Moulsham Times - September 2025

MoulshamTimes

MT Welcome

Hi readers,

Welcome to the September edition of Moulsham Times

The summer holidays are now over, exam results are in and we hope you received what you were looking for!

The annual Heritage Open Days reappears this month along with Streets, Eats and Beats, and Radio 2 in the Park: we believe there are still some tickets left for most of these events.

If you would like to advertise in the next edition, please contact us for prices, and also for distribution details. We can then send over all the information you will need.

Regards

Paul

Advertising & Editorial

Paul Mclean 01245 262082/07595 949701 paul@moulshamtimes.com

Disclaimer: It’s Your Magazines Ltd publish the Moulsham Times. The opinion expressed in each article is the opinion of its author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of It’s Your Magazines Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Magazines Ltd. Reg Co No. 12080535. Printed by Warners (Midlands) PLC.

Latest News

Summer Highlights at Chelmsford Community Radio

It’s been a busy and exciting summer at Chelmsford Community Radio as we continue to strengthen our ties with the local community and give opportunities to young people.

We were delighted to welcome ten Year 10 and Year 12 students for their school work placements. Over the course of their time with us, they got involved in a wide range of activities, from visiting the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance base for a press screening, to conducting interviews and even presenting their own shows on-air. It was fantastic to see their confidence grow and to give them a real taste of what goes on behind the scenes at a community radio station.

We were also honoured to host the High Sheriff of Essex, who came to see the station in action and hear more about the work we do. Out and about, our team were

In the Church of England we celebrate the month of September as the season of Creationtide, dedicated to God as the Creator and Sustainer of all life.

It is a time when we reflect on the amazing diversity of life in the world: from microbes to plants, insects, fish, and animals to us humans - as well as the beauty of the seas and skies, mountains and valleys, in which these creatures live.

My wife Mary and I have just returned from a break on the Isle of Mull up in Scotland, where it has been a little cooler than here in Essex.

Mull is stunningly beautiful: lush green grass, munched on by hardy sheep and Highland cattle, amid dramatic volcanic rock formations, crashing waves and amazing sunsets.

But Storm Floris hit us with 90 mile per hour winds and gusts so strong that they picked up salt from the sea and battered the trees and hedgerows. Within days, leaves and plants were dying from the physical battering by salt-filled winds, with the leaves started to fall in August.

Meanwhile, down here in Essex, we endured the fourth heatwave of the year with temperatures topping 30 degrees once again. Both the unusually powerful summer storms like Floris and the unusually frequent heatwaves - together with devastating forest fires and floods abroad - are the result of man-made climate change. And the impact has been felt by our farmers.

The dry spring and hottest summer since 1884 have led to one of the worst harvests on record, with wheat and broccoli yields down 50% in places and yields of vegetable crops, like carrots and potatoes, significantly reduced. We in turn will feel this in our pockets, with higher food prices.

proud to support the Kidzfair team as they showcased young entrepreneurs, and we had a great day at the Chelmsford Market Family Fun Day celebrating local talent, families, and the brilliant community spirit our city has to offer.

Looking ahead, September promises to be just as busy. You’ll be able to spot us at the Chelmsford College Freshers Fairs (www. chelmsford.ac.uk), outside Shire Hall for the 1950s-themed Heritage Open Day event (chelmsfordhod.co.uk), and over at the Battlesbridge Show Ground for the brand new Undercover Festival (gigantic.com/undercoverfestival-2025-south-essex-tickets/battlesbridge-battlesbridgeshowground/2025-09-26-14-45).

As ever, thank you to everyone who has supported us - and if you’d like us to be part of your event or project, please get in touch via our website: www.chelmsfordcommunityradio.com.

If we live in harmony with God’s creation - the natural world - it will provide what we need to survive and thrive: healthy food from plants, clean air and water, and a balanced climate.

If we take from it more than we need, and if we pollute it with excessive emissions and plastics from our unsustainable lifestyles, it suffers, and so do we.

But we can all do something to help live in harmony with God’s creation - consuming less, recycling and reusing more, shifting to renewable energy, saving water, eating more plant-based food and less meat.

Come and see what St John’s Church is doing to help us live differently as a gold eco-church. Creationtide at St John’s ends with our Harvest Festival on Sunday 5th October at 10am: time to give thanks for the gift of God’s creation and another harvest.

You are warmly welcome to join us!

Fr John Bloomer

frjohnbloomer@gmail.com www.stjohnsmoulsham.org.uk

Choosing the Right Kitchen Furniture - By Andy at Three River Kitchens & Interiors

When it comes to home renovation, few decisions are as significant and lasting as your choice of kitchen furniture, so surely you can just go online and find out which is best, right?

It is not that easy though! While comparing features, benefits and prices of appliances, worktops and accessories is now easier than ever, evaluating kitchen furniture (especially in terms of quality, range, and value) remains a challenge.

There are three types of kitchen furniture most people are going to be considering: flatpack, built-to-order and handmade.

Flatpack

Flatpack furniture is widely recognised as the entry-level option due to its affordability. This furniture is shipped cost-effectively and assembled either by the consumer or the installer. Sadly, some companies market pre-assembled flatpack as ‘ready-built’ or ‘made-to-order’ when, in reality, it is simply flatpack furniture put together off-site.

It is often sold at wildly inflated prices, especially when persuasive sales tactics and magical ‘discounts’ are involved - and whilst flatpack can look appealing and serve a purpose, it is limited in quality and flexibility.

Built-to-Order

This category represents a step up in quality and customisation. Larger or more premium manufacturers typically produce built-to-order kitchen furniture in factories

where they can ensure that each cabinet leaves the facility fully constructed, with all hinges, runners, doors and drawers properly fitted before being delivered to your home.

Built-to-order furniture strikes an excellent balance between versatility, quality and affordability, offering more options for internal configurations, sizing and finishes. For most homeowners, this is the optimal choice, as it caters to a wide range of budgets and can be remarkably close to the pricing of the big, lower end products out there; like-for-like whilst being far superior.

Traditional Construction/Handmade

For those seeking timeless elegance and superior artisanry, handmade or traditional in-frame kitchen furniture is a wonderful choice - with caveats. They may well be beautifully made, but handmade furniture is often the most expensive option and has limitations regarding interior fittings, versatility and design options making it less adaptable to every layout or requirement.

Here are my top tips for choosing kitchen furniture:

• Determine whether the product is fully assembled and finished in the factory before delivery, unless you specifically want or need flatpack furniture.

• Seek out independent kitchen retailers who may offer better quality at a comparable price point, thanks to lower margins.

• If at all possible, ask to see an unfitted unit to assess its construction.

• Most importantly, speak to a kitchen designer to design your kitchen, NOT a kitchen salesperson! A salesperson will likely not have the required knowledge, and their role is to maximise profit, so how can they honestly recommend the right products or ensure your quote represents the best value or design?

You should be paying a fair price for the best product you can afford and the company providing it should be making a fair profit for the work and services they are providing.

If both these things are true, then your kitchen designer is free to design you the best possible kitchen with the best possible furniture appropriate for your room, budget and desires.

Summer Updates - By Councillor Helen Ayres

Many of you will know that this column is usually written by Cllr Charlene Adutwim. This month though, I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself, as one of your new Liberal Democrat councillors for Moulsham and Central. My name is Helen Ayres, and I was elected in May this year alongside Cllr Seán Manley, joining Charlene. It is a real privilege to represent the area I have always called home. I was born just around the corner at St John’s Hospital and have lived in Chelmsford all my life.

As we move into September and the pace of life begins to pick up again, it’s nice to look back on the sunnier days of August.

Chelmsford’s parks were especially lovely throughout August. Whether you were taking a stroll through Central Park or enjoying a picnic in Oaklands, our green spaces provided a welcome space to relax with friends and family.

I’m especially excited to share news about a fantastic addition to Tower Gardens off Admirals Park - our new Cycle Skills Circuit, which officially opened mid-August. This brilliant facility is designed to help children and new riders build confidence in a safe and supportive environment. It’s a great resource for families, and I encourage you to pop by and give it a try.

The circuit features two distinct areas:

• A learn-to-ride zone perfect for balance bikes and for beginners just starting out.

• A cycle practice area complete with road markings, ideal for developing the skills needed to ride safely on the road.

For those living towards Moulsham Lodge, we’re also eagerly awaiting the completion of the new playground at John Shennan playing field, which will be a fantastic addition for local families.

As we say goodbye to the warmer weather and settle back into our routines, I’d also like to invite you to our next Councillor Surgery taking place on 20th September. It’s a great opportunity to come along, ask questions, raise concerns, or simply have a chat about what matters to you in our ward. At our last surgery, we discussed crime and antisocial behaviour in the ward - a topic we’ll be actively following up on over autumn. We are also looking into residents’ concerns about uneven pavements, dangerous use of e-scooters and cleanliness of the town centre.

Finally, a special good luck to everyone starting or returning to school this month. Whether you’re heading into reception, secondary school, or university, we wish you a brilliant start to the new academic year.

Warm regards,

Helen Ayres, Sean Manley and Charlene Adutwim City Councillors for Moulsham and Central Ward

Chelmsford - By Marie Goldman MP

This month, I’d like to share some stories of people and places I’ve visited recently that really show the strong community spirit across Chelmsford - including right here in Moulsham.

A Special Day for Special Families

One of the highlights of this month for me was attending the It’s My Life family fun-day organised by Essex County Council. The event brings together families involved in adoption, Special Guardianship Orders and post-adoption support. It was such a joy to be part of it.

The day was filled with laughter, creativity and community support. Children were busy planting their own flowers, enjoying the reading and art corner, getting active with sports and even meeting some friendly animals. It was lovely to see them so engaged.

I met families and carers who spoke about what this day means to them. For many, it’s one of the few times they can relax, feel understood and connect with others going through similar journeys. Every child, no matter their family background and personal situation, deserves love, stability and a sense of belonging.

Preloved Fashion and a Fantastic Cause

I recently stopped by the Cancer Research UK shop on Chelmsford High Street and met with some of the lovely staff and volunteers. It was great to hear how every single purchase supports life-saving cancer research and helps those living with cancer.

This shop is much more than just retail. Some customers pop in daily, and the volunteers are incredibly dedicated. It’s fantastic to see a place where people connect and support something meaningful. If you’re in town, it’s well worth a visit. Whether you’re after some stylish preloved clothing or a unique piece for your home, there’s always something special waiting to be found, helping a great cause in the process.

Of course, there are lots of other wonderful charity shops around too - great places to pick up a bargain, help with recycling and support a good cause - all at the same time!

Fresh New Look for Nationwide Chelmsford

Just a few doors down, I also visited the newly refurbished Nationwide branch. The team has done a brilliant job with the redesign; opening up the space a bit more has made it feel much more welcoming and comfortable. The staff are just as friendly and knowledgeable as ever, and the branch being open on Saturdays means even more people can get the help they need - especially those juggling busy weekday schedules.

A Taste of Greece at Zorba

If you haven’t been to Zorba the Greek yet, it’s a gem just a short walk from the station. This family-run spot serves authentic Greek food - and you can feel the passion they put into everything they do.

When I visited recently, the owners shared some of the challenges they’ve been facing, particularly around inconsiderate parking. It’s been making things difficult for both their customers and delivery drivers. Small, independent businesses like Zorba bring so much to Chelmsford, and it’s important to support them - not just by eating there, but by making sure the environment around them works too. I’ve raised these concerns with Chelmsford City Council and I will continue to support local businesses however I can.

Fitness With a Difference at Studio35

I also stopped by Studio35 Chelmsford, a new type of gym based at Upper Chase. It’s not your typical gym. Designed for people over 45, it’s a calm, welcoming space that focuses on both physical health and mental well-being. What I loved most is how community-driven it is. They’re not just helping people get fitter, they’re also playing a part in easing pressure on the NHS by encouraging healthy habits before problems begin.

I even gave some of the equipment a try and can honestly say it’s well worth a visit if you’re looking for a fresh, supportive way to staying active.

Marie

MT Gardening

There’s a special kind of light in late summer, don’t you think? The borders glow, bees buzz more lazily, and apples begin to colour up on the trees. It’s that lovely halfway point - still plenty to enjoy, but also the chance to get ahead before autumn properly settles in. I always find August and September are about balance: savouring what’s here now, while quietly planning for the year to come.

Here are the jobs I’m tackling in my own patch - all straightforward, all rewarding, and each one setting the garden up beautifully for next spring.

Collecting and Sowing Hardy Annual Seeds

This is one of my favourite late-summer rituals - and it feels like a free gift from the garden. Plants such as Nigella, Calendula and cornflower are usually brimming with seed by now.

1. Check for ripeness: Seed pods should be papery and rattle when shaken.

2. Snip and gather: Cut off the heads and pop them into paper envelopes (plastic traps moisture and can ruin your seeds).

3. Label: It sounds obvious, but trust me - it’s all too easy to forget which is which by spring!

4. Store or sow: You can keep them in a cool, dry place until spring, or scatter some directly where you’d like flowers next year. Autumn sowings usually give stronger, earlier plants.

A few minutes’ work now means you’ll have cheerful, self-made drifts of colour next summer.

Refreshing Tired Containers

By this stage in the season, even the best pots can look a little jaded.

Rather than scrapping the lot, I give mine a seasonal makeover:

1. Clear out stragglers: Remove spent bedding but leave in anything still pulling its weight - trailing ivy or perennial grasses often keep going.

2. Top up compost: A thin layer of fresh compost around existing plants makes all the difference.

3. Add instant colour: Slot in new performers - I favour cyclamen, violas and a few heucheras for their foliage.

4. Plant bulbs: While you’re at it, tuck some crocus or miniature daffodils under the surface for a spring surprise.

It’s amazing how a quick shuffle and top-up can transform a container, carrying colour right through autumn.

Lifting and Dividing Perennials

This is a job I often put off, but every time I do it, I’m glad I did. Perennials like Geranium, Hemerocallis and Hosta benefit hugely from being split and replanted.

1. Lift the clump: Use a fork on a dry day to ease it out gently.

2. Divide: Either prise apart with two forks back-to-back or slice cleanly with a spade. Each piece should have healthy shoots and roots.

3. Replant: Set divisions back into refreshed soil at the same depth as before, spacing them out to give room for growth.

Not only does this rejuvenate the plant, but you also end up with extra clumps for free - perfect for filling gaps or sharing with neighbours.

Planting for Spring Cheer

I always think bulb planting is an act of optimism. September is the time to get going with crocus, dwarf daffodils and snowdrops. Tulips are best left until November, but there’s no harm in planning now. A favourite trick of mine is the ‘lasagne’ method in pots: arge bulbs like daffodils at the bottom, then a layer of smaller ones, with crocus or muscari on top. They’ll come up in succession, giving you months of colour from February to May.

Feeding the Compost Heap

There’s no shortage of material for the compost this month - lawn clippings, trimmings, cardboard and peelings all pile in. The key is balance: too many greens and it turns slimy, too many browns and

it stalls. I like to give my heap a good turn in September, helping it along before colder weather slows the process. By spring, you’ll have dark, crumbly compost ready to enrich your soil.

Welcoming Wildlife

While the garden is still abundant, creatures are already preparing for leaner months. I always leave a few seed heads standinggoldfinches adore them - and let ivy flower as long as possible for

late-flying pollinators. Even a shallow saucer of water or damp mud can be a lifeline for butterflies and bees.

Savour the Harvest

And finally, don’t forget to enjoy what you’ve grown. Whether it’s apples, beans, raspberries or tomatoes, now’s the time to gather and celebrate. Pick regularly to keep crops coming.

If you’ve got a glut, swap with neighbours or try preserving - a jar of chutney or jam is a lovely reminder of summer once the nights draw in.

A Final Thought

These golden weeks are about looking both ways - enjoying the present and preparing for the future. By collecting seeds, freshening containers, dividing perennials and tucking in bulbs, you’ll have a garden that keeps giving.

In the meantime, take a moment to sit back in the evening light and simply enjoy the view - after all, that’s what all the effort is for.

Happy gardening!

For personalised gardening advice, feel free to contact Tom Cole, Freelance Horticulturist and online tutor, at tomcole8@hotmail.com or visit www.learningwithexperts.com for online RHS courses.

Nick Garner’s Music & Ramblings

Well, this is now supposedly the end of the summer, but as we know it so often is not. We have had it pretty good for most of us so far, but it’s not been so good for the farmers as it’s been too dry and is likely to affect the cost of our food later on, I fear.

Do you have family or friends or friend’s children who have got A level or GCSE results this summer? I have both of my grandchildren having done A level and GCSE exams - and I am so proud, as both have done really well. My granddaughter is off to university and my grandson is going on to 6th form; I know the brains do not come from me, so it must be their parents! Both of their parents - my daughter and son-in-law - have been so supportive of them both and it’s paid off so far, and I’m sure it will continue.

Sadly, I have just lost one of oldest friends. We went back to our early teens. She was a little younger than me and has had a battle with cancer which she sadly lost in the end. It was good to know that she passed peacefully with all her family around her. She also got to meet her latest grandchild just before she left us which is good to know.

Since the last edition, I have been away to festivals a couple of times along with my caravan, which was fun. I went to Wickham which is near to Portsmouth and saw a lot of great acts play - and thankfully, in the main, the weather was good. The next was in Kent - A New Day Festival near Faversham. This was another great time with lots of friends playing as well, which was great. I am looking to book some acts from both festivals for next year to play in Chelmsford for both venues.

For a change to my norm, I went to Hyde Hall with a friend. We went to The Craft Fair over the bank holiday weekend which we both enjoyed. I also got to meet up again with some other friends; some whom I used to trade with when I sold studio and art pottery (which I still love). We also walked around the gardens which are beautiful.

As this edition is coming out, I am hoping to be at BBC Radio 2 in the Park on the Saturday for Bryan Adams - I am also putting on shows myself on the Friday and Sunday in Chelmsford, so its gonna be a very busy few days for sure! I know also over that weekend there is plenty of other stuff happening in and around the area - it’s a shame I won’t be able to attend any of these.

It would be nice if councils - and I am sure it is the same in other areas across the UK - could let us know about what is going on ahead of publicity, so we who are putting on events can plan ahead, but sadly they do not.

The schools are going back, and soon the universities and colleges will be returning in the next few weeks - good luck to you all!

Music

It has been a busy month for me in many ways. As mentioned, I have been to two festivals and taking some photos and enjoying the music

and meeting up with friends. As mentioned before, the first festival was in Wickham near Farham in Hampshire. I stayed with my mate Rob the night before - he and his girlfriend also came along to the festival on the day.

Some of the acts I saw were Lucy Spraggan, Richard Thompson, Leo Sayer, Tom Robinson, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican, Track Dogs, Phil Beer and many more. Apart from early on day one when it rained, the weather was again good. A couple of weeks after this I went to A New Day Festival in Faversham. Again, I had quite a few friends playing - including one I helped to book for them, EXTC, who as ever were superb. As were Hawkwind, Coliseum, Zac Shultz, Caravan, Lightnin’ Willie, Will Wilde, Troy Redfern and many more, including Dr Feelgood.

Now it’s time for me to get ready for the rest of this year and to get busy booking for next year...

Please note two changes for this year. On Sunday 26th October Tim Edey has had to postpone his show, so we now have Creedence Rising, who we are very excited about. On Friday 5th December Robbie McIntosh has had to postpone his band gig, but we are thrilled to announce that we have got Los Pacaminos featuring Paul Young. It has been a couple of years since they last played for us and we cannot wait to see them again - it’s already selling well.

Please also note that Limehouse Lizzy is now sold out. We always suggest that if you are interested in any of our shows. that you book quickly to save being disappointed - the details are at the end of this article or in our adverts.

We are of course now busy booking for 2026 - a couple of acts we can now let you know about that we have confirmed are Focus for September, Pearl Handled Revolver in January, Imagine the Beatles also in January, Sparko of Dr Feelgood in March, and Will Wilde with two shows in May.

As This edition comes out, we are back at both venues. First on Friday 5th September at the Chelmsford Social Club we have LedInto-Zeppelin, and on Sunday 7th September at Hot Box we have Sam Kelly’s Station House. Looking ahead, we go on until 12th December with acts like Martin Turner of Wishbone Ash, John Otway, The Dirt Road Band, Albert Lee, and again many more great shows. Do please check us out online to find out who is playing for the rest of this year; and if you do not recognise an act, just google them and check them out on YouTube.

If you have anything you think that could be of interest to our readers for either publication, then please let us know by emailing editorial@ itsyourmedia.co.uk - it may be an event or a topic of interest. Or have you done anything unusual or are you planning something? If so, we and our readers want to know about it. And if you know of someone who may wish to advertise with us, then please ask them to contact ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk and we can send over the full details to them.

You can get tickets for all our shows at The Chelmsford Social Club in Chelmsford from inside The Meadows shopping centre from Intense Records, plus in Moulsham Street - The Hop Beer Shop, and next to County Hall and the Library - Chelmsford 4Good. Please pay cash in person when you buy tickets from them.

Tickets for all shows, including Hot Box, are available online from www.wegottickets.com/BlackFrogPresents, or book via our ticket hotline at no extra charge - call or text 07508 496 411 and you can then pay at the advance price on entry without paying any commission.

To find out more about Black Frog Presents and our shows go to www.linktr.ee/BlackFrogPresets or scan the QR code in our adverts in this publication.

RHS Hyde Hall

Help us pack meals for charity! - 9th October at Essex Cricket Ground Every October, Zambrero pack up and donate hundreds of thousands of meals to school feeding programmes.

This year, to commemorate our 100 million meal milestone, we’ve set a global meal packing target of 1 million meals! We need help to pack as many meals as we can on Thursday 9th October at Essex Cricket Ground.

Please sign up and bring along your friends and family!

Mars at Chelmsford Cathedral

An enormous floating model of the planet Mars will be suspended from the ceiling of Chelmsford Cathedral for 3 weeks in October, accompanied by concerts, performances and educational exhibitions.

We need lots of volunteers to welcome people in and help us run the events. Please get in touch for an out-of-this-world experience!

Meet Morris - Our minibus needs a driver like you! We’re looking for confident, friendly volunteer drivers to help our Mencap students access a range of exciting activities, events and community projects.

You’ll be more than just a driver - you’ll also lend a hand supporting students and staff at their destinations. Whether it’s a seaside day out, working in a community garden, or helping develop independent living skills, your support will be invaluable.

We especially need drivers on Mondays, but opportunities are available most weekdays, with occasional evenings and weekends too.

SOS Bus volunteer

Open Road is looking for volunteers of all backgrounds to join our SOS Bus team. The SOS Bus operates in Chelmsford and Colchester city centres on Friday and Saturday nights, to support those that have found themselves in a vulnerable situation while out using the nighttime economy.

Join part of this award-winning team and you will receive full training and the opportunity to shadow existing staff and volunteers.

The opportunity is particularly rewarding to those seeking a career in public health and medicine, as well as event management, security, or hospitality, etc...

Love Your Ocean? Love Your Community

Love your ocean? Love your Community? This is the way to make waves! The Rockpool Project Arrives in the east of England!

We are absolutely thrilled to share some exciting news: Beach School Explorers has just become the east of England hub for The Rockpool Project, a fantastic community initiative that makes marine conservation and citizen science fun for everyone. Thanks to funding from the National Lottery, Heritage Fund and The Scottish Power Foundation, we can bring even more people together to explore the wonders of our shores with free monthly bio blitz battles.

Essex has 350 miles of coastline. The Rockpool Project is all about discovering the amazing creatures that live along our coast - from scuttling crabs and slippery fish to brightly coloured seaweeds.

Every rockpool tells a story, and by recording what we find, we can help scientists learn more about how our oceans are changing.

But here’s where you come in - we need local people of all ages to join us! Whether you’re a dedicated beach cleaner, a budding young explorer, or someone who simply loves a family walk by the sea, there’s a role for you. No experience needed - just enthusiasm and a sense of adventure.

Together, we can protect our marine wildlife, enjoy family time outdoors, and make a real splash for the future of our oceans! Please contact Lisa Brazier.

www.beachschoolexplorers.co.uk 07841 371 391

Wharam’s Wine Words

A hearty welcome - and indeed, willkommen aus Deutschland

This month’s article features the wines of Germany with a little sub-feature on our twin town of Backnang. If you’re not familiar with this beautiful Swabian idyll, I recommend a little background searching and then maybe a short flight from Gatwick to Stuttgart before catching the train there. You won’t be disappointed! Viele Grüße!

As we stand midway through the 2020s, the German wine industry continues to evolve, building on its reputation for crafting some of the world’s finest wines. Germany, with its historical vineyards, intricate winemaking traditions, and innovative viticultural practices, embraces the challenges and opportunities of the decade with gusto. By 2025, German wines reflect a synthesis of traditional techniques and modern innovation, accommodating changes in climate, consumer preferences, and sustainable practices.

The German wine industry in recent years has been defined by dynamic adaptation: producers are responding to climate change, shifting consumer tastes, and a sustained push toward quality and sustainability. Once pegged almost exclusively to crisp Rieslings and mass-market table wines, Germany now presents a more diverse, higher value offering that is reshaping its position in global and domestic markets.

Warming temperatures have been the single biggest structural factor altering German viticulture. Warmer summers and more frequent extreme weather events have advanced ripening, allowing red varieties, especially Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) to flourish in regions that were historically white wine strongholds. Earlier harvests and higher potential alcohol levels are increasingly common, and many winemakers are adjusting canopy management, harvest timing and site selection to retain acidity and balance in wines. At the same time, increased incidence of spring frosts, hail and heavy rain events has amplified vintage variability and raised production risk.

German producers have accelerated a long-term movement toward premiumisation. A combination of improved clonal material, more careful vineyard work, lower yields and greater attention in the cellar has raised the bar for dry and off-dry wines alike. Riesling remains the nation’s flagship, valued for its acidity and terroir expression, but styles have broadened: dry Rieslings and fuller-bodied Pinot Noirs now compete on the international stage. White varietals such as Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) and Weißburgunder (Pinot Blanc) are coming increasingly to the fore.

The persistent effects of climate change have been a double-edged sword for German viticulture. While increasing temperatures threaten historical wine-growing regions, they also extend growing seasons and allow viticulturists to explore varietals previously unsuitable for Germany’s cooler climate. By 2025, winemakers have expanded their repertoire to include grapes like Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc in areas like the Mosel and Rheingau, once dominated by Riesling. The latter remains a beloved staple, though now with a more pronounced ripeness and balanced acidity due to the warmer seasons.

Sustainability has taken centre stage in the German wine industry. Consumers and producers alike demand eco-friendly practices, prompting a surge in organic and biodynamic farming. By this year, an increasing number of estates have been certified organic, with

vineyard managers employing techniques such as cover cropping, integrated pest management, and the reduction of chemical treatments. This approach to viticulture respects the environment and yields grapes that produce expressive wines, rich in terroir.

Technological advancements have further propelled Germany’s wine industry. Precision viticulture relies on drones and satellite imagery to monitor vine health and optimise harvest timing, ensuring grapes are picked at their peak flavour. Winemakers use data analytics to predict market trends and tailor production accordingly.

The adoption of technology extends to the winery, where automated systems control fermentation temperatures and new filtration methods enhance wine clarity and stability without compromising quality.

German winemakers are adept at blending tradition with innovation, resulting in an exciting array of wines. Alongside classic expressions, winemakers are experimenting with late harvest wines, sparkling varieties and low-alcohol options to cater to health-conscious and younger audiences. Pet-Nat and orange wines, with their natural fermentations and minimal intervention, have gained popularity among those seeking unique and authentic experiences. These offerings showcase the distinctive characteristics of German terroir while appealing to diverse palates.

The global reputation of German wine continues to grow. Exports have increased, aided by efficient logistics and targeted marketing strategies that highlight German wine’s unique qualities. Participating in international wine fairs and competitions, German producers emphasise sustainability, innovation and quality, securing their place as leading figures on the global wine stage.

This expansion is matched by a renewed interest in the domestic market, where wine culture flourishes through festivals, tasting events and tourism.

The German wine industry of 2025 is a testament to resilience and creativity, thriving amidst challenges and advances. With a blend of tradition and innovation, German winemakers produce a remarkable range of wines that capture the essence of their regions and the spirit of their times. As we look to the future, the continued success of German wine will likely hinge on its ability to adapt, innovate and maintain its unwavering commitment to quality and sustainability.

Enjoying a glass of German wine in 2025 is not just a taste experience; it’s a celebration of history, progress and passion and is indeed a long way from the dark days of the 1990s.

Backnang lies in Germany’s largest ‘land’ of Baden-Württemberg, in Schwaben. Possessed of a charming yet often impenetrable dialect, the area is rich in farmland, pretty villages and lush green landscape. Vioneers Winespot in the town is the place to taste and buy wine from the locality and all over the world. The charmingly titled Weingärtnergenossenschaft Unteres Murrtal EG, situated in Marbach on the Neckar River is a wine cooperative in the Murrtal (valley) producing local varieties. I am not aware of them exporting, but who knows, one day? I will certainly be bringing some back on my next trip to Germany and will put on a tasting at one of my venues.

If you are interested in tasting wine, I can be contacted at office@ vineuse.co.uk.

Happy drinking, everyone. Next month features a well-established and favourite restaurant for many of us in the Chelmsford area…

Phil

Hello and Goodbye - By Holly Lucking

“Taxi for Ms Winslow,” the bellhop outside the hotel announces. “Yes, that’s me.”

My luggage is on the kerb where I’ve left it, the largest bag weighing a ton, so the bellhop had kindly gone to check if the taxi is mine, returning to give me a hand with the case. “I’ll put this in the boot for you, Ms Winslow.”

“Thank you.”

Discreetly, I hand him a note and went towards the awaiting taxi, not once faltering in my sky-high red heels that had cost a month’s salary. So worth it.

I see a man approach my taxi and try to haggle the ride with a whiff of desperation that doesn’t look good on anyone. A slow smile of satisfaction creeps across my face as I know it can’t be bought, but then he reaches into the pocket of his suit trousers and starts flapping about a wad of cash. That’s when I start to panic.

“Excuse me, sir, but this is my taxi.”

He’s so caught up in his bartering that he barely notices, throwing me a quick sideways glance. “Look, I really need to get to the airport. The taxi I booked never came, and my flight from Heathrow is in two hours. It’s going to take half that time just to get there, never mind security and luggage control.”

Having no luck with the driver, he comes over to me and tries to press a wad of twenties into my hand. “I’m desperate here. How much do you want? It’s yours.”

Taking in a deep breath, I look the man over from head to toe and immediately feel pity for him. His suit is old and saggy, the bags under his eyes dark and noticeable, and it doesn’t escape me that he has an untanned mark on his finger where a wedding ring sat until recently.

“Do I look like I need money?” I ask him honestly. “I’m sorry that your taxi didn’t arrive, but that is hardly my problem. I can’t help you.”

Opening the back door, I hop into the taxi and don’t spare a backwards glance as we pull away. The radio is humming gently in the background, which I ignore, concentrating on the old buildings of central London that we are passing.

“We’re heading to London Heathrow Terminal 4, is that right?” The voice of the taxi driver, quiet and strong, breaks through my meditated calm. “Yes, that’s right.”

He starts chuckling then, barely audible at first before turning into a hideously distracting noise that makes me shoot daggers into the mirror. “Is something funny?”

“Not for that poor guy you left back at the hotel with no ride. Wasn’t he planning on going to the airport as well?”

“That’s hardly any of my business, or yours. Maybe you should keep to driving and stop eavesdropping on other people’s conversations.”

I liked silence on my taxi rides, and this was slowly turning into the journey from hell. All we needed was to get stuck in more traffic, which was an inevitable conclusion in the capital.

The taxi driver sighs heavily. “I wasn’t eavesdropping. He told me where he wanted to go when he was trying to hire out this cab, which I didn’t allow, even though he was throwing a pile of money in my face, I might add. I wish I’d reconsidered now.”

That last bit is muttered under his breath, but I hear every word of it. No way am I going to let him get away with that, so I sit forward and ask for his name and badge number. Quite happily, he reels off the number from memory. “And I think you already know my name, Ms Caroline Winslow. It’s Alexander Plume.”

That name is familiar, but I can’t quite place it. I’m usually excellent with names and faces, so I lean forward in my seat to get a better look at him. No, I can’t think where I’ve seen him before, but I know him from somewhere.

“How do you know me?” I finally have to ask, going mad with curiosity.

“We dated in the late nineties, but I doubt you remember me. You seem pretty selfinvolved now, and I’m sure you’ve buried all the parts of your old life you feel ashamed of. No reason to be, though, as we both grew up there. There’s no getting that out of your blood. It’s who we are.”

Alexander Plume. As soon as I’d left the street, I’d forgotten all about him and every other person that resided there. I hadn’t seen my parents in nearly a decade, and I had done everything to try and change the life I’d been born into. It was a bad life, a very bad life that made most of the movies and TV dramas of today seem like fairytales.

“I don’t remember you.” I lie, ill at ease as I settle back into my chair and try to ignore the persistent palpitations.

His warm brown eyes glance into the mirror and say it all - he knows I’m lying.

“What happened to you, Caro? This isn’t you. At least not the girl I used to know. The girl I used to love.”

That word hits me like a ton of bricks, but I make sure not to flinch. I don’t want him to

know he can still affect me.

“You want to know what happened to me, Alex. I grew up, and it’s time you did the same. I know you liked playing with toy cars as a child, but don’t you think you’re a little old to still be doing it now?” I knew it was a low blow the second I said it, but I refuse to let him drag me back into the past. I just have to keep moving forward.

“I’m proud of my life and what I do. Nothing you can say will make me ashamed of myself,” he states harshly, taking a sudden right turn that has me falling all over the backseat. “You know, when I saw your name on the pickup, I was half inclined to refuse it.”

“Then why didn’t you?” I ask through gritted teeth. “Curiosity, I suppose. After all these years, I wanted some answers, the main one being why you up and left in the middle of the night without a word. I didn’t know what had happened to you, where you went…”

His voice goes higher, slightly panicked, as I witness the pull of pain on his face. The pain that I’d put there. I doubt he’s had a proper relationship with anyone after the way I left unexpectedly with a part of his heart. I rest my forehead against the glass, wondering why he wanted to put himself through this. “Will answers really make you feel better?” He doesn’t reply, maybe unsure now if they would.

“All I can tell you, Alex, is that I’m not the same girl you knew all those years ago…”

“I can see that.”

“I don’t just mean physically, but mentally as well. You want to go back and live in the past, but I can’t do that. I’ve come too far and invested too much in this life to backtrack to something that I no longer want. It wasn’t all your fault if that makes any of this easier. I needed to go, and nothing was going to stop me. Not even my love for you.”

“Well, I guess that’s that then,” he ponders, sniffing hard. “Shouldn’t go looking for answers if you’re not ready to hear them.”

Alex brakes suddenly, and I look out the window to see that we’ve arrived at Heathrow. “Do you want any help with your bags, Ms Winslow, or can you manage by yourself?” He asks as a final stab of indifference, tone cold and overly polite. Any other driver and I would have said yes, but I can’t face it, so I shake my head and exit the car.

A few seconds later, Alex pulls back into traffic and is gone from my life again, without so much as a backwards glance.

Sobering my expression, I grab the handle of my bag and head towards the airport.

A Birthday Feast: Spiced Pan-Roasted Chicken Legs With Rice &

Pickled Cucumber-Onion Scatter - By Biv Pirathapan

Birthdays are funny things. Some people want cake, balloons, fireworks, or a table full of oysters on ice. Me? This year, with another candle on the cake looming, I’m going back to basics - my basics. Chicken.

Yes, chicken: the humble bird that has fed me in a thousand forms. From my parents’ fiery Sri Lankan curries, full of chilli heat and fragrance, to the fried chicken from the local takeaway (greasy, glorious and always eaten at 1am after a night out), right through to the trusty chicken thighs that have starred in countless weeknight dinners. Chicken has always been there. It’s familiar, it’s comforting, but when handled right - it can also be downright showstopping.

So for my birthday dish this year, I’m serving up a spiced, pan-roasted chicken leg and rice bake. It’s a one-dish wonder: simple, hearty, full of flavour, and - let’s be honest - the kind of thing you’ll actually want to cook after a long day, not just pin to your ‘must-try recipes’ board and forget about.

This isn’t about cheffy trickery. It’s about warmth, spice and just enough flair to make you feel like you’ve given yourself a gift on your big day. And trust me - everyone can do this.

Spiced Pan-Roasted Chicken Legs & Rice with Pickled CucumberOnion Scatter

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 chicken legs, skin on.

• 2 onions, sliced.

• 3 garlic cloves, minced.

• 375ml basmati rice (rinsed well).

• 750ml chicken stock.

• 1 tsp ground cumin.

• 1 tsp turmeric.

• 1 tsp chilli flakes (or more if you dare).

• Olive oil.

• Salt and black pepper.

• 250ml frozen peas.

For the pickle topping:

• ½ cucumber, thinly sliced.

• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced.

• Salt and black pepper.

• Splash of vinegar (rice wine, white wine, or apple cider all work).

• Optional: finely sliced red chilli for punch.

Method

1. Make the pickle first: Slice your cucumber and onion into fine, almost paper-thin slivers. Toss with salt, pepper, vinegar and chilli if using. Leave it to sit for an hour, so it softens, tangles, and becomes bright and zingy.

2. Start the base: In a deep oven-proof dish (cast iron or a heavy casserole works wonders), heat a splash of olive oil. Fry the onions and garlic until soft and golden, then add cumin, turmeric and chilli flakes. The aroma should make the neighbours jealous.

3. Brown the chicken: Rub your chicken legs with salt, pepper, and a little extra turmeric and chilli. Nestle them into the pan skin-side down until golden and crisp on the outside. Don’t worry about cooking through just yet - the oven will do the rest.

4. Bring in the rice: Pour in the rice, stirring gently so it mingles with the onions and spices. Add the chicken stock, then cover the whole dish tightly with foil.

5. Into the oven: Roast at 180°C (fan) for 35-40 minutes. The stock will absorb, the chicken will finish cooking and the rice will be fluffy and fragrant.

6. The finishing flourish: Five minutes before the end, remove the foil, scatter in the frozen peas and return to the oven uncovered. The peas will turn bright green, the chicken skin will crisp again, and everything will smell irresistible.

7. Serve with style: Spoon onto plates and scatter with your pickled cucumber and onion. That cold, sharp crunch against the soft, spiced rice and golden chicken is a revelation.

Tips for Perfection

• Score the chicken skin with a few shallow cuts - it lets the flavours and heat penetrate deep into the meat.

• Choose the right dish. Too shallow and your rice will bubble over; too deep and it’ll steam rather than roast. A mid-depth oven dish is your birthday best friend.

• Chilli in the pickle. Don’t be shy - a finely chopped scotch bonnet will wake the dish up in the best possible way.

Why This Works

This dish is a celebration in a pan. The chicken is juicy, spiced, and full of character. The rice soaks up every drop of flavour from stock, onion, and spice, becoming the real secret star of the show. The peas add a pop of colour and sweetness, while the pickle cuts through the richness like a confetti cannon of tang and crunch. It’s everything you want from a meal: simple to make, stunning to eat, and flexible enough to suit any palate. And most importantly? It makes you feel looked after - like a proper birthday.

Drinks: Raise a Glass

Yes, a crisp white wine or a lightly chilled red would pair beautifully here (think Sauvignon Blanc or Beaujolais). But let’s be honest. If this is a birthday feast, I’m calling it properly:

A pale ale: golden, refreshing and robust enough to handle spice. And a single malt Islay whisky on the side. Smoky, peaty and dramatic - the only candle I want to blow out after this meal. Because birthdays should be bold.

This dish is proof that you don’t need extravagance to make something memorable. You just need chicken, spice, rice and a good reason to celebrate. Lucky for me - my birthday ticks all those boxes.

Believe the Hype - By Parlour

Summer holidays have flown by and we hosted our first bank holiday event outside on the terrace aon Oddfellows Arms - it was a huge success with food by The Hungry Tribe serving up Italian influenced ragu smothered hot dogs and burrata smothered fries - we already cant wait to get her back in the kitchen in the autumn!

Collaborating with local music promoter Smiley Culture, we had Darren Poore, Wiggy (aka Never Not Cooking), Arron P and Andre Chinzano on the decks playing summer sounds all day from 1pm8pm.

We’ve been working hard at a menu to offer from September onwards at Odds - as we have been using smmer as a ‘soft launch’ trial to see what works. So we will be launching parlour curry bowls, and if you’re familiar with the takeaway we used to run you’ll recognise the bowls - and soon will come the return of Run the Dish, your alternative Sunday roast with our Indian thali platters as we descend into the cooler months.

We’ve been out and about eating outside of Essex mostly this month. We had an amazing meal at a staycation in Stilton called The Bell Inn, a 15th century coaching inn with beautiful rooms and an AA rosette gastro pub restaurant, where we had slow-cooked pork cheeks, braised feather blade beef and stunning local sausages and mash.

We also had a day out at Barbican centre for the Feel the Sound exhibition (highly recommend at £20pp) an interactive exhibition that moves through different areas - you can get your own frequency reading by putting your palm on a reader.

The Benugo Café at Barbican had the most amazing mango, coconut and raspberry loaf cake and a delicious oat milk iced latte.

I didn’t realise the café in John Lewis at Chelmsford is also a Benugo, so will be going back there, for that cake especially.

Locally, we have ordered with Jerk Station and Indian Zest this month. Indian Zest is our favourite takeaway in Chelmsford - you receive 10% off if you collect, but you can also order via their own app for delivery

- they are based on Trent Road and are the most authentic Indian takeaway we have ever come across in Chelmsford at affordable prices for huge portions so you’ll always have some for lunch the next day!

We hope to be back up and running with the interviews again for next month, thanks for bearing with us while we launch at Oddfellows. Do please come and pay us a visit.

Our next takeover is Never Not Cooking wings night every first Wednesday of the month from 3rd September 6pm - 9pm.

Don’t forget too that we also offer private catering ourselves, from traditional Indian style to middle eastern, afternoon tea and grazing tables.

All our experiences are paid for to support local, independent businesses and to try and help keep our community buzzing with great places to eat and drink.

Find out more at @parlour_presents and www.parlour-catering.co.uk

Deadlines for the October edition:

Articles: 19th September

Artwork: 22nd September

‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… and it was good.’ (Words in the Bible from Genesis chapter 1).

My grandson has discovered blackberries, he is particularly interested in the fact that often they are free food, growing wildly, and he has learnt to spot them - that has also meant that he has discovered that they deserve their name of bramble, as the sweet blackberry can come at a price amongst the thorny stems.

As we walk the streets of Moulsham Lodge and Tile Kiln, we find apples nearly ripe to pick, and seasonal plums, and fruits - though I am not entirely sure what these are! Last month, we were able to give lots of apples from the apple tree in the grounds of St Luke’s House to Chelmsford Foodbank.

Jesus often spoke about food that was all around them in the fields surrounding Nazareth and Jerusalem. One day he told a parable about a fig tree which had been planted in a vineyard. The owner wanted to cut down the fig tree because it had not produced any fruit and was taking up space. The gardener could see the plants potential and suggested that he would dig around the plant and add some manure. This would give the plant a year to produce fruit.

Jesus could have intended so many things with his story - what do you think? I think it has something to do with being patient with one another, encouraging, and offering a helping hand to enable others to grow. With God’s help, all things are possible.

1st Moulsham Lodge Brownies

Every Tuesday during term time, 1st Moulsham Lodge Brownies meet to have fun, make friends, learn new skills, and take part in a wide range of activities. The unit first opened on the 25th March 1963 and continues to provide a safe, inclusive space for girls aged 7-10 years.

When I joined the unit at 7 years old, I met the most amazing, caring lady called Mary, who was the Brown Owl. Mary had been involved in Guiding since she was young, and as a Guide during WW2 helping at the food stations, and then eventually as a Leader. She was such an inspiration and epitomised Girlguiding. She had many stories to share, having once met Lady Baden-Powell, who helped build and develop the scouting and guiding movements.

Mary showed me what true kindness really was and had so much belief in the value of volunteering. She will always hold a very special place in my heart.

One week at Brownies, Mary told us that some extra help was needed. I went home and asked my mum, Monica, if she could come along to help every now and then. 38 years later she’s still volunteering every week alongside me! Mum embraced Guiding, taking over as Brown Owl when Mary retired and becoming Assistant Leader when we later switched roles.

Over the years, we must have had hundreds of girls walk through the hall doors. Together with our amazing volunteer team, we are able to provide so many opportunities for the girls, helping them feel empowered and listened to whilst building confidence to try things they might not have otherwise. It’s a privilege to play a small part in so many lives, although a rude awakening when you get called Brown Owl in Chelmsford High Street and realise the adult in front of you is a previous Brownie!

During the pandemic we continued to meet weekly via Zoom. It was then that I had the idea of a Pumpkin Spotting Challenge, where

I know that lots of children and young people will be moving on/or up, so I offer them some manure to help them on their way, with lots of love from God.

Over the summer, we have been visited by GoodGym Chelmsford who managed to run to St Luke’s and still had the energy to do some weeding for us. It makes such a difference, and we are delighted that they will be back again on 2nd September. We are very grateful.

A reminder that our car park will be closed until the end of November. Please walk, or find other places to park for this period. This does mean that our large hall roof will be repaired, so it’s a temporary disruption.

We started with a nod to the creation story. Later in the story God created people, and he declared that they were very good. I am thankful for the gifts of so many people, and thankful to God who created them.

Do join us for Harvest, 10am on Sunday 28th September at St Luke’s. We are supporting the Fairtrade Foundation and their Brew It Fair campaign - collecting Fairtrade tea bags for Chelmsford Foodbank and CHESS.

All the best for the new starts, and enjoy those fruits.

Reverend Canon Stephanie Gillingham

St Luke’s Church, Gloucester Avenue, Moulsham Lodge, CM2 9DT www.stlukemoulshamlodge.co.uk Facebook: @stlukesmoulshamlodge

Brownies could see how many pumpkins they spotted when out walking with their families.

With a couple of Guiding friends, we designed a spotting sheet and certificate, never expecting the idea to take off as it did! Before long we were being contacted by members of the wider community wanting to join in and asking about the possibility of a badge to purchase. The following year, in 2021, we created a Challenge Pack and today we’re approaching 10,000 badge sales! Every year, a newly designed badge is released and posted out across the UK and beyond, even reaching America!

The challenge is suitable for both members and non-members of Girlguiding. All money raised goes straight back to both 1st Moulsham Lodge Brownies and GENE, which is a Ranger unit media team who host a radio show on Chelmsford Community Radio 104.4 FM. Funds support training and equipment to help the girls develop media skills and to take the Brownies on outings and pay for activities we otherwise wouldn’t be able to.

This year we’ve designed a new Challenge Badge to celebrate 100 years of World Thinking Day in 2026. World Thinking Day is celebrated on the 22nd February every year by Girl Guides and Girl Scouts around the world. It’s a special day for reflection, global sisterhood, and taking action on global issues.

If you’d like to take part in either of our challenges, you will find all the details on our Facebook pages - search: ‘Pumpkin Spotting Challenge’ and ‘100 years of World Thinking Day Challenge’.

If you would like to know more about joining Girlguiding, either as a young member or volunteer, search online for ‘Girlguiding Join Us’.

I’m so thankful for all Girlguiding has bought to my life the last 38 years, for the adventures mum and I have shared and for the friends I’ve made along the way. I would encourage everyone to think about volunteering in some way. As Mary would say, ‘You really can make a difference’.

Kate

1st Moulsham Lodge Brownies Unit Leader

Hi everyone, I hope you are all well and enjoying the summer weather, but as I write this, there are forecasts of another named storm on the way. Good for the garden, I hear you all say!

We are visiting some friends in Northampton at the moment and one of them told us about a recent daredevil stunt he did for charity.

In the centre of the town, is a tall tower which is a legacy from Express Lifts, which ceased using it some time ago. It was opened by the Queen in 1982 and was used for testing lifts for a number of years. At 418 feet, it is the highest structure used for abseiling in the world. I’m told that it became a feature of the great Terry Wogan’s radio show, when he called it the Northampton lighthouse and said he did not understand why they needed one, as the town is probably the furthest from the sea in the whole of the country.

Anyway, some enterprising people are using it for guests to abseil down for charity. Mervyn, who is a young 81 years old, looked like a natural as he bounced down on the rope, and raised over £2,000 for the local British Legion. He had so much fun, he has signed up to do a parachute jump in the near future! Good for him. If you can’t image how high the tower is, take a look at the photos...

While we were there, we visited Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes. As you probably know, this was the secret base for famous code breakers during the Second World War. The most iconic building onsite is where the first codebreakers were based before the workforce expanded into newly built huts and blocks. The mansion continued to serve as a head office and leisure building.

Today, you can explore a number of exhibitions here, such as Early Days and Veterans’ Stories, as well as the office of Alastair Dennistoun, Head of the Government Code and Cypher School, and the library, atmospherically dressed, as it would have looked as a Naval Intelligence office during WW2.

Formerly, the codebreaking hut leading the breaking of German Naval Enigma messages, was Hut 8. One building houses exciting interactive exhibitions, helping you to understand the different methods the codebreakers used to help them with their work.

One building houses the Turing-Welchman Bombe and the Colossus computer, which is the early forerunner of today’s technology. This original Colossus machine from World War II processed data at about 5,000 characters per second, using vacuum tubes, a speed that is trillions of times slower than today’s most powerful computers, I don’t know how many noughts that is, but quite a few!

The intelligence gained from code-breaking efforts at Bletchley Park significantly shortened the Second World War, with estimates suggesting the conflict was reduced by two to four years and saving countless lives. By deciphering German messages, especially from the Enigma machine, Bletchley Park provided the Allies with crucial military intelligence that gave them a decisive edge in various theatres of the war, influencing outcomes on land, sea, and in the air.

It is well worth a visit.

The newspapers seem to be getting worse with regard to reports of so-called celebrities. A double paged spread on Brooklyn Beckham and his wife. Why is he famous? I guess just because his dad was a footballer, albeit a very good one.

Good old Royal family. Who is fascinated by their lives? Why do they keep printing articles about Meghan and Harry? They have said so many times that they don’t want publicity and then do their best to get some. Some of the things the papers seem to think is interesting, frankly doesn’t interest me. Meghan was pictured with some vegetables she had just picked in the garden. Observant green fingered gardeners pointed out that some of these were not in season, so could not have been picked at that time of year. Ridiculous.

Bin End Chuckles

Why do potatoes make good detectives? Because they keep their eyes peeled...

What did the grape say when is was trodden on? Nothing, it just gave a little w(h)ine...

Keep safe and look after one another.

Grove Road Evangelical Church

In the late 1930s my parents trained to be missionaries with the aim of going to serve in southern India. WWII turned all their plans upside down. They hastily rearranged their wedding, booked their passage on a ship, and headed off in the autumn of 1939.

In all the haste of sorting out their wedding, booking a ticket on a ship, packing their belongings, saying goodbye to family and friends and with all the uncertainties that war brought, they overlooked one major thing.

What was that you ask? It was who was going to provide support for them as missionaries. In the chaos, friends and family and churches in the UK assumed that they would be supported by the church in India, while in India they assumed the people back in the UK would be supporting them. So no funds were in place, and no place to live had been arranged in India.

When the ship docked in India, and it was time to disembark, there was a local man waiting at the gangplank. He asked the passengers, ‘Are you the missionaries God has sent to India?’ and when my parents answered, ‘Yes’, this kind Indian Christian said, ‘God has told me to search for you. You can stay in my house for as long as you need to and I will provide food and money for you until you get everything sorted.’

In the Lord’s Prayer we are taught to pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread’. And Jesus said, ‘Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them’. We can trust God to take care of us as we trust in him, and as we pray to him to each day to give us the help we need.

Philip Loose, Senior Pastor

Grove Road Evangelical Church (Behind Tesco Express, Moulsham Street)

www.grecuk.co.uk

pastor@grecuk.co.uk

Long gone are adverts for holidays shown as soon as Christmas was over.

Judith Chalmers suggesting destinations on Wish You Were Here with the accompanying rendition of Here Comes the Sun, and glossy brochures featuring exotic places covered the windows of travel agents.

With the travel companies and airlines competing for business online, these once iconic moments have disappeared. Excitement would build for the summer break, choosing one or two new items from the catalogue in the hope that it would fit when it arrived is what made the holiday planning a big event.

Deciding where to go was another matter. When I was growing up in the ’70s, foreign travel was quite limiting and expensive. However, we did venture on a one-off road trip to Italy in 1972 which thinking back, was quite a feat in itself. Every subsequent holiday was spent in the UK. Many chose Essex as that holiday destination.

Going back into the ’50s, my grandmother would spend time with the grandchildren in Jaywick. There are photographs of her sitting regally in a deckchair with the children playing in the sand around her feet. Hours spent digging, paddling and enjoying what the seaside had to offer. No boredom, just pure glee. Essex is fortunate to have around 350 miles of coastline, and many people traveling out of London to take in the sea air.

Clacton also had Butlins which opened in 1938. Due to WW2, it closed on 4th September 1939 and was used by the armed forces, reopening on 6th April 1946, and closing for the final time on 18th October 1983 when it seemed that holiday camps were feeling a slump due to the probable lower cost of travelling abroad.

However, the British seaside holiday was still fashionable, and with the beauty of the Essex beaches and good transport links it was common to see cars loaded up with the family. Soft vinyl cases, piled high on roof racks like wonky towers, tied on with rope would be winding their way along the A12 to their holiday destinations. It always amazed me how they arrived without losing anything.

On arrival at the destination, excited children would pour out of the vehicle and into their accommodation for the week. Whether it was a guest house for bed, breakfast and evening meal or a caravan, it meant a week of playing on the beach whilst the adults sank into a stripy deckchair reading a newspaper and occasionally finding the energy to go for a dip.

Essex also boasted piers. Originally built for the ease of landing craft, passengers and cargo, they soon became entertainment venues. Piers at Clacton, Southend and Walton-on-the-Naze were places you could fish from and where pennies could be spent in the slot machines, with the voice of the bingo caller loud and clear above the rhythmic lapping of waves.

Nearby shops offered saucy postcards and rock in all shapes and sizes with the traditional pink spearmint showing the words - ‘Greetings from...’ in the centre - everyone’s toothy nightmare. Donkeys would be tethered on the beach for hire which resulted in the poor creatures plodding up and down the beach with a child wobbling back and forth holding onto the reins - no health and safety there.

Other items to buy (and we have all done it) were the sailor and Kiss Me Quick hats, as well as numerous buckets, spades and crabbing nets. Adults hiring deckchairs, slapping on suncream and disappearing under their floppy sunhats while the children sat on the sand entranced watching the Punch and Judy show while eating ice cream cornets.

The cool North Sea was not for the fainthearted, but those sturdy Londoners would run happily into the cold waves for a dip, reappearing invigorated 5 minutes later. Around 5pm the beach would clear as they made their way back to their digs to get ready for the evening meal. Those who were self-catering, instead opting for fish and chips wrapped in newspaper for their supper.

It was great to see that in 2025 Brightlingsea, Dovercourt and Frinton have been awarded the Blue Flag, despite the general issues of contamination in our seas. So next time you want a day at the beach, opt for one close to home and appreciate our Essex coastline.

I Want It Now! - By Eleanor Searle

Today we all want what we want and want it now! We are so used to getting what we want quickly, from Amazon orders to food deliveries, that we have forgotten than in life some things cannot occur instantly.

For example, our children’s bad behaviour cannot be instantly transformed but needs steady and consistent approaches for long-term change. It doesn’t mean that some tips and tricks don’t work instantly, but long term results need time and consistency. The same is true of exercise.

Working in a specialist NHS clinic, by design, I see the patients for whom various therapies have not been effective and so often it isn’t that another alternative option is needed, but that the desired ‘instant fix’ hasn’t occurred.

Often, the right physio exercises at the right time are transformative and can alleviate pain alongside other treatments, but where, for example, strength is deficient it takes time to build that back up and expectations need to be managed to that effect.

Did you know that within a few weeks of exercise, you might feel that your strength and endurance have improved, mainly because your brain has improved at recruiting muscle fibres? After three months, strength gains, muscle growth and a toned physic are noticeable and pain in joints that needed additional muscle support will have started to improve.

Significant muscle growth and a well-developed physique take longer, often beyond six months. So clearly doing 5 minutes worth of exercise 4 times a week is not going to cut the mustard. The work needs to be put in and the exercise prescription followed for at least 3 months before any call regarding potential effectiveness can be made.

Three months really is the bare minimum; if you have taken 5 years of getting into a muddle, not exercising and eating badly, it is going to take more like a year to start undoing the damage, as you’ll need much more than 3 months-worth of weight loss and increased strength. Yet it is still likely to be the most evidence-based solution with side effects being limited to better overall health, well-being and appearance.

Jabs have a place for many things, but before you go looking for one to reduce your pain, weight or whatever else, or you consider something more drastic, be honest with yourself and consider if there really is anything more that you could do to help yourself. In my experience over the last 20 years, often the more complex the problems, the more simple the solution: improving diet and exercise.

At Hummingbird Pilates & Yoga, we offer small group classes and one-to-one classes with expert teachers, all of whom have access to support from me, if they feel that you need any additional physiotherapy-based support. Hummingbird has been designed to help people feel the benefits of getting fit, strong and heathy and we hope to help you to kick start your journey soon! Visit www. hummingbirdpilates.co.uk.

MT Finance: How to Make Large Pension Contributions: Part 1

Making the most of any unused pension allowances from the past three years means you could make larger pension contributions and get extra tax relief.

Making large pension contributions can be a good option for those who want to ‘play catch up’ with their pension savings, perhaps having been unable to contribute for a period owing to affordability or competing financial objectives. It’s also appealing for those who simply wish to move more of their money into a tax-efficient account.

However, there are rules around how much you can add each tax year that you’ll need to be aware of.

Why Does It Pay to Check My Pension Contributions?

Pension contributions from UK earnings benefit from pension tax relief. When you do so via a personal pension such as a SIPP (Self-invested personal pension), 20% is claimed from HMRC by the provider and any higher or additional rate income tax relief can be reclaimed via your self-assessment form - potentially a simple way of reducing your income tax for the year while putting money aside for the future.

What’s more, while your money is invested in a pension it grows tax free. Any income or interest paid, as well as any profits made, are exempt. However, once you start drawing on your pot you pay tax on the income - apart from the first 25% (up to a maximum lump sum of £268,275) which is tax free.

Remember, the tax treatment of pensions depends on individual circumstances and is subject to change in the future. You should consult with a financial adviser if you require assistance in this area.

What Is the Maximum Pension Contribution in the UK?

The advantages of pensions are subject to certain limits. Overall contributions that receive tax relief are restricted to the higher of 100% of your UK taxable earnings, with a minimum of £3,600 (after tax relief, so £2,880 before it’s applied).

For instance, if you earn £40,000 in the current tax year, the maximum you could put in is £32,000, which is topped up with basic rate tax relief to £40,000.

In addition, there is a pension ‘annual allowance’, the maximum you can add to all your pensions in a single tax year, without incurring a tax charge. For the 2025/26 tax year, the annual allowance is £60,000.

Annual allowance calculations are easy to work out for defined contribution pension schemes. You simply add your contributions (including tax relief) for the tax year to any amounts that your employer or anyone else pays into your pension.

For defined benefit (DB) pensions such as final salary pension schemes it’s a bit more complex. The relevant figure is the capitalised value of the increase in pension benefits over the tax year - this information can be provided by the scheme administrator.

However, the standard annual allowance is reduced in some circumstances:

Individuals with threshold income (typically income subtracting any relief at source pension contributions) of £200,000 a year and adjusted income (typically income plus any employer contributions) over £260,000 have a reduced annual allowance, which can be as little as £10,000. This is known as the ‘tapered annual allowance’.

There’s also a lower annual allowance of £10,000 for people that have started to access their pensions flexibly post-retirement age, for

example by taking an income through drawdown. This is known as the Money Purchase Annual Allowance or ‘MPAA’.

If your pension contribution exceeds your pension allowance, you may face tax charges on the excess contributions, losing the tax relief benefits on that amount. However, there are also some more complex ‘carry forward’ rules that can allow you, in certain circumstances, to exceed the annual allowance if you haven’t completely used those allowances from previous tax years.

What Is Carry Forward?

If you haven’t used your full annual allowance from up to three previous tax years, you might be able to carry the remainder forward and use it in the current tax year. This could allow you to pay in over and above the current year’s annual allowance, perhaps to make up for periods of lower or missed pension contributions, without incurring an annual allowance tax charge.

This flexibility is useful for many people with lumpy earnings, including the self-employed, or those who simply wish to maximise their pension contributions using a sum they have received. For example, from an inheritance or sale of a business. The rules offer considerable scope for catching up provision for retirement in a highly tax efficient way. However, it is a complex area. If you want to take advantage, it’s important you fully understand the rules or you seek qualified financial advice that addresses your situation.

More information will follow in next month’s article relating to how carry forward works in practice and making best use of this pension capability.

Graham Austin, Chartered FCSI Investment Director

Graham.Austin@charles-stanley.co.uk 0207 149 6696

The value of investments can fall as well as rise. Investors may get back less than invested. Past performance is not a reliable guide to future returns. The information in this article is for general information purposes and is not a trading recommendation. Charles Stanley is not a tax adviser.

Nothing in this article should be construed as personal advice based on your circumstances. No news or research item is a personal recommendation to deal.

Charles Stanley & Co. Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: Ropemaker Place, 25 Ropemaker Street, London EC2Y 9LY.

Moving When It’s Cold and Dark

As I write, we are mid-August 2025. If you look carefully, you’ll see summer ending and autumn slowly starting to creep up on us. The days are getting shorter; I was driving home around 7.30pm and people had their headlights on and its no longer day light at 4am (yay!).

The great thing about living in Britain is that the weather gives us so much to talk about. So, for the last couple months I’ve been writing about how the hot weather affects exercise. I’m now going to turn my attention about how it affects us during the colder months. I think we manage this a lot better.

I know it’s still warm but there is no harm in starting to think about how you’re going to be exercising during autumn/winter. I’ve learnt that September is always a good time to start new things. It’s the start of the new school year, the start of a new season and just a good time for new beginnings.

So, here are some tips for exercise during the colder months that you can try this autumn/winter:

1. Go Back Indoors!

During the summer months you might have been doing outdoor bootcamps or workouts. So, maybe it’s time to embrace the indoors.

As an instructor, I haven’t really embraced on-line classes (yet), but that’s another story. Maybe it’s time to try one. If you like training at home, why not try grabbing some resistance bands or bodyweight training - anyone for calisthenics?

2. Make It Social

Join a local class (hello Boxercise!). Outdoor bootcamps are great but not everyone likes training at 5am in the cold. So how about trying out a new indoor class? If you don’t like classes, then maybe find a gym buddy. The gym can be an intimidating place, but going with

someone you know can make it less scary. I’ve got people coming to my classes with their friends and they’re thriving - even developing a friendly rivalry.

3. Layer Up

Dressing to accommodate the weather may seem obvious, but you’ll be surprised by how many people who don’t think about this. When I run in the cold weather, I always layer up. I start with a hoodie (zip through), long sleeve T-shirt and vest. By the time I’ve finished my warmup, I’m down to my vest. I hate stopping when I’m running so I always wear tops with zips - that way I can strip off without stopping. That’s just my personal preference.

4. Daylight Walks

Try to schedule a walk during the brightest part of the day. From October to April, vitamin D levels are at their lowest due to lack of sunlight, so getting out in the brightest part of the day can top up your vitamin D levels.

Final Thoughts

No matter the season, movement is one of the best gifts you can give your body - and it doesn’t have to be boring! With a little creativity and flexibility, you can stay active all year-round and even enjoy the changes that each season brings.

So, here’s your challenge: What’s one small way you can move your body this week, regardless of the weather?

I’ll be cheering you on!

www.beencouragedwellness.co.uk www.facebook.com/BeEncouragedBeStrong

Bug Hotel Competition

Moulsham Lodge Community Trust ran a competition a couple of months ago to name the bug hotel on John Shennan Nature Reserve in conjunction with Chelmsford City Council.

The name that won the competition was Critters’ Cottage, which a panel of 8 people thought was the most appropriate name! The winner will get a free drink at the Copper Pot Café, a wildlife related prize, the chosen name displayed on the bug hotel and a commemorative photo. Smaller bug hotels will be available from Men’s Shed in the next few months so bugs can bed down for the winter.

Our knitters have been very busy knitting poppies! Hundreds of poppies. The photo shows a test display we are considering for November’s remembrance activities. We are also running a coach trip to Southend on the 16th November.

Southend Pier will be transformed into a ‘river of red’ with a large-scale poppy display to commemorate Remembrance Day.

From November 5th to 16th 2025, the pier, which is the world’s longest pleasure pier, will be adorned with thousands of knitted and crocheted poppies. The display is a poignant tribute for Remembrance Day and is expected to be a striking visual memorial.

Places are limited so please get in touch for availability and price.

The Community Station and Copper Pot Café are open from Monday to Friday from 8am till 4pm, and Saturday from 9am - 3pm.

www.mlct.org.uk enquiries@mlct.org.uk 07434 678 999

An Update From Moulsham Lodge Ward - By

Your two Lib Dem Chelmsford City Councils for Moulsham Lodge, Simon Goldman and Ashley Thompson, would like to start by congratulating the students of Moulsham High School for their following amazing A level results:

• 100% pass rate in all subjects A*-E(!).

• 100% pass rate in all vocational subjects.

• 82% A*-C, either particularly strong results in English and Maths

• Many students going on to Oxbridge/Russell Group universities.

Similarly, amazing GCSE results are also reported. We hope all students and their parents are proud!

By the time this article reaches you, the summer will drawing to a close, and perhaps now is as good a time as any to take a look at what activities our community has going on regularly - and maybe see if, for instance, any of the weekly or fortnightly groups or events going on at Moulsham Lodge Community Trust might be for you:

Mondays

Seated Exercise: 1.30pm - 2.30pm.

Tuesdays

Walking Group: 9.30am - 10.30am. Friendship Group: 10am - 11am.

Ashley Thompson & Simon Goldman

My Weight Matters: 1pm - 2.30pm.

Wednesdays

Over 60s Bingo Group: 1.45pm - 3.45pm.

Seated Exercise: 2pm- 3pm.

Thursdays

Seated Exercise: 10.30am - 11.30am. Stroke Recovery: 12noon - 2pm.

Fridays

Men’s Shed: 1pm - 4pm.

Second and Fourth Sundays of the Month Community Knitting: 2pm - 4pm.

First Saturday of the Month Copperpot Crafters: 10am - 2pm.

First Friday of the Month

WI Community Games and Crafts: 12noon - 3pm.

Phew, so much to choose from in such a vibrant community!

And if you need to get in touch with either of us on any City Councilrelated business, these are our contact details:

ashley.thompson@chelmsford.gov.uk or simon.goldman@chelmsford. gov.uk.

For County Council: Cllr.david.loxton@essex gov.uk

Enjoy what’s left of the good weather!

Ashly and Simon

Tile Kiln Corner - By Cllr Linda Mascot

On Saturday 12th July, Tile Kiln Church held a coffee morning to raise money and awareness of poverty and injustice in the Middle East. The images seen of suffering and deprivation prompted the group at the church to promote the UK-based charity

Embrace that has a long history of working with local groups who support their varied communities through healthcare, education, employment opportunities and other initiatives.

The coffee morning was well attended, offering refreshments with plenty of information and a chance to chat and support this important work, either by donations or buying from the Embrace shop, which included sponsoring an olive tree to support a family for whom it is their staple crop.

Caroline Shephard told me: “This successful event was as much about raising awareness and saying that we care as it was for the money raised. It’s a drop in the ocean but shows that the Tile community care about the wider world. The event raised in excess of £464.19 and we would like to send our heartfelt thanks to all who came along to support this worthy cause.”

Cllr Hazel Clark and I really enjoyed chatting to so many members of the church and local community over coffee and cake. It was great to see so many local people taking an interest in such an important issue and becoming more informed about the support being offered.

Congratulations to all involved at TKC for hosting such a successful

event.

More information about Embrace can be found here: shop. embraceme.org.

mascotlinda@gmail.com

What Would You Do if You

September is the time of year that everything gets going again. Schools start - for some in our families, there might be some fear of starting a new school, new year, and having to make new friends…

But September is also the time when autumn comes, and we realise that another year is slipping away all too quickly. The nights are already drawing in, and soon enough it’ll be the first frost, then the storms, then the Christmas lights… whoa! Okay, I’ll stop!

Time moves fearfully fast. But we don’t very often stop to reflect on life. Perhaps the pace of summer was less full-on for you, with school holidays, family holidays and the late summer bank holiday. We’re keen just to enjoy those times, aren’t we? And that’s absolutely right. But as the weather turns, let’s not just get stuck in the speed-spiral down to Christmas. Questions like, ‘What would you do if you weren’t afraid?’ are great to help us pause for a moment and take stock of life.

For many people I meet, a life without fear sounds impossible. Fear is like that - it enslaves us, makes us think that there’s no escape and we just have to put up with it. If that’s you - let me share good news!

Afraid?

Jesus promised that he would give his followers peace - not peace in the sense of just an end to hostility (though that is good!) but even deeper peace, a peace that doesn’t depend upon our circumstances.

A peace that passes understanding. The Bible also says that perfect love casts our fear. Perfect love is a love that is consistently and insistently wants the best for the other. There is no love like that except the love that Jesus offers.

Jesus invites you today to live without fear. Want to give that a go? Just ask. Try praying, it’s actually very simple. Go here www.trypraying.org if you want to know more (or scan the QR code). Praying that you would be free from fear? If you want to know more, or have any questions, please get in touch!

Tim Goodall, Pastor, Tile Kiln Church.

tim.goodall@tilekilnchurch.org.uk 07821 866 301

YouTube: tinyurl.com/y24qlkvx

Facebook: www.facebook.com/tilekilnchurch www.tilekilnchurch.org.uk

Quiz Time - By John Theedom

In the forces, what do the initials NAAFI stand for?

In cities, what does the sign LTN mean?

What is the name of a person who shoes horses?

What is the most populous country in the world?

Which TV sitcom is based at the Solana Hotel?

Which England footballer was known as the ‘Preston Plumber’?

What exactly is Neroli?

What is the meaning of ‘plogging’?

Which car manufacturer‘s logo features a green snake and a red cross?

‘Plains’, ‘Mountains’ and ‘Greys’ are the three living species of which animal?

In the nursery rhyme, on which day did Solomon Grundy get married?

The Cayman Islands are a self-governing territory of which country?

Goodbye, Farewell and Amen was the 1983 final episode of which classic US sitcom, watched by over 105 million people?

As heard in the lyrics to Waltzing Matilda, what animal is known as a jumbuck in Australian slang?

The Panama Canal was built to link up which two oceans?

Which animated TV series featured a green dog and a pink cat?

In investment terminology, what does APR stand for?

In which London Park is the Serpentine recreational lake?

One circuit of a modern outdoor running track is how many metres long?

In The Dukes of Hazzard, what was the name of Bo and Luke Duke’s car?

Savoy, semi-savoy and flat leaf are the three major types of which leafy vegetable?

A 1990 advert for Levi jeans helped which Steve Miller Band song to the top of the charts, 17 years after its initial release?

Coney, Flemish Giant and Holland Lop are all types of which animal?

The world’s first public steam railway was built between which two towns in the northeast of England?

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the USA from which country?

Icicle, bowline and barrel hitch are types of what?

In The Wizard of Oz, what was the scarecrow looking for?

In police terminology, who or what is the CPS?

Laverbread is a traditional delicacy from which country?

Arthur Negus was the original presenter of which TV show, which Fiona Bruce became the last of in 2008?

If someone suffers from strabismus, what condition do they have?

In aviation, what does VTOL mean?

The drummers of both Duran Duran and Queen had which full names?

Which French manufacturer makes the Zoe electric car?

The Boswell family were the focus of which sitcom set in Liverpool?

In education, what are the ‘three R’s’?

How many of the squares on a Rubik’s Cube never move?

How did the suffragette Emily Davison meet her death in 1913?

In which country is the Chernobyl nuclear plant?

The sports of polo, field hockey and jai alai all prohibit what playing style?

Take a Look Through the Moulsham Lodge Camera Club Lens

Trust the Ordinary

With AI invading our lives, we are entering a different world where we will be unsure who or what we can trust. One thing we can trust is ourselves and our mobile/camera. We can trust the feeling of taking the best photo possible and we will know that it was all real even though it may be ordinary.

This month, the task is all about photographing something ordinary in the best way you can. Venture into your garden and get a close-up of an insect, dew on the grass, a flower with a droplet on it.

Indoors, you can pour some liquid into a glass, get down low - and take the photo.

Have fun and try to take an attractive photo of something ordinary. By defocusing the background, I have even tried to make toilet paper look less ordinary.

Go to your local shops/park and take snaps of people, the swings, a rusty gate, squirrels. You can do this during your break at work.

The possibilities are endless and all you have to do is trust yourself and your ability to create something new and inspiring from the everyday.

There’s nothing artifical or ordinary about Monday nights at Moulsham Lodge Camera Club. You can trust that we meet at Moulsham Lodge Methodist Church, Lime Walk, CM2 9NJ.

We starts at 8pm, with tea and biscuits at 9pm, and we finish at 10pm, with three free sessions. The club resumes on 1st September 2025 with an extraordinary presentation about flower photography.

Liz Croxson

moulshamlodgecameraclub@gmail.com www.moulshamlodgecamerclub.co.uk

Old Park Meadow Rings with Music and Community Spirit for Charity

On the 15th of August 2025, the picturesque grounds of Old Park Meadow Natural Burial Ground welcomed friends and family to a heartwarming live music event featuring the enchanting vocals of Nancy May. More than just a delightful evening of music, the event successfully raised over £1,000 for the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, a charity critical to providing life-saving care across the region.

On a warm summer’s evening, friends and families enjoyed a relaxed atmosphere by bringing their own picnic blankets and baskets, appreciating the serene surroundings and being serenaded by the exceptional talent of Nancy May.

Nancy performed a set that resonated with all those who attended, ranging from popular classics to contemporary favourites, ensuring there was something for everyone to enjoy.

“It was such a joy to perform in such a beautiful setting and for such a wonderful cause,” said Nancy May. “The energy from friends and families of Old Park Meadow was fantastic and knowing that we were contributing to the incredible work of the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance made it even more special.”

Delyse Jackaman, Manager of Old Park Meadow expressed her gratitude for the overwhelming support: “We are absolutely thrilled

with the turnout and generosity shown by everyone who attended.

“Events like these not only bring our community together in a truly special way but also make a significant difference to charities like the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, which relies heavily on public donations. The sight of families enjoying picnics, the beautiful music, and the shared commitment to a great cause truly embodied the spirit of our community.”

Navy, Army and AirForce Institutes

Low Traffic Neighberhood

Farrier

India (since 2023)

Benidorm

Tom Finney

Essential oil from bitter orange tree

Jogging and picking up litter

Alfa Romeo

Zebra

Wednesday

United Kingdom

M*A*S*H

Sheep

Atlantic and Pacific

Roobarb and Custard

Annual Percentage Rate

Hyde Park

400 metres

The General Lee

Spinach

The Joker Rabbit

Stockton and Darlington

France

Knot

A brain

Crown Prosecution Service

Wales

Antiques Roadshow

Their eyes do not point in the same direction (squint)

Vertical Take-Off and Landing

Roger Taylor

Renault

Bread

Reading, writing and arithmetic

Six - the middle ones on each face

She was trampled under the king’s horse at the Epsom Derby

Ukraine

Left handedness