take a good thing but tweak it to excess, it becomes toxic.

Take exercise as an example. Exercise benefits our cardiovascular system, it keeps us strong and flexible, it clears our mind and improves happiness, but if we train too much and don’t focus on rest, is it sustainable? Many of the injuries I see in the clinic are caused by overtraining and I often see the biggest improvements in the performance of people when they master the art of training smart, not hard and focus on effective rest.

At the other end of the spectrum, if you are not exercising at all, that doesn’t fit the lagom philosophy either, because it’s ‘too little’. If this is the case for you, ask yourself, ‘what is the easiest way for me to get into exercise?’ Choose the thing that you will enjoy the most, or has the fewest barriers to entry, to get the ball rolling.

With our diet, nutrition can be confusing. There are so many models out there; do you go paleo? Keto? Plant-based? Whichever you choose, the general consensus is that following a natural, wholefoods approach is best. But becoming obsessive causes more stress! Be healthy, but be human.

The other major pillar of health is sleep. I recently finished reading the book, Why We Sleep, by Matthew Walker. I highly recommend it, but for the time-poor people out there, you can search and see his TED Talk online on the topic instead.

Chronic lack of sleep can cause all sorts of problems, and by lack of sleep, he’s only talking about an hour or two under the 8-hour target.

Many of us are not in the Goldilocks zone of lagom when it comes to sleep, and it is slowly killing us. Try turning your phone off at 8pm and minimising screentime after 9pm, turn the Wi-Fi off when you go to bed, keep the room dark and cool and avoid caffeine in the afternoon and alcohol in the evening to get the best quality sleep.

At first, lagom may seem a bit of a party pooper, but I think that’s partly due to our deep rooted British nature that tends to like going to excess with things. When you take the time to step back and observe your life, you may notice that to achieve the calm contentment that true happiness brings, it requires less than you thought.

When you find the answer, it will lead to sustainable and consistent habits that will keep you healthy for years to come.

Until next time, have a healthy month!

If you have any questions, you can find details to get in touch at fortephysicalhealth.co.uk.

All Ears - Living with Hearing Loss

A free to attend All Ears, Living with Hearing Loss event will take place at Christ Church, Chelmsford on Thursday 19th September from 2.30pm-4.30pm, inviting people with hearing loss and who wear NHS hearing aids to attend.

The informative session will cover living with and managing hearing loss, acclimatising to wearing hearing aids, lots of useful advice and tips, practical advice, assistive equipment, the latest advancements in technology and the wide range of support services that are available.

People who are new to NHS hearing aids will find it particularly beneficial, though established users, friends and carers are welcome to attend and find out more.

The event, delivered by Hearing Help Essex, a Chelmsford based notfor-profit charity, supports many people in Essex living with acquired hearing loss, to help alleviate the loneliness and isolation it can bring. Hearing loss impacts on people’s lives in all sorts of ways, with practical, social and emotional challenges being faced on a daily basis.

Places must be booked in advance. Phone: 01245 496 347, Text 07950 406 173 or email: help@hearinghelpessex.org.uk Hearing Help Essex are pleased to provide the following services for the residents of Essex living with hearing loss: Information, advice, and guidance sessions at various locations countywide.

Dates and locations can be found by visiting www.hearinghelpessex. org.uk.

A Hearing Aid Support Service is open to NHS hearing aid users needing help with re-tubing and routine maintenance. Dates and locations can also be found at www.hearinghelpessex.org.uk.

Hearing Aid Batteries Users of NHS hearing aids can obtain new supplies of hearing aid batteries from libraries across the county. Thay are available daily at reception desks on presentation of the NHS Audiology Record Book, or the new style card, as proof.

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MT Gardening As we zoom towards the autumn term, it’s time to plan for planting. Whether it be for ornamentals or edibles, this is the perfect time to scour nursery catalogues and research suitable sites to ensure you have the right plant for the right place.

At Writtle University College, we have installed a new kitchen garden supported by the Geoff Hamilton Foundation and the support of our full time horticultural level 2 and 3 students. With this being our first autumn, we’ll be planting a range of top and soft fruits to support the vegetable sections. Don’t worry if you’ve got limited space, as many types of fruit respond well to container growing.

Types of Fruit Fruit can be divided into two groups: soft fruit and tree fruit.

Soft Fruits: Soft fruits include: bush fruits (such as currants and gooseberries), cane fruit (such as raspberries, blackberries) and hybrid berries (such as

loganberries. Strawberries are in group of their own.

Tree Fruits: Tree fruits (top fruit) include: pome fruit (such as apples and pears), and stone fruit (such as plums, peaches, nectarines and apricots).

For the best results consider the following top tips: Aspect The majority of fruit requires a sunny position. Light shade will be tolerated by some such as the bush and cane fruit, but it may reduce yield. Stone fruit such as peaches and apricots must have a sunny site in order for the fruit to ripen. A site that faces south or southwest is generally best.

Shelter Shelter is very important to encourage pollinating insects, which are essential for successful fruit development. Fruit can be damaged on the bush or blown off the tree prematurely if the site is exposed and windy.

Frost pockets should be avoided as many fruit blossom early in the season and if the blossom is damaged the fruit will fail to develop.

A semi-permeable barrier to filter wind is preferable, if required, as a solid barrier may cause turbulence and trap frost.

Soil Fruit require at least 50cm depth of topsoil. The soil should be a fertile, well drained loam rich in organic matter. A slightly acid soil with a pH of around 6.5 is ideal.

The Layout of the Fruit Garden A fruit garden will be a permanent feature and the layout and preparation should be carefully planned.

Soil Preparation As the fruit garden will be a permanent feature, thorough soil preparation is essential, Pay particular attention to the incorporation of well rotted organic matter, as this will increase both the soil fertility and the soil structure.

Buying Plants It is preferable to purchase fruit trees or bushes from specialist nurseries. Mail order is still one of the best ways to purchase fruit trees and bushes.

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for planting.

Tree and bush fruit are generally available as bare root or container grown specimens.

Cane fruit are usually bought in bundles with the roots wrapped in polythene. It is wise to purchase young plants, as they tend to establish better.

Autumn and spring are the most suitable times

Rootstocks Many fruit trees are grafted onto rootstocks of closely related plants.

These rootstocks confer qualities such as disease resistance and help to control the size of the tree. When purchasing a fruit tree the label should state the type of rootstock.

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Fruit trees come in a variety of forms; namely unrestricted or restricted:

For RHS Level 2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture, email christina. lavelle@writtle.ac.uk for information on availability of days and times.

1. Unrestricted

Tree fruit are grown as bush, standard or half standards and receive formative pruning to develop this shape.

2. Restricted Forms

When fruit are grown in a trained manner they are referred to as restricted forms. They require careful and regular pruning.

For RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Horticulture (1 year, day release), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Plant Growth, Propagation & Development (September - February), RHS Level 2 Certificate in the Principles of Garden Planning, Establishment and Maintenance (Starting 14th February - June 2019) and for RHS Level 3 Certificate in Practical Horticulture, email tom. cole@writtle.ac.uk for information on availability of days and times.

Protection Fruit cages are useful for protecting fruit from birds and other animals. Don’t forget that horticultural fleece is invaluable for protecting fruit blossom from frosts. Hessian or sacking may also be draped over wall trained specimens when frosts are forecast.

Weed Control Weeds compete for moisture, space and nutrients and should be controlled. Total herbicides may be used but care must be taken to avoid drift. Hand weeding, hoeing and mulching is often a better choice.

Pests and Diseases Thorough garden hygiene is important to help reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases. Disease resistant cultivars are also available eg, gooseberry ‘Invicta’ has some resistance to mildew.

Pruning Regular pruning will promote the health of the plant and the development of fruit. Pruning regimes differ with the type of fruit and method of growing.

Lastly, we still have a few spaces on a number of horticultural courses this year:

We also offer a very comprehensive range of full time and short courses in landscaping, design and garden maintenance. Follow this link for further information: writtle. ac.uk/shortcourses.

Happy gardening For any gardening tips please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@ writtle.ac.uk.

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Nick Garner’s Music & Ramblings Festival Update 2020 We are well underway with the planning for the 2020 Chelmsford Arts and Cultural Festival, which will be from the 19th to 28th June 2020.

We are currently working on getting further sponsorship to put on a big musical spectacular to end the festival in Central Park, so if you know of any business that maybe interested in getting involved, then please contact us via the details below. We can then pass on full details of what we can offer and what we have in mind.

We are also looking at possibly adding some more trustees to the charity, so if you are interested and would like to know more then please send us an email to the address below.

Music & Ramblings Over the last month I have been very busy playing, putting on, and watching! It started with a very short tour for us (Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective). We played four shows - in Berkhamsted, Cropredy (near Banbury) and Devizes, and we finished off at the 100 Club in London. I must say we had a great time and all of the audiences seemed to really enjoy us as well - which I suppose is reflected in the fact that all the venues have rebooked us!

Since then, we have played a couple of stripped back gigs using stand-ins/additional musicians (this being the holiday season not all of the regular band have been available). A couple of times we have played with Joe Anderton who stood in on two gigs with us - one on bass and the other on guitar. Both were fantastic gigs.

Jamie Williams & the Roots Collective are currently in the midst of recording some new material for a new release sometime in 2020 and we are hoping to have some exciting guests play on it as well.

Next on was Lady J Troublemaker with her humour, wonderful voice and great songs. She also supplied cakes for competition prizes too.

Next, a favourite of the pub as Rich Young took to the stage once again with his mix of originals and covers, plus some great stories and banter - he definitely put a smile on all of our faces. Tom McQ was up next, a musician we saw earlier in the year and wanted to book again. He is a very entertaining singer-songwriter.

The One Tree Hillbillies were on next, sadly with no Alex on fiddle or Hippy Joe who was in Australia, so I proposed that Pam from the Hardy Perennials join them on fiddle. She did and they loved her.

They also had Gordon join in on harmonicas and spoons to complete a superb set followed by rapturous applause. Next on (and with Pam doing a double show) were the Hardy Perennials with a mix of folk, Americana, originals and covers done in their own inimitable way.

Again, a fantastic set, this was rounded off outside with our friend Spike playing a few cover songs which got all joining in and smiling before we moved inside for the last two acts.

Inside, the first act on was Blues Brew - this was a band you just had to dance to, as they were so lively - everyone wants them back, and they will be. The last band of the day was one of the best covers bands around - Playlister. They cover all the favourites and are the perfect band to end a party in a pub. The place was rocking.

The next two days weren’t organised by me, though I did pop in on the Sunday where Darryl Butcher was spinning the discs and doing a great job out in the garden - all the reports were that again it was a fab day, as was Monday when Barry Owens opened in the garden with a couple of hours along with some guests like Joe Anderton and our very own Scott.

Next up was our trip to Fairport Convention’s Cropredy Festival and this year was a big one as it was the 40th anniversary. It was fantastic, even if the weather was not too good! Sadly, my other half Jan was unwell so unable to join us and she was greatly missed, especially by me. After we returned we played at the Smoke and Fire Festival in Maldon. I had never been before but if you love food, especially meat and barbeque, there might just be nowhere better to be - the choices were immense. It was a surprisingly big festival with three music stages; we played the Americana stage and had a great time, and we hope to be able to play it again.

Then inside, Jar Records took to the stage for the next couple of hours with various acts, then it was the turn of Denholm Elliott to put on some acts that again all got a great response from the crowds.

Would we do it again? Of course - this time next year!

Next we had the third UB Festival - and what a weekend, the weather was perfect. I put together the first two days which started with the Ugly Guys on the Friday night, who were great, with a mix of country and Americana plus a mix of originals and covers - they got the whole pub going as they always do.

On Friday 20th September we have managed to get SNAFU - another band that have a great long history and still with the original keyboard player and Bobby Harrison on lead vocals. Bobby was also in Procol Harum. Micky Moody of Whitesnake also came from SNAFU, so once again an amazing act you will not normally see playing in a venue like this so make sure you don’t miss out on this rare free treat.

It doesn’t now stop at the UB of course - it just continues, and again we have a couple of very special acts coming up in September besides all the normal great acts. On Saturday 14th September we have The Buster James Band who have been around since 1979. So forty years now and still as good a rock and party band as ever.

If you are putting on, or know of, any events that should be publicised in the Moulsham or City Times then please email editorial@ itsyourmedia.co.uk.

For more information on all of the above, see the links below and pick up a copy of the City Times and go to the What’s On pages to see what else in happening in your area. If you go to our Facebook pages look at the ‘Events’ tabs where you can see who is playing and preview the up-and-coming acts.

On day two we had ten acts playing from 2pm to midnight. We started with a bang with Richard Townend. At first it was quite quiet, but the garden eventually filled up quickly as they seemed to hear Richard playing and singing - and it stayed like this for the whole day after!

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www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic The Arts and Cultural email: hello@che lmsfordfestival.org www.chelmsfordfestival.org facebook.com/chelmsfordfestival twitter: @chelmsfordaacf

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MONDAY Millennium Community Centre, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, Great Baddow CM2 9RL 9:00am, 11:00am &1:00pm, Lucy 07801 433626 CONSU NEW CONSULTANT 16TH SEPTEMBER Millennium Community Centre, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, Great Baddow CM2 9RL 5:00pm & 7:00pm Keeley 07930 231386

WEDNESDAY Church Of St Augustine Of Canterbury, St Augustines Way, Springfield CM1 6GQ 9:30am and 11:30am Emma 07887 692906 Writtle Community Association, Longmeads House, 12-14 Redwood Drive, Writtle CM1 3LY 3:00pm, 5:00pm and 7:00pm Jennifer 07792 516866

Boreham Village Hall, Main Road, Boreham CM3 3JD 5:30pm and 7:30pm Springfield Bees Preschool, Perryfields School, Lawn Lane, CM1 7P 7PP Marie 07988 426728 5:00pm and 7:00pm Springfield Park Baptist Church, Angie 07814 992628 Springfield Park Road, Springfield CM2 6EB Hatfield Peverel Infant School Church Road, Hatfield Peverel CM3 2RP 5.30pm and 7:30pm Angie 07814 992628 5:30pm and 7:30pm Marie 07988 426728 St Michael's Church of England Junior School, Barnard Road, TUESD TUESDAY Galleywood, CM2 8RR Newlands Spring Community Hall, 7.30pm Dickens Place, Chelmsford CM1 4UU Lena 07939 675034 9:30am Jennifer 07792 516866 THURSDAY Millennium Community Centre, Broomfield Village Hall, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, 158 Main Road (behind Angel Pub), 9R Great Baddow CM2 9RL Broomfield CM1 7AH 9:30am 3:00pm, 5:00pm and 7:00pm Samantha 01245 266442 Victoria 07823 441198 Millennium Community Centre, Recreation Ground, Baddow Road, Great Baddow CM2 9RL 3:30pm, 5:30pm & 7:30pm Samantha 01245 266442

North Springfield Baptist Church, Havengore, off Pump Lane, Springfield CM1 6JP 5:30pm and 7:30pm Victoria 07823 441198

THURSDAY Newlands Spring Community Hall, Dickens Place, Chelmsford CM1 4UU 5:30pm and 7:30pm Jennifer 07792 516866 Moulsham High School, Brian Close, Chelmsford CM2 9ES 5:30pm and 7:30pm Emma 07738 278911 FRIDAY The Church Of Ascension, Maltese Road, Chelmsford CM1 2PB 9:15am and 11:15am Samantha 01245 266442 Fit n Fab Studio, Village Square (Near Asda), Chelmer Village CM2 6RF 5.30pm Emma 07887 692906 SATURDAY Springfield Park Baptist Church, Springfield Park Road, Springfield, CM2 6EB 8:30am and 10:30am Emma 07887 692906 　

Consultant opportunities available, please contact Marie on 07988 426728 for details

www.moulshamtimes.com 13

d am l O h s l u o M

YARD SALE

Saturday September 28th 10am - 4pm Over 20 stalls all over Old Moulsham Have a wander around the stalls as one persons trash is anothers treasure!

Pick up a list of stall addresses on the day: Larger Mens Clothing in Moulsham Street O'Connors in Hall Street from 12pm Or check the Facebook pages for the Real Old Mousham Neighbours or The Moulsham Times 14 www.moulshamtimes.com

Quiz Time - by John Theedom 1.

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What is the term for a young eel?

Who was the female star in the Goldfinger film?

In history, what was the name of the heavy metal spike-headed club?

What is the official length of a cricket pitch (in yards)?

If you are suffering from anosmia, what has happened?

How many furlongs in 2.5 miles?

Which part of our bodies are described as dorsal?

Rabies is a common name for which condition?

Which is the town in Leicestershire that is famous for pork pies?

When exactly is Maundy Thursday?

What is tempera?

A female ass or donkey is called what?

What was the first name of 1920s star Ms Gish?

What is the American term for autumn?

In Last of the Summer Wine which part was played by Jane Freeman?

What word is used to denote the thickness of tights and stockings?

What is a stylophone?

Who was Admiral Nelson’s mistress?

What does a haberdasher do for a living?

Which type of clergyman carries a crosier?

In which TV series does a tardis feature?

What does the letter ‘R’ stand for in CAMRA? Which type of flower does saffron spice come from?

‘Have yew got a light boy?’ was a catchphrase used by who?

25. What is a hijj?

26. Algal refers to what?

27. Which international company was formed by Jeff Bezos?

28. What is the meaning of the word nether?

29. Chay Blyth is famous for what feat?

30. ‘It’s a puppet’ was whose catchphrase?

31. What was the real name of the female spy Mata-Hari?

32. The word magiric means what?

33. In which English county is the resort of Cleethorpes?

34. What is the monetary unit of Switzerland?

35. What is commonly known as a pullman?

36. Where will you find a whorl?

37. In 2011, Roger Allsopp became the oldest person to do what?

38. In 1863, who made The Gettysburg Address?

39. In which pop band does the artist Suggs perform?

40. Which UK road sign is octagonal in shape?

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

Answers on page 31

Sky Installations, repairs & upgrades

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15

The Singing Chef Wow what an absolutely crazy few months we have had. I’m sure many of you have had summer laughter, sunshine and bucket loads of fun and sand. Who am I kidding - the rain! Juggling work, 3 kids and fixing this fire damaged wreck has been really difficult challenge.

Although it hasn’t all been bad.

We did a few bits The Lion King had me in tears by the first Nants ingonyama I was in bits.

I’m actually surprised and really proud of how resilient and understanding my cherubs have been through this holiday. Even though I’ve done almost nothing with them and had to cancel their holiday away to fix the house, they have been kind and helpful almost all of the time!

By the time ya’ll read this the kids should be back at school and life will (eventually) become more organised again. Like a lot of parents and kids out there I’m really feeling the tension of a new school year!

My eldest is in his last year and will complete his GCSEs and my middle son is off to a school more suited to his needs, and I have just one little munchkin left at Moulsham Juniors. It’s a scary time when children are moving to a different school and new year groups.

Right enough of that let’s talk food...

Succulent meaty BBQs and Pimms o’clock are slowly sinking away with the summer sun, making way for some cooler evenings outside around a chiminea. I am afraid It’s nearly time to drink less Pimms and lightly lay off those lipsmacking, BBQ meats.

This month’s recipe can be created in under an hour and you could compliment the dish with smooth, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy for a heartier supper which would turn it to a warm autumnal dish.

Hope you enjoy it: summer puff with chicken and ham. This works with added mushrooms, but this magazine’s editor is the fussiest person I have ever met and amongst the many things he does not like, mushrooms are near the top of the list. (I have managed to hide anchovies in a spagehetti bolognese; he didn’t notice, but I felt guilty and had to tell him - after he had eaten it). He will probably eat round the chives and the cabbage...

Feeds 4/6: Puff pastry (frozen is fine) Roast chicken (any boneless pieces you have - I used 4 chicken breasts) 1 cup chopped gammon ¾ spring onions 1 garlic clove Half a teaspoon tarragon

1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon fresh sage 1 cup chicken stock ½ cup single cream Pepper Chives to garnish Cabbage (or any other veg you have) ½ onion 1 tablespoon white wine vineger I tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon oil Salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar Method • I am using fresh chicken breast which needs to be roasted in the oven for roughly 20 mins.

• Cut your pastry in to 4 squares (or any desired shape, kids can have some fun with this).

• Then follow your line and make an additional score ½cm inside.

• Cook your puff pastry for 15 minutes following instructions on the packet.

• Soften your garlic and spring onions in a pan for 5 minutes.

• Add gammon, stir fry for 5 minutes.

• Decant your stock and add any chicken or gammon simmer and for 5 minutes.

• Stir in the cream.

• Add your chicken slices and gammon.

• Simmer for another 5 minutes while you cook your greens.

• Sauté the onion in butter and oil.

• Stir fry the cabbage for 5 minutes and add a splash of vinegar, a pinch of sugar and season to taste.

• Fill your pastry baskets with your filling, add some pepper and chives.

Voilà!

I love mustard with this and a real chilled, crisp glass (bottle) of Sauvingon Blanc!

Apart from the tarragon, I grow all the herbs and the bay leaf in my garden - sage and chives are soooo easy to grow almost all year round.

Again, as with all my recipes so far you can change any ingredients to suit, and replace any meat with mixed vegetables for vegetarians.

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.

16 www.moulshamtimes.com

OWENCLEAN

What Happens at Christ Church?

OVEN CLEANING SPECIALIST

Christ Church is a very busy place with hopefully something for everybody. So, here is a flavour of what we have on offer.

LET ME DO THE JOB YOU HATE PROFESSIONAL OVEN CLEANING USING NON TOXIC PRODUCTS COVERING THE ESSEX AREA

We start the week with worship on a Sunday morning at 10.30am for about an hour. These are mostly traditional services, but occasionally we break away from this and have something more relaxed, eg, Café Church.

If you’ve never been to a Sunday Service, or haven’t been for a long time, why not give us a try? Simply speak to the people greeting at the front door and they will make sure you know what is happening.

Activities for Children • Sundays at 10.30am Junior Church: Come into the beginning of Morning Worship then, after about 15 minutes, go out to your own group.

• Tuesday evenings we have Beavers 6-7.15pm, Cubs 6-7.25pm, Scouts 7.30-9pm and Explorer Scouts 8-10pm.

• Thursdays we have a Parent and Toddler group 1.30-3.30pm and Rainbow Guides from 4-5pm.

• OVENS • RANGES • AGAS • ALL HOB TYPES • BBQS • MICROWAVES • EXTACTOR FANS

The people who hire our facilities also provide a range of activities from Rhythmtots on Tuesday mornings to the Weston School of Dance on a Saturday.

FOR A FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE CALL: 07936198651 EMAIL: owencleanchelmsford@gmail.com

Activities for Families On one Wednesday each school holiday and half-term, St John’s Church in Moulsham Street and Christ Church take it turns to host Messy Church. During this there are always games, songs, craft activities, a Bible story and refreshments.

‘brilliant service!

My oven was made to look brand new’ a very satisfied customer

Activities for Adults • Once a month on a Tuesday afternoon the Guild meet to listen to a speaker and chat over tea and biscuits.

• Once a month on a Thursday evening, a member of the congregation hosts a House Group where there might be a Bible study or a discussion on a topical issue.

• Each Friday morning the Meditation Group meets from 9.30am to 11.30am.

• On Friday evenings the choir meets from 7.30pm to 9pm.

charge). Currently we are looking for more volunteer minibus drivers and escorts and people to help with our Wednesday Lunch Club.

The people who hire our facilities also offer a range of activities from Marvellous Mindfulness on a Monday evening to the Punch Strong Academy on a Saturday morning.

If you would like to hire any of our facilities, please contact Richard Jones on 01245 354 529 or email roomsteward@gmail.com.

To find out more, please visit our website at www.christ-churchchelmsford.com, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

If you would like to come along to one of these activities, or have any questions, please contact Jean Burrows on 01245 354 529 or email cchubdesk@gmail.com.

Activities for Seniors • On Wednesday mornings there is an Activity Centre 10-11.30am.

• At 11.30am on Wednesdays, tea and coffee are served followed at midday by a two-course lunch. The lunch costs £3 per person.

• Soup and a dessert are served on Fridays at midday and costs £2 per person.

Occasional Activities About 6 times per year Christ Church hosts a variety concert and you are welcome to take part or come along and listen.

Volunteer Opportunities We welcome volunteers to help us with various activities at Christ Church. All volunteers are given to a DBS clearance check (free of Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

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17

I really enjoyed my time in Jordan, whilst very uncomfortable at over 40°C, the landscape was beautiful and Petra, well, being one of the wonders of the world, my words wouldn’t do it justice!

Overland adventure motorbike travel is all about overcoming situations, sometimes problems, finding solutions and occasionally hoping for the best! Generally, I plan day by day. The route I take varies accordingly by many factors, but I do need to keep an eye on countries, the political situation and events further down the road.

Knowing in a month or so I would want to ride through Egypt (across the Sinai Peninsula) and south through Sudan, I had to be prepared.

I needed a Sudanese visa, which I would attempt to get in Cairo.

If my passport shows I’ve been to Israel they won’t give it to me.

The Israelis know this and don’t stamp passports. The Jordanians acknowledge this too, so when I crossed from Israel, they obliged and didn’t stamp my passport. I’m now in Jordan with no signs I’ve been to Israel, my first objective completed.

I arrived in Petra late afternoon and stayed the night in a Bedouin camp, my bike safely inside the tent too. There is only one entry border into Egypt from Jordan, which involves getting a ferry down the Red Sea, it departs at 11pm every night. With this in mind I decided to get up early the following morning, visit Petra and ride south to the port.

I left Eastern Europe and rode south to Athens, where I prepared my motorbike for the Middle East and Africa: service, repairs and new tyres. I shipped my bike to Israel and started exploring. I rode along the northern border with Lebanon and down the eastern border with Syria. It was hot and barren as I looked out into Syria. I have met many Syrian refugees, mainly families with young children, my thoughts were with them.

Having read so much about Israel, Palestine and the wall and I approached the West Bank checkpoint with anticipation. I thought I would be stopped and questioned; would I be allowed in with a foreign motorbike, complete with luggage? Yet nobody blinked as I rode passed the guards. I spent time in Bethlehem and at the wall (Palestine side) to experience what life ‘enclosed’ feels like. I imagined it was like being in prison! So many people came to talk to me, friendly and welcoming me to their country.

I Don’t Always Make Sensible Decisions!

I got up at 6am and spent until midday exploring the amazing sights of Petra. I hiked about 10 miles over a mountain in the intense heat, then rode 100 miles south, through the desert to Aqaba, the Jordanian city where the ferry departs from. I arrived exhausted mid afternoon, and at 7pm I rode to the port. 2 hours later I was aboard the ferry and ready to sleep. The ferry was crowded, 99% men taking vast quantities of textiles to Egypt. I found a place outside on the top deck, inflated my air mattress and fell asleep around 11pm.

I woke as we docked at Nuweiba Port, Egypt around 1am the following day, and whilst extremely tired having only had 2 hours sleep, I was both excited about entering Egypt and very nervous regarding the long and protracted bureaucracy ahead of me. Over the next 14 (fourteen!) hours I was taken from office to office, had my motorbike inspected, my luggage X-rayed and showed my passport and signed more pieces of paper than I care to remember.

The Egyptian MotorClub in Cairo had to authorise all vehicle carnets (temporary importation document), however I was unaware that I arrived in Egypt at the start of Eid, the main Muslim Festival of the year, and everything closes for 5 or more days. I was told my motorbike couldn’t leave customs for 1 week, and I would have to pay £100 to leave my motorbike there. Having now been up for over 30 hours, trekking around Petra, riding through the desert, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I lost control, shouted and exuded frustration and anger at the predicament I was in. I left the port without my motorbike, not having to pay the £100 at 3.30pm, took a taxi 60 miles south to Dahab, a dive resort by the Red Sea and slept and slept.

The emotional rollercoaster ride continues. Tomorrow I will be scuba diving and the following day I return to Nuweiba Port.

As soon as I crossed the border into Jordan, I was greeted by so many people welcoming me to their country. Over the coming days I would be given many phone numbers, the family I stayed with, the military guy at a checkpoint, the hotel owner, all telling me to contact them if I needed any help. How wonderful - ‘it’s all about the people’. I’ve travelled in many Muslim countries and this is always the case. It’s all about the people...

One Cool Ride combines my passion for overland adventure motor biking and Cool to be Kind, the community project supporting rough sleepers in Chelmsford. In addition to riding, I visit homeless support organisations in various countries I am travelling through, and blog about them to raise awareness of how different countries support vulnerable people. You can read about these experiences at danskeates.com where I blog.

If you want to make a donation there is a link to my JustGiving page on the Cool to be Kind website at c2bk.co.uk. danskeates.com

18 www.moulshamtimes.com

Personal Finance Clinic: Buying Property Using A Property Company Buy to let investing looks less attractive than it did just a few years ago, due to the 3% additional stamp duty levied on purchases and the removal of higher rate mortgage interest relief. So, for people who still wish to invest in bricks and mortar, what’s the alternative to buying property personally?

One option is to purchase a buy to let within a property company. Setting the company up first - and then buying the property within the company - is easier and more cost-effective than the other way around.

As a director of your limited company, the money you pay into the company to purchase the property or put down as a deposit is classed as a directors’ loan. You can charge the company interest on this loan and draw it back out at a later date (when there is enough money in the company to do so). There is no tax to pay on the return of capital, only the interest.

If you need to mortgage the property, the company benefits from full tax relief on the mortgage interest, unlike an individual buy to let investor who only gets interest relief at basic rate (20%). This means you can pay back the mortgage faster, allowing money to roll up in the company more quickly or giving you options to purchase more properties faster.

Once the property is let, rental payments are taxed on the company at corporation tax rates. At 19% this is considerably lower than the 40% or 45% income tax that higher earners pay on personally owned buy to let property income. Again, this can help you clear a mortgage or build up your property portfolio more quickly.

But, be aware - if you then want to draw the money out of the company, your withdrawals will be taxed, with the exception of your annual £2,000 dividend allowance.

The general rule of thumb is; if you need to receive the rental income straight away, it’s usually better to own the property personally. If you don’t want or need the money until later on when you might be retired and a lower taxpayer, consider a property company.

With a property company, you can make a spouse or partner a director too and pay them dividends or, if they carry out work for the company, the company could pay them a wage.

321 045).

You can contact Lauren directly via lauren@fiduciawealth.co.uk. www.fiduciawealth.co.uk

Storage Solutions for Small Kitchens - Advice from Our Senior Kitchen Designer, John Martin 1. Floor to Ceiling Larders: A good idea for small spaces, these handy units allow you to keep dry goods all in one place. Some new larders available from our suppliers contain shelving as well as personalised drawers to make them practical as well as beautiful.

2. Corner Solutions: There are many different clever corner solutions available, we love the Ninka from Hafele, but also revolving carousels, magic corner units and le mans corners are very popular with our clients for ease of use and easy to reach contents.

3. Wine Fridges: These often drop off the wish list when space is limited. Instead of using vital space in your normal fridge, why not opt for a slim-line wine fridge so your favourite tipple is always close at hand and at the perfect temperature?

4. Integrated Kitchen Bins: Great way of giving any kitchen a sleek look and perfect for de-cluttering, especially useful in a compact kitchen that wouldn’t have the floor space for a freestanding bin or two.

5. Space Saving Sinks: These can feature a chopping board that slides over the sink to give you extra food preparation space.

Clever compartments to the sides can also allow you to wash and store vegetables so they are ready to use. Once finished, slide back the board to reveal the sink!

Our showroom in Navigation Road, Chelmsford, is open from 10am 4pm 7 days per week. www.regalkitchens.co.uk

Additionally, adult children could be made directors and paid for administration or other work they do for the company.

Of course, all the same risks to investing in property apply whether you invest personally or via a property company. You need to do your research, make sure you pay a fair value and be aware of potential empty periods, damage, advertising, contract fees and landlord insurance.

If you’re setting up a property company, some things will cost more.

You will need a specialist mortgage and probably the services of an accountant to file your annual tax returns. It won’t be appropriate for everyone.

If you are considering setting up a property company, the best thing to do is to seek advice to discuss your options in full before you make any decisions.

Lauren Peters, Senior Financial Adviser at Fiducia Wealth Management, is a Chartered Financial Planner. She also holds the Pensions Specialist and Later Life Specialist qualifications.

Fiducia Wealth Management has offices at Saxon House, 27 Duke Street, Chelmsford CM1 1HT (01245 950 922) and at Dedham Hall Business Centre, Brook Street, Dedham, Colchester CO7 6AD (01206 www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia 19

Rotary’s Emphasis on Local Charities The Great Baddow Races are always one of the highlights of the year locally and the organisation for the next one begins immediately after the races are over - well, the next day actually. Two Rotary clubs work together organising the event, Chelmsford Mildmay and Chelmsford Rivermead. This week, they have selected the main charities to benefit from the proceeds of the 2020 races and these will be Barrow Farm Riding for the Disabled, and Dementia Adventure - both of which do tremendous work improving the lives of Essex residents. The main beneficiaries of the 2019 races held in May were Chess Homeless and Kids Inspire based in Great Baddow.

The Rotary clubs will face a new challenge as the main sponsor, Edmund Carr Chartered Accountants, has informed them that the 2020 races will be the last they will be sponsoring as they want to move in a different direction after 15 years. Rotary is extremely grateful to Edmund Carr for all their help but the pursuit of a replacement sponsor has already begun and any offers are obviously very welcome.

There are numerous other local charities the five Rotary clubs in Chelmsford City support and high on the list is the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance. Our Rotary District Governor last year was Lesley Sulley who has also been a long-term volunteer at Air Ambulance, so it was no surprise that she suggested all Rotary clubs in the district raised funds for the charity. At the end of the Rotary year in June the magnificent sum of £56,197 had been handed over from Essex Rotary clubs!

Many Rotarians have been to see the EHAA in action at their bases in North Weald and Earls Colne and have heard first-hand about the helicopters and support vehicles. Most of us did not realise the full extent of the work of the charity which is basically providing a mobile hospital manned with doctors, drugs, blood and the most up to date equipment saving valuable time and lives. Certainly, our members thought it money well spent.

Monies from the Children’s Choir competition, one of Rotary Club of Chelmsford Phoenix’s main projects, was shared between four charities specifically for children: Childline, The Ark Centre, East 20

Anglian Hospices and Broomfield Hospital Children’s Ward.

The Chelmsford Club enjoyed a recent talk by Essex Search and Rescue.

They are all volunteers and receive on average nine missing persons reports a day which equates to 3,800 search hours saving the public purse about £160,000 per year. (I hesitate to put a figure on how much Rotary’s volunteer hours are worth, but it must run into millions of pounds, and this might constitute an article in its own right).

They have a couple of search dogs and Parker, a labrador, came along as part of his training.

Rotary clubs in Chelmsford have also enjoyed other interesting speakers during the month, including Felicity Clarke on her trek to Romania in support of Farleigh Hospice, and Sophie Tibbits from the local branch of the British Heart Foundation, plus a light-hearted talk on Saucy Postcards - a bit of an eye-opener that one, as we saw how attitudes have changed so much over the last hundred years accelerating as it has in the 21st century.

You can see that Rotary likes to work with as many different charities as possible as there are so many deserving causes, but the social side is also an important element of being a Rotarian, and there has been a visit to the CCTV monitor station at Chelmsford City, inter-club 10 pin bowling and petanque competitions.

If you have a little time to spare to help those less fortunate or to contribute in any way to our community, then why not give Rotary a try? More details can be found at www.rotary1240.org, or give me a call on 01245 260 349. One thing you will be assured of is a friendly welcome - even if you eventually decide Rotary is not for you.

Stan Keller

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21

Hello all. Hope you are OK and enjoying the summer - thunder storms, high winds and all. As I write this, Heathrow airport just managed to avoid strikes, then had an IT failure on their systems, delaying flights. Euro tunnel had problems too, so I’m thinking that travel to the EU is already suffering. Will Brexit be blamed? I expect so!

A lot of people kept telling me how great the TV series Breaking Bad is, so I took their advice and started to watch. 5 series of about fifteen episodes each later and I have finished. Very good it was too.

It’s about a bloke who got into manufacturing drugs, and a lot of scenes were filmed in a pristine laboratory - very clean to ensure it produces the best output. During one of the scenes, a fly managed to get in, and was driving the main character mad. He was climbing all over the place and hitting out, but the fly avoided all the attacks. He suddenly lost interest, but the buzzing was still there. He ignored it and I thought that I had lost the plot. After about twenty minutes, a fly landed on arm of my chair. Boy, did I feel silly!

I am no scientist or expert, but my simple logic has been tested recently. One million people were left without electricity, underground trains stopped, traffic chaos (what’s new?) and so on. Over the next few days, experts said they were concerned because this may have been caused by the reliance on wind power generated electricity.

These outages occurred during the most seriously windy weather ever experienced in August, with gusts up to 74mph. Surely the sails on the wind turbines must have been wizzing round, generating loads and loads of electricity! As the brilliant Richard Littlejohn would say, you couldn’t make it up!

It must be nice to have lots of money, but I am getting increasingly concerned that, with some rich people, it affects their decision making. It is being reported that a businessman, who has knocked two massive London properties into one, wants to run a river through his dining room. From what I can see, he is not intending to re-route the Thames, but is going have water running through the room in a ‘river’ of constantly recycled water, although he does intend to have fish in it. If he buys another house, perhaps he will try to build a lake in the bathroom, including sea birds and fish.

I’ve been ‘surfing’ the net again. Yes, really, that’s the second time this month. I came across an item about laws that are still on the statute book, but seem a bit outdated, For example, you will be breaking the law if you forget to wear socks within one hundred yards of the Queen, That would explain that what I thought was an age old ritual of pulling your trousers up outside of Windsor Castle, turns out to be a security check.

Did you realise that thanks to Oliver Cromwell it is illegal to eat minced pies on Christmas Day because the festive treats were not puritan enough? I know he was said to do lots of awful things, like killing and hurting people, but surely this must be him at his worst!

Look out people of London, you may not know this, but it is illegal to have a pigsty outside your home, Does that mean, if you want to keep pigs - and who doesn’t - you have to keep them in the lounge?

Finally for now, Edward VI decreed that anyone found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end should be put in the stocks for 24 hours.

This would surely mean that either one of the family had reported the offence, or there was a dawn egg patrol by the local police!

During the same surf (can I say that?) I found some strange facts that are said to be true.

Peanuts are needed to make dynamite. So if you have a nut allergy, don’t handle dynamite.

The shortest war In history lasted 38 minutes. It was the AngloZanzibar war in 1896. Apparently it is argued that it was as long as 45 minutes. I can imagine it now, the length of time it took to load guns in those days, by the the commanding officer got to the order ‘FIRE!’ it would have been too late.

I must admit, I was on the wrong track at first with this one. If you don’t like mosquitos, get a bat. Now, for a few seconds, I visualised me out there at night with a cricket bat, trying to swat the blooming things. Then I realised that they meant a bat - you know, the little flying mammal, which apparently eats over 3,000 of the things each night.

You can cut a cake into 8 pieces with only three cuts. I bet you are drawing a cake and checking this out, just like I did. Then I realised that it is not as easy as I thought. You need to cut the cake into quarters, this gives you four triangular pieces, then cut the cake sideways across the middle. Result, 8 pieces of cake!

The big downside of Brexit is upon us. I am just planning what will most likely to be our last day trip to Calais to top up the wine cellar.

Bin end chuckles: Have you noticed that the amount of news reported each day fits exactly into a newspaper?

What is Postman Pat called when he’s on holiday?

Pat.

22 www.moulshamtimes.com

Spot 10 Differences... (answers on page 31)

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23

Neighbourhood Watch

Hi All, You’re friendly Neighbourhood Ayman here. As promised, this month’s article goes to Project Legacy, written by Claire Salter.

Project Legacy - A Community Initiative In 1964 Bob Dylan wrote The Times They Are a Changin’ - as true then through the sixties as it is now. Back then the complex interrelated cultural and political trends denoted an antiestablishment phenomenon which developed until well into the next decade, yet that defining decade is generally reminisced fondly. Will the same apply down the line about this era? It’s certain there is still a complex relationship between culture and politics and an unsettled anti-establishment backdrop. With the national trajectory of ‘serious youth violence’ - the newly coined term for knife crime - at frankly terrifying levels and various stabbings on our own doorstep, surely we have to try to understand why and want to change the course of things? Even if you’re no fan of this musical stalwart, you cannot deny that Dylan’s vast back catalogue will be his legacy, what will ours be I wonder?

Generation and other collaborators, we hope we can help deter some young people from significantly reducing their life chances with Stormzy’s Scary bringing us more up to date.

As a society we need to address the engagement of vulnerable youths, provide some hope and empowerment to teens who feel no-one cares about them, those less academic in the traditional sense who have not yet discovered their passion and creative strengths. It’s no easy task and definitely more complex than simply throwing money at the problem, but the provision of youth centres like Dagenham’s Future Youth Zone and local community youth clubs dotted around our city would be an amazing start. But First Things First let’s not assume they’re all just Bad Boys.

If you would like to hear more about the project, please get in touch.

Whilst still in start up phase, we are on the lookout for volunteers to join our board, particularly those with relevant experience in either setting up charities, accountancy or law.

Please contact us: Claire Salter on claire_salter39@yahoo.com, or Seena Shah on contact@seenashah.co.uk.

Project Legacy is a local community initiative founded by Seena Shah and I. Having met through community meetings for the Old Moulsham Neighbourhood Watch group, both of us were keen to address the rising involvement of young people in gang and drug crime in our area. The project specifically aims to: • •

Increase delivery of awareness education of gang grooming and gang related crime for school, specifically years 5 & 6 in Chelmsford.

To increase and improve the provision of and access to youth facilities and support outside of school.

Seena and I do not share the same political views, but we share the same passion for youth culture, safety and well-being. It’s still early days for us but we’re building a strong, well connected working team which comes together regularly to discuss and decide on how we best achieve our aims.

Left to Right (Claire Salter, Gavin McKenna and Seena Shah)

There’s lots to do!

Leaving aside the thorny issue of how we as a nation have come to be where we are on serious youth violence and crime, Project Legacy is a non-political group focusing on a hot political issue which cuts across all political divides.

My personal opinion is that more cross party collaboration is the way forward in the future if we want to get anything done around here but let’s not digress.... fast forwarding through that back catalogue and even Dylan got all 21st century on us with Things Have Changed, so humour me whilst I’m still labouring this one and grab One More Cup of Coffee as we’ve a long road ahead to turn things around.

To kick off our initial plan of building awareness and education around this subject, Project Legacy recently held a very successful and highly informative Parents Information Evening with guest speaker Gavin McKenna, Founder and CEO of Reach Every Generation and himself an ex-gang member. His organisation provides support and mentoring to youths and young adults as well as training to individuals and organisations.

The purpose of the evening was to gauge current levels and hopefully gain further parental support for raising awareness education in the top end of junior school - a key stage in the development of children as they become more independent and therefore vulnerable to outside influences. With extremely positive feedback from the evening, for most, some of it was hard to hear but necessary to know.

From the new school year on, we hope to push forward with our plans and have lots of activity in the pipeline already!

Working with the support of Essex Youth Service, the City and County Councils and often in association with organisations like Reach Every 24 www.moulshamtimes.com

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We also design and supply: business cards flyers roller banners brochures In fact, almost anything that is printed!!

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The Searchers, 1957- on John McNally first formed a skiffle group in 1957 in which he sang and played guitar. He was joined by Mike Pender, again on guitar and vocals from The Confederates, and Tony Jackson, again guitar and vocals from the Martinis. Pender and McNally started as a duo in ‘59 and were then joined by Jackson who took over lead vocals. Norman McGarry became their first drummer, but was replaced by Chris Curtis (real surname Crummy) to create the four-piece group that achieved chart success. Chris was known to have the most extensive collection of imported US records in town. Before chart success they were joined by Johnny Sandon (real name Billy Beck) as lead singer from 1960 to ‘62, while Jackson went over to bass. They were known as Johnny Sandon and the Searchers for those two years before Sandon became part of the Remo Four.

Jackson returned to lead vocals, but they specialised in harmony versions of R&B, rock, country and what was to be called rockabilly, they even covered soul songs. After The Beatles’ success in recording from 1962 and other Liverpool bands entered the spotlight, they managed to get a recording contract with Pye in 1963 and began with the single Sweets for My Sweet, a Drifters cover.

Two of their next three singles reached number 1 in the charts, while Sugar and Spice made it to number 2. Their 12-string guitar and harmony singing gave them a sound distinctive from most of the beat groups of the era. They touched on folk rock with What Have They Done to the Rain? with a sound not too far from the US Byrds, who also featured 12-string and harmonies, yet they were equally happy to give their treatment to soul covers, like Phil Spector’s production of the Ronettes Be My Baby. They didn’t jump on the Merseybeat bandwagon image by washing their hair into fringes but kept the fifties quiffs well into their careers.

In 1964 Tony Jackson left to form his own band and was replaced

by Frank Allen from Cliff Bennett’s Rebel Rousers. By ‘65 the novelty of the Mersey sound was beginning to fade, so moving from cover songs, Curtis and Pender began writing their own material, like He’s Got No Love, with no great success. Chris Curtis left in ‘66 to be replaced by Johnny Blunt on drums as they concentrated on cabaret work and the nostalgia circuit.

After Johnny Blunt was replaced by Billy Adamson, the then lineup lasted until the ‘80s, adding new material again from such sources as Neil Young. Another album was released in 1972. By the seventies, two more albums were released on Sine Records while Pye rereleased old recordings. They remained popular in Europe and even did the odd US tour.

In ‘85 McNally and Pender parted company, and McNally kept the Searchers name for a band with Billy Adamson, Frank Allen, and Spencer James replacing Pender. Meanwhile Mike Pender’s Searchers were formed with Chris Black on guitar and vocals, Barry Cowell on bass and vocals and Steve Carlyle on drums and vocals.

In ‘89 there was an album from the McNally line-up. Both line-ups continue with various musicians or even solo performances with available musicians on multi group tours using names like Mike Pender, the Voice of the Searchers.

The Swinging Blue Jeans ‘57 - and on This band was formed in 1957 by Bruce McGaskill as a jazz influenced skiffle group, the Bluegenes. Tommy Hughes played banjo, Norman Kuhlke was on washboard, Spud Warren played a bass improvised out of an oil drum and broom handle rather than a tea 28

Mersey Beat Part Two

by John Power

chest. Ralph Ellis soon joined and Spud was replaced by Les Braid.

Then Johnny Carter and Paul Moss replaced Hughes and McGaskill.

By ‘62 they were playing skiffle around Liverpool and the Star Club in Hamburg, where they switched to an electric rock repertoire and changed the name to Swinging Blue Jeans, consisting of Ennis, Braid, Ellis Kulke and Moss. As The Beatles started the Merseybeat craze they were offered an HMV record contract and It’s Too Late Now got into the UK top 30. Moss left in ‘63, the year that The Hippy Hippy Shake got to number 2 in the charts, although hippies hadn’t really surfaced by then and it probably referred to the kind of hip shake that led Elvis to only be filmed from the waist up on US TV. They enjoyed three years of success in the Merseybeat boom playing at both the Cavern and Mardi Gras Club. The album Blue Jeans a-Swinging was released in ‘64, while an album of different tracks but with the same title was released in the US. Other hits from ‘64 were Good Golly Miss Molly and You’re No Good.

In ‘66 Ellis was replaced by Terry Sylvester from The Escorts. With Ennis, Ellis had been joint songwriter and the group lost direction, and in ‘67 Ennis went solo with session men and women for backing.

These included Kiki Dee and Madeline Bell. The remaining Blue Jeans continued to release records, and also in ‘67 Mike Gregory, again from The Escorts, joined on bass, while Braid switched to keyboards. In 1967 Sylvester joined The Hollies, a successful Manchester harmony band, when Graham Nash left for an American career with David Crosby and Stephen Stills.

The Blue Jeans became a cabaret act. In 1999 they were joined by Alan Lovell on lead guitar and vocals when Colin Manly died. Les Braid died in 2005 and Peter Oakman took over on bass and vocals.

In 2010 Ellis retired and Lovell registered the Swinging Blue Jeans name as a trademark. Graham Hollingsworth on drums, and Jeff Bannister on keyboards and vocals joined in place of Phil Thompson.

Ennis plays occasional gigs as Ray Ennis’ Blue Jeans. No original members remain in the line-up that uses the Swinging Blue Jeans name.

The Escorts ‘57-67 Were originally formed by Terry Sylvester, on guitar and vocals, before he joined The Swinging Blue Jeans in ‘66 and then The Hollies in ‘67, John Kincade (born John Knowles) guitar and vocals, Mike Gregory, bass and vocals, Johnny Foster, drums, and Ray Walker, lead vocals.

Frank Townsend from the Aussie band, The Easybeats replaced Sylvester between ‘62 up to ‘65, before he was replaced by Paddy Chambers, who had been in Faron’s Flamingos and the Big Three.

They released six singles between ‘64 and ‘66. These were gathered on an album From the Blue Angel, which was a pub owned by Allan Williams, who had been The Beatles’ manager before Brian Epstein.

Paul McCartney played on the last single, From Head to Toe, in 1966, but only by bashing a tambourine.

Mike Gregory also joined The Swinging Blue Jeans between ‘67 and ’71, then in 1973 formed Big John’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus, which later evolved into The Brotherhood of Man, even though he stayed in the Circus until going solo in 2005.

Another associate, Pete Clarke - a session musician drummer for The Beatles’ Apple Music, joined The Liverpool scene poetry group in ‘69 while still doing Apple sessions alongside Kiki Dee and keyboard virtuoso Billy Preston. He was also briefly in the Apple label band Badfinger.

Generally, this kind of cross pollination summed the group up; never hitting the big time but acting as a training ground for those who went on to other useful careers. After ’67 and the psychedelic revolution John Kincade ran a couple of hairdressing shops.

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Friends Welcome Reopening of Museum Galleries Publicity accompanying the grand reopening will have made many readers aware that the new galleries in the Victorian house at Chelmsford Museums are now open to the public. They were reopened on 19th July after being closed for two years. The Mayor of Chelmsford, Councillor Bob Massey, cut the red tape watched by museum staff along with individuals and representatives of organisations that have supported the renewal project. They included committee members of the Friends of the Museum and their guests.

Like the Hive Café, which opened at the museum in February, the new galleries have proved to be an instant success. Numerous visitors, particularly families taking the opportunity provided by school holidays, have been enjoying the experience. The new displays enable the story of Chelmsford to be discovered from its earliest origins through to the present day. Interactive panels, video installations and atmospheric audio assist in bringing the city and its wider region to life.

in industrial heritage, listen to short presentations (topics for which include the Chelmer and Blackwater navigation, Critall houses, Chelmsford water supply, Marriage Millers and British broadcasting), see the industrial collections, and to possibly take a canal boat trip.

For further information email essexiag@gmail.com or see the advert on page 31..

There is much to see including familiar objects and many that are new. There is the rare, recently acquired, early Bronze Age gold diadem from Little Baddow, discoveries from the Roman settlement that was located in Moulsham, rich objects on loan from the British Museum that came from the Saxon Broomfield burial, and finds and documents which explore medieval Chelmsford.

Talks The Friends AGM will be held at the museum at 2pm on Thursday 26th September. It will be followed by a talk Chelmsford Museum: The New Displays Phase Five: A Culmination of a Career, given by Nick Wickenden who is soon to retire from the Museum service. The first autumn talk will be on 10th October when Jennifer Rowland will talk about John Ray, Father of Natural History. These talks are at the museum, refreshments are served at 2pm and the talks start at 3pm. The cost is £7 for non-members who are welcome.

Love your museum, be a Friend.

Digital technology which enables the exceptional 1591 Walker Map of Chelmsford to be overlain with and compared to later Ordnance Survey maps is proving to be very popular. As also is the replica of the Marconi radio room from the Titanic created by Ted Sinclair.

With so much to see and do a visit to the museum is highly recommended. There is also an ever-changing programme of activities (see chelmsfordmuseum@public.govdelivery.com). Also if industrial Chelmsford interests you why not take the opportunity to visit Sandford Mill where the museum stores its industrial collection?

There are two coming open days at the mill when the Friends will be providing volunteer support and catering assistance.

On Saturday 21st September between 10am-3pm, the mill is one of the Chelmsford sites being opened specially as part of Heritage Open Days 2019. It will be possible to visit the store, speak to staff and volunteers who care for the finds, chose to join a guided industrial tour of the building or, alternatively, a nature trail tour of the site. For further information about all sites that are opening and to book see www.chelmsfordcivicsociety.co.uk.

Following previously successful events, at Braintree Museum and Wat Tyler Country Park, Chelmsford Museum is hosting the third Essex Industrial Heritage Fair at the mill between 10am and 4pm on Saturday 5th October. This is an opportunity to see displays and meet representatives from over 20 Essex organisations with an interest www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

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All About Moulsham Lodge Moulsham Lodge Community Trust Finally, the builders are in and work is well and truly underway to transform the Community Station.

A number of walls have been knocked down and cupboards knocked out to make a large central area which will become our coffee shop, the Copper Pot. Once the builders have finished the major works and a group of volunteers have helped paint and install the new kitchen, we will be up and running. If you can spare any time to help us out with painting or if you have any particular skills you can offer then we’d love to hear from you.

Our plan is to start by extending the existing coffee mornings, that are every Tuesday, into lunch time - so the café will be open from 10am to 2pm. This will be run by our volunteers and will allow us to test the waters and see if you the people of Moulsham Lodge will use our café. If things go well, then the days of the week that we are open will be extended and we may try doing breakfasts one Saturday every month too.

All of this will be dependant on the café being used by the community. If you would like to see anything special being run, please let us know. If you like themed coffee mornings perhaps with a speaker on a particular subject, then let us know and we’ll see if we can do it. Our email address is below or you can pop a note through the door of the station.

We have always had rooms available for hire and we will still have those, but they will be now be one of two meeting rooms or the combined total of the two rooms together. The coffee shop space will also be available for private hire outside of the times it is used for the Copper Pot. If you are interested in hiring any of our spaces, then get in touch.

Details of when the station is open again and when the café will be open will be posted on our noticeboard and via social media, so

please keep a look out. Hopefully it won’t be too long now.

New City Voices New City Voices have their open rehearsal on Thursday 26th September at 7.30pm at St Lukes Church.

The choir continue to grow and have recently enjoyed singing in High Chelmer for the MSTG charity and raised over £600.

There was interest from prospective new members and the choir hope to build on this with the open rehearsal. With no auditions and everyone welcome, we hope to see new faces join us to start a special piece of music chosen especially for the open rehearsal. Singing with the choir brings many health benefits as well as many new friends, so come along and see for yourself! www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07411 808 731 Also, search for us on Facebook and Twitter

Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward John Shennan Playing Field: We now have a unique opportunity to shape the future of an important piece of green space. The group Friends of John Shennan Playing Field have been running a survey which you may have received through your door, if not you can complete one on-line here www. surveymonkey.com/r/2S9MVXT.

with lots of interactive elements, including dressing up are great fun for the kids. Take a walk through Chelmsford’s history, from the Ice Age, right through to the present day. There is the chance to see a mammoth, watch a princely Anglo-Saxon burial, and find out what used to be on your street. You might even see yours truly with the Olympic torch towards the end of the story of Chelmsford!

To show us how progressive the new Liberal Democrat administration is, we have already suggested turning half the field over to woodland and planting a significant number of trees, in fact it is our ambition to plant a tree for every single resident in Chelmsford, that’s about 175,000 trees. So if you know of any green space in your local neighbourhood then please get in touch. The official programme for tree planting will be announced at some future date.

The Community Station: The transformation has started to take place (see photo) of the old police station with building work taking place in August. A special grand opening event will be planned before the end of the year and the new 30-seater community café called the Copper Pot will finally become a reality. Incidentally, it was 5 years in August since we took possession of the police station, so this new look will take us through to the next major step in MLCTs future plans.

Museum: I was really pleased to take a look at the museum towards the end of the alterations and then finally the real wow moment when it was finally opened to the public. The new journey of Chelmsford 28

There are some really exciting events happening in Chelmsford next year which celebrate the world’s first live entertainment radio broadcast by the Marconi Company from Chelmsford with Dame Nelly Melba and 100 years since the formation of the Chelmsford Science Engineering Society. Hopefully, I can bring you a bit more detail soon. mark.springett@chelmsfordlibdems.org.uk 07411 808731 www.markspringett.co.uk/blog Twitter: @markspringett (and also on Facebook)

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Tile Kiln Corner - by Linda Mascot This month I’m widening the corner of Tile Kiln to include Bruce Grove, off Wood Street, as I spent a really lovely afternoon in August at a street party there organised by local residents.

Kathy Byrne was one of the organisers who kindly invited me, and her daughter Iris glittered my face to embrace the party atmosphere.

Ex-councillor Freda Mountain joined me to enjoy the delicious shared buffet which included jerk chicken, massaman curry, sandwiches and cakes.

The road became a football pitch and bike park as children played outside safely without traffic, and neighbours chatted. I loved the ingenuity of bunting festooned across the street that the children helped make from old duvet covers, it was a great community event and Kathy explained what prompted them to arrange the party: “It first came about when I saw adverts about the Get Together in 2017 in honour of Jo Cox. The message of there being more that brings us together than divides us really resonated with me. Bruce Grove is a friendly road, but everyone, including myself, are always rushing to work or on school runs etc, and I just thought it would be great to get to know each other. Especially for the children on the street who will grow up together and how great it would be if they could call on each other to play.

“So I asked my neighbour Felicity if she thought it would be a good idea if we organised some kind of gathering. She said yes and printed up some leaflets inviting everyone along to a planning meeting. Quite a few of our neighbours came along and thought it was a great idea too, and we went from there!

“This year it was easier as we knew what needed to be done applying to close the road needs to be done at least 6 weeks beforehand and you need to get permission from most of the residents affected to close the road. Once we had the signatures required, the council processed the application within a few days.

“We then got together to plan what was needed and had an afternoon for people to drop in and help make bunting and decorations for the party. We had made ‘road closed’ signs previously and had found that wheely bins are great for sealing off the road from traffic on the day.

“On the day, everyone came together to set up the party. Lots of people make food for everyone to eat. The kids make up their own games; they bring their bikes and scooters and race around together having great fun.

“For me, those are the two best things - the kids having the freedom to play freely outside their homes and the way everyone starts chatting so easily. We have new neighbours on the road and it is so www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

lovely to see new families and get to know them, and I have genuinely found that when you get a chance to chat to people you do find out you have things in common.

“We do look out for each other - lend and borrow things and look after each other’s pets whilst people are away. I think that would have happened anyway, but the street parties have made it easier to knock on someone’s door as you have met them already and I think our family certainly feels more part of a lovely community.”

Some comments from other residents, including the children: “It’s well worth doing, it brings people together and gives them a sense of being part of a community. It shouldn’t just be Bruce Grove who has a street party; more streets should get together and do it.”

- Bunny “I love street parties, all the kids get to play in the street and there’s no cars!”

- Summer “I thought that the street party was great. I got glitter everywhere! I liked everyone being happy and Felicity’s Snickers cakes were really good.”

- Iris If you are thinking of having a street party and need some guidance, Kath would be happy to talk to anyone about the process - email me on Mascotlinda@gmail.com and I’ll pass it on.

Twitter: @lindamascot

Déjà vu?

There can be a sense of déjà vu when September rolls around. We can feel like we’re just starting the same yearly merry-go-round, minus the fanfare of New Year.

Realistically, these days we live with an academic calendar more than a yearly one.

Perhaps this year the déjà vu feels all the more nauseating. Brexit still dominates headlines, another set of exam results has been and gone inviting the same headlines about the value and purpose of education, the NHS still needs to see some more of the long promised politicians money, and each of us faces another set of our own problems and issues.

We tend to think that the problems of our world and the problems of our own boil down to ignorance or sickness - and so, the solution is either education or medicine. Schools and hospitals are our go-to places for fixing things. And they are good, don’t get me wrong!

With all of our excellent schools and wonderful hospitals, the world doesn’t seem to be a better place. We ignore our own contribution to this at our peril - we don’t seem to be getting better, either.

What can we do about this, other than collapse into fatalistic déjà vu? I believe that Jesus is able and willing to get involved in these problems. It doesn’t really matter what they are, some of our problems are horrific, some of our problems are of our own making.

He loves making order out of chaos. He loves to restore what’s been broken. He loves to bring rest to the tired and weary, and he gets involved as we start praying.

So here’s my invitation to you as September settles in: don’t settle for déjà vu, start praying.

Tim Goodall tim.goodall@tilekilnchurch.org.uk

29

The End of an Era? - by Simon Inglis Australia has been extremely slow in the uptake of EV and hybrid vehicles, but this is finally changing. Lagging the developed world in EV’s until now, the future is set to change rapidly. A political wrangle, misleading polls, and a surprise election victory to retain power by the federal conservatives has surprisingly altered the landscape.

muddy winter. So there we are; the old Saab is ‘pricelessly unsellable’ as nothing at a reasonable cost can replace it.

Crucially it returns under 6-litres per 100 kilometres driven - many other cars can do the same, from a 5 Series, an X3 or Mercedes ML diesel through to the vast array of so-called non-prestige vehicles still on the market today.

For the petrol enthusiast, life somehow has become rather interesting. While touchscreens and recalcitrant sensors annoy me intensely, it isn’t as though we shall be free of such nonsense with electric cars - quite the opposite in fact! My trusty Samsung tablet has finally given up the ghost after 5 years of excellent daily service.

Who is to say your new car’s touchscreen will even live that long? So perhaps the life of a car battery matters less than the electronics and other silly gadgets we are being laden with? However, have you ever stopped to admire the modern petrol engine?

While renewables are all the buzzword, the government now has a clear pathway in pushing for a far greater uptake of EVs. Australia is of course extremely large - and by that I refer mostly to the distances between capitals and other major regional population centres. Electric vehicles are still impractical along the long motorway stretches between capital cities yet as always, engineers are inevitably going to solve this problem we have with batteries. As the United States is also about the same size as Australia, Tesla is one company leading the way in battery technology Downunder. In fact Tesla is the big name here as we all await what the mainstream manufacturers can come up with to conquer distances. In the cities I note many hybrid vehicles yet out on the open road it’s the Tesla charge stations that dot the small towns and minor regional cities.

As a traditional car buyer and car lover I’m one of many people to bemoan the predicted demise of the internal combustion engine (ICE). Yet I am actually enthusiastic about electric vehicles.

The concept of rushing to 100kph in a silent ‘whoosh’ without a gear change delay is quite thrilling. Being able to recharge my car from my wall plug is exciting and frankly not at all some revolutionary concept.

Afterall I recharge my phone, tablet, laptop, Wi-Fi speakers (etc) daily in any case. So, why not my car?

The irritant to me is that EVs are being falsely promoted as a new technology when in fact a brief check of the history books proves this false. Further, as mentioned repeatedly in my rants on this and other pages I am not at all keen on the governmental or bureaucratic excuse in using new EV technologies as a means to perhaps observe our driving habits via our mobile phones or indeed by little data boxes installed in our cars!

Yet despite all of the negatives, electric vehicles make perfect sense. And most certainly in our cities and towns which are heavily populated. Without getting into the climate change debate, anything that we can do as mere mortals to reduce our carbon footprint is surely a good thing. But those of us who enjoy the rumble of a V8 or the scream of a high reving V6 are going to have to adapt. Out in the Aussie bush, remote Canada, Africa and many other parts of even the very developed world, it’s hard to see what will replace diesel completely in the near future. Diesel still works when you need to cover 1,000 kilometres in a day. I have accepted that my not very high mileage Saab diesel is not just obsolete and old fashioned, but for other reasons it is fast becoming a dinosaur. Who wants a turbo diesel 4-door saloon anymore? In a way that’s good - for me. I’m not selling a car that has more practical space than most SUVs and other soft-roaders. It can take 4, or even 5, certainly our family and our big labrador, suitcases and other paraphernalia in comfort. The phones acts as a GPS, we have aftermarket bluetooth and the standard 2009 kit was pretty good. I shan’t write up all its features but quality leather is a saviour when you pile in children or dogs during the

If you read little columns such as this one and others in the more prominent magazines it is likely that you have yourself removed your motor’s plastic cover. Well, I certainly have! Besides the very annoying array of wiring harnesses the modern engine is a work of art, well to me anyway! Beautifully crafted components are stuck together to create one of the most wondrously complex (yes, often too complex) things any of us can own. I have admired my V6 engine and the thought and ideas that went into its construction on many occasions.

Then there is of course that noise.

In this fast changing world promising an exciting and actually rather simple electrified future, it is widely predicted the ICE will be left behind. Good, I say! I for one am excited by the idea that so many brilliant ICE vehicles may just depreciate to a level where mere mortals such as myself shall all of a sudden be able to purchase some of the best machinery of its day. And I don’t think ownership is doomed to be prohibitively expensive. We will need petrol stations for a decade or two yet and even after then the future classics will need to be fuelled up.

So I’m actually quite pleased about the future. A future in which a V8 becomes affordable - at least to purchase. Regarding fuel prices, yes we’ll need to keep the existing fleet running until EVs make up the majority of cars on the road. During that transition period and then afterwards - who of you, dear reader, is so naive as to think we shall not be taxed further to recharge our vehicles? XYZ kilowatts per hour can very easily be taxed. Sure as day follows night the arrangements for this are already in place or at the very least, well thought out...

Thus at this early stage in the EV transition, I am planning for our household to own a nice snappy EV which can be driven into the heart of our cities and launch from the lights to the speed limit at impressive scalextric speeds. Yet the days of our old Saab diesel are not numbered, even if its value is. Our nice comfy Merc has its place too courtesy of its efficient V6. And if a V6 can return 6s per 100 kilometres then I can go to bed and be a touch positive about my car ownership future - surely? As I live in the country, why not dream of a big V8 Jag or some other large engined motor car. Goodness, with a postcode in a rural town perhaps I’ll even be allowed to own a monstrously powered Range Rover!

30 www.moulshamtimes.com

Sue Campbell

Great Baddow Barber Shop

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