THE Geedon Gallery spring exhibition this year is the New English Art Club. Showcasing work by some of the very best contemporary British figurative painting, the exhibition includes work by Fred Cuming, Deirdre Daines and Brian Douglas. As well as
ACTORS from Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre will return to north Essex this year, with their third performance at Hedingham Castle. The travelling troupe, who have wowed audiences over the past two years, will return in July to perform A Midsummer Night’
A NEW fire engine is too tall to fit inside Colchester fire station. Essex County Fire and Rescue Service has ordered replacements for all five of its aerial ladder platforms, including the one based at Colchester, at a cost of between £400,000 and £440,000
A FIREFIGHTER who almost died in a motorcycle accident has successfully trekked the Great Wall of China. Martin Sibley, 44, leading firefighter on Colchester Green Watch, spent ten days walking the historic wall to raise money for the Firefighters’ Charity
COMMUTERS were delayed after a man was hit by a train in Ingatestone. The incident happened at about 1.50pm when the man was hit by the 12.50pm service from Clacton to Liverpool Street station. Steve Wrelton, from the British Transport
A HUGE funding cut has forced a school to delay refurbishment work. The Learning and Skills Council has wiped £35,975 from this year’s financial budget for Hedingham School, in Sible Hedingham. Courses for the 200 sixth formers will
POLICE horses have taken to the streets of Frinton and Walton in a bid to cut crime during the Easter holidays. Essex Police’s mounted unit were part of extra patrols in Walton, which suffers increased crime and violence during holidays. The operation
SECURITY cameras should be installed near a housing estate to combat yobs, it is claimed. Julie Ainger, a parish councillor for Lawford, made the plea after £1,800 of play equipment was vandalised just four days after it was installed. The equipment
HEALTH chiefs have revealed the bill for treating people with obesity problems in the area could soon top a weighty £50million. Latest figures show NHS North East Essex spent £44.8million last year on treating patients with diseases related to obesity
RESIDENTS have slammed a council for cutting back on the types of plastic it allows people to recycle. Tendring Council says the wrong types of plastic are “contaminating” its green efforts. Nigel Brown, the council’s communications manager, said: “
CHILDREN in a new housing estate are pleading with builders for somewhere to play. Families living in the Solus development, off Berechurch Hall Road, Colchester, are calling on developers to provide a play area for their youngsters.
Alastair Macnaught, returning to golf for his first competition since the Club Championship last September, had a resounding win in Colchester Golf Club’s premier Easter competition, the Elmstead Cup. In one of the busiest weekends for some time Macnaught
Paul Lambert is ready to make sweeping changes to his Colchester United squad this summer. And the number of players that leave the U’s could run into double figures. Lambert has made no secret of the fact that certain players will be told they are
The senior section of Lexden Wood Golf Club played for the prestigious Easter Tankard. A large field took advantage of the pleasant weather to return some good scores with the pick of the bunch being Peter Fleming. He started with an excellent four
Welcome back to another summer of cricket, during which I’ll be keeping you up to date on all the news, views and gossip in the Essex camp. I’ve had a busy winter, involving sharks, crocodiles, a trip to the surgeon and travel to two other continents
Former Essex star Andy Flower has been unveiled as England’s new team director at Lord’s. Former Zimbabwe batsman Flower impressed as stand-in coach during the recent tour to the Caribbean despite the unexpected defeat by the West Indies in the Test
DISAPPOINTED shopkeepers have blasted another delay in installing Halstead’s CCTV system. It could be another six months before the CCTV system, which should have been installed last month, is ready. It has emerged the lamp posts are not sturdy enough
POLICE have carried out a detailed search of the former home of a missing man. It is thought police were looking for a body. The search included digging up part of the garden at the house in Claton, which is split into flats. Timothy
A FIREFIGHTER was called to put out a blaze set by arsonists at his own beach hut in Frinton. Three huts in the High Wall area below Connaught Avenue were destroyed and another was badly damaged in the fire. Two others nearby were vandalised
TOWN Hall bosses have denied opposition claims of a “black hole” in Tendring Council’s finances. Tory councillor Peter Halliday claimed the council’s cash reserves had plummeted from £11million to less than £4million in the last two years. And he said
MORE than 1,000 women have pledged their support to a Midnight Walk in aid of St Helena Hospice. And it has prompted organisers to add an extra 500 places. Project manager Dominic Munro-McCarthy said: “We’ve been totally overwhelmed by the number of
A CONVOY of Minis travelled through the countryside to raise money for charity. More than 50 of the compact vehicles took part in the run from Norwich to Braintree, generating more than £500 for the East Anglian Air Ambulance. The annual event, which
MORE than 100 job losses are looming after a window company made a U-turn on relocation plans. Premdor in Sible Hedingham was set to relocate to a smaller base in the Braintree area and company operations director Chris Mellard said there would
A WOMAN has been rewarded for her generosity with a jackpot win. Angela Price, from West Bergholt, scooped the Flight for Life Lottery Superdraw jackpot of £25,000. Mrs Price signed up to the lottery scheme to support the Essex Air Ambulance. She said
THE mayor of Frinton fears a massive overhaul of the town’s main shopping street might not go ahead after a funding bid was snubbed. Essex County Council is consulting residents about a £2.8million project to spruce up Frinton with new pavements, lights
STAFF and governors were given their first chance to see Colchester’s newest school, Queen Boudica Primary School during construction. The £10million school is being built as part of a housing development in Turner Road to provide places for
A TUMBLE dryer at County Linen in Stephenson Road, Clacton caught fire at 1.36am. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used one hose reel to tackle the fire, which left the whole of the premises heavily smoke logged. Two crews from Clacton Fire
IT MAY have been 20 years ago, but the Hillsborough disaster is still fresh in the minds of Liverpool Football Club. On April 15 1989, 96 of the club’s fans were killed during a FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest. It has never
A COLCHESTER gym has been collecting Easter eggs to give to underprivileged children. Gymophobics, which is based at Mulberry Business Centre, in Haven Road, Colchester, teamed up with the Salvation Army to make their donation. Staff and members at
BEAVERS had a whole lot of bun when they went behind the scenes at a bakery. The First Halstead Beaver Scouts (Sycamore Colony) were invited to Hume’s Bakery, in Halstead, to see how huge batches of hot cross buns were made. Adrian Hume, whose son Jamie
CHILDREN were delighted when two larger-than-life characters took a trip to a shopping centre. Fifi and Bumble, from kids’ TV programme Fifi and the Flowertots, met their fans at Freeport Shopping Village, in Braintree. Manager John O’Shea said: “It
ONE of the wackiest events in a village calendar is back! Teams will don crazy costumes and tear around East Bergholt, slurping pints at each pub for charity. This year’s pram race will raise money in memory of a little girl who remains in the hearts
MOTORISTS have been praised for their safe driving through roadworks on the A12. The works began on the dual carriageway in the Kelvedon area at the end of November last year. A 50mph average speed limit was put in place a few days later at
