Grateful parents are determined to say the best possible thank you to the hospitals that saved their young daughter's life. Hug - little Daisy gets a cuddle from big sister Sophie Picture: ANNA LUKALA So the Lockers, of Leighfields Avenue, Eastwood, have
Juliet Day found her Romeo all she had to do was get him to say: "Yes". But rather than propose on some secluded balcony in fair Verona, she chose to pop the question on television. Juliet, 36, was offered a starring role in Channel 4's four-day series
Children are planning a sit-down protest in a bid to stop their play area being turned into flower beds. Parents and children in the Thaxted Road area of Blackheath, Colchester, are up in arms over the council's decision to turn the remaining bit of the
Proposals for an underground bus park in Colchester are being touted with bus operators. Moving the bus park from off Queen Street to Osborne Street is a key feature of the controversial plans to overhaul the St Botolph's area of town. It has been reveal
A fisherman whose livelihood was ruined when his boat sank is celebrating today after getting his trawler back into the water. Shipshape - Colin Dolby set for the launch Picture: ROB BROWNE Colin Dolby, 42, from Leigh, has worked solidly for four months
A floundering farmers' market is praying for a little divine intervention to get business booming again. Dedham's market is turning to the church in a bid to drum up more trade. The monthly event is switching to historic St Mary's after more than three
Southend-on-Sea Bowls Club has become a mixed club and is now looking for new members. Both women and men are being invited to attend an open day next weekend to give them a taste of the sport. The event is being held at the club's headquarters at 7 Tunbridge
Having enjoyed a run of two successive wins, Great Wakering Rovers will be aiming to complete the hat-trick and move out of the Ryman First Division bottom three when they host Barking and East Ham tomorrow. With the Tilbury side immediately above them
A celebrity stilt walker and clowns are just a few of the ways a shopping centre has been helping families to celebrate Easter. Carrot? - Little Amber Rafter feeds bunny Lucy Dalzeil Picture: ROB BROWNE The Eastgate Centre in Basildon is putting on all
Every point counts as Ipswich Town go into the first of six 'cup finals' tomorrow at Rotherham United. That is the message from Blues goalkeeper Kelvin Davis as Town focus on finishing an inconsistent season on a high with a final run-in to the play-off
Little Haven Children's Hospice was the charity to benefit to the tune of £7,900 as a result of Canvey Island's run through to the first round proper of the FA Cup. Picture: LUAN MARSHALL Each club getting to that stage received a cut of monies raised
Billericay's Dave Venables made a triumphant return from injury at the weekend to record his eighth straight British super-heavyweight title. Venables lifted 105 kilos plus to confirm his place at the top of the nation's weight-lifting tree following
Supermarkets in Essex could soon stock groceries, cleaning products, and bang-up-to-date information about the county's traffic system. Screens showing congestion hot-spots, alternative routes home and the current whereabouts of buses and trains are being
Football mad fathers who fancy becoming the next England manager should take advantage of free coaching courses being run in Harold by Havering College and West Ham United. The Learning Freeway, which aims to encourage adults to learn new skills, has
Chelmsford revellers are being urged to "suck it and shut it" as part of an innovative new scheme aimed at reducing late night noise during the busy Easter weekend. Sweet point - Israel Pons and Vicki Bird lick up the lollipop scheme Club and pub goers
A father has told of his shock after his daughter nearly had her hair set on fire in two separate incidents. The first incident happened about three months ago when Sarah-Jayne Salmon was walking home from school. Her father Andrew, of Norway Crescent
Borough of Southend swimmer Nathalie Brown got her first taste of action in the Olympic trials at Sheffield yesterday. Brown finished ninth in the women's 400m individual medley heats, thus failing to qualify for the finals. But Brown will be hoping to
Southend High did England proud in the 22-nation World Schools Cross-Country Championship in Lyon. The ties have it - Southend High's boys team for the world schools' cross-country in Lyon with their commemorative neckwear Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL They
Graffiti stretching two-and-a-half miles has had to be cleaned up so far this year in the Southend borough. A graffiti hotline took 256 calls in the first three months of the year resulting in council officers getting rid of the unwanted artwork. Since
Smokers are being warned about a con used to trick a woman out of cash in Colchester. The victim was in Osborne Street when a man walked up to her and offered 200 cigarettes for £10. She handed over the cash and was given a Toni Braxton CD as security
The truth behind 'Billericay Dickie' is revealed in a new book about Essex singing legend Ian Dury. Dury, who died of cancer four years ago aged 57, leapt to fame in 1977 when his debut album New Boots And Panties sold a million copies. Now writer and
New plans to build retirement flats in South Green have sparked relief that it will see an end to proposals to build a supermarket on the same site. Developers have submitted plans into Basildon District Council to knock down The Burstead Plough pub in
Canvey Island and Billericay Town are both likely to discover their Ryman League destinies over the Easter weekend. While Gulls, needing just two points from their last eight games to be confirmed as Premier champions, are likely to be the title holders
Phil Parkinson said today his Colchester United squad will have to be 'right on top of their game' if they are to enjoy an Easter double over relegation-threatened Notts County and Brentford. Phil Parkinson The U's play second-from-bottom County at Layer
Chelmsford revellers are being urged to "suck it and shut it" as part of an innovative new scheme aimed at reducing late night noise during the busy Easter weekend. Sweet point - Israel Pons and Vicki Bird lick up the lollipop scheme Club and pub goers
Chloe Francis blew the rest of the opposition out of the water at the Essex Age Group swimming championships. Heavy haul - Chloe Francis shows off her Essex championship medals Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL The ten-year-old swam away with 13 victories out
In the British compulsory level four regional competition for nine-year-olds, five South Essex gymnasts competed with huge success. Clean sweep - for the level four gymnasts from Basildon's South Essex Club (left to right): Nancy Epsley, Samantha Mitchell
Two men taken to hospital after a crash had a lucky escape. One car ended up on its roof and emergency services feared the occupants were trapped. The accident happened on the A133 between the Wivenhoe turn-off and Elmstead Market just before 2pm yesterday
Matthew Etherington insists that West Ham's player owe their manager a big performance after Saturday's defeat at Reading. Matthew Etherington - insists the Hammers squad owe manager Alan Pardew a win Picture: STEVE O'CONNELL The 2-0 loss at the Madejski
Bus passengers will be faced with finding alternative services after a timetable shake-up by Arriva. The company has announced it is withdrawing some services and altering others, but it is also extending other routes. Among the casualties are the Saturday
A father fears he will never know the truth about the moments leading up to his son's death at Dovercourt seafront. Shaun Lancaster died by the roadside after falling from a moving van in Marine Parade. Witnesses yesterday told an inquest they saw the
A gnome with no home is being looked after by police in Harwich. The ceramic figurine was found in a Dovercourt garden carrying a note that said "Don't send me back there, they hurt us." He was handed in to Harwich police station, where officers have
A motorcyclist died after suffering chest injuries when he crashed into a car, an inquest heard. Colin Taylor, 32, of Hickory Avenue, Colchester, was riding along the A120 Coggeshall Road at Marks Tey when it happened. Just before the crash, witness Michael
These kind-hearted nurses are to trek up the Himalayas to raise funds for their patients at St Luke's Hospice. Check - Eileen Craig, Stella Woollcott, Karen East and Lisa Duggan inspect some of their kit Picture: ROB BROWNE The trip to Nepal next February
Delighted staff and governors at Wickford's Castledon School for children with special needs have hailed a new Ofsted report as a triumph after turning its fortunes around in two years. A report in 2002 found that it had 'serious weaknesses' but education
Manager Alan Pardew is backing his team to bounce back straightaway when Derby visit Upton Park tomorrow. "It's in the nature of the beast that we are up and going again," he said. "You have to accept bad defeats at any club and at any time, just like
Wind turbines to power 3,000 homes are to be built on a south Essex country park. The pioneering scheme will help protect the environment by avoiding thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide being released into the atmosphere. It is the brainchild of a Basildon
Colin Hill believes the chances of brother Garry replacing him as Heybridge Swifts boss are very slim. Hill senior is bringing his short spell as Swifts boss to a close at the end of the season, but he does not believe Garry will return to Scraley Road
Fivemembers of Southend-on-Sea Swimming Club's diving division had an extremely successful day at the Southern Counties Age Group Diving Competitions, held at Crystal Palace. Golden wonders - Faye Ratcliff (left) and Victoria Stoneham Picture: RON POULTER
Southend finish their away campaign in National Division Three South tomorrow, with a tough fixture at high-flying North Walsham. The seventh placed Seas-iders trail their Easter Saturday opponents, who are third in the table, by ten points, but will
Essex County Council invests millions in the arms trade, according to ethical campaigners. The Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT) lists the council as one of the top offenders in the country for pumping cash into the shares of arms manufacturers.
A couple armed with a baseball bat and knives robbed an Indian takeaway. The man and woman burst into the Sonali Tandoori, in Hoover Drive, Laindon, and stole £150 from the till. Detectives believe the robbers returned to the tandoori after causing problems
Southend United midfielder Lewis Hunt today revealed his interest in staying with the Shrimpers next season. Ready to return -- Blues' Lewis Hunt hopes to play at Huddersfield tomorrow Picture: NICK ANSELL The 21-year-old, who is expected to return to
