Colchester 101 June 2011 by Simon Colchester

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Free Please take one

Issue 8 June 2011

Modern English are are

Back in Town LISTINGS COMMUNITY FA S H I O N H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G HOME & GARDEN

June’s Essential Events Guide Angela Mitchell’s Fashion Tips & Trends Gig Reviews Eating Out in Colchester Guide

Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine

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l l u u B B e e Th The Music Venue - now with even more music Come along and check it out!

EVERY FRIDAY New Fridays at the Bull now start at 5.30pm with Live Music

THE BIG SATURDAY Saturday 25th June - Open until 2.30am The Beagles - Main Bar 9.45 Buster James Band - The Soundhouse Followed by DJ GILLY From 12.00am – 2.30am Let the music play on

MONDAY NIGHT JAM NIGHT

JUNE HIGHLIGHTS – Fri 3rd June –

St HELENA HOSPICE FUNDRAISER with Ellie Cornell, Ghost Train Porters, Expose, Joel Fisk, B Goodes, Animal Noise, Marner Brown & Guilt Coins £2 entry from 7.00pm all proceeds to Hospice

– Sat 4th June –

Bruise

New house band and format

TUESDAY NIGHTS FROM 9.00 WE PRESENT

– Fri 10th June –

The 633 presents The Raging Bull – Fri 17th June –

7th June: The Bandstand 14th June: Tim & Friends 21st June: The Acoustic Sessions

Tom Hingley

OPEN MIC NIGHT Hosted by Theo Pearce every Weds Now with new showcase spots and later hours, all starts at 8.30pm

support from The Jon Cook Blues Band

– Sat 25th June –

Buster James Band The Soundhouse

The Bull 2 – 4 Crouch St, Colchester, CO3 3ES. Tel: 01206 366647

www.thebullcolchester.co.uk

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Welcome to the June issue of Colchester 101

t is hard to believe that it is now seven months since we launched Colchester 101 at a packed launch event in the town’s Circle Bar in Crouch Street.

It had long been a dream of mine to create a free Colchester-centric monthly magazine, and opening the first of all those boxes when they arrived from the printers, and taking a first look at the result of so much hard work, was a very exciting day for all of us here at the magazine and, on a personal level, one of the most satisfying days of my life. Judging by the amazing feedback we have had from day one we knew we had got the right formula. Our aim had been to produce a magazine that was topical, interesting, and relevant to Colchester, and that is exactly what we are constantly told we have done. Most of all people tell us that 101 is a ‘good read’... and everyone seems to have their own favourite articles and sections.

Over the months we have listened to your feedback and suggestions, and added new content all the time including our Property and Fashion sections, Health and Wellbeing and our Essential Events Guide to help you plan your free time and nights out. Used with our recently added Eating Out Guide by you can now find a restaurant or pub by the cuisine it offers, then find out what is happening at venues in the area afterwards. The June issue sees our music content expanded with more gig reviews, as well as our exclusive interview with Modern English’s Robbie Grey ahead of their homecoming gig this month at the Arts Centre. However, as spectacular as the pictures of Robbie from our photo shoot at the top Arts Centre are, I can categorically state that is the last time I ever climb those tiny stone steps to the top of that old church tower... no matter how incredible the view of our town might be when you finally emerge blinking from the confines of the narrow medieval spiral staircase back out into the daylight! I hope you enjoy this month’s Colchester 101 as much as we have enjoyed putting it together for you.

Colchester 101 is published by Tonic Creative Solutions The Studio Allens Farm Tye Road Colchester Essex CO7 7BN Tel: 01206 544700 Email: mailus@colchester101.co.uk Editors: Simon Crow and Paul Clark Sales and Marketing: Sally Hodgetts Food Editor: Melissa Porter Fashion Editor: Angela Mitchell Designer: Paul Clark, Tonic Creative Solutions Very special thanks to Roddy Ashworth

Simon Crow Editor

Thanks to our contributors: Adrian Multon Andrew Dell Craig Fookes Peter Sherlock Kem Izzet and Colchester United Sven Wombwell Jason Cobb Hazel Humphreys Angela Mitchell Ocean WhiteHawk Rosie Hunter DJ Gilly Simon Taylor

Photo: Simon Crow

Front cover photo by Andy Roshay www.roshayphotography.co.uk

Find us on

All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without publisher’s written consent is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of all details and information the publishers are not liable for errors and omissions to any features, listings or advertisements. Any views expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers Tonic Creative Solutions.

www.Colchester101.co.uk

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COMMUNITY

The Jason Cobb

101 Blog X Marks the Box

Colchester 101 Visits the Big Apple

Did you get the chance to vote in the recent Colchester Borough Council local elections? Was your ward one of the twenty seats that were rotated in the rather bizarre Election by Thirds system that is operated in Colchester? Notice any change overnight? Welcome to the new boss - same as the old boss. No seats changed hands. A big civic congratulations to the seventeen Councillors who retained their seats, plus the three incoming Councillors replace their retiring colleagues from the same party. Colchester Borough Council is still made up of a ruling coalition of 26 LibDems and 7 Labour seats, with 24 Conservatives and 3 Independents in opposition.

So what the chuffers was that all about, then? Accountability, keeping Councillors on their toes, and working for every single vote are the arguments in favour of asking the residents of Colchester to vote three years out of four in a ward rotation system. The electorate also has the chance to kick out any party that isn’t performing, rather than wait once every four years in the traditional all up for grabs system. It can also lead to instability if the Council changes hands each year and there is insufficient time to implement the manifesto. Which may just happen to be very convenient for a local political party... But here in Colchester there is a tradition of consensual local politics. Some tribalism exists come election time, but when it comes to making Colchester a better place to live and work, most local politicians present a rather united front. The coalition may be a little rocky at Westminster, but the current Colchester coalition between the LibDems and Labour seems to have found a positive working compromise. Decisions are made in an almost apolitical vacuum with the good of Colchester genuinely being the driving force for local political policy. Which all makes the farce and cost of mounting a campaign three years out of every four something slightly unnecessary. There is almost the danger of manufacturing division within what is a relatively unified borough. With major events such as the city status bid, the Carnival and the Colchester Free Festival all coming up, consensus politics is vitally important for our town right now. Add in the uncertainty of economic funding from central government - something that all borough councils of all persuasions around the county are having to confront - and you can see how doing the dirty on your Colchester coalition partner on the doorstep can’t be a positive approach for the challenges that lay ahead for us. And so if you did get the chance to vote in the recent Colchester Borough Council local elections, then here’s hoping that you actually took the opportunity to participate. Political apathy is even less preferable to Election by Thirds. If you weren’t in one of the twenty wards that had the opportunity of a trip to the polling station, then no worries - your time will come round, sooner rather than later. But for a unified borough, I can’t but help think that we need a unified election system. Jason Cobb onionbagblog.com

When Peter Yule and his daughter Jessica visited New York recently to celebrate their birthdays, they took a copy of Colchester’s must-read magazine with them to help wile away the hours on the long flight to the USA. Over the next few days 101 was treated to visits to The Big Apple’s favourite attractions including the top of the Rockerfeller Centre and Central Park.

Not Such a Good Idea?

As a sometime cyclist myself I’m all for necessary and well thought out cycle paths. But the newly constructed one on the ‘old Odeon’ end of Crouch Street falls far short from being a safe environment for cyclists and pedestrians alike. The cycle path has been built as an extension of the pavement, just below the height of the existing kerb, creating a lovely inch and a half lip for the unwary to turn an ankle on. As if that isn’t enough, cyclists risk colliding with car doors carelessly opened as they pass, that is, if they can make their way through the pedestrians

who stroll along its length, blissfully unaware that this part of the pavement isn’t intended for them. Meanwhile cyclists continue to ride the wrong way on the road along this one-way street, presumably because they feel safer doing battle with buses and cars than the perils of car doors, people and pushchairs. Simon Crow

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COMMUNITY

By Captain Keith Dunwoody 216 (Para) Sig Sqn

a cold and damp morning, British, 0 nAmerican and Afghan soldiers and civil servants raced each other and the elements to raise $2,000 (£1,228) for Help for Heroes. Personnel from Head Quarters Task Force Helmand (HQ TFH), the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (HPRT), the United States Marines Corps (USMC) and the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) took part in a Half Marathon Relay Race around their base in Lashkar Gah organised by 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron. HQ TFH is formed predominantly by members of the Colchester-based 16 Air Assault Brigade. The HQ’s role is to provide coordination and assistance for units across TFH’s area of operations. As such, it is a busy place with staff working hard to ensure that all the brigade’s regiments are fully supported. Therefore, when an opportunity comes to enjoy themselves the staff take it with both hands! The HPRT is responsible for running and coordinating reconstruction and development projects throughout Helmand. The race was run by teams of four, who paid an entry fee to Help for Heroes. Each individual ran two laps of the base before handing over to the next runner, a process that was repeated three times to complete the distance. Prolog, the company responsible for infrastructure within theatre, donated

t-shirts for all runners and Naafi donated prizes. Today’s event was won by a team from Colchester-based 216 (Parachute) Signal Squadron in a time of 1 hour, 9 minutes and 20 seconds. Corporal Sean O’Connor, a member of the winning team, said: “The run itself was quite tricky to gauge as it was just over a mile and trying to pace it was hard, as there was a lot of good competition. I enjoyed the race as it was well organised and was run in good spirits. It was an added bonus to helping to raise money for Help for Heroes that we won.” The race was organised by Lieutenant Ross Arnold and Corporal Prabeen Gurung from 216 (PARA) Sig Sqn. Lt Arnold said: “The event was organised back in December with the idea that it would be glorious summer sun by March and a great way to finish the tour. Needless to say it was performed in true British weather – fog and mud puddles! We choose to do a half marathon as the base is pretty tight for space and it also inspired a bit of departmental rivalry.” TFH Deputy Commander Colonel Andrew Jackson, said: “It was fantastic to see so many teams turn out at 7am to race round a rather muddy circuit

of the camp. A cross section of our community were represented: the PRT, HQ TFH, the United States Marines Corps and our Afghan partners all running to raise around $2,000 for Help for Heroes.“ UK Forces are deployed to Afghanistan in support of the UN authorised, NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission and as part of the US-led Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). UK operations in Afghanistan are being conducted under the name Operation HERRICK. Task Force Helmand is the name given to UK-led forces in Helmand Province, southern Afghanistan. The lead formation of British troops in Helmand province is currently 16 Air Assault Brigade, who are due to handover to 3 Commando Brigade in April 2011. Follow UK Forces in Afghanistan on the Helmand Blog; on Youtube; on Flickr; on Twitter and on Facebook. In addition you can hear our latest podcasts on Audioboo. For more information about this press release, contact the Task Force Helmand Media Operations staff on 0208 099 2531 or email tfh-mediaadvisor@defencemediaops.co.uk

The Afghanistan Trust is dedicated to assisting wounded members of the Regiment, their families and the families of those who have been killed.

Registered Charity Number 1121647

For further information regarding assistance or fundraising email: Ben Huxley, ceo@afghanistantrust.org

www.AfghanistanTrust.org 05

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Afghan Relay Sees Bucks Passed to Military Charity

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H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G

The Juicy Column

Dog About Town

Life With Miss Berta

By Ocean WhiteHawk

For the success you deserve, bust the fear and ignite the Power within. How? By dissecting fear and putting it under the microscope of your awareness. Here is what you should know about its crippling impact… FEAR is the biggest mind virus attacking the human system. It strips you of your natural self-confidence and leaves you weak-kneed, doubting yourself and your abilities.

case it doesn’t work out. What a waste of a potential adventure! Have you also noticed how fear makes you seek guarantees, especially from places where there are none? Can you guarantee your job will FEAR makes you pull back instead always be how it is? Can you of reaching out for the good stuff. guarantee your beloved will never While we’re dithering in our fear, leave you? Having given into to windows of opportunity come and your fear, it is a frustrating process go and we’re left standing at the trying to quell it – no such sought crossroads still. guarantees seem strong enough. How is it that we give so much FEAR literally constricts the life power to fear? It’s because we force that flows in your body - the believe that fear is real. That’s the superfood that feeds your biology. cardinal mistake we make. But fear Starved of life force, the chemical has no real substance. For example, balance in your body gets out of you may recall those times when you kilter and your emotions thrown into felt afraid to take a new step because disarray. Such imbalance creates it was something you’d never done illness in the long term. before. And when you finally did, you thought, ‘Phew, I’m glad I did it. FEAR makes you close in on It wasn’t as scary as I thought’. Well, yourself and retract the luminous where did the fear go? Nowhere. It had energy lines that connect you to all no basis in the first place! life and to one another. You feel a So what happens if it never crosses deep sense of isolation and loneliness. your mind to be afraid, or to worry Losing this symbiotic connection, you about things or situations in your life? miss out on all the support and love Your power naturally shows up for that life has to offer. whatever task you undertake. Power is effortless when you stop playing When the perceived fear is strong, hide-and-seek with it. Your power is your energetic body literally shrinks always there, like the faithful genie, in size and your energy level is waiting for you to unleash it. instantly drained. You feel powerless So, for this month, why don’t you and the mind often switches to ‘victim choose to bust every fear you have mode’. This is when you feel life is and let the genie out? Let me know unfair and withdraw with resentment. how you get on! Look into yourself and spot how fear masquerades as a good enough Ocean WhiteHawk is author of reason not to follow your dream. ‘JuicyWoman – A Spiritual Guide to Maybe your dream is to live in Your Feminine Radiance’. She menAustralia, where the surf is to ‘live tors on health, personal & spiritual for’ (a more cheery tone than to ‘die development and affairs of the heart. for’?), but you’re holding back just in www.oceanwhitehawk.com

By Andrew Dell

Thankfully, Berta’s a pretty healthy dog. She had a minor eye infection as a pup but some hastilyprescribed ointment cleared that up within a couple of days. Her excessively hairy inner-ears caused a problem with irritation once but regular grooming keeps that in check. Oh, and then there was the distressing day when she lost a claw – a trauma for us both. Or, if you will, a ‘clawma’. Jumping down from my lap on a park bench, she somehow managed to catch her paw and tear a claw completely out. She hit the ground with a thump and looked a little dazed but didn’t make a sound. I noticed a large pool of blood collecting. Trying not to panic, I checked her snout, thinking she may have hit her face or bitten her tongue in the fall. But the blood was coming from her hind paw and then I spotted the whole claw there on the ground. Lost claws produce a lot of blood. Not good for the squeamish. Enough to distress anybody, I’d say. Luckily, a nearby café provided some napkins to stem the flow and I got her to the vets. Regular bathing in salt water and a course of antibiotics was all that was required. She limped pathetically for weeks and I had to sew a tiny sock from a piece of elasticated bandage to discourage her incessant licking at it but the claw grew back. A snapped or half-torn claw can be more of a problem, apparently. Your poor dog will have to endure its clipping or removal before it’s treated.

Naturally, it’s as wise to keep an eye on your dog’s health as it is to monitor your own. The warning signs aren’t always easy to spot, of course. Your hound can’t tell you when she’s feeling under the weather or if she has a troubling ache or pain but if she’s behaving out of character or not eating properly, there could be something wrong. Oh, and dogs vomit a lot more than we do. Sorry, but it’s true. They’ll often munch happily on grass to calm an upset stomach – or just because they enjoy it – and that grass will often induce a bout of vomiting. The odd doggie-hurl isn’t always something to be overly concerned about but if the vomiting is continuous and accompanied by shaking or panting, get down to the vets immediately. That’s the best advice to follow as a dog owner. If you think anything might be awry, seek the advice of a vet. Better safe than sorry. And you have made a commitment to look after that dog in both sickness and health, even if they don’t always honour and obey!

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FA S H I O N

Scent Train Bid TV and Price-Drop TV’s resident expert gives his regular lowdown on scents for both men and women, old and new, good and bad. This month, Peter goes retro and tightens his purse strings, suggesting some ‘drugstore’ bargains. Including Old Spice in last month’s column about ‘fragrance as art’ raised a few eyebrows and attracted a few surprised comments by email. Can this bathroom cabinet staple, this inexpensive old-timer, really be considered a perfume ‘great’? Yes, of course it can. Let’s face it, fragrance isn’t a necessity - it’s a luxury item. We use it to make ourselves feel better as well as smell better. Personally, I think a Guerlain masterpiece or Chanel’s exquisite Cuir de Russie are worth every penny of their very high prices but Old Spice is living proof that you don’t have to spend a fortune on a good, wearable scent. Among perfume enthusiasts and aficionados, the fragrances that are easily available in your local chemist at affordable prices are referred to as ‘drugstore scents’. Perhaps the greatest of them all is the wonderful 4711, one of the world’s longest-surviving fragrances, now regarded as the ‘original’ Eau de Cologne. It’s clean, bright, zesty and refreshing and great on both men and women. And it dates back to the earliest perfume formulations from the eighteenth century. Today’s bargains are often old classics that have survived a fall from favour and fashion but retain a faithful following. L’Aimant by Coty was launched in 1927 and rivalled Chanel No. 5 in its time. You can pick it up for next to

You can find plenty of fragrance bargains and loads more besides at Bid TV and Price-Drop TV.

nothing now. It may feel a little old-fashioned with its powdery woods and florals but why not give it a go as an experiment in ‘retro-scenting’ – you might just enjoy its comforting complexity. I couldn’t help but delve to the back of the cupboard and revisit Brut when I heard about the sad death of Henry Cooper recently. But forget the macho marketing and the connotations of hairy-chested medallion men – Brut is a good, well made fragrance with great lasting power. Similarly, that seventies relic Blue Stratos is still available, still very wearable and very cheap. Both can rival some of the more expensive but insipid men’s scents that cost a great deal more. Naturally, America has a greater tradition of drugstore scents than the UK, their often enormous, well-stocked stores offering a huge range of inexpensive fragrances. If you’re visiting the States anytime soon, you could do a lot worse than pick up a bottle of Jean Nate, an American classic for more than 60 years. It’s a clean, sweet, light confection of citrus, florals and vanilla and well worth its knockdown price. America’s version of Eau de Cologne is also worth checking out. Florida Water dates back to 1808 and was mentioned in ‘Gone with the Wind’. It’s less ‘citrussy’ than European Eaux de Cologne with a sheer, warm but clean spiciness. You can easily find both of these

THE

SCENT TRAIN

classic scents online too. The Body Shop may not be a chemist as such but most High Streets have one and their inexpensive White Musk for Men, launched just a couple of years ago to join the popular female version, is amazing value. In its handsome purple glass bottle, this is a happy, creamy, ‘fresh laundry’ kind of musk. It’s not particularly masculine and I’d urge you girls to give it a try as well. And how could we explore the world of bargain scents without a mention for that trailblazer Charlie? Launched in 1973, advertisements for the scent were the first to feature a woman in trousers (gasp) and the first for a cosmetics company to feature an AfricanAmerican woman. Within three years it was the world’s best selling perfume and remains enormously popular today. Various versions have been added to the line over the years but the original is a rich, fun, almost fizzy floral that smells more expensive than it should. So, when you’re next at the chemist, picking up wart remover, athlete’s foot ointment or some other unmentionable item that requires you to wait around until the other customers have left, head over to the cheapie fragrances and treat yourself to a bargain.

Peter is Managing Director of The Scent Train, a unique organisation that provides fragrance sales videos for online retailers and creates bespoke staff training courses.

www.TheScentTrain.com 07

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Peter Sherlock’s

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FA S H I O N

Fashion Tips & Trends By Fashion Editor, Angela Mitchell, Alter Ego Hair Design

A sharp

graduated a-line bob gives volume in the crown and a well defined jaw line.

Combine sharp lines and

bold shapes with intense shine for fierce femininity

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FA S H I O N Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Vidal Sassoon In our last few fashion features we’ve talked about fashion in 2011 moving with a strong 60s or 70s feel, and with the recent release of Vidal Sassoon the Movie, this month I felt it appropriate that we look more deeply into this history. We took our team at Alter Ego Hair Design to the premiere of this movie with an intimate Q & A after. I have so much inspiration right now from seeing and hearing his stories on screen as well as in the flesh. Who made this an era of such greatness for fashion? And in what ways are they still influencing our fashion decisions today? Looking at today’s world of hair and fashion, we owe so much of it to Vidal Sassoon and Mary Quant. Vidal Sassoon changed the hair industry into what we know today; he is the reason why hairdressers cut hair to follow the shape of the face, skull and hair growth patterns and because of this we as consumers can style our own hair, at home, with our own hand-held hairdryers. If this wonderful man had never had the energy, enthusiasm, desire and intuition to change this industry we would probably all still be having our hair set on rollers, back combed to hell and hair sprayed to a solid unmovable form, and we would have to take time out of our busy lives to have it done religiously every week. Allowing the hair to be free to move and be touched, with the freedom to have more time for their ever busy lives…it’s crazy isn’t it? Can we actually imagine how much time and energy it would have taken to have our hair done if Vidal had not found a better way? I for one am truly happy that I do not have to sit under a hood dryer for an hour, once a week, that’s for sure. There are so many amazing hair styles out there that are inspiring, creative and relatively easy to create. This is the man who made that happen for us. His looks were all modern but low maintenance. His designs were geometric and shiny, being influenced by the modern architecture around him. In 1963, Sassoon created a short, angular hairstyle, which was cut on a horizontal line creating the bob cut. The 5 point cut was his most prominent look. It brought women a shorter style that now could enhance the soft angles of a woman’s face shape and neckline. Mary Quant, who strode forward in the fashion world, worked very closely with Vidal and shared the same passion as he did for changing fashion as we know it, but her arena was of course the clothing industry. By 1966 Mary was producing short waist mini dresses and skirts that were set about 6 or 7 inches above the knee. She got her inspiration from the 1964 designs by Courreges. Liking the shorter styles, she made them even shorter for her boutique Bazaar. Mary Quant is rightly credited with making popular a style that had not taken off when it made its earlier debut. Creating a mini skirt would also lead to the creation of hot pants. Mary found that London girls were seeking

something new and daring, the short mini skirt made sense. This fashion trend took off like wild fire because of how different it was and also because of the fact that to wear a short skirt like that you have to have those youthful legs to pull it off. The young women of the right age were ecstatic to find an outfit that they could showcase which was controversial, particularly among the adults in their lives. This was soon known as the Chelsea look. Quant designed shapes that were simple, neat, clean cut and young, using cotton gabardines and more adventurous materials like PVC, more typically used for rain Macs. Also almost always featuring on her clothes was a little white girly collar, which gave a real innocence to these extremely short dresses. Little girl androgynous looks for women pushed away the sophisticated sweater girls of the earlier sixties. Take Twiggy, for instance. She is defined as the epitome of the sixties baby doll woman. As the most well known afficionado of the mini skirt and hot pants, she showed a generation how to dress to please themselves, and with this she instantly succeeded in making traditionally cautious designers change their attitudes and make their designs more suitable to the newly important youth market. It was the hairstyles and the short mini skirts and mini dresses that defined the mid and late 60s fashion looks, the strength of their design was the prerequisite to their success in the 60s. This changed the world of fashion so much as this was the first time ever in any fashion era that young people became the leaders of the fashion industry. They led their fashion styles with new innovation. Mary Quant loved her geometrics, as much as Sassoon, so she herself sported a sharply cut geometric hairstyle. It was one of the most favoured and famous cuts of this era, the five point cut by Vidal Sassoon. Sassoon has been a key force in the commercial direction of hair styling, which we see in today’s hair. Most of us know Vidal Sassoon from his hair care products, with the tag line, ‘If you don’t look good, we don’t look good.’ Being a hairdresser myself, I have a firm belief in that line, that’s what helps us as hairdressers become better at what we do. But seeing his film and listening to who he is now and who he was at the beginning, is so humbling and just so damn inspiring!

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ART

TONE UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Summer Holiday Checklist Some Dos and Don’ts when snapping home or abroad. The holiday season is fast approaching, and whatever you do, wherever you go, you will want to capture it for posterity… and maybe a laugh or two with your Facebook friends. So here’s a quick checklist to help you get the most from your holiday snaps. DO: charge your camera batteries before you go away; even if you take a power adaptor, some countries power supplies can play havoc with your charger; take extra batteries if you are holidaying in a very cold climate, and check the recommended working temperatures for your equipment. DON’T: pack delicate cameras and lenses in a suitcase - carry them in

your cabin luggage – you will take more care of them than the baggage handlers will. DO: consider expensive equipment when you purchase holiday insurance. DON’T: worry about your memory cards being wiped by airport x-ray machines; film was sometimes at risk from x-rays, but there is little evidence of digital media suffering from the same issues.

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Every person matters, you have the right to be and feel safe

www.tbglearning.com

DO: try to get a window seat on the aircraft so you can shoot some cloudscapes and mountain tops; bribery of children may be required. DON’T: start snapping away at airports unless you want to spend some quality time with the security services; if you really want to shoot at the airport, permits can be requested in advance from some authorities such as BAA. DO: keep an eye on expensive kit in crowded streets; a shoulder bag for SLRs might be more advisable than keeping them in a backpack (easily slit with a knife). DON’T: assume locals are happy for you to just point your camera at them and start shooting away; be polite, and ask first; or be sneaky and use a wide angle lens, so you don’t have to point the camera right at them. DO: be patient at crowded attractions; if you wait a few minutes, you will often find a window of opportunity to take a shot uncluttered with other tourists (feel free to quietly curse them for being in the way while you await that moment). DON’T: forget your polarising filter if you want to make the most of those deep blue skies. DO: be careful on the beach – sand, water and cameras do not play well together; a clear plastic bag (such as a freezer bag) ripped at the bottom and secured with elastic bands will help protect your camera; a skylight filter will protect your lens from sand. DON’T: walk around with the lens cap off your SLR unless you want specs of dust all over your pictures. DO: look for small details in a scene; it’s easy to get swept up by grand vistas, but picking out a detail in a scene will often make for a more interesting image; if you like vistas, try to find some foreground interest to balance and focus your image;

wide angle lenses can exaggerate the size of foreground objects and give your landscape images real impact. DON’T: miss that magical sunset; if you love sunsets, find a location early in the holiday and then return there an hour before the sun goes down, so you can be ready to capture the moment. DO: hang around after the sun has set, for the fabulous colours remaining in the sky. DON’T: shoot in b&w mode – you might really like the image in colour; if you shoot in colour you can always convert to black and white later. DO: experiment with fill flash; this will balance exposure when you photograph your friends and family against bright backgrounds. DON’T: be put off if it rains; some locations such as The Lake District really come into their own during or after a downpour; just protect your equipment with waterproof casing (expensive) or a plastic bag with a hole in the bottom (budget). DO: back up your precious holiday pics to an external hard drive when you get home – if your computer dies, you don’t want it to take your photographs with it! Next Month: Filters for Digital Cameras

Adrian Multon is a freelance photographer based in Wivenhoe. He provides high quality imagery for local businesses. Adrian also offers group and 1-2-1 photographic tutoring and image editing workshops. See www.adrianmulton.co.uk for details.

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ART

Making an Exhibition of Yourself! Exhibitions at Slack Space change every 2 or 3 weeks. The organisation always favours the work of local artists and runs a quarterly open submissions programme as well as a variety of group and solo shows. Exhibitions are regularly held showcasing the work of local primary and secondary schools and other learning institutions such as the University and Colchester Institute. The range of work that has been shown in the space is staggering and covers all bases and all media, from sculpture to video work, from water colour to recycled collage, from print to posters, from oils to sound art. Notable exhibitions included a live graffiti show where the some of the region’s most prominent graffiti artists worked live in the space, directly on the walls of the building and on the hoardings outside. If any show was about breaking barriers this was it with all ages and demographics of visitor engaging the artists in conversation, amazed at the quality and style in what they would have previously dismissed as vandalism. Another exhibition involved wallpapering the entire space top to bottom with four thousand pieces of original graphic design work made over ten years. The artist found it a cathartic and rewarding experience. The embroiderers guild held a group show in the space and an exhibition

of words focused around the literary tradition and art of Oulipo. One exhibition featured only work using recycled or found objects and another, giant portraits that took the breath away. One very popular exhibition featured the work of mental health service users in the local community. The list goes on. So if the local community get to experience a range of exciting and inspirational artworks, what do the artists themselves get from the experience? For most of the artists who exhibit at Slack Space they are early in their careers and it will be their first exhibition, or one of their first. Like a first kiss, the first time an artist gets their work on show is a life changing experience. For many it is the first time they truly feel able to describe themselves as an ‘artist.’ Their definition of themselves changes along with their perception of what can be achieved. Slack Space do carry out crude monitoring and many of these first or early time exhibitors go on to get further shows, commissions and other work in the area. Due to the often elitist nature of the arts world and high prices charged by galleries many of these artists would not have had a chance to exhibit were it not for Slack Space and its inclusive programme. If the organisation is giving the local artists they exhibit a huge boost

Stunning work by MA Arts in Social context year 2 students at Colchester Institute

Amazing paper bird by Joanne Hummel from the Alchemy Exhibition

By Abigail Cheverest, Slack Space

The first of a two part article looking at the ethos behind exhibitions and events at Slack Space. This month: Exhibitions

in their careers and self-confidence, what of the creative community of the Town who come in and view such exhibitions? Colchester is lucky enough to be getting an International standard art gallery but while the work on show in this new space will be jaw dropping it may also be perceived by those who view it as being of a standard so high as to be unachievable and almost of another world. The work on show in Slack Space is good, but not so good that it seems out of reach. It inspires other local artists that, should they keep trying and keep creating, they too may be good enough to have their work on show in Slack Space or in some other public place one day. Many of them do. As well as the main walk-in space, Slack Space also manages a series of empty shop windows in the town, where the work of local artists is exhibited in closed shops to be viewed by passers-by. Regular art, craft, sharing and making sessions are also held in the space. But a sense of community is not just about the grass roots, it’s about the top of the trees too. Earlier this year Slack Space was invited to join the Royal Society of Arts in recognition of its outstanding work and have now started the first ever Colchester RSA network. If the benefits to the local community are huge then so too are the benefits

to its volunteers. A core team of 15 volunteers run the space with the support of an additional 20 or 30. Employment and training opportunities have also be given to two young people via the Future Jobs Fund. For all these people it is a chance to belong and to contribute, to play a part and make a unique contribution, to feel valued and worthwhile, to step up to the line, rise to challenges and develop an impressive and versatile skill set. To belong to something wonderful and feel better about themselves as a result of doing so. By the time you read this, the current exhibition will be a display of secondary schools art from schools across the borough. Do pop in and have a look. We are open Wed – Sat 11am – 6pm. If you are interested in getting your work displayed at Slack Space please email us at colchesterslackers@googlemail.com with examples of your work.

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Graffiti Culture exhibition

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MUSIC

Live Review:

Chris Helme @ The Soundhouse, Colchester (The Bull) By Craig Fookes 1997... a time of decadence, confidence and in comparison to more recent austere times, a period of excess. Remember the music? Brit-pop was at it’s peak, in fact, other than the Spice Girls and perhaps Gina G I can’t remember much else. One the most critically acclaimed albums of 1997, was The Seahorses’ - ‘Do it Yourself.’ The Seahorses were band formed initially by former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire, recruiting lead signer Chris Helme, after he was spotted busking outside Woolworths in York. The Seahorses developed cult-like status and are a band that could have gone to on to great things, however, they split in January 1999, just 18 months after the release of the debut album, however, they left behind an album of huge indie classics, which are held in the highest regard and fond memory. ‘Love is the law’ was the most commercially successful single reaching number 3 in the charts, in August 1997, it is instantly recognisable, delivering the perfect harmony of Squire’s unique guitar sound and Helme’s distinctive and effortless vocal. The Seahorses album is a lyrical and an anthemic sing-along swagger through every-

thing that was brilliant about ‘brit-pop.’ It was a huge honour to welcome former Seahorses front-man Chris Helme to Raging Bull to May’s event. Raging Bull is Colchester’s leading regular new music event, which takes place on the second Friday of each month in the Soundhouse, the Bull, Crouch Street Colchester. Chris played a selection of Seahorses hits, and new tracks from his solo works, and his soon to be released second album. His most recently released track ‘pleased’ (check it out at www.chrishelmemusic.co.uk) has an almost sinister blues vibe, it shows the full extent of Chris’s voice and a darker edge. Chris’s performance at Raging Bull held the attention of a packed Soundhouse for the entirety of his set, as long-standing fans and new-comers hung on his every word. Chris played the classics, that everyone wanted to hear, told tour stories and spoke openly and forthrightly about his time with the Seahorses, whilst tucking in to a healthy amount of cider. For more updates on gigs from Raging Bull, please go to www.facebook.com/ragingbullcolchester

l l u u B e B T he The Bull in association with Keep Colchester Cool presents a fundraising night for St Helena Hospice Friday 3rd June - live music throughout the night from 5.30pm In the Main Bar from 5.30pm Ellie Cornell Ghost Train Porters Exposé

In The Soundhouse from 8pm Marner Brown Guilt Coins Animal Noise B. Goodes Joel Fisk Ben Howard (DJ Set)

Admission £2 after 7pm (includes wristband) proceeds to

St Helena Hospice www.paristocolchester.com

The Bull 2 – 4 Crouch St, Colchester, CO3 3ES. Tel: 01206 366647 www.thebullcolchester.co.uk 12

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MUSIC

Photo: February Photography

As Colchester’s music scene continues to explode, with more and more venues around town putting on live music and becoming part of this local cultural revolution, there is one band at the forefront who I had yet to have the opportunity to see. But that changed the other week when I made my way to the Soundhouse, at The Bull on Crouch Street, to get a taste of Angry Vs the Bear headlining their own night. Formed in 2008, AVB have twice stormed SXSW, the music industry’s massive annual showcase event in Austin, Texas, playing in front of sell-out crowds to much critical acclaim, and here they were back performing in front of a packed venue in their hometown of lil’ ole Colchester. Were we in for a treat? Bloomin’ right we were! The band take to the stage, the three guys, Patrick Monahan, Darren Barker and Ross Farley (with their trademark wacky hair very much in evidence) and stunning blonde singer Mitzi Fox belting out

Angry Vs the Bear @ The Soundhouse, Colchester (The Bull) By Simon Crow

the lyrics. They open with I am Electric. There’s a hint of Gwen Stefani about her vocal style, mixed in with maybe a little Hazel O’Connor and Toyah, all delivered with a delightful Essex twang. This is good. This is very good! Electro pop punk at its best. Mitzi has an amazing stage presence, she’s right up there with the best of them, and was clearly born to perform. She has the crowd eating out of the palm of her hand as we are treated to a set that packs more punch than Lennox Lewis and includes their debut single ‘Show Emotion’ which Radio 1’s Huw Stephens recently chose as his Pick of the Week. Their new single, which Mitzi tells us isn’t named yet but will probably be called ‘Airspace’, is followed by ‘Kill Me With Words And Pictures’, and ‘I Sing, We Sing’ which sees a sea of arms head skywards as the crowd rocks to one of their AVB favourites. The band won’t be touring again until the

Autumn, but you can see them on July 3rd on the Evening Star stage at the Ipswich Music Day. Catch ‘em while you can! I’ve a feeling that Angry Vs the Bear are destined for bigger things.

Photo: Rave Squad Photography

Anna’s on her way to the O2 Anna and Robert met while they were college students and have been playing as a duo for the last three years. They have played all over the UK and Ireland, sometimes sharing the stage with the likes of local stars such as Ed Sheeran. As a singer, Anna Pancaldi, has been influenced from an early age by artists such as Stevie Wonder and Ella Fitzgerald. She studied jazz and pop music at Colchester Institute before becoming a professional singer. Her original songs can be compared to artists like Eliza Doolittle and Jessie J and she will be releasing a CD of original material soon.Anna wowed the judges, and was awarded top marks, at the area final in Basildon with her original song ‘Based on a Feeling’ and

will now be fighting it out at the final at the O2 on July 23rd. Winning this prestigious national event would be a great achievement considering over 10,000 people applied to be in the competition this year. The final is part of Live Fest at the O2 featuring headline acts such as N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder and The Hoosiers, making it a day not to be missed. Colchester 101 wishes Anna and Robert the very best of luck.

www.annapancaldi.com www.myspace.com/annapancaldimusic

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Live Review:

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LISTINGS

This Month’s

Essential Events Guide Sponsored by Cool Publicity www.coolpublicity.co.uk Friday 3rd June Circle Bar, 33 Crouch Street Colchester 101 ‘June Issue’ Launch at First Friday hosted by Tonic. Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street 26th Colchester Real Ale and Cider Festival. Headgate Theatre, 14 Chapel Street North A Servant to Two Masters. A wily and quick-witted servant puts his various skills to the test when he acquires two masters at the same time! His antics quickly affect the lives of everyone he comes into contact with; a pair of lovebirds, their miserly and pompous fathers, a serving girl who wants to get married, two estranged lovers, and the keeper of the inn. All find themselves in trouble after encountering Truffaldino, the servant to two masters. Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gate The Dust Man. Have you ever thought about what’s on the other side of the mirror? It’s the place where dreams come from, all light and floaty and it’s where the Dust Man goes to collect them for you. His cat, Nero helps him ensure everyone gets their dreams - even those who fall asleep on the toilet! Suitable for ages 5+ years and families. Plus, Assumption by Simon Turley. Dee Evans directs the Mercury Theatre Company in this warm and funny play set in rural Ireland. Molloy’s, 66 North Hill Angel Fire. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge, 18 Vineyard Street FX Band. (Live Music) Slack Space, 19-29 Queen Street Pianofriday. From 11am - 6pm a piano will be available for anyone who would like to practice or play. Plus, Secondary. An exhibition featuring the fantastic work from local secondary schools, funded by East of England Co-Op Community Dividend Fund. Stoke By Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa, Keeper’s Lane, Leavenheath Fleece Jazz with Gabriel Garrick’s Sidewinder Quintet. (Live Music) The Bull, 2-4 Crouch Street St Helena Hospice Fundraiser: Marner Brown, Guilt Coins, Animal Noise, B Goodes, Joel Fisk and DJ Ben Howard are in The Soundhouse. Ellie Cornell, Ghost Train Porters and Expose are in The Main Bar. (Live Music)

Slack Space Secondary. Tin Pan Alley Groovetails. (Live Music) The Arena, Circular Road East Jump Back Boogie (Retro Rock n Roll): DJ Mark ‘Kickin’ The Boogie’ & Dynamite Horton. (Live Music) University Of Essex Mangled: One Love. Featuring last month’s Colchester 101 cover star Adamski, and Bizarre Inc with Angie Brown. (Club Night) _____________________________________ Sunday 5th June Colchester Arts Centre Tommaso Starace Quartet. (Live Music) Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. 2 acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music) Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with The Storyville Jazz Band. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Monday 6th June Colchester Arts Centre Colchester Folk Club with Harvey Andrews. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre Assumption. Molloy’s Radio Play - Acoustic. (Live Music) The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 7th June Colchester Arts Centre Times Of Grace. (Live Music)

Tin Pan Alley Student Band Night. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Friday 10th June Colchester Arts Centre Farmer’s Market. Headgate Theatre The Complete (and utter rubbish) History of Pop. My Big Bottom are Tony Harries and Ben Lemel supported by Davey Hal and The Big Bow Wow. This new show dashes through the outer reaches of pop music, including an Amish Blues Song, the Kray Twins singing Motown and a duet between Amy Winehouse and George Formby.

West Cliff Theatre, Clacton The 1940s In Concert. West Bergholt Concert Band and the Sweeting Swing Band. A concert featuring the best of the Big Band sound alongside wartime favourites such as The Dambusters, from two of the area’s most popular bands. 3pm. _____________________________________ Monday 13th June Mercury Theatre. Gerry Cross the Mersey; An Evening with Gerry & The Pacemakers. A rollercoaster ride of fun, music and nostalgia with 60s icon Gerry Marsden and his band. All their greatest hits as well as stories, jokes and anecdotes. (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre Assumption.

Molloys Acoustic Night. (Live Music)

Molloys Batman’s Cat. (Live Music)

The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 14th June Colchester Arts Centre Wolf Gang, Foreign Office, IntoTheNorthSea. (Live Music)

River Lodge Leah Lost. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge Tall Order. (Live Music) Slack Space Pianofriday (11am-6pm). Plus, Secondary. Stoke By Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa Fleece Jazz with Richard Fairhurst’s Triptych Amusia. (Live Music) The Bull Beth White, B Goodes, and No Excuse are in the Main Bar. The 633 Presents The Raging Bull in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Ghost Train Porters, The Seasiders. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 11th June Colchester Arts Centre Clever Clogs & The Cunning Princess for kids aged 5-11.Plus, in the evening, The Vocal Ensemble Of Africa. (Live Music)

Lakeside Theatre, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park Run Lola Run. 1998 Film.

Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre Assumption.

Headgate Theatre AcoustiCity with the Lisa Fitzgibbon Power Folk Trio. (Live Music)

Molloy’s Richard Dobney Blues Band. (Live Music)

Lakeside Theatre Monsters. 2010 Film. Presented by Moving Image.

Tin Pan Alley, 7 Queen Street Manouche. The Glastonbury and Bestival playing, all-live, electrified, gypsy swing ensemble. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 4th June Colchester Arts Centre Surfquake Live at the 26th Colchester Real Ale and Cider Festival.

The Bull Tuesday Night Bandstand. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Wednesday 8th June Colchester Arts Centre The Heritage Survival. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre Assumption.

Slack Space Secondary.

Fat Cat, 65 Butt Road Acoustic Night. (Live Music)

Molloys Krushh. (Live Music)

Roberts Live Lounge Retro Classics Night with DJ Adi Clark. (Club Night)

Headgate Theatre A Servant to Two Masters.

Slack Space Secondary.

Mercury Theatre The Dust Man. Plus, Assumption

The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Thursday 9th June Colchester Arts Centre Foster & Déchery: Epic. A playful and experimental journey through the past hundred years, ‘Epic’ combines personal stories, video interaction, fanciful re-enactments of key 20th century events, and a cameo from Bertolt Brecht.

Molloy’s Was 3000. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge Saturday Soul with DJs Barry Stockwell and Nick Gunn. (Club Night) Sky Rooms, 60 High Street THE BIG LICK. Metal/Rock/Alternative. (Club Night) TS Colne Light Ship, King Edward Quay, The Hythe, Colchester, CO2 8JB Hong Kong In The 60s + The Doomed Bird of Providence + Sons of Joy + Teterom + Calaco. The Bull The Current are in The Main Bar. Bruise are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre Assumption. Molloy’s 4 Play Karaoke

Mercury Theatre Assumption. Molloys Houdini Feel. (Live Music)

Marks Tey Hotel, London Road, Marks Tey Ghost Hunt on the 11th June 2011 at Harwich Redoubt Fort. Residential & Non Residential Packages Available. The Bull Undercover. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Sunday 12th June Layer Marney Tower, Layer Marney Tower Tour. A member of the Layer Marney Tower team will give a brief history and tour of the Tower and church to bring the history of Layer Marney Tower to life. Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. 2 acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music)

Slack Space Secondary.

Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with The Sussex Jazz Kings. (Live Music)

The Bull Lily & Lincoln are in the Main Bar. Collider are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music)

Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre Jethro. Performing armed with nothing more than a microphone, a stand and a small table with his favourite drink to hand. As Jethro paces the stage, you’ll hear hilarious antics of rural comedy delivered to you in his famous Cornish accent. Molloys Originals Night. (Live Music) The Bull Tim & Friends. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Wednesday 15th June Layer Marney Tower Invitation to View. A guided tour of the house and garden with the owners. Includes parts of the house not normally open to visitors. Mercury Theatre The 31st Lecture with Esther Rantzen CBE. The renowned journalist, television presenter and active charity campaigner is the guest speaker, raising money for ChildLine. Molloys Bad Touch. (Live Music) Slack Space Secondary. The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Thursday 16th June Colchester Arts Centre The Morning After, Day Of The Sirens, Shallow Waters. (Live Music) Molloys 4 Play Karaoke. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre 7:30pm A Night at the Opera. Enjoy passion, drama and humour as stars who have appeared at The Royal Opera, English National Opera and Glyndebourne present a thrilling evening of works by Verdi, Puccini, Mozart, Rossini, Bizet, Offenbach and more. Plus in the Mercury Studio, Wretch. Gari Jones’ compelling, wrenching and exposing performance journey, led by an enquiring wretch, who says and does the unsayable, the undoable. His grasp and love of language is poetic, brilliant, haunting and forces us to think – why does a memory you want to hang on to keep changing, why does love tear you up? Slack Space SecondaryPlus, June Mini Fest: Poetry Evening. The Bull Elliot Chapman is in the Main Bar. Essex Rocks: Kelvedon Festival Battle Of The Bands is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Student Band Night. (Live Music)

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LISTINGS

Colchester United Football Club, Weston Homes Community Stadium Meatloaf Tribute. Terry Nash performs the best of Meatloaf. (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre Dinnerladies – Second Helpings. The catering staff of BBC TV’s hit sitcom return with Andrew Dunn and Sue Devaney, from the original TV series, joined by Bren, Dolly, Jean, Twinkle and Anita, together with caretaker Stan, Phillippa from Human Resources and Petula, Bren’s dreadful mother, to bring you some hilarious adventures from the staff canteen of HWD Electronics.

Molloys Cushti. (Live Music)

Molloys Acoustic Night. (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre Big Girls Don’t Cry: Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons Tribute. (Live Music) Mercury Studio - Wretch

The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Tuesday 21st June Mercury Theatre Dinnerladies – Second Helpings.

Roberts Live Lounge 7th Step. (Live Music) Slack Space Pianofriday (11am-6pm) Plus, June Mini Fest: EMS World Music Night. (Live Music) Stoke By Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa Fleece Jazz with Neon Quartet. (Live Music) The Bull Housework, and The Rising are in the Main Bar. Tom Hingley, and the Jon Cook Blues Band are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 18th June Colchester Arts Centre Colchester Frock Swap. Bring along your unwanted clean clothes and accessories, and enjoy swapping with others. Plus, in the evening, D’Ukes. (Live Music) Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre Mercury Studio – Wretch. Molloys Sould Out. (Live Music) Roberts Live Lounge 80’s and 90’s Night. (Club Night) Slack Space June Mini Fest: The Unbearable Shiteness of Being with Modal Roberts and John’s Original Wife. The Bull Silent Running are in the Main Bar. Essex Rocks is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Shirt Tail Stompers, and Out Of Nowhere. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Sunday 19th June Headgate Theatre One Act Play Festival. This festival promises to be an entertaining day with comedy and drama productions presented by various groups in the North Essex Theatre Guild. You certainly get value for money with at least six productions to watch. Layer Marney Tower Father’s Day – A day of family fun fit for fathers! Plus, The Three Musketeers. Theatre in the garden from the Chameleon’s Web Theatre Company. Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music) Ramada, A12 / A120 Ardleigh Junction Father’s Day Lunch Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. 2 acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music) Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with The Lord Napier Jazz Band. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Monday 20th June Lakeside Theatre Children of Men. 2006 Film. Presented by Moving Image.

Tin Pan Alley Student Band Night. (Live Music) Trotters Bar, 20-22 Middleborough Keep Colchester Cool presents… _____________________________________ Friday 24th June Colchester Arts Centre Limehouse Lizzy. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre Dinnerladies – Second Helpings. Molloys Stiff In The Morning. (Live Music) Qube SHAFT. Soul Classics, Jazz, Funk, Weekender Anthems, RnB with DJ Gilly. (Club Night)

Molloys Originals Night. (Live Music)

Roberts Live Lounge Something For The Weekend. (Live Music)

The Bull Acoustic Night. (Live Music)

Slack Space Pianofriday (11am-6pm) Plus, Retrospective.

The Cinnamon Lounge

Stoke By Nayland Hotel, Golf and Spa Fleece Jazz with Trish Clowes. (Live Music)

Karaoke Competition Night

7pm - Midnight Saturday, 25th June Entry: £3.00. Free Buffet. Licensed Bar open all evening.

Prizes for the Winner... and the Loser!!! Venue: The Cinnamon Lounge, Red Lion Walk, Colchester _____________________________________ Wednesday 22nd June Colchester Arts Centre Jenny Edbrooke: Smalls. An intimate performance that provides an enchanting and amusing insight into the complex world of undergarments. Audiences are invited to peek up Jenny’s voluminous skirt made entirely of bras and knickers and explore its hidden gems and saucy secrets. Mercury Theatre Dinnerladies – Second Helpings. Slack Space Colchester Institute BA Graphic Media – Retrospective Programme. The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Thursday 23rd June Colchester Arts Centre 23 Refugee Cafe by Suzanne Hawkes. Sudan, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq... Escaping from oppression is just the beginning. Based on true life stories and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers who have found their home, this play celebrates their courage and tenacity with humour and pathos. Mercury Theatre Dinnerladies – Second Helpings. Molloys 4 Play Karaoke. Slack Space Retrospective. The Bull Maxwell Hammer & Smith are in the Main Bar. Essex Rocks: Kelvedon Festival Battle Of The Bands is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music)

The Bull Crumpet Girls, Drum, and The Reason are in the Main Bar. The Friday Night Blues Jam is in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley The Raffles Gang. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Saturday 25th June Colchester Arts Centre The Wind In The Willows. This enchanting production about friendship ideally complements the relationship between English & Drama. Most suitable for kids aged 4 to 12. Plus, in the evening, this month’s 101 cover stars Modern English play along with Mecca 38 and DJ Gilly. (Live Music) Fat Cat Acoustic Night. (Live Music) Mercury Theatre Dinnerladies – Second Helpings. Molloys Stalker. (Live Music) Ramada 80’s disco Roberts Live Lounge 70’s and 80’s Night with DJ Buzby. (Club Night) Slack Space Retrospective. Plus, An Informal Jam. bring an instrument and join in or just come and enjoy the music. (Live Music) The Bull Beagles are in the Main Bar. Buster James Band are in The Soundhouse. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Sunday 26th June Layer Marney Tower Essex Big Weekend. Vouchers available from www.visitessex.com for free entry to Layer Marney Tower on this date. Lion Walk Shopping Centre SoUNDAY Shopping. 2 acts battle it out for a chance to perform at Colchester Free Festival. (Live Music) Stanway Rovers FC Colchester Jazz Club with New Orleans Heat. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Jam Night hosted by Richard Dobney. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Monday 27th June Molloys Acoustic Night. (Live Music) The Bull Jam Night hosted by Lee Carter. (Live Music)

Tuesday 28th June Colchester Arts Centre An Evening of Tudor Daynce. A concert and workshop of dance music from the 15th – 16th Century for both music lovers and dancers. Come and learn about Tudor dance and music, hear a live shawm band play authentic music and join in the dances. Molloys Originals Night. (Live Music) The Bull The Acoustic Sessions. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Wednesday 29th June Headgate Theatre Art by Yasmina Reza. When would-be artlover Serge purchases an expensive painting which is no more than a white canvas with three white lines, he finds himself stuck in the middle of arguments that shake the very foundations of his closest friendships. A funny show that teasingly questions the motives behind and the very definition of ‘Art’. Molloys Ice Breaker Promotions presents. (Live Music) Slack Space Retrospective. The Bull Open Mic Night hosted by Theo Pearce. (Live Music) _____________________________________ Thursday 30th June Colchester Arts Centre An Absolutely Fabulous Night Of Fashion. Colchester Arts Centre’s first ever fashion show! Live, breathe, love fashion? Join us for a night of catwalk glamour, celebrating Colchester’s local fashion scene and showcasing some new design talent from local schools, colleges and the University of Essex. Molloys 4 Play Karaoke. Slack Space Retrospective. The Bull Panic In Detroit. (Live Music) Tin Pan Alley Student Band Night. (Live Music) Wivenhoe Town Cricket Club, Rectory Road Wivenhoe Funny Farm Comedy Club. Edinburgh Previews from Liam Mullone and Juliet Meyers. Support from David Hannant. MC Hazel Humphreys. _____________________________________ Friday 1st July Circle Bar Colchester 101 ‘July Issue’ Launch at First Friday hosted by Tonic. Colchester Arts Centre Colchester Farmer’s Market. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in our events listings, we cannot accept responsibility for any inaccuracies or omissions. Events may be cancelled or postponed, and you are therefore advised to check with the relevant venue before travelling.

For your event to be considered for inclusion in Colchester 101 please call us on 01206 544700 or email mailus@Colchester101.co.uk

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Friday 17th June Colchester Arts Centre The Laughter Zone - A Stand-Up Comedy Triple Bill with Tim Clark, Tom Deacon, and Gavin Webster.

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All Smiles and Laughter with Modern

English

Simon Crow and DJ Gilly chat to Robbie Grey

“I don’t know a lot about music but I know what moves me. That song represents what it means to love someone.” Nikki Nelson, Miami, Florida. USA. Photo: Andy Roshay www.roshayphotography.co.uk

COVER STAR

f Colchester did music it would probably be the best music in the World. Hang on a minute. We do, and rather well too! There’s Ady Johnson, Cav Ok, Angry Vs the Bear, Greg Blackman, plus a host of upcoming new bands such as Fick as Fieves and The Family Dickens. There was also Blur of course, who we continue to claim as our own, even though they did turn their backs on our town, with Damon Albarn once claiming “Places like Colchester celebrate the mediocre.” Thanks Damon, we’re feeling the love! But, did Blur make it big in America? No. Even their bitter rivals Oasis couldn’t crack the States in a big way.

Modern English did. Modern who? English. Modern English. Post-punk Colchester band. Remembered fondly by many of ‘a certain age’ around Colchester, and beyond.

MTV A decade before Damon and co burst onto the scene and informed us that There’s No Other Way, five young guys from Colchester found a way into the hearts of Americans with their single I Melt With You. It had been picked up by college radio stations across the US. The band made a video, and found themselves the darlings of new music television channel MTV. Suddenly they were famous! “It was mad, Robbie tells us. “We weren’t

even looking for it over there. It was being played on import and hadn’t even been released. Some DJ picked it up and played it on his radio show, then another, and another, and it just spread like wildfire across the major stations. All of a sudden record companies were sniffing around. We were recording our second album with Hugh Jones at Rockfield Studios in television shows over the years. It Wales and we got a phone call saying has also been covered many times, there’s a bidding war in America for most notably by Bowling for Soup I Melt With You!” and Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst, and The single reached number 7 on has featured in numerous American Billboard’s Top Tracks television commercials chart and 78 on the “I Melt With You is with the roll call Billboard Hot 100 in including Burger 1983. It was even King, Ritz voted number 39 in Crackers, Vicks, VH1’s Greatest Songs of the GMC, M&Ms and Taco 80s. Robbie continues “We’d I love the 80s. Bell. A cover version of been playing to a couple of it is still featured in Heck, I ‘heart’ Hershey’s ‘Pure hundred people in some dodgy dark rooms and the 80s.” Hershey’s’ commercials, suddenly we’d got John Cesarone, Chicago, which have been people like Matt Dillon running since 2008, and Illinois. USA. introducing us on stage at the Rob Lowe’s new movie I Melt Ritz in New York. We played there a With You was inspired by the song. lot. There were 1000 people outside and he came backstage and said ‘How Punk do you want me to introduce you?’ and It all began around 1976/77 when we just said ‘You can say whatever punk rock exploded onto the UK you want!’ We did a matinee show music scene and inspired Colchester and I had my shirt ripped off by teenagers Robbie Grey, Gary screaming kids.” McDowell and Mick Conroy to form That one song is almost a part of punk band The Lepers. “We thought, American popular culture. It was used ‘this is brilliant, we can do this’. So in the closing credits of the seminal we did. It was as simple as that, we 80s movie Valley Girl, starring a just picked up bits and bobs and made youthful Nicolas Cage playing a young a noise. But nobody wanted to be the punk in his breakthrough role, and it singer so I got lumbered with that!” has subsequently been used in several With Robbie on vocals, Gary on

my favourite song of all time.

guitar and Mick on bass they set about making a name for themselves, and The Lepers first gig was in Red Lion shopping precinct’s underground loading bay. Robbie recalls, “There was a socket in the wall and we plugged all our gear into it. That was our first ever gig, we did posters for it, and people actually turned up! We got booked for everything after that, including a Sham 69 gig at Woods, because nobody else was doing anything like it at that time.” In those days your musical taste, and the fashion style that accompanied it, defined you to your peers, and to the world around you, creating a kind of tribalism that was very often violent. This was exacerbated in Colchester by the tension that existed at the time between soldiers from the garrison, and civilians. “It was brilliant in Colchester then but it was dodgy too” Robbie recalls. “Soldiers had their own pubs, so you couldn’t go in certain pubs, and punks were hated anyway. But we were having a great time, and the music was so exciting. That’s why the poster for the Arts Centre gig is black and white, because that’s how I remember Colchester at the time. Black and white.” In spite of these warring factions,

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

With Modern English preparing for their homecoming gig at the Arts Centre on June 25th, we caught up with Robbie Grey, the band’s singer and long-time friend of 101 columnist DJ Gilly.

Photo: Andy Roshay www.roshayphotography.co.uk

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COVER STAR

“I Melt with You is a tremendously adored song from the UK that we Americans adopted as our own. Not in such bad company I’d say... The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Kinks, you get the idea!” Gary Rutter, Stony Point, New York. USA.

Modern English

Photo by Philippe Carly

punk, soul and funk were often strange bedfellows and managed to blur the tribal edges. “The Lacy Lady in Ilford, which was a really happening club at the time, used to play punk and soul, and you’d go to the Embassy Suite in Colchester and they’d play funk all night followed by half an hour of the Sex Pistols and the Damned and all that.” But by 1979 punk was past its prime and a new direction would be needed if the band were to stay together. A change of name, and direction ensued, along with a new sound, and Modern English was born, with new band members Richard Brown on drums and Stephen Walker on keyboards. They got themselves their first gig at the Colchester Institute on the same bill as Siouxsie and the Banshees and Adam and the Ants, followed by other local venues including Woods Leisure Centre and the Labour Club. “The whole Modern English thing happened because we started to play our instruments properly, so we decided to change our name and get more into the music, using guitars and keyboards with an edgier sound inspired by Wire and Joy Division. We became more arty and started to take it a bit more seriously really.” “Our first demo, which we recorded at The Hillside Studio in Ipswich, was

“We enjoyed being back together so much” Modern English eventually split up after releasing the album Stop Start in 1986, but Robbie never really called it a day and reformed the band a couple of times with different line-ups, touring and recording. Now the 80s line-up is back together and gigging again “I blame Mick Conroy,” Robbie jokes. “Mick wanted to get the band back together. I agreed to it, the American manager got involved, and that’s why it’s all coming around again.” The week before the forthcoming Arts Centre gig sees them playing in Paris, then back to the UK for dates in London and Kent. After that they are heading Lisa Fried Rowland, Harrington, across the pond to tour America and Canada “The connection Delaware, USA. with America is still massive. We toured there last summer and it of I Melt With You from their second was amazing.” album After The Snow, and long tours Their short American tour last year of the USA were soon to follow. included playing festivals in front of Robbie remembers those days fondly. crowds of up to 25,000 people. “We “We’d go over there and I’d be walking enjoyed being back together so much. down the street and people would go It was so funny looking around the “Hey! Robbie from Modern English!” stage and seeing all these old boys then we’d come back here and go to who were my friends. It was brilliant! the Oliver Twist (now The Twist) and So we thought we would give it nobody would know who you were. I another year then see what happens loved it. You could have a few pints in after that.” The line-up for the tour the pub and nobody would know what consists of Robbie Grey (main you’d been up to over there.”

just a collection of ideas. We sent them out to about twenty labels and 4AD straight away said they were interested.” Now signed to a label, they recorded their first album Mesh and Lace, and also released four singles which weren’t on the album: Drowning Man; Swans on Glass; Gathering Dust; and Smiles and Laughter. Then it all took off in America with the release

“LOVE

Colchester Arts Centre 25th June. £10

I Melt With You. It really is a timeless and catchy song.”

vocals), Gary McDowell (guitars, vocals), Mick Conroy (bass guitars, vocals), Stephen Walker (keyboards), the other Steven Walker (guitars), and Ric Chandler (drums). Robbie doesn’t rule out going into the studio to record some new tracks. “We haven’t really discussed it much yet as we’re still all too amazed at being back in the same room together after all these years! I’ve got a whole album’s worth of material written though, and Mick Conroy’s got a whole load of stuff he wants to bring to the table. So we’ll see what happens.” For now though the focus is on the forthcoming tour, and Robbie is looking forward to be playing back in Colchester for the first time in many years, and seeing plenty of familiar faces in the crowd. You can see Modern English at the Arts Centre on June 25th. Tickets can be purchased online. www.colchesterartscentre.com The I Melt With You movie trailer can be viewed here: http://upreelmov.com/2011/05/i-meltwith-you-trailer-and-new-poster/ You can download Modern English’s albums from iTunes. www.ModernEnglish.me

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View from the

Funny Farm

The diary of an independent comedy promoter by Hazel Humphreys

e’ve all been there before. After hyping up the big sexy event, you’re forced to sheepishly turn to someone and mumble “I don’t understand, this hasn’t happened before. I’m sorry.”

In the world of the independent comedy promoter this is invariably addressed to a comedian and followed by the old chestnut “Last gig was absolutely full to the brim”, with no consideration for their fragile ego. This was the case with April’s Wivenhoe Funny Farm. March’s gig had been so packed with sweaty comedy lovers that half of the audience went home pregnant, but all of them with a smile on their face. There were a couple of comments about how “intimate” it was (mainly down to people who hadn’t booked turning up earlier than those with reservations), but I’d hoped the positive vibes that you can only get from a busy room laughing would encourage people to come back next month. About a third as many actually came, good for the fans of leg room and oxygen, but

not so good for covering the cost of comedians. Like most promoters I believe that the Funny Farm’s audience is the best that any comedy club could hope to have, but my bank balance loves them even more when they turn up. A room with empty seats in is strange to perform comedy to, and can feel like unusually unsympathetic group therapy. Most people say to comedians ‘I could never get up in front of all those people’. Try getting up in front of a small group, one where you can individually assess every impatient face waiting for entertainment. Or trying to coax chuckles from people when they feel that making any noise might expose them to ridicule from the comedian or the rest of the audience. It’s rubbish. I don’t know what Kurt Cobain was whinging about

with all those stadium gigs. He never had to beg his crowds to move forward and fill the spaces at the front so he didn’t feel lonely. Fortunately our audience of thirty odd had finely honed senses of humour, so despite all my misgivings everyone had a cracking night. Comedy is a fickle and perverse mistress, and always manages to confound your expectations. On June 30th the Funny Farm will feature two preview shows for the Edinburgh Festival (Juliet Meyers and Liam Mullone – details on www.wivenhoefunnyfarm.co.uk. Comedians at the Fringe often have to get used to audiences comprising one drunken Scot and a dog (usually Greyfriars Bobby). I just hope they don’t start getting used to it here.

can only be good for the club if more time can be spent on this rather than getting players fit after the summer break. We all have the chance to get away for a couple of weeks but other than that, the schedules Dave puts together are pretty intense. And it isn’t just cardio work, (running, biking etc), we have to maintain our body strength in the gym as well. There is only so much training you can do though and in between sessions, it’s good to relax and recharge the batteries after a long hard season. I tend to split my time between family and golf, with family taking first place in the priority stakes. I have been playing golf for a good few years now and I find it a great way to relax while still spending time outdoors. One of the events for my testimonial year was a golf day we had recently and it was good to meet up with a load of former teammates and

friends. I play on a few of the local courses, including Five Lakes and Stoke By Nayland and recently, I have been over to the Warren a few times, what a nice place and a really decent course. With the season finished, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have attended games at the Weston Homes Community Stadium. Your support is very much appreciated and I hope that you all return for the new season. We want to create an atmosphere that becomes well known across the country so bring along some noisy friends as well.

COLCHESTER UNITED FC

Time to Relax? Hello again from Colchester United, as we head into the summer and a couple of months without competitive football. I have been a player now for going on fifteen years and I still get told how good it must be to have the whole of the summer off. While it’s true that we don’t have games to play or have to go into the club and train together as a squad, it’s also a far cry from sitting on a beach and relaxing for May and June. Before we left the club following the end of the season, Dave Carolan gave us all training programmes to complete over the close season. Dave is our fitness coach, sports scientist, whatever you want to call him, and he makes sure that we all return for pre-season in good shape. In this day and age, pre-season isn’t about spending the first couple of weeks without a ball and just running to get fit again. Managers want to work on team shape, patterns of play and formations and it

Have a good summer and see you all soon.

Kem Izzet

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FOOD

Food for Thought By Melissa Porter

Farm Shops I want to encourage as many people as possible to shop locally, that means using our independent food retailers, Farmers markets and Farm shops. The simple reality is that every £1 spent with a local shop is worth £1.76 to the local economy, but only 36p if it is spent with a supermarket chain. We are privileged to be surrounded by some brilliant food producers in our region, what better way to sample their produce than directly from a Farm Shop? Over the last decade Farm Shops have prospered, and changed dramatically, from a mere tray of eggs sold at the farm gate... to a fully functional store stocking every kind of locally grown seasonal fruit & vegetable, homemade bread, locally produced meat and (my favourite) artisan ice-cream, to name but a few. Why not stop for a look around your local Farm Shop next time you are passing, I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised. My personal favourite has to be Hollow Trees, near Hadleigh, Suffolk. The extra few miles are well worth it. It’s the perfect place

for a Sunday morning adventure for the kids. Their farm trail is full of friendly animals to feed, the Farm Shop is always fully stocked with everything yummy and delicious and you can finish the morning off nicely with a pot of tea in their café. If you need a nod in the right direction here are a few more local Farm Shops well worth a visit. It is by no means an exhaustive list, please send us the details of your favourite and we’ll add them in next time. Email me at: melissa@colchester101.co.uk

Mitchell’s Farm Shop School Road, Elmstead CO7 7ET. Contact: 01206 822449

Blackwell’s Farm Shop Herons Farm, Colne Road, Coggeshall CO6 ITQ. Contact: 01376 562500

Carpenter’s Farm Shop St Mary’s Road, Aingers Green, Great Bentley CO7 8NJ. Contact: 01206 251741

McLauchlans Fruit Farm Straight Road, Boxted CO4 5RB. Contact: 01206 272275

Butterfly Lodge Farm Shop and Dairy Mersea Road, Abberton CO5 7LG. Contact: 01206 736121

Wick’s Manor Farm Witham Road, Tolleshunt Major, Maldon CM9 8JU. Contact: 01621 860629

Hollow Trees Farm Shop Semer, Ipswich IP7 6HX. Contact: 01449 741247

Hall Farm Shop & Café Stratford St Mary CO7 6LS. Contact: 01206 322572

Fiveways Farm Shop Heath Road CO3 0QR. Contact: 01206 330244

Greenstead Farm Shop Greenstead Green, Halstead CO9 1QY. Contact: 01787 472807

Seasonal Food Guide By Melissa Porter Fruit & Nuts: Apricots, Blueberries, Cherries, Elderflowers, Gooseberries, Redcurrants, Rhubarb, Strawberries, Tayberries Meat & Game: Welsh Lamb, Wood Pigeon Fungi: St George’s Mushroom

Vegetables & Herbs: Artichokes, Asparagus, Aubergine, Broad Beans, Broccoli, Carrots, Cauliflower, Courgettes, Fennel, Jersey Royal New Potatoes, Lettuce, Mangetout, Peas, Radishes, Rocket, Runner Beans, Sorrel, Spring Onions, Watercress

Fish: Brown Trout, Crab, Cod, Crab, Crayfish, Dover Sole, Grey Mullet, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, Lemon Sole, Mackerel, Plaice, Pollack, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, Sardines, Sea Bass, Sea Trout

June brings us new fruits to enjoy, as well as new salad leaves and herbs, so the start of summer tastes fantastic! The first British strawberries and gooseberries are now ready to enjoy. Asparagus is still around for a few more weeks so make the most of it, and the first salads are coming through. Broad beans, peas and new potatoes - superb with Welsh lamb which is particularly good at this time of year.

Grilled Mackerel With Gooseberry Sauce

Spotlight on... ‘The

Sauce 1/2 lb. Gooseberries 2 tbsp Sugar 1 tbsp Butter 2 tbsp chopped Fennel

Gooseberry’

The gooseberry is well suited to the British climate, although it grows all over northern climes and into western Asia. The fruit reached a peak of popularity in Victorian times, when it featured heavily in fools and puddings. Gooseberries are harder to find in the shops these days, but they often turn up at farmer’s markets. They’re a good source of vitamins A and C.

Quick serving ideas: Early gooseberries can be quickly stewed in a saucepan with some sugar. Let them cool, then fold through whipped cream or fromage frais for a quick fool. Stewed gooseberries are a classic accompaniment to mackerel, which is also abundant at this time of year. The acidity of the gooseberry cuts beautifully against the rich, oily fish.

In season: June and July

Use it up: Gooseberries freeze well, which is useful given their brief season and the fact they can be hard to find. Buy (or pick) plenty and freeze them on a tray. Store in bags, so you can grab a handful whenever you want them. Use gooseberries as you would other tart ingredients. They work with fatty meats like pork, and are lovely in an old-fashioned crumble or pie.

Storage: Early gooseberries are green and firm; these are the ones that need cooking. They’ll keep well in the fridge for a week or two. Later in the season you’ll find softer dessert gooseberries, which are suitable for eating raw. These will only keep for a few days.

4 cleaned Mackerel 1 tbsp Butter Salt and Pepper

Stuffing 4 heaped tbsp White Breadcrumbs 1 tbsp chopped Parsley 2 Egg yolks Grated peel of 1 Lemon Pinch of Nutmeg Salt and pepper

Mix all the stuffing ingredients together and place inside the mackerel, fold over and secure. Rub a little softened butter over the flesh of the fish, and grill gently on both sides until the fish is lightly browned. Place the gooseberries in 1/2 cup water with the sugar, butter & fennel. Do not let them overcook, but just burst open. Serve your grilled Mackerel with your hot gooseberry sauce.

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FOOD Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Eating Out By Melissa Porter The fact that we needed to book a table for a Sunday night four weeks in advance, told me that there must be something special about Bella Pais. Yet in my experience popularity doesn’t always translate into an excellent meal. We were out to celebrate a friends birthday, he had thankfully imparted the very wise advice not to eat anything, except maybe breakfast on the day of the meal. With such a reputation, I just had to try the steak. The birthday boy loosened his belt and ordered the 30oz Sirloin, while I opted for the 12oz Rib-Eye... not a whiff of disappointment! The steaks were all cooked to perfection. The accompanying

chips and sauté potatoes must have been cooked in goose fat, they were so crispy with a heavenly flavour. Even the simple tomato & onion salad was lifted to a higher state, with the addition of the house French dressing. I tasted a friend’s beef stroganoff, made with fillet steak which was also delicious. Portions are large, but so tasty that people leave the restaurant a little uncomfortable, (birthday boy went home for a lay down to recover) but perfectly satisfied. I don’t believe you will find a better steak in Colchester. Just remember to book well in advance!

Mum, I’m Hungry

Fat Cat Colchester Free Mouse

Colchester’s Finest Real Ale and Fine Wine Pub June Highlights Sat 4th Strontium Cat (Live Music from 9pm) Sat 12th The Renditions (Live Music from 9pm) Sat 18th Groovetails (Live Music from 9pm) Sat 25th Strings Attached (Live Music from 9pm) Thurs 30th Singapore Curry Night

Come in for a warm welcome 65 Butt Road, Colchester CO3 3BZ. 01206 577990

Pizza Everyone loves pizza, don’t they? I sometimes empty the fridge of suitable toppings and let my girls create their own. We once ended up with a tomato sauce and sweetcorn creation. It was the most unappetising pizza I have ever seen. I tried to argue the case for the addition of a little grated cheese or some ham, to no avail. My daughter actually ate the whole pizza!! Whether out of sheer stubborn determination to prove that she could make her own culinary decisions, (Capricorn... say no more) or because she actually liked it I shall never know... For the Dough 250g Strong Bread Flour 15g Fresh Yeast 100ml Tepid Water 3tbsp Milk 1tbsp Olive Oil A Pinch Salt For the Tomato Sauce 500g Tomatoes, peeled and chopped 1 Onion, finely chopped Olive Oil, for frying 2 tsp Sugar 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped 1 tbsp Tomato Puree 1 tbsp Basil Salt/Black pepper For the Topping You decide this one, it’s all about your favourite pizza, or just use what you have handy in the fridge. Suggested Toppings Cheese - mozzarella, ricotta, Parmesan, goat’s

cheese, cheddar. Herbs - basil, thyme, marjoram, sage, parsley, rosemary. Seafood - mussels or cockles, (both must be cooked in white wine), anchovies. Meat - mortadella, salami, ham, Parma ham, bacon, cooked chicken, minced beef. Other goodies - artichoke hearts, aubergine, mushroom, onion, peppers, fresh tomatoes, garlic, spinach, black or green olives, chilli, rocket. Start by heating your oven to 200OC. In a large bowl, mix the flour and the yeast, add the water, milk, olive oil and

salt. Mix together, knead for five minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl for one hour to allow it to rise and double in size, cover with a tea towel. To make the tomato sauce, gently soften the onion and garlic in some olive oil on a low heat. Add the sugar and chopped tomatoes. Cook covered for about 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking for about 20 minutes until the tomato mixture thickens and the liquid has evaporated. Add the basil and tomato puree. Continue cooking for five minutes. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about 5mm thick. Put onto a baking tray. Spread the tomato sauce and any other choice of toppings on the pizza. Bake for 12-15 minutes. MP

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Food Events in June Suffolk Show Wednesday 1st and Thursday 2nd June. Trinity Park, Ipswich. Gate Prices - Adult £19.00, Senior Citizens (60+) £17.00, Children (4-16 yrs) £7.00, Family (2 adults, 2 children) £43.00, Car Park Ticket £5.00 The Suffolk Show is the County’s biggest annual event and offers a great day out for all the family. Don’t miss the ‘Adnams Food and Drink Experience’ with fabulous local produce to taste and buy. Check out the new Suffolk Eat Street area c omplete with ‘café pavement style’ seating where you can relax and eat what you buy. www.suffolkshow.co.uk _______________________________

Colchester Farmers Market Friday 3rd June. Colchester Arts Centre, Church Street, Nr Mercury Theatre. 9.30am - 2.00pm. Free Admission

Open Farm Sunday Sunday 12th June. Visitors Centre, Wilkin & Sons, Tiptree, Colchester CO5 0RF. 10am - 3pm. Free Admission. An annual event that gives everyone the chance to meet the farmers who grow their food and care for the countryside. Taste Wilkin & Sons world renowned jam, take a ride to the strawberry fields, follow the orchard walk, meet the fruit farmer, sample the strawberries and taste ‘Tiptree’ Ice cream. Meet the piglets from Wicks Manor, watch falconry displays, view the steam engines & tractors including ‘Truckwells’ and see cookery demonstrations by celebrity Chef Rachel Green. For more information on other local farms participating in Open Farm Sunday please see wwwfarmsunday.org

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Cooking with BBQ Ben Saturday 4th June. Perrywood Garden Centre Coffee Shop, Kelvedon Road, Inworth, Tiptree, Essex CO5 9SX. 11.00am - 3.00pm. Free Admission

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Colchester Medieval Festival & Oyster Fair Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th June. Lower Castle Park, Colchester. Gate Prices - Adult £6, Children £4 (under 14), Family £18 A full medieval style fair, with many of the peripheral activities that this major annual event of the period would have offered. It remembers a time when folk from the countryside and neighbouring villages would travel to the ‘Big Fair’ in the town. “We shall have plenty of modern food outlets for the visitors’ pleasure outside the fair perimeter, but cooking will be on show and maybe pie and biscot sellers roaming... and of course Oysters.” www.oysterfayre.flyer.co.uk

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Wivenhoe Farmers Market Saturday 18th June. The Congregational Church Hall, High Street, Wivenhoe 9.00am 12.00pm. Free Admission Over 18 stalls of fresh, seasonal and local produce. _______________________________

Winemaker Tasting Dinner with Sam Lindo of Camel Valley Vineyard Wednesday 22nd June. Artisan & Vine 126 St John’s Hill, London SW11 1SL. Tickets: £29.95 each, to include dinner and tasting. Suppliers to The Queen, among others, Camel Valley has developed a strong following for its multi award winning wines. Camel valley have been forerunners in the push for wines that are distinctly English in character. In this tasting, Sam will reveal some of his new release wines. Tasting and three course meal, specially prepared by resident chef James Robson. www.artisanandvine.com/events/ best-of-english/

Quality foods, locally produced. Over 20 Stalls. Make a date to support your local producers.

Celebrity Chef Ben Bartlett is part of the British BBQ team and has appeared on This Morning, Daybreak and Ready Steady Cook. He will be demonstrating how to cook delicious food on your BBQ. www.perrywood.co.uk

farm box and two hours to create some delicious dishes. Don’t forget to bring an instrument for Tractor Factor, wellies for feeding the pigs and clothes for general mud stomping!” www.realfarmfestival.com

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Taste of London Thursday 16 June Sunday 19 June. Regent’s Park, London. Advance Tickets - Adult £22, Children (6-14yrs) £12 Now in it’s 8th year, Tastes of London returns to Regent’s Park with an aweinspiring line-up of Michelin starred restaurants, globally renowned chefs. Heralded as the World’s Greatest Food and Drink Festival! www.tastefestivals.com/london _______________________________

Real Farm Festival 17, 18 and 19 June. Church Farm, Hertfordshire Weekend Camping Ticket - Adult £50, Children 5-16 £25, Under 5’s Free. Ticket includes campfire fuel, entrance to workshops and talks, plus ingredients for Saturday night’s Cook Off. Live acts, DJs, performance poets, yoga sessions, fascinating talks and workshops, and plenty of fresh farm food... “Bring your chef hat for the camp-wide Pot Luck Cooking Challenge where you and your campfire buddies will have one big

The Colchester Food and Drink Festival Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June. Castle Park, Colchester. Adults £3, Children under 12 Free From 10.30am, both days A great day out for anyone who loves food, drink and gardens. It is a true festival with lots of entertainments, over 120 food stalls, real ale, fine wine, and celebrity guests! www.colchesterfoodanddrinkfestival.co.uk _______________________________

The Royal Norfolk Show Wednesday 29th and Thursday 30th June. Norfolk Showground Advance Tickets Adults £18, Children (5-16) £6.50, Under 5’s Free The largest two-day agricultural show in the country. The Food Hall aims to promote all that is best in Norfolk. There will be a large section presenting local foods & local beer producers. The Cookery Theatre will feature some of Norfolk’s best chefs demonstrating many different seasonal dishes full of the best ingredients Norfolk has to offer. www.royalnorfolkshow.co.uk

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E AT I N G O U T

PIZZA AND PASTA Strada 19-20 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 542854 Valentino’s 11 High St, Wivenhoe CO7 9BE Tel: 01206 825738 Ristorante Favoloso 2-4 Balkerne Passage CO1 1PA Tel: 01206 549080 Ask Colchester 16 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 366379 Pizza Express 1 St. Runwald’s Street CO1 1HF Tel: 01206 760680 Zizzi 12 Headgate CO3 3BT Tel: 01206 576816 Prezzo 1 Culver Street East CO1 1LD Tel: 01206 573388 Granata’s Restaurant 42 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PY Tel: 01206 762277 Portofino Haven Rd, Colchester CO2 8HT Tel: 01206 795043 Pizza Hut Turner Rd, Colchester CO4 5JR Tel: 01206 546545 GASTROPUBS The Anchor 26 Court Street, Nayland CO6 4JL Delicious Food Served Daily, Lovely Riverside Setting, Warm Welcome Tel: 01206 262313 FAMILY Balkerne Gate Brewers Fayre Ipswich Road CO4 4WP Tel: 01206 852932 Harvester 186 London Road, Stanway CO3 8NZ Tel: 01206 575456 Nando’s Chicken Restaurant 11-13, Head St, Colchester CO1 1NX Tel: 01206 760344 AMERICAN Sloppy Joe’s American Dinner 37 High Street CO1 1DH Tel: 01206 577229 Clowns Restaurant 61a, High Street CO1 1DN Tel: 01206 578631 Frankie & Benny’s Tollgate West CO3 8RH Tel: 01206 216220 TRADITIONAL The Coast Inn 108 Coast Rd, West Mersea CO5 8NA Tel: 01206 383568

Beefeater Restaurant & Pub The Albert, Cowdray Ave CO1 1UT Tel: 01206 561914

Naree Thai Restaurant 10 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 560633

La Tasca 14-15 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 768060

Dedham Restaurant & Boat Hire Boat House, Mill Lane, Dedham CO7 6DH Tel: 01206 323153

The Thai Dragon 35 East Hill CO1 2QX Tel: 01206 863414

La Cascada Fox St, Ardleigh CO7 7PP Tel: 01206 864030

Thai 1 82a East Hill CO1 2QW Tel: 01206 870011

The Old Siege House 75 East Street CO1 2TS Tel: 01206 792333

The Greyhound Pub and Restaurant 62 High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AZ Tel: 01206 825573

INDIAN Alishan Tandoori Restaurant 19 Osborne St CO2 7DP Tel: 01206 564009

BAR AND GRILL Qube Bar & Grill 8 Crouch Street CO3 3ES Tel: 01206 578800

Green Room Restaurant North Hill Hotel, 51 North Hill CO1 1PY Tel: 01206 574001

Ashiana Tandoori 181 Magdalen Street CO1 2JX Tel: 01206 570533

Fountain House Dedham Hall, Brook Street, Dedham CO7 6AD Tel: 01206 323027

ORIENTAL Fai’s Noodle Bar 26-27 St. Botolphs Street CO2 7EA Tel: 01206 762288 Banquet 1408 Chinese Restaurant 342 London Rd, Stanway CO3 8LT Tel: 01206 211588 North Hill Noodle Bar 2 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 618790 House of China 19-21 Crouch Street CO3 3EN Tel: 01206 575111 Embassy Oriental Buffet 2 Balkerne Hill CO3 3AA Tel: 01206 572266 Fulin Chinese Restaurant 24 Osborne Street CO2 7DA Tel: 01206 577888 Orientation Oriental Restaurant Mercury Theatre, Balkerne Gt CO1 1PT Tel: 01206 368100 Chef Canton Chinese Restaurant 2a Crouch Street CO3 3ES Tel: 01206 572703 China Blue 25 Head Street CO1 1NH Tel: 01206 761876 China Chef 73 Crouch Street CO3 3EZ Tel: 01206 546953 SPECIALITY Le Talbooth Gun Hill, Dedham CO7 6HP Tel: 01206 323150 Milsoms Stratford Road, Dedham CO7 6HW Tel: 01206 322795 Chystal Restaurant 49, St. Botolphs Street CO2 7EB Tel: 01206 545566 The Barn Brasserie Brook Road, Great Tey CO6 1JE Tel: 01206 212345

The Lion Public House The Street, Ardleigh CO7 7LD Tel: 01206 230083

Bellapais 7 Centurian House, St. Johns Street CO2 7AH Tel: 01206 571830

The Cricketers Spring Lane, Fordham Heath CO3 9TG Tel: 01206 583357

Baumanns Brasserie Ltd 4-6 Stoneham St, Coggeshall CO6 1TT Tel: 01376 561453

Tandoori Villa 6 Villa Road, Stanway CO3 0RH Tel: 01206 369600 Curry India Tandoori Restaurant 119-121 Crouch Street CO3 3HA Tel: 01206 571555 Raj Palace 28 North Station Road CO1 1RB Tel: 01206 760920 Way to the Raj 90 Coggeshall Rd, Marks Tey CO6 1LS Tel: 01206 211495 Titash Restaurant Ltd 40b High St, West Mersea CO5 8QA Tel: 01206 381778 ENGLISH Indulgence Restaurant & Bar 62 High Street CO1 1DN Tel: 01206 765090 Fountain House Dedham Hall, Brook Street, Dedham CO7 6AD Tel: 01206 323027

FISH ‘N’ CHIPS Fish N Grill 120 High Street CO1 1SZ Tel: 01206 540333 Myland Fisheries 32 Nayland Rd, Mile End CO4 5EQ Tel: 01206 841495 Rons Plaice 56 London Rd CO3 4DF Tel: 01206 540436 Nindys 28 Dugard Ave, Colchester CO3 9EJ Tel: 01206 769184 The Islander 37 High St, West Mersea CO5 8QA Tel: 01206 382305 MODERN CUISINE The Bakehouse 5 High St, Wivenhoe CO7 9BJ Tel: 01206 824569 Parliament Restaurant at The Red Lion High Street CO1 1DJ Tel: 01206 577986 The Lemon Tree 48 St Johns St, Colchester, CO2 7AD Tel: 01206 767337

BISTROS AND BARS Love Bistro The Minories, 74 High St. CO1 1UE Tel: 01206 765131

The Lexden Crown 235 Lexden Rd, Colchester, CO3 4DA Tel: 01206 548490

The Anchor 26 Court Street, Nayland CO6 4JL Tel: 01206 262313

Warehouse Brasserie 12 Chapel Street North CO2 7AT Tel: 01206 765656

The Peldon Rose Inn Colchester Rd, Peldon CO5 7QJ Tel: 01206 735248 The Angel St. Marys Square, Kelvedon, CO5 9AN Tel: 01376 573746 Jardine 140 High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AF Tel: 01206 820390 Copacabana Bar and Grill 62 High Street CO1 1DN Tel: 01206 765090 Restaurant at The George Hotel 116 High Street, CO1 1TD Tel: 01206 578494 EUROPEAN The East Street Grill East Street CO1 2TZ Tel: 01206 866677 Cafe Rouge - Colchester 59 High Street CO1 1DH Tel: 01206 541839

FISH AND SEAFOOD West Mersea Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant Oyster House, Coast Rd, West Mersea, Colchester, Essex CO5 8LT Tel: 01206 381600 The Company Shed 129 Coast Road, West Mersea CO5 8PA Tel: 01206 382700

For your restaurant to be considered for inclusion in Colchester 101 please call us on 01206 544700 or email mailus@Colchester101.co.uk

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Your Guide to eating out in and around Colchester

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HOME & GARDEN A D V E R T O R I A L

What’s New In Town This Month? Have you noticed? Another shop premises in Crouch Street has been busily refurbished over the last few weeks so as to welcome a new high-end retailer. Yes, go past Guntons on your way out of town, and next door to Simply Living you find yourself at 91 Crouch Street, to be precise. Depending on when you read this article you will either find, or soon find, a new fabulous Kitchen, Bathroom and Bedroom showroom that has been put together by H2O Interiors. The new showroom will be opening on Saturday 11th June. Who is this new company that is braced to take on the competition so boldly, despite there being two other high-end kitchen showrooms within a stone’s throw? The company is H2O Interiors, and they are certainly not new kids on the block. H2O Interiors was actually established in 1998 by Andrew Foley. And quite literally ‘on the block’, the company has been operating very successfully for years but hiding its prowess from passers by, with a showroom just behind Crouch Street that this new one will replace. When asked why he was taking on the new premises, Andrew indicated that he felt it was high time passing traffic could see just what the company has to offer. This is certainly a vote of confidence in the stylishness and wherewithal of at least some of

Crouch Street’s normal footfall. But he has every reason to be confident in what the company has to offer. With over 20 years within the industry, Andrew has gained many accolades with his projects around the country. He is still very much involved in the design and day to day project management and is committed to providing the very best service to all his clients. The company takes pride in every design they produce and have a dedicated team of professionals to carry out the installation of their projects. The majority of their products are sourced from Germany and Italy where quality of design and manufacture are strong. Before establishing a partnership with these suppliers, H2O also verifies their ability to

deliver within specified time, ensuring that for their own installations, agreed schedules of work are observed to the day. Whether you are looking for high a quality expertly installed bespoke kitchen, wet rooms to full bathroom facilities, or made to measure complete bedroom installations, H2O interiors will assist you from the design stage to fixture selection and installation. They even take care of all electrical work, flooring, plastering and decorating if required. The extensive ranges will all be presented at the new showroom, where a highly experienced team who understand clients’ needs will also be on hand to advise.

OP NEW E Cr N S ou IN HO ch G W Str ee TH t, C IS RO O olc he MO M ste r C NT O3 H 3E

Kitchen, Bathroom & Interior Specialists Quality and Professionalism - from initial design to completion of the project h2o The Design Studio, 91 Crouch Street, Colchester CO3 3EZ. 01206 540202 info@h2ointeriors.co.uk www.h2ointeriors.co.uk 24

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HOME & GARDEN

5 bedroom semi-detached house to let

5 bedroom detached house for sale

Halstead Road, Lexden. £1225pcm

Wimpole Road, Colchester. £389,995

An unfurnished versatile Victorian house ranged over 4 floors. The property is within easy reach of the A12, Colchester North Station, Marks Tey Station, Colchester town centre and is in the Philip Morant Secondary School catchment area. Lower ground floor: Fitted kitchen/breakfast room, garden room, master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and second bedroom with en-suite shower room. Ground floor: utility room or further kitchen, dining room and main sitting room each with feature fireplace. First floor: Two bedrooms with built-in wardrobes and family bathroom. Second floor: Fifth bedroom. Parking for up to 4 cars. Attractive back garden with decking and a summer house.

BELVOIR!

Call Belvoir: 01206 364444

the lettings specialist

Situated in New Town, this property comprises entrance hallway with lounge/diner, conservatory, kitchen diner, utility room and ground floor shower room. To the first floor there are five good sized bedrooms and family bathroom with a separate shower room and two further loft rooms. The property is further enhanced by a 55ft x 44ft rear garden, an oversized garage and driveway for off road parking for multiple vehicles, double glazing throughout and gas central heating.

Call Palmer & Partners: 01206 572233

Palmer & Partners Property sales with service

5 bedroom detached house for sale

2 bedroom ground floor apartment to let

Keepers Green, Braiswick. £475,000

George Williams Way, Colchester. £670pcm

A stylish and well appointed five bedroom detached residence offering spacious well planned family accommodation. This impressive home benefits from a lounge opening onto a conservatory, re-fitted kitchen and a double garage. Located close to the prestigious Colchester Golf Club and within easy reach of Colchester North Station.

Ezelet are delighted to offer this 2 bedroom ground floor apartment. The property is within walking distance to the town centre and local railway station. It benefits from both gas and electric, modern kitchen, family bathroom, double glazing and allocated parking. The property offers two bedrooms, lounge, modern kitchen, bathroom, gas central heating, double glazing. Available Now.

Call Boydens: 01206 762244

Call Ezelet: 01206 564700

eze let

Let BELVOIR! find the right tenants for your property Winner of the “Best Lettings Agency Franchise - Gold Award” at the Lettings Agency of the Year 2010 in association with The Sunday Times and The Times.

To arrange a free professional appraisal of your property, call us on 01206 364444 www.belvoirlettings.com/colchester Belvoir Colchester, 1 Montrose House, Eld Lane, Colchester, Essex CO1 1LS

BELVOIR! the lettings specialist

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Editor’s Choice Our top four homes of the month

eze 101issue8_Layout 1 27/05/2011 17:06 Page 26

let Let your property the

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101issue8_Layout 1 27/05/2011 17:06 Page 27

HOME & GARDEN

By Rosie Hunter Since starting my business in 1995, I have seen vast changes in the interiors and soft furnishings industry. Most homeowners now have access to inspiration and ideas at the click of a button from their own living room, and yet often are struggling to create a home which reflects something unique to them. From the moment you move in to your first home, the ebbs and flows of your life accumulate around you. Living spaces are required to adapt to different stages of life. When a family grows, the home evolves and can become detached from any structure or design layout. Most of us do not have the budget to change all our furniture at the same time, resulting in the dilemma of having to adapt a room around a sofa that will be changed eventually. Often a fresh approach from a professional without an emotional attachment to the home and family is all it takes to make the step to start the ‘daunting’ prospect of finally creating a home with space and style. I have enjoyed helping many clients to move through these stages, which has led to the evolution of Style Hunters. In recognition of the 150 years anniversary of the founding of Morris & Co, I would like to tell you about his influence on Interior Design. Inspired by his love of medieval art and design, Morris set out to revive the traditions of craftsmanship which, in his mind, had been lost during the Industrial Revolution. Furthermore, Morris demanded that good quality furnishings should be available to all and not just the wealthy. Regrettably however, his two aims were to some extent at odds with each other, as hand crafted goods were often much more expensive than machine made products. Taking on his inspiration and quotes such as ’have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful,’ I realised how today we still find good quality furnishings to be at odds with cheap imports flooding our shops encouraging a ‘chuck away’ society. I am always asked for advice on window treatments to best suit all styles of house, but also taking into account varying budgets. Often the client is pleasantly surprised when I suggest simply changing the layout of the room, by making some small amendments not always requiring new curtains or blinds. A stylish home that adapts to the demands of everyday life can be achieved without having to

spend thousands employing interior designers or major building projects. If you are fed up with your home and wish it was more stylish but don’t know where to start, a consultation and a Style Hunter’s package to suit your budget and overall requirements could be the answer. My aim is to provide inspiration and ideas without spending a fortune and in some cases turning unwanted furniture into cash. Perhaps the spare guest room is now an unnecessary luxury and would be better used as an office/snug for teenagers. You can still achieve a look and style which will be personal and unique, whilst avoiding the same generic high street brands associated with bargains. I will provide access to a full list of independent local approved suppliers and professionals, who still offer good value for money but more importantly a high standard of craftsmanship and service, personal to you. The ‘before and after’ pictures are recent examples of projects where the client had found their dream home location, but wanted to improve on the soft furnishings inside the house. The clients wanted to create a feeling of space and style without having to spend thousands on re-decorating. We achieved this by asking the client to imagine the room completely empty, then removed 80% that they had simply learnt to live with and did not notice any longer. Gradually we reintroduced only essential items with a strong emotional tie. We did not even have to re-decorate, by choosing the ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ package, which identifies three key rooms within your home for a style makeover, a fresh and complete look was achieved. Come along to the 5F Festival Friends, Fashion, Food & Furnishings at the Farm to learn more and chat with Rosie about how Style Hunters can work for your home on Thursday 16th June 7pm onwards at Allens Farm, Tye Road, Elmstead, Colchester, Essex, CO7 7BN. For further details on the Style Hunters packages, contact Rosie Hunter Tel 07990 558686 email:curtainhunters@mac.com or visit website for more information www.curtainhunters.co.uk

The Property Detective • Building Surveys • • HomeBuyer Reports • • Rental and Property Management • • Specialist Commercial Property Services • • Rent Reviews & Lease Renewals • • Small Business Rates Advice • • Town Planning Matters • • Property Developments •

Leslie J Long FRICS Chartered Surveyors, Valuers, Property Consultants & Managers

Telephone: 01206 545139 Email: LJL@eyesurvey.co.uk 54 Prettygate Road Colchester Essex CO3 4EQ.

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

Simple Inspiration to Personalise Your Home

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HOME & GARDEN

How to Create an Outdoor Living Room? Photo: www.nickstrugnell.com

By Sven Wombwell Have you considered creating an outdoor living room? In last month’s edition of Colchester 101, my article painted a picture of the type of outdoor living we all perhaps associate with the Mediterranean, or with the gardens and terraces of the best contemporary Bars and Hotels more locally. I was hoping you would be taken with the idea of creating such a space in your own back garden, which would surely be the best way to make the most of the current spells of warmer weather. With the key pointers we discussed last month in mind, you would know how to evolve the concept of the space and no doubt you have thought about where to locate it in your garden, and maybe you have even prepared a space. Or it could be that you already have such an area, or a patio that you use from time to time, but it could do with a revamp to really lend its full appeal this summer and get you to enjoy more of your time outdoors?

Whether you are starting from scratch to create an outdoor living room, or redeveloping an area of the garden that has not met its potential, you can’t go wrong if you consider all the choices that you have beforehand and work out which option will best meet your needs. There are also a number of design tips that I am giving you this month that will make it the really perfect, and personal, addition to your property. Style: One of the most important design rules is to ensure that the garden and architecture are well suited, there is no point in creating a Moorish outdoor room next to a brand spanking new minimalist villa. Materials you use should complement the buildings and surrounding area to avoid the risk of looking out of place. Underfoot you could look at natural stone, terracotta, tiles and timber decking; all permanent hard surfaces that are easy to clean and comfortable to traverse. Avoid materials such as gravel and lawn which can move and need regular maintenance. Here are a few more tips: Concentrate on a great view: If you are fortunate enough to have a great view from your property then make this the focus of the outdoor room. If you don’t have this luxury then make sure to position a feature of interest that can be appreciated when sat in the space. This could simply be a specimen plant, water feature or sculpture, anything that will draw the eye and be a conversation piece for your guests. But do be wary that the main focus of this kind of space is conversation so the positioning of all the elements needs careful consideration.

Styling is everything: Just like when styling your home on the inside, your garden needs the same consideration and treatment. Thankfully even for those with smaller budgets, retailers have hundreds of stylish trinkets that can be used to decorate the space. Lanterns, table cloths, candles, pots and planters, fire pits, pin (fairy) lights, and even rugs that are suitable for outdoor use are readily available, so let your personality and flair shine with the right accessories. One designer trick is to tie in the soft furnishings and flooring from inside the home to the outside, this creates a unity within the scheme that flows seamlessly. Subtle lighting: Lighting is well worth considering to firstly create atmosphere and secondly to help with safety. Lighting should be subtle and soft ensuring that glare is kept to a minimum, there is nothing worse than being blinded by wrongly positioned lighting. Pick out some features in the garden that can be lit from beneath as focal features, hang lights over arches, pergolas and behind drapes to add soft accents. And be sure to light up any steps, cooking areas and dangers…let’s face it, after a few sangrias one small step for man can be a giant trip for mankind! Planting: Gardens are all about the plants, plants are the living element of the garden that create that sanctuary feeling, they are the artists paints and the strings to an instrument without which all would be silent. Planting is where most people get it so wrong, so my advice is to keep it simple. In the modern garden big blocks of one plant have a dramatic effect so enclose your room using low lavender hedging, grasses and bamboo. Or for a more Mediterranean look use twining vines, jasmine and grape vines clambering over a pergola with large palms and evergreens around the perimeter for height. The ultimate garden living room can be created by

using planting to produce the walls and this can be done in a number of different ways, one of which could be creating a boundary by using trellis and then planting climbers to grow up it. This option offers a quick and cheap solution. Alternatively you could create the room by using just plants, for example, using taller screen plants all around the perimeter such as bamboo or a simple hedge grown to whatever height suits the space. The advantage green walls have over hard walls is the fact that they are soft on the eye with green being the most calming of all the colours, they also provide a great backdrop to lower level planting for added interest. You could even take the minimal route and simply have a decked or paved area, and on each corner place a tall accent plant that will act like pillars supporting nothing but the clear blue skies overhead! So if you really want to be ahead of the game, stay at home, get out in the garden and create a sanctuary worthy of the best hotel around…you will soon have friends flocking to escape to your pad…that is, if you can be bothered to get up and answer the door!

My company specialises in design, consultation, garden construction and makeovers which start from £99 and we also offer a full planting service. If you want to chat through any ideas please feel free to get in touch at sven@internationallandscapes.co.uk or call on 0845 4085 382/0790 4087 188

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HOME & GARDEN

let us m make make your garden a place pllace that you can relax in....

FOR A FREE EE QUOTE QUOTE CALL ANDREW ON:

0845 45 260 7651 a.ross@nicenstripy.com a.ross@nicenstripy.com www.nicenstripy.com www.nicenstripy.com

Holiday Care There is nothing worse than going away for a restful break and returning to a garden which has become overgrown, unkempt and worse still, a real nightmare to find out that some of your best plants have died! If the forecast is for a dry spell whilst you’re away you need to put a watering plan into action. Asking a reliable friend or relative to water for you is a good move, leave instructions with them and remember to give them access to a tap or full water butts. Move pots into the shade, use shades in the greenhouse and mulch around the veg plot with grass clippings. Lovely Lawns The grass plants in your lawn need water as well, especially with the dry weather that we’ve experienced throughout March, April and May! With all watering, water in the early evening so that the water has time to soak into the soil rather than evaporating immediately in the heat of the sun. Lift the height of the mower blades to increase the length of the grass plant. This helps to save on water loss during the day. When we do get regular rain again and the lawns are back in tip top shape, remember that regular cutting with lower blades helps thicken the lawn. So if going away for a week or more, a reliable, professional gardener can make sure your grass is cut to perfection. All gardeners should access the garden from the outside if possible, use their own petrol mowers and strimmers and deal with the grass clippings and debris… apart from a cut and striped lawn (and an invoice) you shouldn’t see any sign that they have even visited! Do you know anyone that may need help over the holiday season? For more details of nicenstripy’s professional lawn care and garden maintenance service in the Colchester area, or for a free no obligation quotation for one off work or a discounted year round package, contact Andrew on 0845 260 7651 or visit www.nicenstripy.com.

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

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101issue8_Layout 1 27/05/2011 17:07 Page 30

A Problem Shared By Simon Taylor and Sally Hodgetts This month we at Colchester 101 wanted to tell you about a very special service that is offered by the staff working in one of our pre-school nurseries close to the town centre. It just goes to show how much force for good there really is on our own doorsteps, here in Colchester. Carol Nice, Nursery Co-ordinator tells you more… tepping Stones Play and Learn Group is a nursery integrating children with additional needs - a registered charity and non-profit making. I would like to tell you about the work the nursery does and why it is unique, and so essential, to the families that are engaged with the nursery. Let me start by giving you a bit more background about us.

The story so far The group formed in 1991 to give children with special needs the opportunity to play alongside their peers, and also to give parents much needed respite care. Parents wanted a group where their child was not the only one with special needs, and where staff had knowledge that enabled them to meet the individual needs of the children. We are a parent led group and as parents have identified their own needs the group has grown to meet them. This is one of the reasons why we have developed our service to meet special needs in a very comprehensive way over the last 20 years. The age range of children attending is from 0 - 16 years, the nursery is open five days a week and children have sessional or full day care depending on the child’s individual needs and parental needs. We have a high staff ratio as our children with additional needs have a one to one key worker. This gives the child the support he or she needs to access all the activities in the group, something which we feel to be an essential element of the care we offer. We also co-ordinate our care with outside agencies such as physiotherapists, speech therapists and occupational therapists. We teach all our children Makaton signing, which supports understanding of speech. Our children’s needs are sometimes really considerable and range across children with Cerebral Palsy, Autism, Down Syndrome, various syndromes which result in developmental delay, blind children, deaf children and children with little or no language skills. We have children who are hydrocephalic or who are terminally ill and who present challenging

behaviours. Some children are tube fed and we administer drugs and can manage catheters and stomers. We also manage seizures. Our aim is to create an environment enabling children to understand and tolerate each other’s differences, to provide play activities and equipment, enabling children to enjoy developing to their full potential. But we also aim to support parents, giving them practical support, listening and guiding them to the relevant outside agencies and opportunities to talk to each other. We provide an environment where outside agencies can meet, observe the children and liaise with parents, whilst the child is being cared for by staff they know. This causes less stress for parents who have to continually visit doctors, clinics etc. We work closely with the whole family, because we have learned that this is the best way to support the children that are with us. Giving our families what they need We offer respite care through the summer break and a baby-sitting service to enable parents to have time together outside the home. It is very difficult to socialise when you have a child with additional needs, and some parents have no family nearby and can feel very isolated. Supporting and strengthening parent’s ability to cope with the extra demands placed upon them is really very much appreciated by our parents. Through our work linking parents together, there is much support to be gained from another parent who has experienced what you are feeling. Parents asked especially asked for the opportunity to meet other parents when they were given a diagnosis for their child. We have a tots group in our soft play and sensory room, where parents of babies and toddlers with additional needs can meet to gain support from each other and from nursery staff. Parents can also book their baby in for up to two hours throughout the week and have a break. We have an after school clubs for five to sixteen year olds. We have sessions for five to nine year olds and sessions for ten to sixteen year olds. The children

that attend have challenging needs and we have groups of ten with eight staff. This enables them to access outside community activities such as swimming or bowling, when both children and staff have great fun! We also offer respite to our parents through the long school holidays. This also enables parents to give siblings time, as we have learnt often their lives have to fit round the needs of their brother or sister. How you can help! It is of course costly to provide the one to one key worker each child needs to enable them to attend and to access activities with their peers. We need specialised equipment to help the children develop their learning and life skills. Our costs our high. We are continually raising money to meet these needs. We are very reliant on the kindness of people who raise money for us, without this support we could not provide the service our parents need. Our group has developed in a way that we could never have planned, our parents with mainstream children continually feed back to us that they feel their children have benefited greatly by playing with children with additional needs. When a parent has a child with special needs they have to learn very quickly how to tube feed administer drugs, respond to challenging behaviours and deliver all the care that their child needs. They have been our teachers and we are continually amazed at the courage our parents show. Fundraising will always be high on the agenda and we welcome local and community groups and business to support us, enabling us to provide our much needed service. If you are a local company looking to support a local charity then please think of us as we are very keen to forge strong links with our local community and you are welcome to come and visit to see us ‘in action’ any time. Check out our new website for more information: www.steppingstones1.co.uk

If you have a story to tell then send it to us at mailus@colchester101.co.uk

HELPLINES

If you need help and support to deal with an addiction or crisis, below are contact details for organisations dedicated to providing support and advice for a variety of problems.

Alcoholics Anonymous Support group for persons needing help to overcome and recover from alcoholism. Helpline 0845 769 7555 Email: help@alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk Al-Anon Family Groups Support for anyone whose life is, or has been, affected by someone else’s drinking. Helpline 020 7403 0888 Email: enquiries@al-anonuk.org.uk www.al-anonuk.org.uk Narcotics Anonymous Support group for persons needing help to overcome and recover from drug addiction. Helpline 0300 999 1212 www.ukna.org

Cocaine Anonymous Support group for persons needing help to overcome and recover from cocaine addiction. Helpline 0800 612 0225 From UK Mobile Phones 800 612 0225 Email: helpline@cauk.org.uk www.cauk.org.uk Colchester Gay Switchboard Help and advice for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals and those affected by HIV and AIDS. Helpline 01206 869191 or 0845 1 23 23 88 www.gayessex.org.uk Brook Free and confidential sexual health advice and services for under 25s providing professional advice on Contraception, STIs and Pregnancy. Helpline 0808 802 1234 www.brook.org.uk

Overeaters Anonymous Overeaters Anonymous is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience, strength and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating. Helpline 07000 784985 www.oagb.org.uk beat The leading UK charity for people with eating disorders and their families. Helpline: 0845 634 1414 Email: help@b-eat.co.uk Youthline 0845 634 7650 Email fyp@b-eat.co.uk www.b-eat.co.uk Relate Support and advice, relationship counselling, sex therapy, workshops, mediation, consultations and support. Telephone: 0300 100 1234

Families Need Fathers Support and information if you are separating or divorced and are worried about not seeing your children, or the effects on them. Open to mothers, fathers, grandparents, new partners and extended families. Helpline: 0300 0300 363 www.fnf.org.uk Samaritans If you are in crisis, feel distressed or are perhaps thinking of suicide, Samaritans trained volunteers can give you the time and space to talk about your feelings, help you explore your options and perhaps seek a way to face the future. 24/7 Helpline 01206 561234 www.Samaritans.org Open Road Reducing the harmful impact of drugs and alcohol on users, their families, partners and society. Telephone: 0844 499 1323

101issue8_Layout 1 27/05/2011 17:07 Page 31

Colchester 101 Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine June 2011. www.Colchester101.co.uk

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01206 544700 www.TonicOnline.co.uk The Studio, Tye Road, Colchester, Essex CO7 7BN. Email: enquiries@e-Tonic.co.uk

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Colchester 101 is a full colour FREE A4 Colchester magazine bursting at the seams with local news, interviews, things to see and do, reviews, music, theatre, sport and much more... Free Please take one

2011 Issue 8 June

Advertising Opportunities INSIDE FRONT PAGE Type area 270 (high) x 190mm (wide) Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area) SINGLE PAGE Type area 270 x 190mm Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area) OUTSIDE BACK PAGE Type area 270 x 190mm Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area)

are

are Modern English

Back in Town

tial June’s Essen Events Guide ell’s Angela Mitch & Trends Fashion Tips

LISTINGS Y COMMUNIT FA S H I O N WELLBEING H E A LT H & RDEN HOME & GA

Gig Reviews Eating Out in Colchester Guide

ss All Colchester’s Acce

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101

INSIDE-BACK PAGE Type area 270 x 190mm Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area)

I.T. SOLUTIONS YOU CAN TRUST Computer, Server & Network Support Disaster Recovery Planning Web Design, SEO & Hosting Packages

e Areas Magazin

HALF PAGE (landscape) Type area 133 x 190mm QUARTER PAGE (portrait) Type area 133 x 93mm

Contact: 01206 544700 mailus@Colchester101.co.uk

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EIGHTH PAGE (landscape) Type area 64 x 93mm Advertorial Features Get your business noticed

Colchester 101 is the Colchester magazine written by LOCAL people, for LOCAL people, about LOCAL people, LOCAL issues and LOCAL events, and some other pretty cool stuff thrown in too!

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