North Weald Village Life Strengthening the Community
FREE North Weald Bassett Community Magazine Issue: 166 June 2020 Page
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June is blooming
It’s now June, and changes are occurring, some earlier than expected and some more confusing then others. I am taking the changes as a sign of hope. Local people seem to think coronavirus has not affected any local people but it has, there are quite a few people in North Weald I know that have caught coronavirus and come through it with no lasting problems and I know some that have sadly lost relatives to it. Having walked around locally quite a lot, it is so lovely to see families, couples and individuals enjoying the local area. Having talked to some of these, from a distance of course, it seems that some walk similar routes every day, some are always on the look out for new walks and some prefer just to walk through the village waving at those they know or recognise whilst on their travels.
Cover photo: Chosen because of the colours and who wouldn't want an ice lolly in the weather we have been enjoying.
The one thing we can’t complain about is, of course, the weather. I have even sat outside and managed to do some work surrounded by the sounds of birds, particularly a nest of baby pigeons in one of our trees who especially noisy when they are hungry. I can’t see the young but mum or dad visits often during the day, sometimes they kindly leaving me mementos of a pooh or two. We had a pigeon nest in the same tree last year too.
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This village continues to surprise me especially with people’s generosity, many people have put items outside their home in their front garden and offered them to anybody who would like them free of charge. I know that in different circumstances they would have often been able to sell them but so many people have made use of different items ranging from books, garden equipment, home ware, furniture, toys etc. I am old fashioned at heart I believe and this community support is fantastic and I am so proud of the Facebook group to provide this facility.
7. Planning applications
Talking of old fashioned, I believe the lockdown has demonstrated ways in which we can enjoy celebrations and respect others in possible ways that have been done in the ‘olden days’ as my girls would say! I am talking of course, of the way in which we managed to enjoy the VE celebrations in front gardens, on streets, home-made bunting up, food and drink from your home – no big expenses. I know it would have been nice to have had a full community event – but I have not ruled this out yet – I hope to plan a big community event to celebrate our village once we can and it is safe for everyone. Also, when someone sadly dies, local people have lined the route they take through the village showing their respects. Just standing a distance from each other. I think in these awful circumstances, it is nice to know that there is local support if needed. It reminded me of some 24 years ago when Andy and I got married at the Methodist Church in North Weald. Andy and his family were of course known in the community through the Garage, I was not. I worked a lot and had only moved into the village a few years before. However, I will always be surprised when looking back at the video to see so many local people standing outside the church just watching and waiting to see Andy and I come out. We then went on to have a wonderful reception at the Village Hall. Talking of memories, May has been a personally hard month for me. During the last few weeks it was a year since I lost my mum and it would have been her birthday as well as my sister and my birthdays. So many memories of last year, although we have tried to focus on when mum was happy and pain free and childhood memories in particular. Enough of my waffling, thank you everybody in North Weald for your support. I am very hopeful that next month the magazine will go back to print. I am so grateful for everybody who has read the magazine online and said how easy and clear it was to read online. Stay safe everybody.
June Editor Page 3
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June 2020 Issue Page No.
6. Brain Teaser 11 & 12. VE Day photos 13. Caring on the Frontline 14. Photo Gallery
16. Gardening Hints 17. Rejuvenating of Epping Town Centre 22. Defibrillators 24. Church Chat 27 . Bereavement Cafe 29. Poet’s Corner 32. Citizen Advice 33. Bird Feature
Editor June Peachey june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk 07814 863955 Write to: 49 York Road, North Weald, Epping, Essex CM16 6HU www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk Subscription: If you would like to guarantee your personal copy or perhaps you have relatives or friends who would like to receive their own copy, you can subscribe for £25.00 for 12 issues. Contributions & Editorial: If you would like to contribute editorial, poems, recipes, letters or anything else, we would be delighted to receive these. Please send them to us via letter or email. Advertisers: Please email or telephone us for full advertising rates and sizes. Booking deadline is 5th of each month.
Disclaimer: Whilst every care has been taken to ensure any data in this publication is accurate, neither the publisher nor it’s editorial contributors can accept and hereby disclaim, any liability to any party, or loss or damage caused by errors or resulting from negligence, accident or any other concerns. North Weald Village Life does not officially endorse any advertisement material included within this publication. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reported, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted in any form electronically. Mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the permission of the publisher.
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JUNE BRAIN TEASER —Win a box of chocolates I have again gone for a Boggle style brain teaser.
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If you email me at June@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk with your words—the one who scores the highest will win the box of chocolates.
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This is open to all ages.
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All you have to do is find as many words as you can from the letters in the grid. All letters in the word must connect and you can’t use the same tile twice in one word. Depending on the number of letters, the words will each have a score.
Please make sure your answers are emailed to me before 12th June. Scores will be allocated:-
3 letter words—1 point, 4 letter words—2 points, 5 letter words—3 points, 6 letter words—4 points, 7 letter words—5 points, 8 letters or more—10 points.
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Phased re-opening of market from 1st June As lockdown changes, Epping Town Council have confirmed that the weekly Epping market will resume on Monday 1st June with essential traders only.
Phase 1 of the reopening following the 'lockdown' shutdown will see the return of food and household stalls. Stalls selling groceries, pet food, fruit and vegetables, household goods, dried fruit and nuts, plants, perspex and blinds, watch batteries, hardware and bread are set to be in the High Street on Monday 1st June.
Further stalls will return on Monday 8th June and Monday 15th June in line with the government's announcement to allow all retail outlets to reopen from June 15th. Epping Town Council says the stalls - including more gazebos - will be laid out in a different fashion to ensure that social distancing can be maintained.
For more information, email info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk.
Wish somebody a happy birthday, or announce a birth, death, marriage, or special anniversary Just send these to me via
email and I will include these in a future issue or on the Facebook Group
Oven caught fire Firefighters issued safety advice after an unattended oven caught fire, leaving a house badly smoke-damaged. Crews were called to a house in Green Glade, Theydon Bois at 11:38am on 11th May. They extinguished the fire by 12:28pm. The fire started in a ground floor kitchen but left the entire property damaged by smoke. It is believed the occupants had gone out, but had left the oven on. Thankfully, a neighbour raised the alarm. Ryan Fernandes, Temporary Watch Manager from Loughton Fire Station, said: "This incident shows the importance of making sure you turn off your oven before you leave your home, even if you're just popping out for a couple of minutes." Source: Essex County Fire and Rescue Services
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Planning Applications North Weald Bassett TPO Planning File No: 023300, 020520, 000 Application No: EPF/0981/20 Applicant Name: Mrs Jean Steele
Any representations on applications should be made in writing, by Monday 15th June, 2020 Epping Forest District Council www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk
Comment online at www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/iPlan or by post to: The Director of Planning and Economic Location: 94 Blenheim Square North Weald Bassett Epping CM16 6FQ Development, Epping Forest District Council, Civic Proposal: TPO/EPF/38/02. T1: Sycamore - Crown reduce by 20%, as speci- Offices, 323 High Street, Epping, Essex CM16 4BZ Officer: Robin Hellier
fied.
Any enquiries should be made to the Application Processing Team T: 01992 564436 E: appcomment@eppingforestdc.gov.uk
Don’t forget to visit the website: www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk To find out news updates, initiatives or Coronavirus updates
Or sign up to the Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/ Northwealdvillagelife Also on Instagram and Twitter
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Essex Country Parks now open All Essex Country Parks reopened on Thursday 21 May. The parks, car parks and toilets are open to the public. The children’s play equipment, visitor centres and cafes will remain closed, in line with government guidance. We would ask that all visitors using the Country Parks follow social distancing rules, paying particular attention to these in areas such as the car parks and toilet facilities. New restrictions will be in place to ensure the safety of all visitors and staff
North Weald Cricket Club receive Sport England funding to help during current COVID-19 pandemic
Don’t forget to check out the website
North Weald Cricket Club has been awarded £580 of National Lottery funding from Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund. The grant will enable the Club to help cover insurance and storage costs following a period in which recreational cricket has been suspended due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic.
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S. I. Painters and Decorators
The outbreak of the virus and the consequent shutdown of businesses as of 23rd March has left the sport and physical activity sector facing a period of uncertainty. In response, on 31st March Sport England announced a £195m package to help the sport and physical activity sector through COVID-19. Within the package is a £20m Community Emergency Fund of National Lottery money to deliver immediate funding to those who have a role in supporting the nation to be active but are experiencing short-term financial hardship due to the impact of coronavirus.
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Tim Hollingsworth, Sport England’s Chief Executive, said “As the body responsible for the growth of sport and physical activity participation, we want the vital grassroots organisations that make sport and physical activity happen in this country to not just to come through this crisis but to be in a position to thrive again in the future. The £20m Community Emergency Fund, made possible by National Lottery players, is part of a multimillion pound package of support we are providing to ease the pressure on a huge number of the organisations who are central to the nation’s health and wellbeing. We are proud to be able to provide vital funding to North Weald Cricket Club to help it through these extremely challenging times.” Page 8
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No objection to new police station flats plan A new planning application to convert the upstairs of the former Epping Police Station building into flats has met with no objection from Epping Town Council.
An original scheme for a restaurant at ground floor and basement level with six flats on the first and second floor was recently withdrawn. Now five flats - four one-bedroom and one twobedroom - are proposed for the first and second floors of the Georgian building, which closed as a police station in April 2016. No parking is included in the proposals. Councillor Mari-Louise Whitbread told Tuesday's Epping Town Council planning and general purposes committee: "We need flats for downsizing in the High Street. It's a very tatty building (now) but a beautiful building, part of the High Street and needs to be used rather than left empty." A final decision on the 'prior approval' application will be taken by Epping Forest District Council. Applicant Assetrock Epping Ltd, in its application documents, says a separate planning application would be submitted for an undisclosed retail use for the ground floor and basement.
No risk oven clean To ensure your ovens can be sparkling clean even in the current situation, Martin Stedman has recently undergone training in Infection Prevention and Control and Prevent Covid-19. This is a great initiative and will hopefully put people’s minds at rest as I am sure, like mine, all our ovens have been used non-stop over the last few months.
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Essex county council response to coronavirus so far Essex County Council have been working to support residents, communities and businesses in Essex throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Here are some key facts about their work over the last few weeks:More than £260 milllion has been paid in grants to Essex businesses 21,000 businesses in Essex have received funding 237 businesses have been checked for compliance with lockdown regulations 500,000 items of PPE have been allocated to people and businesses around Essex 8 country parks in Essex have safely reopened 5,805 residents have registered for support with the Essex Welfare Service 3,009 residents have registered to volunteers with the Essex Welfare Service 1,304 emergency food deliveries have been made to people in need 430 schools have remained open for children who are vulnerable or whose parents are essential workers 1,222 vulnerable children have attended school during the pandemic, while 4,404 children in total have attended school 15 recycling centres are operational again for essential items 56,450 views of Essex Libraries' Facebook videos and 7,956 views on their YouTube videos Nearly 119,000 people have visited the coronavirus hub for information and advice Contact centre has taken 42,271 calls from residents
Ways for adults to stay active and healthy Essex County Council have gathered resources to help you stay healthy and active while staying at home. Their staying well page https:// www.essex.gov.uk/staying-well/stayingwell-adults includes information and advice on:
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looking after your mental health when you are social distancing
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online counselling and mental health services
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national and local organisations providing support
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things you can do to stay active at home
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how to work safely and comfortably from home www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
VE Day Celebration This year the May bank holiday was held on a Friday, 8th May, this was organised to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. The sun shone and people wanted to celebrate this historic day but unfortunately due to the lockdown it was not possible to celebrate in the planned events. However in true community style, the local people did not let them stop them. Home made bunting was put up outside homes, and people set up on their street or front garden keeping a social distance to enjoy some home made treats and drinks.
Arthur Moreton and a representative of the Norwegian Squadron laid a wreath and bouquet of flowers, Alan North Weald Bassett Parish Council and Jaymey McIver District Councillor laid wreaths at the Debt of Honour. Local people joined in with their respect along with myself who laid flowers from their garden also at the Debt of Honour. Roxanne Withy kindly spent some time taking photos of local people celebrating on VE Day and has shared them with North Weald Village Life. If you click onto my website www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk you will be able to see the full gallery of photos— you may even see yourselves.
Please find photos taken on VE Day by Roxanne Withy
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Nursing Assistant speaks about caring on the frontline during Covid-19 St Clare Hospice is continuing to offer vital care and support to Commenting on the uplifting experiences she has had, Shelia people with life-limiting conditions, and those nearing the end of said: “There has been a lot of kindness during this whole situatheir life, throughout the Covid-19 pandemic – tion. It has been wonderful to see. I got both at the hospice itself, and in the community choked up one day as I was leaving a pa– adapting their service to ensure the safety of tient’s house with a colleague, when one of staff and patients. One of St Clare Hospice’s their neighbours – a young mother with her Hospice at Home nursing assistants is sharing three kids – came out to stand on her doorher experiences of working on the frontline durstep as we left. She said to her children ing the coronavirus outbreak in a new blog, re‘let’s clap for our nurses’ and then the four leased today. of them applauded us as we walked back to our cars. Sheila Dormer (59 years, from Saffron Walden) has been working as a Nursing Assistant with “Let’s hope that all of this makes for a kindthe St Clare Hospice at Home team for 6 years. er world in the long run. There has been Sheila, like everyone in her team, has adapted lots of sadness and heartbreak – but also to working on the frontline during the coronalots of acts of kindness. Communities are virus outbreak. coming together, and people are looking out for their neighbours now. Hopefully this Speaking about her experiences, Sheila said: change in outlook sticks around, long after “It’s been challenging at times, but we are all this virus is gone. Looking out for each othdoing our best in these difficult circumstances. er and being neighbourly is something we There have been definite highs – and of course should hold on to.” some lows – but we are just out there doing the best we can. The whole situation has brought To read Sheila’s full blog, visit us even closer together as a team. We all feel stclarehospice.org.uk/blog like we are in this together – we are riding the storm, and waiting for the rainbow. “We have made a lot of changes to our working practices that are all about putting safety first at all times. We have virtual handover meetings from our own homes, travel individually to patients’ houses, and are of course wearing appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment).” Commenting on caring for patients in these circumstances, Sheila said: “The PPE has been quite a change. We are wearing face masks, goggles and full length gowns – which we are not used to. It can be a bit daunting and strange for patients and their families when we turn up at the door completely gowned up and our faces covered.
“It’s difficult because, before, we might have offered a family member a hug or given them a reassuring touch, but now we can’t do that. It is hard when they cannot even see us smiling at them behind the mask – but I think they can see we are smiling through our eyes. We are just reassuring them the best that we can, and supporting them as much as possible. “It has really made me value my role as a Hospice at Home nursing assistant. Knowing that I can still be with patients at the end of their life, and support them, is a huge thing for me. I can still hold their hands – even with PPE on – and give them that comfort. Quite often you are the last person that is with them, and knowing that I can be with people at the end of their life, is a privilege.”
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PHOTO GALLERY—Your photos This month we have a beautiful range of photos submitted by Elaine Taylor. Elaine enjoys walking around the village and taking photographs. Some of these were even taken in Roughtally wooded area which I know a lot of people walk daily. Thank you Elaine, I hope you and others will continue sharing your photos with me.
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June Gardening Hints
Hello one and all, I would like to start this month’s column by thanking you all for your support and understanding over the last couple of months, it has been a difficult time for everybody and trying to run a business during lockdown has been extremely challenging. Especially for garden centres like ourselves, the three months from April should be our busiest time of the year, we have worked non stop day & night to try and keep up with your orders & we know many of you have been extremely patient waiting for us to get to you, for which we are extremely grateful. After the government decided that garden centres could re-open if precautions were taken, we decided to continue operating in a similar manner to which we had been in order to continue to do our best to protect ourselves as well as our valued customers, as such, as I write this months column, you are welcome to come and visit us, how ever all sales take place from the car park and we are not allowing customers to come in to the nursery at the moment. We will of course continue to monitor the situation. Many people have decided to have a go at growing their own veg this year, which is of course fantastic, hopefully you will all find that its not that difficult to do. The parish council now has a new allotment warden for WFG and Carmela has done a great job by filling all vacant plots on the site, as well as working hard to get the allotment site back in ship shape. I know that Lisa has received many messages to our fb page regarding the growing of veg & salad crops from new allotment tennats, there is a post on our page for those who are interested. And if you have any further questions please don’t hesitate to message Lisa on our fb page. Now is the time to get most of your veggies in the ground or containers, its warm enough to plant out your runner beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, squashes etc. In the garden many people have been invaded by the box caterpillar, which can strip your plant of leaves literally over night, we recommend you pick off as many caterpillars as you can, and spray your buxus regularly with some thing like bug clear, also using the buxus health mix will help to strengthen your plants and help them recover from attack. You will need to continue treating buxus right up till around October. Spray roses every 4-6 weeks with rose clear to prevent aphids and also by spraying regularly you will prevent your roses from getting black spot. It’s also worth giving your roses a top dressing of manure.
Give your lawns their first application of feed, weed & moss killer, if it doesn’t rain within 48 hours of application then water it in. Once watered in it is safe for pets and children to walk on, so I would suggest if you have pets or small children water it in straight away. You will find any moss will turn black, once this happens grab a lawn rake and remove all the dead moss. Keep on top of the weeds in the flower beds by using a hoe, the more often you cut their tops off the quicker it will weaken the weeds and they will eventually die. Keep hanging baskets watered and dead headed. If you got your baskets from us, they will contain a slow release feed, so wont require any further feeding just yet, but in the height of the summer it’s good to give them a top up, tomato food is as good as any thing to use. Any trees or shrubs that you have planted in the ground in the last few months will require watering daily during warmer/ hot weather, a soak with a hose quite often is not enough, I’d suggest using a bucket and give each tree a whole bucket full of water, or time how long it takes your hose to fill a bucket, and that’s how long you should stand at each plant with your hose.
If you have put any grass seed down, you must keep this moist at all times, as soon as grass seed is watered it will start the germination process how ever if you allow it to dry out, it will stop growing. So please ensure its kept wet. Please keep sending your photos to Lisa on our fb page, we have enjoyed seeing your gardens, your hanging baskets and especially those of you who have got your children out helping in the gardens, its lovely to see the next generation learning how to grow plants and more importantly how to grow food. Cheers! Nigel Facebook – Art Nursery Garden Centre, North Weald (@ArtNGC) Instagram – artnurserynw
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Rejuvenation of Epping Town Centre The Epping Forest District Council Cabinet will consider a report on Monday 1 st June to enable another major milestone in the rejuvenation of Epping Town Centre. They will consider the appointment of contractors for a £6m Civic Offices refurbishment scheme. This is reported to pave the way for new housing on the site of the adjacent 1960s Conder office block and rear carpark, bringing investment in jobs, the local economy, housing and public services to the town.
Income from housing sales and rents will meet public service cost, help maintain their record of the lowest Council Tax in Essex, and major savings will be made from maintenance on the ageing building. Epping Plus - is all part of a phased strategic development plan, bringing more market rent and affordable housing to Epping, homes for sale, a cinema, leisure centre, small businesses and public open space. Other key sites in the overall plan are at St John’s Road and Hemnall Street. Leader of Council Cllr Chris Whitbread said: “As we start to plan the post COVID-19 recovery phase, this investment will help to kickstart the rejuvenation of the High Street and local economy. This is a continuation of a very successful policy which has seen our council increasingly fund public services through income from investments such as Epping Forest Retail Park and North Weald Airfield.” “The policy has allowed us to freeze Council Tax in 9 of the last 10 years while continuing to invest in new services such as the new Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre. We believe there has never been a better time for the council to invest in the health and revitalisation of Epping and its economy. It’s a coordinated plan that starts with the refurbishment of the council offices, bringing jobs, people and investment to the town, just at the time it needs it most – in the post-coronavirus recovery period.” “Our cost / benefit analysis shows the greatest benefits would come from a total refurbishment of the Civic Offices, saving the cost of building new offices, alongside efficiency and environmental benefits and collaborative space for our partners and small businesses. Retaining the Civic Offices as they are would cost around £3m in essential works and a further £200k annually in maintaining the Conder building.” In Redeveloping this site through the new development company Qualis will yield an estimated gross development value of £14.6m, while the newly created business space in the Civic Offices could provide up to £250k rental income a year.
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Could your cupcakes bring in cash? Would your friends donate for a doughnut? If so Essex & Herts A Virtual British Afternoon Tea is one of a number of fun and Air Ambulance (EHAAT) would like you to put the kettle on and easy fundraising ways to support your local air ambulance withraise vital funds. out leaving home. EHAAT is asking supporters to `rise’ to the challenge of supporting their local life-saving charity by getting involved in `A Virtual British Afternoon Tea’ this summer.
Although both EHAAT airbases – at North Weald and Earls Colne – are closed to all non-essential visitors, the charity’s critical care teams are still working 24/7 attending the most critically ill and injured patients. Fundraising efforts have been hit by the cancellation or postponement of a number of events.
With many of us turning to baking during the lockdown, the charity would like the people of Essex and Hertfordshire to `get together’ over cakes and a cuppa as part of its ‘A Virtual British Afternoon Tea’ fundraising initiative, sponsored by Dobsons Home of Cheshunt. Natasha Robertson, Fundraising Manager at EHAAT, said, “You can help save lives, one cake at a time. Since going into lockdown, baking has become an even bigger obsession and we are inviting people to create their star bakes and hold a virtual tea party.
“Thanks to video apps like Zoom, and Houseparty, you can invite friends and family to join you for al tea party, even if you can’t meet them in person. It’s a great way to connect with people, have some fun and `doughnate’ money to a great cause.”
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Donations to Essex & Herts Air Ambulance can be made by “It costs over £750,000 a month to keep the service running visiting ehaat.org smoothly and we couldn’t do it without the dedication and support of the people of Essex and Hertfordshire. It’s really easy to get involved.” Helen Dobson, Director of Dobsons Home said: “We wanted to get involved with A Very British Afternoon Tea because it’s supporting a fantastic local charity that does amazing work. I’ve met people who have been saved by the air ambulance, and what they do is incredible. As a longstanding local business, we like to be part of the community and play our part in supporting local charities.”
Taking part is simple once you’ve picked a date and thought about who you’d like to invite, you could choose a theme, organise some games or a quiz, or even vote to see whose cake is the favourite. The charity is asking supporters to simply bake and donate. Natasha continued “If guests all donated the costs of their usual cuppa or favourite cake it would make a big difference to Charity at this time.” To help give your baking a boost, recipes, EHAAT bunting, invitations and posters can be downloaded from the charity’s website at ehaat.org/avbat Don’t forget to post photos of your get together and your baking triumphs (and disasters!) using #avbat, #ratemybake and #ratemycake. Page 18
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St Clare Hospice say thank you to volunteers
Hospice for over 25 years. These devoted fundraising volunteers have also been involved in numerous fundraising events, from Every year during the first week of June (Monday 1st – Sunday street collections, to fêtes and 7th June 2020) organisations, charities and communities cele- cake sales. brate and say thank you for the contribution that millions of volunteers make across the UK. “John Carr was one of our founding trustees, as well as one of St Clare Hospice, will be recognising the unique contribution of our very first fundraising heroes. its 550+ strong volunteer team – albeit from afar due to lock- It was with John’s support that down restrictions. St Clare Hospice will be marking the week on we raised enough money to their social media channels as well as hosting a series of virtual launch the Hospice. social get-togethers for their volunteers during the week. “Michael Chapman has supported St Clare since 1990 in various Rob Wallace, Voluntary Services Manager, said: “This Volun- ways, including as the Chair of the Board of Trustees from 2006teers’ Week we want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to all 2013, and by taking part in our Open Gardens event every year. our St Clare volunteers for the contribution they make – every hour they donate to us is truly valued. This is an unprecedented “Liz Jones was a supporter from the very beginning, running time and unfortunately many of our volunteers have had to put book sales and fundraising, and she set up our annual 10k race their support on pause during lockdown. Everyone at the Hos- which has been taking place at the Hospice since 1994. pice is very much missing the passion, skills and contribution of our volunteers – and it just goes to show the difference they “Heather Wright was one of the very first volunteers at St Clare really make. We cannot wait to be back together with them and, along with her husband Stanley, helped to set up the Hosagain.” pice. Heather dedicated so much time and support in the early days, even cooking meals for our Day Therapy patients. Heather 2020 also marks the 30th anniversary of the hospice charity and still volunteers to this day, now in our Epping shop.” this Volunteers’ Week St Clare Hospice is celebrating the special commitment of a group of seven volunteers who have sup- For more information about how you can volunteer with St Clare ported the charity since it first began. Hospice, visit their website at stclarehospice.org.uk/volunteer or The seven St Clare Hospice volunteers who are celebrating their 30th year of volunteering are: John Carr (Epping), Michael Chapman (Epping), Ann and Peter Gould (Harlow), Liz Jones (Epping), Audrey Marlow (Harlow) and Heather Wright (Harlow). Commenting on the volunteers’ 30 year milestone Rob Wallace, Voluntary Services Manager, said: “We are extremely fortunate to be able to say that some of our volunteers have supported us since the Hospice was founded in 1990 – dedicating countless hours of their time to our cause. “In this, our 30th year, there are seven amazing volunteers who are also celebrating their 30th ‘St Clare Birthday’ with us. We want to say a huge and heartfelt thank you to – John, Michael, Ann, Peter, Liz, Audrey and Heather. We salute these seven incredible volunteers, who together, have given 210 years of continuous voluntary service to St Clare.” “Ann, Peter and Audrey are all founding members of our Harlow Friends fundraising group, as well as establishing our Open Gardens event which has been raising funds each summer for the Page 19
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No town council objection to revised shopfront plans Epping Town Council has voiced no objection to revised plans for a new 'traditional style' shopfront at the former Geoffrey Drayton shop at 104 High Street, Epping. When the original application was considered, the town council's planning and general purposes committee expressed no objection providing the plan is supported by the district council's conservation officer, ensuring the applicant uses traditional materials and they are careful not to damage any historic brickwork when undertaking works. The town council added that the building is part of a group of listed buildings and its group value should be respected as any damage to the building may impact on its neighbours. The town council highlighted that it is in a key location in the Conservation Area and stressed that the conservation team at Epping Forest District Council should manage the works closely.
Even more e-magazines Essex County Council Library Service have added more e-magazines to their catalogue on RB Digital! Choose from over 3500 titles across 38 genres, including home and garden, technology, food, and crafts. Read BBC Good Food, Prima, Men’s Health, Country Living, TV Times, Mother & Baby and loads more. No holds, no checkout periods, and no limit to the number of magazines you can download. So many amazing options free of charge with your library card and the RB Digital app. Sign up now at https://essex.rbdigitalglobal.com/
Recycling centres opening Road sign for recycling centre for household waste 15 recycling centres in Essex will be open from Monday 18 May. Only waste and recycling which cannot be stored at home without causing a health or safety risk will be accepted. You should only visit a recycling centre if absolutely necessary. The safest way to get rid of your waste and recycling is using your kerbside collection. New restrictions and social distancing measures will be in place to ensure the safety of all residents and site staff. Page 20
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New chairman elected at virtual EFDC Council meeting On 22nd May, Councillor Helen Kane was elected Chairman of Epping Forest District Council. At the first ever virtual Annual Council meeting on Thursday 21st May, councillors and officers logged in from their homes.
Deadline for the next issue is
Councillor Jo Shere-Bernia is the Council’s new Vice-Chairman. Councillor Chris Whitbread was re-elected Leader of Council and Councillor Nigel Bedford appointed deputy leader.
12th June.
Cllr Kane’s nomination as Chairman was proposed by Councillor Jeane Lea and seconded by Chris Whitbread with unanimous approval across the Chamber Accepting the role, Cllr Kane said because of social distancing it would be some time before she could start attending events or fundraising. So this year she has decided not to support one or two specific charities but to concentrate on the many smaller charities and community groups that are working so hard across the district helping others through the COVID crisis. Chairman Cllr Helen Kane said: “We owe a lot of thanks to many people, our refuse collectors, postmen and all those on the frontline as well as our officers who are mostly working from home at this time. They are doing an excellent job issuing business grants, food parcels and setting up and running these virtual meetings for councillors, all on top of doing their normal work.” Cllr Kane first became involved in local politics in 2009 as a Waltham Abbey Town Councillor and served as the Town Mayor for 2 consecutive years. She was elected to Epping Forest District in 2012. In 2014 she became Portfolio holder of Leisure and Community, seeing the refurbishment of the Museum, a brand-new swimming pool in Waltham Abbey, extension of the Loughton leisure centre and refurbishment of the rest of the leisure centres in the district.
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Town Mayor reflects on key civic events over the past year Epping Town Mayor Grahame Scruton reflected on several key events from the past civic year when he was re-elected for a second year at Epping Town Council's Annual Meeting. Councillor Scruton highlighted the "extremely successful" Epping Town Show and Epping Christmas Market, and also the official opening of the outdoor table tennis table and outdoor gym at Stonards Hill recreation ground. Councillor Scruton thanked Deputy Town Mayor Michael Wright, who was also re-elected for a second year, for standing in for him at several events, and also thanked all councillors and town council staff for their support over the past year, and especially during the current ongoing coronavirus situation. This year's Epping Town Show has been cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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IMPORTANT Defibrillators Recently I understand defibrillators from both Thornwood and North Weald have been needed to help people who have become unwell whilst awaiting emergency services.
So to ensure all residents are aware of the location of our defibrillators, here are the details. Once you ring emergency services to inform them of someone needing emergency assistance, they will give you the code required to access the defibrillator looked in coded cabinets.
North Weald:- Outside the Methodist Church Hall.
Thornwood—Outside the Parish Hall.
Schools to Reopen The government has announced that primary schools, nurseries and early years settings can begin to open to more pupils from Monday 1st June. Secondary schools and colleges will be able to open to more students from 15th June. This is possible because the government’s 5 tests have been met. In Essex, Essex County Council have been supporting schools and settings to develop their plans for wider opening. Each school and setting has made their own decision on how they will respond based on the completion of a thorough health and safety risk assessment. This means that not all schools and settings will open full time to all pupils who are now eligible to return from 1 st June. They do not yet have a full picture, but their current indications are that between 75% - 80% of Essex primary schools will open to more pupils in some form from 1st June, while 20% are indicating they will not. Schools and settings are responsible for communicating with parents and their setting’s wider community about their individual decisions. All schools and settings will continue to remain open for the children of critical workers and vulnerable pupils.
Shops and Businesses reopening As shops and businesses reopen, I will be featuring dates and details on the North Weald Village Life website— www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk. So if you or anyone knows of a business or shop reopening please let me know and I will include those details on the website along with opening hours.
I update the website regularly with news and features so please keep visiting it. There are galleries of photos also that people share with me.
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Work on the new Junction M11a is gearing up Work on the ‘critical’ new M11 Junction 7A at Harlow is gearing up, with the site currently being cleared to enable the works team to set up in June. Construction will then start on Gilden Way at the London Road Roundabout in June/July. Cllr Kevin Bentley, Deputy Leader of Essex County Council and Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, said: “It is fantastic to see this long-awaited major project becoming a reality.
“The new junction is critical for Harlow and the wider area, ultimately helping to reduce congestion in the town, offering new public transport opportunities and further unlocking the economic potential of Harlow through supporting local business growth.” One of the biggest infrastructure projects in the county, the works will see a new junction created between Junction 7 and 8 of the M11 and a new link road joining the M11 with a widened B183 Gilden Way. This will ultimately see a new east-west link created through the town. Referring to the ongoing Coronavirus situation, Cllr Bentley added: “Covid-19 has, of course, had an impact on many infrastructure projects. “Therefore, we have been working closely with the contractor GRAHAM to enable surveying and preparatory works to take place, with stringent social distancing rules in operation. This will continue as the works progress. “We are also looking closely at other schemes that are going on, such as in Edinburgh Way, which is due to complete in the next few weeks, to ensure that the potential impact on traffic is minimised” The new junction 7a is planned to open in 2022. For more information and to register for construction updates on the scheme visit www.essex.gov.uk/junction7a.
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CHURCH CHAT Once again at the time of writing, everything still seems so uncertain. I have no idea what tomorrow will hold but then again – do we ever really know? Much of my life has been spent trying to plan, organise and avoid any unwelcome disruption. But all of a sudden, we’ve all had to get used to disruption on a scale that very few people of my generation have had to before.
Each of us has dealt with this differently. If your house has been anything like ours there’s probably been a lot of tears, some laughter and quite a lot of wine! I was intrigued to find out that many people have been turning to prayer over the last few weeks. In the month of March, the Google searches for ‘prayer’ were 50% higher than in February. The comedian and actor Russell Brand was talking about this on Instagram the other day and he concluded that people were looking for a "sacred experience". "All of a sudden people want to know how to pray. Not that long ago we thought that prayer and religion was redundant and that mankind could answer all of our questions through technology," he said. He said the search for prayer was recognition that life on earth is "limited" and "on some level we know [it] is not enough". He went on to encourage people to try prayer.
The statistics seem to back this up. A survey last month showed that a third of young people (between 18 and 34) have watched or listened to an online or broadcast religious service since the lockdown started. The most frequent subjects of ‘lockdown’ prayers has been family (53%), friends (34%), thanking God (24%), the person praying (28%), frontline services (27%), someone unwell with Covid-19 (20%), and other countries with Covid-19 (15%).
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For me, prayer is a way of vocalising my thoughts and acknowledging that I’m not God. It’s a time to listen too. To listen to the small still voice in my heart telling me that it’s ok not to be ok, or that I’m doing all right despite the challenges. It’s the voice that whispers that we are loved. That’s what prayer is – it’s not magic or “talking to a figment of my imagination”. When life hurts we cry out in our pain – it’s natural. I don’t believe those words are lost forever on the wind or are consumed by the universe – I believe they’re caught by the God who created us and who loves us and whispers back – it’s going to be ok, I love you. If you’d like to connect with church services from the Epping Team you can do so online. The links to facebook and YouTube are below. We’re live streaming at 10am and 6pm on Sundays but you can watch any of the services at any time.
Roger Linsdall Telephone: 01992 523277 Or mobile: 07980 555147
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• www.youtube.com/channel/UCXb5XnQLZkIeRYZal_6zbRw • www.facebook.com/eppingchurchUK/ With love, Rev Tom x
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Bobbin’ with the Robin Strange times indeed! As I mentioned last time this reduction in human activity has had quite an effect locally.
Here’s Mrs with an earwig for starters.
When the humans were behaving as normal, the sky was covered in filth.
Compared with now – just gorgeous! We had to leave our nest site deep in the neighbouring garden’s laurel as a squirrel kept nosing in there! So, plan ‘C’ saw us finally nest in a small conifer tree behind a smaller human nest. Something that only the male human tends to use – I think they call it a shed? Anyway, the chicks have hatched and it’s time for me and the Mrs to really move, as the kids need feeding constantly from first light. Remember I mentioned our humans do not use stuff like Insecticide and Slug Pellets on their garden – and a good job too as it would kill us also! The humans provide us with a supply of dried mealworms but we give just a few to the little ones as the only moisture they get at the moment is from the slugs, flies and grubs we collect for them about the garden. Page 25
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These flies and caterpillars should keep the kids quiet for a few minutes! Well, the chicks are all fed and sleeping. Mrs has gone off to get a snack for herself so I think I’ll fly into the nearby ash tree and sing for a bit! ‘Til next time…
Rockin’ Robin
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Bereavement Café online communities to support those experiencing grief during coronavirus lockdown
the physical cafés.
“We are fortunate to be supported by a wonderful team of trained volunteer Bereavement Café facilitators who have been eager to continue to support their community throughout the lockdown period. They know the impact that social isolation can have on people who are going through the loss of a loved one, St Clare Hospice is launching online bereavement support for and were happy to develop their skills to take the support people in an effort to diversify their service amidst the COVIDgroups online – even if they don’t normally consider themselves 19 pandemic and support those experiencing grief during tech-savvy! Each Facebook group is being carefully managed ‘lockdown’. by our volunteer facilitators to ensure that they remain a safe The new service consists of a series of place to connect and engage with seven local Bereavement Café online other local people who are also expecommunity Facebook Groups, which riencing grief and loss. We hope that cover Harlow, Hastingwood, Abridge, our community find the Bereavement Ongar, Theydon Bois, Dunmow, and a Café online communities as supportGroup for young people (aged 18-30) ive and meaningful as the ‘physical’ called Youth Bereavement Café. ones – and we are confident that this new way of connecting digitally Community Engagement Manager at St around bereavement and loss will be Clare Hospice, Sally Muylders, is leada positive legacy that we will continue ing the project and said: “Coping with to run after lockdown, and beyond!” bereavement and loss is always difficult, but in the current climate, people may Find your local Bereavement Café be finding it harder than ever. Many online community on Facebook, by visiting the main St Clare people are grieving in isolation – they may have lost a loved Hospice page at facebook.com/stclarehospice and clicking on one recently, and now find themselves cut off from their usual the Groups tab. support networks due to the lockdown measures. Or, their To find out more about St Clare Hospice’s Virtual Bereavement loved one may have died longer ago, but the grief they feel is Cafés visit stclarehospice.org.uk/bereavement-cafe or call heightened by the physical social isolation they are now faced 01279 773700 or email bereavement@stclarehospice.org.uk with. More than ever, St Clare can see that our role as a local hospice charity is to offer immediate, local, bereavement support to those who are experiencing death, dying and loss in our communities. “We have been working hard over the past weeks to devise a way to connect local people experiencing loss and bereavement with others who understand – in a ‘virtual’ way”.
Bereavement Cafés offer a place to meet and connect with other local people who may have had a similar experience, and to chat, share and support each other around coping with grief and loss. The café events are open to anyone who has experienced bereavement, no matter how long ago, and are free to attend. Since the national COVID-19 lockdown began on 23rd March 2020, the Bereavement Cafés have had to be postponed and cannot take place for the foreseeable future. The Community Engagement team have been working hard to take the project online so that bereaved local people can be supported ‘virtually’ during the lockdown period. Community Engagement Manager at St Clare Hospice, Sally Muylders, explained: “We have taken our Bereavement Cafés online and have set up individual Facebook groups for each of the areas where we normally host a ‘physical’ café event. Having these groups affiliated to locations across our catchment area means that people experiencing bereavement can stay connected with local people in their own area. Once the Facebook groups are up and running, we will also organise virtual meet-ups with the webconferencing platform, Zoom, so that we can facilitate virtually the kind of social drop-in groups that we normally run in Page 27
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Ongar Wildlife Society (OWLS) In the current situation there are no meetings but members are taking the opportunity to observe wildlife in their gardens and share their findings and photographs with colleagues by email. Several of us have been fortunate enough to see Red Kites circling in the clear blue skies while sitting in our gardens complying with the lockdown. These large birds of prey reach over two feet long with a wingspan of up to nearly six feet. They are elegant birds, soaring on their long wings with their forked tail twisting as they change direction. Much of the body is reddish-brown, hence Red Kite, and the white main flight feathers contrast with the black of the remainder of the wings. The diet consists mainly of small mammals such as mice, voles, shrews, and rabbits but they also take carrion including dead birds. They will hunt small birds and even reptiles and amphibians, while earthworms form an important part of the diet in the spring. Red Kites were once common in Britain but persecution drove them almost to extinction. Following reintroductions from Europe in the 1980s, the numbers have slowly increased and they are now protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. We are indeed fortunate to see them in the skies of Ongar. When we start again, meetings will be held at 8pm at Budworth Hall, High Street, Chipping Ongar CM5 9JG on the third Monday evening of the month at 8pm. Keith Snow
Help in the Community Myself and my very hard working helpful co-ordinators namely Kate, Natalie, Rachel, Tom, Tracey, Will and Pete are continuing to provide help to anyone in the community who needs it. We are regularly picking up and delivering prescriptions from North Weald Chemist, doing shopping, ringing some people regularly for a chat etc. So please do not hesitate to email us at hello@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk or ring any of the numbers below if you or you know someone who needs help. Also, as the Government implement changes, some people who have not been out at all over the last 12 weeks may want to start leaving their home but unsure what to expect and feel nervous. We are currently putting together a little pack with some friendly advice and details that may help. Again if you know anyone or if you would like to receive one of these packs please email hello@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk or ring any
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Giving hugs with poetry
Brighter Days The skies are so blue and the days so very warm, Though lockdown has not totally lifted, Still to the beaches and parks we swarm. Social distancing seems to suddenly be a thing of the past, But with everyone ignoring the warnings, Surely this disease will flourish and last. I know it’s so tempting to throw caution to the wind, As even the advisers don’t seem to have listened. Though to show restraint and sensibility are what we can truly do now, Then these brighter days will be there for us all to enjoy But maybe not quite just now. Source: Andy—resident poet. This was written after seeing on the news how so many people are taking advantage of the new lockdown rules and flocking to the beaches but often because of crowds or lack of caution, social-distancing cannot be maintained.
Epping Forest District Council have recently have launched a book of poems entitled Hugs, to lift your mood and bring you joy and happiness. The poems have been written by members of the Community Writers’ Group, set up by Community, Culture and Wellbeing team (CCW) in September 2019. They include memories of loved ones, daily struggles and romantic encounters. The writers are from all different backgrounds and have a variety of writing experience. Originally the club wanted the book of poems to focus on bereavement and help others who have lost loved ones. However, CCW and the writers felt that the poetry book can bring joy to more people as many are feeling low due to the coronavirus pandemic and being away from their families. Councillor Nigel Bedford, portfolio holder for Community and Partnerships said: “We hope this book brings comfort and happiness to those who read it. At this tough time, as people are unable to see family and friends, these poems reminds us that we are not alone, and we can reach out to others at times of sadness and worry.”
Many copies have already been distributed among the community including Epping WI members, and those receiving deliveries from Epping Food Bank. Members of the Community, Culture and Wellbeing team have even been handing them out to neighbours. More copies will be available soon. If you would like a free digital copy, contact our Community Engagement Officer, Victoria Robertson on Email vrobertson@eppingforestdc.gov.uk Unfortunately, following Government guidelines around the coronavirus, the group is not currently meeting. If you would like to develop your creative writing skills or just fancy trying something new during lockdown, email vrobertson@epppingforestdc.gov.uk. Victoria Robertson is our Community Engagement Officer and she will send you writing prompts, ideas and constructive feedback.
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Thank you Gifts
Bespoke bench for Squirrels
As mentioned in last month’s issue and on Facebook, a number of people had boxes outside their house and asked for contributions to give to staff at local places that have continued to work hard during the lockdown.
Keith Jones lives in the village with his family and is lucky enough to have a whole host of wildlife visiting his garden especially squirrels. He often shares videos and photos of these with the North Weald Village Life Facebook group.
This was the initiative of Revd Tom (who writes the Church Chat each month). Unfortunately after days of people donating, the plastic box containing donations was stolen from outside his home. Everything including the box was taken and it was captured on CCTV. However he did manage to get more donations. We were delighted with everybody’s generosity. Tom delivered care and thank you boxes full of gifts to Cunningham House, St Andrews Primary and Norway House. Revd Tom and everybody involved want to say thank you to all key workers who have been working and to everybody who has donated or collected.
He made a squirrel sized bench which attaches to one of his trees. So many people loved these so he offered to make them and sell them and donate the proceeds to charity. So Keith and his 16 year old son, Jake, have been making these during lockdown. To date the money raised has been spent as follows:- £115 donated to Air Ambulance ,£40 of goodies went to Epping Forest Community Mental Health Team and £30 to Mental Health Foundation. Keith is still receiving requests and raising money.
Well done Keith and Jake, for all your hard work raising money for some very worthwhile charities.
Town council opposes restaurant's glazed extension plans Plans for a wooden, glazed single-storey front extension to The Lazeppe restaurant in High Street, Epping, are being opposed by Epping Town Council. The extension would cover the existing decked area. Councillor Barbara Scruton told Tuesday's virtual planning and general purposes committee: "I think it's a monstrosity. It doesn't fit into the conservation area at all. It juts out and doesn't fit in with the street scene." Committee chairman Nigel Avey said: "Frankly I can't understand with all the seating area they have, why they want to enclose more." Councillor Christine Burgess said: "It looks like a greenhouse to me. It doesn't really fit in." The committee voted to object highlighting the conservation area issue with councillors adding that they consider the proposals are an over-development and do not add to the visual aspect of the street scene. Page 30
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Thinking of leaving your job? Citizens Advice offers some guidance on giving notice If you want to leave your job you’ll normally need to give your employer some warning. This is called your notice period. If there’s nothing in your contract or terms and conditions, or if you don’t have a written contract, you should give at least 1 week’s notice. It’s best to resign in writing. Send a letter or email saying how much notice you’re giving and when you expect your last day to be. You can give more notice than your contract says, if you want - your employer can’t make you leave earlier. You can ask your employer to agree to reduce your notice period. Reassure them that leaving early won’t cause them any problems - for example, agree to finish any urgent work – and may save them money. If your employer doesn’t agree, but you want to leave early anyway, think about whether this would cost them any money. For example, if they’d need to get expensive agency staff to replace you at short notice, they could take you to court for compensation. If you have a fixed-term contract you don’t need to give notice if you want to leave on the last day of your contract. If you want to leave before the last day of your contract, check if the contract says you can give notice. If it doesn’t say anything, you should give at least 1 week’s notice. You should get your full normal pay if you work during your notice period. This should include any work benefits you get, such as pension contributions or free meals. If you leave early, your employer still has to pay you for work you’ve done. If you’re off sick or on maternity leave, paternity leave or adoption leave you’ll only get whatever you would have been normally paid in those circumstances. However, you’re entitled to full pay for 1 week of your notice period, whether you give notice of only 1 week or more than 1 week. If your employer tells you not to work in your notice period you should get the same amount of pay. Your employer might either pay all your notice pay at once and dismiss you straight away - this is called pay in lieu of notice or PILON - or pay you as usual until the end of your notice period when your contract ends. This is sometimes called garden leave. You can ask to take holiday in your notice period, but it’s up to your employer to decide if you can take it. If you go on paid holiday in your notice period you’re entitled to your usual wage. When you leave you’ll be paid for any holiday you have accrued but not taken, up to your first 28 days of holiday entitlement. This is called your statutory holiday entitlement. If you get more than 28 days a year (including bank holidays), this is called contractual holiday. Check what your contract says about leftover contractual holiday. You might still get paid for any days you don’t use. Your employer can tell you to use up any holiday you have left over. They’ll also need to tell you when to take it. Check your contract to see how far in advance your employer should tell you to take holiday. If there’s nothing in your contract, they need to give you at least 2 days’ notice for each day of holiday. For more information on leaving a job, go to our website: www.citzensadvice.org.uk.
Source: Paul Stockton
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Email: june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
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BIRD FEATURE - JUNE 2020 Greetings, here is the bird related article for June. As always I am compiling this report in the middle of the preceding month so any sightings I mention are up to mid May. We have all had to adjust aspects of our daily lives over the last couple of months but of course for local wildlife it has been business as usual. The most obvious aspect of our local natural history at this time of year is the breeding season for birdlife. The dawn chorus has been at its peak during early May and many a morning sleep will have been interrupted by 4 or 5am as a diverse cast of feathered characters has been blasting out a few tunes at first light. Blackbirds are one of the most persistent songsters with plenty of late evening performances backed up by early morning repeats, a loud, fluty utterance that tells any other Blackbirds within earshot that this is an individual who is on territory and wants everyone to know it. Indeed there can be serious confrontations between rival Blackbirds when a territorial dispute arises and some will end up fighting to the death as their instincts drive them to do everything that they can to secure successful breeding. If you notice a male Blackbird singing in the evening, always from a prominent position, you should also hear one or more birds singing a response from somewhere not too far away. One bird that everyone 'knows' is the Cuckoo which for many years has been viewed as a true sign of spring. Well, this is a bird which has seen dramatic falls in population but as I have pointed out before we are still blessed to have this iconic species turning up in our area on an annual basis. And this year must be the best spring for Cuckoos for a long, long time. I have heard and seen Cuckoos virtually daily for the last 5 or 6 weeks, on some days there were at least 2 Cuckoos calling almost incessantly in the vicinity of Weald Common and I have heard them further afield as well. Soon of course they will be gone and we can only hope that spring 2021 will be as successful for Cuckoos as this year has been. Another bird mentioned in previous reports is the Red Kite and at the risk of being repetitive I must mention this spectacular species again as there have been numerous sightings, mostly a single bird but occasionally a pair. They tend to drift silently over the village but they are often quite low and there have been some superb views, even just from the back garden. Sometimes they are mobbed by crows and Jackdaws and the commotion can make you realise that they are there. Our familiar aerial summer visitors, the Swift, Swallows and House Martins are all to be seen although I think Swifts were a week or so later in arriving than in previous years. One of the best times to see Swifts is on warm days when some rain clouds form or even thundery days because swarms of insects fly ahead of the rain clouds and the Swifts will be in hot pursuit. They spend the vast majority of their lives on the wing, even when sleeping and are truly iconic birds that are masters of fast, twisting flight. In addition to the Red Kites there are other birds of prey to be seen locally - Buzzards are widespread and will ride the thermals on warm days, whilst Kestrels can often be seen hovering over scrubby and grassy areas hunting for mice and voles. And the Sparrowhawk is always on the lookout for small birds. It will even ambush birds in hedges and bushes and at this time of hear they take advantage of the young, inexperienced birds that have not long left the nest and are not fully wise to the dangers around them. One more bird of prey that may show up is a summer visitor called Hobby which is a dashing falcon that is particularly noted for the way it chases down dragonflies and eats them whilst still flying. Most years I have had one or two sightings of a Hobby, certainly it is not a regular to our area but they can show up occasionally.
During the wet spell of the 2019/20 winter there were many gulls to be seen, flocks of 250-300 on occasion but the vast majority of gulls have gone to breeding colonies in other areas and the only ones I have seen recently have been 3 or 4 Lesser Black-backed Gulls which still seem to be popping up in our area. This is a big bird, much bigger than a crow, but they are very wary and even when they know there is some food to be had in a garden they normally take so long to pluck up the courage to land that the smaller birds have polished it off. Gulls have distinct phases of their plumage and vary from summer to winter and back to the next summer before eventually assuming their full adult plumage. During June some birds will embark on second or even third broods and in successful breeding seasons some species will receive a boost to overall numbers. But of course there are many dangers for chicks and fledglings and predation and starvation can quickly reduce the survival rate. For some species it is loss of habitat and nesting sites that causes numbers to drop and this has been a major problem for birds such as the Skylark. There are patches of rough grassland around our area where there are several Skylarks to be seen or heard but once this is replaced by thick growing crops then there are none to be seen. In farmland it is set aside fields and strips that can help reverse declines in breeding numbers. There are other aspects of wildlife to enjoy locally. As we get to high summer there will be increasing numbers of butterflies to be seen. Last year I spotted a few species that I hadn't previously been familiar with and I am again going to try and broaden my knowledge of some of the insects that are to be seen. Moths are also on my radar although obviously they are not as easy to identify as they rather unreasonably come out at night and are therefore somewhat elusive. I have seen nature programmes where they us moth traps to lure in different types of moth but I will just have to make do with a few glimpses in torchlight. There was recently published research that moths are absolutely essential pollinators of flowers and crops so it is a pity that such common and useful insects are largely unknown to us.
Anyway, if you are able to get out and about then enjoy the fresh air and just be aware of the natural history around us. Birds are an obvious part of wildlife, after all we see them flying around and often hear them singing and in addition many of them will come into our gardens so we become familiar with them. But there are deer around our area, the occasional hedgehog and of course bats, plus a myriad of insects and creepy crawlies. Keeping an eye and ear out can result in interesting sightings when you least expect them and if we can engender an interest amongst youngsters then further down the line we will have more people in tune with environmental issues. All the best. Paul Corbet Page 33
Tel: 07814 863955
Email: june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
Essential Local Numbers The Alzheimer Society
01992 717676
North Weald Chemist
01992 523887
Cats Protection
0333 200 1484
North Weald Methodist Hall
01992 522143
Citizens Advice Bureau
03444 77 0808
North Weald Library
033301 32683
Crimestoppers
0800 555111
North Weald Village Hall Bookings
01992 523731
Doctors High Street, Epping
01992 579270
North Weald Parish Council
01992 523825
Doctors The Limes, Epping (visits/emergencies)
01992 566500
Queens Community Hall Bookings
07522 473024
Doctors The Limes, Epping
01992 573838
NHS Urgent help & advice
111
Doctors The Limes, North Weald 01992 524383
Essex Police
0300 333 4444
Epping Forest District Council
01992 564000
Police, Neighbourhood/local
101
Epping Town Council
01992 579444
Police, Emergency
999
EFDC & ECC Cllr Chris White-
01992 573557
Police Online reporting
www.essex.police.uk/doitonline
MP Alex Burghart
0207 2191613
RSPCA
01279 306058
Samaritans 24 Hours a day
116 123
Stuart Poulton
01992 522607
24 Hour
01992 572607
alex.burghart.mp@ parliament.uk
MP Mrs Eleanor Laing MP
020 8508 8608
MP For Thornwood
Eleanor.Laing.mp@parliament.uk
Hospital, St Margarets, Epping
01992 561666
Hospital, Princess Alexandra
01279 444455
St Andrews Church
01992 577168
London & Essex Boarding Ken-
01992 522183
St Andrews Primary School
01992 522283
North Weald Airfield
01992 564200
Traveline
0870 6082608
LOCAL CLUB DIRECTORY 3rd North Weald Beavers
North Weald Preservation Society
Queens Hall Charity
Tel: 01992 524672
Tel: read 01992 522618/522630
Tel: 522910
British Legion, North Weald Branch
North Weald Cricket Club
Rapier Cycling Club
Tel: 01992 614415
Northweald.play-cricket.com
Tel: 524631
Epping Ongar Railway Volunteer
North Weald Scouts Group
Taoist Tai Chi Society
Tel: 01277 365200
01992 524672
Tel: 01992 523854/07803243625
Harlow Badger Group
Theydon Jazz Club
Tel: 07941 185171
North Weald Seniors Society for over 70’s
Friends Force Hertfordshire/Essex
Tel: 522196
Thornwood Seniors
Tel: 522464
Tel: 577872
Epping Forest Rotary Club
North Weald Wireless Station Bowls Club
Tel: 07855 911323
Tel: 522803
Forest Highlanders Pipes & Drum
North Weald Women’s Institute (Afternoon)
Tel: 01279 415563 www.3valleymvc.org.uk
Tel: 01708 250820
Tel: 522700
West Essex Flower Club
North Weald Angling Club
Queens Hall Bowls Club
Tel: 524631
Tel: 01992 524071
Tel: 523375 or 522052
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Tel: 07814 863955
Email: june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
01945 588325/davedyer24@gmail.com
Three Valleys Male Voice Choir
www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
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Tel: 07814 863955
Email: june@northwealdvillagelife.co.uk
www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk