Milo is canine winner

Milo is crowned St Clare Hospice Cutest Canine Winner

St Clare Hospice have announced the winner of their Cutest Canine Competition. This year, the canine champ that wins the crown is 7 year old Milo, a black Labrador from Saffron Walden. Milo was voted top dog out of a field of 14 lovely entrants, winning the social media competition with 126 out of the 492 votes cast.

The Cutest Canine competition is held each year as part of the local charity’s Winter Walkies 5k fundraising event. Milo won a doggy hamper and led the pack at the fundraising Winter Walkies Event which took place on 27th February. Milo’s owner, Alison Saunders said “St Clare Hospice were there for us when we needed them. The Hospice at Home team cared for my Dad, Alan, in August 2020, and then helped my Mum, Marjorie with the Listening Ear bereavement support. Sadly, Mum then needed the care of St Clare herself and was admitted to their inpatient unit where she passed away in October last year. Mum and Dad had been married just shy of 64 years. It’s been a very tough time but Mum loved having Milo visit her at the hospice inpatient unit. He was ‘her boy’.

To find out more about local St Clare Hospice and how you can support them visit www.stclarehospice.org.uk.

Apologies

Last month I included editorial featuring the licencing application at the local Barbers in the village and the views of North Weald Bassett Parish Council concerning this application based on the serving of alcohol. I have been asked to point out by a reader that this was not the view of all residents but only of the Parish Council. I also received a request that the word ‘Turkish’ used in that editorial may have caused offence and of course I would not want this to be the case. Of course this was not the reason the licencing application was being turned down by the Parish Council. I know residents and I am sure Parish Councillors also welcome all new enterprises regardless of ethnicity and free of any bias .

Ongar Wildlife Society (OWLS)

We shall start our meeting once again in March when, hopefully, the weather will be improving with the days becoming longer and everyone enjoying spring once more. Our speaker on Monday 21 March at 8pm will be professional nature photographer, Bob Johnson with a presentation entitled The Kingdom of the Ice Bear. The following month we welcome a local speaker, Martyn Lockwood who will entertain and enlighten us with a talk on The Yew Tree and its place in Mythology.

Other talks this year will focus upon the changing seasons, apples, African wildlife and much more. You are invited to join OWLS this year. Visitors pay just £5 but you can become a member for an annual fee of only £25. To help you locate our venue, Toot Hill Village Hall, the post code is CM5 9LR.

Keith Snow

Anti Social Behaviour plummets following campaign

An area regarded as “no-go” for fearful residents has been reclaimed with road calming measures. A petition from the Make High Beach Safe Campaign calling for action to combat noise, traffic and intimidating behaviour in the area attracted more than 7,000 signatures.

Residents reported problems around Paul’s Nursery Road, Queen’s Green, Manor Road and Pillow Mounds, with drug taking and dealing, loud car horns late at night, handbrake turns, smashed bottles on the road, fireworks being set off, high-speed car races, loud music, intimidation of other road users and litter.

It is thought the issues have been a cause for concern to residents for at least 15 years. In response to the campaign, night-time road closures have been put in place. The Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex (PFCC) contributed £9,910 to Epping Forest District Community Safety Partnership in the form of a crime and disorder reduction grant from the 2019-2020 Community Safety Development Fund to cover the cost of highway gates. Now, the Epping Forest Environment Department City of London Corporation uses the gates to close Manor Road each evening – resulting in just two reports of antisocial behaviour since their installation in April 2021. By contrast, there were 38 reports between April 2020 and October 2020. Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex said: “Cracking down on anti-social behaviour is a priority which sits firmly at the heart of my Police and Crime Plan. We achieve this by investing in initiatives through Community Safety Partnerships, who tackle local problems at a local level. Being able to fund these gates, and so bring down antisocial behaviour levels in Epping Forest is a great example of how this kind of partnership working can truly make a difference and help keep our county safe and our communities strong and resilient.”