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Service for the late Her Majesty
Service to Commemorate Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Exerts from Her Majesty The Queen’s first and last Christmas messages were read at special service of commemoration at St John the Baptist Church in Epping on Wednesday 14th September. Prayers were led by students from Epping St John’s Church of England Secondary School, at the service conducted by Reverend Cannon Lee Batson. Hugh Pegrum, Deputy Lieutenant of Essex read an extract from the first Christmas broadcast by Her Majesty The Queen in 1952. Councillor Mary Sartin then read an extract from Her Majesty’s final Christmas message broadcast in 2021. From Christmas Day 1952 Above all, we must keep alive that courageous spirit of adventure that is the finest quality of youth. And by youth, I do not just mean those who are young in years, I mean too all those who are young in heart, no matter how old they may be. That spirit still flourishes in the old country and in all the younger countries of our Commonwealth. On this broad foundation, let us set out to build a truer knowledge of ourselves and our fellowmen, to work for tolerance and understanding among the nations and to use the tremendous forces of science and learning for the betterment of man's lot upon this earth. If we can do these three things with courage, with generosity and with humility, then surely we shall achieve that 'Peace on earth, Goodwill toward men' which is the eternal message of Christmas, and the desire of us all. From Christmas Day 2021 And February, just six weeks from now, will see the start of my Platinum Jubilee year, which I hope will be an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness, a change to give thanks for the enormous changes of the last 70 years social, scientific and cultural - and also to look ahead with confidence. I am sure someone somewhere today will remark that Christmas is a time for children. It's an engaging truth, but only half the story. Perhaps it's truer to say that Christmas can speak to the child within us all. Adults, when weighed down with worries, sometimes fail to see the joy in simple things, where children do not. In the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential. It is the simplicity of Christmas story that makes it so universally appealing, simple happenings that formed the starting point of the life of Jesus - a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith. His birth marked a new beginning. Epping Town Council Mayor, Councillor Barbara Scruton read gave the Bible reading from Revelation 21.1-7
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Hospice calls on local people to leave a gift in their Will
Leaving a gift in your Will can make a huge impact, with more than half a million pounds donated to St Clare Hospice through gifts in Wills in the past year. St Clare Hospice CEO, Sarah Thompson, said: “St Clare is a local charity mostly funded by local people - a significant amount of money comes to St Clare in the form of gifts in Wills. If those were to disappear, then the range of outstanding care St Clare provides could be at risk. St Clare currently cares for around 1,500 families each year, both at the Hospice and in peoples own home, as well as providing free bereavement support.” “In the past financial year we have received over £580,000 through gifts that people have left to the Hospice in their Will, which is a significant amount of income. In fact, it is enough to fund our entire Inpatient Unit for more than 16 weeks. The team on the Inpatient Unit give vital care which enables family members to become husbands, wives, sons and daughters again, rather than carers.” Writing or amending a Will is easy to do either by using a solicitor or online. Any gift, no matter how big or small, will make a difference to St Clare Hospice and the local people they care for 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. For more information, visit St Clare Hospice’s website: stclarehospice.org.uk/leave-a-gift-in-your-will or email fund@stclarehospice.org.uk
New Namaste Dementia Care service to support those with advanced dementia and their carers
St Clare Hospice has launched a new, one-to-one service to support people living with advanced dementia, and their carers, across West Essex and East Hertfordshire.
Namaste Dementia Care delivers personalised, one-to-one, Namaste Care activities to people living with dementia in their own homes and in residential homes. Namaste Care offers a personcentred approach and the service involves trained volunteers supporting people with advanced dementia to engage in meaningful activities to promote an improved quality of life. This is the second phase of St Clare Hospice’s Namaste Dementia Care project, which originally launched in January 2021, and initially offered training in the Namaste Care techniques to unpaid carers and paid care staff in the region. This new service sees the project expand to deliver a hands-on service to local people. Namaste Dementia Care volunteers visit weekly, for a period of up to 10 weeks, and offer a tailored package of sessions to suit the individual. Activities used are designed to stimulate all five senses, which has been shown to really help people with dementia to connect and engage with others. Namaste Care activities can include: hand massage, music, memory boxes, poetry and gentle movement. Compassionate Communities Manager at St Clare Hospice, Fiona Venus, oversees the project and said: “We’re delighted that we are launching this exciting new service, Namaste Dementia Care, and are able to offer a hands-on, personalised service for people living with advanced dementia. Namaste Care is an internationally-recognised care programme, developed by Joyce Simard in the USA, for people with advanced dementia. The “Our team of volunteers are trained in performing Namaste Care activities with people living with dementia, and teaching those activities to the person’s carer or loved one as well, so that they can use the techniques in their daily life to help them enjoy their time together.” Namaste Care Project Co-ordinator at St Clare Hospice, Joanne Morrison, runs the project and said: “Namaste Care really does make such a difference, and it is wonderful to see people with advanced dementia getting enjoyment and responding to the activities. It could be something as simple as listening to a favourite piece of music, or offering a hand massage, but these small things can make a big difference. Suddenly you can see a person’s eyes light up, or they might hum along, or even respond to you. They may seem like small things, but for a person with advanced dementia and their carer, it can mean a huge amount. Being able to encourage the family and carers to use these ideas in their everyday life, means we can support them to improve their quality of life even after the sessions have ended. And that is what I think makes it so special.”
Namaste Dementia Care is a free service for people with advanced dementia living in West Essex and East Herts, including nursing homes. To access this service please contact Joanne Morrison on 07534 031702 or email namastecare@stclarehospice.org.u k.
Find out more online: stclarehospice.org.uk/Namaste/ The team are looking to recruit more people to train as Namaste Dementia Care volunteers. Find out more and apply online: stclarehospice.org.uk/ volunteervacancies/
Coming from a public sector background, I was under the impression that I lacked skills and credibility in a “business” setting. Transitioning to being a mortgage and protection adviser was daunting enough but I knew I had to put myself out there to build relationships and create connections if I wanted my business to grow and flourish. I found the Epping Forest Business Group when searching for local networking groups online and immediately felt like it seemed different to other groups I had seen. I liked the diverse mix of members in the room and loved that it is based in the heart of Epping with a mission to help businesses within the area. Even better, they did not have a mortgage and protection adviser as a member. Being naturally introverted, I had to take myself out of my comfort zone to approach the group and came along for a visit. I didn’t want another adviser to take the seat so had to take action. I was immediately hooked. Roll on a year, my accountant is in the room, as is my personal trainer- both keeping me accountable in different ways. I have had and gifted photography sessions and have a great network of referral partners. I have arranged more mortgages for the contacts of the other members than the members themselves as they are always looking out for opportunities for me. The world of business can be a bumpy and lonely place at times. Thursday morning is a highlight of my week. Listening to others’ successes and triumphs as well as their trials and difficulties has taught me so much about running a business. If you are looking to grow your business network in a fun and relaxed group, take a chance and come and visit. What have you go to lose? James Horgan
Essex County Council statement on Energy Bill Relief Scheme
A statement from Cllr Lesley Wagland OBE, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning, on the Government’s Energy Bill Relief Scheme.
County zones could benefit from low-tax, reduced restrictions and less regulation
More high-paying jobs and business opportunities could be created across Essex as the Chancellor of the Exchequer recently approved the possible creation of pilot Investment Zones in the county. In his autumn ‘mini-budget’ statement to the House of Commons, Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng announced new pilot Investment Zones could be created, allowing some county areas to benefit from low-tax burdens, reduced planning restrictions and less regulation tailored on a zone-by-zone basis. Essex is one of the counties in which Investment Zones could be created. Essex County Council will now enter into discussion with the Government and prepare an expression of interest to be submitted later in the year. More detail on pilot Investment Zones can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/the-growth-plan-2022-factsheet-on-investment-zones/the -growth-plan-2022-investment-zones-factsheet Cllr Lesley Wagland OBE, Essex County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Renewal, Infrastructure and Planning, said: “Businesses across Essex have been understandably extremely worried about the rising cost of energy, so the announcement of the Government’s Energy Relief Bill today is most welcome.
“At ECC we’ve been clear of the need for support for businesses on energy bills and we have already produced a summary of support services, which may be able to help businesses during this difficult period. This will continue to be updated as more support becomes available. I would encourage all businesses in Essex to find out more at: www.essex.gov.uk/ cost-of-doing-business. Firms which are looking to review their finances can also receive support directly through our Backing Essex Business service by visiting www.backingessexbusiness.co.uk.
Something I’ve learned time and again is the importance of relationships at work. Doing good work matters, and in many companies good work is reliant on the support of others to produce and deliver good work. By taking the below into account, I think we can all pay more attention to the quality of the relationships we have. Seek Out Collaboration People really like to help one another. We all have experience, skills and strengths. When people have a reason to collaborate with others, they can take all those things and make great things happen. Whether you have an idea, an improvement or an important development, find others who can support and help you deliver for the company. Develop Your Business Understanding Just what does someone in finance do? Why does marketing matter? How does a salesperson get to be so confident? How does HR help a business? These are questions many of ask when we’re in a company. The best thing you can do is find people in those teams and ask them to meet for a coffee to learn more about their work. You’ll make great connections internally, and often those connections can provide increased opportunities for collaboration. Listen Openly to Others Things at work don’t always, well, work! Sometimes the system is not good enough. Sometimes a process is too difficult. Sometimes the service or product needs work to make it better. When people have things to say about making things better, or want to make change happen, an important step is to listen really openly to what they have to say. It’s normal to feel defensive if the change might affect us, but listening openly means we give new ideas and opportunities a chance. When people feel heard, they really want to make the best of a situation. Praise Others for Good Work It’s rare for us to hear when we do good work. From a lot of management and leadership research we know that when people are praised for their good work they will want to do and achieve more. And it’s not just the big stuff like making a big sale, but the everyday stuff like completing a report or resolving an issue for a client. When people are praised, they feel great and are motivated to keep achieving. This isn’t an exercise in celebrating mediocrity, it’s paying attention to achievements. Sukhvinder Pabial Owner and Operator of The Epping Connection – Epping’s first coworking space.
Jubilee tree planting project "going well"
A major tree planting project being undertaken by North Weald Bassett Parish Council to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee is "going well", council chairman Alan Buckley told Monday's council meeting.
A copper beech tree, which will be the focal point for the scheme at Weald Common, was planted in May with some 3,000 trees to be planted in the coming months.
The parish council has been liaising with Essex County Council and the Forestry Commission over the project which will see full access maintained to footpaths across the site behind
Ongar Wildlife Society (OWLS)
Last month local wildlife photographer, Lynn Rix told of her expeditions to capture images of African wildlife. She added her personal experiences and told of the people of the regions and their ways of life. On 17th October, it is my turn to give the talk. My title is Animal Coloration when I shall show how a whole range of animals put on their Harry Potter invisibility cloaks to protect themselves or blend into the background to catch their prey. Some use simple colours while others use disruptive patterns. Still to come this year are talks on Beyond Safari Tourism and 54 Acre Outdoor Wildlife Classroom, the story and natural history of Lambourne End Outdoor Centre.
You are invited to join us at OWLS. We meet on the third Monday of each month at 7.30 for 8pm. Visitors pay just £5 but you can become a member for an annual fee of only £25. As we are a way through the year, this year’s fee will be very much reduced. To help you locate our venue, Toot Hill Village Hall, the post code is CM5 9LR. Keith Snow
Don’t forget to visit our website: www.northwealdvillagelife.co.uk Or sign up to the Facebook Group www.facebook.com/groups/ Northwealdvillagelife
