A TEAM of schoolchildren are to transform a subway, branded as one of the grubbiest in Colchester, with their artwork. The passage, under St Andrew’s Avenue, near the Greenstead roundabout, will soon have a new look thanks to pupils from Sir Charles
THE magical moment when a child says their first word is one every proud mum and dad looks forward to. It marks a major milestone in a toddler’s development and the beginning of the end of the frustrating communication barrier between parent and child
THE Robots are back! But we don’t mind, as one of them comes from Colchester. One half of Robots in Disguise to be precise, Sue Denim, who requests the band include the town’s arts centre on their tours because it is where she grew up. Along with Dee
BIKER rock is here this weekend in the form of Dumpy’s Rusty Nuts. The band first appeared on the London rock scene in 1981, releasing their first single, Just for Kicks, soon after, followed by their second single, the bikers’ anthem Boxhill or Bust
PUNK rockers Sorry and the Sinatras are coming to Colchester as part of their current UK tour, writes WILL LODGE. The band, fronted by bassist Scott Sorry, formerly of the Wildhearts, will be at the Twist next month. The group formed in late 2007 when
COLCHESTER will turn back time by 2,000 years to host chariot racing...in the form of the classic movie, Ben Hur. The Colchester Archeological Trust and the Odeon Cinema in Head Street have joined forces to show the 1959 multi-award winning
COLCHESTER will turn back time by 2,000 years to host chariot racing...in the form of the classic movie, Ben Hur. The Colchester Archeological Trust and the Odeon Cinema in Head Street have joined forces to show the 1959 multi-award winning
NEXT up in our weekly plug for local bands taking part in the Live and Unsigned competition are Housework. They were one of 14 acts from Colchester who sailed through the auditions of Live and Unsigned, the UK’s biggest original music competition. They
IT’S going to be another cosmic event. The line-up for this year’s Cosmic Puffin Festival has been announced and once again it looks set to be a glorious mix of great local acts and exciting new national ones. The first Cosmic Puffin
ROCK gods come in all shapes and sizes and, although Nayland artist Mark Wilkinson may not look like one, he is. To millions of hard rock fans that is, especially those who follow the likes of Iron Maiden, Marillion and Judas Priest, who are
A HISTORIC sailing centre will be put at risk by proposals to build homes, a planning inquiry heard. The commodore of West Mersea Yacht Club spoke out against plans to redevelop part of Peter Clarke’s Boatyard, in Coast Road. William
ANTISOCIAL behaviour on a Colchester housing estate has been given the chop – by the removal of a dead tree. Residents in Affleck Road, Greenstead, had complained youngsters were hanging around the area and causing problems. They used to gather underneath
A BEEP and a whirr could soon replace a friendly smile at Colchester hospitals. The trust charged with running Colchester General and Essex County hospitals is looking to introduce self-service kiosks at most of its reception areas. When patients arrive
A LONG-serving teacher was sent off into her retirement with a fanfare from the Band of the Parachute Regiment. Christine Rudland has taught at Montgomery Infant School, on Baronswood Way, Colchester, for 34 years and been headteacher for the last 13
A CHARITY dance in memory of a sports-mad teenager who died aged 16 has raised hundreds of pounds. Residents helped to raise £500 at a dance and buffet, organised by the Daniel Andrew Memorial Foundation. About 120 people attended the
FORMER Colchester schoolboy Darren Day was caught carrying a weapon that could cause severe injuries, a court heard. The former Sir Charles Lucas pupil and Butlins Redcoat is accused of having a kubotan – a self-defence keychain – in public in Edinburgh
THE parents of murdered schoolgirl Liberty Templeman have hit out at her killer’s “farcical” sentence. The 15-year-old, originally from Brightlingsea, was killed in New Zealand in 2008, after Hermanus Theodorus Kriel, known as Theo, beat her
In the God fearing walled mediaeval City of London there were some 100 churches, seven gates but only one bridge - old London Bridge and hugely important it was! An entertaining day tracing the old city walls, gates and churches, ideal for those who
A PARADE and flypast marked the 65th anniversary of one of the last offensives of the Second World War, which was launched from airfields in Essex. Veterans of Operation Varsity joined airmen from 4 Regiment, Army Air Corps, for a service of remembrance
A great day out with a gentle walking tour and relaxing canal cruise through Regents Park. Discover the maze of narrow streets and bygone alleyways, homes of the famous and stately Charterhouse. There's time for lunch (not included) before boarding your
A great day out with a gentle walking tour and relaxing canal cruise through Regents Park. Discover the maze of narrow streets and bygone alleyways, homes of the famous and stately Charterhouse. There's time for lunch (not included) before boarding
STAFF at Colchester Council were getting their expenses claim forms signed off by officers who did not have the power to do so. The problem was first identified in December 2007, and has only this month been resolved. The council’s finance
A COMMUNITY leader has called for students to take part in litter picks after a string of complaints from residents about their late night antics. Colchester councillor, Julie Young, said residents have become fed-up with a trail of rubbish being dumped
WORK has started to build a new courthouse on a former car park in Colchester. St Botolph’s car park, next to Colchester Town station, closed at the end of February and hoardings have gone up around the site this week as builders move on. Her Majesty
ELECTIONS have taken place to find governors for a mental health trust. North Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust held its first major elections, run by Electoral Reform Services, to replace governors whose three year term ends on March 31. Mary
TEENAGE drinkers have been warned they face a night in a police cell if they cause trouble in a Colchester neighbourhood this Easter. Youngsters have been given the warning after complaints by residents living near the recreation ground and Bullock Woods
On Wednesday evening last week, while working at my desk at the Commons, I received a phone call from someone who runs a shop in Crouch Street who had just returned from Colchester Town Hall, where he had attended a meeting of the borough council
In a whole series of failings, our two main shopping towns of Colchester and Clacton have lost their customers. Step by step over the years, our councils have turned our town centres into barren areas. Some blame out-of-town shopping outlets
So, Gordon Brown and the Labour Party are really going for the pensioners’ vote this election. Having already raided our private pension funds, ISAs and 10 per cent tax allowance, the rise on our state pension this year is only on the basic.
I support the local Mile End community taking a stand and campaigning against the overambitious overdevelopment of Mile End, not only as a resident, but also as someone who appreciates what little green open spaces we have left in the town.
Regarding the Gazette article about Colchester Council using the power of the sun for the digital TV switchover (March 18), as commendable as it is to be green and environmentally friendly, there are issues that need to be addressed. The council
I completely endorse Wivenhoe Mayor Neil Lodge’s letter (March 19) regarding the lock-out of Wivenhoe Town Football Club. A solution must be found to this impasse for the good of not only the football club, but other users of the site. The
It looks like Bob Russell is running scared from his political rivals, just weeks before an election, by refusing to share a platform and debate with the other parties. And, after claiming he is somehow above the rest of us “mere mortals”, perhaps
The residents of Colchester’s Smythies Avenue and Rosebery Avenue should be congratulated. They have successfully opposed an application to build a house on a garden at the junction of those two roads. Colchester Council’s officers proposed
Marks Tey is a village dating back many centuries and, until the motor car came along, was possibly regarded as a peaceful haven. Then, along came the A12 (said by planners at the time to be the road to end all roads) with all its requirements
YOUNG, gifted and talented footballers are invited to take part in a special community event. Colchester United Community Sports Trust is aiming the event at children in school Years 1, 2 and 3. The session will take place at the Shrub End Community
Kevin Hawes was on the scoresheet as WITHAM TOWN beat Bowers and Pitsea 3-2, in the Essex Senior League. Striker Hawes, who has returned to Spa Road for another spell, helped Town get back to winning ways. Hawes netted after just three minutes when
A LEADING borough councillor has promised action after flytippers dumped a car engine, a telegraph pole and other rubbish yards from a church. Labour councillor Tim Young says he will ask council staff to shift debris from a car park in White Thorn Close
Feelings are running high in Wivenhoe following the decision of Wivenhoe and District Sporting Facilities Trust to lock Wivenhoe Town Football Club out of its ground at Broad Lane. Wivenhoe Town Council has provided financial support to the
Poor Ron Levy must be suffering from either amnesia or double standards (Letters, March 17). Ron wrote to the Gazette in the past to express his utter hostility towards the plans for Philip Morant School to build a road across the green. This
Colchester in Bloom is working to promote the concept of showing Colchester off in a blaze of colour. The council and businesses have already planned to fill planters and various sites around the town. But we are inviting schools, businesses
It was shameful to see an honourable member of the public personally attacked by a Colchester Cabinet councillor after his “have your say” speech at a council meeting. Mr Buston was defending the short-stay free parking in Crouch Street. Twenty
With regard to your article about MP Bob Russell and his failure to debate with myself and the other prospective parliamentary candidates in Colchester, I must clarify one point. Mr Russell cannot claim he will only debate with us when an election
A MAN died after a crash in Great Horkesley. The 63-year-old was driving a silver Vauxhall Zafira along Boxted Road at about 8.50am yesterday when he was involved in a collision with a Scania articulated lorry. Both vehicles over-turned in the crash
MORE should be done to bring the Olympic torch to Britain’s oldest recorded town, Colchester’s Tories claim. Councillors want Castle Park to be on the list of places the flame will call at on its way to the London 2012 Games and would like
IT helps to have friends in high places. Just ask Stephen Jones, frontman of indie favourites Babybird, whose latest album owes a huge debt to a certain Johnny Depp. Babybird are at the Colchester Arts Centre tonight (Wednesday) from 8pm. Tickets are
