The City Times - June - July 2022

The City Times Including: Boreham, Broomfield, Danbury, Great Baddow, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, The Walthams and Writtle 10,000 copies per month Issue Number 103 - 16th June - 14th July 2022

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City Times Intro Hello readers, Welcome to The City Times June/July edition.

Following on from a very successful Concret Canvas Festival, we still have quite a few festivals to come. We are in the middle of the Chelmsford Festival and still have the Chelmsford Fringe to look forward to - and Heritage Open Days to come this September. It is great to see so much happening!

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Foraging for Elderflower - By Lisa Whittle The English summer is said to start when the elder tree blossoms and to end with its ripening berries - this surely then means that summer has started in Chelmsford, as elder trees are flowering here right now. The elder (latin name Sambucus) was once held in high regard for its mystical powers, and is a quintessentially English small tree or bush found abundantly in hedgerows, parks and even on waste ground. It has flat clusters (or umbels) of small creamy-white flowers with a fresh, sweet smell that last for about a month in early summer.

Both the flowers and the berries (which will ripen from August to October), have nutritional properties and were traditionally used for food and medicine.

I know that as each year that passes, I feel I should be doing something with the flowers and fruit just as our ancestors would have been, but I haven’t known exactly what… Let’s start with the light, fragrant elderflowers and move onto the nutritious elderberries in the autumn.

What Can You Make With Elderflowers?

The most well known product to make from elderflowers is elderflower cordial elderflowers steeped in a syrup of sugar and water for up to five days. The resulting fragrant cordial can then be used as the basis for many desserts, cakes and drinks. It is thought elderflower pairs best with sweet flavours rather than savoury.

The flowers are also thought to be helpful for allergies, having an antihistamine effect, particularly for sinus and throat issues and, in particular, hayfever - prevalent at this time of year as the grass pollen is released giving people itchy eyes, throat and stuffy nose.

Tea made from fresh or dried elderflowers drunk daily is thought to be helpful. They are anti-inflammatory and immune system boosting too.

Foraging for Elderflowers • June tends to be the best time to collect elderflowers, as the blossoms are at their freshest.

• Look for small, dense clusters (or crowns or umbels) of tiny white flowers growing in the elder trees. These have a heady, sweet fragrance that will likely lead you to them.

• Elderflowers are at their most fragrant when they first blossom and also the cream-coloured ones are more fragrant than the white ones.

• Avoid picking them alongside busy roads, as the flowers with absorb traffic fumes - opt for hedgerows in more natural settings if possible.

• Aim to pick the flowers on a warm, dry day when the blooms are likely to be newly opened and full of scented pollen. They are thought to be at their best first thing in the morning.

• Speed is crucial - they should be used straight after picking when fresh and keep them dry until use.

• Use the scissors to cut the elderflower heads at the bottom of each cluster of flowers.

• Make sure to pick only the freshest flower heads, as the wilted or brown flowers will taste bitter. Also avoid picking premature buds that are yet to open.

• Don’t forget to give them a gentle shake to remove any insects before putting in your basket.

• It’s advisable to rinse the flowers in cold water to remove extraneous debris before using, though this will wash off some of the flavour, so be sure to do it briefly. If you’re using the flowers for cordial that will be boiled and strained, you might not wish to rinse them.

• All parts of the elderflower plant - Sambucus - are poisonous to mammals apart from the flowers and berries; so take care to only use these.

How to Make Elderflower Cordial Fragrant and refreshing, elderflower cordial is easy to make. Mix with sparkling water to create elderflower pressé or add to wine, vodka, gin, prosecco or champagne to start a party in style. Serve with lemon and mint.

The cordial is best consumed within two weeks, although it’ll keep for six weeks if bottled and kept in the fridge and it can be frozen in plastic bottles (leave some space, as the liquid expands) or ice cube trays. Don’t worry if the elderflowers smell unappetising at first - once they’re infused, the heady scent and taste is delicious.

Ingredients • 20 elderflower heads.

• 1.5 litres boiling water.

• 2kg sugar (or use erythritol for a sugar-free version).

• 2 sliced unwaxed lemons and the zest • 85g citric acid (available from chemist shops).

Method Put all the dry ingredients into a pan (or a clean bucket can work) and pour boiling water over them. Stir until sugar is dissolved.

Skim off the surface scum. Cover with a cloth or lid. Stir twice daily for 5 days. Strain through a sieve or muslin cloth and bottle.

Other Uses for Elderflower Cordial • Pour over cakes in a diluted or semi-diluted state to add extra moisture and flavour - eg, pouring over lemon drizzle cake works well.

• It can also be added to the uncooked mixture before baking.

• Add to stewed fruit such as apple, and it works particularly well with tart fruits such as rhubarb or gooseberries - also gooseberry fool with added elderflower.

• Add to summer trifles.

• Add to jams at the end of making them before adding to jars.

• Elderflower corial in its diluted form, frozen makes a delicious and refreshing sorbet.

• It makes wonderful homemade jelly with fresh fruit added; add gelatine or the vegetarian alternative from agar flakes.

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Nick’s Music and Ramblings And breathe... This has been a busy month so far, what with the Queen’s Jubilee - and now the Chelmsford Festival is underway right through until the beginning of July.

show. If you missed the Stones in Hyde Park do not miss these guys who have been around for 30 years now. The great Rich Young will be opening on the night too. We then return on Friday 2nd September with Chesney Hawkes!

Have you seen the crown on the Essex cricket ground roundabout? If not, do go and see it as it is - as is all of the concrete canvas art too - pretty amazing and brightens up our city of Chelmsford. There’s a photo on page 15 if you cannot get there.

We had Osibisa and Ramon Goose play recently. Both acts went down really well and Osibisa are as good as ever. It was Ramon Goose’s first live show in over two years, but it certainly did not show at all.

I went to Writtle Green to watch the flypast for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee which was great. I noticed the ‘yarn bombing’ there and have since noticed a few more letter boxes around with knitted hats on! These kinds of things are wonderful and I think it needs to be encouraged - as long as we don’t get yobs ruining it all for the majority of us who enjoy it. The whole Jubilee celebrations - whether you are a royalist or not - were impressive; only we in the UK can do such things so well, with all the pomp, pageantry and ceremony. The Queen has been on the throne for 70 years. When she was born she was not destined for the role, but what an amazing job she has done and she is respected all around the globe as she should be. I will certainly never see the likes of this again in my lifetime.

I was born in 1953, the year of the coronation. How the world and technology has changed in that time, from phones to televisions and from transport to computers to music and so much more... I wonder if any other generation will see as much change as I have witnessed.

I am not sure that they will; as I think most of the big steps have been taken. It is now just tweaking and altering that seems to be occurring.

What we do need to do, as I do unashamedly keep on about, is to take care of our planet and the animals and plants who we share the earth with. We are the destroyers of it and we take what we think is good for us without giving back - and we must stop this now, not tomorrow, before it is too late. I love this earth and those who inhabit it; lets make sure it is still here for the future generations so stop the fighting and start the caring!

We have lots happening in Chelmsford. The Anglia Ruskin University is celebrating Marconi and technology over the past 100 years with an exhibition running from the 22nd June to 15th July at the ARU campus in Chelmsford which should be fascinating. Writtle Open Gardens is back on Sunday 19th June, so let’s hope the weather stays kind for the day. There’s plenty more going on all around the area, so do remember to let us know of anything so we can put it in our What’s On guide. Do please remember that we need at least six weeks prior notice of any event or happening so that we can get you into the relevant edition.

I have noticed that the e-scooter trial company and the scooters have changed from Spin to TIER. If you use them, do you notice any difference in the scooters or service?

Music First, I want to congratulate Connor Selby and his band as they are playing at Hyde Park on Saturday 9th July along with The Stereophonics and Johnny Marr among many others. Remember that you can see Connor Selby and Joe Anderton play locally at the Orange Tree on Saturday 25th June.

It has been a busy month for me musically, and we have three shows left before we take a summer break. On Saturday 18th June it’s the East Anglia Music Festival Day, which is part of the Chelmsford Festival and is only £20 for 8 acts playing from noon to 10pm. We then have a week off and return on Friday 1st July with Supernatural celebrating the early music of Peter Green - from John Mayall to early Fleetwood Mac. Some who played with Peter back in the day will be featured. Bex Marshall and her band will also be playing, and Bex will also join Supernatural for a few numbers - one not to be missed.

We round off on Friday 8th July with the rescheduled Rolling Clones Page 6

I went to see Missfunktion, a duo, who opened for Kokomo. This time it was the band and they were great - we are rebooking them for later in the year. I then went to Cambridge for a tribute festival to a late good mate, Tony Hill. All the acts were fantastic. Then on a Monday it was the turn of the One Tree Hillbillies at the Orange Tree and another fantastic night was had. A few days break, then we had Roy Mette’s Dangerous Daydream and The Homing play - two fine Americana acts. Also a quick mention that on Sunday 22nd May we had our British Heart Foundation fundraiser.

We saw the return of Robbie McIntosh with his full band, plus Chris Kipper Roberts. Chris wowed the audience with his songs and wit.

Robbie was nothing less than we expected - a superb set with this great band. Back to The Orange Tree on the Saturday and we had Robin Bibi who is a great entertainer as well as a stunning musician.

He got the whole pub singing along and no one wanted him to leave.

Robin, as well as Greg Kofi Brown - front man from Osibisa, are both part of Supernatural who are playing on 1st July at the Chelmsford Social Club. I then ventured to Leigh-on-Sea to see Dave Bronze (bass player for Eric Clapton, Tom Jones, Andy Fairweather Low and many more). He now has a covers trio called The Song Doctors and this was their first show - to say they were great is not enough, so I am booking them to play The Orange Tree later in the year. Then we had the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, and as I said I went and watched the fly past and lots of what was on telly. I booked The Korgis to play on the Friday, which was fitting I thought! The Next Agenda opened and both acts were excellent. The Korgis were an 8-piece act with video screens and lots of fun. They thrilled us all as did The Next Agenda we would like to have both back.

On Jubilee Saturday I ventured to London, not to the Mall, but the London Palladium to watch The Hollies, who are celebrating 60 years.

Peter Howarth is the lead singer and a friend, and they gave us a box - what a treat and what a show! I forgot just how many hits this band has had and I must say this current line-up is really good.

Besides my own shows at the Chelmsford Social Club and the Orange Tree, I have a couple of others: On Friday 10th June) which would also have been my dad’s 97th) I am off to Southend to see The Electric Ladies. This is a show that Hazel O’Connor and Toyah should have been doing, but with Hazel being very unwell this is now in support of Hazel. Toyah is being joined by Lene Lovich and Saffron from Republica. I will be meeting friends of both mine and Hazel’s there also. I am also very lucky and excited, as I am going to see The Rolling Stones in Hyde Park on Sunday 3rd July.

Remember if you have anything to say or an event that everyone should know about, whether it’s an open garden, a sale or whatever it is, then please send it to the editorial email address below. It would also be fantastic if you could share our magazines The City Times and Moulsham Times with others for us. We continue to publish both magazines in print and online at www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia.

If you are interested in advertising your business or event with us, then please contact us at ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk, or if you have a comment or an article please send to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk and we will reply to you as soon as we can.

For all my updates and information on my shows at the Social Club or the Orange Tree and for Black Frog Presents, go to www.linktr. ee/BlackFrogPresents, or scan the QR code on our poster in this magazine.

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City Times Gardening It’s that time of year when all those bedding plants get popped into a myriad of beds, borders and containers - that’s if you’ve not done so already. At Capel Manor College, we’ve just started to plant out the dahlia scheme for summer and autumn colour in a series of rectangular beds. Follow these simple tips to success:

installing rose stakes and using netting. It looks a little odd at this stage, however, halfway through the season it will all be hidden.

Before cultivation, old bedding plants are removed. Some are saved and grown on, but the majority are shredded and composted. The beds are then thoroughly weeded and the surrounding lawn edged.

Aside from this, I’m in propagation mode with the RHS L2 Certificate in Practical Horticulture students, and we’ve got to the stage of pricking out seedlings to develop their hand-eye coordination skills. In the main we tend to seed directly into modular trays in order that the seedling can get to a more manageable size without any competition from its many neighbouring seedlings. Just take care that the compost doesn’t dry out. Check out this link for further information: www.rhs.org.uk/propagation/ seed-indoors.

The beds should then be cultivated. The most common method at this time of year is single digging, but they should be double dug every three years to prevent a soil pan building up (a soil pan is a hard layer that may form in the soil horizon if cultivated to the same depth continually). We tend to do this as an autumn operation for the spring bedding scheme At this stage organic matter can be added to improve the soil.

After cultivation, the soil should be firmed by shuffling over the area with feet flat. This eliminates air pockets that would result in an unlevel surface and could be detrimental to root development.

The bed is then levelled; it should have a flat top and sloping sides. A landscape rake is useful for this task.

Divide the bed roughly into square metres and apply a base dressing of fertiliser at the application rate on the product label. Growmore can be used at a rate of 100g/sq m, or blood, fish and bone at a rate of 70g/sq m. This should be lightly raked in.

We then apply the organic matter in preparation for the spring bedding and the fertiliser during preparations for the summer bedding.

For dahlias, we’re planting out in blocks and giving support by

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Lastly, don’t forget that if you are at a loose end during August, do pop along to the RHS Garden Hyde Hall Flower Show this coming August (3rd 8th) - click on this link for more information: www.rhs.org.uk/ gardens/hyde-hall/rhs-gardenhyde-hall-flower-show. I’ll be working on the RHS Garden Advice Stand - I look forward to seeing some of you!

Lastly, check out this link for further jobs for the garden as we move through June: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/in-month/june.

• Trees • Pruning • Hedges • Roots Removed • Topping • Patios • Rotovating • Turfing • Fencing • Garden Design • Decking Happy gardening!

• Block Paving • Tar & Shingle • Guttering • Chimney Repairs • Building Work• Roofing • Fascias & Soffits • Drainage solutions For any gardening tips please contact Tom Cole, Horticultural

Lecturer, Capel Manor College, Bullsmoor Lane, Enfield, Middlesex, EN1 4RR, or by email at tom.cole@capel.ac.uk.

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Enjoy a game of mini golf and then head to ‘The 10th Hole’ for a drink and something sweet!

Doughnuts

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Chelmsford & District Fuchsia Society Annual Display Weekend - 30th and 31st July

The display returns after a 2 year absence and we hope that our followers will return to see this year’s event and bring along their friends. The colourful fuchsia display takes place at St John Payne School.

The display is made up of plants grown by the members and there will be many varieties to see and marvel at. There will also be fuchsia plants for sale as well as some perennials. You might also like to visit some of the local craft stands and the tombola - and there will also be a raffle.

Find out how to propagate and care for fuchsias with advice given by one of our members who has the experience of growing hundreds of fuchsias. There will also be food and drinks available which will be served throughout the day. The event also has plenty of free parking.

Our aim is to raise as much money as we can for the Columbus School children. Come along, see the display and buy some plants for your garden. There will also be an auction of plants on Sunday at 3pm.

Saturday 30th July: 10am to 5pm Sunday 31st July: 10am to 4 pm (auction at 3pm)

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Regal Kitchens - Case Study

Mr and Mrs E popped in to the Regal showroom on a Saturday afternoon after researching online and liking what they had seen. They were interested in using the bespoke approach of a smaller company when compared to the reported service some of the larger nationwide corporations provide. They immediately liked the two-tone painted timber display and were keen to see how this would look in their kitchen.

Mr and Mrs E wanted to reconfigure their downstairs to give them more options and had also considered having an extension. After visiting the property, the designer discussed the different possible arrangements and it was decided that although the side extension would gain a lot more space, it would potentially block some of the natural light available. It was decided that a wall between the kitchen and a large downstairs bathroom should be altered to increase the size of the kitchen. The designer also suggested the clients look at blocking up the back door entrance and turn the existing window into French doors.

choosing colours and products!

As well as providing the same colour timber doors the clients saw on display in the showroom (Bleached Stone and Monsoon), Regal incorporated Black Star Galaxy granite for the worktop and this was also added behind the hob as a splashback. The LVT flooring in Grey Slate really contrasts well with the furniture. Special storage solutions, Quooker boiling water tap and a full set of Neff appliances means Regal’s client can cook up a storm in her new kitchen, and they are extremely pleased with the end result.

Regal Kitchens’ showroom in Chelmsford is situated at 2 Navigation Road, CM2 6HX and open 7 days per week between 10am and 4pm. www.regalkitchens.co.uk #whereclientisking

This meant that the natural light would fill the entire room and made sure that the kitchen could be opened up into a family social space, but was still functional and suited their busy lifestyle.

Mrs E had previously mentioned needing a lot of useful storage for the family’s walking shoes and coats, but the existing utility just wasn’t functional.

The clients asked the designer if it would be possible to build an area for shoe storage as well as housing their laundry appliances, so it looked like one piece of furniture.

Once the layout was agreed, it was time to start Page 10

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Motor-Vision.co.uk is a motoring news blog bringing you the latest features, stories and information from the motoring world.

The Little Car Company’s No Time to Die Aston Martin DB5 Junior Another chapter in the James Bond franchise has recently drawn to a close, with the final outing as 007 for Daniel Craig. While the public might be fickle regarding who plays Bond - Craig’s granting of a licence to kill was met with as much criticism as there was delight, yet now there’s nobody who wants to see him go… Meanwhile, the consensus towards the James Bond Aston Martin leans towards almost universal love. But they are very expensive; so what if there was another option?

with regenerative braking to pull the DB5 Junior to a halt and Bilstein dampers to smooth out the handling. Inside, the retro-style gauges are made by the famous clockmaker Smiths, and smartly now show motor temp and battery life rather than fuel or oil temperature.

One of the things that made that Corgi model such a huge seller was the gadgets (you probably remember the pop-up bullet shield at the rear), and as a small boy in a pre-high-tech world, life didn’t get much better. The Little Car Co has tapped into this and made sure that the DB5 Junior special edition isn’t just great to look at, but that it has most of the No Time to Die gadgetry as well. Yes, it’s got old-style machine guns that pop out from the headlights, but it also has a smoke screen that can be switched on to pump fake smoke out of the rear exhaust. It also has the ability to switch number plates (handy for an alibi if your garden is only a 30mph zone). The machine guns, well they are wonderful though and guaranteed to put a smile on every face that sees them appear.

Most of us who love cars can trace our fascinations back to our childhood favourites (mine was Corgi’s Green Hornet ‘Black Beauty’).

One of the big sellers in the diecast market, despite it originally being gold and not silver, was the Corgi James Bond Aston Martin DB5 which incidentally, has just been rereleased by Corgi. So for those who are now getting pangs of nostalgia, this one is for you.

The Little Car Company always manages to put a smile on my face; their creations bridge the gap between those gadget-filled Corgi toys, a go-kart and the real thing - three things that can span a lifetime.

With the universal acclaim for the work of Daniel Craig as Bond now set in stone, it’s perfect timing to look at the Bicester-based Little Car Company’s fantastic two-thirds scale Aston Martin DB5 for the same movie.

I mentioned earlier that this was an official car, so of course it comes with joint entry into both The Little Car Club and more importantly, the Aston Martin Owners Club. Via your LCC membership, you can gain access to special track days designed to showcase the joys of the Little Car Company’s various Junior models.

You will note that the Aston Martin DB5 Junior is a convertible, and this throws it firmly into the realm of the class of big boy’s toys - yes, a salivating dad or mum can, depending on girth, squeeze into the little car and relive those childhood Corgi memories all over again.

Now it won’t come as too much of a surprise to know that the Aston Martin No Time to Die DB5 Junior special edition comes at quite a hefty price. Depending on extras, you will need to stump up at least £90,000 to become a lucky owner. That’s a lot for a non-road legal, two-thirds scale car - but it is classed as a genuine Aston Martin - and there is always the Little Car Company’s basic DB5 to consider if the price is too eye watering.

By Sean Neylon - Images: The Little Car Company

The Aston No Time to Die electric DB5 Junior is official too, having been created in collaboration with EON Productions and Aston Martin with input from Chris Corbould, who has been the special effects advisor on 15 Bond movies so far. The car itself is simply a work of art - it looks quite stunning. It’s no toddler-toy mind, with a top speed of around 45mph and an improved range over the company’s existing DB5 giving a range of 80 miles from four 1.8kWh batteries. It also manages to pump out 21.5bhp - that’s not much less than a full-size road going classic Beetle 1200. Obviously, this isn’t your 1970s toy go-kart either, so The Little Car Company has specified Brembo brakes

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Guides on the Radio Chelmsford Community Radio Continuing the series of introducing our presenters, this month we are introducing presenter Maxine Jones.

“I’ve been involved in media since leaving school to train as a graphic designer and photographer. My first experience of local radio was in 2002 when I was fortunate to attend the Party at the Palace. I reported to BBC Essex about my experience of the Golden Jubilee weekend

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and had what I thought would be my ‘15 minutes of fame’.

Fast forward to 2009, and I had been a volunteer for Girlguiding for 8 years and was given the opportunity to lead a group of girls aged 15 - 18 to make The GENE Radio Show - we had a slot on a community radio station broadcasting from Burnham, Essex. GENE (pronounced ‘genie’) stands for Girlguiding Essex North East. Then in 2015 we were offered a slot on Chelmsford Community Radio (CCR).

The show has continued to be a success - not only in providing a monthly update on what’s going on in guiding locally, nationally and internationally, but also in giving girls and young women the opportunity to learn valuable skills in broadcasting and media. Many have gone on to have jobs in the industry.

My involvement with community radio doesn’t end with GENE, as in 2016 a colleague and I set up the Community Radio Awards. These are run not-forprofit and completely independent of any organisation or association. The purpose of these awards is to celebrate community radio and all the hard work and time that the volunteers involved in community radio put into their stations, shows and communities. So as you can see, community radio and Girlguiding are a major part of me!

You can listen to The GENE Radio Show on the first Sunday of every month from 10am until 12. The show is also available to listen to on catch up via the CCR Mixcloud page. www.mixcloud.com/chelmsfordcr www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com www.facebook.com/ChelmsfordCR

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Page 13

amount of equipment to hospitals at the request of local Rotarians.”

A New Meaning of Rotary Fellowship

Within Rotary there are around 50 fellowships - these exist so that like-minded Rotarians can share their passions. Examples of these would be the Cricketing Fellowship, the Caravanning Fellowship and the Yachting Fellowship. With the ongoing war in Ukraine a different kind of fellowship has come to the fore - the International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals.

Chairman of the group is retired consultant Dr John Philip who has been coordinating efforts to provide humanitarian relief. Ever since the Russian invasion in February, this group of Rotarians drawn from across the world, have been working closely with doctors in Ukraine.

They are not only providing medical equipment, but training too. In April 3,850 Ukrainian doctors joined a training session organised by the Fellowship to tackle the management of blast injuries. That recording has since been viewed 10,000 times. “I think this is Rotary at its best...” explained John, a member of Newbury Rotary in Berkshire. “We had a choice of closing our eyes and living in our comfort zone. But we got involved. For me, personally, it was a big step as an individual wanting to help our Rotary colleagues and our doctor colleagues in Ukraine. But suddenly, collectively, the message had power. Because I stepped forward in the name of Rotary and because of that, people took notice of me.”

Since February, the Fellowship has raised nearly £200,000, and in the first couple of months provided more than £80,000 in life-saving equipment and supplies. But it is the connection of Rotarians which has enabled the Fellowship to partner with medical manufacturers who have generously donated equipment. One example was shipping out an X-ray machine to identify shrapnel injuries. A Rotarian who is a Chief Executive of Siemens in Austria heard of the need and the company delivered four machines valued at €500,000 free of charge.

John and his team identified a machine needed in a Ukrainian hospital for premature babies costing €60,000 and Rotarian contacts in Italy provided the equipment without cost. The Fellowship is currently in discussions with acquiring medical instruments from another international company. “The Ukrainians wanted a large number of specialised equipment to keep premature babies alive in vulnerable conditions. So we have been able to provide special resuscitation equipment to 35 neonatal units. But alongside this, there are also other medical issues to consider; people with chronic diseases, people with diabetes and other diseases. Medical staff are working under the most extreme conditions, with the World Health Organisation pointing out that dozens of Ukrainian medical facilities have been hit in airstrikes.”

The International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals has also been putting together pastoral support for the doctors who are suffering emotionally. We have got our team of doctors and pharmacists from the UK, Austria, Germany, Poland, and almost all of the frontline countries. “Because we have got safe transit routes sorted out, we have been able to offer logistical advice to several Rotary teams in the United States to transfer safely medical goods into Poland and, from there, into Ukraine. People are taking notice that we have the right kind of people in Ukraine, as well as the right kind of strategy to make sure we can target medical aid to the appropriate places in the appropriate manner.”

John said he wanted to thank Rotarians in Great Britain and Ireland for their financial support. But they need more: “We need more money because we are in this for the long term,” he pointed out. “The immediate needs are being met, but we are looking into the future.

We want to be standing with the doctors in Ukraine, Rotarians and non-Rotarians, to rebuild the health service, offering them support, the training and medical education. We want to be thinking big, and we want Rotary to be there. We want Rotary to be a big player in the reconstruction of the health service in the Ukraine.”

In normal times I would not write on the same subject in consecutive issues, but these are exceptional times and Ukraine will need our help now and for years to come. The work of this Rotary Fellowship emphasises the true value of belonging to a worldwide service organisation. If you would like to offer support, please visit www. rotary1240.org or call me on 01245 260 349.

Stan Keller

John is one part of a collaborative effort under the umbrella of the Rotary GB&I Ukraine Taskforce, providing a co-ordinated approach to the crisis - firstly with humanitarian aid to Ukraine and bordering countries, and secondly assisting displaced people in Ukraine, as well as refugees seeking sanctuary in these isles.

“Our focus at the very beginning was to deliver medical aid to the people of Ukraine,” he said, “and we made a decision to deliver that aid through Rotarian doctors working in Ukraine. For obvious reasons, emergency medical aid has dominated our thinking for what we call polytrauma. Some of the injuries which people are suffering are so horrendous to see. We have been able to assist with doctors to manage some of the very complicated injuries which people have been suffering. They have supplied tourniquets and other devices to manage shrapnel injuries. We have also been able to supply a large

Please send any local events for inclusion in our What’s On guide from 14/7/22 to 21/8/21 to editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Page 14

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City Times Finance

Extracting Company Profits - Overview

As a business owner you work very hard and look to maximise your businesses’ fortunes, however big or small, so sound financial planning ought to be on your agenda.

Company directors have, depending on their circumstances and given current legislation, three main options of taking their profits. This could be in the form of a salary, employer pension contributions and dividends.

For illustration, let’s meet four company directors who each would like help with £100,000 profits.

One sum and so many considerations, such as corporation tax, employer and employee National Insurance contributions, salary, income tax, dividends and employer pension contributions - so where to start?

Edgar is keen to save as much as possible for his future via his pension pot, without incurring any unnecessary tax charge. This is currently £40,000 per tax year. He has been contributing for some time and therefore has no unused carry forward allowance.

This leaves £60,000 and Edgar would prefer to take the maximum allowable salary without incurring National Insurance and takes the remainder as a dividend so he is able to cover his immediate income needs.

Alex wants to take the maximum salary below National Insurance contributions threshold and the rest in dividends.

how the profits are used. On top of it all, the resulting strategy will also be dependent on the individual tax status, current legislation and regulations. As a result Max could end up with the least profit extracted, whereas Judy could be able to utilise the whole £100,000.

Edgar could have more than Alex. The rules are complex, please seek professional advice.

Using one, two or all three above strategies will have differing outcomes, not only financially but also in terms of emotional wellbeing and the resulting lifestyle, so professional planning is essential.

If you are in a similar situation and would like to find out more, please contact us and see if we can help you.

Silvia Johnson Bsc(Hons), DipPFS, EFA, CertCII (MP) is a Director and Independent Financial Adviser at Royale Thames Wealth and provides independent financial advice to individuals and businesses. www.royalthameswealth.co.uk silvia@royalthameswealth.co.uk 07908 109 741 / 020 8720 7249 Royale Thames Wealth Ltd is an Appointed Representative of New Leaf Distribution Ltd which is authorised and regulated by Financial Conduct Authority number 460421. The value of your investment may go up as well as down and the value is not guaranteed. Past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. Wills and Estate Planning are not regulated by the FCA.

Max has a need for income and would like to get a mortgage, so chooses the full £100,000 as a salary.

Judy on the other hand, thinking of retiring soon takes advantage of the employer contribution option and puts the whole £100,000 into her pension. Unlike Edgar, she does have unused carry forward annual allowance and is able to this without any annual allowance tax charge.

As you can see, all four business owners have the same sum of money but very different needs and objectives and this will reflect

Have you seen the fantastic crown on the multi-storey roundabout?

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What’s On All events are correct at time of going to press. Please check with the venue for updates.

June

Friday 17th Civic - Kinky Boots The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (DJ in the garden 5pm; DJ Goodie - 9pm) Hot Box - Acid Under the Arches Hyde Hall - Pantaloons - War of the Worlds Hylandsd Estate - Foodies Festival RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair yoga Saturday 18th Chelmsford Cathedral - Preloved Vintage Kilo Chelmsford Social Club - East Anglia Music Festival (part of The Chelmsford Festival) Chelmsford Library - Family Fun Day Civic - Kinky Boots The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (live music 4.30pm-8.30pm, DJs - 9pm) Cramphorn - Into the Spotlight Golden Fleece - All Out Emo Hot Box - Sun Cutter Hyde Hall - British Cactus & Succulent Society Hylands Estate - Foodies Festival RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm) Sunday 19th Hylands Estate - Foodies Festival Hylands Estate - Open Day & Farmers Market Hylands Stables - Andy Bell Space Station Hyde Hall - British Cactus & Succulent Society Writtle Open Gardens - Pay at booth on Writtle Green Monday 20th The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club night The Wheatsheaf Writtle The One Tree Hillbillies (8.30pm) Tuesday 21st Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - Country Dancing (barn dance - 7.50pm - £2 - 01245 475 660) Woolpack - Quiz Wednesday 22nd Woolpack - 80s bingo Thursday 23rd The Clay Pigeon - Poker night & quiz Friday 24th The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (DJ in the garden 5pm, DJ Goodie - 9pm) Hyde Hall - Planet Abba RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair yoga Saturday 25th Central Park - Pride 2022 Chelmsford City Racecourse - Clockstock St Peter Ad Vincula (Coggeshall, CO6 1UD) Chelmsford Singers’ Spring Concert (www.chelmsfordsingers.co.uk) Chelmsford Social Club - The Bobcats The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (live music 4.30pm-8.30pm, DJs 9pm) Hyde Hall - Peter Rudeforth’s Jazz Band The Orange Tree - Connor Selby & Joe Anderton (8.30pm) RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm) 777) Monday 27th The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club night The Orange Tree - One Tree Hillbillies (8.30pm)

Tuesday 28th Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - Country Dancing (barn dance, £2 - 7.50pm - 01245 475 660) Woolpack - Quiz Wednesday 29th Central Park - Race4Business Chichester Hotel (Rawreth) - Belvedere Jazz & Music Supper Club: Derek Nash, Lee Gibson & Gordon Campbell Quintet (7:45pm - to book phone Phil on 07850 607 075) Woolpack - 80s Bingo Thursday 30th Hot Box - Bon Harris: Songs from the Lemon Tree

July Friday 1st Acanteen - Madness Tribute Chelmsford Social Club - Bex Marshall Band & Supernatural (celebrating the early music of Peter Green) The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (DJ in the garden 5pm, DJ Goodie - 9pm) Hot Box - Flying Moon in Space RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair Yoga Saturday 2nd Central Park - Chelmsford Fake Festival Chelmsford Social Club - Record Fair The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (live music 4.30pm-8.30pm, DJs - 9pm) Christ Church, Chelmsford - Jonathan Veira Singer/Raconteur (call 01245 354 529 for tickets) Hot Box - Live Transmission RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm) Woolpack - Platinum Jubilee Garden Party Monday 4th The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club night Tuesday 5th Woolpack - Quiz Wednesday 6th Woolpack - 80s Bingo Thursday 7th The Clay Pigeon - Poker night & quiz Hotbox - Chelmsford Fringe Festival Friday 8th Chelmsford Social Club - The Rolling Clones + Rich Young The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (DJ in the garden 5pm, DJ Goodie - 9pm) Hot Box - Chelmsford Fringe Festival RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair yoga Saturday 9th The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (live music 4.30pm-8.30pm, DJs - 9pm) Golden Fleece Hot Box - Chelmsford Fringe Festival RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm) The Tendring Show - Lawford House Park, CO11 2ND Sunday 10th Hot Box - Jazz Sundays with Zak Barrett & Friends Monday 11th The Clay Pigeon - Bingo night Hot Box - Chelmsford Chess Club night

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Tuesday 12th Hot box - Polemics + Silverkord Widford Village Hall (turn left at Chandlers) - country dancing (barn dance, £2 - 7.50pm - 01245 475 660) Woolpack - Quiz Wednesday 13th Chichester Hotel (Rawreth) - Belvedere Jazz & Music Supper Club: Ella, Billie & Beyond - Joanna Eden Quartet (7.45pm - to book phone Phil on 07850 607 075) Hotbox - The Big Music Quiz Woolpack - 80s Bingo Thursday 14th The Clay Pigeon - Poker night & quiz Hot Box - Safenath & Tyegreen Friday 15th The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (DJ in the garden 5pm, DJ Goodie - 9pm)

Hot Box - Kieff Hyde Hall - Pantaloons: Much Ado About Nothing RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Chair yoga Tennessee Fields Festival - Sandy Brook Fields Saturday 16th The Orange Tree - That Blue Patch (8.30pm) The Courtyard (Baddow Road) - Happy Days (live music 4.30pm-8.30pm, DJs - 9pm) Hot Box - Alison Cotton + Wolf Type Dog RAFA Club (Hall Street) - Coffee morning (10am to 1pm) Tennessee Fields Festival (Sandy Brook Fields) Sunday 17th Hylands Estate - Open Day & farmers market Hylands Stable - Black Pines Tennessee Fields Festival (Sandy Brook Fields)

Email your events between 14th July and 21st August to us: editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

The Tendring Show Returns in 2022 - 105th Show Celebrates Farming, Food & Fitness

The much loved Tendring Show returns on Saturday 9th July after a two year break following the coronavirus pandemic. The organisers are calling for the local community to turn out in numbers to support the 105th event, and almost 20,000 people are expected to attend the nonprofit one-day show, taking the opportunity to reconnect with friends, family, and one of their favourite local events.

The Tendring Show was first held in 1899 and has become an important event in the local calendar and a unique opportunity to bring the rural and urban populations of north Essex and the surrounding area together. A family show, it maintains its strong agricultural heritage with large displays of agricultural machinery, livestock, and opportunities to buy food from local producers.

The 2022 president for Essex’s premier agricultural and family show is local farmer George Harris, who farms in East Bergholt, as well as adjacent to the showground in Lawford. George was first elected in 2020 and has the honour of being the show’s longest serving president as a result of the two cancelled shows!

In June, the show president will embark on a cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats, so it is fitting that the show’s main theme will be Farming, Food and Fitness. He explained: “Children will be able to see for themselves the importance of good healthy British food and how it can benefit our overall health, and better understand how regular exercise can burn off those unwanted calories as well as benefit our well-being and mental health.”

Catherine Parker, Vice-Chairman of the Tendring Hundred Farmers’ Club went on to explain: “We are very excited for this year’s theme area where we are planning to fit in lots of different family activities.

The team is making sure it’s interactive and interesting for all ages.

The straw climb will be back, along with an assault course, and more animals within the area. We are focusing on the produce the farmers grow, looking at what we eat, and the importance on how exercise can make us feel.”

Will King, Chairman of the Tendring Hundred Farmers’ Club said: “There will be over 150 trade stands and exhibitions to visit, main ring entertainment in our president’s ring, countryside and family arenas, as well as all the livestock showing classes and small animal tents.

We can’t wait to welcome back regular visitors as well as anyone interested in coming along for the first time.”

Further details and early saver e-tickets can be purchased by visiting www.tendringshow.co.uk. www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

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Rambling Through the Channels - By Britain’s Oldest Angry Young Man

So, the BBC is splashing out £50 million of our money over a four year period to - wait for it - find out what we watch on Auntie’s channels. For a tenner, I could save her the trouble. I watch very few BBC offerings, the majority of which, in my humble view, are rubbish.

I look for entertainment. I do not consider endless cop shows, boring cookery programmes, repeats, inane game shows and so-called celebrity outings entertainment. Basically, they are time fillers to satisfy the addiction of our voyeur viewers. I write as an over 75 press ganged into paying for a licence to watch rubbish television and listen to rubbish radio. The BBC is now off my Christmas card list.

I remember the golden age of BBC output through the 40s, 50s and 60s. Classic sitcoms which actually were funny because they were created by brilliant writers, unlike the very unfunny and often lavatory style dross clogging the airwaves today.

For those who are interested, there is a Goon Show Preservation Society and a Tony Hancock Appreciation Society still in existence.

Google them and have a laugh.

I confess to being turned down for work with the BBC in the 1960s nine times. (Is this a record?) Not the right sort of chap you know.

Didn’t go to university. Joined the RAF instead. But I do write a damn good letter. My complaint’s philosophy is simple: send it to the top man or woman - they are duty bound to deal with it. It has never

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failed me. What’s the secret? Remember the adage ‘It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it’. I am an expert.

I am genuinely sad that the BBC is in such a mess. However, it does tend to shoot itself in the foot too many times. Strictly Come Dancing springs to mind. There is a dearth of gravitas provided in the past by broadcasting giants. Today’s broadcasting pygmies (already tainted

by Jimmy Savile), are obsessed with inclusiveness, equality and ethnicity all of which can suffocate creativity.

Am I the only person to wince when at the end of a programme or film, we learn that the programme or film was made by so and so company for the BBC? Outsourcing this kind of work shows the BBC as a hollowed out broadcaster with little real ambition or entertainment value. The exodus of BBC presenters and artists is a real warning for it to get back to its roots! But then the BBC is beholden to many pressure groups when trying to keep its ‘right on’ balls in the air.

Bringing back Anneka Rice is indeed desperation. Why not go the whole hog and bring back Sooty and Sweep? A thought!

I pay £12 each month for Netflix and Amazon Prime. So I pay £144 each year - £15 less than the struggling BBC licence fee of £159 and for which I get most of the entertainment I require.

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Have you seen how bright our city has become since Concrete Canvas? Well done to all involved!

Find out more at www.chelmsfordforyou.co.uk/concretecanvas.

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The Development of Chelmsford (Part six) - By Stephen Norris This article looks at early post-war developments in the town.

Irredeemably mediocre Chelmsford was the title of an article in the satirical magazine Private Eye which appeared in 1990. This was one of a number of pieces that have appeared both nationally and locally in the last 50 years criticising the town’s architectural blandness. Although some of the remarks of a recent story in the Guardian (see later) were certainly unfair, it has to be admitted that the planning decisions made on the development of the town in the 1960s and 1970s did a good deal to remove the individual character of the town. Although Anthony Minoprio’s post war plan for the town was not officially adopted in the early post war years, a number of its proposals did eventually come about including the town’s first shopping centre and the inner ring road.

Critics of recent development can blame Minoprio for getting the idea accepted that there was little of architectural worth in the town to be saved for posterity. This idea certainly played its part in the sweeping away of all the town’s courts and yards in the name of progress. Colchester took the view however that it was in the end no more expensive to renovate and improve at least some of its yards and cottages. Minoprio’s views were also a factor which led to the desecration of Tindal Street, certainly one of the streets which had given Chelmsford its individual character, when Chelmsford’s first shopping centre was finally built. Late in the day National Heritage money saved some of the old buildings of Moulsham Street, but still more could have been done to keep its centuries old character.

The removal of Mesopotamia and the river gulleys that caused it was also, in the opinion of John Marriage, another unnecessary contribution to the increasing sameness of Chelmsford towards the end of the century. Despite these criticisms of the town people still generally rated it a pleasant place to live, and this is the reason why the population of the city is rising rapidly in the new millennium. The borough increasingly had to do battle with the County Council to limit new housing in the area in the late 20th century. Despite this, the Green Belt around Chelmsford generally held and a number of villages within the area have retained their character. Lack of available land plus the determined opposition of conservationists has meant that the population of the new city fell well short of the 200,000 predicted 30 years ago.

Chelmsford’s first census for 20 years in 1951 revealed that the increase in the town’s industry had caused a big increase in both the population of the borough from 27,457 in 1931 to 37,858 and the Chelmsford rural district which had risen from 27,836 to 39,258. The faster growth of the rural district reflected the continued urban spread of the town of Chelmsford into parishes such as Great Baddow and Springfield. In the next two decades, the population of the area as a whole doubled to just over 120,000 by the 1971 census. This was despite the predicted overspill population from Greater London in the main not fully materialising.

In the 1960s the area’s population increased by 30,000. A limited exodus from metropolitan Essex was fuelled by cheaper house prices in the town, but Chelmsford’s rate of growth of population slowed considerably after the two districts merged in the early 1970s. The population of the area grew by roughly 15,000 in both the 1970s and the 1980s, but only by 3,000 in the 1990s. Limited land available for new housing restricted the opportunities for people to move into the area and reinforced the slow rate of local growth in population which was a feature nationally. By 2001 there were 157,000 people in the Chelmsford metropolitan district. In 2012 Chelmsford’s population was 168,000 - an increase of over 11,000. This compared with 173,600 for Colchester, 174,300 for Southend and 175,000 for Basildon. In contrast, in the same set of figures, Norwich has only 132,200 and Ipswich 133,700 people. All the indications are that the population of the new city is rising rapidly. By 2007 the BMI (black and ethnic minority) had grown to 17,500 - 1 in 10 of the population.

Immediately after the Second War it seemed likely that Chelmsford

would be affected by the implementation of the Greater London Plan. In 1944 this had allowed for the decentralisation of a million people from the Inner Urban ring to the Outer Country Ring which included Chelmsford. The 1945 Minoprio Plan for Chelmsford was one of 250 such plans submitted at the end of the war for the UK. Anthony Minoprio had been appointed to prepare a survey and plan for the borough and rural district of Chelmsford in 1944, not by the local authorities but by an unofficial group called The Chelmsford Area Planning Group. They were made up of leading citizens and industrialists.

The aim of the report was to ‘encourage the adoption of good design and wise long term planning’. In his preface to the Minoprio plan, Sir Patrick Abercrombe, the author of the preface to the Greater London Plan, raised the danger of the town falling under the influence of London and losing its individual character. Minoprio had trained as an architect in Liverpool and supported large scale neoclassical designs with wide avenues, rather than the small scale garden city forms of Raymond Unwin. “Good architecture can do more than any other factor to foster civic pride and the self respect of a town.”

Minoprio held the view that the architect should be in control with no need to consult the local community. In this, his approach was similar to that of the Chelmsford Company in developing the New London area a century earlier. Both schemes were initiated by unelected ‘city fathers’. The latter arguably however, left a much better legacy for the town.

Minoprio contrasted the slow piecemeal growth of the town up to the end of the 19th century with the rapid growth of the town in the 20th century, which had resulted in sprawling ribbon development along the main roads out of the town. He identified 7 main problems: Firstly, there was an insufficient provision of car parks. Secondly, the market was badly sited and too small. Thirdly, there was a lack of well designed amenities. Fourthly, the town was disfigured by advertisements and rubbish dumps. Fifth, there was a need to develop residential areas as neighbourhood units, not just collections of houses. This was connected with a sixth problem, a lack of clinics, shops, public halls, playgrounds and allotments. Seventh, insufficient use had been made of the two rivers. He noted that since the turn of the century a new problem had arisen in the town with the rapid development of motor transport. Any new road plan would be hampered by the presence of the two rivers and a railway viaduct.

By the Second War the town was hopelessly congested by traffic.

The area between the High Street and the existing market was being wasted by a layout which had existed in 1591 but had great potential.

Minoprio berated the general low level of design and amenities in the town. There were however, several buildings designed to a high standard of architecture, notably the Shire Hall and the cathedral.

These two buildings were not shown to their best effect because of the shapeless muddle of the other buildings around Tindal Square.

Minoprio tried to show how the defects of the road system could be rectified, the central land replanned, the rivers used to benefit the town, and new buildings and residential areas used to benefit the ‘dignity and character of the town’. Vehicles coming from London towards Colchester and the coast were compelled to go through the High Street and Duke Street. A bypass had been included in both the Mid Essex Plan and the Greater London Plan. This led Minoprio to propose an inner ring road. He put forward two new roundabouts, one at what is now the Army and Navy and one at the southern end of the Springfield Road.

Minoprio saw no redeeming features in the area between the High Street and the Can known as the Yards. The layout and design of the buildings had, he felt, serious defects which could not be put right. What was needed was a total replanning of Tindal Street and the area between the High Street and the Recreation Ground. Tindal Square should be reduced in size and the Corn Exchange, a building which he had little affection for, demolished. This was Minoprio following the general reaction against Victorian buildings. The view of

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Chelmsford’s timber framed buildings being of little value became ingrained in the local authorities perception for just long enough for all these buildings to be swept away a quarter of a century later.

If they had been retained for another ten years, new conservation forces would have ensured the preservation of at least some of them.

Minoprio envisaged the resulting area being filled with a large shopping space, public buildings and large car parks. These would be designed as rectangular blocks with internal courtyards giving car parks and delivery access. His civic centre would have been placed on the banks of the Can with public spaces, cafés and boating.

Minoprio proposed 10 new residential areas (Typical Neighbourhood Units). Each was to have between 5 and 10,000 inhabitants, with its own shops and amenities. Each unit was to be reached by a walk from the centre not exceeding ten minutes. He gave complete specifications for the amenities in each TNU such as 130 shops, 4 nursery schools, 1 community hall, an ante-natal clinic and a welfare clinic. Minoprio predicted the further development of the Melbourne

estate and the spread of Springfield north of the railway. He maintained that without encroaching on the green belt Chelmsford’s existing residential areas could be replanned to comfortably house a further 15,000 people. Minoprio identified a shortage of housing in nearly all the surrounding rural parishes and a lack of amenities, particularly piped water in many of them.

The plan failed to make an immediate impression on either local businessmen or the local authorities. Those councillors who were on the Town Planning Committee failed to make time to officially discuss it. The Weekly News did however report on the drastic changes envisaged in the scheme in 1950. Most of his proposals were however, incorporated into Chelmsford’s first town map which formed part of the 1952 Development Plan for Essex. It included a possible increase in the population of 21,000 to be located in 9 residential areas on the Minoprio model. The redevelopment of the town centre was delayed until it could be financed by private enterprise in the 1960s and 1970s, but by and large followed his scheme.

To view both the City Times and the Moulsham Times magazines online, visit www.issuu.com/itsyourmedia

Volunteer With Us…

We are currently especially looking for volunteers to skipper and crew our trip boats.

Blackwater Dawn and Albert can each carry up to 12 passengers, and we need volunteer skippers and crew members to operate each boat. Blackwater Dawn sails up the navigation from Heybridge Basin for 45-minute trips, and Albert from Paper Mill Lock. Both boats are also available for longer private charter hire booked in advance. We also have City Boat who whizzes around Chelmsford town centre, you may have seen her.

Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.

Full training is provided.

Skills Required No skills are required, as we give full training and support. If you have no boating experience, you can start as crew member and train to be a skipper later.

The crew are required to ensure the safety of the passengers when the skipper is busy navigating and provide information and support to the customers so that they have an enjoyable and safe time. They assist the skipper with mooring and locks if required.

If you are already a skipper in receipt of an IWA COBM, or RYA Helmsman’s Training, or Boat Masters Certificate or other recognised qualification, then welcome aboard!

For more information email Louise at essex.volunteers@waterways. org.uk.

What We Can Offer You In return for your time, we hope volunteers will have a rewarding day on the navigation, make new friends and have a sense of achievement in helping to support the long-term preservation of the

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram by searching @essexwaterways. www.essexwaterways.com

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Page 21

A Year in the Life of the Mayor

Spot the Difference - 10 to find (answers on page 23) I watched some very talented young athletes at Chelmsford Sport and Athletics Centre for the BUCS Athletics Championships. It was lovely to see so many universities represented at this prestigious event. I was delighted to be asked to present medals to the winner of Men’s Seated Discus Throw, winners of 100m Women and Men and 100m Ambulant Men and Women. What a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.

I dropped into Hearing Help Essex in Moulsham Street on their recent Open Day. It was lovely to meet so many volunteers and hear about the work they do to help adults with hearing aids. They can make home visit for those unable to get out, as well as demonstrate equipment to assist with listening to the radio, television and telephone.

The Deputy Mayor and I were invited by GMC to visit Galleywood football and cricket clubs to meet many of the participants and listen to a presentation about their ambitious plans going forward.

Sadly, we were not able to see the girls’ cricket demonstration as the heavens opened shortly before we arrived.

We were made very welcome by everyone and just before we left, we were each presented with some beautiful flowers. A very interesting evening.

I spent a lovely couple of hours with the children, mums, grans and a great gran attending the Widford Waddlers in Widford Village Hall. A lovely happy chatty atmosphere with lots of toys and activities for the children to join in with. I loved the songs at the end of the session. A special thank you for the card and the plant.

people of Devon are really going to be in for a treat! We really are lucky here in Chelmsford… what a delight to watch so many talented young people.

The Deputy Mayor and I became quiz masters for the city council staff and members quiz in aid of my charities and the Red Cross (Ukraine relief). I just had to wear my fundraising dandy highwayman hat. The winning team was Quizzie McQuizz Face. Runners up were 3rd Floor and third were the Not So Magnificent Seven. A great evening for worthy causes.

The mayoralty spent the evening with members of the Essex Wing Air Training Corp for an introduction to paddle sports evening. The Mayoress and the Deputy Mayors Consort Ian joined in with the youngsters’ paddle boarding and thoroughly enjoyed it. I walked along the riverbank with the Deputy Mayor and gave encouragement from the safety of the footpath - some of us didn’t fancy getting wet.

The Deputy Mayor and I had the pleasure of being invited to Buckingham Palace for the first Queen’s Garden Party since the COVID-19 lockdown. I was surprised and delighted when the Duchess of Cornwall came over and shook my hand. Sadly, the weather was not kind to us, although we started off fine and dry we ended up like drowned rats... but we made the very best of the occasion and really enjoyed ourselves. We bumped into the Mayors of Brentwood, Colchester and Southend whilst we were there.

It was a pleasure to be asked to cut the ribbon and officially open the additional meeting/function rooms at Age Concern Chelmsford. Lots of volunteers and supporters were there to celebrate. It now provides more useful and accessible community space in the city centre what’s not to like?

The Mayoress and I attended the Chelmsford Cathedral annual dinner. It was quite something to see all the chairs replaced by lots of tables to accommodate around 100 diners in the heart of the building.

I was happy to speak a little about some of the events I’d attended there then propose the toast to the cathedral. The evening was lively and enjoyable with The Dean, Judge David Turner (guest speaker), the High Sheriff and their wives around the table.

My end of term service took place on Sunday 9th May at St Andrews Church, Chelmsford. With all the mayoralty there it was very special.

It meant a lot that so many people I’ve met and worked with over my 2 years in office were able to attend alongside many past mayors. My thanks to my Chaplain Canon Tom Page and Rev Simon Pearce for hosting the lovely service, not forgetting the ladies from The Jubilee Café, North Avenue who did the catering; we all agreed the food was delicious.

The mayoralty attended an afternoon tea with some of the Afghan refugee families living here in Chelmsford. It was a lovely sunny afternoon with lots of happy children playing in the gardens of the Quaker House, the venue for the event. We spoke with members of the families and listened to their stories. The Mayoress was very pleased with the henna decoration one of the young ladies painted on her hand.

The Deputy Mayor and her Consort Ian attended a comedy night at Christchurch URC featuring talented comedian, author and TV writer Paul Kerensa. They really enjoyed anecdotes about Paul’s career, family and writing for Miranda and Not Going Out. The Mayoralty dropped in to see Essex Dance Theatre as they ran through their programme for their forthcoming tour of Devon. The

I paid a flying visit with the Deputy Mayor to meet staff at Chelmsford Crematorium. The last time we had this opportunity was early in the pandemic when we met outside all socially distanced. Then the staff were split into separate teams, introduced because of covid, and on shifts up until 11pm to keep up with the awful demands placed upon the service. They are still working through and trying to catch up on the subsequent paperwork such as the transfers of ownership of family graves.

It was good to meet up and listen to their thoughts on the past two years and tell them just how much we appreciate the way they continue to keep everything going for the residents of Chelmsford.

The mayoral party met up with the Chelmsford Street Pastors to accompany them on their walk around the city centre. We talked to people out for the evening, checking that all was well with them, this included visiting the railway station platforms and the volunteers on the SOS Bus. We went on to visit the CCTV Control Centre. The skills shown by the

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fundraising for my charities. The sum raised was approximately £600.

The organisers of Ride for Helen (Rollason) invited the mayoralty to be present as the cyclists came back from their 6, 15, 30 or 60 mile rides. The weather wasn’t very kind, but we were happy to give out medals and listen to riders stories.

The Deputy Mayor and I were invited to watch a couple of classes by members of the Chelmsford Karate Club in Dovedales. We were delighted to accept a donation of £300 for our charities. It was lovely to see children as young as 4 years old getting involved in the Shotokan Tigers Kids Club. The club are rightly very proud of their inclusive policy and welcome all who want to learn. This was our last official engagement before we handed over to the new mayor.

staff as they monitor cameras across the city to help keep us safe was so interesting. We left them to it at around 1am.

The mayoralty visited the beginnings of Concrete Canvas, a street art festival across Chelmsford to brighten up the city centre. It was interesting talking to some of the artists and hearing how they got involved.

There is no better way to spend a sunny afternoon than watching cricket. The mayoral group did just that as we were delighted to attend the first T20 game, Sunrisers v South Eastern Stars, at the Essex Cloud County Ground on Saturday as guests of Essex County Cricket.

I was asked to join the captains and officials for the toss and to ring the bell to invite players and staff onto the pitch before we all joined them for a moment of reflection.

It has been an honour and a privilege to serve the people of Chelmsford for the past two years. A Year in the Life of the Mayor has included short snapshots of the many things the Mayoress (Helen Deakin) and I and the Deputy Mayor (Cllr Linda Mascot) and her Consort (Ian Mascot) have done over our term of office. We made the most of every opportunity throughout the pandemic and enjoyed all the engagements undertaken.

My thanks to those who invited us to the 524 meetings and engagements we attended.

It has always been a team effort and my thanks go to my Chaplain Canon Tom Page, who shone a light on some of the darker times.

We could not have carried out the engagements without the help of Katherine Eley who is the Mayor’s Office, our driver John Kempson and reserve driver John Ellis who ensured we got there. Despite the covid restrictions making it difficult to hold fundraising events, I’m delighted to announce that we have raised £24,000 to benefit Sanctus and Mid-Essex Mind. Thanks to our fundraising committee, The Motley Crew, for their fantastic efforts.

What a fabulous afternoon, we couldn’t have been looked after any better. Our thanks to all involved.

I would like to finish by welcoming our new Mayor Cllr John Galley, Deputy Mayor Cllr Susan Dobson and their consorts. I hope they enjoy it as much as we did and have a memorable year.

We held a very successful quiz night at Great Baddow Parish Hall

Cllr Jude Deakin, Mayor of Chelmsford 2020-2022

Chelmsford Library Now the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations have finished, we look forward to an exciting summer here in the library.

We have many regular clubs and events to entertain and support our customers, here are details of a few:

This year’s Summer Reading Challenge is on its way! Its called Gadgeteers, a science-themed challenge inspiring children to be curious and discover a world full of amazing science and innovation.

It opens on 16th July and continues through the summer holiday to encourage children to keep reading and enjoying books. They will be rewarded with stickers (some smelly!), a certificate and a medal. There will also be related activities to enjoy - keep an eye on our website and social media and in the library for details! We are looking forward to seeing you and your children in the library this summer.

Rhymetimes: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday. See the website for times and details.

Block Builders Construction Club: Every Saturday 2pm-3.30pm in the Children’s Library.

Pens and Puzzles: Every Sunday 11am-12.30pm in the Children’s Library.

Community Tea Time: Alternate Saturdays 2pm-3.30pm. Next one on 25th June - join us for a cup of tea or coffee and biscuits.

Work Club: Every Thursday 10am-12 noon. Drop in for help with online searching and applying for jobs, CV writing, advice and support.

Learn My Way: 6-week basic computer skills course; booking required. Mondays 10am-12 noon.

For details on all our events and services, and to book your places, visit our website at libraries.essex.gov.uk. You can also search for us and follow us on Facebook or Twitter or by subscribing to our newsletter - more details on our website.

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Can You Make a Difference in Your Community? and Danbury village halls, and their coffee mornings include days out, fish and chips, and karaoke!

Basic computer skills, kindness, and a willingness to help are all that’s needed.

Have fun on our Market Stall charity shop - Kids Inspire Kids Inspire are looking for dedicated volunteers to help run their stall in Chelmsford indoor market.

The stall sells donations of books, bric-a-brac, music, art, clothes - everything you’d expect to find in a charity shop, but in a market stall. All you need are a warm coat and a smile!

Hearing Aid Support Service - Technical Volunteers We are looking for volunteers to join our small, very friendly team to help those with hearing loss.

NHS hearing aids need to be cleaned and re-tubed every 4 - 6 months; if this doesn’t happen or if the aid is not working then this leaves a person feeling very isolated, lonely and vulnerable. Our brilliant volunteers are trained to do this, free of charge. This is a really unusual, but interesting thing to do as a volunteer and it makes an enormous difference to people living with hearing loss.

Admin and Activity Support for local Dementia Group - Other Halves A lovely, friendly club for people living with dementia and for their carers, is looking for help to do basic admin tasks and to support their sessions.

The group meets on Tuesday and Fridays at different Great Baddow

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Join our new South Woodham Ferrers Community Garden Would you like to get involved in a brand new community garden?

Meadowcroft Garden Centre in have donated a beautiful piece of land for local people to grow flowers, harvest vegetables, learn new skills, and enjoy being with friendly people in a lovely location.

The sessions are supported by an expert from the RHS. Activities volunteer for adults with disabilities - Grapevine Essex Club Grapevine is our weekly term time club based at Columbus College.

It’s held on Tuesday evenings from 6.30pm to 830pm, and we have around 60 adults with learning disabilities who attend for a variety of planned activities. We need compassionate, enthusiastic people who can help us improve the lives of disabled adults and have fun!

Teach children how to fish! - Angling Coaching Initiative We are a warm and welcoming not-for-profit organisation that is providing opportunities for the younger generation to experience freshwater fishing, to learn skills, and to have a good time outdoors enjoying our beautiful waterways. We are looking for capable anglers to join us and commit to a number of coaching sessions, Please email volunteer@chelmsfordcvs.org.uk, or call 01245 250 731 if you think you could help or just want more information about volunteering.

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CT Therapy - Chelmsford Therapy Rooms Hi everyone! Jenny here, I hope you’re all well and enjoying the fabulous weather! Some of you might remember that I’ve mentioned in my practice I tend to go through phases. By this I mean that I’ll have an influx of clients all presenting with the same issues. Recently I’ve had a flurry of clients suffering with OCD, so I thought that this month’s article would be a great platform to explore a little about what OCD is about.

In order to explain what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is, let’s consult the experts at the International OCD Foundation. We’ll start with their explanation of what OCD is and then expand from there.

According to the International OCD Foundation: Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health disorder that affects people of all ages and walks of life, and occurs when a person gets caught in a cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

What are Obsessions?

Obsessions are unwanted, intrusive thoughts, images, or urges that trigger intensely distressing feelings. They make a person feel uncomfortable, anxious, perhaps not in control, but whatever emotion the obsession elicits it is negative to the point they need to do something about it. These thoughts, images or impulses occur over and over again and feel outside of the person’s control.

Individuals with OCD do not want to have these thoughts and find them disturbing. In most cases, people with OCD realise that these thoughts don’t make any sense. Obsessions are typically accompanied by intense and uncomfortable feelings such as fear, disgust, doubt, or a feeling that things have to be done in a way that is ‘just right’.

What Are Compulsions?

Compulsions are behaviours an individual engages in to attempt to get rid of the obsessions and/or decrease his or her distress. The behaviour is likely to be repetitive and the individual is compelled to perform these actions. Compulsions are repetitive behaviours or thoughts that a person uses with the intention of neutralising, counteracting, or making their obsessions go away. People with OCD realise this is only a temporary solution but without a better way to cope they rely on the compulsion as a temporary escape.

Compulsions can also include avoiding situations that trigger obsessions. Compulsions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities the person values.

The Old ‘I’m a Little Bit OCD...’

Most people have obsessive thoughts and/or compulsive behaviours at some point in their lives, but that does not mean that we all have ‘some OCD’. In order for a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder to be made, this cycle of obsessions and compulsions becomes so extreme that it consumes a lot of time and gets in the way of important activities that the person values.

feels as though it diminishes their struggle with OCD symptoms.

Even if the content of the ‘obsession’ is more serious, for example, everyone might have had a thought from time to time about getting sick, or worrying about a loved one’s safety, or wondering if a mistake they made might be catastrophic in some way, that doesn’t mean these obsessions are necessarily symptoms of OCD. While these thoughts look the same as what you would see in OCD, someone without OCD may have these thoughts, be momentarily concerned, and then move on. In fact, research has shown that most people have unwanted ‘intrusive thoughts’ from time to time, but in the context of OCD, these intrusive thoughts come frequently and trigger extreme anxiety that gets in the way of day-to-day functioning.

Similar to obsessions, not all repetitive behaviours or ‘rituals’ are compulsions. You have to look at the function and the context of the behaviour. For example, bedtime routines, religious practices, and learning a new skill all involve some level of repeating an activity over and over again, but are usually a positive and functional part of daily life.

In terms of OCD, behaviours depend on the context. Arranging and ordering books for eight hours a day isn’t a compulsion if the person works in a library. Similarly, you may have ‘compulsive’ behaviours that wouldn’t fall under OCD, if you are just a stickler for details or like to have things neatly arranged. In this case, ‘compulsive’ refers to a personality trait or something about yourself that you actually prefer or like. In most cases, individuals with OCD feel driven to engage in compulsive behaviour and would rather not have to do these time consuming and many times torturous acts. In OCD, compulsive behaviour is done with the intention of trying to escape or reduce anxiety or the presence of obsessions.

I hope this has explained OCD a little further.

Stay well folks!

Jenny Hartill is a therapist and owner of Cloud9 Therapy and Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. She is a counsellor, hypnotherapist and mnemodynamic therapist and can help with a multitude of issues but her speciality is anxiety. She is currently seeing clients face-to-face and via Zoom. There are currently many therapists at Chelmsford Therapy Rooms and no waiting lists, so if you need assistance please get in touch. Please see the website www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms. co.uk or you can email info@chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk or call 0330 100 5162 for further information. All information is kept strictly confidential.

In the context of OCD, obsessions are time consuming and get in the way of important activities. This last part is extremely important to keep in mind as it, in part, determines whether someone has OCD - a psychological disorder - rather than an obsessive personality trait.

Unfortunately, ‘obsessing’ or ‘being obsessed’ are commonly used terms in every day language. These more casual uses of the word means that someone is preoccupied with a topic or an idea or even a person. ‘Obsessed’ in this everyday sense doesn’t involve problems in day-to-day living and even has a pleasurable component to it. You can be ‘obsessed’ with a new song you hear on the radio, but you can still meet your friend for dinner, get ready for bed in a timely way, get to work on time in the morning etc, despite this obsession.

In fact, individuals with OCD have a hard time hearing this usage of ‘obsession’ (for example people who say ‘I have a bit of OCD’), as it www.thecitytimes.co.uk

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Pranayama & Meditation for Summer - By Mandy Haynes With summer well and truly upon us I thought I would introduce you to two pranayama practices that are both brilliant for these warm, sunny times.

The first is Surya Bhedana, or Sun Piercing Breath. In this pranayama you breathe in through the right nostril and out through the left nostril which activates the ‘sun’ aspects of your body, bringing heat, energy and life force. It is a great one to use when you wake up or at the start of your practice to energise you.

• • • • •

Find a comfortable seated position with the spine long and shoulders relaxed.

Place your hand over your face, with your index and middle fingers resting against your forehead.

To begin, use your ring finger to close your left nostril and inhale through the open right nostril.

At the top of the breath, switch fingers so you close the right nostril with your thumb and exhale through the open left nostril.

Repeat for a few minutes.

The second is Sitali Pranayama, or Cooling Breath. It is a calming and cooling breath. On a hot day it’s like you’re making your own air conditioning, or you can use it at the end of a sweaty yoga practice to counter the internal heat and bring the body back into balance.

• •

• •

As above, come to a comfortable seated position.

Roll your tongue, curling the sides in towards the centre to form a tube and stick the end of your tongue out between pursed lips (if you can’t roll your tongue, purse your lips instead making a small ‘o’ shape with your mouth and keep your tongue against the back of your bottom teeth).

Inhale slowly through the tube formed by your tongue or the ‘o’ of your mouth, as if you were sipping air through a straw. Let the breath expand your chest and fill your belly.

Close your mouth and slowly exhale through your nose.

•

Repeat for 5-10 rounds of breath.

This summer meditation is ideal to use after your Sitali Pranayama or at the end of a yoga practice during Savasana - it is taken from a book called Morning Meditations by Danielle North: ‘You are standing on a rock, looking out to sea. The view is spectacular, and you place your right hand on your heart and breathe in deeply. Every wave that breaks beneath you is in time with the rhythm of your heart. You feel it beating gently in your chest, a steady, regular rhythm pumping the blood around your body with every beat.

The ocean moves in and out in time with your own heartbeat.

‘The morning sun sparkles in a clear blue sky, and shimmers over the bright blue ocean. You feel happy and content as you turn your face toward the light, then you turn your throat to the light and then you turn your heart to the light. Letting the light of the sun be absorbed by your heart as the rhythm of the ocean moves in time with the beat of your heart. As you feel the sun on your face, you become aware of the tide within you. A subtle movement of energy that flows from your head, down your spine, and sends a life force running through your veins. This gentle, rhythmic tide is as essential to you as breathing.

It is as though you have another way of breathing, a gentle breath of life that flows through your veins. This tide is connected to the ocean tide. As each wave breaks upon the shore, in time with your own heartbeat, the subtle breath of life flows through your veins, the same life force that rocks the ocean ebbs and flows around your body. You feel a part of it, and it is a part of you. You breathe in the wholeness and the completeness of this moment, right here, right now. You feel this truth deep at the core of your being: All is one. All is well.’

If you would like to be guided in your yoga practice and meditations, and explore different pranayamas, you can join me at Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga on Wednesday evenings.

What Are Tarot and Oracle Readings?

Tarot cards can be dated back as far as the 14th century. Tarot today is used for the purpose of divination and guidance Tarot decks come in many shapes and sizes and various designs to suit most tastes. I myself am a fan of The Good Tarot which I use on a regular basis. I love it so much as everything is phrased in such a positive way that it is a truly uplifting and motivational.

A deck of Oracle cards is also used for divination purposes. Some people who find Tarot too complex are often drawn to Oracle through its simplicity and its ease of use even for a beginner. Whether it be Tarot or Oracle, a simple reading usually consists of 3 cards representing the past, the present and the future. For a more complex and in-depth reading. more cards can be used. One spread I am a particular fan of at the end of the year is to use 12 cards to represent the 12 months of the coming year and to explore what is in store for each month. Here a little guidance goes a long way.

If you would like to explore Tarot or Oracle, then please do join me on a Monday evening 6pm-9pm at The Bay Horse Pub Chelmsford. For further details and to get in touch with me you can access my page at LeapOfFaith777 on Facebook, or search for me on Instagram (@mrssophiasilver777). Please do get in touch.

Love and Blessings beautiful ones, Mrs Silver x

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Crafts - By Magali Ellis and Scrap-Circle

Do you keep a diary? How do you record your daily life and thoughts?

I must admit I have never really kept a diary for long, even as a teenager. I love writing and reading but somehow never seemed to have anything to say about myself and my boring life. As a consequence, my diary attempts were patchy, sketchy and disconnected. I wished I had been more consistent because now I realise things get forgotten, details are blurred, the timeline gets lost. Let’s take the covid lockdowns for example. It was so momentous that surely, I would not forget anything - or so I thought. Now looking back over the last couple of years and the chain of events is already fraying. Some of my friends started a diary during the lockdown and are still writing their daily entries to this day.

A few years back, I tried documenting my life doing Project Life. In my mind, it combines scrapbooking - which I love - and diary, which I wanted to start doing. I loved using the little cards and I even made some from old papers I had. I kept it up for a few months but again, I stopped gradually. I felt that a daily entry with photo was a bit too much so I started a week entry, which I kept going for a few more months. And then life took over and I somehow did not make the time. I think I was putting pressure on myself to have to record something every day like some of my friends.

My life is quite repetitive. I am a school teacher so it’s the same type of job during the day, and the same chores after work - and to be honest, weekends are full of the exciting laundry-shoppinghousework-ironing activity routine! Nothing really to talk about.

It all changed during the difficult times in my life, I started writing a bit more. Not necessarily every day or every week but as time and events happened and as I needed to vent. It brought me great sanity

in a turbulent time.

Yet at the back of my mind, I feared someone would stumble across my writing and I could not really face the repercussions. I had to choose between writing less or heavily censoring my writings or doing something totally different. Because I needed to write it all down, I started covering my pages with paint and pictures and I found it was very therapeutic turning negative thoughts into something colourful and positive.

Another form of diary I am using is Bullet Journaling. I started a little bit before covid but went into full mode during the pandemic.

At stressful times, the pages look more like endless lists of things I must remember do - and I do love a list! At less stressful times, the pages are more colourful, there are some drawings and I take the time to record particular events in more details. The great things about Bullet Journaling is that you can make it work for you. In the same way as a diary, really. Sometimes, life is very uninteresting and nothing major is happening and that is when you will find two weeks on one page. At other times, there is so much that I need two pages to record one day. I like that flexibility.

So whatever your circumstances, why don’t you give it a go? You can keep it diary like or bring in some of your creativity into it. Start by colour-coding events for example, or have a go at calligraphy, or adding drawings, doodles, etc...

For more ideas, have a look on the website at www.scrap-circle.co.uk, or you can contact me at info@scrap-circle.co.uk.

Tales From the Circle - By Sylvia Kent Writers come in all shapes, sizes and ages. When meeting a new writer for the first time, it’s interesting trying to guess what they prefer to write. Over our 80 years, BWC members have tackled topics from brief twist-ending fiction aimed at magazines, long sagas that may take years to write, travel anecdotes, crime, romance, humour, serious column diatribes, wild west spoofs, and of course memoirs - the list is endless and fascinating.

Some folk have a life-long passion to write, but have yet to discover their specific genre. Many writing magazine experts suggest they should concentrate on ‘what they know’, and this often results in success. But one of the most important tips is to stop procrastinating, sit down and begin!

One BWC member, Dawn Knox, is enjoying success writing in numerous styles. Her choice ranges from sci-fi, humour, horror, romance pocket-novels and books, but one of the most impressive examples at the start of her career, was a play-script, the basis of which evolved from her amazing book entitled The Great War - 100 Stories of 100 Words Honouring Those Who Lived and Died 100 Years Ago. Dawn’s manuscript brought her success as a finalist in

three literary awards and following the 2014–2018 period, she was honoured by seeing her play performed in France, Germany and England.

Dawn’s first success was with a short horror story published by Telos Publishing in a charity anthology entitled Shrouded by Darkness in 2006, along with Neil Gaiman and Clive Barker. Several years later, her single author anthology of speculative fiction stories Extraordinary was published, as well as several historical romances, set mainly during and between the two world wars, as well as in the 18th century penal colony in Sydney.

Additionally, Dawn has had short stories accepted by several women’s magazines as well as twelve pocket-novels for My Weekly magazine. Her three books of humorous episodic stories are brilliant.

The first, entitled The Basilwade Chronicles involves the quirky people who live in the fictitious town of Basilwade. The Macaroon Chronicles follows the adventures of a band of anthropomorphic animals. The Crispin Chronicles features garden gnomes, cockney leprechauns, cherubs, trolls and pole-dancing fairies. All are published by Chapeltown Books.

Writing is not the easiest of pastimes, whether for publication or just for fun, but it’s a world that so many people enjoy and BWC offers help and advice via our website at www.brentwoodwriterscircle.com and www.sylviakent.blogspot.com.

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Page 27

Quiz Time - By John Theedom

1.

2.

3.

4 5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Which nutty chocolate is sold in triangular bars?

What was Teenage Mutant Turtles’ favourite food?

Which juicy green fruit is named after a New Zealand bird?

‘Dad’, ‘kayak’ and ‘rotavator’ are examples of which type of words?

What are the loops you place your feet in when riding a horse?

What does the letter ‘P’ stand for in ESP? What is a manmade lake in which water is stored called?

Which part of your body is coated with enamel?

What is a prickly pear?

Which Robert starred in The Horse Whisperer?

Who is famous for saying ‘nice to see you, to see you, nice’?

Which English king reputedly commanded the sea to retreat?

In the world of transport, what do the initials ETA stand for?

What is retsina?

According to the rhyme, who killed Cock Robin?

Which film centre is also known as Tinseltown?

What did ‘T’ stand for in ET? What is locked up in a tantalus?

Which snooker star Paul died of cancer in 2006?

Which dogs are a serious pest in Australia?

(Answers on page 31)

21. Which bird has the longest wingspan?

22. How many years are there in 4.5 decades?

23. Which black and white bird is usually accused of stealing?

24. What make of crisps has Gary Lineker advertised?

25. Which famous chef has a wife named Jules?

26. What colour are Holland’s International football shirts?

27. What are the 2 main ingredients of a ploughman’s lunch?

28. 2006 marked the 40th anniversary of which Welsh mining village disaster?

29. In the royal address HIH, what does the ‘I’ stand for?

30. What type of dance goes with Spandau in the charts?

31. In which part of the human body is bile stored?

32. British Summer Time was launched in which year?

33. What is the meaning of the word suffuse?

34. On a car, the Americans call it a hood, what do we call it in the UK? 35. In which sport are there ‘madisons’ and ‘pursuits’?

36. If a triangle has 1 angle of 58 degrees, 1 of 77 degrees, what is the third angle?

37. Which song mentions a ‘Jolly Swagman’?

38. Was Sir Walter Scott Scottish?

39. How many red cards are there in a standard pack of cards?

40. What day of the week did Solomon Grundy get married?

Apologies for the wrong answer to question 6 in last month’s quiz - the answer published was Hungary when it should have been Romania.

Page 28

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Here is a recent one designed and built for one of our customers

We also design and supply: business cards flyers roller banners brochures In fact, almost anything that is printed!!

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Page 29

Stargazing With Mark Willis - June/July

21st June: Earth Solstice. The summer solstice, also known as midsummer, occurs when one of Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. The longest day.

21st June: Mars reaches perihelion. This means that Mars is at its closest point to us. An excellent time to view Mars. Looking due east, this evening, (or this morning!), as it begins rising above the horizon about 1.41am local time. However, it will rise at a decent viewing elevation around 5.20am! Mars, the Moon and Jupiter will look like a boomerang. With its centre pointing down towards the horizon.

4th July: Earth reaches aphelion to the Sun. This means that the Earth is actually 3 million kilometres more distant from the Sun. You may wonder why this is, as July is considerably warmer than January!

This is due to two factors: 1 - During the summer, (in our northern hemisphere), we are tilted toward the Sun. Therefore the sun’s energy

has less air to travel through to reach us. 2 - The Earth orbits the Sun in an elliptical path, which explains the distances.

Solar Observing: Many astronomy groups hold public solar observing events during the summer months. Go along to one. They’re usually free and you’ll be able to see sunspots - safely too!

New Moon: On 29th June and 28th July there will be a new Moon. This means the skies will be extra dark which is a great opportunity to see planets, galaxies and deep space objects.

As usual, email me with any questions. www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com mark.willis@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com Twitter: @WillisWireless

Wildlife Corner - By Nick Green May in Essex actually received rainfall and even a thunderstorm or two. The blocking high/anticyclone produced cold NE winds off Scandinavia which were not favourable for insectivorous species, particularly migrants like swallows and martins and warblers.

The mute swan is a common resident and winter visitor and is patchily distributed across the Palearctic but introduced to Australia and New Zealand. In England in the 12th and 13th centuries, any wild swans were ‘owned’ by people with freehold land - any strays were claimed by the Crown, a system maintained until the 18th century.

Henry VIII even featured the swan in some of his famous banquets!

The British population is estimated at some 25,000 pairs with 150-170 in Essex. The species becomes flightless during the postbreeding season and the August gathering at Abberton Reservoir can number 500.

stilts on 9th, red kites, plus common migrants. Wallasea Island RSPB: 2 spoonbills, 2 black-winged stilts, hen harrier. Rainham Marshes RSPB: glossy ibis, Temminck’s stint, Nationally Spring saw an influx of golden orioles and bee-eaters to the country.

The major rarities included; Orkney: snowy owl. Yorkshire: the longstaying black-browed albatross at Bempton Cliffs RSPB. Norfolk: The long-staying white-tailed lapwing moved from Lincolnshire to Norfolk, then the Midlands. Pembrokeshire: Meltoni’s subalpine warbler, an American slate-coloured junco. Kent: Red-footed and Eleonora’s falcon (8th British record). Cornwall: The Irish Egyptian vulture (22nd).

Isles of Scilly: Crag martin, western black-eared wheatear.

The mute swan requires a long stretch of water to take off, though birds do feed on open fields. The stricter control of pollution and the banning of lead weights for fishermen has helped the population.

In Chelmsford town centre, a pair with 8 cygnets was a constant attraction! For crossword and pub quiz buffs, a male is known as a cob, a female a pen.

Mute swan male and 8 cygnets in Chelmsford town centre 2022 Selected May Highlights Essex: Butterflies included holly and common blue, orange-tip, brimstone, peacock, small tortoiseshell, speckled wood, small and green-veined whites. The Naze: Blue rock thrush (10th British record) golden oriole, bee-eater. Abberton Reservoir EWT: White stork, 6 mandarins, little and great white egrets, 3 spoonbill, 2 black-winged Page 30

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Quiz & Wordsearch Answers

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Toblerone Pizza Kiwi Palindromes (read same both ways) Stirrups Perception Reservoir Teeth Cactus Redford Sir Bruce Forsyth Canute Estimated Time of Arrival Wine

15. The sparrow 16. Hollywood, USA 17. Terrestrial 18. Decanters 19. Paul Hunter 20. Dingo 21. Albatross 22. 45 23. Magpie 24. Walkers 25. Jamie Oliver 26 Orange 27. Bread and cheese 28. Aberfan

29. Imperial 30. Ballet 31. Gall bladder 32. May 1916 33. To spread over or through 34. Bonnet 35. Cycling 36. 45 degrees (total of 180) 37. Waltzing Matilda 38. Yes 39. 26 40. Wednesday

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