Ravi Bopara played the leading role as Essex snatched a thrilling four-wicket victory in their Twenty20 Cup clash with Surrey at Chelmsford. The England star struck 53 from 41 deliveries as his side, replying to a total of 165 for five, squeezed home
SINGING nuns are becoming a habit at the Palladium. Following the Sound Of Music, here comes Sister Act, a new musical comedy based on the smash-hit 1992 movie, one of the great kitsch stories about female friendship and sisterhood This £7million feel-good
THE husband and wife of soul will be making a guest appearance at Escape Nightclub next week. The name Womack has been synonymous with American soul and gospel music from the Sixties right up to modern day and when Cecil Womack married Linda
When the Mercury Theatre announced its spring season at the end of last year, there were a couple of shows that promised some star names. A few weeks back we found out about Michelle Collins and Rupert Hill in Deceptions, due to take to
AN MP is calling for a peoples’ vote to decide the future of two secondary schools currently facing the axe. Colchester MP Bob Russell has written to David Cameron asking him to promise to hold a local referendum on Essex County Council’s plans to close
A COOK off competition became hairy when two celebrity chefs roared into town on their motorbikes. The Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers and Si King, came to Coggeshall on their motorbike as part of their forthcoming BBC2 series, the Hairy Bikers’ Food Tour of
RAT poison killed at least three foxes and is suspected to have caused a number of dogs to fall ill on a Colchester estate. Tests have shown one of the dead foxes had a high level of poison in its liver, five times above the safe limit. Jackie White
THE future of a council-run regeneration company is in doubt after four of its directors were sacked. David Lines, Les Double, Pierre Oxley and Harry Shearing were all removed as directors of InTend by a majority vote at Tendring’s full council
LEISURE schemes across Tendring are in doubt after a new leisure boss refused to confirm his spending commitments. Steven Mayzes, Tendring Council’s portfolio holder for leisure, faced a barrage of questions over his future spending plans from members
CARNIVAL fever hits Braintree for the 45th time next weekend. Floats at Braintree and Bocking Carnival will be based around the four seasons. The main attractions this year will be comedy wrestlers, the Battling Cumberland Giants, who last visited
VETERANS of a short-lived infantry regiment are to hold a reunion. Old soldiers from the 3rd East Anglian Regiment are meeting at the Imperial War Museum Duxford on Sunday morning. The unit was formed in 1958, including men who had previously served
YOUNGSTERS turned their hand to designing a special road sign as part of a community project to bring old and young together. The sign has been officially unveiled in Oatfield Close, Stanway, at the culmination of the project launched last year by Colchester
MOVE aside Heston Blumenthal – there are some new kids in town. They will be teaching students at Colchester Institute just how to create some unusual food fusions. Paul Boorman, head chef at Clarice House, and John Jackaman and Haydn Lyell, from
ELDERLY residents worried about the quality of their water have been told tests found no trace of lead. Tendring Council, responsible for the Honeycroft Sheltered Housing Scheme, in Lawford, brought in Tendring Hundred Water Services to carry
A 72-YEAR-OLD woman’s canine creation has helped her win an animal charity competition. Doreen Layzell, from Wrabness, was named as the adult regional winner of the International Fund for Animal Welfare’s ‘Design a Calendar’ competition, beating off
AN Essex University academic has received timely funding to look at how the public react to political sleaze. Dr Sarah Birch has received nearly £80,000 from the British Academy and the Economic and Social Research Council to look at people
A FACTORY owner who saw his business go up in smoke has vowed to rebuild it. Ian Wilson could only watch as a massive fire ripped through his factory, as well as boats and other buildings at a marina. Mr Wilson had spent 20 years building
A SILVER car believed to have been used in the West Mersea bank robbery has been found. But detectives are still hunting the two armed men who attempted to rob Barclays bank. The two robbers were already inside Barclays, in Yorick Road
MORE than 150 people could appear on a commemorative photograph to mark a society’s ruby anniversary. The Harwich Society, which was founded in 1969, has decided to mark the 40 years with a photo of some of it’s most active members. The society’s silver
A FATHER of three died when an elderly motorist failed to check for oncoming traffic when she pulled out on to a dual-carriageway. Mark Britton, 46, a Colchester carpenter, was killed when his Honda Varadero motorbike was hit by a VW Golf driven
