EVER longed to become more self-sufficient and eco-conscious by growing fruit and vegetables? Have you fantasised about cutting down on those unnecessary food miles and reducing the amount of waste you throw away? Cultivating your own crops and creating
A COLCHESTER man has become the town’s first victim of swine flu. He tested positive for the virus after returning from a foreign holiday. Mike Gogarty, director of public health for NHS North East Essex, said: “I can confirm that a man from Colchester
A FATHER took his own life after repeated pleas to be admitted to a mental health unit were ignored. Gareth Grainger’s mother, Susan, said her child would still be alive if he had been kept under observation in the Lakes, part of Colchester General
A COLCHESTER-based soldier who won one of the UK's highest gallantry awards has been acquitted of "disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind". Lance Corporal Peter McKinley, who is in his early 20s and holds the Military Cross, had been accused
ESSEX are on the cusp of taking a giant leap towards more one-day success. And skipper Mark Pettini wants his side to monopolise one-day cricket for years to come. Essex already have the reputation of being the most fearsome limited overs team in the
Ravi Bopara believes his nightmare in Sri Lanka spurred him on to his current run of form that brought a third consecutive Test century in today’s second Test against West Indies at Chester-le-Street. Essex team-mates Alastair Cook (126 not out) and
COLCHESTER United’s players will be put through their paces in Germany this summer. And U’s boss Paul Lambert has promised that the pre-season training camp will be no easy ride for his squad. Colchester will travel to Bonn – the former capital of West
A VIGILANT neighbour has won a fight against traffic wardens over claims residents were unfairly ticketed outside their own homes. People living on the Lawford Dale estate – where vehicles cannot park on the road between 11am and noon on weekdays – have
CAMPING, litter and small fires will no longer be tolerated in a Colchester park. Colchester police have joined forces with street and park wardens to clamp down on a growing issue on the Hilly Fields Local Nature Reserve, in Lexden. Signs saying ‘no
A CHARITY campaign has given women of all ages a chance to try on clothes like those worn by the stars. Models and customers from Roberto’s Wine Bar in Colchester are pictured modelling clothes from Leigh-based boutique, Brazen Hussy, which has sold
A GROUP of dedicated walkers is putting their best foot forward for a military charity. Seven friends, five of them from Colchester, are walking the West Highland Way, in Scotland, to raise money for Help for Heroes. They start on Sunday and are aiming
A FORMER military policewoman is putting on her running shoes for charity. Alison Rapson, from Dovercourt, will be joining in the 5km Race for Life in Lower Castle Park, Colchester, on Saturday. Mrs Rapson was a hairdresser before joining the Royal
A COMMUNITY workshop has celebrated its first open day with a tall order for a huge plant pot. Clacton and District Occupational Workshop invited the public to its base, in Old Road, to learn more about its work. Workshop manager Mark Adams said:
THE agent of a former Colchester councillor now facing suspension from the House of Lords has called for him to be permanently barred from Parliament. Lord Truscott who, as Peter Truscott, represented Greenstead for Labour in the late Eighties
A BURGLAR “moved in” to a 13th-century home in Colchester while its owner was away. Gary Connell, of no fixed abode, admitted one count of burglary and one count of fraud by false representation when he appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court
A THORPE-based charity might have to put its next mercy misssion on hold because of financial problems. Benin Christian Support had hoped to go on another trip to Africa next month, but the falling global exchange rate has put the plan in jeopardy.
A GRATEFUL daughter will complete a midnight walk to thank hospice staff who look after her mother. Teresa Mortimer, of Earls Colne, says St Helena Hospice, Colchester, has been incredibly supportive since her mother, Kitty Evans, developed a brain tumour
