Foster Carers welcomes John Lewis Christmas Commer cial

Photos: Pat Dyer—this is what happens when the winter sun shines just for 5 minutes.

Well here we are with the Christmas edition of June’s very fine magazine. Another year older but almost and certainly not wiser. The past six weeks have been possibly the wettest I have ever known. All good for established trees and shrubs which suffered during the long hot dry summer, but not so good for gardeners attempting jobs that need doing at this time of the year. My advice is that any jobs can wait until the weather is more pleasant. Trying to plant, dig, prune etc—you can do more damage then if you wait until the sun shines. If you haven’t planted spring flowering bulbs in pots it is still not too late, it just means they will flower a little later than those planted earlier. If you bought a fresh cut Christmas tree, I hope you are keeping it watered , also I hope you kept it in a bucket of water for a week before bringing it indoors. This will complimentary hydrate the tree keeping it fresh throughout the Christmas holiday. Here’s hoping all of you have a healthy happy Christmas and New Year and as always look forward to spring and the gardener’s year starting again. Lets all keep looking forward to better times ahead which I am sure will be around the corner and toast the New Year with a drink of your choice, Mine’s a beer, cheers Source: Nigel, Art Garden Centre. Vicarage Lane.

After forty years of promoting friendships the Epping- Eppingen Association celebrated their twinning with the beautiful Baden Würtenberg town of Eppingen. North Weald Village Hall A group of fifty Eppingen people arrived in Epping on the last Friday in October. They were greeted with a welcome lunch of pump“Pantomime 2022” kin soup prepared by the Epping in Bloom Team and served in their garden. Their hosts entertained them for the rest of the day. A formal ceremony took place on Saturday morning in Epping Hall. Over 100 people were in attendance. Members of the associations, tennis club members, representatives of both town councils, Mayor of Epping Barbara Scruton, Oberbürgermeister of Eppingen Klaus Holaschke, President Humphrey Wheeler, M.P. Dame Eleanor Laing, Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Essex Michael Chapman and Chairpersons of the clubs Jim Heath and Heike Lachowitzer were there. During the ceremony speeches of welcome and thanks were made. The many long years of friendships and community ties between the two towns had thrived despite political differences which exist in the world. Klaus Holaschke presented the town mayor with gifts and a certificate confirming Eppingen’s commitment to ever closer links with Epping. Dame Eleanor Laing thanked all those involved in the twinning saying how important close community and cultural links were. After the speeches there was an interlude when the Epping Forest band played. This was very fitting as the band has visited the town on numerous occasions and played at their Altstadt fest. The two chairpersons of the clubs Jim Heath and Heike Lachowitzer cut a cake which was later enjoyed with coffee. The formalities were concluded with singing the two national anthems. Our guests dispersed some spending time with their hosts and others taking the opportunity to visit London. Later that day our guests together with many people associated with the association attended a celebratory dinner in Epping Hall. Over 100 people attended old friends had time to catch up and new friends were made. There was much laughter and a thoroughly happy evening was had by all. David Hatch magician otherwise known as Professor Whizzy entertained with some amazing illusions and rounded off a wonderful evening. The weekend was by no means over Our guests were transported to Maldon on Sunday morning where they visited the Heritage centre and learnt about the history of this little Essex town, they had time to see the boat yard before a lunch. Later in the afternoon they were taken to the Tiptree jam making factory. They visited the gift centre and the museum before having a typical English afternoon tea. They returned home to spend the evening with their hosts. On Monday they were due to go home. However, many found time to wander through Epping, visit the market and some of the town’s shops. Finally, before departing we had a very jovial lunch together in The Bull at Theydon Bois. With fond farewells they were waved off. We look forward to seeing our friends again next year when two visits to Eppingen are planned. We would welcome new members and know the hospitality you would receive would be superb. If you are interested contact Joy 01279 428622. Don’t forget to visit our website:

www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk Or sign up to the Facebook Group

www.facebook.com/groups/Northwealdvillagelife

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published the next phase of Census 2021 outputs for England and Wales looking at topics including migration, country of birth and household size and structure.

The demography release sheds light on the characteristics of people living in England and Wales and shows a similar picture to 2011.

In Epping Forest the results show that: • Number of households has increased by 5%, from around 51,800 in 2011 to 54,600 in 2021

• Epping Forest has a higher proportion of married or civil partnership couple households (34% in Epping Forest vs 30% in England) and a slightly higher proportion of older family households (10% compared to 9%) • Epping Forest has a lower proportion of one person households compared to England (27% compared to 30%)

The number of England and Wales residents born outside of the UK has increased by 2.5 million in the decade since the last census, new data from Census 2021 show.

Photo: C. Jones While the number of households increased, in line with the increase in the overall population, the make-up of those households is similar, with 6 in 10 being single family households and 3 in 10 being one person households. The average household size in England and Wales in 2021 was 2.4 people per household, as it had been in 2011. The census helps inform the delivery of public services throughout the UK. Different groups and organisations use census statistics in a variety of ways. For example, academics use census population estimates for predicting trends, local authorities for planning policy and local services, businesses for product development and store locations, and local groups to support funding applications.

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Tree planting underway at Weald Common

North Weald Bassett Parish Council has been working closely with Essex County Council’s Senior Forestry and Woodland Officer to create a new woodland area.

A total of 2,462 trees are being planted on the field adjacent to the Weald Common access road, off High Road, North Weald.

Native species have been sourced such as willow, poplar, hazel, alder, hawthorn, sweet chestnut and oak.

The area has been divided into three planting compartments with specific species chosen for each to ensure they are planted in the right place for the conditions.

It is hoped the new woodland will enhance the biodiversity in this important location.

The well-trodden pathways that cross the field have been used as a planting guide and will continue to allow access for walkers once the planting has been completed.

The parish council has been in discussion with St Andrew’s Primary School in North Weald to involve the school community with the exciting project.