Ingatestone, Fryerning & Mountnessing Parish News Magazine Issue 01 February 2023

Ingatestone, Fryerning & Mountnessing Parish

News Magazine

Welcome to Ingatestone, Fryerning & Mountnessing Parish News

It is with great pleasure that we bring you the first edition of the Ingatestone, Fryerning & Mountnessing Parish News magazine. We are excited to support the local community, inside you will find details of local charities, clubs, societies and voluntary groups, events and businesses offering a whole range of products and services.

3,500 copies are delivered monthly to homes throughout the community with extra copies placed in local businesses and locations of high footfall.

We are always happy to discuss possible submissions, article ideas and glorious snaps from any budding local photographers so do get in touch! Where we have space, we will provide charities and local community groups with FREE editorial space in the magazine in recognition of the invaluable support they provide to those in the community.

You can look forward to receiving your magazine through your door every month, with the latest news, community stories, events and businesses for you to read all about and enjoy.

Now, more than ever, local businesses need your support so we hope we can encourage you to spend local and support local, independent businesses.

Take care and happy reading – we hope you enjoy the magazine and find it both useful and interesting! enquiries@community-publishing.org

A huge thank you to Joe O’Herlihy from Ingatestone & District Camera Club for his ‘Four Trees in the Fog’ photo on our front cover. To see more from the camera club check out page 16-17.

Our thanks go out to all of the fantastic local businesses for supporting the magazine by advertising.

How health has changed in your local area: 2015 to 2020

The start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic caused widespread changes to health in England.

This included a worsening of personal well-being, mortality, mental health, and economic and working conditions, but also some improvements such as reduced air pollution and crime.

The Office for National Statistics has released a new edition of an interactive tool recently, showing how health changed in each local authority area across England between 2015 and 2020, according to the Health Index.

The Health Index gives every local area in England an overall health score for each of the past six years. This overall score is made up of a wide range of measures, including physical and mental health conditions like diabetes or anxiety, local unemployment, road safety, and behaviours like healthy eating.

This score can show whether health in a local area is improving. The Health Index score has a baseline of 100, which represents England’s health in 2015. A score higher than 100 means that an area has better health for that measure than was average in 2015, lower than 100 means worse health than the 2015 average.

If we take a look at Brentwood, you can see how health has changed over the past six years:

Health Index score for Brentwood: 111.1

Brentwood’s Health Index score decreased in 2020 and has an overall Health Index score of 111.1, which is down 1.5 points compared with the previous year. Brentwood’s best score across all subdomains is 118.8 for health relating to “behavioural risk factors” .

“Behavioural risk factors” looks at alcohol misuse, drug misuse, healthy eating, physical activity, sedentary behaviour, smoking and sexually transmitted infections.

The second highest scoring subdomain is “physical health conditions” – Brentwood’s score for health relating to “physical health conditions” improved from 99.4 in 2015 to 112.8 in 2020 – this means Brentwood went from being close to average among local authority areas to being among the best 10% across England for this subdomain. On top of this, Brentwood’s Health Index value for health relation to “physiological risk factors” (which looks at hypertension, low birth weight, overweight and obesity in adults, and overweight and obesity in children) is better than the score for England as a whole. To find out more make your way over to www.ons.gov.uk and search The Health Index for England.

Rovers Dog Rescue

finding ‘furever’ homes

According to PDSA, 27% of adults have a pet dog, with an estimated 10.2 million dogs across the UK.

It’s clear to see we are a nation of dog lovers, but with that comes an unfortunate amount of dogs abandoned and left to fend for themselves.

Rovers Dog Rescue is a small home-run dog rescue in the Essex countryside who help to give our four-legged friends a better quality of life and chance for a forever home.

All of the dogs that come through the rescue are microchipped, vaccinated, neutered, where age applicable, before rehoming. We caught up with Rebecca from Rovers Dog Rescue to find out a little more about the important work they do, and how local readers might be able to support them.

Rebecca told us:

“There are two of us running the show, one of us in Billericay and the other out towards

Ongar. We do not use kennels and rely heavily on our amazing band of fosterers spread out through Essex who take the dogs into their homes.

“There they can be fully assessed, vet checked, neutered, and vaccinated while we look for a new home for them which we vet and home check for suitability.

“Our dogs come from dog wardens, dog pounds, vets, public hand-ins and breeders and 2022 has been particularly hard and just before Christmas we had 9 puppies in from 2 separate litters, Christmas was chaos in our houses!”

For our readers who would like to support the rescue through donations, whether it’s food, money to help with huge vet bills, or dog items such as collars, fleeces and toys etc, they are always greatly appreciated.

“The one thing more important than anything is our need for foster homes - we can’t do what we do without them,” poignantly added Rebecca.

To find out more or to get in touch visit the rescue on Facebook at Rovers Dog Rescue.

Rural Crime Day

Working in partnership with the Essex Rural Partnership, the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst and Essex Police invite you to a Rural Crime Event

Do you live in rural Essex and want to know how you can keep your community safe?

Then why not come along to the Rural Crime Open Day, Friday 10th March

It is a free event which is open to the public from 1pm until approx. 4pm. The venue is the beautiful and historical Layer Marney Tower, Layer Marney, Nr Colchester CO5 9US

The event will feature:

• Specialist police officers on hand to answer any questions

• A range of stands

• Essex Police Drone Display and we welcome some furry friends from the Essex Police Dog Unit

• A real-life operational briefing

• Teas, coffees and refreshments available from the Layer Marney teashop

For further information please visit the OPFCC website:

www.essex.pfcc.police.uk/rural-crime-

HOPE CAFE

Open Fridays 9:30am to 3pm

Home-made cakes and scones. All prices £1. Free drink refills (If you ‘re struggling financially, it’s on us!)

Soft-play area for little ones

HOPE FOODBANK

If you would like support, please text or call Joanne on 07365 225499 to arrange a collection (You don't need to be referred to us)

Next door to th e Fire Station High Street, Ingatestone CM4 9EY

www.ingatestoneelimchurch.org.uk

As a leading domestic glass replacement company for more than 16 years, Cloudy2Clear windows are the leading name in the industry. There is no need for you to risk your windows by using the dreaded double glazing cowboy down the street. You can join over 336,000 happy customers and replace your glass ethically and affordably. If you have a failed glass unit, it may not provide you with the protection you need or be as energy-efficient as it once was. Take a minute to check your home to see if any double glazing has failed? Taking action now can prevent future financial problems.

When talking to the Manager of Cloudy2Clear windows Chris Miller it became clear that these

values have been held dear for a number of years. Since starting the business some years ago Cloudy2Clear have remained true to their core values of supporting the local community by providing a service that saves the public money.

The Cloudy2Clear service only requires the glass to be replaced and not the whole window once the unit has failed. Chris commented “Cloudy2Clear were able to assist our community through the last savings that can be made in using our service. Unfortunately we might be going through something similar again soon and the public can rest assured that we will be there to help once again”.

For a free quotation please call 0800 61 21 118 or visit www. cloudy2clear.co.uk.

Mountnessing Village Hall

Mountnessing Village Hall is situated in the middle of Mountnessing adjacent to the Grade 2a listed Windmill.

Access is straight forward from Roman Road (the B1002) with a good-sized car park available. The local park is adjacent with children’s play equipment and an outdoor gym. The hall also has its own garden area for sitting outside. The hall is fully accessible for disabled users.

The building consists of a large hall capable of accommodating 200 standing with seating capacity for 150. There are also large and small tables available. It has a high ceiling so can accommodate indoor bouncy castles or similar. There are recently refurbished toilets and a spacious kitchen.

The hall is run as a charity and managed by a Committee of Trustees. It’s only regular source of income is hire fees, with all surpluses used to enhance the facilities.

During the week the hall is used by numerous clubs, societies and groups all of which are open to new joiners.

There are:

• a cycling club

• art groups

• the U3A (University of the 3rd Age) who have lectures, and other sub groups

• a senior citizen club

• bridge groups

• an organ and keyboard club

• a sewing group

Other activities which are available include a regular baby and toddler group, and Salsa/Freestyle dance session as well as periodic visits from Little Cities play group, antique fairs and shoe sales.

At times when the hall is not in use (mostly weekends) the hall is available for hire for parties, gatherings, weddings etc. The income generated from these events helps us maintain the hall.

The hall management committee would like to encourage more community groups to form and therefore provide an enhanced range of activities available for local people. At weekends there is also scope for locally organised events to be accommodated e.g. quizzes, barn dances and similar. Please be in touch to discuss any opportunities.

Contact details for the hall and the club, societies and groups can be found on our website.

www.mountnessingvillagehall.com

The ingredients of love

It might have pulled us kicking and screaming but we are finally in 2023, and with it comes the season of love; Valentine’s Day.

Are you prepared for Cupid’s arrow to come forth once more in the form of chocolates, flowers, and a full course meal?

Pull out the apron and clean the chopping board because we are bringing a tasty, yet tempting meal that will make any Valentine’s Day that touch more personal.

Fall in love at the first sight of bruschetta:

• ½ small red onion, finely chopped

• 8 medium tomatoes (about 500g), chopped and drained

• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed

• 6-8 leaves of fresh basil, chopped

• 30ml balsamic vinegar

• 60-80ml extra virgin olive oil

• 1 loaf crusty bread

Step 1:

Mix the onions, tomatoes, garlic and basil. Add the balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix again. Cover and chill for 30 mins.

Step 2: Slice loaf into medium/thick slice and lightly toast until light brown. Serve the chilled mixture onto the warm slices of bread. Enjoy.

Bask in the beauty of one another with a Bolognese:

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 400g beef mince

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 100g carrot, grated

• 2 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

• 400ml stock (beef)

• 400g dried spaghetti

Step 1:

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, once hot add the mince and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the mince until well browned then transfer to a bowl.

Step 2: Add another tablespoon of olive oil, once hot, add the onions and a pinch of salt and fry for 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 2 and then add carrots and mince mixture into the saucepan.

Step 3: Add the tomatoes and mix well. Pour in stock and bring to a simmer for 45 minutes. Cook the spaghetti following packet instructions, drain and add to sauce. Voila.

Melt in each other’s arms with gooey brownies:

• 1 cup butter, melted

• 2 cups white sugar

• ½ cup cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 4 eggs

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

Step 1: Preheat oven to 180° and grease your baking pan (roughly 9x13-inch).

Step 2: Mix the melted butter, sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla, eggs, flour, baking powder and salt. Spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Step 3: Bake in preheated over for 20-30 mins or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out with crumbs, not wet. Cool on wire rack. Devour.

A Chat With Abbey Group

Lisa Cannings, 48, lives in Romford, Essex, with her children Lavinia, 16, and Cameron, 13. She runs Abbey Antiques.

“When I was little, I loved sitting in the office of our family business, counting pennies and sealing them into envelopes. But in my teenage years, as I watched my parents struggle, the idea of running a business was my worst nightmare. Abbey Antiques dates back over 8 family generations. My German great great grandfather Herman set up in the early 1900s. He was a cabinetmaker and moved to the UK with his son, my great grandfather, Arthur, who became a respected cabinetmaker in Hackney, London. The business was passed down to my granddad, Eric, who expanded into selling antiques, exporting to America and Europe. Business was booming when my mum Anne and dad Eric took over in 1970. They had 100 staff and a big factory and showrooms in Dorking. But everything changed after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York. The economic impact affected businesses all over the world, including ours. I was working in London at the time, working as a PA in the City. My life was glamorous – I was often out at some swanky bar after work and had a nice modern home which was a world away from the industrial estate and sawdust covered floor at Abbey Antiques. Dad had passed away at 40, so Mum and my brother, Lee, were running the business. I had no idea they were struggling until I went home and Mum broke down. “We have no money left,” she sobbed. “We have to fold the business.” Suddenly, I realised how important my heritage was. I vowed I’d do all I could to help. It was hard leaving my single life in London. But my family needed me and they came first. I quit my job in October 2001 and took over the day-to-day running of Abbey Antiques. We couldn’t even afford a computer, so I had to use an old typewriter to send out letters to

potential clients along with the Yellow Pages for research. There was no money in antiques, but we could repair almost any kind of furniture. I came up with the idea of offering removal firms our services, repairing damaged items. We also began working with insurance companies. Before long, profits began rolling in. 21 years on and we have an annual turnover of £500,000. I’m proud I took over the business and I want to pass it down to my children. Now, when I watch Lavinia and Cameron counting pennies at the office, it makes me smile.”

Ingatestone & District Camera Club

We are an active Camera Club based in the village of Ingatestone.

We have a core membership of experienced photographers as well as those new to photography. We meet in person between September and May on Friday evenings at 8pm at the pavilion at Seymour Field, New Road, postcode CM14 0HH (and maintained this during COVID with Zoom meetings).

Our meetings are varied with photographic competitions, talks and practical evenings. Established members are always pleased to share their skills with others as well as being open to new ideas.

The subjects of our competitions are either open or themed and can be prints (both mono and colour) or digital images. These can be taken on cameras or phones, tablets, etc.

The accompanying photographs are examples of some which received full marks from East Anglian Federation judges in our 2021-22 season.

We would welcome you as a new members whether you are a beginner or more accomplished and invite you to join us for 3 free meetings to get to know us and consider joining our club. Why don’t you just come along on a Friday evening?

Simon Farr, Under a Tobacco Sky

Simon Hirst, Multi-layered

Joe O’Herlihy, Four Trees in the Fog

Tom Smith, A Seed Head

Businesses invited to help create 300 new apprenticeships in 2023

Ingatestone, Fryerning

find new and interesting walks?

Essex Apprenticeship Levy Transfer Service (EALTS) and the newly launched Essex Apprenticeship Hub are asking large businesses to pledge to create 300 apprenticeship opportunities in 2023. This follows a successful year, during which the service supported 240 apprenticeships. This exceeds its pledge to create 100 opportunities between March and December.

The EALTS enables large Essex-based businesses to donate up to 25% of their apprenticeship levy to a smaller business. Smaller organisations can sign up to the service, set their objectives and be matched with a larger business. Both businesses are supported by a team of advisors, who will provide practical guidance.

The apprenticeship levy is a tax paid by employers to help fund apprenticeship training costs. The EALTS helps larger employers avoid returning unspent levy to government.

Since the service was launched, it has attracted pledges from organisations like Timpson and the Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust.

Find out more about donating your unused apprenticeship levy or receiving a transfer online via www.essexalts.co.uk

Read more about Essex apprenticeships on the Apprenticeship Hub via www.essexopportunities.co.uk/ apprenticeship-hub

Time to get walking again!

With Spring on its way, we start to think about getting out to walk in the beautiful English countryside again, but where to

Walking in Essex www.walkinginengland. co.uk/essex has loads of walks to download and print, free, it also has books of walks, details of all the walking groups in the county and much more. Whether you want to walk on your own or with a group all the information is there in one place. John Harris (who maintains the website) said ‘There is so much walking information on the web but it is difficult to find. Walking in Essex (part of the Walking in England website) has brought it together in one place so whether you are walking from home, or away on holiday, you will be able to find a walk suitable for you’.

With walks from half a mile to twelve miles plus long, and a note of suitability for pushchairs and wheelchairs, everyone can find a walk to enjoy. So, home or away, check out the websites and get walking!

John Harris

www.walkinginengland.co.uk

john@walkinginengland.co.uk

Recommendations for children’s mental health

A new report is available which outlines recommended improvements for children’s mental health.

Work took place in 2022 by a Mental Health Services for Young People Task

and Finish Group. It comes following a motion put forward at the Essex County Full Council meeting which expressed the need to review the current challenges young people face. The group considered different evidence during their review. This included the impact of the pandemic, funding and the importance of early support.

There is already positive work happening across the county in this area. However, the evidence highlighted some common areas of improvement needed across Essex. It also demonstrated how central government, local authorities and health services need to work together to address them.

Read the full recommendations report online via www.essex.gov.uk/news/ recommendations-for-childrens-mentalhealth

Multiply in Essex with Essex County Council

If you run a local business, we can also support you with free, tailored courses to upskill your employees. Find out more and sign-up to a course today via www.essexopportunities.co.uk/multiply

Fully funded 1-2-1 support for Brentwood businesses

Brentwood Borough Council and Colbea have joined forces to provide local organisations with access to a wide range of business support, advice and guidance to tackle current challenges and build on new opportunities. This support scheme is fully funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and includes access to:

General business consultancy –One-to-one sessions can be used to discuss any general business topic, from business planning to grant funding. This support is accessible for businesses of any stage (including pre-starts and start-ups), size and sector.

We use maths every day without even realising. From helping children with their schoolwork, to cooking or as part of our job, maths is part of our daily lives. For lots of us though, maths might feel like a daunting subject. Multiply in Essex is a new programme aiming to change that.

If you are 19 and over, you can now access free maths courses across Essex. The courses will help to boost your confidence and gain a maths qualification up to NVQ2 (GCSE at grade 4 to 9 or A*to C). This can not only help you gain higher qualifications; it can enable you take advantage of new job opportunities and progress in your career. Courses are flexible and available at different venues across the county.

Specialist business carbon reduction consultancy –With increased energy costs and climate challenges, businesses are seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and become more sustainable. Colbea’s free expert one-to-one low carbon advice is delivered by Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) consultants who can help businesses identify areas to make improvements that will not only save money but also support the environment.

Spaces are limited and available on a first come, first serve basis until 31st March. To sign up for this free business support, please contact Colbea directly via phone, email or their online contact form.

Phone: 01206 548833

Email: enquiries@colbea.co.uk

Online: colbea.co.uk/contact-us-colbea

Ingatestone & Fryerning History and Culture:

To tie in with the new Ingatestone Museum it is proposed to create a Heritage Trail to take in the main village High Street and surrounding area bounded by the A12 and railway line, and the important outlying sites; Ingatestone Hall, the one major tourist attraction in the Parish, and then Fryerning, Beggar Hill and Mill Green.

Ingatestone Hall is the setting of one of the most famous Sensation Novels of the Nineteenth Century, Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s 1862 Lady Audley’s Secret. Mill Green Common, the Open Greenspace on both sides of the road to just beyond The Viper PH, and the surrounding woods managed by Lord Petre’s Estate, are part of ancient Writtle Forest, with a history dating back to the Middle Ages, which include a recorded Hermitage for a monk and a Holy Well or Spring at Monk’s and Barrow’s Farm, just in Highwood Parish. Also, in this area there is the site of a Romano-British Villa at Handley Barns, circa 125 CE, and the location of Medieval pottery production, known as “Mill Green Ware”, circa 1270-1350. During WW1 Mill Green Common was used by the British

Army for training purposes, a complex known as the “Southern Army Trench Warfare and Bombing School”. Theory lessons were given in classes at the Working Men’s’ Club (now the Community Club) with the techniques put into practice during mock battles on the Common, on the large area to the right of the road beyond The Cricketers PH, up to the ancient depression known as Moore’s Ditch.

This trail will cover important buildings, landscapes, ecology and historical figures and events and will hopefully be produced as a handy guide and map to encourage local tourism.

At the same time the Parish Council, with assistance from IFHAS, is involved in the Essex Women’s Commemoration Project, to recognise prominent Essex women throughout history who are not well known. This project was designed to mark the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth I and will continue following Her Majesty’s death. In Ingatestone and Fryerning we have identified four candidates, which include two sisters:

Dorothy Wadham (1534/35-1618): The daughter and eldest child of Sir William Petre, who carried out the terms of her late husband’s Will by

founding Wadham College Oxford, the first woman of her rank to found a college at either Oxford or Cambridge. Wadham Close in Fryerning Lane is named after her. The College is the benefactor of Fryerning Church and owns land in the area, including College Wood and Fryerning Wood, between Blackmore Road and Beggar Hill/ Mill Green.

Miss E. Vera Pemberton (1895-1992): Miss Pemberton, or Vera, as she was often referred to, was Founder and Leader of Ingatestone Boys Own Club in 1919. Her father Robert was Rector of Ingatestone with Buttsbury Parish 1919-1940. It is he who gives his name to Pemberton Avenue and Court.

Dorothea (1881-1964) and Madeleine (1884-1954) Rock, “The Smashing Rock Sisters”:

The two sisters, who lived in Red House, Station Lane, were Suffragettes and members of the WSPU founded by Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928). They both served terms of imprisonment for their activities, which included smashing windows at The Mansion House as a protest regarding comments made by the Lord Mayor of London at the time. A fellow Suffragette and friend, Grace Chappelow (1884-1971), has a block of flats named after her, between Parkway in Chelmsford and the Railway Station. Dorothea also defaced and refused to complete the 1911 Census, which was the first to be filled in solely by the householder, on the grounds that as

women did not count under the law then they would not be counted!

Chelmsford Museum has an excellent display about these brave and outstanding young women. Incidentally, Miss Pemberton was a correspondent of Sylvia Pankhurst (1882-1960) during WW2.

The Parish Council has funded the first of these plaques for Miss Pemberton which was unveiled in September on the wall of Pemberton Hall, which is at the top of the Community Club car park.

The Gatehouse, Station Lane, Ingatestone (first built 1884):

Designed by architect George Sherrin (1843-1909); it was his own house. He is well-known for the design of several Metropolitan Railway buildings in London including parts of South Kensington Station

The Miss E. Vera Pemberton Blue Plaque: Unveiled by Mr Alan Pudney, President of Ingatestone Boys’ Own Club, in September 2022

Wadham College Oxford has provided the finance for the Wadham plaque, which it is hoped to be erected soon on the rear of the Platform 1 building at the Station. A location on a now refurbished building, which will overlook her childhood home at Ingatestone Hall across the fields. This is a station and railway line that has an historic connection with the Petre family. Negotiations have begun to produce and erect “The Smashing Rock Sisters” plaque on the exterior garden wall of the Red House, which will again be funded by the Parish Council.

Robert Fletcher Ingatestone & Fryerning Historical and Archaeological Society

Plans to plant 1 million trees in Essex get underway

The Essex Forestry Initiative aims to plant 1 million trees in Essex to combat climate change due to carbon release from around the county.

Recently, Brentwood Borough Council hosted a meeting of 22 forestry officers from many Essex boroughs and the county council, Forestry Commission, Woodland Trust, Thames Chase and Hole Farm who were taken to Warley Country park and Clements Wood to look at how diseased Ash is being removed, techniques and replacement planting, watercourse management, Ash recovery from coppice and vegetation management in public land.

Discussion on site covered aspects of financing the works and how the disease itself progresses. At Hutton Country Park North where a battery storage site is located officers considered the various aspects of tree protection on development sites. At Weald Park the success and failure rates of new planting were surveyed together with a charity presentation by Andrews’ Market Field which assists planting regimes as part of its education programme for school levers with learning difficulties. This first in a series of onsite discussions highlights the potential effect of Ash Disease which the Forestry Commission believes will kill 98% of Ash trees in Britain.

Chair of Community Environment and Enforcement Commission, Cllr Will Russell said; “Brentwood and other authorities will be involved with trials of different ways to combat drought situations without watering moving forward and it is good to know that we are at the forefront of these plans and their development.

“Furthermore by building on our relationship with Andrews’ Market Field we plan to provide more opportunities for young people to work and learn new skills. Clearly, woodland management is a crucial aspect of climate change and carbon fixation. Brentwood has shown itself to be at the lead in local authority arboriculture and forestry within the county which is a strong base level from which we are able to build our sustainable future.”

The Beauvoir Arms:

Essex’s premier destination for great value food and entertainment!

If you’re looking for a great venue to eat, drink and be entertained this spring then look no further than The Beauvoir Arms British & Italian Kitchen in Downham, the family-friendly restaurant that also offers fantastic value and with new opening hours to suit everyone - whatever the occasion.

Originally a traditional pub, the creative owners at the Beauvoir Arms have developed the space to make it a great place to drink and dine with a spacious bar. Ashraf Ali and his talented team of chefs and friendly staff offer their own special take on Mediterranean favourites.

New opening hours and a great new menu means the venue is open all day from 12pm until late for early lunch, delicious afternoon tea, after school dinner with the kids or simply a beer. The venue offers a popular takeaway service too, with consistent 5-star rating on platforms including Just Eat.

The Cabaret nights launched this year and take place on the last Saturday of every month with some fantastic local talent to enjoy over dinner and drinks including soul and R & B vocalist Charlotte Inglis on February 25th and 80s star David Van Day on April 29th.

Book a romantic dinner for two on Valentine’s Day and enjoy a delicious meal starting from just £25 for 2-courses, with

a glass of prosecco and treat the special mums in your family on Mothering

Sunday 19th March with a 3-course meal for just £30 and glass of prosecco for every mum on the table. The Easter Extravaganza includes a BBQ, face painter, bouncy castle and a mini spring fair. While on Sunday 7th May come and celebrate the Coronation with a fabulous great British Roast, live music and so much more.

The Front Room function room holds up to 50 people and is the perfect place to host a birthday, anniversary, wedding or celebration of life. It’s also a great space for corporate events with a spacious terrace and garden for break-out sessions and team building. There are various buffet and drink packages with no hire fee if food is ordered.

The Beauvoir Arms every popular Senior Lunch Set menu has one, two or three course menu options priced at £13.95 for one course, £17.95 for two and £20.95 for three with options including Gamberoni Alla Diavola, Chicken Milanese and Banana and Walnut cheesecake.

With a stunning decked terrace, large garden and spacious free car park –why not make The Beauvoir Arms your destination this spring!

For more information and to book, call 01268 711115 or visit www.beauvoirarms.co.uk

Serenitea Community Café

Tuesday 7th February, 10:00am – 12:00pm at St Laurence Church, Church St, Blackmore, Ingatestone CM4 0RN

Join AgeWell East at their community cafe in the church where you will receive a warm welcome. Serving bacon or sausage sandwiches on alternate weeks along with homemade cakes and a choice of delicious coffees and teas. Cheese toasties are also available as well as a selection of biscuits and fruit.

Strictly Singles Black Tie Ball

Saturday 11th February, 7:30pm at Stock Brook Country Club, Billericay, CM12 0SQ

nursery rhymes, modern songs and also some Disney classics on guitar and ukelele. The sessions will be led by local musician Graham Newton, who under the pen name of Newton Park writes and illustrates his own children’s books. £3.50-£4.50 per child – includes a free tea/ coffee for accompanying adult (recommended for children under 5)

Ingatestone Community Cinema – LITTLE WOMEN

Thursday 16th February, 2:30pm at Ingatestone and Fryerning Community Club, 7 High St, Ingatestone CM4 9ED

Join over 200 other singles for this very special Valentine’s event hosted by Across The Room Introductions and Events. You will be personally met on arrival, enjoy a delicious 3 course dinner with wine, dancing until late.

Where else would you find 200 other single people in one evening?

Minimum age: 30, Ticket price: £67.30

Tickets are selling fast so if you want a date for Valentine’s then book NOW on 01449 722800

Rhyme Time at Brentwood Theatre

Monday 13th & 27th February, 10am at Brentwood Theatre, 15 Shenfield Road, Brentwood, CM15 8AG

Join Brentwood Theatre and Newton Park for unique, fun and friendly Song and Rhyme Time sessions mixing conventional

2019 American coming-of-age period drama film, the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name stars Meryl Streep and Emma Watson. With their father fighting in the American Civil War, the sisters Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth are at home with their mother, a very outspoken woman for her time. The story tells of how the sisters grow up, find love, and find their place in the world. The doors open at 2pm with the film starting at 2.30pm. Tickets are £4.00 for IFCA members and £6.00 for non-members and can be purchased from the IFCA office or ordered by phone 01277 352064. Office opening hours are 10am to 1pm, Monday to Thursday.

& Mountnessing

An Evening with the Jon Bennett Big Band ft. Amy

Hollingsworth

Saturday 18th February, 7:30 – 10:00pm at Ingatestone

Community Centre, 7 High St, Ingatestone CM4 9ED

Book your tickets for a great night of big band classics, musical theatre favourites and tunes from the American Songbook. Head to the link to book tickets www.ticketsource.co.uk/jbbb or call 07775 882949

Nee Naw Parties Play Session

Thursday 23rd February, 10:30 – 11:45am at Ingatestone & Fryerning Community Association CIO, 7 High Street, Ingatestone, CM4 9ED

An Emergency Services fun filled Play Session with Nee Naw Parties. Ride On Vehicles, Toys, Dress up and more.

Further information, rules and tickets can be purchased via www.bookwhen.com/neenawparties

SX Winterfest 2023

Saturday 25th February, 2:00pm – 11pm at The Essex Arms, 10 Warley Hill, Brentwood, CM14 5HA

Welcome to the 2nd SX Winterfest

Showcasing up and coming bands from across the UK.

Tickets £10 from www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ sx-winterfest-2023-tickets-488591740047

EVENTS AT INGATESTONE LIBRARY

High Street, Ingatestone, CM4 9EU

Baby and Toddler Rhymetime

Every Wednesday, 12:15 – 12:45pm

Free your child’s imagination with songs and stories, give their early communication skills a boost and have fun together!

BookTrust Storytime

Wednesday 15th February, 11:00 – 11:30am

Come and vote for your favourite BookTrust Storytime book! This event is ideally for children aged under 5 but all are welcome. Enjoy a great storytime, fun activities, meet new friends and be part of the national poll to find the best storytime book.

Essex Police: Connecting With Our Communities

Wednesday 15th February, 11:00am – 1:00pm

A local community meeting. Essex is a vibrant and diverse county with many different communities. At Essex Police, we’re looking to connect and engage with those communities we serve.

Hashtag United

Getting to know the ‘one-of-akind’ football club

With over 1.5m followers across social media, we had the pleasure of catching up with local football club Hashtag United’s CEO Spencer Owen who told us more about his wonderful club and the incredible 7-year journey it has been on since it was first founded…

Can you give readers a background into your own football career as a whole from your junior days to now as founder and player of Hashtag United?

I started playing in my early teenage years for Brentwood Boys (now Brentwood Athletic) and Hartswood Stars, before moving to Danbury and playing for Heybridge Boys.

At 16, I actually formed my own team with school mates from KEGS (Chelmsford) that played in the Chelmsford Youth District League. Whilst at Reading University I played for the University team before then playing adult Sunday league football throughout the Chelmsford and Brentwood leagues until 2016 when Hashtag United was formed.

Make no mistake, any success I’ve had in football has come in spite of my abilities rather than because of them! My biggest highlights came through YouTube charity games such as the Wembley Cup where I was lucky enough to play multiple times in front of crowds of 34,000+ people and with and against players such as Steven Gerrard, Robert Pires and many more legends of the game. Hashtag was formed around my friends and my brother’s friends, many of whom played with me at school and university.

What would you say you are most proud of having achieved at the club so far?

There’s so much to be honest. The merger with our brilliant women’s team and youth set up is right up there for sure. Winning the first title, and achieving two promotions with the men since we joined non-league is also massive. But it’s also hard not to highlight playing in front of 34,000 people at Wembley stadium!

With over half a million subscribers on YouTube, can you explain just how much support you have received not only from the online community but locally as well and did you even envisage a fan base of this magnitude?

The support we have online is incredible and really sets us apart as a truly unique club, not just locally but globally. We are one of the most followed clubs in the UK and we usually finish in the top 6/7 spots nationally on charts ranking things like monthly YouTube views and followers etc.

It’s amazing to have so many people from across the globe continue to support our team, buy our shirts and watch our videos. Locally, it’s definitely stepped up since we merged with Forest Glade youth club at Barleylands in Billericay. We inherited an incredible family of local football lovers, be them kids or parents, many of whom are now crucial parts of the organisation of the club. However, we still believe there’s a lot of people in the local community that don’t really see us as a local asset though, partly due to our unique club name not featuring the name of a place/town in it. But we are very much based in this part of Essex, and proud of it, with our offices in Brentwood and Brentwood being where I live and grew up.

How would you assess the 202223 season so far and are there any upcoming fixtures/events local readers can look forward to?

Both teams are doing fantastically well. Our Men’s 1st team sit 2nd in the Isthmian North and are very much aiming for a promotion, and the Women’s 1st team sit top of the National League Division 1 South East, having already beaten professional teams such as Ipswich this season and at the time of writing this have a HUGE FA Cup 4th round tie coming up away against Championship side Coventry on January 29th. If we get through that, we could draw a WSL club like Arsenal, West Ham or Chelsea. Our women’s team are also Essex champions so we see them as the pride of the county!

We’d love readers to get themselves down to a game to support either team, both of which are winning a lot of games. Our men ground-share with Bowers and Pitsea (near Basildon) and our women ground-share with Aveley.

Where would you like Hashtag United to be in the next 10-20 years?

One thing that’s huge for us is getting our own ground, and getting our teams playing out of the same venue. It’s something we haven’t been able to achieve yet but is very much on our radar. We want to put down proper roots in the local community and build a local support that can rival our amazing online/ global fan base. I’d love for Hashtag to be seen as a valued part of the local community and see some more of our youth players transition into the senior sides. We already have a great set up at our Forest Glade site in Barleylands with over 40+ teams and 500+ boys and girls representing Hashtag United and I’d love to see that grow even stronger too. Follow the club online through social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok), YouTube and their website www.hashtagunited.co.uk

Prepare your garden for spring wildlife

Now’s the perfect time to have a look at your garden and think about how to prepare it for our wonderful wildlife. Here are a few simple tips that can easily be forgotten:

Put out some food at night –Hedgehogs relish meat-based meals such as cat and dog food, so putting a little bit out for them every night will attract them into your garden.

Think about bird boxes –With birds returning to the mainland they will be keen to find places to nest in order to lay eggs. Bird boxes provide a safe option and allow you to watch the baby birds emerge. Just remember not to interfere once they are occupied.

Make holes in the bottom of your fence –Accessible entry and exit points allow small animals to come and go as they

choose and stops them digging up unwanted holes in your garden.

Build a small shaded area –This will provide animals with a place to hide and an area to keep cool if the sun gets too much.

Water, water and more water –All living things need water to survive. Don’t underestimate the difference a bowl of fresh water or even a small accessible bird bath can make.

THINK WIDE(N)

WINDOWS LOCKED

INTERIOR LIGHTS ON A TIMER

DOORS DOUBLE OR DEADLOCKED

EXTERIOR LIGHTS ON A SENSOR

(NEIGHBOURS) KEEP AN EYE OUT

MAKING THIS A BETTER PLACE MAKING THIS A BETTER PLACE TO LIVE. TOGETHER. TO LIVE. TOGETHER. ourwatch.org.uk/burglary ourwatch.org.uk/burglary