Chelmsford The City Times October/November 2015

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Including: Boreham, Broomfield, Danbury, Great Baddow, Maldon, South Woodham Ferrers, The Walthams and Writtle 10000 copies distributed monthly

Issue Number 25: 16th October 2015 - 13th November 2015

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CT Welcome Hello Readers

Welcome to the October/November edition.

This month on October 31st, we have two fantastic acts for you at Chelmsford City Football Club. The headline act are Creedence Clearwater Revived with local Essex band the 60s Project with Roy Mette supporting. See page 27 for more details.

October/November Issue Deadlines: Artwork - 3rd Nov Articles - 30th Oct

Also this month is the Ideas Festival - look at the What’s On guide (pages 12 and 13) for more details, as well as lots of other events happening throughout the city over the coming month.

See pages 28 & 29 for Blues in the City festival review.

Regards Paul & Nick

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk | www.moulshamtimes.com

Advertising Editorial Nick Garner Paul Mclean 07970 206682 07595 949701 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

it’s your media Ltd Disclaimer: It’s Your Media Ltd publish Chelmsford The City Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Media Ltd. Registered offices: 15 Hayes Close, Chelmsford. Reg No 9154871. Printed by Imagery UK.

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CT Fashion - Autumn Trends 2015 So far autumn has been pretty lovely - sunny crisp days, not much rain (fingers crossed!) and out on the high street there are some great trends.

In this article I will be covering trends, trend outfit ideas and high street buys - and if you don’t want to follow trends but just want to invest in the classics, an autumn essentials list.

Autumn Trends

The Seventies Trend Flares, denim skirt, seventies prints, faux fur, suede, pointed collars, block heeled boots, folk style printed dresses.

How to Wear Seventies Denim mid-length skirt with seventies printed shirt, fur gilet, and suede knee high boots.

Or for pared down seventies, just try a printed folksy inspired dress, with a denim jacket or buy a knitted printed wrap and wear with jeans.

Colours for Autumn

Plum, berry, mustard, bright red, teal, bright orange, tan, grey, black.

High Street Buys Moto indigo slim leg dungarees £48.00 or moto girlfriend dungarees also £48.00 - Topshop Lisbon loafers £32.00 Topshop, busby folly navy patent £70.00 Clarks.

Lailah tassel loafers mint style number (1946065927) £39.00 Office.

Faux leather pocket skirt £38.00 - Warehouse.

Black suedette short sleeve dress £13.00 - Primark.

Tessa print dress (8456201910) £49.00 - Monsoon.

A-line midi skirt denim £40.00 - Warehouse.

Faux leather double zip messenger bag (t018347l) £35.00 limited edition - M&S.

Normcore (Unisex Dressing) Jogging bottoms, t-shirts, toodies, boyfriend cardi’s, boyfriend shirts, jeans, bobble hats, trainers, dungarees.

How to Wear Normcore This is an everyday casual-wear look; simple clothes that can be worn season after season and are not trend led.

Granny Chic Tweed, pencil skirts, collarless tweed box jackets, pearls, midlength skirts, polo necks, brooches, lace blouses, knitwear, coats with fur collars.

How to wear Granny Chic Lace frilly blouse with tweed pencil skirt with matching jacket, add loafers of brogues. Or for pared down granny chic, try a tweed jacket with skinny jeans and accessorize with a brooch.

New Gothic (Black is Back Again!)

Leather skirts, leather dresses, leather jackets, lace blouses, lace dresses, high neck shirts, faux fur, lace-up boots, stiletto heels, fedoras.

How to Wear New Gothic Black lace dress with black faux fur, add black lace tights and lace-up boots. Or for pared down new gothic, try jet black jewellery and paint your nails black.

All photos copyright Primark

Faux fur collar button coat £69.00 - Miss Selfridge.

Dalia denim dress (8457100214) £59.00 - Monsoon.

Limited edition new button through longline shirt (t692684k) £19.50 - M&S. Suede plaited crossbody bag £25.00 Warehouse.

Essentials For Autumn Breton stripe top.

Denim jacket.

Bright coloured fine knit.

Mac. Loafers or brogues.

Ankle boots.

Black jeans or slim trousers.

Skinny blue jeans or boyfriend jeans.

White shirt.

Longline knitted coat.

Printed tea dress.

Printed shirt, (check, floral, leopard or spot).

Floral or tartan or animal printed scarf or wrap.

Leather or suede Tote, or handbag.

Emma Smith is a Chelmsford based style consultant. She offers personal shopping and wardrobe planning. Email her at: emma@ emmasmith.co.uk, or visit her website: www.emmasmith.co.uk.

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Bake n’Grape Celebrates Living Wage Commitment

The Living Wage Foundation is pleased to announce that Bake n’Grape has today (Friday 9th October 2015) been accredited as a Living Wage employer.

The Living Wage commitment will see everyone working at Bake n’Grape - regardless of whether they are permanent employees or third-party contractors and suppliers - receive a minimum hourly wage of £7.85, which is significantly higher than the national minimum wage of £6.50.

The Living Wage is an hourly rate set independently and updated annually. The Living Wage is calculated according to the basic cost of living using the Minimum Income Standard for the UK. Decisions about what to include in this standard are set by the public; it is a social consensus about what people need to make ends meet.

Owners of Bake n’Grape, Chris Windram and Martin Hobby, commented: “We are delighted to become accredited with the Living Wage Foundation. As the owners of Bake n’Grape, we firmly believe that our staff should be paid a fair wage for the work that they do.

This is something that, sadly, is quite rare in the hospitality industry -

but something we have implemented since our very first day.”

Employers choose to pay the Living Wage on a voluntary basis. The Living Wage enjoys cross party support, with public backing from the prime minister and the leader of the opposition.

Living Wage Foundation director, Rhys Moore said: “We are delighted to welcome Bake n’Grape to the Living Wage movement as an accredited employer.

“The best employers are voluntarily signing up to pay the Living Wage now. The Living Wage is a robust calculation that reflects the real cost of living, rewarding a hard day’s work with a fair day’s pay.

“We have accredited over 1,700 leading employers, including Bake n’Grape, ranging from independent printers, hairdressers and breweries, to well known companies such as Nationwide, Aviva and SSE. These businesses recognise that clinging to the national minimum wage is not good for business. Customers expect better than that”.

Katie Bradley and the Dave Ferra Band With support from Jamie Williams & Nick Garner

21st November 2015 - 8pm (doors 7.15pm) Chelmsford City Football Club “Katie Bradley is a great vocalist and an excellent harp player...

A show very much worth your attention” Paul Jones BBC Radio 2 “One of the brightest hopes for British blues... This is the year Katie becomes a figurehead for the blues scene” Blues in Britain.

Tickets £8 in advance £10 on the door Tickets available from the Football Club, the Hop Beer Shop in Mouslham St and at www.wegottickets.com www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk Page 5

Fleeting Fame by Simon Culleton Ok I’ll admit it, I watch the Jeremy Kyle show, but only because I couldn’t pull myself away from such deliberately enticing, purposely outrageous, jaw dropping titles which proves, if anything, the length that people will go to for their 15 minutes of fame. There are of course other less embarrassing, less ‘leave your dignity at the door’ ways of appearing on television and becoming famous: Britain’s Got Talent, X Factor and Big Brother to name but a few are all avenues to over-night stardom. Yet with car crash grabbing titles such as ‘I’ll prove I’m your son, now get out of my life’ or my personal favorite: ‘Why deny paternity just because the baby is ginger’ there seems no end to what some people will go to appear on television.

In a recent Daily Telegraph survey, 10 year old children were asked the question: ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ In my day the answer might have been a fireman or a policeman, (I remember my best friend at school wanted to become a cowboy - he’s now a builder so it could still come true). Yet 19% of todays children gave a single word answer - ‘famous’ - which was only beaten into second place (22%) by ‘rich’. The old favourite of wanting to be a doctor or nurse was way down the children’s priorities, (perhaps they had seen the NHS waiting lists). Yet fame and fortune do often go together, especially with the aid of the all-reaching hand of the internet: Father of 3 year old Charles Davies posted a video of Charles having his finger bitten by his younger brother, which went on to make $100,000 from advertising with over 810,000 views on YouTube.

Chris Scheme has made over a million dollars posting videos of himself exploiting his rare talent of being able to eat almost anything from 1000 sheets of toilet papers to drinking an entire bottle of glue, (at least he stuck to it). Although it’s not all fun and games - a Russian girl who became famous for taking pictures of herself in

dangerous places fell to her death from a skyscraper, so she did at least make an impact.

Then there are those who have just missed out on fame and perhaps a following fortune: Joe Green decided to concentrate on his studies and not to go into partnership with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, who is now worth an estimated 35.7 billion dollars and there is our own Pete Best, the most unfortunate drummer who was dropped from the (then little known) group called The Beatles.

Although to his credit, he claims that he is now blissfully happy playing in a Beatles tribute band. (all you need is love), so fame may not always be the answer.

Yet, if you still crave the limelight and like me your X Factor voice is only good for the shower (‘I’m singing in the rain’) and your Britain’s Got Talent talent is a two orange juggle, then help is at hand with websites designed purely to help those who have little or no talent to become famous: although the advice can be somewhat startling: ‘Marry an old rich man, then kiss and tell’ (‘he was horrid and kept forcing me to spend his money’) or: ‘Have embarrassing botched surgery then show the world’ (‘I’m so embarrassed I’m going on prime time TV’). The most outrageous piece of advice was: ‘Get yourself kidnapped and write a book about it’ (‘day 127, still in a box’). Yet if you fail in all of that and you still crave fame, there is that old fall back - The Jeremy Kyle Show. All you need is an outrageously exaggerated claim and the audacity to go on television to proclaim it: ‘I know he’s my cousin’s auntie’s best friend’s next door neighbour’s dog walker who stole my welfare cheque while I was out buying drugs, but is he really my father?’

It may not get you the fame that you are after - but I promise you I’ll watch it. simon@limepad.com

£799

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basket as they’ll reach the lofty CT Gardening by Tom Cole hanging height of around 18” (45cm). Best to

Beautiful Seasonal Containers

For me, this time of year is very busy as there’s so much to do in the garden. If it’s not the lawn wishing you to trim it, or fruit and veg requiring tending to, then it’s any of a myriad of other jobs such as fence maintenance, patio cleaning and clearing or repairing garden wooden furniture that requires your undivided attention.

Also, you can still collect seeds and take various stem cuttings and/ or divide perennials.

Amongst all of these priorities I’m also ensuring that containers are looking the best they can be. Garden centres everywhere have shelves that are just burgeoning with bulbs, corms - and not just the ornamentals! Have you thought about onion sets or garlic? What about sowing broad beans or some of the pea varieties?

use those bulbs that grow to no more than 6” (15cm), or preferably less than this - say 4” (10cm). Examples such as ‘Tête-a-tête’ (easy to grow, and always a mass of flower plus good in the lawns or around trees), ‘Minnow’ (a dwarf white but with canary yellow shallow trumpet likes to look up - so very attractive) and ‘Rip Van Winkle’ (this is very different.

It’s a golden yellow - but flowers are more like a cactus dahlia - but smaller!) Of course, do try Crocus cvs, Galanthus sp., (the snowdrop) and my favourite winter aconites (Eranthis hyemalis) with their cupshaped flowers held above a collar of deeply lobed stem leaves.

This weekend will see me mostly revamping pots so that they look fabulous from now through to the spring. I’ve moved away from really traditional schemes using spring bedding, forget-me-nots (Myosotis alpestris), wall flowers (Erysimum cheiri), polys (Polyanthus cvs.) and good old daisy (Bellis perennis) and have instead moved to combining these good old favourites with perennials for a longer and more sustainable planting scheme.

Now, whether it is a hanging basket or floor mounted pot/container, do reconsider your choice of plants and go for using hardy perennials and some woodies wherever possible. In between the gaps of these plants use conventional bedding to give splashes of colour. Whatever you do, don’t forget to underplant ALL with bulbs and or corms to extend the season of interest.

If using bulbs or corms, pick your varieties carefully. Consider height and spread as this is key to success and ensuring your planting scheme is in scale with the container and location. There’s no good in adding daffodils such as Narcissus ‘Carlton’ to a 12-14” (30-35cm)

Take care re’ aftercare - during the winter baskets and pots are prone to waterlogging and can sometimes freeze solid. For winter planting it is better to use free draining baskets and liners, such as a wire basket and moss, which keeps the compost drier and increases frost resistance. For free-standing pots, ensure excess water can escape - raise the planter off the ground using ‘feet’ or bricks. Also, keep deadheading where applicable by pinching out dead and dying flower heads back to a leaf as this will promote more flowering and a bushy habit.

Try this link for further information: www.rhs.org.uk/advice/ profile?PID=584.

20% Discount when you mention The City Times For any gardening tips contact: Tom Cole, Head Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at: tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

Page 8 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Oldest Horse Dies at Age Fifty

Sadly, at 2pm on Thursday 8 October, Sue Burton and the staff at Remus Horse Sanctuary in Ingatestone said their final goodbyes to Orchid, believed to be the oldest horse in the world.

On Wednesday 7 October, Orchid was colicking and receiving round the clock care. She had a comfortable night but was colicking again on the Thursday morning. She continued to colic and we had no option but to prevent her suffering and the difficult decision was made to put her to sleep.

Orchid celebrated her 50th birthday in January 2015 and certainly knew her own mind. Staff reported that “every morning she would bang on her stable door for her breakfast and not stop until she got what she wanted. As an occasional treat, raspberries were a particular favourite as she could suck on them!” Her original owners were not aware of her compromised dentition and her need for extra care. Orchid arrived at Remus Horse Sanctuary in June 2014, prior to this she was used as a brood mare but was discarded when her usefulness ended. She had been badly beaten, kicked and starved of food and water. Her spirit was broken and she was ready to die. Remus Horse Sanctuary gave her love and hope and a reason to live.

Sue Burton, founder of the sanctuary, said: “This was a devastating decision, Orchid was a beautiful girl but we have to do what is right for the animals, not ourselves.

With the care she received here, she put on weight, gained strength and her health improved massively within weeks of arriving at the sanctuary. Her time here was a happy one, it was easy to see - especially with her new friend Guinness, and we’ve got lots of memories and some lovely photos.”

Free ring back service Free text back service 4 - 8 seater vehicles

Sue went on to explain: “To turn an animal around from neglect Discount applies to metered fairs only. or abuse The voucher must be given to the driver requires a to receive the discount. Expiry 30/11/15 lot of time, care and money. We don’t put an The City Times animal to sleep just because it’s old. We believe every animal has a right to good health, happiness and love. It’s what we do at the sanctuary - our raison d’etre - but to continue these works we need a serious injection of cash, 2015 has been a really tough year for us.”

For further information, visit: www.remussanctuary.org or contact Sue Burton on 01277 356191.

www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

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CT Cooking

by John Jacobs

Autumn Colours ‘No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.’ I bow to the uncomplicated prose of John Donne who sums up how I welcome the autumn. The verdant colours of Central Park are stealthily evolving to ochre, red and brown. The mornings are a gradually colder and mistier and my thoughts turn to the richness and simplicity of the season’s larder.

Many of us are also planning the lead up to the festive season. Guilt laden deals are being struck on who’s hosting and who’s visiting and for each shopping trip we make somewhere, hidden amongst the aisles of food and household staples, a Santa face here, or a snowman there peeks out to remind us the summer is over and the countdown has begun...

When we finally relent in Jacobs’ den to turning on the heating and rescuing my unflatteringly fluffy slippers from the airing cupboard, it is time to plan for gravy rich stews, casseroles, roasted game and root vegetables that are beginning to reach their flavoursome best.

I was lucky to grow up in a home of Mediterranean cooking where rabbit, pigeon and pretty much anything with a face that one could shoot was a regular staple over the colder months. Availability of protein was never guaranteed, so much attention was given to the supporting cast of readily available side dishes of potatoes, marrows and squashes. My favourite of these being a trough of parboiled potatoes roasted with lemon, garlic and oregano. It’s also one of those recipes that tolerates most firm autumn veg’ like butternut squash, parsnip, swede - and even sprouts if you fancy an alternative to the humble spud.

Garlic and Lemon Dauphinois Potatoes What I’ve done here is take this simple dish and changed the method slightly. Rather than parboiling your potatoes and leaving them whole, I’ve sliced them thinly and layered them in a dish to give a little presentation - Ta Da! Also, unlike the classic dauphinois, I’ve left out the cow’s worth of double cream and butter. Though I guarantee you’ll be hatcheting off those impossibly glued pieces of caramelised

potato from the oven dish like never before.

Ingredients (Serves 3 - 4) 1lb (450g) good-quality potatoes (King Edward or Desirée). If you can get hold of Cyprus potatoes they’re unabashedly far superior.

2 large cloves of garlic, crushed or sliced.

Olive oil for drizzling (as this is being roasted, avoid using extra virgin oil as the flavour will be largely lost in the cooking process).

Salt and ground black pepper.

Juice and grated rind of 1 large lemon.

Fresh Thyme and dried oregano.

Method Peeling the potatoes or not makes no difference, but slice them as thinly as your steady hands will allow (a mandolin is good if you have one, but watch those super sharp blades). Put the potato slices into a bowl of cold water to wash off some of the excess starch and then dry them on a clean tea towel.

If you don’t want to be sandblasting potato off your cookware for a week, you can line your dish with greaseproof paper. Smear a little butter on the dish beforehand to keep the paper in place.

Arrange a layer of potato slices, a couple of garlic slices and pepper and salt. Dash a little olive oil and a sprinkle of the herbs and then another layer of potatoes. Repeat the process until you’ve used up all the potatoes.

Bake in the hottest part of the oven until golden brown. Use a skewer to check that it’s cooked all the way through. If it needs a little longer, place a sheet of greaseproof on top to prevent burning and pop back in the oven for a few more minutes.

I continue to enjoy reading your emails - particularly the new low calorie ones. If you have any recipe ideas or just want to share some of your favourite cooking tips, please message me at cctfood@gmail. com. Have a great October, Team Chelmsford.

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The Return of the Can by Simon Tippler of roundtowerbrewery.co.uk Does it matter what kind of package beer is put in? Keg v cask? Bottle v can? Cans of beer are having a resurgence at the moment and lots of the larger microbreweries are starting to can their beer. Cans are often viewed to be more convenient to transport and dispose of than bottles and in the world of craft beer can help breweries to stand out from the rest of the pack. Apart from the UK following the trends set across the pond in America, another thing that has pushed the change in packaging is this rise in mobile canning plants. In the past, if a brewery wanted to put their beer in cans, then there was a huge outlay for the equipment. However, now there are several companies in the UK that offer a mobile canning service which has opened up the market to many more breweries.

In the past, canned beer was always filtered, pasteurised and force

carbonated and as a result, generally lacked the flavour of the ‘real ale’ available in the pubs. However, most of the new wave of canned beers from the likes of Beavertown, Roosters, Dark Star and Harbour are generally brewery and/or can conditioned. One of the by-products of yeast eating sugar to create alcohol is carbon dioxide. If this process is done in a sealed vessel then the gas is absorbed into the beer instead of escaping into the environment. This carbon dioxide laden beer is then packaged into a can, where it carries on the process for a short while. The result is a carbonated product which still retains the nuances of flavour that we have become to expect from beer in a pub.

Apart from the weight and convenience issues of the can, the other main advantage is the fact that they protect the beer from light. Have you ever wondered why most bottled beer comes in brown bottles?

Well, it is because sunlight causes beer to change flavour, which is why all bottle conditioned beer comes in brown bottles.

Competition Time - Hylands Halloween Tickets We have 2 pairs of tickets to the Hylands Halloween afternoon event to be held on the back at Hylands House and 2 pairs of tickets for the evening event (over 16s only) (see the advert on page 15).

What is the name of the van in Scooby Doo? a) The Mystery Machine b) The Micro Machine c) The Fruity Machine

Please email your answer and your contact number to comp@ itsyourmedia.co.uk stating whether you would prefer tickets for the afternoon or the evening event. Only one entry per person. Your email address will be added to our online version of the magazine email list unless you state ‘opt out’ in your email.

Ticket terms will be supplied with the tickets.

Closing date 26th October 2015.

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What’s On In Chelmsford October

Friday 16th Asylum - See You in Reno + Barora Bassment - Shakey’s Sessions: Kloq + FOX + Drumatics Chelmsford Cathedral - Daniel Law (piano) (12.30pm) Cramphorn - Beverly Craven - live in concert Fleece - Sax on Fire KEGS - Rotary Jazz Night: Peter Long Quartet tickets from Chelmsford Rotary or Civic Theatre Box Office Star & Garter - The Statins Saturday 17th Asylum - Scar City + Frowser + TemperMental Bassment - Rowntree Records: Trippie + Drop Dead Fred + Luke Fisher CCFC Away: Basingstoke Town v Chelmsford City FC Civic - Andy Hamilton: Change Management Cramphorn - Clouds Of Sils Maria (15) Fleece - Red Leaf & Captain Fleecey’s Birthday Star & Garter - The Koy Katz Sunday 18th Chelmsford Cathedral - Book Launch on The Church of England & the Home Front, 1914-1918: Civilians, Soldiers and Religion in Wartime Colchester - intro by Terry Waite (4.30pm) Chelmsford City FC - Bingo Chelmsford Marathon 2015 Monday 19th Chelmsford City FC -Darts City with Wayne Mardle Ideas Fest - Crochet Skulls Workshop Ideas Fest - Industrial Heritage Walk Ideas Fest - Create & Donate Ideas Fest - Festival Launch Ideas Fest - Water Babies Tuesday 20th Civic - Horrible Histories - Groovy Greeks & Incredible Invaders Ideas Fest - Rewilding the Landscape Ideas Fest - How to Brew Coffee Ideas Fest - Ebarts: The Social Currency Ideas Fest - Discover Manorial Documents Wednesday 21st Asylum - Inexitus + Shark City + High Rise + Hawka Hurricane Bassment - Rock’n’ Roll bingo Civic - Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks & Incredible Invaders Cramphorn - Lunchtime concert Cramphorn - Henry V: Live form Stratford Ideas Fest - Enlightened City Making Ideas Fest - City Transformations Walk Ideas Fest - Future City Ideas Exchange Ideas Fest - Guglielmo Marconi Ideas Fest - The True Cost Thursday 22nd Asylum - Drop Dead Fred + more tbc Bassment - Wallop! No.2 - Stealing Signs + Makelove + Calgary Civic - Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks & Incredible Invaders Cramphorn - Ray Peacock: Here Comes Trouble Fleece - Quiz night Ideas Fest - Question Time: Business in Essex Ideas Fest - BHM: What Next?

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Thursday 22nd cont...

Ideas Fest - Time Travelling Ideas Fest - Essex Police Future Friday 23rd Asylum - Chase the Day + Last Born Unicorn Bassment - Rubber Soul: Eddie Piller + Mo Fingers + velettes Chelmsford Cathedral - Susan Handscombe (recorders) (12.30pm) Civic - Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks & Incredible Invaders Cramphorn - Girlhood (15) Fleece - 6 String Makeover Star & Garter - The Functionites Cramphorn - The Magic Word Ideas Fest - Raspberry Pi Workshop Ideas Fest - Engineering Fair Ideas Fest - Engineering, what next?

Ideas Fest - A Year in Beekeeping Saturday 24th Asylum - We Are the Catalyst + Repair to Run Bassment - Saturdays Alright for Dancin’ CCFC Home: Chelmsford City FC v Ebbsfleet United Chelmsford Cathedral - Essex Police Choir Concert (7.30pm) Civic - Horrible Histories: Groovy Greeks & Incredible Invaders Cramphorn - Comedy Club 4 Kids!

Fleece - Dawgfish Ideas Fest - CTW Open Day Ideas Fest - Magistrates in the Community Ideas Fest - Raspberry Pi Wrkshop Ideas Fest - The Changing Face of Chelmsford Ideas Fest - Water Babies Ideas Fest - Big Data & Human Rights Ideas Fest - Digital Detox Star & Garter - Indiscreet St Michael and All Angels Church, Leigh on Sea - Jazz Masterclass (directed by John Seeley MA BA Music, 1pm - 4pm) Wat Tyler Country Park - Halloween Experience - Cursed Sunday 25th Chelmsford City FC - Bingo Chelmsfrod City FC - An Evening of Clairvoyance Cramphorn - The Magic Word Ideas Fest - Industrial Heritage Walk Monday 26th Civic - An Evening With Monty Don: Down to Earth Ideas Fest - Big Draw at Hylands Ideas Fest - Roman Invaders Tuesday 27th Civic - Dinasaur Zoo Cramphorn - The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (U) Ideas Fest - Big Draw at Hylands Ideas Fest - Create a Fairtrade Poster Wednesday 28th Bassment - Studio 808 Presents Civic - Dinasaur Zoo Cramphorn - Lunchtime concert Cramphorn - Casting The Runes Ideas Fest - Sandford Mill Open Day Ideas Fest - Stave House Children’s Concert

Please note, all events are subject to change. Please visit the relevant websites or Facebook pages for more details

Friday 6th Asylum - Shakey’s Sessions: Shavago + Royyy Bassment - Spitfires + special guests Chelmsford Cathedral - James Kealey (organ) (12.30pm) Civic - A Murder Is Announced Cramphorn - The Wedding Singer Fleece - Voodoo Child Saturday 7th Asylum - Acoustic Afternoon Asylum - The Faceless Dolls + 3 Foot High + Plastic Barricades Bassment - Sweet Release Records: October Glow + Lightboxes Chelmsford Cathedral - The Sixteen (7.30pm) CCFC Home: Chelmsford City FC v Truro City Civic - A Murder Is Announced Cramphorn - The Wedding Singer Fleece - The Repertoire Dogs Marsh Farm - Rotary Fireworks Sunday 8th Chelmsford City FC - Bingo Cramphorn - Jewels The Eagle - Galleywood - Open Mic - 6pm - 9pm Tuesday 10th Civic - Hairspray Wednesday 11th Bassment - Wallop No.2 - Wild Palms + guests Chelmsford Cathedral - Chelmsford Cathedral Keene Lectures - General Lord Dannatt (free event 8.00pm) Civic - Hairspray Cramphorn - Lunchtime concert Thursday 12th Asylum - Red Kadett + Roisin O’Hagan + Mister Jones Bassment - Acoustic Undergorund Civic - Hairspray Cramphron - Disco Pigs Fleece - Quiz night Friday 13th Asylum - Audyaroad + Zen Motel + Zuul Bassment - Electric Jam: Paolo Morena + guests November Chelmsford Cathedral - Forest School Big Band (12.30pm) Sunday 1st Chelmsford City FC - City Legends Night Bassment - Pop Up Pix: Chelmsford’s Silent Cinema Civic - Hairspray Chelmsford City FC - Antiques Fair Cramphorn - We Are Many (12A) Chelmsford City FC - Bingo Fleece - The Aftermath Ideas Fest - Meditation for the Modern World Saturday 14th Ideas Fest - Chelmsford Remembers Open Day Asylum - Rats from a Sinking Ship + Stormchild + Penguin Ideas Fest - Mini-Raspberry Pi Jam Woolpack - GC’s Jazz Club: Vocalist Paul Wood & Paul Higgs Trio Afterparty Bassment - Saturday’s Alright for Dancin’ Writtle Boot Sale - Longmeads House CCFC Away: Hayes & Yeading United v Chelmsford City FC Monday 2nd Civic - Hairspray Civic - Doug Allen: Life Behind The Lens Cramphorn - Andy Fairweather Low and the Riders Tuesday 3rd Fleece - The Replik8ers Civic - A Murder Is Announced Sunday 15th Cramphorn - The Wedding Singer Chelmsford Cathedral - Chelmsford Cathedral Keene Lectures Wednesday 4th - the Very Reverend Frances Ward (free event 8.00pm) Bassment - Jazz Funk - Gareth Lockrane (flute) Chelmsford City FC - Bingo Chelmsford Cathedral - Keene Lectures - Bishop Sandy Millar Cramphorn - Chelmsford Jazz Club (free event, 8.00pm) Wednesday 28th cont...

Ideas Fest - Rosetta, Comets & Pluto Ideas Fest - Voices of Transition Ideas Fest - Want to be an Entrepreneur?

Ideas Fest - Start a Business Workshop Thursday 29th Asylum - Safe Side + Boat Rich Bassment - Club Static Presents Fleece - Quiz night Ideas Fest - Folk Art Workshop Ideas Fest - Heritage Strategy Ideas Fest - When is the War Over Ideas Fest - Hearing Voices Lion Inn - Chelmsford Comedy Club Friday 30th Asylum - Surge + Brightlight City + The Baskervilles Bassment - Friday Night’s Alright Chelmsford Cathedral - Men2sing (male voice choir, 12.30pm) Chelmsford City FC - Halloween Thriller Party Civic - Buddy Holly and the Cricketers Fleece - Hit Parafe + Halloween Silent Disco Ideas Fest - Wild food cooking & walk Ideas Fest - Chelmsford Cathedral Centenary Ideas Fest - Real Life Criminal Justice Star & Garter - Broadway Clash Saturday 31st Asylum - Zombie Barn Dance - Delta Jacks + The Lucky Strikes + The Southern Generals Bassment - Freres Presents: Day of the Dead Chelmsford City FC - Creedence Clearwater Revived CCFC Away: Bath v Chelmsford City FC Evoke - Halloween Bloodbath 13 Hylands House - Halloween at Hylands Ideas Fest - Essex at Agincourt Ideas Fest - Oxjam Ideas Fest - Spoken Word Performance Ideas Fest - Meditation for the Modern World Star & Garter - Fishing for Robots

Civic - A Murder Is Announced Cramphorn - The Wedding Singer Thursday 5th Asylum - Silpha & the Corpseboners + Hate Vessel Bassment - Blues Jam Civic - A Murder Is Announced Cramphorn - The Wedding Singer Fleece - Quiz night

Email your events to us at editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Please send us your events for the next edition (for events between 13th November and 11th December) to: editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

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Party Belles - an Entertaining Reinvention by Linda McNeill This month I interviewed the dynamic and creative duo, Kacey Chitty and Mari Pagmar, aka The Party Belles. They are the founders and managers of a rather amazing company who supply children’s entertainers and party planning services.

There is a good reason why I have described their business as ‘rather amazing’ because, well, it really IS! If I am honest I think I had a rather clichéd image of a children’s entertainer in my head before I interviewed them - ‘panto’ type costumes, dodgy props and tired jokes - however, this could not be further from what they offer. Far from being clichéd, they are bang up to date with over 48 party themes listed on their website ranging from ‘Superheroes’ to ‘Fabulous and Frozen’ and ‘Funky Disco Dance’ to ‘Princess and Pirates’. They have really taken the time to consider what children are ino and plan wonderful parties around this. These ladies are certainly not small-time either. They currently have 21 Party Belles working for them and a number of male break dancers and party assistants in the wings and they have entertained all over the country at many prestigious venues.

So where did the idea for this fabulous business come from?!

Kacey and Mari were both professional dancers and met while dancing in a show in India in 2000 and have been close friends every since. Kacey and Mari both trained in performance dance and went on to dance professionally from the age of 18 - 32.

They did theatre tours, cruise ships, casino shows, pop videos, Bollywood films, fashion shows and TV. It was really hard work and required a lot of discipline, but they both loved it and travelled all over the world performing.

Whilst dancing at barmitzvah’s, Mari and Kacey proved to be extremely popular with the children and were soon being asked to do the children’s birthday parties. Mari’s niece was having a birthday and so they decided to team up and use her party as a trial run and “it was a massive success!” From that party onwards, the business began to blossom - first through word of mouth and then they gradually started advertising: “Within months it became too busy for two, so we started to train friends to do parties as well and this just snowballed and eventually The Party Belles was born!”

The Party Belles has now been up and running for over 10 years and Kacey and Mari have certainly been busy providing party entertainment for thousands of children’s parties. They are clearly very much up for a challenge and have created the most fantastic parties in a huge number of venues. They also have many prestigious corporate clients such as London Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo, Discovery Channel, The Guildhall, BSkyB, Links of London, Renault, Barclaycard, Peugeot, Betfair etc. “Corporate children’s parties are a great way for companies to reward their staff who can invite their children and partners to the building where they work for a fabulous party. We do so many of these parties around Christmas and everyone has so much fun!” They create parties for all different budgets, but admitted that creating extravagant parties is a lot of fun because they can really let their imagination run riot: “We have created some really big luxury parties with up to 150 guests. It is almost like planning a wedding - we brought in a popcorn machine, chair covers, room draping, candy floss machine, outfits for each child, photo booth, light-up dance floor and a giant chocolate fountain which the children thought was fantastic!” Another imaginative party was a Pop Video Party which they put together for a 10 year old and a few of her friends.

Page 14 www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

“We provided a choreographer, camera man, make up artist and different sets, they did interviews on the red carpet and had t-shirts with their band names on the back. They even had a band rider, which consisted of a sweety table!” Another very memorable party they coordinated was a huge Under the Sea party. They had to hire in an enormous seahorse and starfish and even had a company supplying party goldfish for the table centrepieces... Amazing!

Although these high end parties are an impressive example of their talents, the Party Belles are also very much focused on creating wonderful parties for ordinary folk too. They cater for birthdays, christenings, weddings, barmitzvahs as well as Halloween and Christmas parties and everything inbetween. Essentially how it works is that the client lets them know what theme they have in mind and then they tailor a party to the client’s requirements and the age of the

from the entertainment industry, so they fully understand that being an entertainer is about putting on a show. At the moment, they have 21 Party Belles and their male break dancer assistant entertainers.

Kacey and Mari put them through a long training process. After their training, they move on to assist at parties, gradually taking on more and more responsibility at the parties until everyone is happy. “One of our girls has done over 2000 parties and the new girls have to be as good as her.” The Belles always phone the clients the week of the party and often talk to the child on the phone in character - what a wonderful touch!

Mari and Kacey are clearly hugely successful and have created the most wonderful business from scratch. I wanted to know what the secret was to their success: “We never really had a business plan but have tried to be really instinctive and it has just evolved on its own.

We have followed where the business has taken us. Essentially, we always wanted to provide extra special parties and be the best in the party industry, and coming from the events community meant we knew what high standards meant - impeccable costumes and kit and high quality entertainment. We know what works and what children respond to. It has also been down to sheer hard work! We train our girls to a very high standard, we never let anyone down and we always turn up! A huge amount of preparation goes into the parties and we really care about making every party special.”

If you would like to get in touch with Kacey and Mari and have a fantastic themed party of your own, please check out their website: www.thepartybelles.co.uk.

children invited. The entertainer will arrive at the party in a themed costume and stay in their character for the duration of the party they always make sure they have a back story! Balloon modelling, themed games and activities, dancing and parachute fun to music is always popular at parties. They can also provide mini karaoke (Let it Goooooo!!), bubbles, pass the parcel, sports games and puppet fun. Other activities on offer include choreographed dance routines, mini makeovers, treasure hunts, magic tricks, glitter tattoos and face painting. “Essentially, our parties are fast moving, fun packed with lots of party props. All the Belles are trained to be very sensitive in their approach, remembering that every child is unique. We feel honoured to provide entertainment and we want every child at the party to have a brilliant time. We give out prizes and medals and the birthday boy/girl receives a gift and a party superstar certificate.”

All the girls that Kacey and Mari have on the Party Belle team are

If you would like to be featured in my column, please get in touch at linda@bunintheovenbirthing.co.uk.

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Chelmsford Community Gospel Choir presents Have a Go at Gospel!

Love singing in the shower but want more? More volume, more excitement, more rhythm, more challenge? Chelmsford Community Gospel Choir is running free gospel workshops open to all.

Inspired by October’s World Mental Health Day, with the theme Dignity in Mental Health, we want to spread the news that group singing supports physical and mental health.

Dignity in Mental Health strikes a special chord for us as a community choir. Gospel music began as the expression of dignity by black slaves. The power of its message and the strength of its rhythm influence popular music to this day. When we sing, we are showing dignity in ordinary but powerful ways and we want to share the dignity, fun and positivity that singing with others creates.

Have a Go at Gospel! is on every Thursday in November, from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at Meadgate Church, The Orchards, Mascalls Way, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, CM2 7NS. Our members are friendly, welcoming and warm-hearted. We come from different backgrounds, ethnic origins and walks of life. Women

and men of all ages; some are christians, some have other faiths, some have none. What unites us all is our love of gospel music and our desire to entertain and inspire everyone in our local community with our sound.

So come along. Have a listen. Feel the beat. Join in - and find your voice.

To find out more about us, go to www.chelmsfordgospelchoir.com.

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Bridget’s Tales Of The Unexpected There are times when something happens in life which you didn’t see coming. You may have read recently about how my bicycle was stolen.

This was the green bike that had been with me for so long that we had become the best of friends and my BBC Essex show was lightly sprinkled with stories about where we’d been together and what we’d done. I’ve written about our adventures here in the Chelmsford the City Times and Moulsham Times too. Yes, you could say we were definitely joined at the hip. The theft devastated me.

However, out of the blue came a happy ending. Four knights in shining armour at Cycles UK at Riverside Retail Park, namely Ash, Joe, Mike and Ben, came to my rescue and donated a beautiful bike to replace the one stolen. Their generosity was a complete surprise and is one of those things in life that I’ll never, ever forget. I’m mobile again and it’s wonderful.

If you have a bike, or any other valuable items in your garage or outbuildings, do make sure they are secure. The police say: • • • • • • • •

Store bikes in your home or locked shed.

Buy the best lock you can afford.

If bikes are stored in outbuildings, consider chaining them up as an extra precaution.

Always lock up bikes even if you are only leaving them for a second.

Make sure you chain up more than one part of the bike.

Consider removing the wheels and saddle if possible, when you chain up the frame.

Use more than one good quality lock.

Consider getting the bike security marked.

to include gigs at other venues too. Let me know at: whatson@ bridgetmetcalfe.com.

So, as autumn settles in, it’s a time to perhaps look for and try out new hobbies, places to go and things to see. Often, at this time of the year, new pupils begin after-school private singing lessons with me.

These days, I also find more and more adults want to sing and they come for an hour of music in the evenings after work. They tell me it’s relaxing, which is what music does to the human ear and heart.

My heart at the moment is with my new bicycle. If you see me around town do say hello just as a gentleman called Nigel did the other day.

We’d never met before and he was delighted I’d received the new bike. Also, thank you to the wonderful gentleman who offered me his late wife’s bicycle. That unexpected gesture took my breath away. It reminded me how thoughtful and kind people can be.

Having my new wheels, I’m out and about again every day which is lovely, especially on the warm days we’ve enjoyed. Every year I wonder whether we’ll get an Indian summer. The dictionary defines an Indian summer as ‘a period of unusually dry, warm weather occurring in autumn’. At its best, an Indian summer can last until as late as mid-November. I think we all long for the taste of a few extra days of summer to set us up before the leaves have gone and winter sets in.

For me, the autumn also brings a change to my way of thinking. I start making plans for things to do at home during the winter months.

Being someone who is artistic and creative, I’m never short of things to do. My imagination is the most valuable of things and I’m only limited by the number of hours in the day. I make jewellery, I draw and paint and I write. I also go to concerts which are plentiful at this time of the year. A concert is uplifting, entertaining, informative, passionate, moving and thrilling.

The work which goes into any such decent production is phenomenal.

It’s not just a concert of two halves; there’s all the planning, preparation, rehearsing, box office takings to consider, plus sound and lighting and even (in my case, and very importantly) which evening gowns to wear!

All shows need an audience and letting people know about an event is hard work. Advertising is expensive, so it’s usually limited and is out of reach for many. A challenge to all is convincing the press that you’re worthy of a word or two in print. Cajoling the media isn’t easy. I know because as a professional singer and entertainer, I’ve done it.

Writing for the press myself about upcoming concerts, I’m always mindful of trying not to be exclusive to artists and bands. It’s a tricky balance, because in print I only have so many events which I can cover. So, the Gig Guide page on www.bridgetmetcalfe.com is back!

It covers theatre and arts centre concerts, but I‘m more than happy

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CT History Changing Chelmsford: A City of Culture?

The Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Heritage Lottery have produced an index of Britain’s Heritage. Chelmsford is ranked 255 out of 325 places in England. Our overall score placed us in the bottom 22%. Our underused assets, such as the Shire Hall, puts us in the bottom 10% in the Heritage Built Environment category. The city’s strengths are seen in its industrial heritage, especially Chelmsford Museum and Sandford Mill; together with parks and open spaces. These place us in the top 38% and 39% respectively.

The success of the Heritage Open Days this year shows that Chelmsford residents are enthusiastic about the city’s heritage. There were 20 well attended venues: including the Essex Record Office where visitors could look at archives showing how people lived here in past centuries.

This year’s Ideas Festival has seventeen events relating to the city’s heritage, ranging from Roman Caesaromagus, to Marconi and the uses of Chelmsford’s waterways.

There will be an opportunity to influence the ways in which the city cares for its heritage and shapes the future on Thursday 29th October. Chelmsford Civic Society and the RSA are running a heritage workshop as part of the Ideas Festival. The venue is the Council Chamber in the Civic Centre on Duke Street. The aim is to start a process of raising the city’s cultural process and encouraging greater interest in our heritage among residents and visitors alike.

Barry Shaw, from Changing Chelmsford, and Joanna Massie from the RSA will facilitate the day.

Booking for the heritage workshop is through www. changingchelmsford.org/if2015 or by calling 01245 07421 061 054.

Chelmsford Civic Society have arranged five events for this year’s Ideas Festival. These are: Essex Police Future: With Nick Alston CBE, Police and Crime Commissioner, at Anglia Ruskin University, 7.30pm on Wednesday 22nd October.

Magistrates in the Community: At Essex County Hall, 10.00am on Friday 23rd October.

Heritage Strategy Day: At the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, 10.00am Thursday 29th October.

Chelmsford Cathedral Centenary: With Tony Tuckwell at the Cathedral 2.00pm on Friday 30th October.

Chelmsford Remembers Open Day: At the Ideas Hub from 10.00am on Sunday 1st November.

Malcolm Noble Chairman Chelmsford Civic Society Chairman RSA in the East of England

See all the events at the Ideas Festival listed in our what’s on guide on pages 12 and 13

This will lead to a set of clear actions and a plan for future consultations on a Heritage Strategy for Chelmsford. The city council’s successful bid for city status in 2012 noted that ‘it is a place immersed in history with strong royal connections and its history remains very much visible today’. This achievement reinforced Chelmsford’s identity as a modern city and county town of Essex. The city’s brand is linked inextricably with Guglielmo Marconi’s inventions and as the ‘birthplace of radio’. All of this can be used to set a new objective: becoming a UK City of Culture.

The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) has announced that selections for the next UK City of Culture award will take place in 2017. The winning city will become UK City of Culture. If we were to apply we should be required to produce a cultural programme that would ‘encourage the use of creativity as a catalyst for change, promote development of new partnerships, and encourage ambition, innovation and creativity’. The benefits should involve attracting more people to visit Chelmsford, increase media interest, engage more residents in community activities and encourage the arts generally. To win this competition there has to be a cultural programme that will showcase all that is best in Chelmsford and help shape aspects of the city’s future. A programme that included transforming our heritage and how it is used could leave a legacy that would benefit all who live, work or visit Chelmsford for many years to come.

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Page 18

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Millrace Furniture Restoration Co-Operative Millrace Furniture Restoration co-operative is a small business with community interests that specialises in furniture repair and restoration of all kinds. We undertake work for the public, including: French polishing, upholstery, chair caning, rush seating, repairing loose joints in chairs and tables and watermarks in table tops.

Millrace Furniture has been based in Chelmsford, for over 20 years and is located at Moulsham Mill just off Parkway near to the Army and Navy roundabout/flyover. The Mill is also home to a small coffee shop, serving hot and cold drinks, sandwiches, rolls, panninis and cakes. It also houses small enterprises that specialise in art and crafts, furniture, jewellery, clothes and wedding accessories.

Alternative medicine is represented at the Mill by an osteopath and a Reiki healing practitioner. There are also workshops in Alexander technique, yoga and tai chi, plus a counselling service and a community radio station. All of this is in a pleasant riverside setting with on-site parking.

Over the years, we have found that word of mouth is the best recommendation for the work we do. We have a long list of past customers who, over a long period of time, have returned with items of furniture for us to repair and renovate.

We are a City & Guilds approved training centre and offer a range of accredited courses for those people interested in gaining a qualification. For those who have time on Tuesdays or Wednesdays and would like to learn furniture crafts in a less-formal atmosphere, we teach French polishing, antique furniture restoration, upholstery, chair seating, shabby chic and furniture up-cycling.

We also provide a rehabilitation service to the wider community alongside these courses. People who have long-term physical or mental health problems, or who are socially isolated or disadvantaged, can be referred to us to embark on a training programme with work experience that aims at providing structure, motivation, confidence and self-esteem building in a therapeutic setting. This gives people the skills and motivation to progress to employment or to seek further education.

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Millrace Furniture is a not-for-profit organisation and use a cooperative business structure and we are supported by the Quadrant Co-op in Chelmsford. We have in the past, been recipients of small grants from the European Social Fund, Comic Relief, the NHS, the Community Fund, the Essex County Council and the Chelmsford City Council. If you would be interested in getting involved, we sometimes have volunteer posts, or if you would like to make any donation or financial contribution towards our community work, please feel free to contact us at any time. Many thanks.

Millrace Furniture Restoration Co-operative is based at Moulsham Mill, Parkway, near to the Army and Navy roundabout/flyover. Our telephone number is 01245 351636 and we can be found on the web at www.millracefurniture.co.uk. Email us at: mill.r@virgin.net.

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www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk Page 19

Hypnotherapy by Jenny Hartill Last time I discussed anxiety and explained some of the common types of anxiety that are presented in my therapy room.

Today I want to talk about one of these common types of anxiety and explain how hypnosis can help. This month we’ll look at generalised anxiety.

With cases of generalised anxiety, the client needs to be helped to realise that they can learn how to deal with their symptoms and that they can be relieved. With many people unfortunately they feel that this isn’t the case, that they cannot be cured. Well folks, I can tell you that you have more control than you realise.

Speaking from personal experience, I can report that generalised anxiety can be extremely debilitating and have a massive effect on the person’s life, causing them to lose faith in many things, including faith in themselves and the ability to recuperate and feel ‘normal’ again. The client needs to feel calm and be able to deal with their anxiety, a screed using imagery can be particularly effective especially if the client is likely to respond to permissive screeds as they can create their own and this may be more effective in treatment.

A permissive screed is one where the language used always gives the client a choice - ‘you may want to relax now’ is an example. I don’t use permissive screeds very often but the reason they are helpful with treating anxiety is because it puts the client back in control. An example of the kind of imagery to be used could be having the client shrouded in mist representing their tensions and anxieties and then having the mist gradually dispersing until all is calm, warm and clear.

Alternatively the client could create their own shield where all their anxieties bounce off it and do not affect them, later on realising that the shield is fact their inner confidence and they have the faculties within them to deal with any anxieties they come across. The only problem potentially with this style of screed is that if the person also has deep seated self esteem issues, they may not believe so much that they have inner confidence!

From my own experience of being treated for anxiety, I believe that a main factor in treating anxiety is building the client’s confidence and ensuring they believe that they can feel better. Because when one feels anxiety over a long period of time, it can seem like it will never go away. There is a reason that there is a type of anxiety classed as ‘generalised’ - it basically means you could feel anxious about anything - it’s just there (seemingly) all the time, or it crops up for no apparent reason! Let me explain something to you about anxiety (this is how I explain it to my clients) that might make a difference if you are suffering.

The thing about anxiety is that it’s been around for millennia. There’s a reason evolution kept it around and that’s because back in the day, it kept us alive. Therefore when you feel anxious, this is your subconscious saying to you ‘I feel vulnerable right now, please keep me alive’. You may not know why you feel vulnerable, and this is where the term ‘generalised anxiety’ comes in. You see folks, the problem is that when we feel anxious and the cause isn’t obvious, we start looking for the cause because we want to get rid of whatever is making us feel anxious, and to do that we need to get rid of the cause of the anxiety. Are you with me? Ok. Let me explain how your anxiety saved your life in the past:

doesn’t mean that the subconscious mind still doesn’t look for the metaphorical tiger. So if you’re anxious and you’re looking for the metaphorical tiger, you could then blame your anxiety on pretty much anything. Then we start giving ourselves suggestions: ‘I can’t go there because I’ll be scared of that’ - well, yeah you will be scared if you tell yourself that!! Even if you don’t tell yourself that you’ll be scared consciously, you may expect to be scared subconsciously because you have learned that you feel anxious in a certain situation, and so you look to avoid the metaphorical tiger and the cycle begins.

So, how can hypnotherapy help with generalised anxiety? Firstly, the client needs to learn how to relax. They need to learn that they can relax, that they are safe and that the metaphorical tiger is not going to jump out at them and eat them alive. Secondly, mindset: I have been treating anxiety for years, I suffered from it for years, and I can tell you absolutely, categorically, there is one thing every single anxiety sufferer has in common - their mindset.

The anxiety mindset is a complex one. It’s always negative, there are always elements of negative self talk or looking for the negative things in life or many other things but they are always negative. So, how do we help the client with their mindset? Quite simply, I give the client the suggestion that they ‘look for positive things that will enrich their life and help them reach their goals’ - that’s pretty much a direct quote from a screed. I also give them the suggestion that it’s ok to relax, that they notice when they are relaxed and I would speak to the subconscious to remind it that there is no tiger, that the client is allowed to relax and the more they notice they’re relaxed, the more positives they find and the more they notice they’re relaxed.

Eventually, the client should see the benefits of a more positive mindset and start to feel better. To be honest though, even just relaxation hypnotherapy can make a massive positive difference to clients suffering with anxiety, just because they learn to relax and they learn they can feel safe.

So, if you’re spending your days looking for the tiger in the room don’t worry. There are no tigers in Chelmsford, the closest you’ll get is just the one Tigger in Winnie the Pooh! :-) For more information on hypnosis or counselling, you can go to my website: www.cloud9-therapy.co.uk.

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Originally humans came from Africa. We would have shared the landscape there with some big animals like lions, tigers and leopards, which are all part of the Felidae family of cats which originated in Africa and share a common ancestor. So when our fight or flight response was evolving, we may well have been running for our lives/ kicking the crap out of, say, a tiger. Fast forward a few millennia and although there aren’t any tigers wandering around Chelmsford, that Page 20

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Active Citizen on Horseback Launches in Chelmsford and Maldon

Last month, Essex Police invited horseriders across north Essex to a special event at Essex Police Headquarters, focusing on how they can help to be an extra set of eyes and ears in reporting any suspicious behaviour to the police.

Twitter pages (www.twitter.com/EssexPoliceUK using #NHSM15) for our messages and eyecatching images with information over the course of the month.

The new scheme is set to trial at the Chelmsford and Maldon districts primarily, hoping to later extend this to Braintree, Colchester, Tendring and Uttlesford.

Residents who attended the Active Citizen on Horseback launch were given the opportunity to find out more and sign up to the new scheme.

The new scheme seeks volunteers from rural communities across Essex to provide a visible presence whilst out and about on their routes with their horses. Residents who signed up for the scheme received a reflective armband to identify that they are part of the initiative.

Volunteers can then keep an eye out for any problems in these areas, reporting any suspicious activity to Essex Police by dialling 101.

Andy Sawyer, Chelmsford Local Policing and Partnerships Inspector, added: “I am looking forward to seeing the benefits of this new scheme trialling in the Chelmsford and Maldon areas.

“The more information we can collect from as many sources as possible, the better. We continue to work with our partners in local authorities and organisations to tackle issues affecting residents’ quality of life.”

If you would like further information on Active Citizen on Horseback, or wish to join, please email Sergeant Cathy Calder at: cathy.calder@essex.pnn. police.uk.

October is National Home Security Awareness Month!

We’re proud to be a partner of National Home Security Month 2015, which will be running over October.

As the nights become darker, longer and colder, now is the perfect time is review your home security in preparation for the winter months - from making sure your doors and windows are secure to how to keep your garden secure and whether it’s time to install a home alarm.

Keep an eye on our Facebook (www. facebook.com/EssexPoliceUK) and www.chelmsfordthecitytimes.co.uk

Page 21

Keep an Eye on the Long Term by Keith Porter Compare that to a seated bicep curl which uses pretty much just the one muscle, and it’s easy to see why it’s such an exhausting move.

For me, the deadlift is one of the most fundamental moves a human can do. Lift something really heavy off the floor, safely.

It’s one of only two moves (the other being burpees - man, I hate doing burpees...) that aren’t technically cardio’, but that leave me bent double just through sheer exertion. Deadlifting a challenging weight requires pretty much every muscle in your body to work to make it happen.

So, after telling you that it is clearly a brilliant, impactful manoeuvre, you’d probably imagine that I get every single one of my clients to perform the move, right? Nope. This month, I taught the move to my client John, because he was ready to learn it - and he’s only the second person I’ve taught it to in our studio.

Why? Because it’s a difficult, technical move, and in my opinion it requires a whole lot of knowledge and experience before you can perform it. Do

you have a reasonable level of fitness? Can you brace your core and fix your back in a neutral position? Can you make your glutes do the hard work when you hip-hinge? These are critical questions that I’ve seen people skip, wowed by the short-term benefits that heavy deadlifting can bring.

And I can’t blame them really, because if I were to flick through a fitness magazine and pick one of their suggested programmes, 9 out of 10 would have some kind of deadlift. But time and time again I see people trying to perform the move in a gym and getting it dangerously wrong they’re looking to jump straight into the hard stuff without building the foundations first.

Instead, you need to take a more measured approach. Start with understanding the hip-hinge through squatting and glute bridges (YouTube!) and then get some help with the technical aspects.

Chelmsford is blessed with lots of fantastic personal trainers, so seek a recommendation and get someone to teach you the strength moves properly. It will pay off in the long-term.

Whether you’re ready to learn the deadlift or are taking your first steps into fitness, drop me a line at keith@liveasimplelife.co.uk to arrange a free consultation in our private studio in Springfield.

Yoga, Pilates and Other Funny Words... by Kellie Jones

I started teaching pilates 16 years ago and then I might as well have been talking about something from Space 1999, (a British science fiction series during the ‘70s!). Now it’s a pretty mainstream word that people know, even if they’re not sure what it is. I’ve always struggled to answer the question ‘what is pilates?’ and also, ‘what’s the difference between pilates and yoga?’ - and I still do, as there are so many ways to give evidence of the differences and the similarities and I have covered a lot of that in previous articles. These days, I usually end up just saying, ‘come try our 30 day offer and you’ll find out!’

We need more balance you guys out there, as Steve (our hatha teacher), is getting rooms full of women to himself!

I am currently studying the foundations of yoga philosophy and learning the sanskrit terms and the history behind them, so I thought it would be good time to do some explaining. So here are the basics, which really don’t go anywhere near revealing the benefits...

Namaste (or ‘I bow to you’) is a salutation at the end of class which has many interpretations and I think a lot of people just think of it as thank you, but really it is a gesture of respect. I love the more widely known meaning of ‘the light in me honours the light in you’.

Pilates: ‘A system of exercises using special apparatus, designed to improve physical strength, flexibility and posture, and enhance mental awareness named after German physical fitness specialist Joseph Pilates (1880 - 1967), who devised the system.’ Ha! I can tell you that it is soooo much more than this - but probably better if you just come and have a go!

Just so you don’t get confused, in India they use namaste as a greeting not a goodbye!

Yoga: comes from the Sanskrit root yuj, which literally means ‘to join’, ‘to yoke’ or simply union. It is an ancient art with more than 5000 years of history, that aims to harmonise mind, body and spirit leading to a sense of peace, well being and feeling at one with the environment. It’s also about cultivating an attitude of loving kindness and non-judgement.

I know I’m being judged when I walk down the street in my bright pink Yogaleggs but if you want a pair we’ll be selling them in our new shop coming soon...

Hatha breaks down to ha meaning ‘sun’ and tha meaning ‘moon’ which is a path to creating balance and uniting the opposites of the masculine aspects: Active, hot, sun and the feminine aspects: Receptive, cool, moon.

Ashtanga: ‘Ashta’ means eight and ‘anga’ means limbs, so it means eight limb path and it represents the eight ways in which we induce a state of yoga; ashtanga yoga is based on Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali.

The style of ashtanga yoga was popularized in the 20th century by K Pattabhi Jois.

If you love to sweat and turn up your inner heating system, then this one will definitely get you fit for those yoga-pants girls - and the boys?

Well, you’ll just be hot!

Om is a sacred mantra originating in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism, used at the end of sanskrit prayer or text, sounding as a-u-m, (similar to amen). The sound is said to the vibration of the universe that connects all things together and hence we may chant it at the beginning and end of yoga to acknowledge our connection to all living beings.

Om is also is extremely useful when the urge for other less spiritual words are on the tip of one’s tongue!!

Finally, if you want to know the meaning of colours and how they can energise or drain you, we have a Colours Workshop happening on Wednesday 21st October from 7.30 - 9.30pm. Book here: www. hummingbirdpilates.co.uk.

See you next month if we don’t see you to say namaste before then!

Kellie

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Chelmsford City Football Club is Proud to Announce the Launch of Their New Primary School Initiative Programme As part of the club’s commitment to working with the community, Chelmsford City Football Club has launched their Primary Schools Initiative Programme, whereby for every home game the club will be inviting four local primary schools to attend and be our special guests for the day.The programme kicked off at our game on Saturday 3rd October 2015, against Oxford City, which also coincided with Grandparents Day at the club. The day was a huge success and we are really looking forward to the next.

The first four schools picked were Kings Road, Lawford Mead, Newlands Spring and Melbourne Primary. The day included a free ticket for every child and an accompanying adult, a tour of the stadium, meet the players, guard of honour, a photo and participation in either a penalty shoot-out, or Beat the Goalie competition at half time. There is also a goodie bag for each child to remember their special day and the school’s teachers and staff are also invited to attend as our guests.

Chelmsford City chairman, Trevor Smith, says: “Our objective for this programme is to raise the profile of both the school and the football club within the community and we hope each school will help us in reaching our goal.”

This is just one of the Clarets many initiatives, as it aims to forge closer links between the club and the local community.

We also have some exciting new events coming up at the club, including fantastic tribute act Creedence Clearwater Revived on Saturday 31st October - one of many live music acts playing at the club in conjunction with It’s your Music. Tickets are only £15 in advance, or £18 on the door.

October also sees our spooky Halloween Thriller Party (with a Michael Jackson tribute act) on Friday 30th at 6.30pm and a darts night you’ll never forget with Wayne Mardle (including a fish and chip supper) on Monday 19th at 7pm, plus An Evening of Clairvoyance with Steve Holbrook on Sunday 25th at 6.30pm.

More information on all these events can be found on our website, www.chelmsfordcityfc.com, our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ officialchelmsfordcityfootballclub, or by calling 01245 290959.

Live Music - It’s Your Media and Chelmsford City Football Club

We are collaborating with CCFC for live music nights. The second of these will be Creedence Clearwater Revived on 31st October. They will be supported by The 60s Project with the great Roy Mette (see the advert on page 27). Tickets are available online (search wegottickets.com) or from The Hop Beer Shop in Moulsham Street.

We are in the process of booking dates for later this year and for next year and will update you as soon as we have new information.

Just confirmed for April are the fabulous Blow Monkeys as part of their UK tour.

The aim is to bring some bigger acts to Chelmsford in a great sized venue for gigs more intimate than your average larger venue.

If you would like to write for either of our magazines please email us editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

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Page 25

Wildlife Corner by Nick Green During early September, most days were typically overcast and midmonth saw some big downpours. The end of the month, however, saw calm, anticyclonic conditions and at last a procession of bright, sunny days to make up for the ‘lost’ summer! But with temperatures hovering below 20 degrees C, there was not much insect activity.

Sycamore and maple tree leaves are changing colour, horse chestnut trees are dropping their seeds in the form of conkers, sloe berries are ripening - autumn is upon us.

September is the month that witnesses bird migration in full flow with birds returning from the Arctic Circle, Scandinavia and northern Europe. Swallows and housemartins traditionally gather on wires in preparation for their long flight to over-winter in Africa.

The yellow-browed warbler breeds across Siberia from the northern Urals east, to the Sea of Okhotsk and south to the northern Savan Mountains. It winters from central Nepal and Bangkok east to south east China, Hainan and Taiwan. In recent years, occurrences in the UK have increased thanks to an increase in easterly winds and observer coverage amongst other factors.

Essex usually averages about 4 - 5 autumn records each year for this scarce visitor, but this year circumstances look exceptional. Fair Isle in the Shetland Isles off north Scotland had a previous daily record of 45 in September 2008, but this year has already seen an influx of 53 on 21st and then a staggering 76 on 28th - and the autumn is but young!! Indications are that it’s been a good breeding season in Siberia - at least for this warbler. Fair Isle Bird Observatory website is at: www.fairislebirdobs.co.uk/latest_sightings.html.

Essex recorded a record-breaking sighting and day-total of 5 also on 28th at The Naze at Walton!! As for identification, the species is a relatively small warbler with a pale eyestripe, two wingbars, greenish upperparts and pale underparts. Most individuals are found first by

their calls: a loud, penetrating, high-pitched ‘tsoeest’ or ‘sweest’.

As a matter of interest, at this time of year our commoner birds tend to flock together for mutual protection (for example, great and blue and long-tailed tits) and in turn, these attract other species like treecreeper and migrant warblers to them. This may include our commoner warblers like chiffchaff, blackcap, willow warbler, common and lesser whitethroats but may also include scarcer species like yellow-browed warbler.

Essex wildlife clubs include: Essex Birdwatching Society: www.ebws.org.uk RSPB: www.rspb.org.uk/groups/chelmsford Essex Field Club: www.essexfieldclub.org.uk Essex Wildlife Trust: www.essexwt.org.uk/get-involved/local-groups/ chelmsford Recent Essex Wildlife News The most noteworthy September bird news showed great white egrets featuring yet again through the month: Two at Abberton Reservoir were occasionally joined by a third. Rarest of all was an American wader in the shape of a Wilson’s phalarope at Vange Marshes RSPB from 20th to at least 29th - just the sixth county occurrence. Yellowbrowed warbler records came from The Naze, Holland Haven, Colne Point, Warley Place NR amongst others. A glossy ibis was at Wat Tyler CP, red-backed shrike at The Hythe at Colchester and there were wryneck records from Wivenhoe and The Naze.

Rotary at the Forefront for World Polio Day

I have written about the work to eradicate polio before, but just sit back for a few moments and think about what a momentous achievement this would be. A disease that has crippled or killed millions of people - mainly children - is on the verge of being beaten. Only smallpox has been eradicated previously, so with World Polio Day on 24th October, it is the right time to think about the final push.

Last month, after confirming a full year without a single case of wild poliovirus, Nigeria was removed from the list of the world’s polioendemic countries. It was the last polio-endemic country in Africa.

Today, only two countries - Afghanistan and Pakistan - harbour the world’s final reservoir of endemic poliovirus. Global cases of polio in 2015 number only a few dozen. The scale of this achievement can hardly be overstated. Polio has existed for millennia. It has plagued humanity since our earliest civilisations. Today, because of Rotary’s work and that of our partners, the end is in sight. We are counting down not in years, but in months.

Yet, our success is as fragile as it is monumental. We are moving forward, slowly, steadily, inexorably - thanks to colossal efforts that never cease.

Rotary continues on the frontline to vaccinate hundreds of millions of children in vast synchronised campaigns and Rotary constantly monitors environments to prevent

new outbreaks. The sheer scale of the effort - the coordination, the cost and the commitment - boggles the mind. Some ask why such high levels of immunisation and surveillance are still needed to combat a disease that is almost gone. The answer is simple: It is the only way forward. If we did anything less and allowed the virus any quarter, years of work would be undone. We know too well how easily polio could spread again. We know how quickly our decades of progress could be lost. So this is why the months ahead are so tremendously important. We need your voice to raise awareness, to raise funds and to keep the momentum going. We need your strength to help fight this war until we have won.

On 24 October we mark World Polio Day. I hope that on that day you will take part in some way in our work to eradicate polio. There are still many ways to participate. Visit endpolionow.org for ideas, tools and ways to donate. You’ll also find the link to the Rotary livestream event - so be sure to join in and share it on social media.

This war of ours, which started as a war against polio but is also a war against hatred, against ignorance, against fear, will be won. It will be won soon. When it is won, all of Rotary will have a story to tell - to the children and the grandchildren, who will never see a leg brace or an iron lung, or know a world with polio in it.

Whether you are a Rotarian in Kano or Peshawar or Swat, in Seoul or Madrid or Chelmsford - or are not even a Rotarian at all, you are a part of this story. Your part in it is one that only you can write. I ask you all to write it well, so that the story you will one day tell is one of which you will be proud.

Do you want to make a difference to the lives of others by being part of Rotary? Visit www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org to find a local club or phone me for details. 01245 260349.

Stan Keller

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Page 27

Blues in the City Review Firstly before I start the review for this year’s Blues in the City Festival 5, I must tell you about what’s coming up. On Wednesday 25th November, we have a special night with Guy Tortora and Ben Tyzack - two greats who have come together to play a few shows as a duo.

Both have their own amazing bands and supporting them we have local legend Howlin’ Smurf, who rarely plays solo gigs these days.

On Saturday 28th November we have a Bassment Blues Day special over 9 hours from 2pm to 11pm. We have 8 amazing acts playing on two stages non-stop. I will run through them in order of appearance: starting with Back Porch, Rum Honey, Big Joe Bone, Fran McGillivray Band, Del Bromham, Stony Road Blues Band, Nicky Moore & Danny Kyle - and lastly, John Verity Band. You can see and hear more about all these acts on the website and Facebook pages listed below.

They played a set with some new songs and were a great way to end day 1 with the audience wanting more.

Day 2 started in the Star & Garter with Howlin’ Mat; a good friend and another first for the festival. The audience loved him with his funny (but true) tales and his old fashioned blues style. We then moved to the Woolpack with Jack Hutchinson & Boom Boom Brotherhood - with another first - they certainly rocked it up and played a great set with Jack and Tom on harps both playing amazing solos - Jack and the boys are on the way to top for sure.

We then went across town to the Ale House for the first of 3 acts over the weekend there. We saw the new Dove & Boweevil band who have a new CD just out. They amazed us all and just get better and better. Lauren’s voice is now complimented with Laura White on backing vocals. Mark’s nimble fingers on the fret board, as well as great keys and rhythm section, mean this band should be right at the top, as there are few better than them.

Now to the festival which was a great success. We have raised so far £1250 for the Remus Horse Sanctuary and we will continue to raise money for them - they will be the charity for next year’s festival as well.

Thanks to all of my great team who, like me, do it for nothing. Without them I could not do it. Thanks to all our sponsors who also make it possible as do the venues. Thanks to all of the acts that made this year special and, most importantly, all of you who came and supported great live music and helped us raise money for the charity.

I must also say thank you for the generosity of the great raffle prizes we had donated as well.

We opened day 1 at the Chelmsford Social Club with Split Whiskers, who played a storming set and certainly set the standard for the weekend.

We loan wheelchairs, commodes The first of our new and other equipment. The loan is acts to play was Will Johns and his band. short-term and whilst there is no charge, we do ask for a donation. Will stunned us with his guitar playing and great vocals Items on short term loan includes and their version Wheelchairs Toilet Surrounds of Cream’s White Commodes Crutches Room left everyone High Back Chairs Walking frames with mouths open a great set and they To loan any of these equipment please call will be back.

Need a wheelchair?

01245 280283

01279 428569

Redcross.org.uk/bheequipment The British Red Cross Society, incorporated by Royal Charter 1908, is a charity registered in England and Wales (220949), Scotland (SC037738) and Isle of Man (0752).

Next we had our good friends Roadhouse, who never fail to deliver.

Another first for us at the Two Brewers, where we had our friends Joel Fisk & the Breakdown playing to a packed pub. Joel has got this formula so right. Then back over to the Social Club for another night starting with a bang as favourites Rosco Levee & the Southern Slide wowed the audience with their own mix of original music (that reminds me of bands like the Alman Brothers Band) and covers. His voice and guitar playing backed by his mates. Then our good friends from the north played - the legendary Slack Alice. Cliff Stocker started this band back in 1973 and they remain wonderful with Cliff’s very powerful and distinctive voice. The combination of two lead guitarists and amazing bass and drums left the audience thinking it couldn’t get any better, but the performance was equalled by Robbie McIntosh and his band.

Rarely seen, Robbie is a songwriter with a stunning lineup and he just does things on the guitar that make you just wonder how he can do it - and all from a very modest man. The audience did not want to let him go! A fantastic way to end day 2.

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Day 3 and the final seven acts - or as we called them on Saturday and Sunday, the magnificent 7 compared to Friday’s tremendous trio. It all started in the Cricketers with yet another first - Ben Smith; this man can do things with an acoustic guitar that can stun audiences and he has an amazing voice as well. People loved him and came in from the street just to admire this great solo act. Off to the Star & Garter again and some good friends from Kent, Katie Bradley, Nigel Fiest & Dave Ferra and his band. This could only ever be epic and it was, with three great singers and three great harmonica players along with David’s amazing guitar playing. They had the Star & Garter rammed and raised the roof.

Next, to The Woolpack, where we find more really good friends, The Sharpees, who have their own unique sound - a bit like the style of Tom Petty. Bill is a great songwriter and with Brendan O’Neil on drums and Baz Payne on bass, this is a hard working, tight band and they even got me up to blow some harmonicas with them! Thanks guys and for a great set.

Across town again to the Ale House for Mumbo-Jumbo - another first.

They surprised the audience as they are unlike anyone else out there with the most amazing harmonies as well as a ukulele acoustic bass.

It’s almost like you are listening in New Orleans at times. Off to the Black Bull next with Karena K and her band playing a mix of originals and covers in their own style with a soulful edge. Karena has a powerful voice as well as being a very good saxophonist. They are a really tight band and we loved them very much.

Next on to the Ale House again for Delta Groove, a new band made

up of legends, ex Rory Gallagher and Nine Below Zero player, Brendan O’Neil (his second appearance of the day), plus Richard Everitt from King BizKit, a band who have been around since 1989 and are known as one of the hardest working bands in Europe and the States. Then we had Fergie Fulton with Tim Ainslie from the legendry Groove Doctors - they amazed everyone putting their own stamp on classics with Tim making you think that Stevie Ray Vaughn was alive and playing at times. They could do no wrong and packed out the Ale House.

Finally, back to the Black Horse for the last act for 2015 - the pure class of Malaya Blue. This lady can sing and deliver. With her band of first class musicians it was always going to be fantastic with her amazing voice and songs and Dudley Ross’s fine guitar playing and Andy Cooper on keyboards - and that wonderful Hammond organ sound. They asked me to play on two songs which was an honour.

The audience did not want to let them go and I am not surprised.

This is the end of our fifth festival - and I will do it again I expect, but how can I top or equal this year? You know what, I will give it a very good go.

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Stargazing with Mark Willis - October/November - Christmas Star People often ask about the Christmas Star. We may never know the truth for sure. However, here’s a best guess: Astronomers have spent some time trying to discover the mystery of the Christmas Star and one thing is certain - Jesus was not born on December 25. Shepherds would not have watched their flocks in December. Jesus’ parents would have not travelled to Bethlehem to register on a Roman census, because the December weather would have been so bad as to have badly affected the census.

Scholars doubt that Jesus was born in 0BC. 0BC doesn’t seem to offer any astronomical events that would explain the Christmas Star.

Perhaps a conjunction of planets would? This means that two or more planets appear to be close together in the sky. This is a line-ofsight phenomenon, when in fact they are actually many millions of miles apart. There was such a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7BC which was recorded by Chinese astronomers. 7BC also seems to coincide with when scholars believe Jesus was actually born. The Christmas Star is unlikely to be a comet, as comets were seen in those days as fireballs (we now know comets to be balls of ice and rock) and the harbingers of doom. The Wise Men would have

Hear ‘Elijah’ - a Choral Masterpiece in Chelmsford

There’ll be high drama including famine, fire and earthquakes when Waltham Singers present Mendelssohn’s Elijah in Chelmsford Cathedral on 21st November. Sung in English, this popular oratorio telling the story of the prophet Elijah is truly exciting to hear and this large, accomplished local choir intend to use all their guile to deliver you a musical highlight to end 2015. They will be accompanied by Ensemble OrQuesta and four professional voice soloists, including as Elijah, Jeremy White from the Royal Opera House. It will be a musical occasion not to be missed - and with the combination of English lyrics, a real story packed with drama and the power of 80 plus voices, 30 plus musicians and the cathedral organ, it will surely bring the house down. If you like classical music already or simply want to experience something new, this concert really is for you.

therefore avoided following such a cometary guide.

You’d expect this question to royally divide science and religion.

However, many theologians also believe the December 25 date is an afterthought. Pope Benedict XVI (the previous pope) disputes Jesus’ date of birth in his book: Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, which was published in 2012.

Perhaps in years to come new information may come to light which proves when Jesus was actually born.

Next month, we celebrate stargazing moments of 2015. Happy Christmas!

Mark Willis presents Willis Wireless every Monday at 7pm on Chelmsford Community Radio.

Web: Tweet me: Email:

www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com @WillisWireless mark.willis@chelmsfordcommunityradio.com

other sites produced using computer graphics, but Alan Sorrell pioneered this approach in his pictures. He trained at the Royal College of Art in the 1920s and his career included being a war artist, artist correspondent for the Illustrated London News, portrait commissions, landscapes and romantic imaginative paintings.

However, from the 1930s, he was employed by many well-known archaeologists to recreate the sites they were excavating. Books containing his pictures cover all periods of British history, ancient Rome and even an illustrated version of the Holy Bible. A visit to the exhibition provides an opportunity to see many of the pictures used for these books.

Tickets are £12 - £17 and available from Jennifer Tait (01245 467588), James Dace & Sons in Broomfield Road, or via walthamsingers.org.uk where you can also find more information on the choir’s activities.

Chelmsford Museum Hosts Family Exhibition The Sorrells are a well-known family of Essex artists who originate from Thundersley near Southend. They have close connections with the heritage and museums of the county and this is reflected in the current temporary exhibition at Chelmsford Museum titled: The Sorrell Family: An exhibition for Families by a Family. This was opened on 2nd October by Julia Sorrell, in the presence of museum staff, Friends of the Museum and other guests, and will be displayed until 29th November.

The exhibition includes paintings by Alan Sorrell (1904 - 1974), his wife Elizabeth (1916 - 1991), daughter Julia and son Richard and poems by Mark Sorrell. It also includes dolls and toys from the family collection, which appear in a number of the pictures. These also feature in many of the works by Elizabeth including the picture Dolls in the Museum, which shows Chelmsford Museum and is part of the permanent museum collections (see picture). The family lived in a chapel which had been converted into a studio home and the landscape around it provided inspiration for pictures by all members of the family.

The work of Alan Sorrell will be best known to many people thanks to the display panels and guide books found at historic site across Britain. It is now commonplace to see imaginative reconstructions of prehistoric and Roman monuments, castles, cathedrals and

Also in November: On Saturday 14th November the Essex Industrial Archaeology Group Annual Lecture will be given in the Chelmsford Museum (Education Room) at 12.30pm. Keith Falconer, formerly Head of Industrial Archaeology at English Heritage and current chair of the Association of Industrial Archaeology, will trace the development of industrial archaeology from its tentative beginnings through to its current popular appeal. Open to non-members at £2.00.

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Family Friendly Funnies

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