A MULTI-MILLION pound expansion planned for Colchester Academy will be a fantastic resource for the community, according to the headteacher. Residents flocked to a display showing plans for a new school building. Colchester Academy, in Hawthorn Avenue
RESIDENTS are opposing plans for a £50,000 playground because they fear it will attract vandals. Plans have been submitted to build the play area in a playing field in St John’s Road, Colchester. Robert Dunston, chairman of St John’s Residents’ Association
POLICE have been called to a house after a teenager allegedly brandished a knife during a fight. Officers were called to the house in Market Place, off High Street, Colchester, shortly before 5.30pm following reports of a fight breaking out
A CAR and a lorry have crashed on the A120 at Great Bromley. Emergency services were called to the scene at around 6pm following the smash. The accident is currently affecting both carriageways. Drivers have been warned to expect delays.
POST offices have reported a stamp-ede as customers stock up ahead of a price hike. The price of a first class stamp will rise from 46p to 60p, with second class stamps going up from 36p to 50p on April 30. David Evison, sub-postmaster at Lighters newsagent
THE old adage too many cooks spoil the broth is not going to be the case when four top chefs come together to create a menu that’s a gastro-extravaganza. Going out for a fabulous dinner cooked by a world-class chef is always a treat, but diners at the
LUCKY Harry Byford helped Arsenal in their final push for a top four Premier League spot when he appeared as mascot against rivals Manchester City. Junior Gunner Harry, ten, from Burlington Road, Colchester was randomly chosen to run out with
FUNDING worth hundreds of thousands of pounds has been approved to make five of the borough’s roads safer. The North Essex Parking Partnership has agreed to fund new parking schemes for five trouble spots, costing up to £400,000. In
CYCLING enthusiast Helen Hancox will pedal 800 miles from Berlin to London to raise money for Colchester’s new personnel recovery centre. Helen, 40, of Ardleigh Road, Great Bromley, was diagnosed with bone cancer when she was 22 and had to
GRASS soup, dog biscuits and salmon ice cream cones anyone? Mark Baumann likes to push the culinary boundaries at his restaurant in Coggeshall. I went to meet the restaurateur to learn about the concepts behind his favourite dishes on the menu
A GAZETTE paperboy pedalled eight miles in memory of his step-grandad. Connor Purtell, 15, of Church Road, Peldon, wanted to raise awareness of pancreatic cancer, which claimed the life of step-grandad Errol Claydon, aged 67, in January. The sponsored
A CAR park in Colchester’s Butt Road will be replaced as it makes way for houses at the town’s former garrison. Taylor Wimpey will develop the site but will build a new car park. It will overlap the old car park and be closer to the road. The facility
INJURED paratoopers have set off on a 14-day trek across Morocco to raise money for wounded servicemen. Four members of Colchester-based 3 Para want to net £40,000 for the Afghanistan Trust. Sgt Alan Jackson, 29, from Colchester, Private
CALLING all foodies! If you’re potty for pasta, go silly for stews or even crazy for curry, then Toby Long could be your new best friend. That’s because the 25-year-old bank worker has just set up the Colchester Food Exchange. The foodies’ community
Leave Greenstead alone. The saying goes, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. I suspect the people who moan about this estate, and what is supposedly happening here, are on a much different wavelength than the majority of residents here. I have
I would like help in tracing family members who lived in Colchester around the 1880’s. My great grandfather, William Annette Pope, was a Unitarian preacher and had a wife Sarah Anne and five daughters. He died in 1882 and his widow was offered
Anyone wanting to save themselves some money on cards this Christmas, buy your second-class stamps now at 36p each before they go up to 50p on April 30. As long as they are marked “2nd” and not the price, they can be used at any time in the future
With regard to the two superstores proposed for the Butt Road area of Colchester. The retail giants Tesco and Sainsbury have failed to do their homework, as even with the additional housebuilding the potential customer base is too small to sustain
A CAR crashed into the central reservation on the A12. Emergency services were called to the southbound carriageway at Kelvedon on Wednesday at 12.15pm after the white Peugeot crashed. No other vehicles were involved and the driver escaped with minor
When doing washing up in a bowl, don’t run precious water away waiting for it to get hot. What a waste! Keep some four-pint, empty milk bottles handy, fill them up and you can save water to use around the house and garden. Mrs R Tucker Catherine
Anyone who regularly writes letters today will likely use e-mail. After all, it’s convenient and environmentally- friendly. However, this has come at a price. Postal services have been cut back, and many local office supplies shops that sold
As a Colcestrian by birth who keeps an interest in the town, I was interested to read about proposals to ban certain vehicles from the High Street. As my husband and I are both Blue Badge holders who struggle to walk long distances this is terribly
Ben Coker has been offered a new contract by Colchester United. And the attacking left-back is keen to put pen to paper with the U’s as soon as possible. Coker is one of a number of U’s players who will see their current deals expire this summer. But
A mother suffered four cardiac arrests and a stroke while giving birth to twins. George Cormack's heart stopped for the first time after she gave birth to Oscar. Medics at Colchester General Hospital battled for two hours to save her
COLCHESTER’S Roman walls will be promoted using 21st century technology. Interactive information boards using the latest QR technology will be installed along the 2,000-year-old walls The technology, more commonly used as an advertising tool, will
In today's Gazette: THE SCENE, your weekly leisure pulloutPLUS: * A mum tells how she has recovered after suffering four cardiac arrests and a stroke giving birth to twins. George Cormack, whose life was saved by clinicians at Colchester General Hospital
