The Mayor’s view

As my term of office as Mayor comes to an end, I reflect on how much the Town Council has achieved. As Chairman of the Town Council, it has been a busy and challenging year, managing a number of projects whilst continuing to run our services. The protection and viability of our Charter Market has continued to be a priority despite the closure of Cottis Lane car park and I am pleased to say that the market continues to thrive.

Epping Town Council is a very busy Council with multiple services and functions to fulfill. Both Epping Hall and the Jack Silley Pavilion have been busy, we now have a brand-new playground at Lower Swaines and improvements have been made to the well-used playground at Stonards Hill Recreation Ground. Our two allotment sites are valued by the community and we have a waiting list for both and the popular Town Show and Christmas Market which attracted a great many people. All this could not have been achieved without the dedication and hard work of the council staff led by our Town Clerk Beverley. It has been an honour to represent the Town, carrying out Civic duties such as presenting the Queen’s

Platinum Medals to our on-call Epping firemen, unveiling the blue plaque for our Town’s Charter Market, reading the Proclamation of the Accession of King Charles III following the death of our dear Queen Elizabeth II, welcoming friends from our Twin Town Eppingen for a 40th anniversary and laying wreaths on behalf of the Town Council on the war memorials at Coopersale and Epping. I have had the pleasure of meeting many interesting and hardworking people when cutting ribbons, presenting certificates and attending local events, too many to mention by name. At the Annual Town meeting, I was very grateful to Wendy Clarke who gave us an interesting presentation of old photographs showing Epping from Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation up to present day. My thanks go to everyone who supported the dinner I held in support of the Turkey and Syria Earthquake appeal. I am delighted to say we raised £4676. The year has passed very quickly and I am grateful for the support I have received from my husband Roy. It only remains for me to thank my fellow Town Councillors for all their hard work and support, in particular my deputy Christine Burgess, Nigel Avey as planning chairman and Grahame Scruton, key member for finance, all of whom have worked very hard in these vital roles to support the Town.

Barbara Scruton

New Freeman of Epping: Humphrey Wheeler

Epping Town Council have the honour of being able to present a Freeman of Epping award to commemorate someone in the Town whose contribution to Epping life has been outstanding over a considerable number of years. This is a rare award and has only been awarded six times in the last 27 years. Our current Freemen of Epping are Letitia Berry and John Batchelor. Freemen who are no longer with us were Ruth Benjamin, Freddy Limer MBE, Denys Favre and Arnold Verrall. In February 2023, Epping Town Council voted unanimously to award local resident and businessman Humphrey Wheeler, the honour of Freeman of Epping. One of Humphrey’s key involvements is with the Epping-Eppingen Twinning Association. He is the current president and has been chairman, membership secretary and publicity officer. Mr Wheeler owned Argus Lighting, a shop which stood on the corner of the High Street and St Johns Road for 43 years. At one time there were six lighting outlets. Humphrey was born and raised in Epping and has lived in the town for about 70 years. He also assisted with the town’s Christmas lights for many years.

Town Mayor (2022-23) Barbara Scruton said: “Many people will know him as a friend, neighbour, shopkeeper and colleague, who continues to shine in our community and who still has the interest of Epping at heart.”

Pictures from top to bottom: Humphrey Wheeler with wife Linda. Humphrey receiving the Freeman honour from Town Mayor Cllr Barbara Scruton. Humphrey and Town Mayor Barbara with Freeman John Batchelor.

Community Award 2023

Epping Playground Association have won the Community Award 2023 for their amazing work raising £176,000 for the new playground at Lower Swaines recreation ground. Town Mayor 2022-2023 Cllr Barbara Scruton who opened the playground was delighted to present them with their award and their new ‘thank you to our sponsors’ sign. Siobhan Garrett, Habibah Wise, Donna Hourihan, Karen Laing (and David Garrett).

Firefighter Derek Whitbread receives his British Empire Medal

Epping Fire Station Watch Manager Derek Whitbread, who is Essex’s longest-serving on-call firefighter, has received his British Empire Medal from Deputy Lieutenant of Essex Hugh Pegrum.

Mr Whitbread, who received the honour in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Honours List last June, has served the town for almost 50 years, having joined the fire service in 1975 “to give it a trial for six months or so” when persuaded by fellow firefighter John Batchelor. His contribution to keeping Epping safe has been recognised in the past by both Epping Town Council (Townsperson of the Year 2013) and Epping Forest District Council. At the time he joined the fire service, he was working for Denray Engineering in Epping. After completing his training, his first emergency call was to a light aircraft crash in Lindsey Street. In the hot 1976 summer, he was among the crew who tackled a major blaze at Ongar Park Woods.

Mr Whitbread was at the major fire at Clinton Cards in Epping in 1990 and has attended numerous barn fires, road collisions and floods. He was a proud member of the Epping Fire Station crew that won both the Essex Fire Service Brigade and D Division Efficiency Drill Competitions in 1991. Several of his call-outs have been to incidents which made the national news. Two hijack incidents at Stansted Airport and the December 1999 air disaster when a Korean Air Jumbo cargo plane crashed on the edge of Hatfield Forest, are among the countless incidents he has attended. Mr Whitbread, who attained the rank of Sub Officer in 2000, was the first officer in charge of a major fire at the Breezers nightclub at Cottis Lane, Epping in 2001. An Essex County Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: “Mr Whitbread has held a whole rate status contract for most of, if not all, his years’ service giving 120-plus hours of fire cover a week. He joined the then Essex Fire Brigade at 19 rising to the rank of Sub Officer in charge and later Watch Manager.”

John Batchelor, who retired from the fire service in 2002, said: “During my time serving with Derek in the Epping fire crew and as both Leading Fire Fighters and later as my Sub Officer in Charge, Derek has always shown a real firefighter's skill at dealing with dangerous and challenging incidents but with a firefighter’s humour that sets him out as a true leader when needed.”

Townsperson of the Year 2022

Epping Town Council were delighted to award Townsperson of the Year 2022 to Roger Emmens. Roger received the Townsperson of the Year award in recognition of his work with Epping Horticultural Society as a committee member and for organising and helping to run the Society’s trading hut on the Meadow Road allotments site. He also helps new plot holders to get started. Roger also donated and runs Epping Weather Station, based at Stonards Hill recreation ground and volunteers for Voluntary Action Epping Forest undertaking a variety of tasks, including helping with gardening, at vaccine clinics, delivering food parcels and assisting with open days. He also contributes hugely to the work of the Friends of Swaines Green conservation charity. He was awarded his certificate and gift from Town Mayor 2022-23 Cllr Barbara Scruton.

Young Townsperson of the Year 2022

Epping Town Council were delighted to award Young Townsperson of the Year 2022 to Sonny Bazzoni. Sonny was nominated for a number of reasons, but wanted to focus on the area he was most proud of; his work with the Essex Supports Ukrainian Families (ESUF) initiative which saw the organisation run a community hub facility at the Civic Offices in Epping. Sonny highlighted the hugely important work of the ESUF and the sheer volume of people it had helped. Sonny received his certificate and gift from Town Mayor 2022-23 Cllr Barbara Scruton.