Chelmsford the City Times January 2014

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Issue Number 4 - January 2014/February 2014

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CT Welcome Welcome to the January edition of Chelmsford The City Times.

Firstly a happy New Year to all our readers.

This month we welcome some new articles including the Adventures of Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s own detective along with our new “Things that Kids Say” section. We would love to hear your stories of those embarrassing moments when children say something awkward or embarrassing in public.

Also this month lots of new advertisers, please take a moment to see what they have to offer!

Remember we want to hear from you for the following sections: Ask Timbo The Reluctant Commuter What’s On The Things that Kids Say These columns can only exist with reader input.

Email editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk Paul & Nick.

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CT Fashion You’d think we would all have had our fill of shops and shopping after Christmas, however if you can motivate yourself to hit the high street, now is the best time, as there are some excellent buys to be had in the sales. Here are my five tips for successful sales shopping; a round up of the best of the high street and my online star buys.

Five Tips for Smart Sale Shopping 1. Look for items that would otherwise be too expensive to buy, cashmere, leather goods, jewellery, bags and any premium brands.

2. Avoid trends; instead look for classic pieces that will last you beyond this season. It could be a leather pair of courts (see below), or a classic belted winter coat.

3. Search out luxury fabrics; pure wool, cashmere and 100% pure silk. A cashmere cardi’, silk shirt or a tweed jacket will last you season after season.

4. Before you buy check for faults, as most sale items are non refundable. Then ask yourself these questions. Do I love it?

Will it last me? Is it within my budget?

5. You don’t always need to think big, if you haven’t got much money after Christmas, half price tights in a bold colour, a quirky piece of jewellery or a scarf can update your favourite dress.

Best of the High Street If you want to add to your work wardrobe, Debenhams should be your first stop. At the Phase Eight concession there is up to 70% off day dresses. Try the Stripe Side Ruched Dress, a great staple for work. There are also discounts on everyday tops, like the Philly Spot Top. Also at Debenhams you will find some of the best buys on the high street, check out Nine West and Carvela, as both have beautiful pairs of classic, stiletto courts on sale. Carvela black ‘Kairo’ mid heel court shoes were originally £85 and now are a steal at £45. Nine West also have some black leather courts at £45, these shoes will double up for work and for dressier occasions and will go with everything in your wardrobe. For the guys at Debenhams, there is 20% off Levi’s jeans (in all styles) and 40% off a selection of Levi’s checked shirts. There are also good savings on Wrangler shirts and jeans. Also check out the shoes, as there is 20% off all marked prices, so you could pick up a pair of John Rocha leather brogues for £72 or lace up boots for £76.

women’s cable knit jumpers on sale, in various colours, like the cable knit pullover in poster red. They also have some simple wool blazers and boucle jackets that would be perfect for when the weather becomes less chilly. And for a classic pair of ankle boots at only £60, check out their leather zipped booties.

Star Buys Online Hobbs Mairead Cardigan was £89 now £44 (a lovely soft angora grey cardigan that will go with everything).

Hobbs Phelia Sweater was £89 now £44 (a classic fitted cable knit jumper, available in mustard or white).

Hobbs Invitation Emila Jacket was 179 now £75 (a fantastic black jacket great for work or with statement dress for the evening).

John Lewis French Connection Sierra Belle Boucle Coat was £200 now £100 (classic bright red coat, won’t ever date).

John Lewis Somerset by Alice Temperley Animal Print Tunic Dress, Multi £89 now £44 (animal print comes back year after year).

John Lewis Somerset by Alice Temperley Pine Cone Dress in Black now £112 (a pretty classic tea dress).

Emma Smith lives in Chelmsford and is a style consultant.

She offers a personal shopping service and wardrobe planning sessions. You can contact her via her website: www. emmasmith.co.uk or by email: emma@emmasmith.co.uk

Over at Monsoon, they have a fantastic range of childrenswear in the sale. If you fancy spoiling your own little ones, there are some gorgeous things on offer. The Arthur quilted coat at only £18 would make a brilliant boys coat to see through the winter and, for little girls there is the pretty Baby Emily jersey dress & tights set, only £10. If you have a present to buy for a little boy or girl, take a look at the Forest Print Flannel PJs (which are very Cath Kidtson) and are now £10 and the Paisley Satin PJs at £11 would be a lovely gift for a girl. For a super cute gift for a little girl and a total bargain, the Novelty Bunny ballerina slippers are only £6. If you head across to Marks and Spencer, there are still some limited collection tops and jumpers marked down and you will find some lovely hats, scarves & gloves sets for children. At Gap, they have a wide selection of Page 4 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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CT Cooking

by John Jacobs

A new year, new beginnings, resolutions made and largely broken, the need to upgrade ourselves and fix the glitches like downloading the latest operating system for the tablet computer you got for Christmas. New Year resolutions are a numbers game. Stop smoking to save ten pounds a day, lose twenty percent of one’s body mass in time for the two weeks on some horrific Spanish Costa etc.. In January gym memberships go up by roughly 400 percent. By February ninety percent of those memberships become just a monthly debit on one’s bank statement. Not that I’m cynical about the coming of a new year, just very aware of my own monumental limitations and spectacular lack of will power. I hold in complete admiration my darling friend Mags’ resolution to extend her hobbies beyond beer and chips. A totally realistic and achievable goal. Throw in a kebab and she starts the year with a roaring success.

It does all seem a long time ago now. Most of us will have been back at work and commenting on how quickly the holiday season passed. Me, I’m already looking forward to the spring and glow outwardly for each day that gets longer. My only resolution is to never pass up the opportunity to get together with friends, especially when there’s food and wine on offer.

However, if, good readers of the City Times, your resolution is that perfect body, allow me to help you achieve the ‘new you’ with this healthy, low fat, high fibre, anti-oxidant, lead free, feel the burn, tummy crunching recipe involving double cream, brandy and loads of butter.

Confit Duck Pate This dish combines two of my favourite things, duck confit and chicken liver pate and makes an eye catching starter served with crusty bread and a fruity chutney.

Ingredients Duck confit 2 duck legs 1 garlic clove coriander seeds black peppercorns sprig of thyme cinnamon stick cloves 1 lemon 1 orange Pate 250g chicken livers 1 medium sized white onion 100ml brandy 100ml double cream

Whilst that’s cooking, roughly chop the onion and pan fry in some butter until the bits turn slightly opaque. Add the livers and a generous amount of salt and pepper along with a clove of garlic. Gently fry until the livers are almost cooked through but still a little pink. Add the brandy and cream, take off the heat and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

Once your duck is cooked the meat should fall off the bone.

Using a fork gently shred the meat and add to the livers. Put all of these ingredients into a food mixture and pulse the pate together so that it remains slightly rough. Line a terrine mould with cling film and place the mixture into the mould. Put something heavy on top to press the pate. Pop in the fridge overnight to set.

Essentially, the pate is ready to eat. When I put this dish on the menu last year, I topped it with a cranberry jelly that added a little twist and some much needed colour.

Soften the gelatine in some cold water. Put 3 tablespoons of cranberry sauce in a small saucepan with a sprinkling of fresh cranberries if you wish. Add the wine and the softened gelatine and heat to a simmer. Pour this onto the pate (whilst still in the mould) and leave in the fridge to set.

Topping (optional) cranberry sauce or fresh cranberries 200ml red wine 2 leaves of gelatine For the confit, put the duck legs into a heavy based baking dish and cover with vegetable oil. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and place on a very low heat for at least 3 hours.

The longer the better. You could actually avoid the rest of this recipe and eat the duck confit with a little mustard mash for a perfect main course. For the more adventurous, read on..

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The Things that Kids Say! Rachel from Chelmsford sent us this story.....

When my daughter was about 4 years old we were in the supermarket and she shouted at the top of her voice “Daddy can we get some co** po*n” (I think you can guess the words). They were in the aisle with popcorn!

David from Chelmsford sent us a story about his daughter who was about 4 years old at the time.

“We were in a large shop and at the checkout being served by a clearly crossdressing man, my daughter unknowingly said fairly loudly: “daddy, why is that man dressed as a lady?”

Signs of kids learning the modern age quickly.

From Paul from Chelmsford.

A few weeks before Christmas my nephew told me it was 39 sleeps until the big day. I thought wow he has worked that out and is counting down, so I asked him “how do you know that?” He swiftly answered “we have an app”.

And lastly, a person very closely associated with this magazine was reminded that he used to call “Boots the Dispensing Chemist” - “Boots the Disappearing Chemist” We hope these quotes have made you chuckle and would love to hear your stories. Please send us yours and we will feature the funniest in our future editions. editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Carpets & Flooring

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Adams, Brinton, Sisal, Flotex, Condor and Seagrass along with many other manufacturers offering choice and value for your money.

We also offer smooth flooring from Xylo and Quickstep.

CT Gardening

Creative Ideas for Winter Containers Why not consider enhancing colour in your garden for this time of the year using containers.

Look for plants and shrubs that will have enough height to rise above the snowy cover that blankets many a garden.

Perennial ornamental grasses, such as switch grass (Panicum virgatum) are ideal for their form, height and graceful beauty.

And nothing is so elegant as the finely crafted branches of Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), often described as “living sculpture”. Of particular interest for the winter garden are varieties that have a spectacular bark, such as Acer palmatum ‘Sango Kaku’, with vibrant coral coloured stems.

No winter garden would be complete without evergreens, as they are not only hardy but also beautiful. And what evokes winter more truly than snow-laden evergreen boughs? Some of my favourite conifers are junipers, particularly Juniperus chinensis ‘Gold Coast’, for its lacy yellowish foliage and J. c. ‘Pfitzerana Glauca’, for its silvery blue foliage on arching branches. On of the columnar types of juniper (J. scopulorum ‘Skyrocket’ or ‘Wichita Blue’) would provide a dramatic accent in a container, either alone or in a grouping.

Containers are the perfect way to display a winter garden because they give you the flexibility to relocate them either for better sunlight or to avoid a hard frost. You can also group them near your windows or front entrance so their beauty can be easily enjoyed from the inside. It’s the freeze-thaw cycle that puts stress on a container and ultimately causes it to crack, so depending on the severity of your winter, you may want to protect your containers. Wrap them in Hessian or an old blanket on particularly chilly nights, or bring them into the garage.

by Tom Cole No matter what area you live in, there is some plant that will grow happily through your winter, providing berries, colour, texture, flowers or all of the above.

Try out the following for a window sill: Take a 36” window box (with drill holes in base for drainage), use general purpose compost and add 2 x box plants (Buxus sempervirens), Cotoneaster dammeri (with berries), winter flowering pansies and a bag of crocus (for spring colour).

As spring approaches plant potted tubs of mini iris or dwarf daffodils.

Good luck and happy gardening!

For any gardening tips why not contact: Tom Cole, Head of Faculty for Land & Environment Writtle College Chelmsford CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk

Plants for the Winter Garden Evergreen - Ilex crenata ‘Dwarf Pagoda’ is a slow growing, dense holly with small leaves that look like boxwood and black berries. Euonymus japonicus ‘Microphyllus’ is a dwarf shrub with glossy green leaves.

Taxus x media is a cross between English yew and Japanese yew, has soft, almost feathery, green needles with a slight yellowish tinge underneath. Yews can grow fairly large if left unchecked, but pruning them will keep them to a manageable size for a container.

Ornamental grasses - blue oat grass, Helictotrichon sempervirens, has a graceful 2-3 foot spikes and grows in clumps.

Miscanthus spp., is a beautiful addition to the garden with its tall plumes that can be silvery, pinkish or bronze.

Flowers and berries - heaths and heathers are among the loveliest winter plants, with their dense, low shape and profuse flowering. Leaves resemble tiny needles and the flowers are bell shaped in shades of pink, white, purple and magenta. Nandina domestica or heavenly bamboo has many varieties and most bear large bunches of berries throughout the winter. ‘Alb’ is striking because of its white berries; ‘San Gabriel’ has delicate, lacy foliage and ‘Woods Dwarf’ has orange-scarlet leaves.

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Crafts by Gemma Peacock - Pottery Painting Pottery painting is a craft suitable for anyone no matter what their age or how artistic they are. It is a great activity to arrange for social occasions too.

and they are usually ready for collection within 1 week.

With a choice of two pottery painting shops in Chelmsford, there is no excuse not to give this craft a go for yourself. I warn you now though it can get very addictive.

First of the shops is The Glazed Look located in the Waterhouse Business Centre near Homebase. It is a spacious venue, with a separate area for parties and groups. They also offer a selection of pre-drawn pieces of pottery, for those who are not feeling too confident.

The second shop is Ceramics on the Hop located in Rumsey Row, Writtle, just off the village green, a friendly environment to spend a few hours in. They can also accommodate for mobile events or sessions at home for parties or groups.

Both of these shops offer a large selection of pieces to paint. This is the hardest part for me, deciding what I want to paint, it can take some time. Not only is there a huge selection of pottery to choose from but also a wide selection of colours in which to paint them with. So once you have chosen your piece, it is then down to picking out your paint colours.

I try to go as prepared as I can, with an idea of what I’d like to come away with. Using websites such as www.pinterest.com for inspiration comes in handy for this. If you are not that organised though, fear not, you will find a selection of prepainted pieces in both shops to get that inspiration bubbling. Teas and coffees are served while you paint too, you really are made to feel welcome in both of these venues.

So once you are all done and happy with your finished piece, you leave it with the staff on hand in the shop.

They will glaze and fire it for you,

Pass this magazine to a friend after reading

If you have any questions or there is a particular craft you would like to hear about in the future then why not email me at gemscrafts@hotmail.co.uk. I’d love to hear from you.

Happy painting!

Chelmsford Civic Society - Meeting 22nd January The Future of Chelmsford’s Civic Society

There will be a debate on the future of the Society on Wednesday 22nd January. This will take place at 7.30pm in the Volunteers Offices, Burgess Well House, Coval Lane, CM1 1FW. This will be led by Malcolm Noble, Chairman of Changing Chelmsford. The Society’s Chairman and Secretary, together with key committee members are due to retire at the Annual General Meeting on 19th March. If they are unable to find replacements the Society is likely to fold.

The Society was founded in 1962 to ‘stimulate public interest in appreciation of and care for the appearance, history and character of Chelmsford’. As Chelmsford expands and looks to improvements in the city centre, there has never been such a pressing need for a Civic Society. Over 50 years the Society has argued for due consideration of the city’s heritage in any planning for the future.

The meeting is open to all. This is the opportunity to decide what kind of Society Chelmsford needs today. This is a chance for city residents to consider how they can help the Society become a vibrant group able to influence the decisions that will shape the future of Chelmsford. Attendees will be asked for their views on the causes that should be taken up and how best to do so. Priorities highlighted during the Chelmsford Ideas Festival were local issues and the history of the city.

These included: • Robert Hutson’s inspirational scheme for a riverside ice and leisure development labelled ‘as you never dreamed imagine’.

• The ‘green wedges’ and Chelmsford’s riversides.

• The future of the public parks.

• Pedestrianisation of the High Street and Tindal Square.

• Recognition of Marconi and the city’s industrial heritage.

• Development schemes in the city centre and north Chelmsford.

to be made to retain a house of this character and quality’.

The battle had been won.

The Society’s current programme covers the following priorities: Shire Hall has been covered in scaffolding ready for planned cleaning, repairs and maintenance. There has been public consultation and architects employed to advise on the building’s future use. This was triggered by an approach made

by Dennis Hance, the current Chairman, expressing a desire to work with the County Council in securing a beneficial outcome for Chelmsford’s most widely recognised public building.

Stimulating public interest in Chelmsford’s history is a key Society aim. This year, therefore, the intention is to help make the heritage open days a major event in the city’s calendar.

These take place over the weekend of 13th and 14th September in 2014.

Chelmsford’s claim to be the ‘birthplace of radio’ rests on the achievement of Guglielmo Marconi. The development underway on the Marconi factory site in New Street will see the refurbishment of the 1912 office building and retention of the original water tower and power house. Our objectives are to ensure that the scheme respects the Marconi heritage and enhances an important part of the city centre.

The Civic Society plans to take a leading role in the city’s commemorations on the centenary of the First World War. An application has been made to the Heritage Lottery Fund to support a project entitled Chelmsford Remembers. The Society will have a presence at the inaugural event, arranged by the County and City Councils at Hylands House for Sunday 14th September 2014.

The meeting on 22nd January will be critical to the success of the Society in 2014 and beyond. The Society hopes for a good attendance from Chelmsford residents wishing to work together to make the city a better place and avoid the mistakes in the past.

• The Bond Street development with the John Lewis Partnership.

The Society is especially proud of its contribution to the preservation of Hylands House. The Council had purchased the property in 1966 and considered demolition as ‘restoration would serve no purpose.’ The Society sought expert advice in its battle for preservation but appeared to have lost when the Council applied to have the house demolished forthwith. However, the Society fought on having its expert, Christopher Buxton, give evidence to the inquiry. The Inspector supported the Society’s contention that the house was not beyond repair and called for ‘every effort Page 10 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

January - A Great Time to Enjoy Some of the Increasing Number of Lower ABV Beers Available?

Many of us use January as a chance to take it easy on our bodies and with our thoughts turning to cutting down on our alcohol intake, it’s a great time to enjoy some of the increasing number of lower ABV beers available. These haven’t been brewed specially for those on a health kick in January, but are a result in changes to beer duty over the last couple of years.

Beer duty is a subject that brewers are only too familiar with.

In October 2011, the government increased duty for beers over 7.5%ABV (affecting all breweries) and gave a reduction for all beers 2.8%ABV and under (affecting only the larger breweries as this brings their duty in line with that paid by the microbreweries).

This change has spurred some breweries into making very low ABV beer and presents a real challenge to their brewers to produce a beer that still has flavour and body without being too sweet. The brewer may need to select different yeasts and malt from their higher ABV beers and will need to change their process to achieve greater body. They may also need to add more hops to increase the flavour.

Some of the low ABV beers to have come on the market include one from Brentwood Brewing Company called BBC2 which comes in at 2.5%ABV. BBC2 is a brown beer with tropical citrus flavours, dry on the palate and full in body making it taste bigger than its ABV actually is.

Redemption Brewery based in London make the fantastic Trinity, a 3% beer made with three types of malt and three types of hops. Trinity is an awardwinning light ale brewed with generous late hopping which provides Seville orange aromas and the initial malt sweetness is dominated by citrus flavours which explode on the palate.

It is brewed with plenty of malt to provide decent body, so it has impressive backbone for a low ABV beer. There’s also a pronounced bitterness throughout.

Known for making a statement in almost everything they do, Brew Dog produced Nanny State at 0.5% in response to their heavily criticised Sink the Bismarck at 41%. Nanny State is a ‘hop bomb’ (their own words!) with almost all the flavour being derived from the excessive hopping schedule.

One larger brewery who takes advantage of the favourable duty rate is Adnams who launched Sole Star 2.7%. This is a full-flavoured and great tasting pale amber beer, with a light floral/citrus aroma, gentle caramel notes and a good level of bitterness.

Look out for lower ABV beers in your local this January. They might surprise you! By Simon Tippler www.roundtowerbrewery.co.uk

CT What’s On In Chelmsford Proud sponsors of the City Times What’s On page 10% discount on all bookings throughout Jan/Feb 2014 excl Airports Quote ‘City Times’ to receive this special deal.

January

17th Asylum - Arizone + Fallen Apollo + Idol Of Apathy Fleece - Indigo Hammer 18th Asylum - Punk All Dayer The Globe - Undiscovered - Jarred Lee + Mister Jones + Roisin O’Hagan + Sound Mirrors Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral 19th Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group - Matinee 21st Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group - Evening 22nd Asylum - Battle Of The Bands Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group- Evening 23rd Asylum - Machine Gun Men + Stark Adders Bassment - Stealing Signs + The Magistrates Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group - Evening 24th Asylum - Chased By Karma + Blackdroid Bassment - Rubber Soul Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group - Evening 25th Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group - Evening 26th Robin Hood - Little Waltham Drama Group - Matinee 28th My Night With Reg - CTW, Springfiled Road 29th Asylum - Battle Of The Bands Bassment - Blues In The City - Bad Influence + Roy Mette My Night With Reg - CTW, Springfiled Road 30th My Night With Reg - CTW, Springfiled Road 31st Asylum - Mesonical + Sawsound My Night With Reg - CTW, Springfiled Road

Please note, all events are subject to change. Please check the organiser’s website or Facebook to confirm.

Asylum - www.asylumchelmsford.co.uk Bassment - www.bassmentbar.com Blues In The City - www.bluesinthecity.co.uk Chelmsford Theatre Workshop - www.ctw.org.uk Evoke - www.facebook.com/evokelivemusic Fleece - www.thegoldenfleece-chelmsford.co.uk Little Waltham Drama Group - Box Office 01245 361816 The J’s Hospice - www.thejshospice.org.uk If you have an event you would like us to add to our list for February/March edition please email: editorial@chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk We would like to hear about your events, here are a few ideas: Craft fairs Jumble sale Book groups Fund raising events Quiz nights

Public meetings Small theatre productions Open mic nights Walking groups Comedy nights

We will try to list any event open to the public in and around Chelmsford.

February

1st The Alehouse - Jamie Williams & The Roots Collective Asylum - Aurora + Breaking Illusion Hummingbird Pilates - Real Men Do Yoga My Night With Reg - CTW, Springfiled Road Parkrun parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral 6th Asylum - Trevor’s Head Bassment - Golden Jackals + Leanne Louise Evoke - Ex Simple Minds + China Crisis 8th Asylum - Redeem The Dead + Osmium G + Oculus + Hollow Demise Parkrun - parkrun.org.uk/chelmsfordcentral 13th Asylum - Clay Cats + tbc Page 12 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Gig Reviews By Mike Lightfoot from Saint FM

Ben Smith Band/Wilko Johnson Evoke—Chelmsford—Dec 19th

Lexie Green/Cherry Lee Mewis-The Bassment—Chelmsford—Dec 18th

A packed Evoke for what might possibly be Wilko’s last performance in the city. The Ben Smith Band kicked proceedings off with a great set and was warmly appreciated by the hardcore audience that had come to see Wilko. Ben’s set was well paced and featured a number of excellent originals. This kind of exposure has certainly helped enhance his reputation, so keep an eye out for a return visit to Chelmsford. Mention in Despatches for Nick Garner who got up and played harmonica on a couple of numbers.

The latest venture from Blues In The City paired Lexie Green supporting Cherry Lee Mewis at the Bassment and the pair put on a fabulous performance for the small but very enthusiastic audience. First up Lexie and her band played an impressive country style blues set which was very well received by the audience. If this band appear in your neighbourhood, take the opportunity to see them, you won’t be disappointed.

Wilko was just outstanding. Given his terminal condition, this gig was always going to be a touch emotional. Instead it was a joyous celebration of what has been a magnificent career, played with all of the gusto and intensity Wilko is famous for. With the fantastic Norman Watt-Roy on bass and rhythm machine Dylan Howe on drums, they fairly tore through the classic Doctor Feelgood catalogue such as Back In The Night, She Does It Right, Roxette, some later Wilko material, Dr Dupree really stood out as a highlight, and a couple of rhythm and blues classics before drawing the evening to a close. If this is to be Wilko’s final appearance in Chelmsford, he will have left a fitting reminder of what an incredible performer he is and more importantly what an influence he has been on many.

Cherry Lee Mewis usually goes out with a six piece band, but this evenings show was paired down to a trio, with long time collaborator Max Milligan on guitar and Robbie Stewart-Mathews on double bass. Cherry has developed into one of this country’s leading lights on the blues circuit and has a stage presence to match, and a couple of anecdotes particularly one involving a trip to the Orkney Blues Festival which involved a nine hour sailing from Aberdeen. Quite a lot of the set came from Cherry’s latest EP and last album, Man Overboard and Goin’ Down To Memphis Tennessee stood out as highlights. Finishing up with a couple of Janis Joplin classics, a rather excellent evening came to an end. Those who were there had seen something special.

Next up at Blues In The City, Roy Mette and Bad Influence, 29th January at the Bassment. Two acts of real quality and it would be wonderful to see a great turnout.

Page 13 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

CT Business

sponsored by:

Stephen Alexander Hairdressing By Kate Tenbeth Since I started writing about small businesses in Chelmsford I’ve been struck by the sheer diversity and wealth of talent of those people who take up the gauntlet and go it alone. So far I’ve met the owner of the comic book shop Dark Side Comics, the couple who run the tea room Stewart’s Delicatessen and today I’m going to talk about Steve who owns the hairdressing salon Stephen Alexander Hairdressing in Moulsham Street.

I managed to catch him during a relatively quiet period and began by asking how long he’d been running his own business.

“I started the salon in December 1995 but by 2009 I felt I needed to expand so we moved to the premises we’re now in.” I was both surprised and impressed, for one thing the hairdressing business is extremely competitive (in Moulsham Street alone there are over 12 hairdressers/barbers) and, for another, the economic climate has not exactly been kind to the small business over the last few years. I asked him if he had any tips on running a successful hairdressing salon and here’s what he said: “There are two main priorities – professional hairdressing training and customer service. You have to make sure that your staff are trained to the highest possible standards, but having professional hairdressing skills is not enough, staff have to learn to focus 100% on their customers and listen to what they want. You can be an incredibly accomplished hairdresser but if you don’t have a natural interest in your clients then the chances are you won’t succeed.”

I asked him what else was needed to run a successful business. “From a practical point of view you have to know what sells because you can’t afford to have dead stock. You also have to have a lot of stamina because when everyone else has left for the day you’re the one who takes deliveries, makes sure the shop is ready for the next day and who ensures the books are up to date. You also need to be aware of trends and learn new skills as you go along - it’s not a 9-5 job by any means.”

Sasoon School of Hairdressing in London and the rest is history! I started work at Aristacutz, Moulsham Street when I was 18 and by 22 was the Manager. I’m proud to say that I still have some of my clients from Artisacutz!”

Many people reading this will, I’m sure, agree with me that some hairdressing salons and barbers can make you feel uncomfortable but when I walked into Stephen Alexander one of the first things I noticed was how friendly and welcoming everyone was. As I spoke to him there was a lot of banter and laughter going on in the background which added to the relaxed atmosphere and his staff seemed to know everyone who walked through the door. A mother with her two children came in almost immediately after me and Steve told me that he cuts three generations of that family’s hair! He and his staff feel very much part of the community and believe it’s important to support local charities; he and his staff have taken part in bike rides, the London Marathon, parachute jumps and regularly hold raffles to raise money.

I asked Steve if things had changed very much in the world of hairdressing since he started and he laughed: “When I first started not only did the majority of clients wear shell suits, there was no such thing as computers, we only had a book and a pencil to write in appointments! Now the tills are computerised, we have a controlled appointment system and clients are sent texts to remind them they have an appointment. Also our customers are also much more interested and aware in the products we use than they were a few years ago and health and safety is of paramount importance.”

I asked if there were any downsides to running his own business. “Well, like any small business I work long hours, often 60 a week, and as the business has grown so have the problems! But I deal with it by being with my family and I go out running whenever possible as it helps to clear my head.

All in all I love my life and my job!”

As I talk to more and more people who run their own business one thing keeps coming to the surface – how passionate they are about doing something they love, and that they think they’re incredibly lucky to be able to follow their dream.

Talking to Stephen was a real pleasure If you would and if you should ever need a friendly like me to come and professional hairdresser then I’d and talk to you about definitely recommend you pay him a your small business, I was interested in how he became involved in hairdressing. “I visit! please let me know via: first started working in a salon when I was 14 years old - my editorial@ mother suggested it so I could earn a bit of extra money and Stephen Alexander Hairdressing itsyourmedia.co.uk I loved it, I’d work on Friday afternoons after school and on 203 Moulsham Street Saturday mornings. For two years I swept the floors, made Chelmsford CM2 0LG cups of tea and took out rollers. The next step was that Tel: 01245 494194 my parents offered to pay for a full-time course at the Vidal Email: info@stephenalexander.co.uk Page 14 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

thebestofchelmsford

of advertising there is but it is the only form of advertising you cannot buy by the page or by the minute.

If you’re looking at building your business on the internet, and require help in local internet advertising, contact Tom or Peter at thebestofchelmsford on 01245 70 10 20. We are happy to discuss the internet advertising opportunities available on thebestofchelmsford.

We are thebestofchelmsford....

With us you get real people who you can tell what you want to showcase, offer or promote. We can do this whenever you need it because our system is flexible mid week or mid month, no problem.

thebestofchelmsford is a guide for the people of Chelmsford City and the surrounding areas to the best businesses. We are not a web directory and will have a limited number of businesses in each category, the number is limited to only the best businesses.

Our business is to support and invest in the local community of trusted businesses and people... thebestofchelmsford champions ‘the best’ local businesses in the area, helping them raise their profile both offline and online - through search engine marketing - and win new customers in the process. We work with businesses that are recommended or referred to us so we can be sure that they really are the best.

thebestofchelmsford - Getting your business noticed!

thebestofchelmsford is an Essex County Council Trading Standards approved business and a member of the Buy With Confidence scheme. For details please go to http:// goo.gl/8BYtvu.We are also part of an award winning national franchise called thebestof.co.uk .

All we are interested in is helping to expand your business, making sure that people looking for your services find YOU and to make you stand out from the rest!

Word-of-mouth advertising is the most powerful, effective type This month we would like to welcome a new writer to our business page Sarah Brockwell from sarahBee marketing. Sarah will be providing marketing tips in the form of ‘top tens’. We hope you enjoy Sarah’s articles pick up some handy tips! sarahBee marketing was founded by Sarah Brockwell in June 2010 on a budget of just £250.

Sarah has over 20 years experience in marketing and PR. Her career includes senior marketing positions such as vice president global marketing for SunGard (US financial software firm with annual turnover of $13bn), Bank Austria and Bayerische Landesbank. At Lighterlife, sarah was head of global PR. In 2013, Sarah won Businesswoman of the Year. In 2010, 2011 and 2012 sarahBee marketing won Essex Business Awards. Sarah is a guest presenter on BBC Essex radio and is passionate about business and driven by success.

Sarah is a member of the American Marketing Association and Marketing Leadership Council and was trained by the BBC, Pragmatic Marketing and the Press Association. Sarah has so far trained over 700 entrepreneurs in marketing and PR.

Marketing does not have to be expensive or

complicated. Sometimes the simplest ideas can be

the most effective. sarahBee marketing offers

affordable, no-nonsense PR and marketing for SMEs 1. Make your title as brief and as catchy as you can. and start-ups in Essex.

2. Use a sub-title to summarise the contents.

3. Begin your press release with the town and date.

Whether you want to build your brand, advertise, 4. State whether it is for ‘immediate release’ or ‘embargo dated’.

launch a new product, or simply sell more....

5. Use one and a half line spacing.

sarahBee marketing can help your business do 6. Use justiied margins. better.

7. Make you press release real, relevant and researched.

8. Include a quote or comment form a real person.

(T) 01371 859104 9. Don’t forget to include a high resolution photo.

(E) enquiries@sarahbeemarketing.com 10. Always list notes to editors with your contact details. www.sarahbeemarketing.com

The Buzz About Press Releases

Page 15 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

ANGEL BROOMFIELD PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR. THE CASE OF THE LAST POST

by Simon Culleton Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s very own private investigator is now ready for action. Angel started life being found in a wicker basket nestled among the uncut grass of Broomfield Green opposite a pub which he wouldlater be named after. He was given to the nuns and raised in a secret monastery in the wilds of Boreham having no contact with the world outside the grey monastery walls. No television or internet for Angel only the complete collection of ‘Sherlock Holmes’. When Angel wasn’t working his keep in the monastery by sweeping the chimneys or hand washing the nuns soiled under garments, Angel would read his book collection dry; often hiding under the nun’s hammocks while they slept, or huddled in amongst the soiled under garments just so he could finish a volume only to start again. By the time the nuns felt ready to set Angel up at 221 ½ Moulsham Street in the City Detective Agency, Angel was indeed ready to fight crime, but not perhaps in the modern world he now found himself in. Yet time was running out, Chelmsford needed Angel now.....

Angel stood peering into the mirror.

“Are you sure this is what people wear nowadays?

These trousers are far too tight and with no bowler hat I have nothing to take off when a lady enters”.

Angel’s helper ‘John Wotsit’ looked back from the apartment window over-looking Moulsham Street and tutted, “people don’t wear hats anymore just so they can take them off in the company of ladies. Let’s just take things one step at a time.”

“You have been sent here to help me adjust and to help me with my detective work” Angel retorted.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

“Our first case” cried Angel settling himself in a chair that faced the door. Immediately the door opened and Angel rose to his feet and went for his hat. Then with a straight index finger to his lips Angel beckoned the stranger to silence and with his hands clasped behind his back began to circle. After some moments he said. “ I deduce you are a woman.......”

“Genius!” interrupted John, though Angel continued “I deduce you are a woman of leisure, probably afforded you by a rich husband. Your handbag is too small to hold any papers of business, also your small slim frame is far too weak to lend itself to manual labour.”

The lady tipped her blonde head to one side.

“You’re Brilliant” exclaimed the lady, Angel looked knowingly at John who was suitably impressed, though the lady continued “brilliantly stupid, my small weak frame, as you put it, serves me very well as a judo instructor and in this small hand bag there is a computer which holds the addresses of 27 properties including this one, which are all contracted to a letting agency owned by myself. I am in fact Miss Helen Hatson, your landlady.” She then turned to John: “you must be his assistant?” “More carer actually” Suddenly there was a terrible screeching sound coming from the road below followed by a loud clang.

“Quick” shouted Angel “ the game’s a foot.” They both

tore down the stairs into the street below and were immediately in the mists of a cloud of blue smoke and the sound of a roaring engine that was soon heard speeding off into the distance. Both men where left coughing and spluttering and staring at the red post box with an obvious dent in the side and a curious package still balanced on top.

“Do not touch anything, there are clues everywhere” ordered Angel.

“They must have left a large skid mark” said John.

“That’s a normal bodily reaction after a fright like that”.

“No, on the road” sighed John pointing downwards.

Angel studied the tracks and with a pointing stretched arm proclaimed: “They must have gone that way.” Miss Hutson appear on the scene with her hands on her hips.

“It’s a one way street”.

“Then that way” Proclaimed Angel now pointing to the opposite direction. A look of disbelief came over John’s face as he examined the small package.

“Well I’ll be blowed” he said “It’s addressed to you Angel” and he continued with increasing alarm “It’s ticking.”

“Get rid of it John, it could be a bomb” screamed Angel “Or a clock” shrugged Helen. John wasn’t going to take the chance and under the repeated order from Angel grabbed an umbrella from a passerby and remembering his school day cricket victory over Brentwood Boys when he hit a six to win the day and avoid a de-bagging, gave the package a jolly good wallop.

“Good shot” shouted Angel, only it wasn’t and the package went spinning towards Helen who as well as being a judo instructor had also scored a spectacular over-head injury time winning goal against Baddow five-a-side woman’s football team so was quite capable of chested the package down, bouncing it from one knee to the other and with a ripple of applause from the gathering crowd, finally booting it ‘Pele’ style over her head and high into the air.

“Good shot!” shouted John, only it wasn’t and it went hurtling towards Angel who for a moment stood frozen to the spot until he remembered sister 1O Reilly’s famous catch in the Boreham secret nuns rugby

Page 16 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

quarter final against the infamous Tiptree Monks where ‘ruthless Reilly” as she was known stood bloodied and muddy on the field and caught the high kick before tearing towards the line and bashed past Father Flanagan breaking his nose, to score the winning try.

Remembering all of this, Angel stood resolute ready to take the catch, only.......

“LOOK OUT!” came a cry from both John and Helen as a sports car came speeding down Moulsham Street seemingly notnoticing Angel who stood motionless in the middle of the road looking towards the sky. There was a hideous screech of tyres and a woman in the crowd screamed and ..............

Tune in to the next addition see whether Angel can manage to catch the package in time. Can he avoid being hit by the car and will that cause another skid mark? Read all this and more in the next edition of Angel Broomfield, Chelmsford’s very own private investigator.

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To write for us please email editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

CT CHARITY -

J’s Hospice Founder is the Ultimate Pride of Essex!

The well-established Pride of Essex Awards were held at Anglia Ruskin University on 3rd December. Attendees and nominees were treated like royalty on the night, with a choir and magician on arrival at the champagne drinks reception and entertainment from The Funky Voices as well as a barber shop quartet. Founder of The J’s Hospice and tireless community champion; Denise Whiffin, was awarded the Ultimate Pride of Essex Award by hosts Dave Monk and Stuart Rawlins.

Denise was awarded this accolade due to her huge achievement in fundraising for and ultimately setting up a hospice (The J’s Hospice) catering exclusively for the ‘forgotten age group’ of 16-40 year-old young adults with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses.

The J’s Hospice, based in Great Baddow and serving all of Essex, was formed by Denise in memory of her son, Jonathan, who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the age of 3. Jonathan was a fun-loving typical teenager who enjoyed socialising with people of all ages. He used children’s hospices from the age of 14 to the time he died. During his teen years, Denise realised there was a desperate need for hospice and respite care once young adults outgrew children’s hospices. Whatever their circumstances, young adults have the right to expect equality of access to the physical environment and all other aspects of society.

The J’s now provide care for over 100 families across Essex and make a huge difference to their patient’s lives.

Denise was shocked and astonished to have won the award – especially following closely on the heels of her recent Honorary Doctorate in Health Sciences from Anglia Ruskin University:

Pedal for a Medal!

The date is set, the sunshine is booked, pump up your tyres and clip up your helmets! The J’s Hospice have set the date for their very popular annual cycling event to raise funds for young adults across Essex with life-limiting illnesses.

Last year saw a fabulous 900 cyclists take part in Pedal for The J’s 2013, flooding Chelmsford with experienced cyclists, novices and families enjoying a fun day out. This event is very much for families of all ages; last year the oldest participant was 83 and the youngest only 3 years old, who travelled the route with his pet dog - both in a cycle trailer pulled by his dad!

2014 will be the fifth successful year of this event and offers riders the challenge of 15, 35 or 50 mile circular routes throughout the stunning springtime Essex countryside.

If you are a novice rider, the 15 miler is ideal – giving you a taste of what to expect in future years(!) with intermediates attempting a tougher test of 35 miles. For our more experienced riders the 50 mile ride is perfect – offering a real challenge to their stamina, strength and commitment!

Registration is just £12 for adults and £7 for children.

Last year The J’s Hospice raised an amazing £37,000 through the generosity of public and corporate sponsorship, ensuring we can deliver the vital service across the whole of Essex to our patients and families.

We are asking you to save the date, get on your bike and pedal for the J’s once again to make a real difference to those we support.

Please put SUNDAY 27th April 2014 in your diary today!

For more information about the event and how to sign up please go to www.thejshospice.org.uk today or follow us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.

“This award was a complete surprise, a fantastic recognition that Essex is now unique in offering this kind of service.

Others now come to us for guidance and we hope that one day this model will spread across the country – with Essex leading the way!”

If you, or someone you know, could benefit from help or assistance from The J’s Hospice, do get in touch on 01245 475474, email info@thejshospice.org.uk or visit the website www.thejshospice.org.uk for more information.

Page 18 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

The Reluctant Commuter

That image has definitely mellowed me a bit – thank you Vikram!

Well, after a couple of weeks off work over the Christmas period I’m not so sure I am a ‘reluctant’ commuter any more – I’m more of a ‘you’ll have to drag me by the hair screaming onto the train’ commuter now. It’s been sheer bliss not having to get up while it’s still dark outside, not having to race around in the cold whilst snatching breakfast and trying to dress at the same time, not having to wait, frozen, at first the bus stop and then the railway platform.

I’m now reading an emailfrom Chris who says he loves commuting and has made some really good friends on his journey to and from work. He also says that over the twelve years he’s been commuting he’s learnt French (not terribly well apparently but enough to get by…) and he’s also learnt to cook. Bet that made you sit up – it certainly did me and I quickly scrolled right to the end of his email but he doesn’t offer an explanation of exactly how he’s learnt to cook whilst on a train. Chris, if you’re reading this, please let us know how you did that won’t you? Even I might not mind getting up so much if someone was cooking me breakfast on the journey in – just tell me which train you catch each day (and which carriage) and I’ll be there :) Oooh look, without even thinking I’ve typed in a smiley face – I’m definitely feeling less hostile towards the notion of commuting. Keep those stories coming in, I need all the help I can get!

Dear Fellow Commuter

I’m just looking through all the positive stories that you’ve sent me. They’re not cutting much ice at the moment I have to tell you, but let me continue and maybe as I read and type I’ll warm to the idea that commuting is A Good Thing.

The first story is from Charlotte who commutes into London and, like me, she has to catch the bus to the train station.

She says she’s made several friends whilst waiting for buses including one who is to be her bridesmaid when she gets married in June. That’s cool. She also says that knowing people at the bus stop is handy for when you forget to bring along the exact change for your bus fare because there will always be someone there who can help you out. Okay, that made me smile a bit because that happened to me just recently.

The next message is from Vikram who commutes by car into London each day. He loves his journey into town as apparently his wife and son have banned him from playing the music he loves at home so even before he’s reversed out of the drive and his seat is nicely warmed up, the stereo is full on and he’s singing Wham! songs at the top of his voice!

Please write in to the reluctant commuter via us at editorial@itsyourmedia. co.uk

The person who sent in the conversation for the ‘overheard section’ has asked to remain anonymous. You’ll see why.

Girl: “F****** onsies - who f****** wears them? Need their heads examined – you ever tried to get one off for a pee when you’re drunk? F****** freeze your bits off.”

Friend: “Thought you liked yours?”

Girl: “Did until C’s party last night – do you know how many f****** cows there are in the field behind his house?

F****** millions of them all waiting for you to pee before the b******* come and get you.”

Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill As it’s the New Year and many people are making (and breaking!) their resolutions I thought this would be a good time to write about habits. I get asked a lot whether I get an influx of people wanting to stop smoking / lose weight around this time of year, the answer to that is that many people have all the best intentions but the power of a habit stops them from pursuing these intentions and turning them into positive actions!

A habit is an action performed over and over again by the subconscious mind because it believes the action to be of benefit to us. Habits are also designed to save time and thinking energy. Driving is one massive habit, most of us don’t consciously think about gear changes etc, we’re too busy noticing and shouting at the other drivers on the road / pedestrians not looking when crossing the road. Changing a habit is much more difficult than creating one as I found out a few years ago. When I was working in the city my colleague had just come out of hospital where he was “force fed cups of tea” (he usually drank coffee). Apparently, he is now an addict to tea and even though he used to ask me to make him tea, once in the kitchen I still made him coffee! Habits can become much more detrimental than making the wrong drink.

Such habits as eating chocolate for comfort or smoking when stressed are hard habits to kick because the subconscious believes they are still of benefit. Most habits are run straight from the subconscious and this is why hypnotherapy is an effective treatment method. Habits such as hair pulling, thumb sucking, excessive consumption of food, alcohol or cigarettes are some of the main reasons why people seek hypnotherapy. A habit is a good method for the subconscious to use to relieve stress because not only does performing the habit make us feel secure, it is also a way of quick problem solving. Our subconscious will search its archives for a way to avoid a difficult situation.

Unfortunately self defeating behaviours can become habits. smoking is a big one, when someone comes to me wanting to stop smoking the first thing I need to find out is why they started in the first place. This gives me some of the reasons as to why the subconscious wants to hang on to it, for example if someone started smoking when they joined a new group of friends so they would fit in, it’s likely the subconscious wants to carry on because it believes “but I have to smoke… nobody will like me if I don’t smoke… I won’t fit in!!!” even if none of the client’s friends smoke now, the client has reinforced the belief over time by consistently performing the habit. Next I need to find out why the client doesn’t want to smoke anymore, this will help when writing the screed (the document from which I read when hypnotising and giving suggestions). For example, if the client needs to stop smoking for health reasons, I will heavily lean the suggestions towards this element. I then ask the client when they smoke. I need to find out how, when and where the habit manifests itself. Does the client religiously smoke a cigarette on the way to the train station everyday? This will be a hard action to reverse, habits make us feel secure so not lighting up on the way to the train station could feel very odd at first.

Importantly for the treatment of habits the client must identify certain elements of their habit (how it began, when they perform it, what benefit they believe they gain from performing the habit) and realise it is their responsibility change it. The client must recognise and accept the fact their habit is no longer useful. I believe if you don’t want to stop the habit then you won’t. This I suspect is why so many people claim they can’t stop a habit, or why no matter what they try “nothing works”. The hypnotherapy content should focus on the benefits of breaking the habit and the client must realise they no longer need to sustain it.

There is an interesting method of forcing the patient to perform the habit in order to “put them off”, for example I’ve heard many times of parents, on finding out their child smokes, threatening to make them smoke 50 packs of cigarettes all at once to make the child sick of smoking. In a therapeutic setting this wouldn’t be possible as it is unethical and puts the patient’s health at risk, therefore I also hope that a parent would never go through with a threat to do this either!

A therapeutic example of this method though would be for a client presenting with a nail biting habit biting their nails in front of a mirror, to “sensitise” them. This causes the client to become more vividly aware of their actions and the sensations attached to it. Personally I wouldn’t use this method because firstly I don’t think it’s very ethical as the client may become embarrassed and secondly it really depends on what the habit is! Believe me I’ve come across some very…ahem….sensitive habits shall we say…any action can become a habit. Use your imagination people....

Next time I’ll write about hypnotherapy and weight loss, including Gastric Band Hypnotherapy and more traditional uses of hypnotherapy in weight loss. If anyone has any questions or would like me to write about any specific hypnotherapy topics please let me know!

Cloud9 Counselling and Hypnotherapy e.info@cloud9-counselling.co.uk www.counsellinginchelmsford.co.uk t. 07528822928

Hypnotherapy is not a one stop miracle cure, it can’t get rid of the physical symptoms like nicotine cravings but it does take the edge off and give you a new mindset. Unless you change your mindset and challenge your habit, you won’t stop it. No matter what the habit is.

Page 20 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

CT Fitness

Why your Actions Need to Match your Goals We all have goals of some sort or another. Lose weight.

Quit smoking. Learn Spanish. Get a better job. Learn a new instrument. And this is the time of year when we’re laying out our plans for 2014, setting some goals, and then working towards them.

Or are we? How often do our actions match the goal that we’ve set ourselves? Let’s look at an example or two.

Your goal is to lose weight. The first thing we need to do is set some parameters. How much weight? By when? And by weight, do you really mean fat? How will you know it’s been a success?

Of course, losing fat is going to mean change. So here’s the big question - do your current behaviours match your goal of losing fat? When you have dessert because it’s a special occasion, when you only get four hours sleep because you were out drinking, when you skip the exercise class because you didn’t have enough time, are your actions matching the goal that you’ve set yourself? Nope. So either the goal has to change to something more realistic, or the behaviour has to change to match the goal.

And what if your goal is to be stronger? How much? By when?

How will you know? To get stronger you need to train, not just

exercise. You have to lift weights next week that were heavier than this week. Concentrate on the big lifts squats, deadlifts, bench presses and barbell rows, and track your progress. Eat protein at every meal, and increase your overall caloric intake. Get plenty of sleep and recovery so you’re ready to go hard again at the next session. Are you doing those things? If not, something’s not connecting.

Now, if I’m being honest, I’ve messed this up time and time again. I’ve had too many conflicting goals, changed too many things at once, and not had enough clarity.

So, rather than saying ‘I want to get fitter’, write down a specific goal (I want to do 10 full pushups by March 1st), work out the actions you need to get you there, and get started. You’ll be doing those pushups in no time…

For your free trial session with Live Simple, drop me a line at keith@liveasimplelife.co.uk, or visit our website, www. liveasimplelife.co.uk

Page 22 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

We Need to Talk About Detoxing…Or Just Carry On as You Are! Happy Hummingbird New Year to you all!

It’s time to talk about that dirty word detox that seems to be everywhere after the Christmas season of over-indulgence. As you may now have gathered we do not preach or try to convert, we just like to dispel the myths and educate you with nonjudgmental information.

In a bid to be gentle with myself I decided that rather than announce that I’m quitting everything that’s apparently bad for me on the 1st of January I’m going to do it one small step at a time. Hopefully this will avoid feeling like a weak failure that must be addicted!

After a tough year of constant hard work in 2013, my kitchen cupboards have been seriously neglected, as have I when it comes to really looking after the insides. Thank the universe for pilates, yoga & meditation for keeping me healthy’ish in the meantime!

Here are my top tips for starting gradually: Replace your first morning drink with hot water & a slice of fresh lemon for a liver cleanse and a shot of vitamin C. I have been adding Manuka honey to ward off a Christmas holiday cold. This can help to curb coffee cravings but at worst it is one less dose of caffeine than usual. Check out “5 Ways to Kiss Your Coffee Habit Goodbye at http://www. mindbodygreen.com/ Add colour! until I can afford the all singing, all dancing juicer

that I’ve got my heart set on I’m making sure that I drink a green juice, ( or devil’s spawn as my almost yogic business partner calls it), at least once a day to pack in the vitamins.

Most supermarkets sell some type of juice - I like the Naked Superfood range myself. Locally, acanteen in New London Road has the best around!

I’m not allowing being on a tight budget after Christmas to be an excuse so soup, soup, soup! I also found some good recipes here to add to a large supply of gluten-free pasta a lovely member of the Hummingbird team gave to me http:// detoxinista.com My long-term goal is to add as much superfood as possible to my week so I’ve set myself the challenge of trying one of these supercool YouTube videos, ‘Jamie’s supereasy superfoods’, by our very own Jamie Anderson of Chelmsford.

To keep up to date with my progress and all our other exciting news, (check out the ad boys!), follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

CT History

by John Power

In the article about Grayson Perry, in November, I noted and agreed with Perry’s analysis that today’s conceptual artists are working in a manner descended from the philosophising about art by the French artist Marcel Duchamp in the 1920s.

These ideas were at the time central to the Dada movement in art. From the negation of the previous norms of art by that anti-art movement, another movement grew, which built on his ideas but returned to more practical forms of expressing them. That movement in the arts was Surrealism, which is probably the best known of 20th Century art ‘isms’, mainly through the paintings of that brilliant self publicist, Spaniard Salvador Dali (1904-1989), to a lesser extent by the paintings of Rene Magritte (1898-1967), and from general absorption by the media in, for instance, the Monty Python output, and generally by recycling ideas from especially the visual side of the movement. Rather than the negativity of Dada, Surrealism dipped into the emerging ideas of psychoanalysis in the work of Sigmund Freud in Vienna, and focussed on the apparently irrational nature of the unconscious, which communicates with the rational waking consciousness from dreams by means of symbols.

The movement proper had as its chief pundit in the form of Andre Breton (1896-1966), who wrote the Manifesto of Surrealism in 1924, and who spoke about psychic states creating in artists imagination zones of ‘systematic estrangement’, an expression he had adopted from the Symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891). The Symbolists were from an earlier era at the turn of the 18th to 19th Century, contemporary to the Impressionists, but building on the remnants of the mythic painters of the earlier century, and beginning to work with myth, symbol and dream, and so provided a precursor to Surrealism. It too had literary and visual aspects. An example of Surrealist literary activity, which later became better known through American writer William Burroughs in the 1950s, utilises the irrational by creating ‘cutup’ poems, by cutting each line of a piece of writing up and pasting these lines in another order, often by chance creating a new internal sense for the conscious mind. Such techniques found a visual equivalent in the juxtapositions of alien images in the paintings of, for instance, those of Rene Magritte, or the collages of rubbings of textured surfaces, which when pasted up, used the rubbings as metaphors for similar objects of perception. This technique. invented by German, Max Ernst (1891-1976), was called Frottage.

Artists prominent in the Surrealist movement appearing in 1926 at the first Surrealist gallery exhibition included a young Pablo Picasso (before he turned to Cubism), Juan Miro, Yves Tanguy, Andre Masson, Giorgio de Chirico, Paul Klee, Man Ray, Francis Picabia, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp. In 1927 Rene Magritte arrived in Paris from Belgium and Dali was exhibiting with the group and making films with Luis Buinuel.

By 1931 Alberto Giacommetti was exhibiting sculpture.

By 1935 the group were exhibiting throughout Europe. In 1936 Belgian Paul Delvaux joined the group and Max Ernst published a book of his writings and frottages. In 1937 Matta joined the group. 1938 saw another international exhibition before World War 2 broke out. After the war the group were scattered, many having fled the Nazis, but their influence could be seen everywhere. German Kurt Schwitters (18871948) who had invented sculptural scale collage that he called Merz settled in the Lake District, and second generation

Surrealists like Henri Chopin (1922-2008) chose Ingatestone in Essex. English artists like Graham Sutherland and Paul Nash began to work in Surrealist influenced styles.

But England and the Essex borders can claim an earlier harbinger of the whole Surrealist movement in the shape of Austin Osman Spare (1888-1956), as compared to Dali born 1904 and Magritte born 1925. Max Ernst, amongst others had been interested in Primitive and Hermetic Magic, and spiritualism, but Spare had been in those realms with both feet. Although he spent most of his life after the age of 7 on the other side of the Thames in Kennington, his parents introduced him to a friend called Mrs Paterson who was a traditional English witch. He was also, for a while, in occultist Aleister Crowley’s magical group, the Order of the Templars of the Orient. Crowley had been part of Essex witch George Pickingill’s network of covens throughout East Anglia and South of London, that was mentioned in The Chelmsford City Times Halloween article.

Kenneth Grant, himself from Ilford, and one of the claimants to be Crowley’s successor told Michael Howard, editor of ‘The Cauldron’ magazine, that Mrs Paterson, Spare’s magical mentor, had a witch sister in Essex, and there is every reason to think that she would have been in one of Pickingill’s covens centred on Canewdon, just north of Southend. Grant was a great collector of Spare’s paintings and engravings and in 1975 published a book called ‘Images and Oracles of Austen Osman Spare’. Before that his work had only been known to a small esoteric audience In 2011. He gained further recognition when art historian Rupert Maas produced a new biography. The art establishment had gone beyond the paranoia of Spare’s roots in witchcraft, which was better informed than Goya’s art concerning the subject.

However it began, Spare’s witchcraft was not the fairytale or medieval witchcraft but a decidedly unique brand that he developed through his art and regular trips to the British Museum and Library where he studied such sources as ancient Sumerian, Jewish, Greek and Egyptian art and Chelmsfordian educated John Dee’s Elizabethan Magic while studying at Lambeth Art school. From there he gained a scholarship to the Royal College of Art in 1902. He became the youngest artist to exhibit at the Royal Academy of Art in 1904. Combining the arts of engraving and lithography with his studies of world religions he published several books of engravings which showed the development of his philosophy and practices centred around ‘Zos-Kia’, the names he gave the embodied soul, Zos and Kia the Omniscient transcendent reality. In these works he exhibits ideas on psychology that pre-date, and in many ways surpass Freud’s research.

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He even developed his own yoga-like posture, the Death Posture, to empty the mind to a vacuous state liminal to the unconscious for the incubation of dreams determined by sigils of his own design, by the time of his second ‘Book of Satyrs’. From reading John Dee and through acquaintance with Crowley he developed his own magical alphabet for construction of sigils and more elaborate calligraphic spells to send to his deep mind and expand his own consciousness.

Aspects of his deep mind took the form of spirit guides like Native American Black Eagle. His methods employed ancient techniques. He also experimented with automatic (guided) writing and gave the name Atavistic Resurgence to the technique of regression to earlier states of evolution, from DNA encoding, as we would say nowadays. Spare was also a highly adept and atmospheric painter and chalk draughtsman, and a great influence on the line drawings of Writtle writer and artist Andrew Chumbley (1967-2004) comparatively recently.

Henri Chopin was not one of the founders of Surrealism, only a later participant, but his avoidance of Nazism and relocation to Ingatestone did mean that in my youth I was able to attend a Happening at his enormous house near the village’s station and find my own art teacher from when I was at school there, well oiled, and active in proceedings. At one time Henri played host to an American, Harvey Matuso, who was supposed to be a Vietnam draft dodger, but later detective work revealed that he was too old for the draft, but was on the run because he grassed up leftie acquaintances in the McCarthy era when put under pressure himself. One of author William Burroughs’ books, ‘The Book of Breeething’, was published from Chopin’s Ingatestone address. Unlucky with guests, Henri befriended some hippies who became squatters and who turned out to be Charles Manson supporters, so police had to be called after death threats when he asked them to leave. There’s something surreal about that: avoiding the Nazis and winding up host to Manson supporters instead!

My own painting may appear Surrealist at first sight but actually owes more to the Symbolists and Eastern Mysticism with its folk art teaching aids to holistic psychology. Again it uses the language of symbols to communicate with the deeper levels of consciousness, and I have encouraged students recovering from mental health problems to adopt art techniques like these as means of self discovery on the road to recovery and as self expression.

PULSE is going to SARDINIA If you want to tone-up, lose some weight and go home with a tan whilst having all the outdoor fun in the world, then come with us to sunny Sardinia!

Pulse is please to announce it’s 2014 EXCERCISE RETREAT in beautiful, stunning Sardina.

Stay in a traditional villa on a full-board basis and enjoy a full programme of YOGA, TREKING, CORE STABILITY, RUNNING and much more, whilst topping it all off in the evening with a gentle stroll around the old town and harbour.

The costs are all inclusive (excluding flights) and cover all sessions, accomodation, two nutritious meals a day and transfers. Gorgeous sandy beaches are but a minutes walk away whilst the main town of Alghero is also within easy reach.

We only take small groups of 6 to 8 people as we feel we can offer a far better 1-2-1 personal service for our clients and cater for varying degrees of fitness that way.

Our season starts from April through to June 2014 then September through to November 2014.

(We do not operate the months in between due to the severely high temperatures).

For further details and/or book your place contact David on: 07802 39 66 96 or 0845 075 3945 info@pulsefitt.com www.pulsesardinia.com

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Cully’s Corner - Resolute to the End by Simon Culleton If, while reading this column, you are eating a burger, smoking a cigarette, having a pint while looking forlornly at the barely used wished you hadn’t asked for christmas present that is an ‘exercise bike’, then you have probably failed in your ‘New Year;s resolution’ and my heart goes out to you, or at least it would only if I had made a New Year’s resolution never to be frivolous with my emotions.

You May Have Faulted but you are Not Alone.

Going by last year’s statistics 88% in the UK will make New Year’s resolutions, yet only 1 in 11 will succeed. For the 120,000 population of Chelmsford that’s a staggering 96,000, of which I must include myself, that didn’t stick to it.

The advice given, albeit in hindsight is: to make a resolution you can achieve (I promise to drink every Friday). This all started with the ancient Babylonians way back in 2000 BC where a ‘new resolution’ was meant to make amends for your bad deeds you had committed throughout the previous year. In that case I need quite a few.

I came across a list of Americans most probable resolutions: 1. Lose weight, (that could account for most of the country).

2. Earn more money, (who wouldn’t). 3. Quit smoking. (very difficult). 4. Spend more time with the family. (they cant stand me as it is). Others on the list went on about eating healthy and exercise though the 10th was typically American: become a better person, well, whenever you’re ready (only joking I love Americans).

So I thought I’d make some resolutions that are more obtainable and relevant for myself. Never sing while wearing earphones in public places. I did this three weeks ago in Chelmsford train station and only when I noticed the faces looking at me I managed unsuccessfully to change it into a kind of musical cough. Always pretend to like other peoples cooking they won’t cook for you again if you don’t.

Ignore people who chew with their mouths open (especially strangers), I always get this sudden urge to lunge across the the room and hold their lips together. All this is something I can achieve... maybe.

Yet for all those who are remaining resolute are sticking with it I say quite sincerely with my hand on my heart (there I go again giving it away) I admire you. We can joke and laugh but the hardest thing to do is to give something up, which is generally what nowadays resolutions are. When I gave up smoking it was very difficult yet quite literally life changing for the better and I can promise you that if you are at this moment biting your fingernails and craving the little white stick, then there will come a time that the thought of smoking will not even enter your mind. For those on diets, continually surrounded by the temptation of luscious food and noticing with increasing clarity the amount of skinny people around you that are stuffing their faces with cream cakes.... ignore it and run your own race, when you succeed in the end, which you will, you’ll be slimmer, healthier and damn gorgeous. In short whatever your resolution if you are still sticking with it, email me and let me know how it’s going simon@limepad. com. I promise to support you. Now there is a resolution worth keeping.

Dear Timbo

Dear Timbo, I bought my wife some sexy underwear for Christmas and she doesn’t like them! She says they look tarty. Can I ask eBay for a refund??

Terry, Little Waltham Terry You cheapskate! No wonder your missus doesn’t like them.

You don’t buy underwear from eBay. You need some flash shop like Ann Summers or Marks & Spencers. Tell her sorry but tell her also to give ‘em a go – you might get a night’s passion if you’re lucky!!! All in all I would leave underwear in future, What you like and what she likes will be two totally separate things!!

Dear Timbo, Im fed up with this cold blowy weather, When’s it going to cheer up??

Ken, Danbury Ken I’m not Michael bloomin’ Fish!! Ken, I haven’t a clue! Can I suggest you buy a warmer coat and stop your moaning, It will soon be summer and you will be moaning about your perspiration problems!! Enjoy the fact that its brass monkey weather and remember you’re British Ken!! #stiffupperlip Dear Timbo My wife Joan doesn’t like me going to the pub every night. She says I stink of beer and she hates it. What can I say to her?

Dear Whoever you are, God i’ve heard it all now!! Who wears the trousers in your house?? Sounds like Joan to me! You need to explain that after a hard day’s work (I presume you work) you need time to relax and unwind with your mates. Yes I’m sorry she is being unreasonable. Can I suggest the following? Why not sit down with Joan, work out a menu plan and get her to cook you a nice meal to be on the table at say 10.00pm. All you do is make sure you get home on time. Regarding your bad breath – try Listerine. Good luck.

The Strand - Hair & Beauty

Based within Moulsham Street, The Strand is a small family run hairdressers working over three floors, offering both hair & beauty services for both men and women. Refurbished in May 2013, the designer worked with the owner trying to incorporate the heritage of the building into the internal look.

This look featured in both The Hairdressing Journal and Pro Hairdressing magazine. The Strand was also the winner of the Essex Business Award 2013 and currently in the finals for a national competition, Britain’s Friendliest Business.

Owner Gemma and the team strives to bring something a bit different into Chelmsford. We base our prices around affordability for the Chelmsford community, offering 25% discount to Chelmsford workers and providing on going monthly discounts. The Strand also runs an apprentice scheme, which takes on local Chelmsford students and offers client models a cut & colour for just £20. It is very important to the team that we do our best to help to improve Chelmsford, not only providing a service to the community, but by employing people from that community. Even though we are only a small business, every effort is made to ensure that every client leaves with a smile on their face. The team at The Strand are highly qualified and this can be seen from the work they produce. Nothing is an effort to them and the team go above and beyond to provide a wonderful service and experience to every client.

For more information or to make a booking please visit www. thehairbrand. co.uk or call 01245 345179.

Alternatively, please find us on Facebook, The Strand Chelmsford, or follow us on Twitter @TheStrandChelms.

Home Grown Comedy............ Win Two Tickets to the February Show Many fellow Chelmsfordians will be aware of our very own Comedy Club here in Chelmsford, who we must thank for being the first to bring alternative stand up comedy to us in Chelmsford back in 1997. The Waterfront Place became known for the best live comedy shows in Essex for over 10 years.

It was actually back in 1996 that The Comedy Club first opened it’s doors in a small room at the White Hart pub in Brentwood (now the Sugar Hut!).

resort. Headling this fantastic festival with over 50 comedians will be Al Murray, Lee Nelson and the man of 1000 voices from Police Academy – Michael Winslow. Full details and booking information will be in next month’s publication.

What many of us may not actually be aware of is that our very own home grown Comedy Club has proven a strong driving force in the development of the comedy industry, launching the careers of so many famous TV comedians which include Michael McIntyre, Jimmy Carr and Stephen Merchant to name but a few.

The Comedy Club Chelmsford is now located at Chelmsford City FC‘s function suite. Having hosted shows throughout 2013 they will now be running on the last Friday of each month starting on Friday 28th February 2014.

The Comedy Club is now one of the UK’s largest comedy providers, running live stand up shows in 60 venues and is also a booking agent for large corporate events and festivals across the UK and abroard. Locally, The Comedy Club also have venues in Basildon, Braintree, Witham and Colchester.

For ticket and show information please visit www.thecomedyclub.co.uk

In June of this year The Comedy Club & Butlins present the ‘Festival of Comedy’, which will be the largest residential comedy festival in the UK, to be held at the Bognor Regis

Win pai a tick r of the ets t o Feb sho ruary w!

For your chance to win 2 tickets to this show, please send us your worst christmas cracker jokes to martyn@thecomedyclub. co.uk. Closing date 21st February 2014.

The winner will be contacted directly and a selection of the ‘best of the worst’ jokes will be listed in February’s edition.

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www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Rotary – Leadership Training is Key to Success Over the past few months I have given you a flavour of the vast range of activities carried out by Rotarians locally and globally.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to explain some background on the structure of Rotary which makes it the largest volunteer organisation in the world thereby enabling it to accomplish so many humanitarian deeds that actually change lives.

I don’t want to bog you down with statistics, but overall there are 1.2 million Rotarians in about 200 different countries. The Rotary International headquarters is in Chicago and below that there are various zones which include Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI). Actually RIBI is unique in that it is the only region outside of the USA to have its own administrative offices. The advantage to us here is that it shortcuts decision making and the leadership training is geared to the British psyche and is second to none.

RIBI itself is then broken down into 26 districts and each district looks after its clubs. District 1240 which covers Essex and odd bits tagged on such as Bishop’s Stortford. Havering has 60 clubs – some 1600 members – and is led by a District Governor and a team of District Officers. That having been said, each club is autonomous. That means it makes its own decisions on what events it wants to hold, which charities it wishes to support, where and when it meets, and even what subscriptions it charges. Of course, there are guidelines and recommendations but nothing is cast in stone so there are big differences as you go round the clubs.

Often clubs do work together and the prime example is Endpolio Now, the campaign to eradicate polio once and for all. Virtually everyone sees this as a life changing, world changing project so clubs without exception have contributed to the $1 billion raised so far but as I have said in the past, Rotary is not all about money. It is the hands-on commitment so Rotarians can be seen organising the mass immunisation days in Asia and Africa. This has helped reduce the number of cases from 1000 every day when the campaign started to just a couple of hundred in the whole of 2013 which included

outbreaks in Syria and Somalia.

We are very close to seeing the end of this awful scourge paralysing, maiming and killing children. Some of us are old enough to remember the iron lungs in Britain in the early 1960s.

Only smallpox has ever been completely eradicated before so it will be wonderful when polio is finally defeated – and it will be with Rotary’s continued commitment.

As District Governor I am shortly going to America for another training session as it is important to keep enlisting people who can make things happen – to make the impossible, the inevitable as someone succinctly put it. Whether this is on a local scale such as Chelmsford clubs recently taking 24 elderly people to the pantomime at the Civic Theatre, or supporting the Essex Young People’s Orchestra at the New Year’s Day concert in Chelmsford Cathedral (and what a credit these young musicians are to our community), or providing a tea for some lonely people. There are so many ways of putting something back into the community.

If you would like to find out how you can join a Rotary club then visit www.rotary1240.org. We would be delighted to hear from you. Stan Keller 01245 260349

Royal British Legion Broomfield Branch - a Big Thank You! A big thank you to the people of Broomfield from the Royal British Legion Branch. Thank you for raising over £15,696 in the recent Poppy Appeal. The Poppy Appeal co-ordinator, Chairman and members of the branch also give special thanks for the efforts of the volunteer collectors and helpers that enabled this amazing sum to be collected. The Poppy Appeal fundraising is so important to the welfare needs of service men and women in the past present and future. Your contribution will help, thank you once again.

All doors conform fully to EU safety directives

The branch HQ is in Saxon Way and you can find out more about the Legion by coming to meet us; you don’t have to be ex-service to become a member. We are always looking for committee members to ensure the smooth running of the branch including the position of Welfare Officer. Full training will be given for this very important but satisfying role. Our Social club is the talk of the city for its wide variety of top class entertainment acts and functions, why not come along and see.

It definitely is not flat caps, woodbines and greyhounds. We look forward to seeing you.

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CT

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Next edition deadlines.

The deadline for editorial copy is Friday 31st January 2014.

The deadline for pirnt ready artwork is Tuesday 4th February 2014.

Advertising Nick Garner 07970 206682 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Publish

Editorial Paul Mclean 07595 949701 editorial@itsyourmeida.co.uk

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