Moulsham Times March 2017

www.chelmsfordcarpetoutlet.co.uk 01245 299 094

149 Broomfield Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 1RY

MoulshamTimes

Fresh Cream @ Chelmsford City FC see p23

Covering: Old Moulsham, Moulsham Lodge, Tile Kiln and surrounding area

Delivered to over 9000 homes and businesses monthly

Issue Number 51 - March 2017

We Buy...

Digital or Film/analogue | DSLR | CSC/ILC/Mirrorless | Rangefinder/ Advanced Compact | Medium Format | Lenses AF/MF | Flash/Lighting Camera Bags/Tripods | Major Accessories | all brands considered - as long as they’re in fully working order, desirable condition and complete ...and we’re SO easy to deal with – really!

WE BUY MORE · WE PAY MORE · WE SMILE MORE Just call or email us for expert valuation and advice DIRECT LINE: 01245 255510 EMAIL: chelmer@cameraworld.co.uk

GET IN TOUCH

GET FREE PICK-UP

GET PAID FAST

Give us a call and have a chat or fill out our simple form at www.cameraworld.co.uk/used

Pop it in the post or we can collect it when convenient (dependant on value).

Take advantage of one of our super Trade-Up Offers, or just take the money and ENJOY!

WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY:

“ I have used CameraWorld on many occasions and always found the service outstanding friendly and helpful. It is good to know that there are still high street shops who value the customer.”

Spencer H | 29.07.16

“ The part exchange process was straightforward and Dale was very friendly and helpful...”

Michael P | 06.06.16 100’S MORE ONLINE AT: www.cameraworld.co.uk/testimonials

NOW BUYING FILM CAMERAS

Due to increasing demand they could be worth more than you think!

We’ll be buying and selling used equipment at

JOIN USD N ON STA

D21

For £3 off your ticket use our discount code:

CAMWTPS17

cameraworld.co.uk

High Chelmer Shopping Centre CHELMSFORD Essex CM1 1XB | 01245 255510 | chelmer@cameraworld.co.uk Also at: 14 Wells St (off Oxford St) LONDON W1T 3PB 020 7636 5005 | sales@cameraworld.co.uk Most brands considered. DSLR, Mirrorless and Top Compacts. 35mm and Medium Format. Auto and Manual Focus Lenses. Items must be in excellent condition and complete with relevant accessories.

Subject to inspection. E. & O. E. Goods and delivery services subject to stock and availability. Prices subject to change. Pictures are for illustration purposes only. All prices include VAT@ 20%. E. & O.E.

*

MT Welcome

Please call Michael on:

07976 693457

Hi readers

or email Info@m-specservices.co.uk

Welcome to the March edition.

This month we have Fresh Cream playing at Chelmsford City FC (see the advert on page 23) and on 18th March there is the Essex Delta Blues Day at the Bassment raising money for CHESS (see the advert on page 12).

What else is coming up this year? Well, The Fling is back on the 1 of July along with some other events to look forward to later on in the year from the City Council.

st

Oh, and remember that the clocks go forward this month. The evenings are already getting longer each day so hopefully we will start having some warmer days.

Regards Paul & Nick

it’s your media Ltd Editorial Advertising Paul Mclean Nick Garner 07595 949701 07970 206682 ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk editorial@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Electrical Installation & Maintenance M-Spec Services based in Chelmsford cater for all your electrical requirements, no job is too big or too small. You are always guaranteed a professional service at competitive rates.

• Smoke Alarm Installation • Fault Finding • CCTV & Fire Alarms • Fuseboard Upgrades • Access Control & Intercom Systems • Rewires • Test & Inspect Certification

Call Michael on

01245 830811 / 07976 693457

Disclaimer: It’s Your Media 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 Media Ltd. No part may be reproduced without the prior written permission of It’s Your Media Ltd. Reg Co No. 09154871. Printed by Printwize.

Is your conservatory roof leaking?

Is it freezing in the winter and roasting in the summer?

Noisy when it rains?

A tapco UPVC lightweight slate roof is what you need making your old conservatory roof cool in the summer warm in the winter never leaks again and looks amazing!!! Save thousands of pounds with us!

• New roofs • Roof repairs • Soffits • Fascias • Guttering • Moss removal • Fibre glass flat roofing 01206 807 598 / 07506 367 774 www.roofservicesessex.com info@roofservicesessex.com

Before

After

Colchester based family run business Public Liability Insurance

All major credit cards accepted

www.moulshamtimes.com

3

MT Therapy by Jenny Hartill Another one of the New Year’s Resolutions that I mentioned a couple of articles ago was ‘to lose weight’. We’re now coming up to the time where myself and my fellow therapists (hypnotherapists, counsellors and nutritionists) at Chelmsford Therapy Rooms prepare ourselves for the influx of clients that wish to lose weight. I’m very lucky that one of my supervisors is the number one weight loss therapist in the UK. She is a hypnotherapist but a lot of her work involves talking therapy as she is a registered NLP Practitioner who is endorsed and recommended by Richard Bandler (co-creater of Neuro Linguistic Programming) and she also trains others in NLP. Quite frankly, she kicks ass when it comes to weight loss and because we’re coming up to weight loss season I thought I would explain over the next few articles some of the key factors that affect weight loss and how therapy helps with them.

your expectations and commitment to therapy. My supervisor isn’t cheap, but she helps people PERMANENTLY lose weight and she is able to charge what she does because she has built a reputation based on the fact that her form of therapy works. Believe it or not, some people don’t actually realise how much hard work it takes to lose weight FOREVER - to change their mindset enough so they are able to be slim for life. To quote Vincent Van Gogh: “Great things are not achieved by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” Today I want to look at some of those small things, starting with why people give up on their diet or on losing weight in the first place. According to research, the top reasons stated for giving up on reaching weight goals include:

Firstly, why is March/April/May so popular for weight loss enquiries?

That’s because people are thinking about the summer. The weather is getting warmer, people are reminded that they’ll have to wear lighter clothing, and many people are booking their summer holidays.

Many people ask me, ‘how long will it take to lose weight and how much will it cost?’ Let me tell you, in therapy there are two types of client:

Although these are the main reasons, there is one big reason that isn’t mentioned here because it just doesn’t occur to people at the time. The fact about losing weight is that FOOD HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH IT!!

1. Those interested in therapy (so in this case losing weight).

2. Those committed to therapy (so in this case committed to losing weight).

You would be surprised at how many people claim to not be able to afford therapy and I do have people ask me for discounts/ concessions for those on benefits or lower incomes. I do not offer discounts for a very good reason; whenever I have agreed a discount with a client who comes across as being completely committed and who would do anything (this is their only option etc etc) the client has either not turned up or has cancelled the appointment shortly after making it. Every. Single. Time.

When I had counselling myself, I was struggling with debt, paying the rent, affording extortionate train fares and trying to keep up drinking like a fish in London to fit in with my city sales floor buddies and repress the anxiety I was feeling. Paying for counselling every week was hard, sometimes I wouldn’t even know how I was going to eat, but I kept it up because I was committed to feeling better and it worked. I’ve had clients sell possessions so they can keep up with therapy and guess what? They’re the ones that are getting, or have gotten, better.

I’m not saying that everyone has to take such drastic measures but it does help to be mindful of

• • • • •

Boredom.

Lack of will power.

Having a bad day (or in some cases a good day!).

Spending all the time thinking about what they couldn’t eat or drink.

Wanting a quick fix solution - which really doesn’t exist.

Think about it, if diets actually worked there wouldn’t be so many of them. The reason there are so many is because when one diet doesn’t work we go looking for a different solution and invent another one - and another one and another one... Until there are literally thousands out there! Adverts for diets and supplements etc can provide an unrealistic view of how losing weight should be, so you have an unrealistic view of how YOUR body will react to the diet. This brings me to another couple of facts that you need to know about losing weight: Firstly, when you first start to lose weight and the loss seems quite dramatic a lot of the time this is actually water being released, not excess weight. Therefore it is impossible for this level of weight loss to be maintained and it is normal for the weight loss to even out. Secondly - and this is very important - diets only deal with what is on the outside (the excess weight), yet the triggers that have had you sprinting towards food when you weren’t hungry or had you continuing to force food in even though you were already full are all on the inside. When you identify and address what is going on inside your mind, food can no longer have the same control over you that it once had.

Next time we will address some of what goes on inside the mind of someone who wants to lose weight - we will look at some of the things we tell ourselves that we believe that are in fact just fantasies.

If anyone is interested in seeing a therapist, I own and run Chelmsford Therapy Rooms. We have a range of therapists that can help with a multitude of issues. We offer many therapies from hypnotherapy to counselling to nutrition. Please see the website www.chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or you can email info@ chelmsfordtherapyrooms.co.uk, or call 0330 100 5162.

Like Us On Facebook facebook.com/moulshamtimes

Follow Us On Twitter twitter.com/moulshamtimes

rock n roll productions presents

Based on the life and music of the small faces written by carol harrison

The Coolest Musical Ever

“FUNNY FIERY AND BRAVE...

YOU’LL HAVE A ROCKING NIGHT OUT” DAILY STAR SUNDAY

HHHH THE MAIL ON SUNDAY

“A SMILE-INDUCING NIGHT OF MOD NOSTALGIA” THE SUNDAY EXPRESS

Mon Theatre, 1st - Wed 3rdChelmsford May Civic Wednesday 29 March - Saturday 1 April Tickets: £25.00 Conc: £23.00 Groups: £22.50

www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres Box office: 01245 606 505

From County Hall by Cllr Dick Madden This past weekend I have, with my wife Kathryn and some friends and family, eaten in the restaurant areas of our city in High Chelmer and John Lewis.

On both occasions the atmosphere in these locations has been warm, fun and one of happiness. To me, my family and friends, our experience was positive and added to our views that Chelmsford city is not only a great place to live, but developing into a great place to eat. The only downside is that I put on a couple of pounds and so it is back on the diet I think!

At Full Council last week we formally put in place a 3% Social Care Levy for 2017/18, which will raise an extra £17 million that we can use to support the most vulnerable in our society. You may know that our healthcare system has been under pressure, but less known to everyone is that the social care system is equally stressed.

This levy means that a resident living in an average band D property will pay 65 pence more each week in council tax or £34 a year in total. But it also means we will be able to continue to support those vulnerable people in our communities.

As Cabinet Member for Adults and Children, I am mindful that adult social care spending in 2017/18 will be 7% higher than in 2013/14.

You will have read and seen in the media that pressure on social care budgets remains acute and ECC will adopt the full 3% government tax increase that we are allowed, hence an increase in 65p per week for us. This additional £17 million pounds though must only be spent on adult social care. We have not (for the fifth time in six years) increased, but again frozen core council tax. Simply, this means, as I have indicated earlier, all additional monies raised by ECC in Council tax for 2017/18 must be spent on adult social care, all other services must continue to be delivered by existing and agreed funds.

As we continue to live longer through better health and wellbeing and modern science and support from our health service, more and more demands will be made on adult social care. I have and will continue to explore with our NHS new ideas and innovation in health and social care integration.

My mother-in-law, Mrs Barham, is in residential care in Chelmsford. A grand lady who lived through the Second World War in Bermondsey.

As an individual she does not see the health service and social care as being different. All aspects of care (be it our GP, hospital or care in our communities) Mrs Barham sees as one service - and that is what we politicians must do. This is an area I will continue to develop.

BE SAFE Dick Madden

From The House by Sir Simon Burns Beating Bowel Cancer As an MP, I get invited to many receptions which are held on a daily basis in the Palace of Westminster. I recently attended the Beating Bowel Cancer reception at the request of a constituent who was attending with his daughter who was in her late 30s.

My constituent’s daughter had been declared free of the disease last year but, sadly, is now facing a new battle.

The facts about bowel cancer are startling. Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer and every half an hour someone dies of the disease. Furthermore, someone is diagnosed with bowel cancer every 15 minutes.

Statistics show that you are more likely to be diagnosed at Stage 1 through screening rather than through a referral via a GP or A&E unit.

Being diagnosed with bowel cancer at an early stage (Stage 1) offers a 97% survival rate as opposed to 7% if diagnosed at a late stage (Stage 4).Yet in England, screening starts at 60, despite benefits in

terms or both survival rates and treatment costs from screening at 50.

The statistics show that earlier screening can help save lives and that is why I have been pleased to endorse Beating Bowel Cancer’s campaign. I have written to the Public Health Minister, Nicola Blackwood MP, urging the Government to lower the screening age to 50.

Sadly, cancer is an all too common part of our lives these days. 1 in 2 of us are likely to get cancer in our lifetimes and with an increasing population it is estimated that 40,000 people in their 50s will be diagnosed with bowel cancer in the next decade.

The figures are stark and depressing, but so is the reality.

Thankfully, survival rates for cancer have doubled in the last 40 years and that is why events like World Cancer Day, which was held on the 4th February, are so important to unite in the fight against cancer.

For more information about Beating Bower Cancer visit beatingbowelcancer.org.

6 www.moulshamtimes.com

Mothers Day Lunch & Dinner 26th March 2017

5 Course Menu £32 per head, £16 for under 10s Lunch served from 12 noon till 2pm and dinner from 5.30pm - 7.30pm Plus a 10% Suggested Gratuity on the Final Bill

MJS CARPENTRY Local, experienced, fully insured reliable carpenter in Old Moulsham.

All Carpentry and building work undertaken such as: • Garden walls • Built in Units/cupboards • Kitchens • Doors • Hand cut roofs • Flat roof/tiled roof repairs and renews • Loft conversions • Extensions/building work

Contact us for a free no obligation quote.

Home: 01245 675225 Mobile: 07794137516 Email: nsteel31@yahoo.co.uk

10% discount with this advert www.moulshamtimes.com

7

MT Fitness Matt, I am Leaving you - By Matt Russell Unfortunately, these words were all too familiar to me as youngster when I was playing the dating game!

Luckily these words weren’t uttered to me by my good lady wife. No, these words came from a client of mine.

I’d been training this guy for just over a year and he’d made impressive improvements. Really impressive. (see how I’m repeating a word from the end of the previous sentence in a very Trump-esque manner? Heck it worked for him it might help me). He’d lost considerable amounts of body fat, gained lots of strength and looked significantly more muscular. He’d also improved his cardiovascular fitness and flexibility to boot.

He decided it was time to leave because his progress had slowed.

Not stopped or even stagnated, just merely slowed. He was insistent that his progress should continue unabated at the same rate as when he first began training.

I tried in vain to explain to him that this was not possible but he was having none of it. So just like your average Angelina Jolie marriage, we went our separate ways!

Now, if you’ll allow me a moment of indulgence, I’d like to share with you what I attempted to explain him before he made like a banana and split!

NEWBIE GAINS… When you begin a training programme you make phenomenal improvements. Every session you lift heavier and heavier weights and you can’t wait to train again. You feel like Superman. Enthused with your progress, you get the old calculator out and work out that if you continue improving at this rate you’ll be on world’s strongest man come Christmas.

In preparation, you go out and buy a load of Gold’s Gym vests along with some knee and elbow supports. You consider shaving your hair and even contemplate getting a couple of tattoos. You’re cruising along in the fast lane of the Hypertrophy Highway packing on the muscle quicker than a Jamaican sprinter fails a drugs test - and then what happens?

Suddenly you hit traffic on the highway and your progress slows and continues to slow. Soon your desires to be a strong man are quashed like roadkill until eventually you settle on the more realistic and attainable aim of being the most muscular guy in the office!

OH, WHAT’S OCCURING…? (as ‘Nessa would ask).

You’ve been experiencing newbie gains which are more pronounced if you truly are, as the Yanks would say, a rookie. (Sometimes experienced weight lifters can get a similar, but not as conspicuous, effect if they switch to a new training regime. This is known as ‘novelty effect’).

Whether you’re riding the larger ‘newbie gains’ wave or the slightly less impressive ‘novelty effect’ wave, one thing is for sure: Noone can tell you with certainty how long it’ll last. Some people will continue improving for months on end, but for others it may be just weeks.

One thing however is for certain; your progress will slow with time as you approach your genetic ceiling!

GENETIC CEILING… You’re genetic ceiling is the point at which genetically you can’t make any further improvements. The closer you get to this, the slower your progress is. Think of it as being on one of those inflatable bungee run thingamajigs. At the start, because there is less resistance on the cord, you can make great progress but as you get closer to the end, your progress slows considerably or even comes to a halt as the resistance increases!

Take elite Olympic weight lifters for example, who are hovering around their genetic ceiling. Year on year, some of them would be ecstatic with a 1-2% improvement in performance as this could well lead to winning gold. For us mere mortals nowhere near our genetic ceilings, investing a year’s worth of training to improve by 1-2% would seem very futile!

TAKE HOME MESSAGE… In this unpredictable life that we lead, we can seek solace from a few certainties: One is death; everyone will die (excluding ‘the immortal Hulk Hogan’ of course). Another is that your drunken uncle will make a tit of himself at the next family wedding - and the final one is that when training for any length of time your rate of progress will slow. If it didn’t there’d be loads of people strolling around looking ridiculously more muscular than your average steroid abuser already does!

It’s just one of those things we must accept. It’s a bit like watching Good Morning Britain; most of us only watch it to get a glimpse of the rather attractive Susannah Reid or dashingly handsome Ben Sheppard (or even the other lady who was crap on Strictly), but we must accept that in the process we’ll probably have to put up with getting a glimpse of Piers Morgan too, it’s just one of those things!

To book your free personal training session, or to book a place at my boot camp class, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. matt@mlrpt.co.uk www.mlrpt.co.uk 07939 316 401 www.twitter.com/mlrpt www.facebook.com/mlrpt www.twitter.com/mlrpt

Web sites from £299 web sites | business cards | flyers | 01245 262082 www.moulshamtimes.com

8

O STEOPATHY & S PORTS M ASSAGE IN C ENTRAL C HELMSFORD We’re here to help...

Back Pain Sports Injuries Joint Pain Muscle Strains Sciatica & more...

01245 522 360

32 Rochford Road, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0EF FREE PARKING

Runner’s Knee - What to do about it Last weekend I did my first ParkRun for months. I love them! It’s a great way to start the weekend and there’s such a sense of community. It’s fantastic to see all ages and all abilities out on a Saturday morning getting some exercise and fresh air.

I’m nowhere near as fit as I used to be, but each time I run I’m grateful to be out there and putting some miles in. I wasn’t always a runner, you see. I thought I was one of those people who ‘wasn’t built to run’. Something about my legs, I thought - they just weren’t built right. Each time I ran I ended up with terrible knee pain.

Runner’s knee refers to a specific problem behind the kneecap where the joint between the kneecap and the thigh bone (the femur) becomes irritated. In extreme cases it can degenerate the cartilage.

Well, I had that. Running’s not for me, I concluded, I’ll just stick to weight training and swimming.

Then, during my journey into becoming an osteopath, I started to understand that it had nothing to do with the shape of my legs. I realised I was weak!

You see runner’s knee is almost always what we call a frontal plane problem. In movement, the frontal plane is where we move side to side. If you stand in front of a mirror and run one hand down the side of your thigh, your spine will be moving in the frontal plane. Each time your foot hits the floor in walking and running your knee buckles in a little, which is called valgus movement, and it’s the frontal plane movement of the knee.

It should do this and it’s entirely natural, but it can do it excessively.

There are two main problems that can lead to excessive valgus movement of the knee: Feet that roll in too much on the floor (overpronation), or weak lateral hip muscles. I had both!

When I realised this, I got to work on strengthening my hip muscles using lunge variations, single-leg squat variations and clam-type movements where I lay on my side and lifted my legs.

info@fortephysicalhealth.co.uk www.fortephysicalhealth.co.uk facebook.com/fortephysicalhealth

The feet were a different story though.

Overpronation is normally caused by structural deformities which develop when you’re growing up - and as an adult it is very difficult to change. You’re faced with two choices: Use some insoles, or spend a long, long time doing exercises for the feet which probably won’t change the foot structure, but may make you better at controlling the movement.

Being the geek that I am and wanting to self-experiment, I chose the latter! I did a lot of grip work with my feet and worked on strengthening the arches. I also bought some minimal shoes with very thin soles which force the muscles of your feet to work harder and I worked on my running technique. (There are plenty of videos on YouTube which show you the correct running technique, which is especially important if you’re in thin shoes).

Gradually, bit by bit, I started to feel like a runner! My knee pain disappeared and the distance I could run crept up. Before I knew it, I thought nothing of booking my next half-marathon and getting out for runs almost every day. A little Forrest Gump I was.

The point of this story is that runner’s knee can be fixed! Every case is different and it’s important to be given the right exercises. Not everyone’s feet would cope with the minimal running for example, and for some it would be a much better option to get some insoles instead.

But if you’ve been having knee pain and it’s getting in the way of you covering some miles, give us a shout because I’m sure we can help.

I’d love to get you out enjoying something like ParkRun where you’re getting exercise, fresh air and a healthy dose of community!

As always, you can get in touch at chris@fortephysicalhealth.co.uk, or through our Facebook page at facebook.com/fortephysicalhealth, or give us a call on 01245 522 360 - we love to chat! Have a healthy month!

MT Gardening

We are having some topsy-turvy weather of late. It’s cold one minute and heading for warmth the next, no wonder our plants are shooting and or flowering a little early - and as a result, ever so slightly confused. They’ll be fine in the long run so no real worries at this stage, though I would take care if we do have a significant frost as any new lush sappy shoots will be scorched. Prepare for this by using horticultural fleece - it really does work. And whatever you do don’t be tempted to put soft sappy plants outside if we are going to have another cold snap. Put them in your coolest place and be careful not to over water.

This aside, it’s a great time to have a real clear up of any odd leaf piles and, as I couldn’t do this last autumn, I’m going to be lifting up a border and replanting. The plants are mainly perennials that will tend to die down during winter and re shoot in spring, so this is a perfect time. The remainder of the plants will be left alone and pruned at appropriate times throughout the year.

Develop a plan if you’re going to lift up perennials. In most cases it may be as simple as lifting up with a fork, splitting and dividing and discarding old and diseased sections followed by replanting sections in the same place. For me, this gives me the opportunity to take all the perennials out and have a redesign of the area. What has worked well? What has worked less well? Do I want to totally change and introduce new forms? Although this could be costly!

It also gives me an opportunity to dig over the ground and incorporate some much needed well rotted organic matter. Digging doesn’t need to be at depth, if the soil is very friable and crumbly it is adequate to lay a good layer of compost on the soil surface - 10cm (4”) - and then turn it in methodically over the entire area. If the ground has been more compacted it would be prudent to turn the soil over incorporating compost to the depth of a spade tine. Either way, it requires this to be done uniformly over the area. I’d even add horticultural grit or coarse sand if drainage needs to be improved.

Once the site has been prepared and the plants have been split and divided, this is an ideal time to place them where you think they would be best suited. Remember to note what the overall height was and the typical spread. Think about whether you want to create a border to be viewed more from the side. In this case it may be wise to think about graduated heights; tall at the back with shorter plants to the front. Personally, I like to jazz it up slightly by playing around with the depth of the border. Sometimes plants such as Alchemilla mollis (Lady’s Mantle) are great for planting at the front and through to the middle of the border. Plant some of your grasses nearer to the front to give some density to the bed and create pockets of interest. Check out this link to an online design training session, it could be perfect to kick start you into action: www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg2/ virtual_garden.

Once planted, water the plants in to achieve good soil contact. If you are doing this now, wait until March to apply feed. There are lots of brands on the market such as Fish, Blood and Bone, Vitax Q4, Growmore. A good application rate is around 50g/ m² (1.8 ounces/ yd²). Follow this with a good thick layer of well rotted organic matter such as garden compost, mushroom compost or leaf mould at around 10cm (4”), this will assist in moisture retention and suppression of weeds. In time, it will also contribute to soil fertility.

This is an exciting time of the year; pop to your local garden centre or nursery for new plant forms and cultivars and ask about them they’re all very knowledgeable about their subject, and who knows, you could have a completely different border this year.

Good luck and happy gardening!

For any gardening tips contact Tom Cole, Senior Horticultural Lecturer, Writtle College, Chelmsford, CM1 3RR by post (including a SAE) or by email at tom.cole@writtle.ac.uk.

10

Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

www.moulshamtimes.com

When enquiring please quote "M&S VOUCHER�

www.moulshamtimes.com

11

Music and Blues in the City by Nick Garner As this edition of the Moulsham Times comes out we will have just hosted two great gigs at the football club - Zoot Money and Albert Lee. We will have reviews of those shows in the March edition of the City Times which is out from Friday 17th March.

We have two shows within a few days of each other at the Bassment in March. Starting with Elles Bailey on Thursday 16th . Elles is gaining tremendous critical acclaim everywhere she is playing. We were lucky to have her play our festival last year and immediately rebooked her to headline at the Bassment for us. With Dave Ferra also playing (another favourite of ours) this will be a great night and one not to miss.

On Saturday 18th March we have the third Essex Delta Blues Day at the Bassment and this year it is all for charity with all of the acts playing for free and all monies raised going to CHESS who help and support the homeless in Chelmsford. You can read about them in this magazine on the charity page.

As before, we have eighteen acts playing on two stages from noon to midnight nonstop. Tickets in advance are just £10 and £12 on the day, which we think is great value. You will be given a wrist band so that you can come and go as you please and we know that the Bassment are happy for you to bring in food - as long as you are tidy of course.

The acts we have (and we have a lot of new acts this year) all have an Essex link. We kick off at noon with Palindrome, a local duo. Then we have Jimi Whitewolf (aka Dave Jackson) - a great band who you may have seen play our festival in the past. Another local on his resonator guitar is Geoff Skinner on the acoustic stage. We then have on the electric stage the Adam Churchill Band. Back to the acoustic and we have the Baroness and the Bear.

Following this, most of the day is taken up with new acts, as we have Hoodsey Lock & the Lightning Reeds, then James Cooper, and on the acoustic stage, Blues Situation. A special now, as for the first time Connor Selby and Joe Anderton play an acoustic set as a duo - and this is the half way mark.

on guitar, Mo Foster on bass and Jeff Allen on drums.

We had a very special night at the Bassment last month. We opened with Rough’n’Ready, who are Roy Mette and Mandie Graham of Roadhouse who are now playing as a duo. They wowed the audience with their tremendous musical abilities and their great sense of fun.

They played mainly covers on the night, but they are busy writing original material. They played Stairway to Heaven which they made their own and which everyone said was stunning.

Next up was Todd Sharpville who was previewing songs from his long awaited new album Medication Time, which is due for release at the end of May. Todd is one of our top blues guitarists and has a wonderful rich dark chocolate voice. He writes songs that have a lot of depth and soul to them. Todd’s band featured Mark Mondesir on drums (Jeff Beck and Van Morrison), Jake Fields on keyboards (Joe Bonamassa and Sandi Thom) and Matt Round on bass (James Morrison). You just knew it was going to be special and it was. The audience went away in awe of what they had seen.

As ever, please do try to come out and support the great live music scene that we have in Essex, because if you do not we may lose it.

For more information on all of the above and more, see the links below and pick up a copy of the City Times and go to the What’s On page to see what else in happening in your area. If you go to the Facebook pages, you will see the events and videos of up-and-coming acts. www.bluesinthecity.co.uk www.facebook.com/bluesinthecitychelmsford Twitter: @BluesintheCity1 www.itsyourmusic.co.uk www.facebook.com/itsyourmusic Twitter: @itsyourmusic

Next up is Broomwagon and then it is us the Jamie Williams Collective. Back we go for the Fugitives and then a welcome return to Sheri Kershaw. Next up on the electric stage with his band is Connor Selby, and another special on the acoustic (and the penultimate act on this stage) is LaVendore Rogue - the duo of Joel Fisk and Jo Jo Burgess. The penultimate act on the electric stage is a new local act made of some familiar faces, Fist Full of Dirt.

We now are coming to the two last acts of the day, and we are thrilled to welcome the Delta Ladies with their very own brand and sound that they call acoustic trance - we love it. We finish with a very special act that has been put together for today, called Bill & Buzz’s Blues Bash; it is in fact Bill Liesegang and Barry Fitzgerald who both played with Jack Bruce (Cream) when he played the Blues in the City Festival in 2012, and they say it was the last time that Jack played a set of Cream songs (of which he wrote many).

Bill and Barry will be joined on stage by Tony Mushamp on bass and John Antoni on vocals - both of which Bill plays with in the band Stealer. Bill has also played with not only Jack Bruce, but also David Bowie, Glenn Hughes, Rod Stewart, Lemmy, John Wetton, Mark King (Level 42), Nina Hagan and Bruce Dickinson. I think you will agree that this is not only great value and for a great cause, but a great line-up.

Coming up at Chelmsford City FC we have Fresh Cream, who are Malcolm Bruce (son of Jack Bruce), Will Johns (nephew of Eric Clapton and George Harrison) and with Chris ‘Padge’ Paige on drums, a top session player. They will be joined by Pete Brown who is the man who wrote the lyrics to the songs of Cream and many others.

Pete will also have his own band open the night, with Malcolm Bruce 12

www.moulshamtimes.com

MT Baking by Alison Motley

I love cooking with spices - a pinch of cloves or a sprinkle of cumin can jazz up an everyday dish or elevate a humble ingredient to something spectacular. Not only do spices add that extra spark to dishes, but many have great medicinal qualities too - turmeric is thought to reduce inflammation and ginger has been used for centuries as a remedy for nausea.

Historically, spices have been used as currency, gifts and aphrodisiacs and countries have fought over their production and ownership. Saffron currently costs more per ounce than gold.

My all-time favourite desert island spice would probably be star anise; heady and sweet it works well in savoury and sweet dishes alike. It pairs well with most meats and is fantastic with fruits - especially orange, mango and strawberry. I often chuck it into home-made blackcurrant jam too - heavenly spread on a crumpet!

I tend to be heavy handed with my spices. If I’m baking with cinnamon I want to be able to taste it, so I like to always have a good supply of them to hand. I store them in jars in a large box in a cupboard and for some strange reason my cat goes crazy when I get them out, which is strange as she is totally disinterested in catnip.

If any readers know the reason why she does this please do get in touch!

Ethnic grocery shops are a great source for spices, they are often cheaper and have a far stronger flavour than those you find in the supermarkets, however sometimes they are only available to purchase in large bags, so you may want to split these with family or friends.

Spices are best stored in sealed jars or tins in a cool dark place and used within 3 months of purchase as their flavour loses potency over time.

Whole spices tend to keep longer than ground, so consider buying whole spices and grinding them as needed. You might want to consider buying several individual spices rather than a ready-blended spice mix too. You would be surprised how many popular spice blends are made from the same few spices, just in differing ratios. It is relatively quick and easy to make up any number of spice blends as you need them so you can use up all the spices quicker, and avoid having tons of different spice mixes half used in a cupboard.

If your spices are getting old, don’t necessarily throw them out, just add extra to compensate for the lessened potency - and toasting or dry-frying your spices for 30 seconds before using them really is worth the effort as it brings out their flavours considerably.

If you want to use up your spices, consider making a spiced butter - use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or cloves to spread on crumpets or fruit bread, or use paprika, chilli or cayenne on savoury bread or toast.

Sweet spices can be added to custard, cream or yoghurt sprinkled on your breakfast cereal or porridge, or even added to green vegetables like spinach or cabbage.

Add spices to the water when cooking rice or couscous. Think turmeric, saffron, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cloves or cardamom.

Chuck a few spices into soups or stews to liven them up or make a curry paste with your spices and freeze it in ice cube trays to use as needed.

This month’s recipe is heavy on the spices (using both ground and crystallised ginger, and cinnamon) and is for my favourite ginger biscuits. They are spicy and crisp and melt in the mouth and are a doddle to bake. The biscuit dough can be frozen so you could bake half the dough and freeze the rest and the biscuits themselves freeze well if they are wrapped well in foil and a freezer bag. Like most biscuits, these taste best fresh but will keep in a tin for a few days.

Happy baking!

Double Ginger Biscuits (makes approx. 36) 125g butter, softened 250g golden caster sugar 1 large egg, at room temperature 1 tablespoon chopped crystallised ginger 2 tablespoons golden syrup 250g plain flour 1 heaped teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1. Preheat oven to 150C/130C Fan/Gas 2. Lightly grease 2 large baking trays with vegetable oil.

2. In a large bowl cream together the butter and caster sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg.

3. Add the crystallised ginger and golden syrup and beat again.

4. Sift in the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon and bicarbonate of soda. Mix well together until combined.

5. Place tablespoons of the biscuit dough onto the baking trays, leaving plenty of room between each one as they will spread out a lot during baking.

6. Bake for 15-20 minutes until biscuits are spread out and golden brown but take care not to let them burn as they will go really hard upon cooling.

7. Leave to cool on the trays for a couple of minutes only, then remove with a spatula or fish slice onto a wire rack to cool completely. Store in a tin.

I would love to hear from readers with anything baking related.

Drop me an email at motleybakes@aol.com, or take a look at www. motleybakes.co.uk.

Keene Crafter’s Corner

Hello again, I hope some of you have been able to try a new craft, if you have and would like to share with us your makes, please get in touch by emailing me at the address below.

This month we thought we would look a CARD MAKING - everybody loves to receive a card, it makes the recipient feel that someone has thought of them, be it their birthday, anniversary or any other event.

Imagine if that card you send is actually handmade by yourself, the time and thought that has gone into it, created especially for that person.

If you’ve not tried card making there are many forms, from peel offs to decoupaging - even mixed media and using photos. However, the kind of cards that I make use stamps and ink. I’ve been making cards for around seven years now, and for six of those I have been using Stampin’ Up! ™ products as well as being a Stampin’ Up! ™ demonstrator where I can sell the products I use in my classes.

It’s a very easy technique, even for those who have never stamped before. The rubber is so fine that the image always comes out perfect. If you would like to look at some cards or even have a go yourself, join me and others for our next card making class…

Stamp-a-Stack: 28th March 7-10pm cost of £16 which includes all materials to make 10 cards. Venue: Chelmer Village Hall.

For more information or to buy Stampin’ Up! ™ products, find me on Facebook - head-over-heels, or email me at head-over-heels-by-dlm@ hotmail.com.

Until next time… carry on crafting!

At The Anchor This March

20%

Off

14th - 17th Live Coverage Cheltenham Races on 250” worth of screens!

All dry cleaning MT

18th - Live music from 7786 MT

MT

25th - Karaoke Prize for most entertaining singer

151 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, CM2 0LD Phone: 01245 250865 www.moulshamtimes.com

15

Travellers Tales - Nepal by John Power National boundaries are man-made and when considering a visit to North India and matching it to a long-held desire to visit neighbouring Nepal in the foothills of the Himalayas, we decided that there would be little difference between the two and so chose Nepal. Gautama Buddha, although often thought of as Indian, was born just over the border in Nepal. So in 2001, long before the devastating earthquake of 2014 we boarded another long haul flight to the capital Kathmandu, via one change at an Arab airport that escapes my memory.

Kathmandu is still well behind the west in curbing pollutant car exhausts and its roads are crowded, but not to the extent of those we experiencd in South India. Fortunately the historic centres are all pedestrian precincts. It does exhibit a peaceful co-existence of Hindus and Buddhists also found throughout the country since many Buddhist refugees fled there in the 1950s at the time of the Communist invasion of Chairman Mao’s Red Army. Tibetan Vayrayana Buddhism is historically linked to Hinduism. It feels like you are getting two cultures for the price of one. Oddly, the only ideological conflict is along the border with China where Marxist terrorists have given the police and army trouble with their intention to bring an end to the Nepalese monarchy, which ultimately they did contribute to, although not to the point of Nepal becoming a Communist state.

The city of Kathmandu is really the ammalgamation of two towns; itself to the north of the Bagmati River and Lalitpur and Patan to the south of the river. Both have royal palaces, Durbar Squares and a host of temples dedicated to a variety of gods, goddesses and religious figures. Without the dogma of monotheism, people are left to relate to the deity as befits their own nature. Lalitpur is the artistic centre, producing pottery and sculpture for tourists and to export, although Thanka (religious icon) painters can be seen working in shop windows throughout the city. Originally this work would have been done by monks.

The pottery quarter is an amazing feat of low-tech activity. Old lorry wheels are mounted on their sides and made to spin by putting a large stick in beween their cast iron spokes and turning the wheel up to a speed where lumps of clay can be stuck in the middle and worked quickly before the wheel loses speed. The kilns are open sheds with little more that open fires bricked into them. When we were there, roofs had collapsed owing to the heat on the brick pillars supporting them and out of control fires were quite common apparently.

Pagodas were actually first built in Nepal, but then imported into China where they became better known because of the country’s position as a terminus of the Silk Road routes. The city is resplendent with many of these temples and other ornate buildings with lavish stone and wood carvings often erotic in nature, as there was never a cause for prudery in the culture but rather of fertility, or yogic techniques.

Bodnath Buddhist Temple to the north of town is similarly large, but consists of a large canvas-looking dome construction painted with an all-encompassing lotus design. It was built by Tibetan refugees and is the main centre of their community. We visited their craft workshops nearby. Pilgrims can be seen circling the construction for three revolutions, some prostrating themselves as they do it, while others whirl prayer wheels. At the other extreme there is a temple dedicated

to Bhadra Kali which still practices animal sacrifice, or at least did in 2001. But one resident, a big black goat, refused to submit to the priest’s plans and lives on there as a pet. In Durbar Square, a temple is dedicated to the virgin goddess Kumari, who is embodied by a sucession of young girls that only leave the building once every year for their procession, until they reach menstruation and are replaced by another girl from the goldsmith’s clan. Gorksnath, who largely invented hatha yoga as a monastic health regime, is the patron - a deified human who’s statues are found at many locations covered in red powder placed there by cermonial respect.

Further north of the city lies Pashupatinath (Siva, Lord of the animals) Temple. Which is the country’s largest Hindu temple. It stands on the banks of the Bagmati River - a tributary of the Ganges. Between the temple and river are the cremation ghats where all local Hindus are reduced to ashes before being cast into the river as it flows to the Ganges. We witnessed the cremation of a young woman when we were there. Even the Royal Family meet such an end here. Inside the temple is a huge stone phallic symbol called a Siva Linga, which only Hindus are allowed to visit and pay respect to. On the other bank of the river is a large building which is an occasional, or sometimes long time, home of rest for travelling sadhus, the holy dropouts with matted hair and little else in the way of belongings who wander in spiritual contemplation, often aided by smoking copious amounts of ganga (Indian hemp).

Swayambunath Temple complex stands on the north-west outskirts of Kathmandu on what is said to once have been an island. It certainly towers over the surrounding landscape. Although now reachable by road, one entrance has a veritable mountain of steps to be climbed to reach the top plateau where Buddhist and Hindu temples coexist happily. These include a Monkey Temple; the residence of a host of our near evolutionary relatives. Feeding them is pretty much obligatory.

When we had soaked up the sights and sounds of Kathmandu and Lalitpur, our route took us east to Bhaktapur and to the foothills that gave a view of Mount Everest on a good day. We only saw clouds in front of where the famously highest mountain stands. Bhaktapur is also an ancient well established town, somewhat smaller than the capital due to an earthquake in 1934. But many grand buildings survive including a Siva temple, a Dattreya temple, a Tree temple, a Naga pool (devoted to water spirits) and its own Royal Square.

Shree Padma School has to be among the most elaborately decorated schools in the world as its function changed from a former use leaving ornate carvings around the exterior. Nagacot is an outpost of the town up in the mountains where we experienced the celebrations for Nepalese New Year at an unlikely time not related to western or Chinese New Year, although presumably based on a lunar calendar as it certainly wasn’t the solar equinox. Dhulikiel was another mountain resort famous for views of Everest, where we only saw clouds, but we were repaid by dazzling panoramic views of the Kathmandu Valley. It was the closest we got to Tibet, where roads pass through deep gorges like that of San Koshi and where friendly trade with China passes through.

From Dhulikiel, we turned back west with a destination of Pokora where the Annapurna range of mountains were clearly visible including a forked peak mountain know as Fishtail Mountain. The road took us back through the outskirts of Katmandu and then on to long and twisting roads often overlooking sheer drops into valleys beside the road. Added to this, for the last third of the journey we found ouselves in a torrentially blinding rainstorm, which the driver took in his stride even if we didn’t, until we reached our lakeside hotel. From there we took several excursions locally, like one to Devi Falls, a spectacular ravine favoured by locals for suicides as self sacrifice to the goddess. On another mountain ride we were again caught in a torrential downpour, this time walking, but luckily near a house where the locals offered us shelter and food for which they expected no payment, so we gave to the younger members of the family instead. A similar mountain ride took us to a village which

revealed the unexpected sight of a prison as we walked around.

The buildings were mainly made of corrugated iron and must have made the incarceration even more unpleasant in the hot seasons.

Whilst in the area, we made the mistake of asking what the locals drunk and found it was homemade rice beer, which one kind soul produced for us to try but in glasses and a jug that looked like they hadn’t been washed in a long time - and sure enough, the following day we were laid low with bad cases of food poisoning. Fortunately in Pokara town which we had already visited, they had a chemist able to sell antibiotics without a prescription, which is the system in Nepal. However, the return journey to Katmandu did still involve several ‘comfort stops’. Nevertheless, the deep ravine side that the road ran along near to the Buddha’s birthplace, did provide some stunning scenery and included the swaying rope footbridges across the ravine that one of the Indiana Jones films featured. Then it was an overnight stay in the capital and the return flight.

A few days after our return to England we were stunned to hear the news that most of the Royal Family had been gunned down by the drunken Crown Prince because the King and Queen would not let him marry the bride of his choice. He had then turned the gun on himself and died a day or two later. The old King had been well loved, but the crown wound up passing to someone who had previously been about 15th in line and who proved to be very unpopular, so the monarchy was eventually dissolved, to some extent in response to the communist activites designed to encourage the abolishion which became popular to counteract the King’s unpopularity. The country is now a republic.

Professional dancer, Andrei Iliescu, rejoins The Chelmsford Ballet Company for Alice’s Adventures The Chelmsford Ballet Company’s upcoming production of Alice’s Adventures at the Civic Theatre in Chelmsford will see professional dancer Andrei Iliescu join the much loved company for a second year running, this time as the White Rabbit. Having already danced the role of Prince Florimund in last year’s The Sleeping Beauty, the company is excited for Iliescu to join the dancers onstage once again to the delight of its audiences.

The Chelmsford Ballet Company, calling Chelmsford its home for almost seventy years now, will be performing the 2017 production of Alice’s Adventures from 22–25­th March.

As one of its most highly anticipated productions, Alice’s Adventures is based on the stories of Alice in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass. This spectacular production will delight both young and old, with a few twists along the way. As a fantastic introduction to ballet, the production is ideal for those new to the art form, however familiar with the classic Alice tales.

Iliescu, who hails from Romania, began dancing at the National College of Arts. He competed in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition in Switzerland and was consequently awarded a full scholarship to attend Central School of Ballet in London. During his training, Iliescu worked with renowned choreographers such as Christopher Marney of Sir Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures and patron of The Chelmsford Ballet Company, Sharon Watson of Phoenix Dance Theatre, and Christopher Hampson of Scottish Ballet. Chelmsford audiences will have seen Iliescu perform in Ballet Central’s 2015 graduation tour ahead of his work last year with The Chelmsford Ballet Company.

From Alice to Tweedledum and Tweedledee, the amateur company prides itself on its professional standards and requires dancers to audition before joining. Dancers are then eligible to audition for the annual production, which is the pride of the company and the residents of Chelmsford.

To buy tickets for Alice’s Adventures, contact the box office on 01245 606 505, or visit www.chelmsford.gov.uk/alicesadventures, or www.thechelmsfordballetcompany.co.uk.

07936 198651

Spot 10 differences - answers on page 31...

Oaklands Infants School

I am often reminded that early experiences influence us throughout our lives, and as an infant school we certainly do recognise the key role we have to play in developing a positive attitude to school and self for our pupils. Oaklands Infants and Moulsham Junior School are both promoting the development of growth mindsets this year, and the rewards are already beginning to be seen in our children’s attitudes to meeting challenge.

enjoyable half term. The art theme that I discussed last month came to a crescendo with our Oaklands gallery. All the teachers worked incredibly hard to turn their classrooms into mini galleries to display the art that the children had created. An amazing number of parents and grandparents came to the school (over half of all families) to be taken on a tour of the works of art on display. Every classroom desk and wall space was filled with the children’s canvases.

The art gallery, combined with a Valentine themed cake stall run by our wonderful PTA volunteers, meant that the half term finished with a real buzz of excitement.

For the uninitiated, a growth mindset is, in the words of Carol Dweck, “the belief that our most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work - brains and talents are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” At Oaklands a first step back in July, was to adjust one part of our Oaklands Code (school rules) from we work hard to we persevere. Our code is not just a poster on the wall, but is part of our everyday language, applicable to any and every situation, and so we persevere has become a known and adopted phrase for our children. The impact of this has been considerable. Persuading four and five year olds to continue with a challenging task has previously been a fairly intensive mix of adult support and cajoling, but now we hear the proud rallying cry of ‘I’m persevering!’

We are rephrasing our presentation of tasks, giving children the expectation that it will be challenging (and so make their brains grow), but that with effort they will improve and succeed. Building on this, we are now focussed on learning from our mistakes. In assemblies children volunteer to share stories of the mistakes they have made and how they have learned from this to make new achievements. This might be a mistake in maths or a social mistake, such as upsetting someone in the playground, but the focus is on learning and growing and not being afraid to make the mistakes in the first place.

In the next issue we will hear from some members of our school council about their views on perseverance and learning from mistakes.

The teachers and I will be transporting all the canvases to Chelmsford Library for display to the public for the month of March, so I believe they will be up at the time you are reading this.

I am learning about publishing and timescales: On our first outing I asked you to vote for our school at Tesco and by the time of publication the voting had finished. Many people pointed this out, so at least I am reassured that the article was read! I also promised to let you know about a gym competition that is still to happen. I hope you will forgive this teacher-turned-amateur reporter, but with my growth mindset I am determined this will be a mistake I will learn from and so not repeat (too often).

Cheryl Allard, Headteacher.

As I write this it is the February break, and I am reflecting on a short but 18 www.moulshamtimes.com

Moulsham Schools

Life at MJS is always busy and certainly never dull. We have many talented young people and thanks to our supportive and dedicated staff and parents, we are able to undertake a wide range of activities outside of school. I am proud to say that we are also very successful!

Gradually her hours increased and when the boy she supported at Oaklands transferred to Moulsham Junior School, Les Kemp, who was the Headteacher at the time, thought it would be good for him if Michelle also joined him to help with his transition. Michelle recently met him during a school council trip to MENCAP - he is now 27 years old! Michelle then split her working time between MJS and OIS and over the course of the next few years worked with many children with varying needs, including those with behavioural issues.

Recently, our indoor athletics team took part in a competition against seven other school at Melbourne Sports and Athletics Centre. The team competed in a number of different challenges including standing triple jump and chest pushes - and thanks to their determination they won! They then progressed to the final where they battled hard against tough competition and qualified to compete in the County Final.

After working at both schools for a few years, Terry Flitman, the Deputy Headteacher at the time, said if she would work at MJS full time he would pay her more money - and she accepted! Jenny McCutcheon followed Terry Flitman as Deputy Headteacher and instilled the belief that being positive would always be more successful than being negative - a lifelong mantra that has stayed with her for many years and having adopted that way of thinking she has never looked back!

Earlier this term our Year 5 and 6 Choir formed part of an 8,000 strong children’s choir and performed at the O2 in London for the Young Voices 2017 Concert. Proceeds from the concert are donated to various children’s charities such as CLIC Sargent. In addition to the singing, there was a whole host of entertainment including street dance, beat-boxing and rock/jazz soloists.

When Linda Hughes took over as Headteacher in 2004, she decided the school needed a Learning Mentor. Michelle was encouraged to apply and was the successful applicant. She was more recently offered the post of Pastoral Support Leader, which has enabled her to take her role in school even further. Michelle has worked with 4 headteachers and 9 deputy headteachers and loved every minute of the last 23 years!

Her passion for her role shines through and she has truly made a huge difference to the lives of so many children and families. She is a huge asset to our School.

Marie Staley, Headteacher

Our quiz team, Amelie, Luke, Eddie and Sana’a Finally, four children represented our school in a General Knowledge Quiz at Meadgate Primary School. The team competed against four other teams from local schools and came second, scoring 1535 points, behind White Court Primary School.

The Essex Teaching Awards

Being a Headteacher can often be tough, but the joyful times far outweigh the difficult ones. This was certainly the case on Thursday 2nd February when I had the pleasure of attending The Essex Teaching Awards, as Michelle Orchard, our Pastoral Support Leader, was a finalist in the lifetime achievement category. I am absolutely delighted to say that she won! Our school would not run as smoothly as it does with 600 pupils if it was not for Mrs Orchard’s relentless efforts for our children and families. She will do anything that she can to secure the best for people; be it new uniform, counselling support, food vouchers, a comfy sofa to curl up on if you have friendship worries or a cup of coffee for the parent who is finding it all a bit too much. Every day she smiles, every day she cares and every day she goes that extra mile. I am very lucky to have her as part of my dream team.

Michelle started work in education in 1994 as a dinner lady and then became an LSA at Oaklands Infant School working for an hour each day with a non-English speaking boy with Downs Syndrome who was going to be attending the school.

Prior to this, Michelle helped as a volunteer in class, as her own two children had had attended the school.

Michelle Orchard, centre, pictured with her award with Marie Staley, Headteacher (right) and Gemma Moores, Deputy Headteacher (left).

Moulsham High School’s English Department Nominated for Teaching Award Moulsham High School’s English department was nominated for an Essex County Council Teaching Award, and were very proud to be runners-up in the ceremony. The school’s English department was nominated for ‘consistently outstanding outcomes at both Key Stage 4 and 5’ and also for ‘adapting tirelessly and effectively to a huge number of changes to the curriculum, without ever allowing these challenges to detract from their learners’ enjoyment of the subject.’

The Essex County Council Teaching Awards have been held every year for the last four years now, each year with the aim to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding teachers, headteachers, teaching assistants, governing bodies and school teams working in Essex.

Mr G Thorpe, Head of Faculty for Moulsham High School’s English Department, said: “There’s no doubt that it has been a particularly difficult few years for English teachers across the country, with massive developments and reforms to every aspect of the English curriculum. At Moulsham High School it would be an understatement to say that we’ve been determined at every key stage to rise up to these challenges. We have strived to ensure that every child manages to not only achieve their academic potential in these unchartered waters, but that they leave our classroom with a genuine love and enthusiasm for the subject that matches our own.

“Being nominated for the ‘Highly Commended Team of the Year’ Essex Teaching Award feels like a genuine acknowledgement of all of our hard-work and is a great reflection of the dedication and commitment of all members of the faculty.”

To advertise in either of our magazines please email ads@itsyourmedia.co.uk

Is your Life in Balance? by Mark Roberts Most people are familiar with the idea of coaching, it’s been around a long time in the fields of sport and business. A sportsman is likely to engage a coach with expertise in their chosen field, and in the business world it would be traditional to engage a consultant to advise on business matters. In both cases, although not exclusively, it would be usual for the coach or consultant to offer expert advice to the client. It’s very likely that this would be the client’s expectation.

done along the way and more importantly, what hurdles need to be overcome.

The world of life - or personal - coaching is completely different because a personal coach doesn’t give advice and for this reason, does not have to be an expert in the chosen career of the client. A personal coach seeks to explore some of the major areas that are likely to impact on the balance of the client’s life.

Whatever happens along the route, I always encourage a client to have some pre-planned stops along the way. This provides them with the opportunity to review and reflect on how far they have come and to see how close they are getting to their goal. This is an important part in the achievement process, because it can be all too easy to lose sight of how much effort has been put in and what has been achieved along the way. Knowing how far the path has been travelled is a huge motivator to continue and succeed. Oh, and by the way, it is a great opportunity to celebrate before the journey continues.

In a typical first session when I am coaching, I would explore my client’s life and lifestyle quite deeply, often asking questions that nobody else would ask - possibly questions they would not even consider asking themselves.

An important first port of call is to establish what the client wants to achieve from coaching. The answer to this question, at an early stage in the coaching relationship, is often quite revealing for the person being coached. Many clients know exactly what they want, but it is much more common for them to have no idea at all other than perhaps wanting something different to what they already have, often expressing a general dissatisfaction with their life and lifestyle.

Following the initial session and after the client has had time to reflect, I would usually take them through a process to discover and explore the areas of life that are most important to them.

These would include family, career, finances, relationships, health, happiness, spirituality etc. These elements are generally relevant to most clients and usually feature in most coaching sessions.

Of course, every client is unique and brings with them their own challenges, desires and needs. My job is to help them unlock their thoughts and then help them to articulate them into something tangible. Once done, I will get them to rate each area for satisfaction.

Some of the journey may be easy - just a case of mentally putting one foot in front of the other. Other parts may prove more challenging, perhaps requiring some re-skilling, or seeking professional advice. It is my job as their coach to hold them to account for any actions they have agreed to make between each coaching session. This alone can often be the driver that makes coaching so effective: When the client has ‘promised to deliver’ to their coach, the psychological impact of ‘letting the coach down’ is often a huge driver to keep going.

Whatever it is that you desire, achievement can begin as soon as you have formed a clear picture of the final goal, mapped your route and planned to overcome any hurdles along the way.

Whatever your journey...

To your success…

For more about Mark Roberts, visit his Facebook page at www.facebook.com/intelligentlifestrategies.

The process of exploration, discovery and rating is often quite revealing for the client. Even though they are intellectually aware of their own personal circumstances, it can be quite an eye-opener when they are asked to consider their life in these terms. Whether a client comes to coaching with specific goals or not, once they have been guided through the ratings exercise it is usual to have something of an ‘aha!’ moment. The reveal usually lies in the discovery that their life is not quite as in balance as they first thought. Once internalised, this can have quite a dramatic impact as the moment of realisation takes effect.

The next step in the process is to ask the client whether they seek to make any changes based upon their discovery in the last process.

It can be beneficial at this point to ask them to contrast this against any current dissatisfaction they may be experiencing. This can be quite useful when placed in context of any recent lack of success.

In coaching terms this can be a productive time, often enabling the client to form a clear view of the way forward. When this happens, I will guide them to formulate a clear image of their desired outcome. It is only when the client has a complete picture of their goal that a plan can be formulated to reach their desired destination.

The plan to achieve will require some assessment of their current position. This will help when considering the journey and the challenges that they will face. Without an accurate picture of their current position, it will be challenging to take those first steps towards their desired outcome. It may sound a bit simplistic, but if you know your start point it is much easier to plan a route and create a map.

This exercise allows the client to see exactly what needs to be 20

CURTAINS, SHELVES, PICTURES, PAINTING, DECORATING, WALLPAPER, TILING, FLAT-PACKS, GENERAL CARPENTRY, MINOR PLUMBING, DRIPPING TAPS, GUTTERS, GARDENS, FENCE REPAIR, JET WASH & OTHER ODD JOBS

Trusted and reliable retired police officers providing high quality handyman and electrical services to families, individuals and businesses CALL TODAY FOR YOUR FREE QUOTE

0800 255 0 255

www.trustinblue.com

www.moulshamtimes.com

Wine Corner

Well hello everyone, winter continues. As I write this it is snowing, not settling fortunately, but flippin’ cold. Looked at the shorts in the drawer this morning and quickly closed it!

This month I thought I would look at wines from China. China is the world’s most populous country with more than 1.3 billion people (one in five of the world’s population) and to fit them in, it is the second largest country by land area (Russia is first). Of those 1.3 billion people, 30 million apparently live in caves. I think that is proper rock type caves not the French wineries, I know which I’d prefer! In 2011, China consumed 42.5 billion - yes that number has loads of noughts packs of instant noodles. I wish I had a share of that business.

Enough of that, let’s get on with the wine. China is in the top ten global markets for wine. Chinese wine-making dates back 9,000 years, but very little was drunk until the period around 800 when grape vines became more common. China’s first modern winery was founded in 1892.

Not surprisingly, it was French vines that were imported into the country in about 1980. Most of the wine produced until the millennium was exported, as the majority of the Chinese population could not afford to buy it. This changed in 2000 when the country’s economy started to prosper. There are about six notable wine growing areas, including Beijing, Tonghua and Tayiuan in the north east and Sichuan in the centre. The total wine production increased by 58% between 1996 and 2001 and then another 68% to 2006.

alright. Apparently the garage door and drive gates had been opening and closing in turn for the past twenty minutes. That’s OK I explained, there must be an electrical fault. I’ve told the owner...

A lot of us are familiar with the well known wine growing countries and even the famous wine growing regions within them. I thought I would have a quick look at some of the lesser known ones.

To make good wine good suitable soil is a must, different soil make up can influence the taste and some will be better than others for certain grapes. They need a good source of water and sun - and of course a good wine maker.

In some cases, the local conditions can be supplemented in order to grow a wider range - artificial irrigation for example, or even earth moving equipment to change the soil.

I was surprised to see some places were wine producing areas, the Canary Islands and Morocco for example. Long Island in the USA is now a renowned producer of sparkling wine apparently. Belgium is said to be full of uninteresting people, not true of course, but they are made more interesting by the fact that they produce a nice Chardonnay. Others include Japan and Thailand. It is going to be some time before some of these are as popular as the well known wines of today, though.

Bin end chuckles

A red wine from the Ningxia region won the Decanter magazine trophy in 2011.

I watched a programme on insomnia the other day but didn’t see the end, I fell asleep.

As you would expect with the vines imported from France, the most common grape varieties are the well known ones. They also produce ice wine. This is popular in Germany and is made from grapes picked very late in the growing cycle and, as it says in the title, the grapes have frozen on the vine. It can be a bit risky to produce as if the frosts do not appear, the grapes are not recoverable for normal production.

I think exit signs are on the way out.

Keep calm and carry on drinking (in moderation).

So after all that, where can you buy Chinese wine? Well, online seems to be the place, some of the wines are expensive but I did find some at less than a tenner.

I was reading this week about an experiment in Italy where a group of wine ‘experts’ and some non experts (ordinary people in other words) were asked to identify wine just by the smell (not my idea of a good night out) and the so-called non-experts were just as good as the professionals. Not sure what that tells us, but I bet the experts were a bit put out. People often ask how to identify a good wine and there are lots of ideas about sniffing, tasting and spitting it out (no way) and others. This is my theory: Buy a bottle of wine, pour a glass, take a taste, it is well worth sucking white wine though your lips to get the flavours. If it’s red then sort of chew the wine in your mouth. Next, ask yourself if you like it. If the answer is yes, then it’s a good wine!

I have mentioned before that me and technology do not get on and this was confirmed again recently. A well off friend of mine lives in a nice big house and is mad on modern gadgets. If it’s out there, he wants it. Well, the other weekend he asked me to keep an eye on his house while he was away for a few days. He said it would be quite easy as he had lots of stuff that can be controlled by a smart phone. He came round and gave me a quick lesson. I was on my way to check on the house and decided to ‘have a go’. I was a bit chilly, so I thought that I would just turn the heating on. Well, I tried about 7 times to do this and finally thought I’d succeeded. When I got to the house, all the lights were on. I went in and there was toast on the kitchen floor, the television was on and I just stopped it ordering some food to replenish the smart fridge. Not only that, the shower was on upstairs. I went round putting all this right and left the house and realised that the only thing that was not on was the heating. On my way out a neighbour stopped me and asked if everything was 22

www.moulshamtimes.com

www.moulshamtimes.com

23

Rotary Encourages Music Making

The Rotary Youth Competitions are all reaching the District Finals stage so this is an exciting time for the many talented young people we have locally.

audience and judges alike.

The Young Musician competition reached its climax on Saturday 11th February in Chelmsford Cathedral and was a very enjoyable musical evening for performers,

The winner was Chris Wilkin playing some dazzling Shostakovich on the cello, with runner-up Mary Armitage showing her dexterity on the alto-saxophone. The Best Young Singer was Abbie Ward who was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Chelmsford so this was a real coup for a wonderful talent on our doorstep. 11 year old Misha Bennett came runner-up.

The other performers also all gave good accounts of themselves, providing a very varied programme - from more Shostakovich and Bach, to Sia and Paul Simon. It was a delight to have two of the singers accompanying themselves - one on guitar, the other on piano.

It is always a difficult task for the judges to pick the winners from a gifted group, bearing in mind these people had all won through from their area heats.

Lord Petre with the finalists of Rotary Young Musician Competition Chairman of judges was Patrick McCarthy, well-known local orchestral and choral conductor, supported by Sally Leung, director of the Colchester Military Wives’ Choir, and Jessica Edom-Carey, former winner of the Young Singer award herself and now a student at the Royal College of Music. They made many helpful comments on the performances and had a hard job sorting out the final order.

Presenting the trophies, Lord Petre, Lord Lieutenant for Essex, paid tribute to all who supported the performers and thanked Rotary for organising the competition - and so much else for the benefit of the community. Rotarian Lesley Sulley gave a final address to the audience and performers to conclude another stimulating and enjoyable evening.

The culmination of Young Musician follows on the magnificent New Year Gala Concert also held in Chelmsford Cathedral organised by the Rotary Club of Chelmer Bridge. This featured The Essex Youth Orchestra and The Essex Youth Chamber Choir. The choir under choral director Simon Warne gave a very accomplished and varied programme that included songs from South Africa which added a different dimension to the classical works in the rest of the repertoire.

The Essex Youth Orchestra is the collective term combining varying types of music; wind, jazz and classical. The orchestras exist to provide young people who live or study in Essex with the opportunity to play professional pieces and to experience the hard work required

to put on a professional performance. Members receive tuition of the highest quality from professional musicians and conductors and enjoy making friendships which last beyond their involvement with the orchestra. Many go on to achieve acclaim at a high level and Chelmer Bridge Rotary Club is proud to have supported this concert for thirty years. This year, the orchestra was conducted by Robin Browning who is increasingly in demand in the UK and abroad.

Each month I write about an aspect of Rotary’s involvement in the community. This time it is about youth but it could equally be about the elderly or the homeless - in fact, a whole range of subjects. So if you feel you would like to know more about helping Rotary in its work, then visit www.chelmsfordrotary1240.org - or better still, give me a call on 01245 260 349.

Stan Keller

Essex School Teacher is the single UK winner of International Writing Competition An Essex Primary School teacher has become the single UK winner of the British Council’s Commonwealth Class Story Competition, beating hundreds of other entries from across the globe.

Caroline Picking, who teaches English at St Cedd’s School in Chelmsford, moved the judges with her beautiful story of Anni the Laji-bird.

The piece is a thought-provoking reflection of the issues surrounding the refugee crisis that is currently taking a grip of our modern world.

Caroline said: “I am absolutely delighted to have placed third in this amazing competition, as well as being the only winner from the UK.” The brief asked storytellers to centre their writing around the idea of ‘belonging’ and what this means to them. It saw entries from across the Commonwealth, including Kenya, Pakistan and Malaysia, with the winning two entries from Nigeria and India.

John Rolfe and Shane McLaughlin from the British Council visited St Cedd’s School this week to award Caroline with her certificate.

John said: “The British Council is proud and delighted to celebrate the very well-deserved success of Caroline Picking in the CommonwealthWide Teachers’ Story Writing Competition.

“Her powerful and poignant story of Anni was judged in the top three of all entrants and the only UK winner. Many congratulations to Caroline and to all at St Cedd’s School for their fantastic commitment to the enriching and creative international dimensions of teaching.”

If you would like to read Caroline’s story, as well as the winning entries, please visit www.britishcouncil.org/education/schools.

Deadlines for the April edition Articles - 17th March Print ready art work - 23rd March

The Gospel According to Caroline I am sure that all of you know that it is Mothering Sunday this month. Will you give your mother a card or a present for Mothering Sunday? Mothering Sunday cards often say something like ‘mum, I love you!” Do you think your mother likes to hear you tell her that you love her? Of course she does! But do you know what your mother would like even more? She would like for you to show her that you love her.

Do you think that God likes to hear us tell Him that we love Him? I know He does. But He likes it even better when our actions show Him that we love Him. How do we do that? The Bible tells us that “God showed his love for us by sending His one and only Son so that we might live through him.” One of the best ways to show our love for God is to love one another. Yes, God likes to hear us say ‘I love you’ but He would rather see us say ‘I love you’.

As we celebrate Mothering Sunday, let’s tell mum that we love her, but more important, let’s remember to show her that we love her.

God has made us so that a mother’s care at its very best reflects God’s love for us all.

As we observe Lent and wait for Easter, let us give thanks for all mothers.

To find out what we exciting things are happening at Christ Church visit our Facebook page: Christ Church URC Chelmsford, or visit our website www.christchurchchelmsfordurc.org.uk - and St John’s at: www.stjohnsmoulsham.org.uk.

Caroline Brown, Church Family and Community Worker, Christ Church United Reformed Church

Charity of the Month Chess homeless - Supporting homeless single adults in Chelmsford and Essex CHESS seeks to relieve homelessness and related hardship and distress amongst single adults in Chelmsford and Essex through the provision of support services and temporary accommodation that helps them move on in their lives.

In the early 1990s, Churches Together in Chelmsford (CTiC) were concerned for the plight of homeless people in Chelmsford. First responses were to organise soup runs. Harsh winters at that time caused further worries and so local churches took it in turn to open their halls for a week at a time so that homeless people could sleep there at night. It became clear a shelter was needed, and one which was not restricted to winter months only and so CHESS opened a night shelter in the mid 1990s.

The existing night shelter provides emergency accommodation for up to seven homeless people. Whilst referrals are accepted from other agencies, the night shelter is a ‘direct access’ hostel, meaning that many homeless people can apply for admission. The shelter additionally provides drinks and food along with clothing, sleeping bags and hygiene and laundry facilities to rough sleepers calling at the night shelter for help.

Along with the night shelter the charity has an annex and four ‘move-on shared houses’ which serve as a further step towards independent living. Move-on homes are intended for those who are progressing towards achieving independent accommodation of their own. In total CHESS, can support up to 29 people at any one time.

Other support includes a team of staff who work closely with residents throughout their stay as well as a part time qualified counsellor.

In August 2016, CHESS purchased the Old Red Cross Building next to BBC Essex and in December we were granted planning permission to turn this into our new night shelter - The CHESS Hub. This will enable us to extend our bed spaces from 7 to 9 and will provide private therapy rooms, training facilities and our administration office.

However, this facility needs to be completely renovated before it can be opened and fully operational for service users. We are therefore appealing to the local community and businesses to help raise funds to enable us to complete the necessary work required on this wonderful building.

Last year CHESS was donated a garden from Genesis Landscapes, which was designed by local designers, Wardrop and Stevenson, and featured at last year’s BBC Gardeners World show. This is going to be a beautiful safe green space for our service users to enjoy. Often, homeless people are victims of verbal and physical abuse at public green spaces and our hope is to give our service users a therapeutic green space for them to feel safe and enjoy.

We are extremely grateful for the amazing support we receive from individuals, groups and associations, businesses and trusts. CHESS would like to thank Nick Garner for choosing the charity for this year’s third Essex Delta Blues Festival. All funds raised from this event will

be donated to the charity.

If you would like to support CHESS by raising some funds for our Hub Appeal, then please contact Lindsay Hurrell, Fundraiser, via lindsay. hurrell@chesshomeless.org.

We often get asked to give talks and presentations to rotary clubs, lions clubs, schools and colleges about the work of the charity. If you would like a talk please contact us.

The charity relies on the tremendous support of volunteers who play a vital role, so if you are interested in giving up a few hours of your spare time to help with doing administration, gardening, cleaning or becoming one of our over-night sleepers, then please email barbara@ chelmsfordchess.org.

CHESS Registered Office: 23-24 George Street, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 0JU. CHESS Registered Charity Number: 1093901. Company Number: 4407742.

Living Mind is an independent organisation offering individually tailored Mental Health assessments and treatments, Medical Acupuncture, Reflexology & Mindfulness. Confidentiality and safety are always at the heart of our organisation.

With integration of Orthodox treatment and Complementary approaches, we offer treatments for various mental health conditions including stress, anxiety, depression, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, Panic Attacks, Post Natal Depression, Eating Disorder, OCD and many more.

Mental Health

Reflexology

Mindfulness

Medical Acupuncture

£5 off if you call during the week of Mother's Day

Gift vouchers are available for Mother's Day

tel: 07753 430829 fax: 01268 765427 website: www.livingmind.co.uk email: info@livingmind.co.uk twitter: living_mind facebook: facebook.com/livingmindlimited

Looking to extend your property?

By Mike Otter

Adding an extension may seem daunting but with the right advice you can gain the extra space that you want whilst increasing the value of your home.

Key to achieving success is establishing what works best for you, your property and your budget.

At GPO Designs we'll guide you at each step in the development process from the capturing of initial ideas, the production and refinement of plans and through the planning and building control stages. Understanding a design from conventional line drawings can be difficult which is why we work with a three dimensional design system and produce colour visuals as standard -see examples of previous jobs at our Facebook page www.facebook.com/GPODesigns.

GPO DESIGNS Planning for your property Drawings and Building Plans for Planning Permission and Building Regulations: ♦ Extensions ♦ New Builds ♦ Garage Conversions ♦ Loft Conversions ♦ Barn Conversions

Our design service starts with a consultation at your property where we discuss and help to develop your ideas.

Measurements and photographs are then taken to allow us to draw up detailed plans. We communicate with you throughout the design process and only once you are completely happy with the design will we then submit the plans to the Local Authority for approval. We produce plans and details for planning permission, permitted development and building regulations applications.

Our aim is to provide a high quality service at the best possible price. We offer fixed rates for our services and these can be found on our website: www.gpodesigns.co.uk. So if you are looking to build a new house, add an extension or a garden room, or if you want a loft, garage or barn conversion, call Mike or George for a free no obligation quote on 01245 835855, or visit our website for further details of our full range of services. We offer daytime, weekend or evening appointments to suit you. www.moulshamtimes.com

Our Artists Impressions help you to see what's possible

■ Daytime, Weekend or Evening Appointments to suit you `

■ Fast Track Service ■ Free Advice

 01245 835855

www.gpodesigns.co.uk 8 Willow Grove, South Woodham Ferrers.

Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

27

All About Moulsham Lodge & Tile Kiln

Moulsham Lodge Community Trust Coffee Mornings: MLCT are now holding regular coffee mornings in our Community Pop Up Cafe on a Tuesday morning between 10am and 1pm. We are trying to make them themed, with two upcoming coffee mornings focused on dementia on the 7th March and Farleigh Hospice/Macmillan on the 14th March. The latest one was a morning making Valentine’s Day cards (see picture, top left). Do come along and meet your neighbours and enjoy some light refreshments.

See the images below of all of the groups who pitched their ideas.

Chelmsford SOUP: MLCT were delighted to get the most votes at the latest Chelmsford Soup and won £190 towards training volunteers in food hygiene for when they are working in our Community Café. What is Chelmsford Soup I hear you ask?

SOUP is a relatively new concept to these shores after beginning in the United States of America. So far SOUP events across Essex have raised more than £14,500 towards local grassroots projects seeking to make a real difference in their community. These are just ordinary people and local community groups looking to improve where they live, work and study.

How does SOUP work? Well it’s simple; local groups or individuals come along and pitch their idea to their local community. Each person listening to the pitches has made a donation on the door, normally £5, and for this they get to hear the pitches, enjoy a hearty bowl of homemade soup (yes that’s where the SOUP comes in!) and enjoy a social evening.

Once they’ve heard all the pitches they vote, with their spoon, for the idea they’d like to see take the donations paid at the door. The idea with the most votes then wins the money.

But there’s more to it than just winning, it’s also about making connections, sharing resources and getting involved. Youth football teams get new strips donated, new foster homes for cats offered, new volunteers recruited and donations increased to foodbanks.

URGENT APPEAL we need a new treasurer. If you think you have the experience and the time to help us, please get in touch.

Please also like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ MoulshamLodgeCommunityTrust and check there for details of events and updates. www.mlct.org.uk, 07411 808 731, enquiries@mlct.org.uk, Twitter: MLCTStation

Cllr Mark Springett - Moulsham Lodge Ward Thank you for the response to last month’s article. I received quite a few reports of pot holes, loose curb stones, tarmac erosion and uneven paths and these will be evaluated and passed over to Essex County Council as necessary. All of the issues reported are unfortunately common around Chelmsford.

Mack Mazda With the unfortunate demise of Mack Mazda, along with the jobs it provided, we have lost a convenient place to send our poorly cars. Mack Mazda sponsored Essex-wide charities as well as MLCT, our local Community Station. This site as you may have seen, is now up for sale with a freehold tenure at around £900k and is being marketed principally for a similar purpose, although the City Council had previously identified it for possible re-development. If you remember, Sainsbury’s were interested in putting one of their local stores there until the owner of Mack bought the site. I’ll let you know how things progress with this as it may have significant impact depending on who buys it.

Springhealth Many of you will know that Springhealth, based by Moulsham High School, has gone into liquidation. Another sad story of our economic times. With 20 to 30 staff losing full time as well as part time employment, not to mention all of the self-employed instructors that hired the facilities for their own classes, it is another significant blow to our local economy. I feel that we probably won’t be seeing another gym there in the near future which is a real shame for all of us who used these local affordable and convenient facilities.

28

Community Centre Site The old Community Centre site at the bottom of Waltham Glen will be redeveloped - this will probably start this year. In preparation for this, the large conifers that still remain there are due to be cut down and will probably be gone by the time you read this. They need to cut them down well in advance of any redevelopment to miss the nesting season. I have asked that the developers hold a public consultation on the plans as this has the potential to have a significant impact, especially with those properties adjacent to the site.

Playground Update You may have seen Cllr Simon Cook’s article last month regarding a new playground in Lucas Avenue and Orange Tree Close.

Unfortunately, we are not getting a new playground and there will be no refurbishment of the equipment in Lucas Avenue, but we will be getting brand new equipment behind the shops in Orange Tree Close.

Council officers tell me that they intend to hold a local consultation of the detailed plans with any feedback helping to determine those plans and the choice of play equipment. I have offered the Community Station as a possible venue for the consultation.

As always, I’m happy for you to contact me about any issues around Moulsham Lodge and Chelmsford. Next time, I’ll talk about some of the different responsibilities between the City and County Councils.

Search for me on Twitter and Facebook where you can also let me know about local issues.

Email: mark.springett@chelmsford.gov.uk. Tel: 07411 808 973. Web: www.markspringett.com.

Remember to tell our advertisers you saw their advert in the MT

www.moulshamtimes.com

2nd Chelmsford Boys’ and Girls’ Brigade

This time last year, 2nd Chelmsford Boys’ Brigade relaunched its Anchor Section for 5-8 year olds. We started with three young lads aged 5/6 and we now have 9! We also have two new recruits in our Junior section as well. Who would have thought that just a year on, we would be opening a waiting list for the Anchor Section!? We still have spaces in the Junior Section though, so if you have a son aged 8-11 years who would like to come along on a Tuesday and try us out, then please do contact us.

The Girls’ Brigade have had equal success with raising their numbers in the younger sections too. The N:Vestigate group (5-8 years) have 8 girls in their group, with 5 in the N:Gage group (8-11 years) - like the

BB, there are still some spaces in the older GB 8-11 year group if your daughter would be interested.

The older sections (11-18) of both the Boys and Girls Brigade remain pretty consistent with numbers, around 10 in each group. Members recently took part in the District and Battalion Swimming Gala held in South Woodham Ferrers and although they didn’t bring any trophies home, they all had a great time.

Star & Garter Opening Hours Sun -Thurs 12pm-11pm Fri - Sat- 12pm-12am

Live Music This Month Friday - 3/3 - VT11 Saturday - 4/3 - Stony Road Sunday - 5/3 - Open mic/jam Thursday - 9/3 - Phil Ball Band Friday - 10/3 - The Class Saturday - 11/3 - Lithium Sunday - 12/3 - Open mic/jam Friday - 17/3 - The GT40’s Saturday - 18/3 - Strongbox Sunday - 19/3 - Open mic/jam Thursday - 23/3 - Acoustic Jam Friday - 24/3 - Rewind Saturday - 25/3 - Solar 9 Sunday - 26/3 - Open mic/jam Friday - 31/3 - Thirsty Work Saturday - 1/4 - Storm Sunday - 2/4 - Open mic/jam

159 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford CM2 0LD 01245 600009

Life T M Hack

Moisturise or apply vaseline to the skin before using perfume to make it last longer...

Tile Kiln Corner by Linda Mascot

As a Governor of Mildmay Junior School, most of my visits are for meetings or with a specific observation focus, so I was delighted to be asked to help judge Mildmay’s Got Talent in February to celebrate the fun and entertaining creative talents of pupils.

The other judges were Terry Wright from Essex Dance Theatre, Heidi Speakman, dance teacher at Dance Projections and ex Mildmay pupils Carlie Johnson, who works in media, and Cameron James who plays football for Colchester United.

The 27 diverse acts included singing, dancing, a range of musical instruments, comedy, drama, gymnastics and a karate demonstration. It was an extremely difficult job to choose the winners as all the participants had worked really hard to give their best performances.

Dancer Terry Wright summed up the achievements of the pupils “Having performed lots in the past, I know how hard it is to perform in front of your friends and family. All the children were very brave and did exceptionally well.”

After much deliberation, Rainbow Rockers were declared the worthy winners. 8 year old Amy Porter and 9 year old Evie Pardoe were www.moulshamtimes.com

thrilled with their medals, Evie explained: “It took us about four weeks to practice the dance.

I was speechless when they announced first place and tears were falling down my face when I went up on stage to get my medal - I couldn’t believe we won!”

Congratulations to all the children who took to the stage, I thoroughly enjoyed all the performances and £300 was raised by the Friends of Mildmay for the benefit of the school. If you would like to get involved in supporting Mildmay Junior School, the committee would be pleased to hear from you. Please email FriendsofMildmay@outlook. com. mascotlinda@gmail.com Twitter: @lindamascot

29

Cultural Development Day On Thursday 9th February the Cramphorn Theatre was packed to capacity with creative people of all walks and arts administrators to reveal their hopes for the future of culture in the rapidly expanding city.

Chelmsford’s proximity to London has always meant that if locals want any form of culture the simplest answer is a train ticket to the capital. We are surrounded by larger established towns like Colchester, Cambridge and Ipswich who are further from London and have had to be more inclusive for the needs of residents. Usually these towns have been blessed with universities, and in all cases an art school, nowadays subsumed into universities, which have provided experts and audiences for cultural pursuits. Here again Chelmsford has lost out, as the expansion of the colleges that led to the formation of Anglia Ruskin University kept the Cambridge Art School and related cultural activities on that city’s campus.

Cambridge kept their Corn Exchange too, which continues to provide a venue large enough to attract foreign and top ranking musical acts (just as ours had done before it was demolished) as well as providing a site for theatrical productions and other entertainments.

All venues in Chelmsford that replaced these functions were on a smaller scale before city status was ever thought of, and more recently we have seen the groundswell of activity at grass roots centres like the Ideas Hub and music venues in pubs, clubs or the football ground’s social club, while the cathedral has catered for the classical needs. We have an amazingly good museum in Hylands Park and its outposts, but nowhere in the town centre to attract the casual browser. The bigger the city gets the longer the waiting list for exhibitors at the museum gets.

Naturally, the foremost concern for the council in providing a suitable venue and facilities - like studios and practice rooms - is cost and so the morning of 9th February was taken up by financial matters.

Firstly, by a representative of the Arts Council dealing with grants to individual artists and to large and small organisations promoting

the arts via museums and elsewhere. This was met by a talk from a spokesperson for Essex County Council with responsibility for cultural issues. A question and answer session followed about matters arising.

In the afternoon, the session was more interactive with all the guests from the floor divided mainly into three groups dealing with venues, creativity and people. People in attendance were encouraged by the session leader, a lady from Further Education, to move around the groups and participate in all discussions. With so many in attendance not all managed to get a voice. Then a team leader for each group reported back from the notes taken.

The session organiser promised that she would read through all that had been written, but two main issues were foremost; the need for networking to be co-ordinated by creating a ‘Who’s Who’ of all creative people and organisations in the city, including those to turn to for support in creative ventures.

The other great consideration was to return to where we had begun with the issue of finance. All agreed that a large, central, multipurpose arts centre is what the town needs, with galleries, studios, a large music venue, practice rooms, theatre and information centre (which would include info about museum activities) and offices for administration. Interim facilities will need development while council officials work on how to raise the finance and where to site such a grand project, which should easily be able to finance itself from its activities. Otherwise the town is set to be just another shopping centre - and Essex is not short of those.

The currently empty Shire Hall - owned by the County Council rather than City Council to add another tier of difficulty - would obviously provide for most of these needs temporarily and it would be nice if councillors at all levels could find a way to make use of it for the community in a way other than as just another commercial enterprise.

John Power

A monthly community lunch for everyone From their base in the heart of Old Moulsham, local charity City of Chelmsford Mencap continue to go from strength to strength, with a busy annual programme supporting people with a learning disability, attracting the attention of John Lewis and many other local organisations and individuals.

Additionally, for the past 18 months the charity have thrown open their doors, welcoming friends and neighbours to a series of lively community lunches. Hosted at Mencap Centre in Mildmay Road, lunch includes three courses, with refreshments, all freshly prepared and served by Mencap students, at just £7 per person. New friends are always welcome (advance booking essential).

Lunches are themed to celebrate key dates such as Chinese New Year, and are prepared using seasonal ingredients. Students are involved in everything from menu planning and decorating the room, right up to organising the entertainment which follows the meal. On each occasion students extend their skills with an ambitious new menu, ably assisted by cooking tutor Sabine Nussey.

The objective is to bring the community together, encouraging inclusivity, mutual support and understanding. At the same time Mencap students enhance and showcase their employment skills, developing their abilities and confidence. The project was originally developed by staff and students at City of Chelmsford Mencap as

part of their Active in the Community and Environment (ACE) project.

The charity have been thrilled to receive fantastic feedback. One attendee commented: “A delightful occasion. Everything done to a really high standard, well done!” Another said: “The food was excellent. Good sized portions, lovely service and brilliant flavours!”

Forthcoming dates: Thursday 16th March (St Patrick’s Day) Thursday 20th April (Welcoming spring) Thursday 25th May (Mayday/village fete) Thursday 15th June (Henley Picnic) Thursday 20th July (late American Independence Day) Grace Lidstone, Adults’ Services Manager at the charity said: “We have lots of regulars who really enjoy the food and it’s great to see the community coming together. Our students are developing key work skills and have a great sense of achievement of a job well done.”

If you’d like to book please call 01245 268 303 or email info@ cityorchelmsfordmencap.org.uk.

Highwood Construction

All roofing work undertaken Home Improvements • Extensions • Alterations Garages • Wall Rebuilds • Free Estimates We are a local family run business with 30 years experience! Call us for a free no obligation quotation

01245 422712 / 07711 606561 - 20% Discount when you mention MOULSHAM TIMES

Advertise on our classified page for just £25 + VAT per issue.

Auto Services

A well established local garage based in the heart of Chelmsford for all your motoring needs.

42 Milmay Rd, Chelmsford CM2 0DZ Tel: 01245 262869

Advertise on our classified page for just £25 + VAT per issue.

All or Nothing - Written by Carol Harrison and Directed by Tony McHale

In 1964, a new phenomenon exploded onto the dingy British streets. It was the essence of all that was cool. It was mod. Mods stuck two fingers up at the class ridden society and its dull redundant culture. They were working-class free spirits who rode sexy streamlined Italian Vespas or Lambrettas. The sharpest mod of all was known as a face.

The Small Faces encapsulated all that is mod, a unique blend of taste and testosterone, neat, clothes-obsessed and street-wise. But these cult sophisticates shared another passion, their dedication to rhythm ‘n’ blues.

All Or Nothing is a quintessentially British mod musical which celebrates the unique sound of the iconic sixties mod band, The Small Faces. www.moulshamtimes.com

The musical features an arsenal of brilliant Small Faces hits like Whatcha Gonna Do About It, Lazy Sunday, Tin Soldier, Sha La La La Lee, Itchycoo Park and of course, All Or Nothing.

Quotes The Daily Star Sunday: “Funny fiery and brave... you’ll have a rocking night out.”

The Sunday Express: “A smile-inducing night of mod nostalgia.”

Daily Mail: “Great gags, the music is marvellous” Mail on Sunday’s Mollie Marriott: “I know the band would be so proud of this show.”

PP Arnold: “Great music and fantastic energy of a wonderful cast.”

For further information, see the advert on page 5. www.twitter.com/AONthemusical www.facebook.com/allOrNothingTheMusical 31

YOUR LOCAL INDEPENDENT ESTATE AGENT SERVING MOULSHAM FOR 25 YEARS FOR A FREE PROFESSIONAL VALUATION CALL 01245 266980 Gloucester Avenue £305,000

Terrace House Three bedrooms Off road parking Popular location

Belle Vue £279,995

Victorian Cottage Two Bedrooms Cottage style rear garden No Onward Chain

Littell Tweed £279,995

Victoria Court £299,999

Semi-detached bungalow Two bedrooms Pleasant cul-de-sac No onward chain

• Luxury 1st Floor Apartment • Two bedrooms • Allocated parking space • Sole Agents

Vicarage Road Guide Price £625,000

• Semi-detached character house • Four bedrooms • Off street parking • Popular location

Moulsham Drive £725,000

Spacious Detached House Luxurious Accommodation Off Street parking • NHBC Guarantee

Marconi Road £449,995

Victorian semi-detached Luxurious fitted kitchen Three bedrooms 45ft rear garden Stewart Road £339,995

Semi-detached bungalow Three bedrooms 50ft West facing rear garden Off street parking Lady Lane £550,000

Detached family house Five bedrooms 100ft rear garden No onward chain