Colchester Events – Half Term & Early Summer

Colchester Borough Council have just issued details of a number of events and activities, including some for this half term, as follows:

Half term fun with Colchester Museums

Banish half term boredom with Colchester Museums this May, as we host activities that are a break from the norm!Get your creative juices flowing with the twisted history of Colchester in cartoon, enjoy a feast for the ears with tales of Roman Food or prepare your very own shell-fishy hand puppet to take home! Find out more here.

Summer Screen

Two weeks of Summer Screen in Castle Park between 29 June and 12 July will be covering everything from live Wimbledon, Amélie, Mamma Mia and Shaun the Sheep: The Movie; all accompanied by a licensed bar, pop up food kiosks, bands and more! Wimbledon is FREE, film tickets just £2, under 3yrs FREE. Find out more here.

King of Pop, The Legend Continues

‘NAVI’ the world’s No.1 Michael Jackson performer will be recreating the magical classics from the early Jackson 5 songs to the mega-hits such as Thriller and Smooth Criminal. A great night of entertainment suitable for the whole family. Tickets £17 and £10 for children 16 years and under. Find out more here.

Be more streetwise about your well-being

Street Wise, is offering all things ‘street’ and more, for families to enjoy for free this summer – in a bid to help local people become more streetwise about their health and well-being.Street dance, street food and street sports such as football, basketball and skipping are just some of the free activities and attractions on offer at the event on Saturday 13 June, 10am-4pm at the Colchester Institute. Find out more here.

Full Listings

Even more events are listed at http://www.visitcolchester.com/.

May 6, 2015

What’s On In Colchester

This newsletter was issued by CBC recently, we will be trying to find a way to include this information into our news feed on a regular basis.

Welcome to What’s On, our new monthly newsletter where you can find out what’s going on in and around Colchester. For ‘at a glance’ information look at the ‘What’s On Guide’ below. For further details, click on the event which interests you.

Bandstand Concerts in Castle Park

The concerts take place on Sunday afternoons (and the occasional Saturday) through the summer from May to September. Highlights areThe Band of the Parachute Regiment, The Colchester Band and Sweeting Swing Band.
Find out more here

Half term activities at Colchester Museums & Leisure World

Colchester Museums: live animal encounters, Roman food, puppets, kites and more!
Fine out more here

Leisure World Colchester: badminton, short tennis, swimming, arts, crafts, dance and more!
Find out more here

Celebrate the Moot Hall Organ restoration

Celebrate the restoration of the Moot Hall Organ with a mix of great events at firstsite and Colchester Town Hall. Meet the Organist, make your own organ pipe, join the Big Pipe Busk, Organs in the Archives and Organs in the Movies. Don’t miss the inaugural recital on 24 May! Find out more here

There are lots of great events taking place in Colchester – why not take a look at the Visit Colchester website

March 30, 2015March 24, 2015

Notice of Local Elections 2015

The Electoral services Officer of Colchester Borough Council has issued two notices of elections inviting nominations for:

West Bergholt Parish Councillors (up to 11)
Borough Councillor for West Bergholt & Eight Ash Green (1)

Nomination papers must be delivered to the Returning Officer by no later than 4pm on Thursday 9th April 2015, for any contested seats, the poll will take place on Thursday 7th May 2015.

For full details, including those relating to applications for postal or proxy votes, please read the official notices:

Any enquiries about these can be made to:

Electoral Services Officer, Colchester Borough Council
Rowan House, 33 Sheepen Road, Colchester, CO3 3WG
Tel. 01206 282235

March 26, 2015

Holy Week 2015

As we approach Easter there are a lot of services taking place in West Bergholt during Holy Week leading up to Easter and of course for Easter itself. Services will be taking pace in both the Methodist and St Mary’as Churches, those we are aware of to date are:

Methodist

At the Methodist Church the following services are taking place, all to be led by Rev Ruth Ridge:-

Friday 3 April – Good Friday -11.00am service.
Saturday 4 April – 8.00pm a short reflective service.
Sunday 5 April – Easter Day – 11.00am service with Holy Communion.

St Mary’s

Sunday 29 March – Palm Sunday – 9.30am Joint Holy Communion Service.
Thursday 2 April – Maundy Thursday – 8pm Passover Meal and Communion Service. Please could you let Dorothy Chadborn know if you would like to come so that she knows how many to cook for (there is a list in church or you can phone her on 240541).
Saturday 4 April – Family Fun Easter Eggstravaganza – 10-12 noon – there will lots of activities for Children and their parents to enjoy, including a prayer station.
Sunday 5 April – Easter Sunday – 9.30am Family Holy Communion Service led by Rev Mandy Elmes.

Colchester Service

Friday 3 April – Good Friday at the Mercury Theatre – @ 7.30pm – A time to reflect through music and word, led by the Bishop of Colchester, Rt Rev Roger Morris

Everyone is welcome to any or all (!) of the above services.

February 9, 2015

Reach new heights with the EACH Colchester Abseil

On the 22nd March 2015, the East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) are holding their fourth Colchester Abseil at The Town Hall.

The abseil will be an exhilarating 100ft descent and will give participants a birds eye view of the high street. The abseil is being managed by Creation Climbing Centre and there are up to 60 places are available.

Last year over 50 adults took to the challenge raising a fantastic £6,500 for EACH! The money raised helps care for children and young people with life-threatening conditions and supports their families. Last year, EACH helped 572 families, many of whom live in Essex.

Minimum age to take part is 12 years.
Registration and sponsorship:
- £15 registration for adults 17 yrs and over – minimum sponsorship £85.
- £15 registration for children 16 yrs and under – minimum sponsorship £30.

To find out more about this fantastic event and to sign up, go to www.each.org.uk/colchesterabseil or call 01206 848450.

More about EACH

From babies to young people up to the age of 18, EACH supports families, children and young people living with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk from diagnosis to end-of-life and throughout bereavement. They do this through a range of services delivered where the family wish – in their own home, at hospital, in the community or at one of their three hospices in Milton, Ipswich and Quidenham.

Care at end of life isn’t the only service EACH provides though; many children and young people who use their services are extremely active but need additional support and care. A child might receive the support of a play specialist to give them access to appropriate play activities helping them grow in confidence and aid their physical and mental wellbeing, enjoy sensory rooms at the hospices, have music therapy sessions to offer the opportunity to interact, communicate and express themselves or sessions in the therapeutic hydrotherapy pool.

Their support stretches further than the young person to include families, they know the stresses and strains living with a life-threatening illness can place on all the family. EACH runs special family events where families can meet others in similar situations to them, sibling days always full of smiles and laughter and spiritual care.

February 3, 2015February 2, 2015

Road Closures February 2015

Essex Highways Department have announced a large list of road closures affecting large parts of the Colchester & Braintree areas from 9th February. The Temporary Closure Notice states that:

The closures are scheduled to commence within 18 months from 09 February 2015 or where appropriate signs are showing and weather permitting, and are required for the safety of the public and workforce while highway maintenance works are undertaken. Exact dates of the road closures will be notified via advanced warning signage on sites. Letters to residents and other affected or interested parties advising of the works/dates and other relevant information will also be sent out at least 2 weeks in advance.

Those closures where the diversion route crosses over into another County or use the A12 and A120 are subject to the approval of the relevant County Council or the Highways Agency.

Access for emergency service vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained at all times during the closure.

The Order will come into effect on 09 February 2015 and may continue in force for 18 months or until the works have been completed, whichever is the earlier.

The following appear to be those ‘closest to home’ but the best advice seems to be to look out for the yellow advance warning signs!

Roads	Detail of Closure	Diversion
Chitts Hill, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Halstead Road and Argents Lane	Halstead Road, A1124 Halstead Road, Spring Lane, Argents Lane and vice versa.
A1124 Halstead Road, Eight Ash Green	Between its junctions with Spring Lane and the A12/Essex Yeomanry Way roundabout	A12, A120 Coggeshall Road, A120 Colchester Road, B1024 Colne Road, B1024 Colchester Road, a1124 Colchester Road, A1124 Wakes Street, A1124 Fordstreet and vice versa.
New Church Road, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Lexden Road and Chapel Road	Lexden Road, B1508 Colchester Road, Chapel Road and vice versa.
School Lane, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with B1508 Colchester Road and New Church Road	New Church Road, Chapel Road,B1508 Colchester Road and vice versa.
Newbridge Hill, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Argents Lane and Lexden Road	Argents Lane, Spring Lane, A1124 Halstead Road, A12, a113 Cymbeline Way, Colne Bank Avenue, West Way, B1508 Bergholt Road, B1508 Braiswick, B1508 Colchester Road, Chapel Road and vice versa.
Whitehouse Lane, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Newbridge Hill and Bourne Road	Newbridge Hill, Bourne Road and vice versa.
Fordham Road/Bergholt Road, Fordham & West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Fossetts Lane and B1508 Colchester Road	Rams Farm Road, Plummers road, Fordham Road, Packards Lane, B1508 Colchester Road and vice versa.
Cook’s Hall Road, West Bergholt	From its junction with Lexden Road to the end of the cul-de-sac	No diversion
Chapel Road, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with B1508 Colchester Road and Lexden Road	B1508 Colchester Road, Lexden Road and vice versa.
Lexden Road, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with B1508 Colchester Road and Chapel Road	Chapel Road, B1508 Colchester Road and vice versa.
Queen’s Road, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Chapel Road and Bourne Road	Chapel Road, Newbridge Hill, Bourne Road and vice versa.
Chapel Lane, West Bergholt	Between its junctions with Chapel Road and Bourne Road	Chapel Road, Queens Road, Bourne Road and vice versa.
Hall Road, West Bergholt	From its junction with B1508 Colchester Road to the end of the cul-de-sac	No diversion

You can view the fill list by downloading the formal notice:

Road Closures February 2015.

January 21, 2015

Local Health Forums – Get Involved

The Health Forum

The NEE Health Forum is a largely enthusiastic and committed body of people who are interested in health matters. They are all people who have registered as public members of North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group.

The Health Forum is not formally part of the Clinical Commissioning Group, but members of the Health Forum Committee are invited to be part of all decision-making meetings within the CCG so that they can obtain and reflect the views of people from North East Essex to the group in a timely way. The Clinical Commissioning Group wants the Health Forum to be as inclusive as possible, and so the criteria for eligibility are very broad. There is more detail on the Join the Health Forum page of their website.

Members of the Health Forum are able to vote for the Health Forum Committee. The Health Forum Committee has a number of sub-groups which are looking at specific health related issues. The Health Forum does not have any legal powers, but has been given local powers by the CCG. It works very closely with Essex HealthWatch, who do have legal powers.

Their important reports, including local Health Forum meeting dates, agendas and minutes and similar material relating to the Health Forum Committee can be found on their site in the Library.

The Health Forum issue monthly newsletters, Forum Focus, in which numerous local & national health issues are discussed – they can be accessed in the forum library. The most recent edition can be downloaded from :

Forum Focus January 2015

Get Involved at Local Health Forums

The Health Forum holds local meetings which any public member of the CCG can attend, regardless of where they live. The 3 local meetings are held at Colchester;Harwich; (rest of) Tendring – this is usually held in Clacton.

The next meetings are being held on 2nd, 3rd & 4th February (2pm – 4pm) respectively. The agenda vary slightly both from meeting to meeting but also by location, but will typically include items such as those due to be discussed in the February meetings:

NE Essex Community Pharmacy Scheme
CHUFT Cancer Services (Clacton & Harwich only)
Borough GP Care Advisory Service (Colchester only)
Carer Strategy Consultation
General Q&A

These meetings give Health Forum members a chance to receive presentations and ask questions relating to key health care issues and services in their area. They are also to raise concerns with the NEE CCG staff directly and Health Forum Committee members.

The Agendas for the local meetings are set by the Health Forum Committee who request speakers on the subjects they believe local people want to hear more about. The CCG supports the Health Forum Committee by finding suitable speakers and health professionals that are in a position to answer relevant questions.

All three local meetings are usually held within a week of each other and they occur bi-monthly (every other month). The dates of future meetings can be found on their events page.

The agendas and minutes of the Local Engagement forum are published in their Library under Health Forum.

January 19, 2015January 18, 2015

Colchester Local Plan Consultation

CBC is in the process of creating a ‘Local plan’ and have started the consultation process, The Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group will be responding to this consultation as will the Parish Council. A separate consultation on the Neighbourhood Plan is planned for the end of February to mid April. For those interested in contributing directly the Borough Council recently issued the following notice:

Colchester Borough Council has started work on its new Local Plan for the Borough covering the period 2017-2032.

The Planning Policy team will be running the Issues and Options Consultation from the 16 January 2015 until 27 February 2015 at the following locations:

Tiptree Community Centre – Saturday 7 February 2015 (10am-2pm)

Mersea Centre (MICA) – Wednesday 11 February 2015 (4pm-8pm)

Wivenhoe Scout & Guide Hut – Saturday 14 February 2015 (10am-2pm)

Hythe Community Centre – Monday 16 February 2015 (12 noon – 8pm)

Great Horkesley Village Hall – Saturday 31 January 2015 (10am – 2pm)

Marks Tey Village Hall – Saturday 21 February 2015 (10am-2pm)

In addition to the above drop in sessions there will also be additional consultation drop is sessions at Colchester Library (Saturday 17 January 2015 10am-2pm & Tuesday 27 January 2015 2pm-6pm) and at Asda (on 24 January 2015 10am-2pm).

For those interested in attending you might want to access some of the project teams documentation inn advance, if so please visit the Colchester Borough Council website.

January 10, 2015January 9, 2015

Trees for Years 2015

Blossom of the Bird Cherry – one of the varieties on offer

Trees for Years 2015

Colchester Borough Council have 2015 free trees and fruit bushes to give away as the popular annual Trees for Years initiative returns for the ninth year in a row.

The free plants are available to Colchester Borough residents, community groups and parish councils. Residents can collect up to three plants per household and up to 15 per community group, school or parish council.

This year’s initiative includes a variety of fruit bushes, decorative shrubs and trees to help create a greener Colchester for all. Species available this year are:

Raspberry Canes
Gooseberry Bush
Acer campestre – Field Maple
Betulapendula – Silver Birch
Cornusalba ‘Siberica’ – Red Stem Dogwood
Cornusstolonifera ‘Flaviramea’ – Yellow Stem Dogwood
Blackcurrant Canes
Forsythia x intermedia ‘Spectabilis’
Prunuspadus – Bird Cherry
Corylusavellana – Hazel Cob Nut

The 2015 bare root trees and fruit bushes will be available on a first come first served basis.

Cultivation guidance will be available so that trees can be selected, taking into account the ultimate size and form of mature trees.

People collecting trees need to bring their own bags to put them in.

Trees must be planted on private property. Postcodes will be recorded to monitor the distribution.

The event, which is funded through sponsorship by officeis takes place on Saturday 7 February, from 10am to 1pm, in the car park of Colchester Borough Council’s offices at Rowan House, in Sheepen Road, Colchester.

November 20, 2014

Oil-fired heating? Advice from CBC…

The MUST knows about caring for your oil tank

If you have a domestic oil storage tank it’s your responsibility to keep it safe. Oil leaks can cause damage to property and the environment. Prolonged exposure to vapours could cause harm to health. It could cost you thousands of pounds and take months or years to clean up an oil spillage and there is a risk of prosecutions and fines. So, why take the risk? To prevent problems from occurring make sure your whole system is regularly checked and serviced by professionally qualified engineers.

Top tips:

Check your tank – regularly

Are there any visible leaks or stains? Are there any cracks or damage to the tank, pipes, sight gauges or the support system? Is your tank old or in poor condition? If any of these apply, get advice from a qualified and experienced engineer as soon as possible. If a repair or replacement is required, do not attempt to do this yourself.

Give it room

Make sure your oil storage tank has space and cut back any plants which are growing near or over the tank, as they could damage it.

Be safe

Make sure that any deliveries of oil can be made safely and supervise them whenever possible. Do what you can to prevent vandalism or theft, but do not make any changes that would affect how your system works.

Be prepared

Check your insurance cover! Some policies will only cover you for the cost of replacing lost oil, not for any clean up. Most companies will not cover you at all if a leak is caused by lack of maintenance.

Know what to do in an emergency. Don’t wait for a problem to occur! Read advice on our web page as mentioned below.

Keep a copy of emergency telephone numbers handy – or obtain a sticker for your tank from the Environment Agency by calling 03708 506 506.

In the event of a leak

Contact your insurance company immediately if a spill does occur. If your insurance policy does not cover you, you will need to employ your own accredited spill company.

How Colchester Borough Council can help

Get advice and read the Essex Contaminated Land Consortium’s Domestic Heating Oil Care Guide at www.colchester.gov.uk/youroiltank.

We cannot clean up any oil that is spilt, or undertake any repairs for you but we may be able to help you find someone to clean up the oil to the correct standards.