A COLLECTION of postcards that started off in a shoebox has now spread to half-a-dozen large chests of drawers. The 37,327 postcards belong to Roger Peck, who bought his first postcard of Derbyshire for 1p some time in the 1960s and has been collecting
A CAT-LOVING collector has turned her home into the purr-fect place for a mad catter's tea party. Colchester mum Jane McCausland has spent 20 years building a treasure trove of more than 150 teapots, all in the shape of cats! She openly confesses many
NORTH Essex MP Bernard Jenkin has joined calls for a national strategy to be put in place by the Government to help victims of Lyme disease. The Conservative signed a parliamentary early day motion that calls on ministers to draw up clear guidelines
A CALL has been made to let non-commuters park on a new clearway. The clearway, which runs down Cox's Hill, Lawford, past Manningtree station and up to the White Bridge, came into force last Monday. Drivers who were parking there now have to go elsewhere
RESIDENTS are gearing up for a fight after an application for a mental care unit in their street was lodged. Homeowners in Park Road, Clacton, were relieved in February when a similar plan for a 12-bed home was rejected by a Government inspector. But
A TRIP to Layer Road proved the inspiration for a teenage Colchester poet to win £1,000. Ashley McMullin, 17, was among the top prize-winners of the 2008 Christopher Tower Poetry Prize, recently announced at Christ Church College, Oxford. The Colchester
THOUSANDS of pounds of Olympics cash could help unemployed Essex youngsters back to work. Legacy Trust UK, charged with allocating £40 million of lottery and Government money ahead of the 2012 Games, has approved proposals for a new programme aimed at
GIRL-GUIDING'S biggest challenge is proving to be something of a life-changing experience for student Rachel Butterfield. As part of the Queen's Guide Award, the 21-year-old decided to raise money for a new school in Uganda. But it has turned out to
NEW prices at a council-run tennis court have been criticised for being too high. The family from Clacton, who asked not to be named, went along to Clacton Leisure Centre for a game, but were surprised to be charged £9 for an hour. "You used to be able
IT will be a far cry from her usual role as Sunday school teacher, youth group leader and reverend's wife. But An Lammens is embracing her challenge of cycling 300 miles from London to Paris to raise cash for those in need. Mrs Lammens, 34, of Church
GREENHOUSES were set alight and garages burgled in two separate incidents in the same Colchester road. Someone set fire to two plastic greenhouses in the garden of a home in Rosebery Avenue, off East Hill, causing the front of the greenhouses to melt
HOMES alongside the A12 would have to be demolished under any plans to widen the road, an inquiry has heard. The idea of making the A12 six lanes wide all the way from Chelmsford and Colchester has been put forward by Essex County Council as a potential
LESSONS at a north Essex primary school take place with "a buzz of excitement", Government inspectors found. When Ofsted visited Fordham All Saints Primary School, they gave the school the top "outstanding" grade in 26 out of 27 criteria. Inspector
"TRAINING is key", was the message from one Dedham worker who has picked up an industry award. Sean Johnson, finance director at Colchester Toyota, was named winner of this year's business management category in the national Motor Trader Awards. He
A STRATEGY to increase the number of specialists working in the brownfield regeneration sector has been published. The Brownfield Skills Strategy, published by the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC) and English Partnerships, aims to support the
DIFFERENT ways to reduce the environmental impact of office buildings are to come under the spotlight, just weeks after Colchester's businesses were challenged to help cut the town's carbon footprint by 30 per cent. The Government's All Party Urban Development
THE DEADLINE has passed for entries in the regional heat of the Enterprising Britain competition. The East of England Development Agency (EEDA), launched its search for the most enterprising place in the region in February. For more information about
RISING costs are stifling the "entrepreneurial spirit" of Essex businesses, it has been claimed. The price of gas, electricity, fuel and food, are taking their toll on small companies, according to Iain Wicks, chairman of the north east Essex branch
Properties to Let in South Essex BASILDON Lee Chapel North room to rent from £60 (No DSS) Close to Town Centre, Station and Hospital. All bills included. 07701 027020 / 07761 376711 LAINDON WEST Double room to let. Fully furnished. GCH. Non smoker
Police are searching for three men after a man was found stabbed to death in the street today closed a nearby primary school. A murder inquiry was launched after police were called to Coldnailhurst Avenue in Bocking near Braintree just after 10pm yesterday
There is probably no profession as in-your-face as teaching in a primary school. The children are there, in front of you, expectant, but with not much attention span. You can't fob them off by telling them to read text books for half-an-hour; you have
The following schools will be closed or affected by strike action by the National Union of Teachers on Thursday. Teachers, parents, teenagers: if you have a teachers' strike story, mail Gazette newsdesk CLOSED Ardleigh St Mary's Primary Brightlingsea
Two teenagers blamed each other for the death of a young mother whose body was found floating in the River Colne in Colchester. A murder trial jury heard how 24-year-old Helen Maughan died from head injuries and drowning after she was last seen near
A pair of modern-day Artful Dodgers have been conning Good Samaritans out of cash by spinning them tales of woe. The duo - who operate separately - fleece their kind-hearted victims by pretending to have run out of petrol. George Cheyne realised she
A leisure centre has been accused of being "filthy" and unpleasant to use. Pensioners who regularly exercise at Colchester Leisure World claim it is dirty and called for the place to be kept cleaner. Bosses at the centre in Cowdray Avenue said they
Memories of a Second World War pillbox before it became a target for vandals are being sought as a community art project gives it a fresh look. Before the Monkwick estate was built, the bunker on Stansted Road was part of the Colchester Stop Line, a
Four roads in New Town, Colchester, will be shut for resurfacing. Essex County Council has ordered a temporary closure of Kendall Road, Gladstone Road, Winsley Road and Granville Road, for five days starting from Monday. The work will not prevent residents
A motorcyclist was taken to hospital after a crash in Colchester. A red Ford Ka car was involved in a collision with a yellow Harley Davidson motorbike on North Hill. The crash happened just after 3.30pm yesterday. The motorcyclist, believed to be
Two volunteers have been hailed for their contribution to university life. Allan Blundell and Sir Robin Mountfield were awarded honorary fellowships at an annual meeting recently for their work on the University of Essex council. Mr Blundell, of School
The Essex Police helicopter was called in to help search for a missing woman in Colchester. Police officers could be seen searching the undergrowth beside a bridge on Cowdray Avenue at about 6.45am yesterday. The helicopter was spotted hovering overhead
Motorists were stranded in a seven-mile tailback on the A12 following a multi-vehicle pile-up. The crash happened at about 4.30pm yesterday, just before the Hatfield Peverel exit on the northbound carriageway. Seven vehicles, including a truck, were
Ten weeks without cigarettes was enough to earn David Kirby a new flat-screen television. The 64-year-old quit smoking in October last year, and in ten weeks had saved enough money to buy himself the TV. After a 40-year, 30-a-day habit he was more than
Footballers in Colchester have 55,000 reasons to raise a cheer. A new floodlit, all-weather pitch is to be built at Pondfield, off Harwich Road, St Anne's, thanks to a £55,000 grant from the Football Foundation. Work on the multi-use games area, which
Plans are in the pipeline to transform an historic former community hall into a retirement village. Hallmark Developments has recently bought Priory Hall, in Colchester Road, Halstead, to develop it. Next month, the Essex-based developers will take
A grieving family have told of their pain after tributes placed at their five-year-old's grave were damaged. Footprints and tyre marks were discovered in floral arrangements when friends and family went to tend Tia Goode's grave. Flowers in the shape
Fast food chain McDonald's today said they were confident there was no health risk - after a customer spotted a dead rat in the Clacton restaurant. A Clacton woman, who does not want to be named, had just eaten at the McDonald's restaurant in Pier Avenue
An elderly couple have had to cancel their anniversary plans after a thief stole two wheels from their car. Geoffrey and Antonia Martin, of Clacton, had planned to travel to France this weekend to celebrate 55 years of marriage. But after the theft
Emergency services are warning people to be on their guard after items of a firefighter's uniform were snatched. Three black and one burgundy T-shirt featuring the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service logo and a black pair of cargo trousers were taken
Lifeboat crews were called to assist a boat that ran aground off the Harwich coast. Both the Harwich inshore and offshore lifeboats attended to the Sargasso, stuck at the river Deben, five miles east of Harwich. The boat had one person onboard. It was
An elderly woman who had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering breathing problems is today recovering in hospital. The woman, 88, of South Street, Manningtree, was taken to Colchester General Hospital by the Essex Air Ambulance at about 3.30pm
Motorists using the A12 this morning are being warned to expect delays following a four-car collision near Hatfield Peverel. Police and fire crews were called to the scene just before 8am following a collision involving a blue VW Passat, a white Ford
Colchester United chief executive Marie Partner has admitted that the club's relegation will have a huge' effect on their finances. However, she is confident that the U's can make their imminent switch to the new Community Stadium a sustainable one.
Jon Walters has been crowned Ipswich Town's Player-of-the-Year. As expected, the midfielder-cum-striker was the big winner at last night's end-of-season dinner. He scooped the Players' Player-of-the-Year gong and also went home with the Corporate Boxholders
The old saying goes that familiarity breeds contempt but that certainly doesn't ring true for Essex colleagues and house-mates Alastair Cook and Mark Pettini. The England opener and county captain share a house in the village of East Hanningfield, and
PDQ Cars League: Premier Division: Clacton 180 lost to Frinton 181 for 1 by 9 wkts. Kelvedon v Colchester - match cancelled. Mistley 134 for 5 (Riley 4-19) bt Maldon 131 for 9 by 5 wkts. Division One: Abberton v West Mersea - match cancelled. Chappel
Arctic conditions at Vista Road failed to freeze the nerve of Frinton who hammered reigning PDQ Cars League premier division champions Clacton by nine wickets. Martyn Cull (54), settled into his stride as the home side raced to 86 for one at a rate of
Windsor Roosters are the 2008 winners of the Clacton and District League's Handicap Knock-Out Cup. In the final, the 50th in the league's history, Mark Smith, Daniel Prior and Lewis McKenny - with an average age of 14 - were deserving 5-0 winners over
Black Notley A have regained the Braintree Table Tennis League title they last won in 2006. And they did so after a cracker of a match against the team that took it off them last year. The Notley versus Cressing fixture fully lived up to its billing
Clacton's Lee Chisnall had an up and down time competing at the British Super Sport 600 and Super Sport Cup at Thruxston. It was wet and windy both for the practice day and then for qualifying on Saturday. Chsinall qualifed 34th on the grid out of 40
Colchester began their water polo SummerLeague campaign with a rousing 13-4 away victory against Chelmsford. They welcomed back Stuart White and Ross Knevett, which meant they had a full-strength defence. Knevett went on to play a key part in the game
A quartet from Witham Running Club bagged new personal bests (PBs) at the Nicola Five at Canvey Island. Rita Chalkley, Kev Harper, Dave Smith and Colin Short all performed well. Harper stretched away from the other Witham runners followed by Smith,
Former Premier League footballers including Kerry Dixon, Steve Sedgley and Warren Barton are set to play in a special match in Clacton. The Legends' team are taking on the Football Careers Centre at FC Clacton's Rush Green Bowl, in Rush Green Road, on
Members of Braintree Swimming Club finished third in their latest Essex Mini League meet. Overall there were many fine swims for the club, with 28 personal bests (PBs) from the 48 events. Many swimmers enjoyed good debut performances. Sophie Howard
Sunday Shrimpers have finished as runners-up in the Clacton Sunday League premier division. Royal Madrid could only manage a 1-1 draw with Station Villa (1970), enabling Shrimpers to cling on to second, despite going down 3-1 to champions Flag. It was
Gas Recreation just don't seem to want to clinch the Kent Blaxill Essex and Suffolk Border League premier division title. They drew 3-3 at Coggeshall Town and they still could be overhauled if they continue to throw games away like this. West Bergholt
A brace from Brady added to strikes by Burge, Winter, Davis and Searle saw FC Byair beat Stone Island 6-1 to win the Colchester Sunday League's Ernie Osborne Challenge Cup. Meanwhile, premier division champions AFC Phoenix beat Blackhammer 5-0 with goals
The KP Evans and Co Colchester and East Essex League Knock Out Cup final will be a repeat of the Great Bromley Cup final, with Harwich Rangers and Colne Engaine battling for honours. A brace from Martyn Thomas and a single for Paul Coombs saw Harwich
Stanway Rovers have won their last three Ridgeons League premier division outings and would dearly love to continue that sequence when they travel to CRC tonight. Rovers are eager to end the campaign on a high note to underline the progress they have
Halstead Town will aim to win their first piece of silverware under manager Jody Brown tonight when they play in the First Division Knockout Cup final. Town travel to Mildenhall FC to take on Ely City. Although Ely have already won promotion from Ridgeons
Harwich and Parkeston confirmed their place in the Ridgeons League premier division with a 3-0 win over Woodbridge Town. The Shrimpers have hit a purple patch late in the season, netting 11 times in their last two matches. Top-scorer Scott Page scored
Maldon Town's final home match of the season in Ryman League division one north saw them draw 2-2 with Great Wakering Rovers.
Braintree Town will head into their final game of the season with promotion still a possibility, after beating Dorchester Town 1-0. The Iron knew that a victory was essential if they were to keep their hopes of reaching the Blue Square South play-offs
Mersea sailors Saskia Clark and Hannah Stodel were left kicking their heels on dry land as strong winds cancelled racing on the third day of the Semaine Olympique Francaise regatta in Hyères in France. The predicted Mistral wind was gusting up to 35
The hard work that course owner Simon Marriage puts in for The Essex at High Easter, near Great Dunmow was rewarded when his horse Lord Euro landed the opening club members race under Nicky Cook. The son of Lord Americo was always in the front and ran
Colchester Rugby Club's under-tens followed up their success at their home festival last month by triumphing at the Sudbury Minis Festival. The youngsters ran-in 25 unanswered tries in five matches to underline the dominance of a team who have developed
Following the cancellation of their latest boat match, Braintree Sea Angling Club organised a match on Walton Pier. It took place in conjunction with a freshwater club from Sandy, in Bedfordshire. Barrie Senior won the match with 23 fish for 284 points
Feering Bell second's first summer Braintree and District Petanque League campaign got under way with a tough match against reigning BDPL winter champions Chequers PC, of Great Tey. The Bell triple of Bird, Pearse and Winter started well with two on
The Ipswich Witches resume the hunt for their first Elite League victory of the campaign tomorrow when they host the Eastbourne Eagles. Having lost two of their four competitive fixtures at Foxhall Stadium so far this term, the Witches will be desparate
... Col U's Marie Partner talks about the future for the club, including the new stadium ... discover what's happening with the redevelopment of Colchester's Cowdray Centre ... find out how a Gazette story was picked up by lots of newspapers in India
GRAFFITI is to be wiped out in Colchester in a joint operation by police and council officers. Education and enforcement are the two main thrusts of the assault on graffiti being launched by the town centre policing team and Colchester Council. Police
