Talk About Epping Spring 2021

TALK ABOUT EPPING TOWN MAGAZINE

SPRING 2021

2 TALK ABOUT EPPING

The Mayor’s view

from the local infant and primary schools are invited to send in a design for the Christmas card used by the Town Council.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor then have the difficult role of choosing the winning entry.

This edition of Talk Currently, all of the About Epping is again Town Council’s hire being produced as a spaces are closed. digital version in This includes the order to reduce the newly refurbished potential threat of tennis courts and the spreading Covid 19 outdoor gym at by unnecessary Stonards Hill and all delivery to residents’ the football pitches. letterboxes. During As government December we found guidance allows, ourselves in Tier 4 these facilities will be and now in lockdown. reopened. Notification As a consequence, of the opening of the activities and these facilities will be therefore the events posted on the Town that Epping Town Council’s website. The Council have been playgrounds remain able to stage, and open, as allowed by support, have been government guidance, much reduced. This but users of these was particularly the playgrounds should case during Christmas. ensure they follow the We were still able to user guidance. put up the Christmas As always, I would like lights and thanks to to thank all the staff the Rotary Club of of the Town Council Epping, the Christmas for their continued tree on the piazza. and committed hard The Christmas Market work during these took place in the trying times. The middle of December grounds staff work but on a much reduced extremely hard scale and during keeping the Town daylight hours only.

Council’s green spaces It was felt necessary in good condition and to take these the Town Clerk and measures in order office staff work to maintain social tirelessly dealing with distancing and to the ever changing avoid overcrowding. guidance being issued Unfortunately, the due to the pandemic. annual Christmas Tree On a very positive Festival staged by note, Epping Town St John’s Church was Council are delighted not able to be put on to be working with because of the Epping Playground restrictions and it was Association to deliver greatly missed. We a new playground at look forward to its Lower Swaines return this year. recreation ground.

I would like to thank Finally, I wish everyone all the pupils who well and look forward entered the annual to a safer and brighter Mayor’s Christmas spring. card competition.

Each year the children

Grahame Scruton

Christmas tree and lights in Epping

Epping Town Council hope the Christmas lights and trees in the Town brought some extra cheer in December. The Town Council deliver the 25 foot central Christmas tree on the piazza, provide the 120 small Christmas trees on the shopfronts and illuminate the five large trees on the approach into town.

We would like to thank our contractors and community partners who helped us deliver the festive display, under particularly difficult circumstances in these times.

Epping Town Council meetings

Epping Town Council’s full Council, committee meetings and working party meetings have continued throughout 2020 and the current health situation, but have taken place remotely,

by Zoom.

All meetings are open to the public and all agendas, minutes and Zoom access codes can be found on our website, under the relevant section at: www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk If you have any access problems, please email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk and we will be able to help.

At the current time, full Council meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month. Planning meetings are held on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month.

Climate and environmental awareness policy

Epping Town Council have adopted a Climate and Environmental Awareness Policy, which is designed to build more environmentally sustainable practices into our operations on a long-term basis.

Details of the policy can be found alongside all our other policies at www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk Please share any sustainable, recycling and environmentally friendly initiatives you may be involved in at home or within the community.

Our local gardening group, Epping in Bloom, have lots of interesting environmentally and wildlife friendly ideas.

For more details, contact: eppinginbloom@gmail.com

Green spaces

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During the past year, our green spaces have been busier than ever. Epping Town Council look after Stonards Hill recreation ground, Lower Swaines recreation ground, Frampton Road recreation ground, Ivy Chimneys playground, Parklands, Coopersale playground and Brook Road recreation ground.

Within those areas, we have tennis courts, a skate park, outdoor gym equipment, playgrounds, a petanque piste and football pitches. Please use all areas safely in line with any government guidance. Social distancing must still be maintained outdoors, so please be aware of other users around you as you enjoy them.

Meadow Road and Lower Bury Lane allotments

Epping Town Council run two allotment sites; one in Meadow Road and one in Lower Bury Lane. Both have been very popular over the last year as people enjoy more time outdoors.

Both allotments have waiting lists at the current time, but if you are interested in having your name added to the list, please contact us on: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk

Poppy competition for Talk About Epping’s cover

As we were not able to commemorate Remembrance Sunday last year in the way we would normally in November, we invited our local school children to design a poppy picture for a competition, where the winner’s picture would become the front cover of Talk About Epping, Winter 2020. The Town Mayor, Cllr Grahame Scruton, was overwhelmed by the volume and quality of poppy pictures we received. We have been displaying many of them on a banner outside Epping Town Council’s offices at Epping Hall in St Johns Road and on the entrance doors to the building ever since.

We would like to say an enormous thank you to everyone who took the time and trouble to design such wonderful poppy pictures. It was so difficult to choose the winner (Little Sunbeams nursery, front; Ula Samms, back). Here are a few more of those excellent entries. We just didn’t have space to display them all in the last edition.

Look our for Remembrance events this year in Epping. Our War Memorial will be 100 in May. We need to celebrate its birthday! More details to come.

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Townsperson of the Year 2019

Each year, Epping Town Council seek nominations for the Townsperson of the Year Award. The winner of the Townsperson of the Year Award 2019 is Liz Jones. Many residents nominated Liz for her work with St Clare’s Hospice, the Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital, the Oxfam shop in Epping High Street and many other organisations over the years.

As the Mayor, councillor Grahame Scruton, was unable to present the award at the annual Civic Reception last year, he presented Liz Jones with a very well-deserved certificate and flowers at Julie’s at Stonards café in December, when they were allowed to be open.

Fluxs’ Lane Scout Hut gets an early Christmas present

Works to refurbish the 1st Theydon Garnon Scout Hut on Flux’s Lane have finally begun after more than ten years of fundraising for the cause. It is hoped that the first-phase of works will be complete in time for meetings to resume at the much-loved Hut early next year.

Originally known as 1st Theydon Garnon Boys Scouts, the Group was established in 1966 and has been making a difference to young peoples’ lives on the Flux’s Lane site ever since. The Hut has been in constant use for over 60 years and has been in need of repair and modernisation for some time.

As well as hosting weekly group meetings for the Beavers, Cubs and Scouts, the Hut Group Headquarters serves as the local polling station, and is host to local dance groups, Brownies, and a dog club to name a few. It is privately rentable by the hour or the day and it is hoped that the improvements to the building will attract more private use of the facilities, such as local classes and community events, in order to raise much-needed funds for further works to the building.

This first-phase of works includes repair to the Hut’s structure, new external cladding and windows, and some internal alterations. Once sufficient funds have been raised, phase two will involve further works to the interior, namely refurbishment of the kitchen, the addition of an office space for Group Leaders, and replacement of the ceiling in the main hall. The third and final phase of the works will be the replacement of the roof.

Since the first lockdown in March 2020, scouting activities - from regular meetings to virtual camps - have largely been held remotely, and the Scout Group is looking forward to putting the refurbished Hut to good use as soon as possible.

Sadly, Covid restrictions in 2020 have curbed the Group’s regular fundraising activities, which would have included bag packing at Tesco and stalls at various local events throughout the year.

The Group would like to express its thanks to local contractor Gillard & Sons Ltd, who are undertaking the majority of the work at this stage, and local supporters who have contributed funds towards the project, including: Ivy Chimneys Primary School, The Forest Gate Inn, Yoga Legs, Tesco Epping, St John’s Church, Epping, Epping Town Council, Epping Forest District Council, Essex lottery, and a very generous local donor following an article in Talk About Epping. The Group would also like to thank Citigroup, The National Lottery, HSBC, Charles S French Charitable Trust, Fowler Smith and Jones Trust & The Rank Foundation for their very generous donations.

Contributions towards the refurbishment of the Hut can be made via the 1st Theydon Garnon Scout Group Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/1st-theydon-garnon-scoutgroup?utm_term=awq6xw6Vv. Email: 1sttgs@gmail.com 1st Theydon Garnon Scout Group Chairman website: http://www.theydongarnonscoutgroup.org.uk

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Census: Sun 21 March 2021 Census Day is Sunday 21 March

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The decennial census is almost upon us. Households across Epping Forest District Council will soon be asked to take part in the nationwide survey of housing and the population. The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives us the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

Information from the digital-first census will help decide how services are planned and funded in your local area. This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, housing or new bus routes. Households will receive a letter with a unique access code in the post, allowing them to complete their questionnaire online. It will be the first run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets. Paper questionnaires will be available on request.

Census day is March 21. Census 2021 will provide a snapshot of modern society.

“A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said. “This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes. That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”

Census day will be on March 21, but households across the country will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March.

The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And, for the first time, there will be a question asking !"#$%&#)++3#-+./*#;2420## people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for 8#9"(',':;:< $$$21"(','25+62,7 those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years and kept safe for future generations.

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Swaines Green May Fayre 2021

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we, The Friends of Swaines Green, have sadly decided not to hold our May Fayre this year. However, we do hope by 2022 everything will be back to normal and so will our wonderful Fayre.

Meanwhile, our conservation work continues (in a Covid safe way) and we are always in need of volunteers.

To find out more about Swaines Green, our conservation days and our adult and child friendly downloadable resources, please visit our website at: https://www.swainesgreen.org.uk Facebook: The Friends of Swaines Green https://www.facebook.com/groups/swainesgreen or email us at swainesgreen@gmail.com The Friends of Swaines Green

Epping in Bloom are a fun and friendly gardening group.

Why not join them as a volunteer when it is safe and we are allowed to be involved in volunteering activities again?

The group look after the community garden, market garden terrace, beside Marks & Spencer, as well as Tower Road green. They also now have their own allotment plot at Meadow Road and welcome volunteer help when allowed.

The Chairman is Victoria Robertson.

Please contact Epping in Bloom directly on: eppinginbloom@gmail.com

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Epping Christmas Market: Friday 18th December 2020

Epping Town Council’s Christmas Market took place on Friday, December 18, and featured over 30 stalls. Stallholders along the High Street sold Christmas crafts, gifts and food with the market open during the daytime from 9am until 4pm.

There were socially distanced measures in place in line with Covid-19 guidelines from the government and road closure consent from Epping Forest District Council. There were changes to the look and format of the event this year from previous years. There were security staff and a police presence who attended along with support from Councillors and staff marshalling during the day. The number of stalls at the Christmas Market were much fewer than previous years.

The Christmas tree and lights are very important to keep the festive spirit but there was no ‘switch on’. There was no entertainment from local performers or side shows provided.

The festive Christmas lighting in the town, annually installed by Epping Town Council, added to the Christmas atmosphere and included the annual central 25ft Christmas tree on the ‘piazza’, kindly sponsored by the Rotary Club of Epping.

Limited free car parking, courtesy of Epping Forest District Council, was available in the Cottis Lane car park from noon.

The weather was not as good as it could have been, but the market still attracted consistent numbers of residents during the day who socially distanced from each other and stallholders.

The Town Council wanted to hold this event to mark the celebration of Christmas for residents and to help local businesses.

Epping War Memorial

Epping war memorial will be 100 on 8th May 2021. It was unveiled in 1921.

The memorial is made of Somerset Doulting Stone and is a Grade II listed monument.

In its setting under the trees on the Town Green, it does get dirty. The memorial must be cleaned carefully, using conservation techniques, and not too often, in order to preserve the porous stone. It will be cleaned again in May/June 2021.

We hope to be able to hold a commemoration to mark this important milestone for the memorial. Each year, it is central to the Remembrance events that are held in the town to mark the fallen of Epping.

If anyone would like more information on the history of the war memorial, please email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk

Thank you to everyone who has submitted an article for Talk About Epping. Please keep them coming in.

High resolution cover pictures also welcome for consideration.

Epping Town Council look after Stonards Hill recreation ground, Lower Swaines recreation ground, Ivy Chimneys play area, Frampton Road recreation ground, Parklands, Coopersale playground, Meadow Road allotments, Lower Bury Lane allotments and Lovelocks Meadow, for our community.

Please use them safety, particularly at the current time, and especially in the playgrounds.

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Lower Swaines playground refurbishment project

Epping Playground Association (a group of local parents) is working in partnership with Epping Town Council, to refurbish the playground at Lower Swaines recreation ground and would like to share some positive progress.

Firstly, we would like to thank Grange Farm Trust for accepting our application and offering £4,000 to go towards brand new equipment.

We are so grateful for this contribution.

Secondly, we would like to announce that we have selected Kompan as the playground equipment provider for the refurbishment.

Two Epping Playground Association trustees worked closely with Epping Town Council’s playground committee, and carefully considered each proposal put forward from five different playground providers. Kompan earned the highest score for their innovate design and exciting plan. The company’s representative has shown a genuine enthusiasm for providing great play equipment, that we know will be fun and stimulating for our local children.

We are so excited about these plans to redevelop the current play area and with our essential clubs and activities closed and socialisation brought to a halt due to the pandemic, this is something great for our community to look forward to, and is needed now more than ever.

Although progress is being made, a lot more still needs to be achieved in terms of funding. The estimated cost of the project is £120,000 and we currently stand at a promising £7,598. We would love local businesses to be a part of this project by making a donation or ‘buying’ an item of play equipment with a plaque.

We will continue to complete funding forms and very much appreciate public donations.

Please go to our Go Fund Me page (QR code right) to help towards this goal; to provide a great playground facility for children in our local community.

Email: eppingplaygroundassociation@gmail.com The pictures above shows roughly what our new playground should like like, subject to final designs.

Annual Report

Each year, Epping Town Council issue an Annual Report, detailing Council’s structure and finances, which is presented at the Annual Town Meeting (held between March and June). The date of the Annual Town Meeting is still to be decided (depending on the current health situation), but this will be published when available. If you would like to attend the Annual Town Meeting to talk to your local town councillors, please look out for the date.

If you would like any information about Epping Town Council, please get in touch.

This year, we hope to refurbish the playground at Lower Swaines recreation ground; we will be cleaning the War Memorial and continuing to run all the services and functions that we provide for our community.

Epping Town Council’s new website

Epping Town Council are in the process of having a new website designed, which should be clearer and easier to use. We will let you know when it is ready.

The Town Council’s website has lots of information, including Council agendas, minutes, planning agendas and minutes and details of our services, such as halls for hire, the market, allotments and recreation grounds.

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Ashlar House: as generations unite

By Oovie Usher

The best part of the 10th month of the year is Halloween. Our residents knitted scarves and jumpers for their grandchildren and Halloween themed decorations and snacks took pride of place on the shelves around the home. Those who participated in decorating made the day enjoyable by messing around, placing pumpkin face masks and hats with a touch of reminiscence of their childhood.

My name is Oovie Usher and I am a year 4 teacher at Coopersale and Theydon Garnon Primary School. Last year I contacted Ashlar House to see if year 3 and 4 pupils could visit the home to interview the residents to learn about ‘History within living memory.’ Thankfully for us as a school, the home were very accommodating and with help of Rita, their Activities Coordinator, we managed to arrange 2 visits for 75 pupils to visit. The children were prepped about dementia and loved meeting, interviewing, and chatting with the residents and their families.

Many children came back to school saying it was the best trip they had ever been on, which showed the fantastic impact it had on the children and what a worthwhile, beneficial exchange it was. We returned to the home in December to sing Christmas carols and pass on the Christmas cards that the children had made for the residents.

Some of the children that spoke to a particular resident even made a birthday card for her upcoming 100th birthday as they had warmed to her so much in just the hour they spent with her.

As a previous Activity Coordinator and Wellness Coordinator in dementia specialist care homes, I am acutely aware of how important it is to create these inter-generational links as I have seen first-hand how special the interactions between children and the elderly are, and it was always a focus of mine when in that role. As a teacher, I was determined to keep this link going and utilise my experience to connect with a care/nursing home and it has been brilliant to work with Ashlar House. This new academic year, due to Covid-19 restrictions, obviously not only are the children not able to go on school trips, but care and nursing home residents are not allowed to have visitors which can have a massive impact on their mental wellbeing. Working together with Rita, we have decided to use technology to maintain our connection between children and residents and while physical visits are currently unattainable, we are excited to begin virtual sessions this week. Knowing how positive the reactions with the initial 3 classes were last year, I enquired with other teachers and it is very exciting to say that as a school, every single class is now eager to be involved with this project.

We are looking forward to holding weekly sessions presenting our work to residents and opening up opportunity for reminiscing discussions, virtual story time listening to residents read stories to our classes or potentially even completing virtual quizzes. This is a fantastic opportunity for both the school and the home and we are pleased to continue working together, knowing we can help our local community and play our part in creating sessions that should create meaningful moments both for our children and the residents.

Epping Monday Market

Epping’s Monday market has been open, closed and partially trading during the various stages of government tiers and lockdowns.

Several of the traders have been with us for many years and the market is a real part of Epping’s community life.

It has also enabled people to buy their essential items in the outdoor air.

We have missed our Monday market while it has been closed and we hope it will be back with us in full in the coming months. Your practising of social distancing and safe shopping in the market and High Street is much appreciated as we hopefully welcome it all back soon.

AbFabFitClub

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With restrictions in place for gyms on and off for most of the year, AbFabFit Club have not only been pivoting their business to online classes but still raising money for charities. Working closely with Epping Upper Clapton Rugby Football Club, AbFabfit Club raised £755.00 through a line dancing event and an online auction to help the Rugby Club hit their 5K target to help the families of Norway House at Christmas. Also back in October, the club raised £1000 for a Breast Cancer Awareness Event.

AbFabFit Club, a ladies only gym, with 2 physical locations and an online programme, helps empower women to become fit and healthy through a supported programme that gets results. Hundreds of local ladies have benefited from the club. Achieving the local guardian newspapers ‘Best Gym of the Year 2020’ award shows how AbFab has got things just right.

Members get help with all aspects of fitness and health and AbFab have their very own ‘accredited psychotherapist’ along with a team of specialists to get the results needed for a healthier lifestyle.

Founder and owner Jaine Alderson says “our gyms offer a unique solution designed to empower more mature women to create lasting lifelong changes to their mind, body and health.

This is within a non-judgemental, fun environment surrounded by a community of like-minded, caring and supportive ladies, members have the ability, drive and motivation to make the changes they want to see in their lives.”

The club has an extensive range of resources plus app based 1-1 check-ins offering nutritional support and guidance.

At AbFabFit Club ladies enjoy changing their lifestyle habits to a much fitter, healthier and happier one.

Contact details: info@abfabfitclub co.uk www.abfabfitclub.co.uk Tel: 07796956116

Qualis Commercial submits planning applications for Bakers Lane car park and Cottis Lane car park

Following extensive public consultation, Qualis Commercial has submitted planning applications for its Bakers Lane car park and Cottis Lane sites. Feedback and comments have been taken into consideration throughout the consultation, with the evolution of the two schemes clearly demonstrating that the local community has influenced the final submitted designs.

Proposals for the Bakers Lane car park site show a new leisure facility incorporating a six lane pool, gymnasium, studios, a new sports hall and squash courts and a first floor public viewing gallery. The scheme has been designed to ensure residential neighbours have no loss of amenity and a comprehensive landscaping strategy is included to create high quality public and private spaces. This will be a true community facility, not just a leisure centre but an asset to serve numerous uses in the town, a place for people to exercise and also meet and socialise.

A new car park to service the High Street with no net loss of spaces is proposed at the Cottis Lane site, providing priority spaces placed at ‘street level’ and all spaces will have the potential for electric vehicle charging.

Cinema, retail and offices are also included in the final configuration but Qualis Commercial is committed to a phased approach to development to ensure that any new commercial activity is appropriate and complements the High Street as well as promoting and encouraging travel by environmentally friendly methods. The vision is that Cottis Lane will form the ‘Yard’, a flexible hub for new and creative business that can connect into the town and use the new courtyard spaces to showcase their work and engage with the community.

There will be space for events which will enliven the town, along with a new south facing public square and amenity space, new public toilets, cycle storage and public realm connecting to Bakers Lane and the High Street. The company’s vision is to develop schemes of high quality in design and material which are sustainable, flexible and serve the best interests of the community.

Both proposals have been designed to reflect and consider the architecture and space of existing buildings, local character and the history of the town, breathing new life into the roads and streets beyond the High Street.

For further information, please contact Helen Doherty Varrie on 07713 175850 or helen@puttockbrown.co.uk or Anne-Marie Brown on 07710 069186 or annemarie@puttockbrown.co.uk Please note: These proposals relate to Qualis and Epping Forest District Council. NOT: Epping Town Council.

Qualis Group is a holding company, wholly owned by Epping Forest District Council to provide the delivery of quality services, regeneration, housing ownership and management. All profits made by Qualis Group will be (ARTICLE BY QUALIS) reinvested back into the District.

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Mayor’s Christmas card competition

Epping Rotary finds a way

Each year, the Mayor of Epping invites our local school children to design their Christmas card.

Once again, in December, we received lots of wonderful designs. The winning design, which was made into the Mayor’s Civic Christmas card (large, top left), was the creation of Skye Cohen (age 7-8), from Coopersale Hall School (CHP). The runners up, clockwise, were Dorkhanai Khan (age 8), Epping Primary (EP), Ula Samms, (age 3-4), CHS, Rory Beavis (age 8), EP, Jesse York (age 4-5), CHS and Kaiser Panesar (age 9-10), CHS. Thank you very much to all the children who took part. It took the Town Mayor, councillor Grahame Scruton and Deputy Mayor, councillor Michael Wright, a very long time to pick the winners, as the standard was so high.

Covid-19 somewhat curtailed our activities this year and prevented us from distributing funds to help as many good causes locally and around the world as we would usually have done, but didn’t completely stop us from finding ways to serve the local community as well as the international community.

The shortage of PPE equipment prompted the club to recruit a team of volunteer machinists to make scrubs. In September, we delivered scrubs for all four wards in St Margaret’s Hospital. We have also donated funds to St Clare’s Hospice to purchase sets of ward curtains so that they can be rotated for cleaning during the pandemic.

Epping Rotary contributed £500 to The ‘Kids Out’ Charity who organised 6000 boxes of toys, worth £85.00 per box as Christmas gifts for children living in London homeless refuges. Two of our members travelled to Leighton Buzzard to help sort toys and pack boxes. Our volunteers have also acted as stewards for the Covid Vaccination Programme both in Epping and Harlow.

Donations to overseas charities have been maintained, feeding children and families across the world and helping to eradicate Polio wherever it still exists and micro-funding young men and women in far flung countries to help them make a living and who repay the money through their own efforts, ready to be loaned to others in need.

For many years, the Santa Sleigh has travelled around Epping, Theydon Bois and North Weald to the delight of children, but this year as a result of Covid restrictions, we were only able to do two evenings.

Once again, Epping Rotary contributed to the community festivities by sponsoring the Town’s Christmas tree.

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Stonards Hill recreation ground tennis courts

In the summer of 2020, Epping Town Council unveiled our new tennis courts at Stonards Hill recreation ground. Since then, the courts have been open and closed, depending on government guidance and lockdowns.

As we move into the spring, and when we move out of lockdown, the tennis courts will be available for public play in the daytime and evenings (we have new floodlights as part of the refurbishment.) If coaching is required, our community partner David Watson Tennis will be delivering pre-arranged coaching sessions. Please contact him directly. Tel: 07775 890306. To book a court, you will need to sign up for a free Club Spark account (set up by the Lawn Tennis Association). You will then receive an access code. This should be an easy online process. If you have any problems, please email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk or tel: 01992 579444.

Prostate Cancer

1 in 8 men aged 50 and over will get prostate cancer.

(1 in 4 if you are a black man).

There may be no symptoms or pain to indicate Prostate Cancer.

A simple blood test can save your life.

Talk to your GP. ProActive Prostate Cancer Self-Help Support Group www.proactive.me.uk Tel: 07747 374692

When the call for help is made, communities come together for NHS frontline team and Covid patients at Princess Alexandra Hospital

From a little plea on social media for support for our heroes on the NHS frontline did a huge outpouring of kindness, love, appreciations and support flood in. We have now collected, at short notice, twice in the past 4 weeks and have been astounded and overwhelmed at the response. Not just local communities, but far and wide coming together in Covid safe organised giving to donate items that we knew were desperately needed to support our frontline nurses and teams who need snacks on the go and water (and other drinks) plus toiletries to make their long days a little more bearable and patients who go in with nothing but the clothes on their backs (as they are rushed in due to Covid and have nothing with them). All gifts are being quarantined and then distributed to frontline teams and patients at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow.

We have collected shampoo, conditioner, hair masks, face cleansing wipes, face spritzer, Sudocrem, eye masks, hand cream, hair combs/brushes, foot masks, foot cream, shaving foam/gel, deodorant, bottled water, drinks and of course packaged food items that can be eaten on the go. We also received many letters and notes of thanks and love for NHS frontline nurses and teams for their hard work; so very beautiful.

Melanie, the frontline organiser, wanted to show her appreciation. “I need to thank so many for their support and generosity – Will and Ellie at Epping Golf Course for the use of their lovely Clubhouse, Theresa Dennis and Cherry McCredie for Covid safely helping me, Nina Maskell (Buckhurst Hill) and Nadine Davy (Harlow) for collecting on our behalf in those areas. I’d also like to thank Tesco, Epping for gifting a generous gift card which we did a supermarket sweep of the above items and Marks & Spencer, Epping who also generously gave a bag of goodies and BBC Essex Radio for inviting us live on air to speak about what we are doing. And, of course, I need to thank everyone who took time to come and deliver in a Covid safe and secure manner to us at Epping Golf Course Clubhouse. Thank you so very, very much.”

Due to popular demand and necessity (both on the part of the givers wanting to continue giving and those receiving whilst we still go through theses awful times), we collected again from the 29th January to the 31st at the same place, Epping Golf Course, Flux’s Lane, Epping. CM16 7PE. If you would like further information, please contact me, Melanie Whitten, on 07810 283676. Thank you again.

EPPING TOWN COUNCIL

2019-2023 Members - Hemnall Ward Cllr N Avey Cllr C Burgess Cllr C McCredie Cllr B Scruton Cllr M-L Whitbread Cllr J Whitehouse

nigel.avey@btinternet.com christine_burgess@hotmail.com 07831 501598 01992 572333 mlwhitbread1@gmail.com 01992 561875 jon@jonwhitehouse.org.uk

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS Please note: meetings will be by Zoom (digital platform) during the coronavirus health situation.

Times and dates may vary, so please check Epping Town Council’s website. Zoom start times are likely to be 6.30pm. Council dates may vary at this time.

February 2020

9 Planning 18.30 11 COUNCIL 18.30 23 Planning 18.30 Members - St John’s Ward 23 Corp Gov TBC March 2020 9 Planning 18.30 Cllr I Black 01992 577073 11 COUNCIL 18.30 Cllr J Duffell 07847 357493 23 Planning 18.30 johnduffell@live.co.uk April 2020 13 Planning TBC Cllr R Griffiths 07917 841823 15 COUNCIL TBC griffiths74@gmail.com 27 Planning TBC Cllr H Pegrum 01992 572173 May 2020 11 Planning TBC Cllr G Scruton grscruton@gmail.com 13 ANNUAL COUNCIL TBC Cllr M Wright 07926 516097 25 Planning TBC Cllr N Avey, Cllr C McCredie and Cllr Jon Whitehouse are FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING, SEE EPPING also District Councillors.

TOWN COUNCIL’S WEBSITE FOR MEETINGS Other Local Representatives EFDC & ECC Cllr Chris Whitbread (01992 573557) Cllr.Christopher.Whitbread@essex.gov.uk EFDC Cllr Les Burrows (01992 572003) cllr.lburrows@eppingforestdc.gov.uk EFDC Cllr Holly Whitbread (07508180426) holly.whitbread@btinternet.com EFDC Cllr Janet Whitehouse (01992 812503) cllrjanetwhitehouse@gmail.com MP: Dame Eleanor Laing MP (020 8508 6608) eleanor.laing.mp@parliament.uk

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epping town council responsibilities

Bury Lane Cemetery Halls: Monday Charter Market Epping Hall, St Johns Rd Christmas Market Jack Silley Pavilion, Recreation Grounds: Stonards Hill Stonards Hill Allotments: Articles for the next edition of Talk About Epping must Ivy Chimneys Lower Bury Lane be submitted before 16 April 2021 (Summer issue) Lower Swaines Meadow Road and 23 July 2021 (Autumn issue). Submissions Frampton Road Town Show should be sent to Epping Town Council via email: Parklands, Coopersale Continental Markets info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk clearly marked Brook Road Bakers Lane Toilets ‘Talk About Epping’. Please send in copy on a word document (200-300 words max). Please attach pictures as Talk About Epping (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter) separate jpegs (not inserted into the word document). Consultee on Planning The editor may amend copy appropriately.

Epping Town Council’s Planning Committee consider every planning & TPO (tree protection order) application in Epping and give their views to Epping Forest District Council, who are the local planning authority.

If you are organising an event which you would like the Mayor or a representative of the Town Council to attend, Thank you to David Jackman, please email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk Everything Epping Forest, for his marked Invitation for the Mayor or tel: 01992 579444.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor attend many different ongoing media support. events over the year to support our local groups, Visit: www.everythingeppingforest.co.uk businesses and organisations.

talk about epping deadlines

invitations for the mayor

For more stories, visit our website:

www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk Follow us on twitter: @eppingtown Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/epping.towncouncil

TALK ABOUT EPPING is published by EPPING TOWN COUNCIL Epping Hall, St Johns Road, Epping, Essex, CM16 5JU Tel: 01992 579444 Fax: 01992 579446 email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk