Talk About Epping Spring 2023

TALK ABOUT EPPING

SPRING 2023

The Mayor’s view Epping Christmas Market

We are going through very difficult times at the moment, but during the Christmas period it was clear that most people were determined to enjoy Christmas and this was reflected in the number of people who came to the Christmas Market organised by the Town Council, the Christmas Tree Festival in St Johns Church and on Christmas Eve, Carols on the Green organised by Rotary. I was delighted to be invited to the lighting of the Menorah and the message was that Chanukah bears a message of hope for all of us in these uncertain times. There were some beautifully dressed Christmas windows this year and I decided to involve our school children in choosing the winner. We all walked the High Street and went back to Epping Hall where the children helped me choose. Local schools were also invited to design the Mayor’s Christmas card and again this was a difficult choice as there were some wonderful entries. Looking back since the last edition of Talk

About Epping, I must thank the British Legion and Revd Lee Batson for their part in organising the services of Remembrance and this year it included a service at St Alban’s Church in Coopersale.

In October, the Town

celebrated 40 years of Twinning with Eppingen in Germany and we were delighted to welcome their Bürgermeister and guests to celebrations at Epping Hall. Many of you will have visited the new Lower Swaines playground. I had the pleasure of opening it on a very damp and muddy day and thanked the Epping Playground Association, supported by the Town Council, for their work over three years raising the money to install an exciting and inclusive playground. The City of London provided an oak tree which was planted by our Deputy Lieutenant on the Green as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy, a nationwide initiative created to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. When her late Majesty died in September, the Town Council sent condolences to Buckingham Palace on behalf of Epping. I was honoured to receive a card of thanks from His Majesty The King, which will be kept in the Town Council’s archives as an important historic record. Ride London will once again be coming through Epping on Sunday 28th May and a working party has been formed to look at how Epping can showcase the event and attract people to the Town to support our businesses. Before I close I must thank all the staff both in the office and the grounds team for all their hard work and wish you all a very happy 2023.

Barbara Scruton

The annual Epping Christmas Market took place on Saturday, 3rd December last. Entertainment was provided by children from Coopersale Hall School Choir, Coopersale and Theydon Garnon School, Epping Primary School Choir, the Ivy Chimneys Primary School Choir as well as Sorelle London Academy, Rock Choir and local musicians ‘Hanna and Music’ and Matthew Shepherd. There was also a visit from Elf on the Shelf, while there was a Santa’s Grotto and craft stalls at Epping Fire Station. Epping Library joined in with a festive event with a visit from two therapy dogs, Ronnie and Scrumpy, where the children can read to them as well as storytelling and a crafts session.

St John’s Church hosted the annual Christmas Tree Festival with craft stalls and some 52 decorated trees on display.

The Town Council’s festive window competition was won by Cole’s outfitters in Epping High Street with Piccola and SO Studios commended for their Christmas shop displays. The retail shop display was picked by local school children for the town council. Cole’s was presented with the Audrey Rose Cup, named after a former Epping Mayor and presented annually for the best Christmas window display.

The cup and certificate was presented by Town Mayor councillor Barbara Scruton at December’s Christmas market which attracted many people to the High Street. Cllr Scruton said: “Thank you to those who attended, those who participated in the entertainment, all the stallholders, EFDC for free parking, Mullocks for providing promotional letting boards and the use of Epping Primary School car park.”

Thank you to everyone who took part in the Christmas Market and visited. This is a wonderful day to bring our community together and enjoy our great town.

Gladys Wise’s 103rd birthday

Epping Town Mayor Cllr Barbara Scruton and her Deputy Cllr Christine Burgess spent a lovely afternoon at Ashlar House helping to celebrate the 103rd birthday of Gladys Wise. Staff and residents alike really enjoyed the tea and cake and the excellent entertainment. They chatted to many guests but the star of the day was Gladys herself who certainly enjoyed her glass of bubbly.

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were very happy to be part of the celebrations and would like to thank Ashlar House for inviting them and making Gladys’ special day one to remember.

Bell ringing at St John’s Church: By Charlotte Billington

It was always my teenage ambition to join a band. Now, a few decades later and after months of patient and completely free tuition, I am now a member of the band of bell ringers at St John’s Epping tower.

A bell is fairly straightforward as a musical instrument as you are only in charge of one note. However that note involves controlling, with a piece of rope, a quarter of a ton of metal on a wheel. Another challenge is that once you can control the bell fairly well, there are many methods (different sequences to ring the bells in) with whimsical names such as Grandsire, Bob doubles and Cambridge Surprise to learn.

So why do I ring church bells? 1) It’s fun. 2) I get to make a big noise and, if lucky, a big beautiful noise. 3) It’s sociable. I’ve met all sorts of different people of all ages who are united in their love of bell-ringing and absolutely determined to keep the bells of the churches of Essex ringing (which for esoteric reasons includes a lot of NE London).

St John’s Epping Tower needs new band members to ring its eight lovely bells. Learners can start as teenagers and there is no upper age limit. We meet for bell ringing practice every Monday evening from 7.30-9pm in the tower at St John’s Church on the High Street, CM16 5DN. Please call Epping Tower Captain Ian Apps on 07584 650799 if you’d like to pop in and have a go at ringing a bell. We’re a friendly bunch and would love to meet you.

Remembrance at Barchester Ashlar House

Remembrance Sunday is a day to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts.

During the day, our residents enjoyed putting a remembrance display together, with their own handmade wreaths and poppies, which turned out beautifully. We enjoyed a special church service to honour veterans and armed forces members who have died in the line of duty and we read some war poems. It was a lovely day of remembrance, enjoyed by all at Ashlar House.

Epping Eppingen: celebrating 40 years of friendship

The Epping-Eppingen Association welcomed over 50 people from Eppingen, Germany at the end of October to commemorate the 40 years of friendship and community ties between the two towns.

On arrival, our guests were treated to home made pumpkin soup prepared and served in the ‘Epping in Bloom’ garden. An evening and afternoon were spent with their hosts. On Saturday morning a formal ceremony took place in Epping Hall attended by over a hundred people. President Humphrey Wheeler introduced everyone taking part.

Epping Town Mayor Barbara Scruton welcomed our guests and gave a short history of Epping and how it had changed. The Oberbürgermeister of Eppingen Klaus Holaschke spoke warmly of the continued friendship between the two towns and thanked all those who have supported the partnership over the years. The berbürgermeister confirmed Eppingen’s continued commitment to friendship for now and into the future by presenting a signed document to that effect to Epping town. He spoke of the importance of community ties which could rise above politics. Gifts were exchanged between the two towns.

The Epping Forest band gave an enjoyable interlude of music which was much appreciated. Dame Eleanor Laing MP for Epping Forest also conveyed her sincere thanks to all. Michael Chapman, a Deputy Lieutenant of Essex and as such a representative of King Charles III, spoke of his own personal connections with the town of Eppingen. Jim Heath, Eppingen chairman and Heike Lachowitzer, chairlady of the Eppingen partnership cut a cake, which later everyone enjoyed with coffee. Our guests were treated to a very festive celebratory meal on the Saturday evening. In attendance were over a hundred people. Friends not seen for some time greeted each other and conviviality reigned. The evening was enhanced by entertainment from David Hatch (Professor Whizzo), who performed some stunning illusions for our audience. The weekend was not over. Our guests gathered together again on the Sunday morning to be taken to Maldon and the Heritage Centre in All Saint’s Church. A wonderful tapestry depicts the history of Maldon. They had time to explore the dockyard before having lunch, followed by a visit to the Tiptree Museum and gift shop. Somehow there was still room for afternoon tea before returning to Epping.

All good things must come to an end. On Monday morning our guests had time to wander through Epping, see the market and explore our shops. Our final get together took place in The Bull at Theydon Bois where lunch was served. Finally with fond farewells we waved our guests goodbye as they took their bus back to Stansted Airport for their flight home. We look forward to a return visit next year in May and a further visit for the Altstadtfest in July,

We would welcome any new members. Please contact Joy on 01279 428622. A warm welcome by the Association here and in Eppingen Germany is guaranteed.

Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital: a tree in memory of Di Collins

By Liz Jones

I attach a photo of an event in October at which the Friends of the Hospital planted a tree in memory of our past leading member Di Collins. Here is a description:

“The tree is a weeping cherry, showing its autumn colours now, but will bear beautiful blossom in the spring. It is planted in the garden behind the Epping Forest Unit on the St Margaret’s Hospital site. This beautiful area is cared for by Jan Buckingham our Treasurer and brings great pleasure to patients who are well enough to come outside in warmer weather and sit on the bench - which was also gifted by the Friends.

The tree is dedicated to the memory of Di Collins, who - among many other roleswas an energetic supporter and Friend of the former general hospital called St Margaret’s. She also fought tirelessly to keep some hospital services on the site after the old buildings were demolished, working to achieve the planning and building of the Epping Forest Unit on the right hand side of the main driveway. For over a decade now this has given care and therapy to patients in recovery from acute treatment in general hospitals in Essex.”

The Epping Society on the Local Plan

Happy New Year to you all. We have been busy recently with matters of a planning nature: Epping Forest District Council’s intentions for the District, as in their Local Plan, still calls for thousands of new homes, mostly in the Green Belt. The Council made a further set of adjustments late last year, which were put out for public consultation. The Society responded highlighting many concerns, particularly matters like environment, roads, schools, GPs, and our severe reservations about the proposed South Epping estate. The Inspector has had over Christmas to consider and may have made a decision (whether the plan is ‘sound’ or not), or may have called for a set of Public Hearings. We shall see. Very recent announcements by the Prime Minister and Michael Gove promised changes to the planning rules (particularly that targets set for Councils no longer apply and local opinions should carry more weight) so we have suggested strongly that the Local Plan process should stop immediately. Secondly, a draft Master Plan Strategic Framework has been published by developers for 1000+ homes at Latton Priory (just South of Harlow); again, the Society has made representations to this. Our chief worry is that there has been no assessment of the almost certain increased traffic flow South down the London Road, through Thornwood and into Epping and the Forest. We all know how difficult our local roads are before adding more vehicles to the mix. Here is a whimsical image from that Master Plan; with lots of walking, cycling, a bus and even horses – but can we spot even one of the likely 1000+ cars?

Another successful Christmas Tree Festival

From the 2nd to 5th of December, St John’s Church, Epping, held its 18th annual Christmas Tree Festival. There were performances by Coopersale Hall School Choir and the Epping Forest Brass Band. Town Mayor, Councillor Barbara Scruton, opened the event turning on the Christmas Tree Lights.

The Revd Lee Batson said: “St John's Church Epping was pleased to welcome over 2500 people into church for its annual Christmas Tree Festival. They were able to see 52 trees decorated by various schools, businesses, voluntary organisations and faith groups in what was a celebration of all that makes up our community in Epping. In addition to raising funds for the work of the church, proceeds will also go to support the work of a Domestic Abuse Survivors Group and Epping Forest Dementia Action Alliance. We are grateful to all who made the festival such a huge success.”

On the following Tuesday, the Scouts from the 1st Theydon Garnon Scout Group spent the evening counting the votes. The winners were: (From top left, anticlockwise:)

Best Local Community Organisation or Club Tree - The Copped Hall Trust

Best Youth Church Organisation Tree – Little Lambs

Best Adult Church Organisation Tree – Life Church

Best Epping Business Tree – Julie’s at Stonards

Best Youth Organisation Tree – 3rd North Weald Scout Group

Best School/Nursery Tree - Ivy Chimneys Primary School

Best Private Individual Entry Tree – Jennie Heath & Samantha Bentley

St Clare Hospice

Volunteering

Volunteer with your local hospice

St Clare Hospice are seeking more volunteers to join their 600-strong team of people across their shops, in the community and at the Hospice site in Hastingwood.

The charity needs people with a range of skills and knowledge, so however much time you can spare, we’ll find the right role to suit you. Meet new like-minded people, make a difference, be part of a team and share your skills with your community.

For more information and to see the current list of roles available, visit: stclarehospice.org.uk/volunteer or call the team directly on: 01279 773704 or email: volunteer@stclarehospice.org.uk

GriefLine

Bereavement support

GriefLine (01279 945089) is here to support bereaved people across West Essex and East Herts. It is a local resource offering much-needed emotional support via telephone, across West Essex and East Herts, to anyone struggling with their grief around the loss of someone. GriefLine operates from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. It is run by a team of St Clare staff and volunteers, trained to deliver emotional support to those who are struggling with their grief. Anyone who has experienced a loss, whether recently or in the past, is welcome to call GriefLine. No previous connection to St Clare Hospice is required to access support.

If you would like to speak to someone about the loss of someone, no matter how long ago you were bereaved, the number to call is 01279 945089. GriefLine is free to call, though charges may apply in line with your standard network rate. For more information on GriefLine, visit: griefline.co.uk

St Clare Hospice is a charity providing specialist palliative care for people living with terminal or life-limiting illnesses across West Essex and East Herts border.

St Clare care for patients and their families, providing physical, emotional, social, psychological and spiritual support, and ensuring they have timely access to skilled, compassionate and sensitive care in a place of their choice. Our services are free of charge to those who need our care, but cost around £5 million a year to run. With limited NHS funding we need to fundraise the majority of this each year through donations and other voluntary sources. For more information, contact Rebecca Day, Marketing and Communications Manager at: rebecca.day@stclarehospice.org.uk

BEACONSFIELD ROAD (CM16 5AR approx) Green bin

RAYFIELD (CM16 5AB approx) Green bin

PARKLANDS, COOPERSALE

(CM16 7RE approx) Green bin

Salt bins in Epping Parish

STEWARDS GREEN ROAD

(CM16 7PY approx) Yellow bin

THEYDON GROVE (CM16 4PU approx) Yellow bin

Essex County Council look after Essex roads and pavements. Epping Town Council have engaged with Essex County Council’s salt bag partnership scheme, which is where Essex County Council deliver some bags of salt for residents to collect to salt their own roads. Epping Town Council placed the salt delivered by Essex County Council in 3 green salt bins in Beaconsfield Road, Rayfield and Parklands, Coopersale. The salt is only delivered once and is there until it runs out. Essex County Council bins are yellow and there is lots of information on their website about their gritting and salting programmes.

If residents are having trouble accessing salt from these salt bins, salt can be purchased from local suppliers, such as petrol stations and online. Visit: https://www.essexhighways.org/salt-bins

Epping Parish salt bins: (Yellow bins)

Theydon Grove, Stewards Green Road. (Green bins) Beaconsfield Road, Rayfield, Parklands; Coopersale. Epping Town Council are working on suggestions for additional salt bins and will liaise with Essex County Council to try and see these implemented for future cold spells. Please only take what you need for the area/pavement outside your home.

Rotary continue to organise Carols on the Green

When you look at the crowds that now enjoy Carols on the Green it is hard to believe that 20 years ago in 2003 a Rotarian Peter Helmers, owner of Lathams had the idea of the Town celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve with Carols on the Green. He used a karaoke machine and invited St John’s School to provide a band and a choir. Another local trader provided the sound equipment and students set it up. In the first year there were about 50 carol singers on the green. In the second year the numbers increased but there were a couple of sound issues and it was decided that if the event was to continue, it had to be more professional. Eventually Epping Forest Band agreed to be involved and St John’s School continued to provide the Choir and year on year the crowds have increased.

Today, It is one of the main Rotary Community events for the Town and everyone is provided with a Hymn sheet while Rotarians mingle in the crowd offering mince pies and mulled wine. The event was so well attended. Thank you very much to everyone who helped and took part.

The Music Den, live music in Epping

In October, The Den presented Among The Willows who provided an appreciative audience with their special brand of country and Americana music. The Fat Penguins arrived in Epping for the November event bringing some rock n’ roll and a number of well known numbers from earlier decades encouraging the receptive audience to join in and sing along. Also, in November, a ‘trial special’ featuring Chris Lord and Her Blues Express. It was a great entertaining evening with a most successful attendance, so there will certainly be further specials in 2023.

The year’s events were completed by The Spikedrivers returning to The Den having been one of our first Acts appearing in September 2019. Twenty eight managed to attend despite the extreme weather conditions and we were all entertained by three fantastic musicians that make up The Spikedrivers and on this occasion supplemented by the unusual and enjoyable percussion of Roger Nunn. Spread the word and support live music in Epping.

The next scheduled events are:

Tuesday 14th February 2023

Tuesday 14th March 2023

Tuesday 11th April 2023

Clean Sneak

The Cadillac Kings

Sahara

There are lots of classes on at both Epping Hall, St Johns Road and the Jack Silley Pavilion, Stonards Hill recreation ground. Ceroc dancing, adult ballet, baby sing and sign, art classes, tai chi, karate, children’s dance classes, chair yoga, to name but a few.

For more details on any of the classes, email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk or telephone 01992 579444.

Epping Town Council offices: Epping Hall, St Johns Road, Epping, Essex. CM16 5JU. Tel: 01992 579444

Email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk

Tree Planting on the Town Green for the Queen

An oak tree has been planted on the Town Green, Epping, by Epping Town Council in partnership with the City of London Corporation as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy nationwide initiative to mark her late Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. The initiative is now being led by His Majesty the King.

The tree was planted by Deputy Lieutenant of Essex Hugh Pegrum (in uniform), as the King’s representative, with Epping Town Mayor Councillor Barbara Scruton and Ben Murphy, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s Epping Forest and Commons Committee.

The initiative was due to conclude in December 2022, the end of the Jubilee year. However, as the official tree planting season in the UK is from October to March, His Majesty the King has agreed to extend the scheme to give people the opportunity to plant trees in memorial, to honour the late Queen.

The aim of the Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is to create a living legacy with more than one million trees planted in HM Queen Elizabeth II's name during the first planting season. The extension of the initiative will build on this legacy and serve as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty’s extraordinary service to her country and her people.

As Patron of the Queen’s Green Canopy, His Majesty The King selected Epping Forest as one of the 70 Ancient Woodlands in the UK to be recognised by the scheme. Epping Forest has more than one million trees and more than 55,000 of those are designated as ancient, one of the largest collections in the UK. His Majesty The King is hoping memorial planting will allow the Queen’s Green Canopy to surpass the two million new trees planted to help counteract climate change and improve biodiversity across the nation. Once the tree is planted, it will be entered onto the QGC online map for all to see and hopefully be reviewed by the King. The event was attended by representatives from local organisations such as Epping Rotary and the Epping Society, along with local Town, District and County Councillors, representatives from the City of London and all three Councils and one of the Town’s Freemen. It is very rare to have a tree planted on the Town Green so it was an honour to be able to plant this one for future generations to enjoy.

Epping Cricket Club

Talk About Epping is taking the opportunity in preparation for the coming summer season to highlight our community cricket club in Lower Bury Lane, Epping.

The town can be proud to know that Summer of 2022 was the most successful season for Epping Cricket Club. All its three teams gained promotion. Epping 1st XI managed to gain promotion for its second successive season & now will be playing in Division One of Hamro Foundation Essex Cricket League. Epping 2nd XI have gained promotion in three successive seasons, going from Division 3 to the Hamro Leagues Premier Division for 2023.

Epping 3rd XI restarted cricket in 2019, in Division 15. With three successful seasons and in 2022 winning the Division title Epping 3’s will be playing in Division 12 (3rd XI Division 3).

On securing the service of a professional coach, Epping also had a successful season by restarting colts’ cricket for boys and girls every Friday evening throughout the summer of 2022, which was strongly supported by parents. They will be building on this success by entering colts’ teams in colts’ leagues with matches during the summer of 2023. The club welcomes new players of all ages; junior as well as adults.

For adults, Epping runs a Sunday Friendly team to enable players of all ages to step back into club cricket in a social supportive environment.

The foundation for the players success has been as a result of hard work of volunteering local people along with the support of club sponsors KARE PLUS.

Come and join us at Epping Cricket Club. For more information email: eppingccsecretary@hotmail.com

Stonards playground: new equipment

Epping Town Council are delighted to have been able to make some improvements to the playground at Stonards Hill recreation ground, thanks to £30,000 of Section 106 money provided by Qualis, which was allocated for the improvement of green spaces in Epping Parish. This money replaced all the old wooden logs with stronger coloured ones and enabled us to install a new inclusive roundabout to add some new play value to the existing playground. Many of you will have seen the fantastic new playground at Lower Swaines recreation ground, which took three years of fundraising by Epping Playground Association, in partnership with Epping Town Council. Playgrounds are very expensive to install and maintain and Epping Town Council look after five in Epping Parish.

When new larger scale building projects take place, developers are often asked to make a financial contribution towards infrastructure improvements, such as parks and green spaces. Through Qualis’ Section 106 money, £50,000 was used for the new Lower Swaines playground, £30,000 has been used on the existing extremely well used Stonards Hill recreation ground playground and £30,000 has been allocated to start the fundraising for a new skate park, also at Stonards Hill (below). These S106 allocations are absolutely vital to be able to provide facilities for the additional residents who will live in the new developments and Epping Town Council are extremely grateful to Qualis for their support.

The five playgrounds in Epping Parish are at: Lower Swaines recreation ground, Stonards Hill recreation ground, Ivy Chimneys, Frampton Road recreation ground and Parklands, Coopersale.

All five playgrounds have been improved in the last seven years; four having been fully refurbished and Stonards Hill having received this recent upgrade. These five playgrounds are inspected and maintained by Epping Town Council’s experienced grounds team. We hope you enjoy them all

Pictures: Town Mayor Cllr Barbara Scruton thanking Karen Telling, Senior Development Manager at Qualis. With Cllr Michael Wright, Town Supervisor Bill Towers and Deputy Mayor Cllr Christine Burgess.

Stonards Hill: new skate park progress

Epping Town Council are hoping to provide a new skate park at Stonards Hill recreation ground. We are working with skate park designers Betongpark and regular users of the skate park on the design and fundraising for the project. The new skate park would replace the existing, which has been in situ since 2007. The skate park is used by many smaller children on scooters and bikes, but also by more experienced skaters.

On 19th January, Epping Town Council held a community consultation event at Julie’s café at Stonards Hill recreation ground and invited residents and users of the skate park to come and share their thoughts on the new plans. We were absolutely delighted that so many children and users joined us. Poppy and Emilia Pughsley from Coopersale Hall School gave a presentation to the skate park design team from Betongpark asking for interesting things such as a ‘chatter bench’. Our experienced designers were so impressed, the girls got a round of applause and they will take their ideas back to their London design studio to see what can be included. Karen Telling from Qualis was also interested to see the plans, as Qualis have made a £30,000 Section 106 financial contribution to the proposal to help Epping Town Council provide green space facilities for current and future residents.

A blue plaque will shortly be installed at St Margaret’s Hospital marking the hospital’s relationship with Jaundice. There will also be an infomation board giving details. There are a variety of blue plaques in Epping Town/Parish which have been provided by Epping Town Council. They all mark someone who has played an important part in Epping’s history. See if you can find nine of them.

Epping Town Council grants: 1st March 2023 will be the last deadline for local organisations to apply for a grant from Epping Town Council. Grants will not be awarded in the 2023/24 financial year. The grant application form and eligibility guidance is available at: www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk/grants.

For more information call: 01992 579444 or email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk

Epping Rotary collect for the Friends of St Margaret’s

The League of Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital was presented with a cheque donation from Rotary Club of Epping at Epping Town Council’s Full Council meeting in August 2022.

Epping Town Council was granted permission to use some of the car parks at St Margaret’s Hospital for parking for Epping Town Show in July. With the support of the Rotary Club of Epping who marshalled the car parks at St Margaret’s Hospital, members of the public gave optional donations for their car parking.

The Rotary Club of Epping raised £154 from car parking donations for the League of Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital. Mrs Liz Jones, League of Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital said: “We are delighted that Rotary Club of Epping and the Town Council have collected parking donations in the hospital car park, and that this generous sum is to be passed to the League of Friends. It will of course be used to meet the regular requests for help we get from Epping Forest Unit and the Mental Health Unit on the St. Margaret’s site. With many thanks to everyone who helped to raise this gift.”

Cllr Barbara Scruton, Town Mayor of Epping Town Council added: On behalf of Epping Town Council, I want to thank St Margaret’s Hospital for their kind permission to allow us to use some of the car parks on the day of Epping Town Show. We would also like to thank Rotary Club of Epping for supporting Epping Town Council with marshalling these car parks and those who gave the donation to the charity. By having the support of the Rotary Club of Epping to marshall the car parks by kind permission of St Margaret’s Hospital, it really helped to provide a much-needed facility for residents to attend our event.”

(L to R: Cllr Christine Burgess, Deputy Mayor, Liz Jones, Valerie Lal, League of Friends of St Margaret’s Hospital and Vince Marsh, President of Rotary Club of Epping presenting the cheque.)

Epping Monday Market & Town Parking

Don’t forget that Epping Monday Market stocks many of your daily essential goods, as well as clothes, shoes, slippers, plants and pet food. From household wipes, fruit and veg to nuts, bread and oils, why not shop outdoors, locally and support our historic charter market?

Please see the map of potential parking spaces to help you enjoy your visit to Epping, its High Street and green spaces. Shop local in our lovely town.

Annual Council and Town Council elections

Epping Town Council elections take place every four years and the next ones will be in May 2023. Anyone wishing to stand for election should contact the Elections team at Epping Forest District Council. Epping Town Council look after different things to the District and County Councils and a list of Epping Town Council’s responsibilities are below. Epping Forest District Council look after things such as rubbish and Council tax. Essex County Council look after things such as potholes and pavements. While the three Councils are all working for the good of their communities, they are separate tiers of government that don’t generally cross over. It isn’t possible to transfer calls for example, as they are all separate.

Epping has a Town Mayor and a Deputy Mayor. The Mayor acts as the Chairman of Epping Town Council, chairing meetings and acting as the first point of contact for the Town Clerk, who manages and advises the Town Council as the Proper Officer.

Epping Town Council has 12 councillors (see back cover) who are volunteers and work together for the good of Epping and its residents. Full Council meetings take place monthly. This year, following the Town Council elections, the Annual Meeting of Epping Town Council will take place on 9th May 2023. This is where the new Council (2023-2027) will take office and sign in. It is at this meeting where a new Town Mayor and Deputy Mayor will be elected by their fellow Town Councillors. All Council and Committee meetings are open to the public and everyone is most welcome.

invitations for the m ayor

If you are organising an event which you would like the Mayor or a Town Council representative to attend, please email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk marked Invitation for the Mayor or tel: 01992 579444. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor attend many different events over the year to support local groups, businesses and organisations.

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS

Please note: meetings are currently in-person meetings and will be held at Epping Hall unless otherwise stated.

Epping Town Council responsibilities

Bury

Stonards Hill

FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD PLANNING, SEE EPPING TOWN COUNCIL’S WEBSITE FOR MEETINGS

Stonards Hill

Ivy Chimneys

Lower Swaines

Frampton Road

Parklands, Coopersale

Brook Road

Allotments:

Lower Bury Lane

Meadow Road

Town Show

Christmas Market

Christmas Lights

Talk About Epping (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter)

Consultee on Planning

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.

Your Epping Town Councillors are shown on the back cover of this issue. There are a number of other local representatives in the District and County. Please note, three Town Councillors are also Epping Forest District Councillors; they are highlighted on the Town Councillors page.)

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 & ECC Cllr Holly Whitbread (07508 180426) 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

talk about epping deadlines

Please note: from the Summer 2023 issue, Talk About Epping will be on Epping Town Council’s website only, rather than distributed. There will be reference copies at Epping Hall. Articles for the next edition must be submitted before 17 April 2023 (Summer) and 24 July 2023 (Autumn). Submissions should be sent to Epping Town Council via email: info@eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk marked ‘Talk About Epping’ as a word document (200-300 words max) and attach pictures as separate jpegs (not inserted into the word document). The editor may amend copy.

more information, visit our website: www.eppingtowncouncil.gov.uk

Your Epping Town Councillors

2019-2023 Members - Hemnall Ward

Cllr Nigel Avey

Nigel is Chairman of Epping Town Council’s Planning & Neighbourhood Planning Committees, as well as many other groups. Nigel has been a Town Councillor since 2011 and was Town Mayor in 2018/19.* nigel.avey@btinternet.com

Cllr Christine Burgess Christine is a member of many Committees and working parties. She has been a Town Councillor since 2019 and is currently Deputy Mayor.

christine_burgess@hotmail.com

Cllr Cherry McCredie

Cherry has been an active Town Councillor since 2015. Cherry is on many Committees and is Chair of the Safer Epping group. She has a particular interest in policing, trees and wildlife.*

Tel: 07831 501598

2019-2023 Members - St Johns Ward

Cllr Simon Baker Simon joined Epping Town Council in 2021 and has been actively involved in the Planning Committee and Safer Epping group and volunteers at Town Council events.

Tel: 07948 767959 Simonbaker348@btinternet.com

Cllr John Duffell

John has led the Remembrance events in Epping for many years as Secretary of the Royal British Legion, Epping branch and is the Key Member for Outside Services. John joined Epping Town Council in 2019. Tel: 07847 357493 johnduffell@live.co.uk

Cllr Richard Griffiths

Richard sits on a number of working parties, including Epping Hall and budgets. He has assisted with the Town Council’s website and social media. He joined Council in 2019. Tel: 07917 841823. griffiths74@gmail.com

Cllr Barbara Scruton

Barbara is currently Epping’s Town Mayor and was previously Town Mayor in 2014/15. She is very active on many Committees and working parties and represents Council on a number of outside bodies. She has been a Town Councillor since 2011.

Tel: barbara.scruton@outlook.com

Cllr Mari-Louise Whitbread

Mari-Louise knows Epping very well as she has a business in the High Street. She is Key Member for the Cemetery and has been a Town Councillor since 2019 (having served as Deputy Mayor previously in 2010). Tel: 07918 111450 mlwhitbread1@gmail.com

Cllr Jon Whitehouse

Jon is one of the longest serving Town Councillors and was Town Mayor in 2012. Jon is very knowledgable about Epping and is involved in several outside organisations, such as the Friends of Swaines Green.* Tel: 01992 561875 jon@jonwhitehouse.org.uk

Cllr Hugh Pegrum

Hugh is one of the longest serving Town Councillors, having joined in 1999. He is very knowledgable about Epping and its land and served as Town Mayor in 2002. Hugh is the Key Member for Epping Hall and the Jack Silley Pavilion and sits on many groups, including budgets and the market. Tel: 01992 572173

Cllr Grahame Scruton

Grahame spends a lot of time assisting with Council’s budget as the Key Member for Finance. Grahame served as Town Mayor in 2019 and 2020 during Covid and has been a Town Councillor since 2014. He sits on many Committees and working parties. grscruton@gmail.com

Cllr Michael Wright

Michael joined Epping Town Council in 2011 and takes a keen interest in the Market as its Key Member. Michael is involved in many groups and committees and has been Town Mayor twice in 2015 and 2021.

Tel: 07926 516097

* = also a District Councillor