Teaching assistant Fran Smith is to run the London Marathon to help allergy victims. Marathon effort - Fran Smith and Michael Beaumont prepare for the London Marathon, helped by an alien toy to represent their friend Jo Newstead, who was taking part in
Essex and England star Nasser Hussain has been backed to remain national captain beyond next year's World Cup. England and Wales Cricket Board chief Lord MacLaurin wants Hussain and current coach Duncan Fletcher to secure their long-term futures with
Local operators JWS Travel will be offering a new Chadwell St Mary to Grays bus service from April 12 to replace the recently-withdrawn number 20. The 320 will run hourly initially Monday to Saturday, from 6.45am. The last service will leave Grays at
Fifty foster carers from across the county will this week launch this year's foster carer recruitment campaign - 'You could foster a child' - at County Hall in Chelmsford. The campaign follows the expansion of a scheme to increase the number of carers
Residents in Thorpe have joined those voicing fears over GM crop trials which will take place just a mile from their village. They are concerned about the effect the trials may have on the environment and want more information about the possible effects
Two lucky teenagers are set to spend the summer in America after being picked to entertain children. Jannette Conway, of Rochford, and Lee Gayler, of Hadleigh will spend nine weeks taking part in the Camp America programme. Jannette will be jetting out
A newsagent has told of the terrifying moment she was attacked by a robber. Mrs Mann, who helps run the family business Bungalow Stores, Halstead Road, Eight Ash Green, was working at about 8.30pm on Friday evening when the man entered the shop. "He asked
Steve Whitton believes his Colchester United squad could be the real McCoy - if they lose their inferiority complex. The U's Karl Duguid performs a high kick in the 1-0 defeat to Cardiff at Layer Road. Picture NIGEL BROWN (20641-1) Whitton said yesterday
A man who suffers from multiple sclerosis has been jailed for driving while disqualified. Justin Beynon, 25, of Main Road, Little Oakley, admitted driving while disqualified and having no car insurance at Colchester Court yesterday and was jailed for
A major fundraising push has been declared to get a skatepark for youngsters in Wivenhoe off the ground. The long-held dream of youngsters of having a facility in the town was dealt a blow last summer when councillors said they doubted it would be possible
Businesses closed and Essex residents stood in silence today as the county paid its last respects to the Queen Mother. You can read a short round-up of events across the county below, or see today's Evening Gazette and Evening Echo - which has published
A teenager has appeared in court after kicking a man during a fight. Police were called to Pier Avenue, Clacton, at 2.45am on December 16, Colchester Court heard. Gerald Isted, prosecuting, said: "There was a disturbance, which involved two groups. Police
Major local action on a big night on the non-league soccer scene comes at Burroughs Park where Great Wakering Rovers will be aiming to throw a spanner in the Ryman League Second Division title hopes of Lewes. The visitors took over as championship favourites
Friends of a biker who died in a freak accident presented a cheque to charity in his memory. Fundraising events and donations helped raise more than £1,200 for the RNLI in honour of Justin Barker. A cheque was presented to Harwich RNLI, where 26-year-old
Knife thug Thomas Lovell was locked up for four-and-a-half years after a judge watched a dramatic video of him raiding a shop. The footage was so shocking that it even scared 20-year-old Lovell. His barrister described the robbery as "a frightening scenario
Patriotic people can attend a ball to celebrate St George's Day and raise money for a children's hospice at the same time. Battlesbridge Friends of Little Haven have organised the ball which will be held at Clements Hall Leisure Centre, Clements Hall
Basildon Athletic Club provided the winner of both the main race and the ladies event when the Pitsea 5 was staged over a course starting and finishing at Gloucester Park. Off and running -- the Pitsea 5 field hits the road. Picture: TERENCE BUNCH 8UFKU8C
Arrangers worked round the clock to prepare the Queen Mother's favourite traditional English summer flowers to adorn Westminster Abbey today. Displays with more than 2,000 individual blooms, were set in informal, arrangements. Part of the display was
An angry Andrew Mackinlay has slammed the Government's decision to continue with tolls between Essex and Dartford next year and beyond. The MP for Thurrock said he was "incandescent with anger" over the decision. The outburst came after the Government
Another festival is planned for Colchester - but instead of music being the main attraction, visitors will be looking to the sky for entertainment. The Colchester Kite Festival, on June 15 and 16, will raise funds for St Helena Hospice, with stunts, displays
Leaders of Rochford Angling Club are hoping to net permission from councillors to manage fishing facilities at the Rochford reservoir. The reservoir, in Bradley Way, is owned and maintained by the council as a public open space with the angling club stewarding
The new carnival court for Witham was crowned at a special selection evening. Judges John and Carol Honeysett and Sonia Wiskin had the tough task of selecting just three lucky young ladies from 16 entrants to head Witham carnival on Saturday, July 13.
A worker is recovering in hospital after a horrific accident left his arm trapped between two metal rollers. John Neale, of Maldon, was cleaning a machine at a business in Mundon when his arm became trapped up to the elbow in a 28mm gap between two solid
Colchester United will be fielding two new triallists in their reserve team game at Gillingham - their last of the season. Teenage defenders Daniel Steele and Dave McManus are in a U's line-up tomorrow that also includes Oxford United's on-loan goalkeeper
Essex is in the front line to scoop £8m of Government cash to boost adult learning and skills across the county. A funding bid has been drawn up by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Essex to run one of just a handful of pilot projects aimed at improving
Children can paint their favourite celebrity at the Billericay Arts Association, Laindon Road, on July 29 and 30. The two-day art workshop, for seven-to-12-year-olds, promises to be messy, so organisers advise an apron or old shirt is worn to protect
Up to ten ambulances had to wait outside an accident and emergency department for more than two hours because there were no trolleys free inside, it has been claimed. Crews had to stay with their patients on ambulance trolleys in the corridor at the emergency
Southchurch residents have told of their despair at the growing number of prostitutes in the streets outside their homes. A number of householders along Ambleside Drive are considering moving away from the area due to problems caused by the women and
Some of the first strawberries of the season are ripening up in north Essex. The fruit is expected to be ready to pick within days and could be on the supermarket shelves in Colchester by next weekend. They will be part of the first crop of English berries
The death of the Queen Mother was used as a ruse for a gang of thieves to steal from an Essex shop. The gang of Eastern Europeans, who take a baby with them, started up a conversation about the much-loved Royal's death in a bid to distract the shopkeeper
A Shoebury pub is set for a £350,000 facelift. Whitbread Restaurants is investing the money to transform the Shorehouse Brewers Fayre, in Ness Road, into a Brewsters family restaurant. The development will include a state-of-the-art Fun Factory - an adventure
The full list of candidates has been announced for the May 2 local election - a vote which promises to be one of the hardest fought in years. Basildon Council hangs on a knife-edge with predictions of Labour's slim minority administration swinging back
Five rare salamanders have been stolen from Colchester Zoo. Senior reptile keeper Glen Fairweather said it was heartbreaking that the striking black and yellow fire salamanders, which he and his team raised from tadpoles, have been taken. Thieves are
Solider Malcolm Philpott was in the spotlight today when he was chosen as one of the ushers at the Queen Mother's funeral. Malcolm Philpott, 35, from Billericay, was one of four chosen from the Royal Anglian Regiment to assist at the prestigious occasion
A headteacher has hit out at vandals who damaged a children's play house. The attack happened during the Easter holidays when the windows on Teddy's Cottage, at the back of All Saints' Primary School, Dovercourt, were broken. It is about the sixth time
Political leaders have reacted with shock at the announcement the far right British National Party is to field an election candidate in Basildon. Matthew Single, from South Woodham Ferrers, is to contest one of the two Vange seats in the May local elections
Hammers' well-documented travel sickness cost them dearly again in the Premier Trophy at Smallmead. The home side overcame a 14 point first-leg deficit to collect the bonus point in addition to the two match points. Only Leigh Lanham and Colin White emerged
A baby girl who received life-saving heart surgery thanks to the efforts of Evening Echo readers is making progress in her bid for health, her mother said. Phoebe Davies was given a new lease of life by the pioneering operation in Canada after Echo readers
Sometimes childhood dreams do come true - just ask the precocious schoolboy with a fascination for gadgets and gizmos who grew up to head one of the county's most successful electronic security firms. These days, Paul Mahoney is managing director of the
Five rare salamanders stolen from Colchester Zoo were still missing today. Missing - five salamanders like this one Glen Fairweather, senior reptile keeper, said it was heartbreaking that the striking black-and-yellow fire salamanders, which he and his
Canvey Island wing-back star John Kennedy has been rewarded for a second successive great year at Park Lane with a call-up for the world-famous Middlesex Wanderers team for a tour next month. Touring special -- for Canvey's John Kennedy (left), seen battling
A 26-year-old man suffered a black eye and broken cheek after standing up to a group of men bothering his girlfriend during a night out at Edwards bar on French Kier, Chelmsford. The victim's girlfriend had been making her way to the toilet and was passing
Salvation Army bosses are confident new plans for expansion in South Woodham Ferrers will be given the green light by planners. The movement had warned it would have to pull out of the town if it could not develop its hall in Hullbridge Road. However,
Pressure is to be kept up for top level talks to be held with the Ministry of Defence in a bid to reduce noise and vibration suffered by residents along the Essex coast. A deputation from Tendring and north Essex went on a visit to the ranges at Shoeburyness
The Many Moons Theatre Group staged an unusual performance of Jack and the Beanstalk, by recreating the famous fable with a slight twist. New twist to an old tale - children of the Many Moons Theatre group in their version of the fairytale Jack and the
The retiring High Sheriff of Essex, George Courtauld, had a chance to see some of the interesting spots around the Rochford area, when he was a guest of the district council. Mr Courtauld had wanted to visit the area during his term of office and the
Soccer-mad youngsters from throughout south-East Essex learned to play the West Ham way on a top football coaching course during the Easter Holidays. Around 140 enthusiasts aged six to 16 attended the East London Premiership club's Community Department
The Evening Echo has been asked to clarify the changes to charges for day centre meals in the Basildon district. The rise in price for meals at day centres is 20p per meal - from £1.60 to £1.80. An article in the Echo suggested this rise was £2. A separate
Great Wakering Rovers will be aiming to hit the title hopes of Lewes, and give their own hopes of a top six finish a boost, when they host the Sussex side in the Ryman League Second Division tonight (7.45pm). Village side Rovers are currently seventh
A row at a family funeral led to Lee Moore slashing his brother-in-law's face with a knife, a court heard. Victim Stuart Hodgson had 29 stitches put in the wound and will be scarred for life. Yet 32-year-old Moore walked free from court after a judge
Southend police are appealing for information following the theft of four large garden ornaments from a street in the town. At some time between 11pm on Thursday night and 8am on Friday morning thieves went into the front garden of a house in Appletree
Voters will go to the polls in all but four of Thurrock's wards on May 2 and are being offered a wide selection of candidates and parties. But only the Labour and Conservative parties are competing in all 16 available wards. Thurrock Council leader Andy
A Brentwood grandmother is digging deep into her past as a wartime Land Army girl and uncovering the secrets of an ancient monument. Iris Bates has unearthed the fascinating photographs she took with her old box brownie camera of Thoby Priory in Mountnessing
Family doctors are shunning the sick in Wickford because the area is not desirable enough, it has been claimed. GPs in the area are battling a crisis shortage of doctors as development in the town grows apace and fewer and fewer professionals want to
The Pride in Chelmsford campaign is set to take a boost from the "most exciting" community environmental project ever in the county town. Hundreds of people in north Chelmsford are being encouraged to do their bit for the first-ever community garden project
The manager of Southend's biggest employer of disabled people is taking to the high seas for a holiday with a difference. Mike Wood, manager of Remploy, in Sutton Road, Southend, will battle harsh winds and rolling swell between England and France for
The Queen Mother was described as "a living faith" at a special thanksgiving service in Chelmsford Cathedral. Remembered - Mary Stancer lights a thanksgiving candle at Chelmsford Cathedral. Pictures: TERRY WEEDEN (20655-13) More than 60 mourners gathered
A precious ancient font stolen from a tiny village church has been safely recovered after narrowly escaping conversion into a sundial. Parishioners of St Peter's Church in Little Warley feared their marble font, which dates back to the times of Oliver
Micky Cook has claimed the Colchester United under-19s will be even better next year following one of their best ever campaigns. Clattered - The U's Dean Morgan feels the full force of this challenge in last night's U19 defeat. Picture:TERRY WEEDEN (20660
First Great Eastern has been forced to close automatic ticket machines at some stations due to concerns over the use of forged banknotes and foreign currency. A concerned commuter, who did not want to be named, contacted Chronicle sister paper the Brentwood
A major mid-Essex employer has been fined £4,000 for a health and safety breach that led to a worker losing part of a finger. At Witham Magistrates' Court yesterday Grampian Country Foods, of Freebournes Road, Witham, admitted breaching a section of the
