Archive
-
Date
Tendring to replace Liverpool in Big Society pilot
TENDRING will lead the way in a national pilot scheme to develop the Big Society. An announcement made late on Tuesday evening revealed that Tendring Council would effectively replace Liverpool City Council in exploring how the concept would
-
Date
Campaigners fight for library opening hours
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to stop the opening hours at a Colchester library being cut by nearly a third. Essex County Council says the way to keep every library in the county open amid budget cuts is to reduce opening hours and shed 21 jobs. Lib
-
Date
Louise and Dale aim to conquer fears with 100km desert trek
WITH freezing temperatures at night, sweltering heat in the day and the occasional snake and scorpion, it’s no surprise a Colchester couple who plan to trek the Sahara have a few fears. Louise Gilmour, 27, and boyfriend Dale Plant, 28, are taking on
-
Date
Guild secretary took up to £200,000 in fraud
THE secretary of the Co-operative Women’s Guild has been told she could be jailed for a fraud of up to £200,000. Claire Morgan, 45, of Freeman Close, Colchester, admitted fraud and theft charges. Morgan is accused of abusing her position as national
-
Date
Pet’s death inspires Glenn to teach animal first aid
TWO animal lovers have launched first aid lessons for pet owners. The course will teach people how to give mouth to mouth resuscitation, the Heimlich Manoeuvre and how to recognise symptoms of illness. Glenn Knight, of Mandeville Road, Marks Tey, and
-
Date
Fostering sick little Andrea changed our lives
DURING the long car drive to meet our foster daughter, we didn’t talk, we both had so many different emotions going through our heads we were in our own worlds. It had been 18 months of waiting and we were finally getting to meet our daughter Andrea.
-
Date
Campaigners: New cycle route is ‘sheer madness’
CAMPAIGNERS fighting against a new cycle route in Colchester say there is already an alternative available. Work has begun on the £126,000 taxpayer-funded cycle route in Crouch Street. But cyclists can already get into the heart of Colchester town centre
-
Date
Some services cut as Essex County Council slices rather than slashes
FAITH schools are among the losers as the cabinet for Essex County Council recommends service cuts at its annual budget meeting. Redundancies and the council’s long term transformation has lessened the impact on services in 2011/12 but some
-
Date
Hospital workers all set for charity jump
HOSPITAL staff are preparing to plunge 10,000ft to raise cash for the wards where they work. Ten workers and two residents are planning a sponsored parachute jump next month to buy equipment, furniture and other items for Colchester’s two hospitals.
-
Date
Cannabis factory raid: Four men sent to jail
FOUR men have been locked up, four months after police discovered a hugh cannabis factory. A court heard yesterday how 7,000 plants and 1,000 cuttings were found when the former Bridge Communications building in Hall Road, Heybridge, was raided in
-
Date
Show really is piece of cake
ARTISTS are encouraging people to have their cake and eat it. Colchester residents have been asked to bake their favourite sponges, cream sandwiches and jam rolls for an exhibition. They will be served at tea parties thrown by arts organisation Firstsite
-
Date
Christopher’s solo on a double bass
A NEW theatre company, Noontide Sun, launches its debut production at the Mercury this week. For the company’s director, Christopher Hunter, it marks a welcome return to the Colchester theatre. Christopher appeared with the Mercury Theatre Company in
-
Date
Town's Army radio station to broadcast for five more years
COLCHESTER’S own Army radio station has been granted a new five-year broadcasting licence. Broadcasting regulator Ofcom said it would allow Garrison FM to be heard in the town until at least 2016. Peter Bailey, one of the station’s directors, right,
-
Date
Firefighters tackle huge factory blaze in Maldon
DOZENS of firefighters tackled a “huge” blaze at a factory which caused chaos in Maldon and left the town covered in smoke. Six fire crews from Maldon, Witham, South Woodham Ferrers and Chelmsford were called to an industrial unit run by Sil
-
Date
Meerkat pups named after showbiz dancer
TWO of Colchester Zoo’s newest arrivals have been named after dance expert Louie Spence. Keepers at the zoo named the meerkat pups after the choreographer and said the youngsters were already following in his footsteps by trying out fancy moves in their
-
Date
Health bosses question high death figures
NORTH Essex health bosses have described figures showing a huge number of unexplained deaths as a statistical anomaly. A Freedom of Information request revealed there were 68 “unexpected deaths” between January 2009 and May 2010 in the area covered by
-
Date
Hundreds of jobs to go but Essex service cuts are not as deep as elsewhere
STAFF have lost out to services with 450 redundancies announced at Essex County Council today. The cabinet agreed the budget for 2011/12, which will go to full council for a final decision later this month, choosing to try and save services
-
Date
No hiding place for town centre louts
COLCHESTER’S new town centre police supremo says a change in structure gives his officers more scope to solve problems. Insp Jim White, 41, has taken on the new role in charge of Colchester’s central neighbourhood policing group following a shake-up
-
Date
Investigation launched after arson attack on Colchester flat
FAMILIES say they feel lucky to be alive after a suspected arson attack on an empty ground-floor flat. Residents at Granary Court, Hythe Quay, evacuated their homes in a hurry after the blaze broke out in a living room in the early hours of this morning
-
Date
Shops urged: Open toilets to the public
COUNCIL bosses want shops to make it easier for people to spend a penny as part of a shake-up of public toilets. Tendring Council already operates more than 40 public loos across the district. However, it wants stores and pubs to open
-
Date
A year on, Haiti is still suffering from quake tragedy
AN aid worker from north Essex has spoken of his work in Haiti a year after it was devastated by an earthquake. Sam Dixon, 25, had been out to Haiti on behalf of Oxfam before it was ripped apart by the natural disaster which killed more than 200,000
-
Date
Crime hotspot? Greenstead’s a great place to live
New crime-mapping website www.police.uk reveals Colchester’s Greenstead estate has the highest level of reported crime in the borough. But the statistics gloss over the hard work being done by residents, police, councillors and community groups. BARRY
-
Date
Magnus edging closer to U's return
Magnus Okuonghae has said his troublesome ankle problem has made him hungrier than ever to play for Colchester United. The powerful U’s defender has been sidelined for the last two-and-a-half months with the injury. He has not featured
-
Date
Home care plan to cut hospital stays
PLANS to cut hospital admissions by a quarter by visiting more patients at home will be trialled in Tendring. The initiative, known as the virtual ward, is being run at three Clacton centres, East Lynne Medical Centre, in Wellesley Road, the Old Road
-
Date
Colchester Against the Cuts campaigners seeking support
CAMPAIGNERS called for a public backlash to rival the poll tax riots to fight cuts in public spending. About 60 people attended the Colchester Against the Cuts meeting to oppose cuts in public services. The group, launched by the town’s branch of the