The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a stern message to politicians over their sexual morals in his visit to Essex. More than 700 people gathered at Essex University to hear the Most Rev Dr George Carey speak as part of his whirlwind tour of the county
Rayleigh children stepped back in time to experience life at a Victorian school. Pupils dressed up, took part in old-style classroom and PE lessons, and made old-fashioned wooden toys during Edward Francis Infants' Victorian Day. Deputy head Sandra Herring
A survey on Second World War decoy bombing sites has received £5,000 in funding from the Essex Heritage Trust. The survey is being supported by a number of authorities. Essex County Council's heritage conservation group is conducting the survey which
Colchester United are on target for a bumper pay-day and sell-out crowd for Saturday's clash with former England star Ian Wright and promotion-chasing Burnley. The U's are certain to record their biggest crowd of the season having already sold around
Courageous youngster Oliver Headon is to appear on a television advert with Nelson Mandela. Chelmsford youngster Oliver, four, is making good progress in his battle against cancer and has now been asked to star in the commercial for the Imperial Cancer
Tributes today poured in to former Essex cricket chief Peter Edwards, who died in South Africa after suffering a heart attack. The county secretary and general manager was leading a party to watch England's winter tour to South Africa when he had a heart
Trebor-Bassett's award winning sweet factory is being sold off at a fraction of the original building cost. More than 200 jobs will be lost when the Trebor-Bassett sweet factory in Colchester closes on March 3. The 94,000 sq ft Severalls Lane site was
Maverick MP Teresa Gorman was on Friday facing a month-long suspension from parliament. There are now calls for Tory leader William Hague to discipline her. The Billericay MP has dismissed the verdict as "rubbish." How did she get into this situation?
Heybridge looked to have other things on their mind as they crashed to a disappointing 2-0 Ryman League defeat at Hendon. The Swifts travel to Runcorn in the last 16 of the FA Trophy on Saturday. And that could explain a lacklustre performance from Liam
A childcare centre in Leigh could be closed by July after Southend Council's cabinet recommended shutting the Narnia Centre. The proposal comes after a two-year battle to keep open the Highlands Boulevard complex which offers nursery and after-school
TOM KING met John Briggs and June Briggs, original members of the Basildon Amateur Operatic Society which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year Out of Britain's hundreds of operatic and dramatic societies, the Basildon Amateur Operatic Society enjoys
Tiny Tia Mosedale had a rude introduction to the world - after she was born in the back seat of her mum and dad's new car. Tia was due to be born on Saturday in Southend Hospital. However she surprised her parents Amber and Grant Mosedale, of Hannah Close
Basildon's top policeman has spoken for the first time of the honour of being chosen to head the Stansted hijack negotiations. Basildon divisional commander Supt Denis Sheppard said he had never experienced anything as major in all his life. It was his
A chunk of next year's education budget in Southend will be set aside to help children learn English as a second language. Southend Council has set aside £80,000 to help schools which are struggling to cope with an influx of children who need special
We want jaw-jaw, not war-war! That was the message to car giant Ford as 1,000 striking workers packed out Basildon's Towngate Theatre. Union boss Roger Lyons told angry staff it was time for a show of strength in the face of Ford's inflexibility to force
Royal London's boss today pledged its Colchester site will remain a vital part of the company when it buys out another insurance firm. The Colchester-based insurance company has launched an agreed £1.5 billion takeover for United Assurance. The deal will
That critical time of the season is fast approaching for Ipswich Town and they probably needed few reminders of the side who gatecrashed the promotion party last time around. Dario Gradi's Crewe are widely regarded as the side who wrecked the Premiership
Miracle-worker Steve Whitton is refusing to rest on his laurels after guiding Colchester United to relative safety in the middle of the Division Two table. The ambitious U's boss and his Layer Road squad have worked their socks off to lift the club alongside
Pupils at the Alec Hunter High School in Braintree have been praised for their hard work at making the production of Bugsy Malone a huge success The performances of Bugsy Malone, which is set in America in the 1920s and is about two rival gangs, were
Boy-toy favourite Action Man pulled in the crowds when he made a whirlwind visit to a supermarket. Ten-year-old Anthony Van Mellaerts, of Benfleet, couldn't believe his eyes when he found himself fist to fist with his hero at Tesco, Pitsea. Action Man
For the first time pupils from Crowstone Preparatory School are having the opportunity to participate in a number of exciting new and traditional sporting activities at Southend Tennis and Leisure Centre in Garon's Park. Under the direction of fully qualified
Having distanced themselves from any realistic chance of promotion for another season, Braintree were not expected to check Croydon's onward march towards the title but few would have anticipated them taking such a hammering. Iron were literally never
Stanway Rovers' young striker Richard Clarke is currently on a week's trial with Nationwide Division Three side Scunthorpe. Clarke, 19, from Raydon, near Capel St Mary, joined Jewson League division one outfit Rovers at the beginning of the season from
Tiptree United continued their march towards promotion from division one with a 4-0 win against a lacklustre Haverhill Rovers side - but it could and should have been many more. On a heavy pitch, the Jam-makers made equally heavy work of their victory
Wakering suffered a rare afternoon to forget in their Ryman League Division Three title challenge. Rovers, in their first season at Ryman level, will be delighted by the fact that, lying second, not many of their promotion rivals below them took advantage
There was a predictable result when two of the main challengers for the Southend Borough Combination Premier Division title clashed. The match finished in a 1-1 draw with leaders Southchurch Hall OS, who scored through O'Malley, keeping their one-point
A Braintree man is hoping to raise £2,500 for a children's charity, by taking part in the Ultimate Charity Challenge in Borneo. Adrian Newbery of Bartram Avenue, will be trekking up the 13,000 feet Mount Kinabalu, cycling 180km across the Kinabalu National
A second person has been charged with murder as part of a probe into deaths at a Clacton care home. Angela Postill, 41, the owner of Carnarvon Lodge Residential Care Home, is accused of murdering Eunice Fifield. She was charged with the 62-year-old's
A bankrupt Pitsea woman has been banned from being a director for seven years for fiddling tax and account books at her nursery. Government inspectors also found that Alisa Hatton, of Station Lane, had caused or allowed unexplained cash withdrawals. She
Veteran keeper Mark Prudhoe spared Blues' blushes last night as his penalty shoot-out heroics kept Southend United in the Essex Senior Cup. The Division Two side went through at the expense of non-League minnows Barking. The Seasiders' second-string,
Pegasus won through to the Essex Veterans County Cup final... but not until they had fought off a tremendous effort from First Division Benfleet. Pegs' finally clipped their rivals' wings 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out, the action having finished 0-0 after
On a pitch that looked worse for wear as two teams (Wokingham and Windsor & Eton) play their games on it, Witham looked as though they were going to get thrashed for the first half hour, but by the end were well on top and disappointed that they didn't
Ford is to axe 1,500 jobs from its Dagenham plant as part of plans for a big cut-back in production. Volunteers for redundancy will be sought immediately at the plant, where the top selling Fiesta is built. The news will have significant knock-on effects
Southend Council has hailed its first social services customer review a success - despite having to accept that it was underperforming in certain areas. Super-councillors at the council's cabinet meeting heard from social services director Jane Held that
Her first footsteps, teeth, words, in fact everything baby Charlotte Goldsmith does for the next 20 years, will be caught on camera in a new BBC programme. Charlotte, just over a month old and from the Colchester area, is among the babies born at the
A former care home worker has been charged with murdering a resident at a Clacton care home. Pearl Gunfield, 41, of Harwich Road, Little Clacton, was charged with murdering Eunice Fifield, 62, on September 25, "together with persons as yet unknown" at
If your new year's decision to lose weight has long since waned, take heart. JANE O'CONNELL talks to Diana Butterworth who lost more than seven stone in two years When Diana Butterworth's husband of more than 30 years mildly agreed with his wife's comment
A terrified store worker was robbed at gunpoint during a late night shop raid in Colchester. The masked raider went into Dillons store in Hunwicke Road, Greenstead, shortly before 11pm on Sunday night. Store manager Fred Wake said the two female assistants
by SARAH HUTLEY Councillors today vowed to press ahead with a 10.8 per cent increase in council tax, despite warnings from finance officials that the Government could take action against the rise. Michael Clayton, director of finance at Castle Point urged
Plans to re-name the Southminster branch railway line will be unveiled in the spring. Community rail partnership officer, Linda Smart, is working with Great Eastern for a competition to re-name the line and will now be seeking residents' views on the
The future of one of Colchester's biggest employers looks set to be secured after a German buyout. Paxman Diesels is in the process of being bought by the German MAN group. The deal has yet to be approved by MAN's supervisory board, but the company's
Essex cricket supporters will have been shocked by reports last week suggesting Nasser Hussain would be quitting his post as County Captain. According to the report in a national newspaper, Hussain had remarked that the pressure of his involvement with
Westcliff solicitor Paul Robinson is still fired with ambition for his practice - and for the Blues, as he tells RAY BRADLEY If you want to get ahead in this world get a good lawyer. They may be expensive and effusive, but in the crunch, you get the expertise
A terrified shop assistant and customer were held at knifepoint by a robber in Bocking. The 23-year-old woman cashier and male shopper were ordered to lie on the floor while the hooded attacker carried out the armed raid at the Co-op in Church Street,
Libby Hill celebrated her 60th birthday on Thursday, but that milestone will not stop her turning up for hockey matches -- a sport that she has been playing for 49 years. Libby, from Great Waltham, collected her pension book on Thursday, but in a week's
Chelmsford City FC has made a generous undisclosed five-figure cash gift to 'landlords' Billericay Town to build a new 300-seater stand. The new structure is expected to be ready by March 20. The gift is described as 'insurance' to ensure that if City
Money - it's the root of all evil It's hard for people like me who remember with fondness Stan Collymore's all too short time at Roots Hall to see him as the "monster" he is often portrayed by the media. Hardly a day goes by without some horror story
A chance to refresh the spirit and body has been offered over the past few months in a series of taster sessions in the Maldon district. The Body and Mind initiative has been organised by Maldon District Council and Maldon (Essex) Mind, the mental health
Youngsters were able to enjoy a "moo-lennium" experience with a difference. Hands-on milking demonstrations are part of an all new cow zone at Marsh Farm in South Woodham Ferrers. Seven-year-old Chloe Richards, of Western Road, Billericay, was just one
Little Jack Neighbour could be suffering from a rare type of diabetes that affects just one in 400,000. Jack remains on four injections of insulin a day while experts continue tests into the condition that affects just two people a year in Britain. Mum
These impressive biceps will soon be appearing on thousands of TV screens instead of just in the gym at Hawkwell's Clements Hall Leisure Centre. Steve Mowle, paramedic with Rayleigh ambulance station and Essex Air Ambulance, was at full stretch for a
Pensioners may be forced to walk further in future to pick up their concessionary bus passes and railcards after the number of issuing post offices is cut. The move has come about after the Post Office felt a small number of passes and railcards were
Changes are still being made to the Dengie Hundred Link Bus Service, members of the East Essex Transport Forum heard last week. Timings are being looked at to try and overcome connection problems from Tillingham said clerk Judith Short. She added: "We
Basildon Town continued their march up the Essex Intermediate League Senior Division Two table when goals from Chivers, Lawrence and Wakeling gave them a 3-2 win at Herongate Athletic. The new towners are now up to fifth place. Up in the First Division
The operation to evict Rettendon's eco-warriors looks set to cost up to a staggering £4 million - and taxpayers will have to cough up. Essex County Council has estimated the final bill will be between £3-4 million. CountryRoute, contractors for the A130
A bootlegger from Maldon has been jailed for running the biggest music racket ever in this country. Alan Williams could have netted £1 million through his illegal compact disc business but a court heard how he is now a ruined man. Williams, 39, is expected
Rochford Town had a real ball as they went to the top of the Southend District League Premier Division with a 5-0 home win over Thundersley and Hadleigh. For C Ball grabbed two of the goals with Ames, Holyland and M Spence completing the tally. Canvey
A Westcliff woman is celebrating after losing 50lbs. Anna Bell decided to start shedding the pounds in the run-up to her 70th birthday last November. However, since then she has continued with the fat-busting diet and has now dropped from 14 stones to
Famous book characters were bought to life at a Canvey school when pupils dressed up as their favourite fictional friend. Youngsters at Northwick Park Infant School took part in the dressing up day to mark the end of the school's book week. A host of
Intrepid firefighter David Taylor is planning to take a break from battling blazes to help people in danger of a different kind. Mr Taylor, of Heywood Way, Heybridge, near Maldon, is hoping to get on his bike and cycle around Brazil to raise cash to help
Pupils at William de Ferrers School in South Woodham Ferrers received their Duke of Edinburgh bronze awards in school assembly on Wednesday. All the year 11 pupils received awards having completed tasks including physical, service and expedition challenges
All Saints bell ringers rang in the changes and entertained at St Peter's Court Nursing Home, Maldon last week. Manager Linda Foster is moving on to become a nurse adviser and taking over her role will be Penny Heap. A new deputy manager, Angela Briggs
A gypsy grandmother fined £1,000 for keeping caravans on her North Benfleet landholding has had her appeal overturned. Rachel Cooper, a Romany gypsy, admitted at Basildon Magistrates Court in November 1998 that she had breached an enforcement notice by
A Braintree school has successfully reached the necessary sum needed to submit a bid to the government to become a technology college, thanks to Freeport. Notley High School finally achieved its sponsorship target of £50,000 last week, after the shopping
Greenfingers - the black comedy horror story filmed at Dorewards Hall in Bocking - reached the big screen this week. On Monday stars Ingrid Pitt and Janina Faye joined producer-director Paul Cotgrove for the West End premiere of the film which is a tribute
Drugs tsar Keith Hellawell has visited Essex to unveil a new system of American-style courts. Mr Hellawell went to Danbury, near Chelmsford, yesterday to explain the plan to the county's probation service and key magistrates. If the Government gives the
A driver died when his car was crushed beneath an overturned articulated lorry in a five-vehicle crash on the A120 today. Emergency services rushed to the accident near Dunmow but were unable to save the car driver who was certified dead at the scene
Two teenage thugs armed themselves with a two-foot long machete - then terrorised and robbed another youth from Southend. The brutal pair ordered 19-year-old Craig Edwards back to his tiny YMCA bedsit in Southend and threatened to slice his throat with
A crumbling Pitsea church is to lose yet more of its remains thanks to a vandalism campaign by troublesome youths. Mobile telephone giant Orange Communications took over St Michael's Church promising to improve reception in the area. During work to install
