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Burnham-on-Crouch WI had a great speaker at their meeting last Thursday. Lindsey Barrell spoke about British sign language. Starting with her history and why she became interested in learning this language, onto how this has developed. Many signs originated years ago…the biscuit sign originates from the hard biscuits (sometimes with weevils inside them) available on old sailing ships. While new words are being developed to keep up to date with modern inventions. The members also learnt the basic alphabet –obviously still necessary even for the most proficient “speakers” to give names, for instance. Lindsey also teaches the language on the WI Learning Hub a system online that is available cheaply to anyone –(but free for WI members). Lindsey was a lively speaker as one can imagine as her other talk is about burlesque delivered suitably dressed. An interesting talk for the Institute which we’ll have on another afternoon.
Burnham-on-Crouch WI meet in the Kings Hall the Third Thursday of the month at 2pm.
Thanks Pat Trudgett Secretary
22 Queen Elizabeth ll Square
South Woodham Ferrers, Essex CM3 5TD Tel: 01245 322334
Email: info@alistairblack.co.uk
Bouncing Back From an Ankle Sprain: A Friendly Guide
Hurting your ankle can be a real nuisance, but most sprains heal well with a little patience and the right care. Here’s how to help your ankle recover and get you back on your feet safely.
1. Understand What Happened
An ankle sprain happens when the ligaments (the stretchy bands that hold bones together) are stretched or torn, usually after rolling or twisting your foot. Symptoms include:
• Pain or tenderness on the outside or inside of the ankle
• Swelling or bruising
• Trouble putting weight on the foot
If you heard a “pop,” can’t walk more than a few steps, or notice a deformity, see a doctor right away to rule out a fracture.
2. The First 48 Hours: R.I.C.E.
The early stage is all about calming pain and swelling.
• Rest: Keep weight off the ankle as much as possible. Use crutches if you need them.
• Ice: Apply a cold pack (or bag of frozen peas wrapped in a towel) for 15–20 minutes every 2–3 hours.
• Compression: A stretchy bandage or elastic wrap can control swelling. snug but not so tight that your toes tingle.
• Elevation: Prop your foot up on pillows so it sits higher than your heart.
3. Gentle Movement & Support
After the swelling starts to settle (usually 2–3 days), begin gentle range-ofmotion exercises:
• Trace the alphabet in the air with your big toe.
• Gently flex and point your toes.
01621710170•www.barnesclark.co.uk•info@barnesclark.co.uk
A supportive brace or elastic sleeve can help you feel steady as you start walking short distances.
4. Gradual Strengthening
Once you can walk without sharp pain, build strength to protect against future sprains:
• Calf raises: Stand and slowly lift onto your toes, then lower.
• Balance practice: Stand on the injured foot for 30 seconds, working up to eyes closed or standing on a cushion.
• Resistance bands: Push and pull the foot against a band in different directions.
Do these for a few minutes each day, as long as they don’t cause more than mild soreness.
5. Return to Sport or Exercise
Most mild sprains heal in 2–6 weeks, but more severe injuries can take longer. Before jogging or playing sports:
• You should be able to hop on the ankle without pain.
• Swelling should be minimal, and your balance should feel normal.
• Consider wearing a brace or taping the ankle for the first few weeks back.
6. When to Seek Professional Help
Call your doctor or physiotherapist if you notice:
• Severe or worsening pain
• Swelling that doesn’t improve
• Numbness or tingling in the foot
• Repeated sprains or ankle instability
A healthcare provider can check for more serious injuries and may recommend formal rehab exercises.
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Limiting Your Dog’s Fireworks Anxieties
Understanding the Impact of Fireworks on Dogs
As firework season approaches, many pet owners become increasingly concerned about the effects that sudden loud noises and bright flashes may have on their canine companions. With only minimal control over the use of fireworks on private land, the hours when fireworks are prohibited are limited to between 23:00 and 07:00 for most of the year. This restriction often leaves owners of soundsensitive dogs with little warning, making it difficult to prepare adequately.
While humans are generally adept at recognising typical signs of fear such as trembling, shaking, and hiding, they may overlook the less obvious behavioural signs that dogs display, including reduced activity and excessive salivation. Fear and anxiety are natural protective emotions. When the response is appropriate to the level of threat, it helps the individual avoid harm. These emotional reactions should subside when the stimulus disappears. However, pet dogs are unable to control their exposure to fireworks. Although owners may understand that fireworks pose no real danger, dogs cannot comprehend this, and repeated exposure without proper support can lead to more complex emotional health issues in the future.
Recognising When Your Dog Is Afraid
It is important to be able to identify the signs that indicate your dog may be experiencing fear during fireworks. Some common behaviours include:
• Whining, panting, and increased salivation
• Pacing, trembling, and cowering
• Bolting and attempting to escape
Steps to Minimise Fear and Anxiety
• Provide your dog with a safe den or retreat. Choose a central area within the house that is free from windows or
skylights to reduce both noise and visual stimuli from fireworks.
• Draw the curtains to further minimise the impact of flashing lights.
• Never punish your dog for seeking refuge or hiding when frightened. Punishment only reinforces the idea that there is something to be afraid of.
• Ensure your dog is kept in a secure environment at all times to prevent bolting and escaping in response to unexpected noises.
• Play familiar music in the house; it does not need to be excessively loud, just enough to provide a comforting background.
• Remain calm and ignore the noise, engaging your dog in active games to distract them.
• Avoid seeking or encouraging close proximity, tactile contact, or facial contact during anxiety episodes. These actions may inadvertently signal your own anxiety and increase your dog’s perception that the situation is unsafe.
• If your dog approaches, leans into you, or sniffs and licks your hands or face, this is an attempt to gauge your reaction. Rather than rejecting these attempts, accept them passively, such as by allowing them to remain close or by offering your hand to sniff. This helps to signal calmness and reassure your pet.
• If you have access to a dog that is not afraid of fireworks and gets along with your own, consider keeping them together during firework evenings. Playing with the nonfearful dog may help reassure the anxious one.
• You may make earplugs for your dog using dampened cotton wool rolled into a thin cylinder and gently inserted into the ear canal. Ensure the plug is secure but not so tight it causes discomfort, and always remove it later that day. Do not reuse earplugs.
• Medication can be helpful for some dogs, but it must be administered well before fireworks start to be effective. Adaptil diffusers, Calmex tablets, and other vet-approved products may be useful. Stronger medications require a veterinary examination and should be arranged at least two weeks before major firework events like Guy Fawkes Night. Some medications can be given shortly before fireworks to provide a calming and amnestic effect, helping to prevent the development of sound phobias.
• Do not ignore noise phobia simply because it occurs infrequently. Begin a desensitisation programme once firework season has ended to help your dog cope better in the future.
Long-term Solutions
The ideal time to start behavioural modification is when firework noises are unlikely to occur. This proactive approach allows your dog to learn coping strategies in a safe and controlled environment.
Jürgen Theinert BVSc BSc MRCVS Edgewood Veterinary Group
Burnham On Crouch Rowing Club
What a Burnham Coastal Week
Burnham Coastal Rowing Club had a week full of adventure. On Friday 19th the club organised for 3 boats and 18 rowers to take part in the Great River Race. This is the 21 mile row down the Thames and under the famous Iconic Bridges of London. The team camped overnight and were up at 5am ready to get a coach to the start line. The 3 boats did really well in the mellie of around 250 boats of all sizes.
Burnham came 13th, 71 and the third boat struggled all the way and came way down the field. Inspection at the end of the race found a Scottish flag and pole had somehow got itself wedged under the boat and had been slowing it down.
This week the Club got ready for Burnham Carnival for there take on "Life's a Beach"
A squad of about 10 members helped get the float ready on Saturday morning and by Lunch a complete transformation had taken
First of all, I owe you all an apology. Life (and the garden!) sometimes has a way of running ahead of us, and over the last couple of months I wasn’t able to get my notes across in time for the magazine. Thank you for bearing with me. I’m glad to be back with you for October, one of my favourite months in the gardening calendar.
October is a turning point. The air feels crisper, the days are noticeably shorter, and the garden starts to prepare itself for rest. For us gardeners though, there’s still plenty to do before winter fully sets in.
Jobs for October
Plant spring bulbs -Tulips, daffodils, crocus and alliums all go into the soil now for a burst of colour come spring. Plant them in groups for the best effect –nature never plants in neat lines!
Tidy up borders - Cut back faded perennials, but don’t be too tidy. Leaving some seed heads (like echinacea or teasels) gives structure and provides food for birds.
Rake leaves - Gather fallen leaves and store them in a bin bag or wire cage to make lovely leaf mould for the year after next. Next year if you are lucky. Run your mower over them to break them down. This speeds up the process.
place. Many thanks need to be said to Sarah, Georgina, Harriret Jeremy, Viv, Liz, Pam, Becky for getting the float up to scratch.
At 7.30pm the float was ready to be rowed down the high street. Thank you to all the crowd who supported us around the 2hr course. It was really appreciated.
We are now putting all that excitement to one side and now focusing our thoughts on the winter Harders Yard series.
Lawn care - Give the grass a final cut on a higher setting, and clear away debris to avoid patches of moss.
Greenhouse and pots - Bring in any tender plants, and insulate greenhouses or cold frames ready for frosty nights.
Plant of the Month: Nerine
Just when you think the colour is draining away, nerines step up with their bright pink, starburst flowers. They thrive in sunny, sheltered spots and look fantastic against brick walls where they can soak up the autumn warmth.
A Thought for the Season
Don’t feel guilty if the garden starts to look a little wild now. October is nature’s wind-down period – a time for slowing, mulching, and preparing for the fresh start of spring. Think of it as tucking your garden into bed for the winter.
Until next time, happy gardening – and thanks again for your patience over the past couple of months.
Jerry’s Garden –October in the Garden
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Volunteers Wanted at Burnham Ramblers FC!
Do you love football? Want to be part of a passionate, friendly club at the heart of the community?
Burnham Ramblers FC – the biggest club in the Dengie – is looking for volunteers to join our team as we continue to grow and develop.
We have lots of opportunities to get involved, including:
• Matchday help – for example - manning the turnstile, assisting in the club shop and sorting the kits.
• Pitch & grounds maintenance
• Photography & video creation
• Website editing
• Social media
• Coaching youth teams & supporting player development
Purleigh District Gardeners’ Society meeting, 15th September.
Growing Cut Flowers Organically by
Ali Kesson
The September meeting of the PDGS featured a talk by Ali Kesson about Dahlia Growing for Florists. Ali, a biology teacher and grower, sells her blooms to florists for weddings and funerals, direct for DIY weddings, and through pop-ups. Her business focusses on sustainability, not using plastics, or oasis.
Ali divides Dahlia tubers in winter, ‘wiggling’ shoots from the tubers in February, propagating hydroponically before planting out. She explained her growing and cutting methods were different to those who grew Dahlias for exhibition; growing plants 30cm or even 15cm apart to grow tall and provide support, blooms are not disbudded as florists prefer smaller and multi-headed flowers which face upwards.
Whether you can give a little time or a lot, your help will make a big difference. No experience needed – just enthusiasm and a love of football!
Interested? Contact Katherine at secretary@burnhamramblersfc.co.uk to find out more.
Be part of the Ramblers family – together we can achieve even more!
Here’s a small selection of our teams last year from veterans to the mini kickers with a few in between.
Ali’s flowers are grown organically: milk to treat mildew, seaweed as a foliar feed, comfrey tea as a nitrogen feed, with pet rabbit droppings applied directly on the soil, and chicken manure to the compost. She entices natural predators and relies on ladybirds to control aphids and blackfly and encourages amphibians and slow worms, but she admitted to luring slugs and snails to a dark spot and even hand picking in the dusk to protect plants prior to a wedding.
Ali explained that there was increasing focus on UK-grown blooms because of the high carbon footprint of imported flowers and the dangers of pesticides with which they are sprayed, and which are recorded as being absorbed by florists.
The next meeting will be held on 20th October and will feature a lecture by Marion Sidebottom on Plant Photography using Smartphones and Tablets.
Dengie D Caf
Dengie D caf have had another busy month. We now have 58 members, which is amazing. This month 56 of us had an amazing lunch at Royal Burnham Yacht club . I have to say it was the best fish pie I've ever eaten. Huge thanks and massive compliments to the chef, Dan Hull, and the great staff on duty today.
We've also hosted our first Virtual Admiral Nurse clinic at our Steeple session. This are open to anyone. Please message us if you'd like to book an appointment. Admiral Nurses are clinical experts.
We've also enjoyed a session with logo quizzes and made some beautiful memory books with our lovely Anne. In October we celebrate 10 years with a party. It's such an honour to be part of this, wonderful charity and give huge thanks to all of of our brilliant volunteers.
Important Telephone Numbers
Police Stations Headquarters ............................0300 333 4444
Fire Emergency 999 or HQ ...............01376 576000
Ambulance Emergency 999 or enquiries ......01245 443344
Coastguard Emergency 999 or enquiries ......01255 675518
Lifeboat (Inshore Rescue Burnham) Emergency ............................999
Crouch Harbour Authority (9.30am-11.30am) .........01621 783602
Water Emergency: ...............................08457 820 999
Sewage Emergency: ................................08457 145145
Gas Emergency: ..................................0800 111999
Electricity Emergency (24 hours): ...........................0800 7838838
Post Office, 22 Station Rd .......................................01621 784899
Burnham Community Info. Centre ...........................01621 784962
Burnham Library ...........................................0345 603 7628
Southminster Library ...........................................0345 603 7628
Burnham Town Council
Cllr Douglas Bown (Mayor)
Mr Neil Pudney ............................................01621 784233
Town Council (Chapel Road) 01621 783426
Email: Office@burnhamoncrouchtowncouncil.gov.uk
Chemists
Fiveways Pharmacy.......... .........................................01621 782058
Savages Pharmacy.....................................................01621 785042
Southminster Pharmacy ............................................01621 772392
Churches
All Saints Creeksea, Rev. Vera Wadman ...................01621 783963
Baptist Church ............................................01621 493642
Jehovah’s Witnesses ...........................................01621 784900
Methodist Church (URC) .........................................01621 772178
Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin, Rev Suzie Fryer………………………….01621 782071,01621 786066
Roman Catholic Church ....................................782034 or 852259
The United Reformed Church ..................................01621 772178
Buddhist Shrine - ............................................01621 773619
Tillingham Congregational Church .........................01621 782201
St Peter’s Chapel-Bradwell ......................................01621 776846
St Leonards C of E Church, Southminster ...............01621 772300
St Nicholas Tillingham C of E Church, Southminster ............................................01621 778017
Doctors
Health Services Clinic, Crouch Road ........................03003 032621
The Burnham Surgery ............................................01621 782054
The Trinity Medical Centre, Mayland ........................01621 745400
Maylandsea Medical Centre .....................................01621 742233
William Fisher Medical Centre, Southminster ..........01621 773777
NHS Direct .............................................................111
Funeral Directors
Paul J King ............................................01621 784884
A.G. Smith Independent Funeral Directors .............01621 774557
Vets
Edgewood Veterinary Group ......01621 852910 or 01621 784080
Osteopath
Burnham Osteopathic Clinic .....................................01621 786600
Estate Agents
Church & Hawes 01621 782652
Balgores South Woodham Ferrers Branch ...............01245 323729
Burnham
Burnham Sailing Club ................... enquiries@burnhamsc.co.uk Burnham Golf Club ............................................01621 782282 Burnham Croquet Club ............................................01621 784309
Burnham Hillside Bowls Club ....................................01621 785293
Creeksea Sailing Club .............................01621 778952/772685
Blackwater Sailing Club ............................................01621 740300
Jacks Centre Latchingdon Bowls ..............................01621 742051
Maylandsea Bay Sailing Club ....................................01621 740470
Royal Corinthian Yacht Club .....................................01621 782105
Royal Burnham Yacht Club .......................................01621 782044
Southminster Bowls Club ..........................................01621 783091
Tillingham Bowls Club.............................................. 01621 779575
Burnham on Crouch Bridge Club..…………………..01621 773165
Crouch Kayak Club..Contact info: membership@crouchkayak.club
Southminster Tennis Club, info email: emma@thebandeja.com
