Chelmsford The City Times November 2013

City Times

d r o f s m l Che

The

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Issue Number 2 - November/December 2013

CT Welcome Welcome to issue two of Chelmsford The City Times.

We have had some great feedback from our first edition, thank you everyone for your comments. We have also had in the region of 1,500 downloads of the magazine from our website, which is fantastic. You can find it www.chelmsfordthecitytimes. co.uk This month we have some great new writers for you and we would like to thank them for their contributions making this magazine what it is.

We would like more of your letters!! Please write to us with your thoughts, views or anything else you think may be of interest for our readers. We also would love to list more events, whether it is a jumble sale, fund raising event or theatre production.

We would like to welcome Timbo to our team of writers, his introduction (if he even needs one) is on page 28. He will offer his advice to you on a variety of subjects.

Please look out for the special offers from our advertisers along with the great entertainment venues and services offered.

We hope you enjoy reading this latest edition and please pass it on to your friends and family!

Nick & Paul

CT Fashion

Wardrobe Rehab

Have you ever experienced wardrobe envy? I have, a couple of times, once whilst watching Sex and The City and seeing Carrie Bradshaw’s huge closet that ‘Big’ built for her. Also when I went to help a friend choose an outfit. Hers was actually a walk-in wardrobe/dressing room, which consisted of a wall of mirrored wardrobes, which faced her husband’s wall of mirrored wardrobes. They were impressive, but also very functional and organised; she even had her own mirrored dressing table, which was very ‘Hollywood Glamour’.

I get to check out lots of wardrobes and their contents in my job and the biggest are not necessarily the best, as more closet space can sometimes mean more room to hoard. So even if your wardrobe is compact, you can still make it work for you, it is just down to some clever editing. A pared down wardrobe will make it easier to make outfit choices. Anything you choose to ‘let go’ could be given to charity, sold on ebay or to Cash For Clothes (where they pay by weight). If the clothes aren’t good enough for charity, then your local supermarket will have a clothes recycling skip.

This time of the year (before it gets really cold) is the perfect time to reorganise your clothes, so make some time and try my wardrobe rehab seven step process.

Step One Take all of your clothes out of your wardrobe and place them on your bed.

Step Two Take any summer items and put them in zip-up or vacuum bags and relegate them to the garage, shed, or attic (failing that under the bed will do). Do the same with your summer shoes.

Step Three Any clothes that are too big or too small for you should really be consigned to history. There’s no point in hanging on to size 26 jeans, if you are a 30, or hanging onto that jumper that could double up as a tent. However, if you feel like keeping them ‘just in case’ put them aside and try them on again in a couple of months, if they still don’t fit, then you know what to do.

Step Four Now look at the items that you really love or wear a lot, and put them back in your wardrobe. Also put back any classics like a vintage leather jacket or anything sentimental, like your old Take That t-shirt.

Step Five What are you left with? If the clothes on your bed were not worn last year, then it is doubtful that you will ever wear them again, so put them in the pile for charity or to sell.

Step Six Assess your wardrobe you will see a theme: Men, is it a sea of blue and white striped shirts, grey jumpers and navy suits?

Maybe it is time to splash out on some fine-knit coloured jumpers, or a tweed blazer.

Ladies, have you got a dozen black tops, six pairs of jeans and quite a few party dresses, but no skirts or day dresses? Are there lots of neutral colours, but no brights? Or maybe there are no prints? Now’s the time to pinpoint what your wardrobe is lacking, make a mental note and keep your eyes peeled when out shopping.

Step Seven Make some outfits. The idea is to mix together pieces and create different looks. Lay them out on the floor and take photos with your phone. This gives you a visual record, so no more faffing about in the morning, tossing clothes around in a panic, you can

just refer to your phone and choose your outfit. This also ensures you don’t wear the same thing over and over again. Now, I know for men, the idea of taking photos of outfits won’t go down well, so instead, make sure you take on board any positive feedback you may get on your clothes. “You look good in blue” means you should explore this, but experiment with lots of different tones, don’t just stick to one shade.

To ensure you keep your new wardrobe in order, follow these tips: Buy some clothes organisers, which fit inside your wardrobe.

If you find holes in knitwear, you could have moths, buy some Cedarwood moth repelling balls, place them in fabric bags and hang between your clothes.

Invest in some wood hangers, they keep the shape of clothes better than the alternative, or just buy them for your tailored pieces.

Hopefully this has inspired you to make a start yourself, but if you require further assistance with your wardrobe, enquire about my wardrobe planning sessions.

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

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Christmas Countdown by Ian Venon With only a few weeks to go before the big day, we are all in the festive period countdown. Should you be fortunate (some would say not) to be invited to the official company ‘do’ or planning something with the department or entertaining customers, or considering a multitude of drink ups with your mates, there is so much to consider. How much to budget and where to spend it, who to invite and what to wear can all add to the pressures of having a jolly good time.

Thankfully, deciding on where to go in Chelmsford is a lot easier with its abundance of good pubs, clubs, restaurants and night clubs, although leaving restaurant bookings to the last minute is not advisable, we’ve all been there before!

Considering your transport needs to and from your chosen venue can also be a chore as well, having to ring around trying to find a cab at the last minute is no good for the blood pressure or your stress levels. A solution to this is having a reliable, friendly taxi company at your service. Someone you know you can rely time and time again. ChelmsfordTaxis.com can be that company.

We are a first class, fully licensed taxi company to Chelmsford City Council. We can be trusted to provide a professional service.

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CT Cooking

by John Jacobs

Roasted Butternut Squash with Puy Lentils and Parmesan Crisp As a chef, I’m often accused-and in some cases, with furious indignation-that my menus lack vegetarian content. These same accusers always seem to be readily armed with an entire spread sheets worth of statistics about nutritional values and my failing social responsibility. My default response of ‘relax and try the burger’ is often misinterpreted as a lack of interest. Don’t get me wrong, many a time I’ve exited one of the city’s fine bars and wondered where I could get a goat’s cheese and spinach roulade to soak up the night’s excesses. In my defence I am a child of the 80s, who grew up at a time when the vegetarian PR was one of rennet-free cheese, tofu, nut roast, mushy pappy lentil bake and a cup of herbal tea. As we all know, things have progressed for the better.

Butternut squash is available this month and through to December, though you can also use pumpkin of which there will be many left over at this time of year. A relatively recent import, this firm-fleshed fruit is delicious and packed with vitamins A and C. If you’ve not used puy lentils before, they’re far tastier than their brown or green cousins and hold their shape once cooked.

You can find puy lentils and sweet chilli in any one of the many and varied food shops and delis around Chelmsford. This is a simple recipe full of colour, varied textures and flavours, a dish you can certainly show off with at dinner parties.

Here we go again.

Our next edition comes out just before Christmas and this page will be full of tips and tricks to help you make the perfect stress-free holiday feast. If you have any tips and ideas of your own that you want to share, please feel free to e-mail me at perfectlysimplecookery@gmail. com or go onto my website at perfectlysimplecookery.co.uk.

As the former head chef of the one-time Essex Restaurant of the Year, John Jacobs is now a consultant, food writer and owner of the Perfectly Simple Cookery School. His book Meze, Misery and Moussaka is available in December.

Serves 2 Ingredients: 1 whole medium sized butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and diced 2 tablespoons sweet chilli 200g puy lentils Handful of wild rocket Sprig of thyme Extra virgin olive oil 100g shaved Parmesan ½ lemon Salt and pepper to taste Method Heat your oven to 200° c or gas mark 6. Spread the squash over a baking tray and drizzle over some olive oil. Add the sprig of thyme, a little salt and pepper seasoning and pop in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until tender. Whilst that’s roasting, put the lentils into a saucepan and cover with water to roughly twice the depth.

There’s no need to pre-soak. Bring to the boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Top up with a little water if needed. Once cooked, sieve off any excess water and stir in the sweet chilli sauce. Once the squash has cooked (it should give a little when squeezed) place in a bowl and mix in the lentils. Spoon the mix onto a plate, add the rocket and parmesan shavings on top. Sprinkle a little olive oil and the juice of half a lemon to dress the dish.

Parmesan Crisp If you’re feeling adventurous, line a baking tray with good quality silicone paper. Grate 150g of parmesan onto the paper in a thin, even layer. Place the tray on the bottom shelf of your hot oven for about 7 minutes and bake until golden. Allow to cool and then break up into your squash dish for a little crunchy flair.

CT

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CT Gardening

by Tom Cole

I’m hopeful that all survived the recent storms? Here at Writtle we had a rough time with the loss of a few specimen trees (sweet chestnut, willows and a fabulous beech) and the usual loss of power. Thankfully the power was back with us the following day – not so quick for others I’m afraid!

Whilst we’re busily clearing up the beds and borders of a myriad branches and brushwood, the further and higher education staff are gearing up for what looks like another bumper information event on the evening of Wednesday 13th November from 6:00 – 7:30pm. Teaching staff will be on hand to answer any queries you have on an extensive range of potential courses. Whether you are considering your options at school and aren’t quite sure what to do next, looking for a short 1-2 day programme or intensive study programme of up to 1-3 years, or wish to earn and learn through apprenticeships, then pop along for a chat… I’m sure there’s something for everyone. Book a place through the college web site at http://www.writtle.ac.uk/Information-Events or just turn up – we’re happy to chat things through with you further.

In the meantime, this is the perfect month to get that vegetable/ allotment plot sorted for the winter period. An ideal time to grab well-rotted organic matter in the form of garden compost, leaf mould or good old horse manure and either just lay it on the surface roughly 10cm (4”) deep or worked in to improve the water holding capacity of the soil, add fertility and or just suppressing weed growth especially if you are adding to the surface. The latter is something I have chosen to do as the first step in a no-dig method of gardening on my plot. There are loads of advantages to take into account with this ‘cultivation’ method: better for your back, protects the soil structure; especially on light soils, makes a good stable soil structure, makes a friable topsoil through

which seedlings can easily emerge, soil is less likely to cap, keeps fertile topsoil in its right place, reduces moisture loss, does not bring weed seeds to the surface to germinate and… worms like no-dig systems. However, you may want to consider the following potential disadvantages: some people like digging (if it’s a cold dry day digging can be a great way of keeping warm and fit!), it does not expose soil pests to predators and so you could argue there is a build-up of foes, takes longer to improve poor soils and does not deal with compaction and hard pans. Well, I’m going to try it this year and I’ll let you know how I get on.

Once your site is set-up for the winter you can then concentrate on planting the last batch of onion sets. I have started mine in modular trays this year as my soil is too wet and they end up just rotting off-even with the addition of grits or coarse sands at planting time. I’ve also extended this approach to garlic. I have, however, sown the super tasty Aquadulce broad bean and am using horticultural fleece to protect them as winter approaches – I am hopeful this will give a good sound root system in readiness for next year’s surge of green leafy growth and production of perfectly sized pods prior to the worst of the black bean aphid – wish me luck!

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

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Crafts by Gemma Peacock Arts and crafts have become increasingly more popular in recent years and Chelmsford has certainly been affected by this, much to the delight of many (including me).

Whether it be knitting, crochet, sewing, stained glass, felting, pottery painting or flower arranging just to name but a few, you will find it here in our city. There is an array of local businesses around the city offering a number of classes to teach you a new skill. If you have the skills already then there is certainly no shortage of clubs and groups that you can join to excel your skill, whilst socialising with like-minded people.

So what is this column all about? Well yes it’s about crafts, but it’s about my experience of crafts. If you hadn’t guessed already, I’m a keen crafter myself and enjoy learning something new. I have been crafting for about four years now, learning new skills and developing on existing ones. Some of these skills have been self-taught and others I have learnt and improved at some of the workshops offered in and around Chelmsford. I feel it is really important to keep these skills alive, and for us to be able to pass them on to generations to come. After all, if it was good enough for our ancestors then why should it not be good enough for us?

Now don’t get me wrong, I know it isn’t for everyone and there will certainly be some crafts more suited to one person than to another, but trust me, give it a go, you may surprise yourself.

This monthly column will be highlighting the crafts that are on offer for all of us to access, the crafts I am passionate about, but overall the crafts I have tried, and how I got on with them. I will be focusing on a different craft or seasonal occasion each

month and giving you an insight into what it involves. I am hoping it will introduce some of you to a new craft that you may not have thought about otherwise.

Please feel free to get in touch with me by email gemscrafts@hotmail. co.uk if you have any questions or perhaps suggestions of a particular craft you would like to hear about. I’d love to hear from you.

So until next month,happy crafting.

Gem

The Ale House – a Unique Local Venue - Review by Simon Tippler of Round Tower Brewery When The Ale House in Viaduct Road opened last year, word spread of its focus on quality beer and its relaxed, modern atmosphere and it quickly became a hugely popular place to drink with the people of Chelmsford. In just over 18 months, it has gone from strength to strength and has firmly established itself as a specialist beer/real ale pub aimed at a younger market. Its location in two of the arches under the train track has revived this area of Chelmsford City and it attracts after work drinkers on their commute home from London as well as a good cross section of the drinking public in Chelmsford. It’s a thriving local venue and its focus on quality beer with very few frills has proved a big success.

The Ale House has 12 hand pumps dispensing some of the best beer available from across the country. With this range of beer and a well-managed cellar, they cater for a wide range of tastes with everything served in excellent condition. As they are constantly putting on new beers, it is impossible to predict what is going to be behind the bar but generally you can find everything from a 3.6% Gold all the way up to some of the cutting edge heavily hopped 7% monsters. They also do a range of foreign keg lagers and always have a good selection of ciders from around the country. In the fridges, you can find bottled beers from the UK, Belgium and the USA. There is nowhere else in Chelmsford where you can find such an extensive range. They also offer limited range of food to accompany the beer, including pizzas and cold meat/cheese platters.

As you would expect from a specialist ale pub, they run a ‘Beer Club’ hosted by beer sommelier, Nigel Sadler. He has been showcasing a different beer style at each meeting to help broaden the Ale House customers experience and enjoyment

of beer. They also host some live music and in November and December will have No Machino, Chris Jones and Amy Westney Duo (country and acoustic mix), The Dice People Duo and Dog in a Sidecar (Indie/pop).

You can find out more about the Ale House at www.the-ale-housechelmsford.co.uk and to find out what’s on their bar find them at www.perfectpint.co.uk.

CT Whats On In Chelmsford November

15th Asylum - Nine Day Decline + History Of Guns White Horse B & L - live music and Uke-Oke from the Over****ers 16th Asylum - ****shovel + Sweet Ether + Mercury Rising The Wheatsheaf - Squeal White Horse B & L - Jive Tuition, record hop, raffle 20th The Bassment - Blues in the City - LaVendore Rogue + Tim Aves 21st Asylum - MG & The Juggernaut + Translation Available 22nd Asylum - Rude Mechanicals + Snork + The Skraelings The Bird In Hand - Drowned Atlas + Touche Baby + The Kubricks White Horse B & L - soul ska and reggae 23rd Asylum - Ease Springs + Point Inaudible Cressing Temple - Helen Rollason Christmas Fayer Moulsham Steet - Christmas festival and lights switch on White Horse B & L - live acoustic duo Andy and Granty 24th Asylum - Death Ape Disco Cressing Temple - Helen Rollason Christmas Fayer High Street - Christmas lights switch on 28th Evoke - The Buzzcocks + Manderville 29th Asylum - Machine Gune Men + Silas + Marmalade Groove White Horse B & L - live Irish band Asylum - I Am Meat 30th Christ Church - a celebration of music Danbury Sports & Social Club - acoustic rock in aid of Farleigh Hospice

December

3rd Asylum - Causeway + Subjugation 4th Asylum - Science Made Us Robots + 7 Day Conspiracy 5th Asylum - The Shallows + support TBC White Horse B & L - monthly open mic 6th Asylum = Trash Monroe + more tbc The Bassment - live music - Paolo Morena White Horse B & L - Retro night 7th Asylum - Red Nettle The Cricketers - House That! with Matt Love White Horse B & L - Ska and reggae night 8th Santa Run - Central Park www.farleighhospice.org/santa 12th Asylum - Lunar Pilots + The Lightworker 13th Asylum - Mesonical + D.M.O Christ Church - Christmas extravaganza White Horse B & L - live band - Oink!

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

Asylum - www.asylumchelmsford.co.uk Cricketers - www.thecricketers.biz Evoke - www.evokenightclub.com White Horse Bar and Lounge - whbl.co.uk If you have an event you would like us to add to our list for December/January please email: editorial@chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

CT Gig review Bruce Foxton - From The Jam Venue: Evoke, Chelmsford Gig Date: Thurs 17 Oct 2013 With Chelmsford’s Evoke night club now running live gigs, it was good to see Bruce Foxton’s From The Jam there. One of the late 70s and early 80s most influential bands with their politically charged lyrics and mod-influenced glory days, the venue was comfortably full and there was a good vibe.

Former bass player for The Jam and Stiff Little Fingers, Bruce’s solo career maintains respect for the Jam/Weller sound. Bruce does more than just keeping From The Jam’s engine running, he revved things up and was energetic and exciting to watch.

The confidence of Russell Hastings on guitar and lead vocals has grown with the band’s gig list. He has his own style, but still acknowledges Paul Weller’s genius, in whose place Russell now stands.

Depping-in for the night on drums was Steve Barnard (ex Robbie Williams and Joe Strummer). He was tight and just right.

There was Bruce’s new material included from a recent album “Back In The Room” (which features guests including Booker T’s Steve Cropper, Spandau’s Steve Norman and Weller too). The crowd responded well to the new songs, bolstered alongside the classics like Going Underground, That’s Entertainment and A Town Called Malice.

The fans roared and whistled as they remembered their youthful years at The Jam’s peak. The exuberance of the mosh pit was unmistakable. It was all rather blokey down the front of the stage with pogoing not looking too bad really. Well done lads, Bruce appreciated your efforts.

The audience has grown up and so has Bruce Foxton. The music’s still right on.

Bridget Metcalfe - BBC Eastern Counties / BBC Essex NB The Buzzcocks are at Evoke on Thursday 28 November.

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CT Business Did you know there are almost 12,000 business in Chelmsford?

Would you be surprised to find out that our city has the highest number of business start-ups in Essex? Many of these business are owned by people who dream of doing their own thing their own way. They’re driven, they’re quirky, they’re brilliant and they give Chelmsford an identity all of its own which is why I plan to talk to some of them over the coming months and find out what motivates them. For my first interview I thought I’d talk to someone who has just started their own business and to do that I had to take a step over into the dark side…

I think I’d better put my hand up now and tell you that I rather like the unusual so I felt very much at home as soon as I stepped into Holly Ringsell’s ‘batcave’, aka Dark Side Comics, which is based under one of the railway arches at Chelmsford station. It’s notoriously difficult to make comic shops work despite the fact they usually have a huge following of committed customers so why, I asked 22 year old Holly, would you want to take on such a challenge?

“I come from both an art and retail background.

I pursued art at school and later animation at college, while constantly drawing in my spare time. I’ve always been a fan of comic books from a young age too so it simply made sense to combine my background in art, comic books and general retail and set up my very own store. When ‘Red Sun’ closed the kids that used to come and hang out in store could even be seen sitting close by outside! I love the sense of community and belonging that a lot of comic shops give and it definitely left a mark on Chelmsford without it. That, teamed with my undying love for all things geeky and the huge gap in the market, as well as the aftermath of my heartbreak of losing Red Sun, is what really pushed me to pursue my own store. The feeling of community and inclusion for the customers is for me a constant draw - a lot of our beloved customer base are people, like myself, who are generally considered outcasts, or who don’t fit into the world’s status quo. Dark Side Comics gives them a place where they can feel a part of something, while enjoying things they love and being able to get their hands on the newest and coolest stuff, without fear of judgement.

There are not many places in the world where you can heatedly discuss who’d win in a fight between Batman and Iron Man!!!”

own businesses and a good family friend of ours who is extremely well-versed in the world of business. Similarly, the business plan came together the same way... coupled with a lot of late nights! I manage all the aspects of the shop, from stock and finance, to marketing and online presence. Everything you can think of - I’m managing it! I also used my experience at Red Sun and built on that with ideas of my own – there are new extra activities based in the store - art gallery, trading card nights, event days, artists visiting the store to sign and draw etc and exceptional and educated customer service will give a wonderful experience.”

I couldn’t go into a comic book store without asking Holly one or two geeky questions now, could I? So here we go: X-Men Days of Future Past or Superman/Batman?

“Neither!! I’m not a fan of the casting choices in either! I could really go in to boring details here but I’ll just say that I’m LESS worried about X-Men Days Of Future Past... Batman is one of my absolute favourite comics, so I’m terrified at the prospect of someone portraying him poorly... But I suppose we’ll have to wait and see!”

Which comics are on your pull list?

“I actually wait for the graphic novels, rather than single issues - purely because as a kid with no access to a comic shop, that was the way I got used to getting my stuff! That said, I’ve been trying to pick up Gerard Way’s True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, while keeping an eye on Sons Of Anarchy too. I need to catch up on DC’s New 52 but as I said, I’m mainly waiting for the graphic novels!”

If you had to pick one hero from the world of comic books who would it be?

“If I had to pick one hero to read forever, it’d undoubtedly be Batman. As a big Bat-fan anyway, there’s just so much diversity within his BAT-catalogue (eheheheh). Plus, some of my favourite baddies (and I ALWAYS love the baddies best!). If I had to BE one hero, then it’d have to be Iceman from X-Men or Magneto from X-Men (I know, I know – he’s a baddy!), or maybe Jackie from The Darkness - Iceman has always been my favourite, I just love ice powers! Magneto’s powers are insanely powerful and Jackie from The Darkness is MEGA cool... Also mega violent... But mostly cool!!!”

Holly’s determination to do well, her passion for everything comic related shines through and can you blame her?

Wouldn’t you like to go to work dressed as a Superhero or Sith depending on your mood that day? I think her crusade to “convert customers to the world of geek” is well on the road to success – and I’m not just saying that because she’s got a lightsaber in her hand, honest!

Dark Side Comics - 27 Viaduct Road, Chelmsford (under the arches).

Once she knew what she wanted to do, how did she go about finding out about setting up a business?

Open: 10am-6pm Tuesday-Saturday (11am-7pm on Thursdays).

10am-4pm Sunday. Closed on Monday.

“I found out the basics of setting up a business through a lot of online research, talking to friends and family who had set up their

Tel: 01245 357656 Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DarkSideComicsUk

Page 14 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

The Family Duo and their Newest Success: astore by Bronya Smolen astore has quickly become another one of Chelmsford’s hidden gems. The small but perfectly formed homeware shop has filled it’s shelves with exciting and quirky products, some of which can usually only be found in London.

The shop’s charm does not just lie in what they sell, but how they sell it. The shelving and units that they use to display stock are all upcyled: an old medical trolley showcases an array of luxury soaps from LA BRUKET and other unique brands. A bench salvaged from Germany sits outside the shop offering a place to think and rest from a hard day of shopping. It is these finishing touches, which make astore a completely different shopping experience.

What many people might not know about astore, situated across the road from it’s sister acanteen, is that the whole business has been built up by mother and daughter duo from scratch.

Emma Odell, a fine art graduate with a background in advertising and Brenda Cooper-Keeble, a business woman and smallholding farmer, set up acanteen in 2001 after noticing a gap in the market for a trendy place to eat wholesome organic food.

They found an empty shop, and within 8 months were up and running, despite the hoard of sceptics who did not believe that the secluded shop would ever take off. Not a penny was spent on advertising, however through brilliant food and a loyal customer base, acanteen grew by word of mouth. It now see’s an average of 600 customers through its door at the weekend alone.

12 years later, the pair have now filled Chelmsford’s next big gap. Chain stores cluster the high street, and the city was in

need of a shop with real style and unique items. astore stocks products from mostly independent designers, including Angie Lewin, Ella Doran, Lucky Boy Sunday, Keith Brymer, LK Bruket & Donna Wilson. They sell everything from kids toys, to household necessities and bespoke jewellery. The shop is the perfect place to purchase a special gift or revamp your home, Christmas certainly promises some fantastic decorations and unique presents. All this success from just a small family business just goes to prove that if you work hard enough you can achieve something pretty special.

Gepps & Sons Legal Debate Goes from Strength to Strength For an entertaining and stimulating display of the region’s local debating and advocacy talent, you need look no further than the annual Gepp & Sons Chelmsford School’s Legal Debate Competition, now in its 5th year.

This year the event took place at Anglia Ruskin University, which is itself celebrating 50 years of delivering undergraduate law degrees. BBC Essex’s Dave Monk compered proceedings and provided some lighter moments which no doubt assisted in alleviating any pre-performance nerves.

Gepp and Sons were delighted to welcome a host of distinguished members of our community including the Mayor and Mayoress of Chelmsford, the Lord Lieutenant Lord Petre and the High Sheriff Julia Abel-Smith.

Teams from Chelmsford County High School, Felsted, Great Baddow, King Edward VI Grammar, New Hall, Ormiston Rivers Academy, St John Payne Catholic Comprehensive and William De Ferrers entered the debating arena to argue about whether the UK should continue to have the option of punishing its most serious offenders with whole life prison sentences thereby depriving them of any prospect of release or rehabilitation. The issue was fiercely contested by all participants before a highly esteemed panel of High Court and Crown Court judges comprising of The Honourable Mr Justice Burnett, Her Honour Judge WaldenSmith, His Honour Judge Ball, His Honour Judge Graham, His Honour Judge Newton and Kathleen McMahon, a senior lecturer at Anglia Law School.

At the conclusion of the First Round, the two schools deemed to offer the most persuasive arguments were William De Ferrers and reigning champions St John Payne, who then progressed to the final round.

Speeches were heard from members of the Essex Boys & Girls Club who spoke about their experiences of volunteering and Michelle McCanna from Anglia Ruskin University who recounted some of the university’s remarkable achievements and reflected over significant changes in UK law over the past 50 years.

The judges struggled to select the overall winner and ultimately relied on a casting vote in order to make their decision. The result fell in St John Payne’s favour who therefore retain custody of the winners silver salver. ‘Best Speakers’ prizes were also awarded to Elise Horsham from KEGS and Henrietta Hall from CCHS. We hope all participants have gained valuable insight into the judicial and court processes and enjoyed the experience of practising their mooting and presentation skills before the audience.

The Reluctant Commuter Dear Fellow Commuter You may remember that in my last article I was feeling a little down about commuting and asked you to try and convert me into a contented commuter by telling me your funny stories, the positive things about commuting. I have to confess I wasn’t expecting a single encouraging reply but to my immense surprise I’ve actually received a number of upbeat and encouraging stories!

I spoke at length with Lizzie who loves her commute home each night – she sits in the same carriage and has made friends with a rather eclectic bunch of people who make a big effort to improve the quality of their daily commute. On birthdays, for example, they bring along cake and party hats and sometimes smuggle on a bottle of something to share. Last year for Halloween they all wore costumes (apparently she forgot to take her cat ears off when she got off the train which caused some raised eyebrows as she walked home…). They have a chess club, a book club – it’s pretty amazing and I have to say I’d like to travel home in a carriage like that!

And now a romantic story – yes, apparently love can blossom on the daily commute! My friend Debbie met her husband on the journey into work. Apparently he spotted her standing on the platform but it took him weeks before he summoned up enough courage to introduce himself. The rest is history – they now have three children and Debbie no longer commutes.

At one point however, a wistful look came into her eyes and she confessed she missed commuting. I don’t know if it was coincidence but this came up immediately after she’d told me that throughout summer her husband regularly wakes her at 5am to try and persuade her to go and play golf with him before they go to work (the club backs onto their house). My heart went out to her - even I would prefer commuting to playing golf at 5 in the morning!

So there you go, two very positive stories about commuting life and I’m sure there must be more out there so keep them coming in!

The overheard section today was related to me by my friend Chris: Young woman (as the train pulls into Chelmsford): This isn’t Edinburgh!

In the final round, a plea in mitigation was heard by the two finalists whose objective was to try to obtain a lenient sentence If you have any stories please email editorial@ for their ‘client’, a young mother who had pleaded guilty to a chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk charge of criminal damage. In response to a presentation by the ‘Crown Prosecution Service’ provided by Gepps & Sons’ Peter Butterfield, both teams put forward their reasons and arguments Visit our web site as to why their client should be spared the fate of a prison sentence and furthermore remained calm and collected in the www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk face of questioning from several of the judges.

Page 16 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Local Author Uncovers Victorian Scandals…

1859 was a good year for scandals. Some time ago I uncovered details of a forgotten trial at the Old Bailey. The chaplain of Wandsworth Prison, Henry John Hatch, was found guilty of the indecent assault of two young girls in his care and sentenced to four years hard labour.

There was unease in the press following the trial.

Henry’s defence had been poorly handled, and several newspapers suggested that the main evidence against him, from the 11-year-old Mary Eugenia Plummer, was suspect. The Home Secretary declined to interfere, although he said that a successful action for perjury against the child would allow Henry to be freed under the Royal Pardon.

Six months later, the trial at the Old Bailey of (Mary) Eugenia Plummer, now aged 12, was a sensation. Her mother was drunk in the witness box, the family doctor, who called Eugenia his ‘little wife’, fainted under cross-examination, and Eugenia’s young sister, Stephana, accused Henry of assaulting her while his wife looked on…

Many newspaper reports of the Hatch case had compared it with that of Dr Smethurst, and I became interested in him. Smethurst had been charged with the murder of Isabella Bankes. He had left his wife and run off with Isabella, marrying her bigamously. A few months later she fell ill, and following the finding of arsenic in her ‘bodily excretions’, the doctors in Richmond suspected that she was being poisoned. Isabella died two days after making a will leaving her money to Smethurst. When his medicines were examined, arsenic was found in one of the bottles.

The circumstantial evidence against Smethurst was overwhelming, but no arsenic was found in Isabella’s body, the arsenic discovered in the bottle proved to be a mistake, and a number of eminent medical witnesses declared that her symptoms were compatible with natural causes. Nevertheless, Smethurst was found guilty and sentenced to death by public hanging.

There was a frenzy of activity at Horsemonger Lane Gaol as the date of the execution drew near. Windows and space on nearby roofs and balconies had been let to those who wanted a good view of the event. But there was an outcry in the press. The medical and toxicological evidence was declared suspect and the judge was accused of prejudice against Smethurst. There was a rising expectation that he would be reprieved…

The extraordinary stories of Henry John Hatch and Thomas Smethurst are related in my two books, Henry’s Trials and Smethurst’s luck published by Mirli Books.

Peter Maggs, peter.maggs@mirlibooks.com

CT CHARITY

Nature’s Calling

TCV is the country’s leading practical conservation charity, working with volunteers all over the UK and beyond. Here in Essex our outdoor work plays a key role in managing habitats and greenspaces for the benefit of both wildlife and people.

We carry out a variety of tasks such as coppicing, boardwalk construction, tree planting and pond improvement which keeps us busy all round. Our trained leaders are always on hand to guide volunteers in the use of tools and teaching of traditional countryside management techniques. We are open to all types of volunteers, no matter what experience they have, as long as they are enthusiastic and willing to get their hands dirty!

TCV previously known as BTCV, has had a presence in Essex since 1963 and has continued to grow since then. From simple beginnings, we now have 4 members of staff, 8 volunteer officers and over 380 active volunteers. With our base in Colchester, we can carry out projects across the whole county; from Brentwood to Harlow and Chelmsford to Harwich, bringing maximum benefit to the people and places of Essex.

In Chelmsford we work on sites quite small, to large parklands such as Hylands. One small site we have improved is an urban pond in Blacksmiths Close, maintaining the pond so it is attractive to the local amphibian population, the water plants, and their neighbours in houses.

We have planted trees at Hylands Park to add to the lovely parkland and help support the wildlife on site and enable future visitors to enjoy the native species there. Galleywood Common is a sight we frequently work on to maintain the habitat from invasive species. This allows struggling native species to compete. Heaths are an Essex Biodiversity Action Plan habitat so our work there is very important to maintain it and keep it in the best possible health, ensuring that associated species will have a home for the foreseeable future.

High Wood’s Country Park in Colchester sees a lot of action from our volunteers. Working alongside the rangers to ensure the general public can enjoy High Woods for many decades to come and that nature is protected. An example of our latest work has been protecting the stream banks from dogs who love to splash around in the water. Recently we have been at Ferry Marsh in Wivenhoe keeping the ditch networks clear with open water. This is so the water vole population can expand allowing the area to support the optimum number of water voles. If the ditches are blocked, the water voles aren’t able to freely move around the site and the holding capacity for flood water can be negatively affected.

As well as these common tasks. We are involved in several ‘green’ partnerships:

a volunteer group there once a week. Recently they have been seed gathering from ECC parks native veteran and ‘notable’ trees.

The other is The Essex Coastal Wardens Scheme which launched last September. With more than 350 miles of coastline, Essex has one of the longest coastlines of any county in England and this project aims to engage local communities with their coastline to help protect the wildlife and coastal habitats of Essex through a range of activities and workshops. These include beach cleans and litter picks, a variety of habitat management tasks, coastal monitoring surveys and educational events. This is jointly funded

by ECC and the Interreg IV North Sea Region Programme through the county councils involvement in a European project known as ‘SUSCOD’.

Essex Probation Services –This year we have been delivering training for individuals to gain City and Guilds level one employability skills and horticulture qualifications.

The Big Tree Plant – This winter we are planting trees on a variety of green spaces around Essex, across the UK TCV is planting 150,000 trees. The program is run by Defra and the Forestry Commission.

Good Woods - This initiative is aiming to help under managed woodland owners across Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to write management plans with the aim bring their woodlands back into active management and improve their wildlife and economic potential. The project is supported by the Forestry Commission, DIY giants B&Q and charities BioRegional and the Sylva Foundation.

In Essex we currently run four task days a week – picking up volunteers from Colchester on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and from Chelmsford on Fridays at 10am outside Chelmsford Train Station by the Victoria Road entrance. We have a program of activities throughout the coming winter months and we welcome new volunteers of any age and experience. We offer onsite training, provide all tools required and offer tea and biscuits to fuel the days activities! It’s a great opportunity to socialise with like minded people enjoying and maintaining the lovely greenspaces around Chelmsford and Essex. You’ll get to experience a different side to the places you might frequently visit or enjoy somewhere completely new. We look forward to meeting you!

Colchester Borough Council – we receive funding from the borough council, in return we carry out practical tasks in their parks and open spaces.

Essex County Council – we are involved in two partnerships with ECC. The first is with our Tree Nursery Project, which aims to provide trees of local provenance to suppliers. The site has

Please call 01206 764470 or email Essex@tcv.org.uk for more information.

Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill

To understand hypnotherapy and its benefits, it’s important to bear in mind how hypnosis is induced and the different types of hypnotherapy. Many different psychological and emotional issues can gain significant help from hypnotherapy and I hope by the end of this article you’ll have a better understanding of how this works. I’ll start with explaining how hypnosis is induced.

Please note; this is how I was taught, other hypnotherapists may differ in their approaches not because they are better methods necessarily-everyone is an individual and therefore will react differently.

Firstly I need to ascertain the client’s main modality. The main three are visual, kinaesthetic and audio. Visual people excel at visualising images and like to daydream. They’re inspired by art and colour, if you were to take them shopping for new carpet they are more likely to be drawn to all the pretty patterns and colours and will be mesmerised by it. Kinaesthetic people respond better to physically doing something, they like hugs, they’re the more “touchy feely” types, stick them in a carpet shop and they’ll want to touch every bit of carpet in there and wrap themselves up in a fluffy rug. Audio people automatically listen internally for sounds. They’re the ones in the lecture that can concentrate the entire time without looking up and get all the notes; in the carpet shop they’ll be too busy listening to the god-awful shop floor music to pay attention to the carpet they’re supposedly shopping for. Everyone has a bit of these types within them, but the predominant one is the one that we respond slightly better to learning with, and in stressful situations will always rely on.

Personally, I’m mainly visual but very slightly more kinaesthetic.

Although I certainly don’t consider myself “touchy feely”, stick me in a carpet shop and I admit I absolutely couldn’t resist touching all the different types of carpet and would probably end up rolling around on a fluffy rug like a Labrador puppy. The modalities are always personalised, so for example someone who is auditory may love listening to music of their choice but if they hear something not to their choosing, they really, really won’t like it and are likely to become very irritated.

Next I need to ascertain whether the client will respond better to a permissive screed or an authoritarian one. The screed is the document I read from when using hypnotherapy. A permissive style is very caring, it requires a lot of imagination from the client because it is very “free rein” – the therapist won’t tell the client exactly what to do, the client is given a choice. An authoritarian style screed is the direct opposite, it is logical and direct and the client follows what the therapist tells them to do. The therapist shows the client they are in control and know exactly what they are doing, hence this style of induction suits those who are sceptical about the science behind hypnosis and therefore anxious when with the therapist at first. This style of induction concentrates on the power of the subconscious mind and reminds the client they are always in control.

Next, what does the client find relaxing? Mostly when I ask this question clients can’t think off the top of their head and look at me like “umm… .I dunno I don’t really relax, what do you mean relaxing?”. Some popular images I use are beach, forest, waterfalls and lakes. These images will be used in the deepener.

I also need to know what the client doesn’t like, for example if someone has a fear of water, writing a deepener with a waterfall as the main image probably isn’t too clever.

So, now I have to write my screed. I know a lot of hypnotherapists just download them these days but I was taught that a personalised approach is the best one. I always write my own screeds. The first section is the PMR (progressive muscle

relaxation) – this is relaxing each part of the body one bit at a time from head to toe. By the end of the PMR you will physically feel very relaxed. Next the deepener is used to relax the mind. Deepeners vary client to client, the most popular one is going down stairs, so I count down 10 – 1 and by the time 0 is reached hypnosis should be induced. The PMR uses the style and modalities explained above in the language. The deepener also uses these with the addition of the chosen relaxing image, for example stairs leading down to a beach might have sand on them, the sun might be shining, it might be warm, you might be able to hear the sea etc etc.

So – now on to the types of hypnotherapy. Bear in mind everything discussed above, and then add whichever type of hypnotherapy on to the end: Relaxation: This works wonders for those who suffer with stress.

After the deepener I ask the client’s subconscious to take them to their “special place”. The place is “special” as opposed to “happy” because, depending on the clients issues, they may not be in a mindset at the present time to think of somewhere “happy”. I leave them to enjoy their special place for anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes.

Suggestion: This is the main body of work I receive. Suggestion therapy is used to get rid of all manner of things, phobias, habits, esteem and confidence issues being the main ones.

Others include quit-smoking, anxiety, stress, panic attacks, pain management, childbirth (no I cannot get rid of the pain; the aim is to allow the mother to feel more in control and therefore calmer), and weight loss. Any habit or phobia can be resolved. Anyone who thinks otherwise can contact me and I’ll explain how the human mind works, or stay tuned and I’ll write on these issues in further articles. Once the client has been led to their special place I will make suggestions that will communicate directly with their subconscious mind. Sometimes I will use imagery to make this more effective, for example for someone who is quitting smoking, I might ask them to look in a mirror and see themselves deteriorating physically the more they smoke, hence creating a negative link for the subconscious between smoking and their physical health. I might also suggest they imagine the emotional impact on other people if they were to carry on smoking and then die from a smoking related disease, hence creating a negative connotation between smoking and their emotional well being.

I will then add positive suggestions to them quitting smoking, how much better they’ll feel physically and emotionally so the subconscious relates being happy and healthy to being a nonsmoker. The trick is to remind the subconscious that it doesn’t need the negative habit / the phobia for example.

Hypnoanalysis: This is used mainly for people who wish to explore a negative past experience. So, perhaps a client is having nightmares and they wish to find out why and what their subconscious mind is trying to communicate with them. Or maybe a client wishes to come to terms with a traumatic event, or they could have a phobia, habit and behaviour they want to explore the origins of. Hypnoanalysis is different because the client responds to questions asked by the therapist. There are two main methods, either the client responds directly by speaking to the therapist, or the therapist can ask the client to give a physical response for example by tapping left index finger for yes and right index finger for no. Personally, I prefer the client to speak directly to me

because I get more in depth information about how their subconscious has saved and interpreted the particular event and therefore how said event is affecting them now. I take the client to their special place before beginning hypnoanalysis, then I ask them to describe the event / behaviour / nightmare etc depending on the issue. Hypnoanalysis is very in depth and usually counselling is required in conjunction with hypnoanalysis due to the nature of the therapy.

At the end of all hypnotherapy the client is reorientated – brought out of hypnosis – by counting 1-5. Clients can feel woozy when they “come round”, this is normal so I just allow them 5 minutes to come round.

Pamper Day/Evening Wednesday 11th December 10am - 8pm

Pure Face & Body 89 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0JF 01245 203872

I hope this has given some useful information as to how hypnotherapy can be of benefit. Next time I will look at phobias and how hypnotherapy can help.

Pure Face & Body Pamper Day/Evening Wednesday 11th December 10am - 8pm

Our pamper day is being held to raise funds for breast cancer awareness. Tickets are available from our Moulsham Street salon. The cost of a ticket is £15, this will give you a choice of three treatments and entry into our raffle. Raffle tickets can also be purchased separately - we have some fantastic prizes including a course of 6 CACI’s Non Surgical Facial. Please come along and join us even if its just for a coffee and cupcake.

Charity event for breast cancer

Taster treatments of • Indian Head • Micro-dermabrasion facial

• Back massage • Hot stone massage • Pre-blended massage • Caci facial Also a raffle, cupcakes and refreshments Tickets are £15.00 for THREE treatments of your choice and file, paint of hands or toes plus a free raffle ticket

Pre book so that you don’t miss out Come along and join in

free entry into a Xmas raffle to win £250 worth of treatments of your choice with every Xmas gift voucher purchased in December

Facial & Eyebrow Shape £25

CT Fitness

On January 1st each year, tens of thousands of people make a pledge to be different. We’ve all done it. From January 1st, I’m going to stop smoking/run five miles a day/lose weight. And then February 1st comes along and the good intentions have already gone. It’s a funny concept when you think about it. I mean, who decided that January 1st should be the day that you make a big change in your life? It doesn’t really make much sense - if you recognise that something has to change, change it.

This year, I’m suggesting that you make your New Year’s Resolution now.

For example, let’s say you want to start running. Sure, you could wait until January 1st and blame the colder weather and Christmas food as reasons not to start yet. Instead, just imagine the groove you will be in come January, when you’ve already been developing your new running habit for weeks! And if you’ve tried and failed before to develop that New Year’s fitness habit, here’s some ways to make this time different: Make it realistic.

Most people who go from zero to intense in a week will burnout or get injured pretty quickly, and find themselves back to square one. Start with a small, achievable goal, like one class a week, walking for 15 minutes everyday, or going for a cycle ride every Sunday.

Overcome the barriers before they stop you.

It’s dark. My gym gear isn’t clean. It’s raining. I’ve told myself every excuse not to train as I hit snooze and roll over. The trick is to identify the barriers and overcome them before they’ve even become barriers. Get your things ready the night before. Go to

bed early so you are well rested. Get a friend involved so you can hold each other accountable.

Do something that excites you.

Fitness doesn’t have to mean going to hour-long body pump sessions.

It can be walking, climbing, Zumba, ballet, or parkour. Chelmsford has a ton of different options. Find an activity that lights your fire, and it won’t seem like ‘exercise’.

So start now, get the jump on everyone else, and be well on your way to developing your new habit by the time January 1st comes around. Your new you starts now.

To help you get started on the path to a healthier, happier you, visit: www.liveasimplelife.co.uk or email keith@liveasimplelife.co.uk

by Keith Porter

LaVendore Rogue + Tim Aves - The Bassment 20th November at 8pm - £3 entry

Is it Really guaranteed fun at Guaranteed Results Bootcamp - By Carley Beck In March 2012 I booked two places on the Guaranteed Results Bootcamp programme, for my husband and I, we were going on our belated honeymoon in May and wanted to look good and feel great, over a few months we had seen members results on the website and wanted a slice of the cake!!!

Before our first class even began we were receiving emails, guidance and words of encouragement which filled us with enthusiasm ready to start our weight loss, get fitter and healthier - weirdly we were secretly excited and maybe a little scared!

Admittedly the early starts were concerning…

On day one we were up and out eager to begin our journey.

Welcomed by our instructor we laid our mats out and our first session commenced ‘squat, hold, lower, jump and cool down’ –was that it? It had started and finished before we knew it and after goodbyes we left feeling alert, energised and motivated for the day ahead.

The 28 day programme, whilst daunting at first sailed by and we were soon attending our, last session. The results truly were amazing, we both felt the changes to our bodies and had increased energy and motivation - we felt and looked fantastic– final results-I lost 12lbs, my husband 16lbs.

Our honeymoon was incredible, we felt and looked GREAT, going through the pictures we smile with pride.

We returned home after our honeymoon to an anti-climax-we had no Bootcamp! Regrettably the class we were attending was not local, it was a 45 mile round trip (that’s commitment), however

we wanted to continue enjoying the experience... So me being an enthusiast I decided to train and bring Guaranteed Results Bootcamp to Chelmsford city where I could share the amazing work in my local area.

I am pleased that Guaranteed Results Bootcamp has been running in Chelmer Park successfully for a year, I have worked with bootcampers who have shared and continue to share the experiences I enjoyed when I attended my class in March 2012 - losing weight and feeling proud of their achievements with a renewed confidence in and of their bodies - The sessions are great fun with outstanding results achieved!

Guaranteed Results Bootcamp does exactly what it says on the tin ‘Guarantees’ and after following the Bootcamp programme for 28 days you will be wearing clothes you haven’t been able to fit in for years, feel comfortable, confident and proud of your body, feel fitter, stronger, healthier and full of energy!!!

Join us NOW, our taster session is open to anyone. You don’t even have to have been to a bootcamp before, if you’re intrigued about what we do and want to try it out come along, you might just fancy the ‘metabolic enhancing boost’ to kick start your week.

If you are thinking…“YES I want to feel fantastic and be a clothes size smaller” take action now, change your lifestyle and visit www. fatlossbootcampessex.co.uk for full details about the bootcamp programs and taster sessions.

Let your journey begin today…. I hope to welcome you soon.

Telephone 07779 646945 email vicky@funandfit.co.uk

Downward Facing Dog…. Butter Side-Up by Kellie Jones So it seems we grabbed your attention or at least your imagination with our first article so we thought we’d lead you towards enlightenment with our “what the hell is Downward Facing Dog?’ explanation.

1. See photo for visual of this super yoga pose.

2. Adho Mukha Svanasana (AW-doh MOO-ka Shvan-AH-sa-na)-the name comes from the Sanskrit words adhas meaning ’down’, mukha meaning ‘face’, śvāna meaning ‘dog’,[1] and āsana meaning ‘posture’ or ‘seat’.[6] 3. Down Dog teaches you the push-pull dynamics of yoga where ‘movement in one direction is balanced by action in the opposite direction’. Shiva Rea. 4. It eliminates stiffness and back pain.

5. It strengthens your arms, shoulders, legs, core & butt.

6. It boosts circulation.

7. It builds bone density.

8. The head above heart increases the blood flow to the face is said to be antiaging, (refer to photo for evidence : ) 9. Celebs that definitely look good on it - Jon Bon Jovi, Jennifer Aniston, Goldie Hawn, Adam Levine, Halle Berry, Sting.

Check out these videos on our blog page - ‘100 Year Old Does Pilates’ & ‘93 Year Old Yoga Instructor Can Still Pose Perfectly’.

If you’re still stumped, come see us at Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga and we’ll show you personally!

Bonus extra piece of absolutely useless information - ‘why your toast falls butter side down: scientists finally uncover the reason: ‘the upshot is that if you want to ensure your toast lands butter side up then you should invest in a higher table, approximately 8ft high that allows the toast to rotate a full 360 degrees. Failing that – try not to drop the toast.’ www.hummingbirdpilates.co.uk 01245 422556

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F “storm coming”, we all had to race to

Chelmsford YMCA

The YMCA was founded in London in 1844 to support young people, and today it is a global organisation which has a presence in over 120 countries with over 40 million members.

Chelmsford YMCA started in 1877. Our first building was above “Bonds” (now Debenhams) in the High Street, and in 1927 we moved to our current building in Victoria Road just down the road from the railway station. Over the years we have seen Chelmsford grow into the vibrant city that it is today, and we also know the problems and issues that affect families in the area. Our aim is to “build lives, hope and futures for children, young people and families”, so you will find us serving the community all over Chelmsford and the surrounding area with our childcare and youth work. We run a number of youth groups, a young carers group, family support work in over thirty schools, an alternative education programme, and our “Sound Sessions” group which offers young people an evening of music workshops including drums, guitars and singing. We want to give children and young people enjoyable, purposeful and positive experiences and specific support to those who need it.

We know how important it is for children and families to have the right start in life, and that good childcare is an important part of this. That’s why twenty years ago we opened our nursery, and why we are so pleased that Ofsted recently described the nursery as a place where “babies and younger children are nurtured and treated with kindness and affection. All their personal care needs are met with tenderness and sensitivity.”

Over the past few years we have opened a number of breakfast, afterschool and holiday clubs across Chelmsford, primarily to support the increasing number of families who need childcare outside of school times and during school holidays to enable them to work, but also as fun places for children to enjoy. Our professional staff team works in partnership with families to make sure that children have the best possible care during their time with us.

As a charity, we have a mission that we work towards with the help and the support of our families and our partners. We have been doing it for 136 years, and with everyone’s help we hope to do it for many more!

If you would like more information about what we do, please go to our website (www.chelmsfordymca. co.uk) or call me here at YMCA on 01245 355677.

Heather Venables Director of Client Services, Chelmsford YMCA.

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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Page 25

Grayson Perry and Local Art by John Power Chelmsford has always stood in the shadow of London in cultural matters, get on a train and all you can hope for from galleries, museums, theatres, concert venues and cinemas is there for the asking. Colchester, that much further away has managed to develop a cultural life of its own. The Minories Gallery and Mercury Theatre are long-standing. It has multiple museums, an Arts Centre for music, and a new purpose built large scale gallery.

It has been ahead of us with a University and Art School (now a college department). We have caught up on the university, or rather half of a shared one with Cambridge that there includes an Art School founded by Victorian Art critic John Ruskin, that gives the Uni its name. Now with city status it would seem the time is right for some more catching up. The vacant Shire Hall is an obvious place for the Oaklands Park museum and gallery to expand into a town centre venue and achieve a higher profile. But recognition of local talent also needs to be part of that profile.

So this magazine would seem to be a good place to promote a better awareness of local talent, past and present. Rock music is thriving in many local venues and ‘V’ Festival puts the town on the national map. There are adequate theatres to fill local demand. It is time for the visual arts to catch up.

Where better to start than to begin with a look at the work of the artist who’s roots are in this town and who has become our best known creative figure: Grayson Perry, born here in 1960. I have to admit to being a bit mystified by the cross-dressing alter ego persona, which at first I thought was some kind of publicity stunt, but as it has persisted I began to think of it as a form of performance art or a personal psychology which only answers to ‘well, each to their own’. What is for sure is that Grayson is a potter of extraordinary talent, as the recent British Museum exhibition of ornate and detailed work showcasing the work of artisans down the ages in the form of a large galleon ship with associated material demonstrated. Artists with individual personalities have really only emerged since the Renaissance.

Previously artworks were usually executed by anonymous artisans. Perry first came to wider public recognition by winning the prestigious Turner Prize in 2003 and for once raised little controversy over the methods employed by the artist, compared to some of the often more conceptual ideas and methods employed by his contemporaries. A pot is a pot, even if it is decorated with scenes of social commentary. In October Grayson was the first artist to deliver the prestigious Reith Lectures on BBC Radio 4.

Perry admits to being a rebel at the beginning of his career, but links this to his later success by saying that that’s where the establishment recruits from to find talent and in order to keep alive originality of ideas. In the 1970s Perry was part of the Chelmsford Punk scene. There is little doubt this youth cult was anti-establishment, and reactionary to previous musical genres in particular. He went to study art at Portsmouth Polytechnic (now a university) and once shared a house with Boy George, who no doubt, contributed ideas on cross-dressing. Art is a pastime we can join in with at any level but college does help to get aspiring artists connected with others in the field. At college he showed interest in drawing (which contributes to his glaze decorations), printmaking, and not so surprisingly, embroidery, which equally informed his wardrobe. The drawing skill that informed his glaze designs allowed him to create scenes of social comment and it was this that made him noticed when he won the prestigious Turner Prize, and when he first came to the awareness of the public. But he feels now that protest has been outgrown in art, and compares the shock value of Pablo Picasso’s portrayal of the village of Gueronica that was bombed in the Spanish Civil War to today’s onslaught of TV images of war zone images that have lead to compassion fatigue in viewers. It is true that it has lessened,

if not destroyed, the impact of expressive imagery in art. Purely artistic skills and ideas can, as he says, be esoteric and alienate the general observer. Yet he recognises the ‘outsider’ art of artists like Joe Vettriano, who’s untutored, often softly erotic images are executed with great skill and sell in vast quantities as posters, yet who is sidelined by the art establishment. Admiration of such popularist art was the founding outlook of the Pop Art movement of the 1960s, but snobbery moves on, to its own inward looking standards.

Perry observes that the art establishment validates Art by getting people to visit galleries and to read books about it. In so doing galleries manage what patrons will like, and there are always those who will fulfil those created needs with their work, while true innovators work from their own inner motives and hope that what they do will be recognised. It is the latter that insures that art continues to evolve. Fame from either approach can bring a sense of self importance, which Perry has had to deal with. He has little time for those that become affected and egotistical about it. Art will always embrace new technologies: digital art and video have arrived and been used as means of expression. He looks forward to seeing what possibilities 3D printers will throw up.

In a TV Interview previewing his Reith lectures, Grayson drew out French artist Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) who’s work gives the best clues to understanding many of todays artists’ conceptual ideas. Of all the ‘isms’ of 20th Century art, most people have heard of Surrealism, perhaps because we all experience dream imagery, or because hallucinatory imagery has been employed in visual media, but lesser known was the Dada ‘anti art’ movement which preceded and fed into it in the inter-world wars period.

Duchamp was foremost of its thinkers. After working in the Cubist style invented by Picasso and his associates, he experimented with images of movement, and innovations of the time such as painting on glass, then began to philosophise about just what art was, and concluded that it was whatever a creative artist decided it would be, and exhibited ‘ready made’ objects he had found and signed as his, most infamously a ceramic urinal, before retiring to play world class chess. These found objects are a direct forerunner of Tracy Emmins’ Unmade Bed, which equally perplexed the casual observer, and led to the dangerous situation where ideas could outweigh skill in production of art and alienate the art world audience. Damian Hurst deciding that a shark or half a cow set in formaldehyde amounts to art is in similar territory. After the idea has originated one is tempted to see the creative activity as that of an artisan. Hurst was not always responsible for that either. Greg Morter, a Chelmsfordian taught sculpture to Hurst at Central St. Martins Art School and was employed to do much of the work, until he began to feel like the horse that won the Grand National, panting beside the jockey who gets the cup, and all the money, so did it no more.

That kind of art owes its origin to Andy Warhol’s Factory, although the printmaking industry has exhibited the same economics since printing began to evolve and Renaissance and older studios employed trainees. Grayson’s own artisan skills and creative ideas work in harness with each other and leave no doubt to his all round ability.

There was a lecturer at London University Institute of Education called Tony Dyson who’s idea on art history was that rather start at some point in remote history, it was better to begin in the present and trace back the origins of what people see around them, and I hope the above works in that way, so that in the next article we can look at how Surrealism has affected local and British artists. Why art history? first we see art, then history puts it in its social context at the time of it’s making.

The Burlesque Jems Cabaret Night review by Jules Brown On Saturday, 26th October, approximately 80 women, all shapes and sizes and ranging in age from early twenties to mid sixties, took to the stage to perform in the 2nd Burlesque Jems student showcase, at the Triangle Club in Chelmsford, Essex.

photo shoots and vintage hair and make-up sessions, dance in a day workshops, as well as the very popular nipple tassel workshops.

The event was organised to raise funds for the charity Body Gossip: The Positive Body Image Campaign, but it was also an opportunity for the women who attend the four classes across Hertfordshire and Essex to perform together and celebrate women in all their many glorious forms.

The evening was expertly compered by the lovely Sadie Sinner, and the dancing kicked off with a wonderful solo performance of The Matador by Jem Ayres, or ‘Mama Burlesque’ as she is known to her ladies.

Following on from this, there were performances from each of the different classes as well as from the Strip Club, who meet once a month, and some of the ladies who attended a weekend residential earlier in the year. A naughty tutor dance was performed as well as a surprise launch performance form the two new Burlesque Jems tutors starting their classes in January 2014.

Each performance was very different to the last. The opening number was Think, a sassy attitude inspired number from Aretha Franklin which participants had only learnt the previous week, in a special one off workshop. As a performer myself last night, I thought the evening was spectacular. I have got to know women from all the classes over the 21 months I have been attending the Harlow class, some just online via the Facebook page, but others by going along to support various performances at local events.

Last Saturday was my second cabaret but for many, it was the first time they had experienced the wider community of the Burlesque Jems dance classes and the atmosphere was amazing.

Women who never dreamed they would be on stage dancing in front of an audience were strutting their stuff with confidence and shimmying as if they were professional dancers. Everyone supported each other with hugs and kisses and words of encouragement and congratulations. It was a beautiful sight, all these women, dressed in their corsets and bustles, sparkles and feathers, both on stage and off, mingling with the audience and dancing to the disco in between performances. the emphasis was not on technique, it was all about fun. And fun it was.

The Burlesque Jems is a unique community of women, brought together by Jem over the last 2 and a half years. Most of the women have never performed before and many have felt uncomfortable about their bodies for all sorts of reasons.

Burlesque Jems enables women to confront their demons and to overcome their inhibitions to allow them to feel confident and self assured. Some women attend just because they love the whole vibe that goes with burlesque but, whatever the motivation to come, everyone loves our burlesque community!

The evening was a resounding success and raised over £750 for Body Gossip. However, as well as the success of the show as a fundraising event, the evening was hailed as a major achievement for the organiser, Jem Ayres. Little over 2 years ago, Jem started the first burlesque class in Chelmsford. Shortly after, the second class in Bishops Stortford started running, followed by a class in Harlow and a recruitment of tutors to take her classes further afield.

There has been several very successful Glamourpuss residential weekends, with more planned next year, and regular boudoir

The Student Showcase Cabaret is now an annual event on the Burlesque Jems calendar and one not to be missed!

For more information or if you want to get involved contact Jem on 07903188404 or info@burlesquejems.co.uk.

Website: www.burlesquejems.co.uk.

Beware Timbo returns!

Okay I was a little miffed to be booted off the Essex airwaves by a manager who described me as “marmite” but not to be downtrodden I’m back thanks the genius thinking of Nick & Paul at the “Chelmsford The City Times” who described me as a local mad genius. I’m refreshed and ready to go, to serve my loyal fans and to bring you – “ASK TIMBO (if you dare)” Yes I have been selected after a very thorough interview process to present you with a fun spicy column looking at everyday problems and sorting them out in a no nonsense way.

So over to you my friends of Chelmsford, here I am to help you with your everyday problems. Who needs Dear Deirdre when you have got “ASK TIMBO”. Got a dodgy motor, an unhappy partner, trouble with your waterworks, Monday blues? I will sort it for you.

Email me and I will respond in a way I know you will find pleasing, timbo@itsyourmedia.co.uk.

I am looking forward to sharpening my pencil, bring it on dear friends of Essex and let me be your saviour.

Until next time.

Timbo xx

“It’s Still Rock ‘n’ Roll to Me” by David Arscott.

Music genres. Back in the 40s and 50s there were so few music genres. It was a simple business, choosing what you wanted to listen to or deciding what kind of music took your fancy. Not anymore.

I spent 13 years of my life working in record shops. I began in Our Price in the early 90s, then the famous Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street, then reached local legend status becoming part of the furniture at the country’s (then) leading independent store Adrians in Wickford and stayed there for 11 years.

The species of individuals that were once found ‘working’ in record stores developed (without knowing it of course), a stereotype character. Record shop staff were known to bear attributes that were not terribly desirable; essentially arrogant, rude and pompous. “Perfect, that’s the job for me” I thought (well I was 21 at the time!).

It was amongst the tribes and teams of rude, arrogant, pompous, spotty staff in regional record stores, that the pooling of their collective Knowledge helped to form an almost boutique approach to genres or “sections” as they were called behind the counter, in which bands and artists would be re-categorised - and boy was this taken seriously! You can imagine any record store scene in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity and you won’t be far from the truth!

A few examples I can recall: because of my particular penchant at the time for Industrial Music (a form of experimental, usually hard electronic music), I made sure Our Price in Lakeside back in 1991 had its own Industrial, Electronic Body Music, Eurobeat, and Ambient sections. Previously all of this stuff and anything else that wasn’t well known enough to be found in the staple Rock & Pop department simply fell in the vast ‘Indie’ section. I’m quite sure this specialist work of mine did nothing to escalate the sales of leftfield music in this Thurrock shopping mall, but so what, it was cool and only I knew anything about it!!

Whilst at Adrians we argued at length where one might file something, based on the principal of our knowledge rather than for the ease of any record shop fearing customers. An album by Dennis Wilson for example simply couldn’t go into R&P or Male Vocal, because he was the drummer in the Beach Boys and that’s where anybody should have the sense to look if they know their onions! We actually did the same with Lennon, Harrison, McCartney and Starr. Each had their own section, but all were within the Beatles section.

Then there were the localized sections that cropped up…

Southend rock in which you could find Mickey Jupp, Dr Feelgood, Lou Whale to name a few. We broke the folk section down to separate Irish music for the local traveller community. We stripped down the Country section to reveal The likes of Zydeco, Swamp and Bluegrass. We had our very own Strict Tempo section

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for dancing styles, a Wurlitzer section for organ enthusiasts fond of Phil Kelsall’s Blackpool sound and an entire rack called Nostalgia. This was great because it was for anything that wasn’t cool enough to live in the 1950s rack. Glenn Miller, Sinatra, Frank Ifield, Paul Robeson, band leaders and music hall entertainers alike. The New Age section existed for anything outside of jazz and classical, situated next to the maternity selection which was next to whale song area!

Our Dance section was intricate too. Trip Hop had only just broken, that paved way to Big Beat, Hardcore and Jungle spawned Drum n bass, Techno and Trance etc. What we developed for this area was a selection of individual record label’s own sections; Warp, Mowax, Ministry etc.

These days, if you’re lucky enough to find a record store, the sections are thinned down and simplified to eliminate customers having to think for themselves. A large Rock ‘n’ Pop section, a Metal section, Urban (which I’m assuming means modern R&B) Classical, Jazz, Country, Blues and if you’re lucky Reggae and Soul.

However in the cooler set of London stores and online websites, producers and artistes are no longer relying on arsey shop staff to categorize their music for them – they are doing it themselves…

Future Garage / Post-Dubstep / Techhouse / Vaporwave / Nu jazz /PBR&B / Nu Rave / Clickteck.

And the list will inevitably roll on and on for many years to come…

In the words of Billy Joel’s song …”hot funk, new punk, old junk, cool jazz, new wave, dance craze, it’s still rock n roll to me”.

Shall I Renew My Rotary Subscription for a Second Year?

I drifted into Chelmsford Mildmay Rotary Club one day last summer, with a vague notion that I might be of some use, persuaded mainly by the enthusiasm of a friend who had joined a couple of years earlier.

Before I officially joined, I turned up at a field covered with old tents and miscellaneous debris – the aftermath of the V Festival at Hylands Park. Under circumstances hitherto outside my range of experience, I met my first Rotarians, a group so comical and lively that I spent the whole morning laughing while we collected and folded tents. I went home to write about the experience, inspired by the friendliness, good humour and willingness to serve the community which, I found, characterises the members of the club.

It is difficult to think of any other situation which would bring together quite the same combination of people and activities as that in Rotary. Chelmsford Rotarians are sociable beings, from a wide range of occupations, able to talk about anything, at great length and usually wittily! Today, for example, I sat at lunch with a group which included a photographer, an ex-professional footballer, a dentist and a former solicitor in local government.

The conversation ranged from astronomy, through the banking crisis, to scurrilous verse, and ended with Gareth Bale and Real Madrid.

I have also discovered that Chelmsford Mildmay Rotarians know how to put on a good event. Lunches are their speciality, whether it be making an address ‘tae the haggis’ and eating it on Burns Day, carving roast beef on St. George’s Day, suitably attired in patriotic chefs’ outfits or singing Christmas carols at full throttle to curiously incongruous tunes. They are no sluggards when it comes to action and have skills for all occasions. For example, the Olympic summer saw them at the ‘Sparks Will Fly’ event at Hylands Park, working the tea urns and dishing out fancy cakes; later they were to be found painting sheds at a local primary school after a deluge; the end of November was the time for plying the Chelmsford High Street shoppers with mulled wine.

The high point, however, was Baddow Races Day this July, a masterpiece of organisation based on hard work undertaken throughout the year. It was all shoulders to the Rotary

Broomfield Royal British Legion

The Royal British Legion in Broomfield has its HQ in Saxon Way where a warm welcome will greet members, friends and prospective members alike. Socially the branch has excellent entertainment including live musical acts most Saturday evenings; bingo, darts, snooker and board games are popular through the week with competitions and tournaments to encourage the competitive spirit. Future plans for the club include boot sales, fun days and family entertainment. We do have a family friendly environment where friends can meet and relax. Now you know where we are why not come and join in the fun?

The welfare and support side of the branch continues to help and care for the less fortunate whilst generating funds through the Poppy Appeal. Volunteers are always welcome and the committees would be very happy to accept any nominations from anyone wishing to become a committee member. There are opportunities for training in welfare and community care- if you would like to know more come and see us. Remember, anyone can join the RBL, not just ex-servicemen and women.

We look forward to seeing you soon.

wheel on the day, to ensure that both the 10 mile Road Race and the 2 mile fun run went without a hitch and raised in excess of £13,000 for local charities.

For as well as enjoying themselves, the club members are working with serious purpose. Not only the races, but the collection of and renovation of used computers which are then shipped to Tanzania for use in secondary schools, take up many hours of toil. These two projects undertaken by this club have shown me ways in which Rotary acts at both local and international level, something which I did not know until I joined. I was also unaware of Rotary’s part in the campaign to eradicate polio, but now follow its progress, hopeful and alert to every news item.

Anyone who has read to the end of this flattering, but hopefully not sycophantic article about my first year in Chelmsford Mildmay Rotary, will be able to supply the correct answer to the question in the heading and know that of course, my subscription has been already handed to our treasurer. Count me in for next year!

Brenda Stroud

Brenda’s account of her first year in Rotary shows how you can be stimulated and enthused whilst at the same time giving something back to the local and global community. For details on how you can follow Brenda’s example contact Stan Keller on 01245 260349 or visit the website www.chelmsfordrotary.org You’ll be made very welcome.

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Are We All Fashion Victims? By Tami Frankel

You may think you are immune to fashion and trends - but are you? I know that I am not but had never really thought about how much fashion affects so many different aspects of life until recently.

There I was on a Monday lunchtime feverishly searching for dry sherry in M&S. And all because I had read that sherry spritzers are the cocktail du jour. And that Monday night was a meeting of The Goldfish Book Club to discuss our Christmas meet up.

So rather than having a nice glass of wine I subjected my lovely friends to a hideous sherry spritzer - which was just about universally disliked.

But how odd that drinks should be subject to fashion. Yet they are. Remember white wine spritzers? Or Babycham and brandy?

And realising fashion affected drinking habits made me wonder how many other aspects of our lives are subject to fashion without us even being aware of it. Well lets start with food. Even menu writing has changed. Instead of gravy, the full christmas dinner on the menu for your work party will probably be served with a jus or reduction. And what about what is actually on the menu? remember these? avocado and prawns, Black Forest

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gateau (in fact even calling a cake a gateau), chicken kiev and spam.

Even our choice of pets is affected by fashion. Instead of budgies and collies people now have chickens and cockapoos. Toy poodles are out but micro pigs are in!

And our gardens are not immune to fashion. For instance did you last see a monkey puzzle tree - once a common sight in front gardens. For years now gardening shows have all been about large architectural plants, although now the flower does appear to be enjoying a renaissance.

But fashion does not exist in a vacuum. Politics and the financial climate are relevant. Advances and discoveries are made and the world changes - Walkmans, computers, mobile phones, iPads.

But fashion is not the same as style. The real trick is to tick both boxes. And that is the ethos behind Now and Then - designer dress agency and vintage boutique. We exist to keep the good stuff in circulation. Now and Then is at 17 Baddow Road Chelmsford CM2 0BX. - come in and see what we do - we would love to see you !

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

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