Films & Literature

Films & Literature is the topic of the upcoming WEA course starting at 8pm on 13th September. The course will investigate the way books & cinema have influenced the other as David Read, the tutor, says:

From the early days of cinema to the present day film has shared with the novel a passion for storytelling. Early pioneer of the Silent Film D W Griffiths, cited the novels of Dickens as an influence on his technique and to this day film makers continue to use literature as an inspiration.

Films/books that we will consider in the study are “The Great Gatsby” and “Pride & Prejudice”.

What will it be like?

WEA classes are friendly and supportive. You will work in groups and with the whole class, sharing ideas and views and giving and receiving feedback. The WEA tutor uses a range of different teaching and learning methods and will encourage you to be actively involved in your learning. You will get the texts for the following week each session and might find it it useful to supplement them with some internet research or background reading.

By the end of the course you should be able to:

make informed judgements about the success or otherwise of film adaptations of literary works;
identify similarities of form and content across the two media;
describe the narrative techniques used by writers and film makers;
describe the stylistic techniques used by writers and film makers.

Find out more

The course will run for 9 evenings at the Methodist Hall, Chapel lane, and will cost £47.25. (If you are on low income and benefits, let the organiser know, the fee may be waived). If you would like to find out more contact Gill on 01206 240512, you are also most welcome to try the first evening for free.

March 23, 2016

Clubs – Volunteer Awards & Culture Grants

Essex County Council recently issued news updates on two items that might be of interest to local clubs – time is running out though:

Who are your star volunteers?

Tell us about a volunteer, business or charitable organisation that has made an impact on your community and improved the lives of others. This is your opportunity to show just how much you appreciate them.

The ‘Who Will Care?’ Awards is a county-wide volunteer awards for Essex. There are seven categories to choose from and nominations close on Friday 9 April.

Individual – adult (18+). Volunteer aged 18+ who has demonstrated outstanding commitment within their community. This may be something they have done independently or in connection with a charity/community group or employer.

Individual – young person (under 18) (Sponsored by Seetec). Volunteer aged under 18 who has demonstrated outstanding commitment within their community. This may be something they have done independently or in connection with a charity or community/youth/school group or employer.

Individual – overcoming adversity (Sponsored by Runwood Homes). A volunteer of any age who has continued to volunteer within their community (independently or with a charity or community group) while facing challenges in their own personal life.

Team Volunteer Award. A group of two or more volunteers of any age who have made an outstanding contribution to their community either independently or with a charity, community group or their employer.

Voluntary and Community Sector Award. Open to Charities and Community Groups who are able to demonstrate outstanding service delivery to support their community and/or service users.

Business Award (Sponsored by Edward Carter Solutions). Open to commercial organisations who have made an impact in their community

Innovation Award. Open to Social Enterprises, commercial organisations and individuals of any age who can demonstrate innovation in developing a service/project to support the community.

Find out more and download application forms from the Castle Point AVS website.

Culture in Essex Small Grants

The Culture in Essex Small Grants Schemes are funded and run by Essex County Council, offering one-off project support to arts and culture projects within Essex. Grants of between £250 – £2,500 are available for projects and up to £250 for personal development.

The deadline for 2016/17 is the 31st March 2016. Awards of up to £2,500 are offered to projects which meet the schemes criteria. Please ensure that you read the guidance notes before completing an application form. For more information please email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].

January 8, 2016February 23, 2019

Funding, Energy Switch & More

Funding is just one of many subjects in the numerous news updates Essex County & Colchester Borough Councils issue every week, the following are extracts that might be of particular interest.

Funding available for community projects

Colchester’s Big Choice funding application process is now open! Bid for a share of £200,000 to fund new or existing community projects in Colchester. Finalists will be entered into a public vote at the end of February 2016 to decide on the winners.

If you have a project that could be eligible CBC needs to know more about it. Not all applications will go through to the final vote but in order to qualify CBC needs to know who you are, what you do and how your idea will benefit the residents of Colchester Borough.

Completing this online application form will guide you through the information CBC needs so please complete it carefully and take note of the deadlines as CBC has to stick to them. The online application form needs to be completed and received by CBC by 12 noon on the 15th January 2016. Click here to find out more

Save hundreds in the Essex Energy Switch

An energy-saving initiative which has already saved Essex residents almost £1 million has reopened for new applications. Register now for the Essex Energy Switch to potentially save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills.

Registration is open till 1 February 2016. After this, energy providers will bid against one another in an auction with the winning bidder being the company offering the lowest price to all applicants. Following last year’s Switch, residents saved approximately £263 per household.

Anyone who pays for energy is eligible to take part. Signing up takes just a few minutes online. Visit www.essex.gov.uk/energyswitch for more information and to find out how to take part.

How to avoid a cold (caller) this winter

Free “No Cold Caller” stickers are now available at Essex libraries to help vulnerable people protect themselves from rogue traders.

#InstaEssex – Capturing the culture of Essex

What best describes Essex culture to you? Is it some of our buildings and architecture; our artwork and theatres; local street and contemporary social culture; or perhaps there’s an iconic image you think sums up the county? Whatever it is, the #InstaEssex campaign wants to capture it with a photography competition that’s open to both amateur and professional photographers.

15 winning images will be displayed at London Liverpool Street station and at branch line stations across Essex. From these winners the top three will be awarded cash prizes of £1,000 (first prize), £500 (second prize) and £250 (third prize).

If you’re stuck for inspiration why not take a look at the Explore Culture website. Or if you’d like to brush up on your photography skills, why not take part in one of the #InstaEssex workshops.

If you don’t fancy submitting a photo but still want to share your thoughts, you can join the discussions on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #Instaessex. The competition is open until Mon 15 February 2016 so there’s plenty of time to get snapping!

Boost Your Online Skills

If you were fortunate enough to receive a new smartphone, tablet or PC at Christmas and you’d like help to get online, then why not brush up your IT skills for free at CBC’s digital bazaar events and online drop-in sessions beginning this month and running throughout 2016.

At CBC’s digital bazaar events and online drop in sessions, you are encouraged to bring your own device where you will receive professional help with setting it up.

Computers are available at all of the events and staff are there to support and teach you and undertake tasks such as setting up email addresses. You will also have the opportunity to meet some of CBC’s dedicated multi-skilled Zone Teams who have in-depth knowledge of local areas.

One to One Support

CBC also offer one-to-one support at any of the library hubs across Colchester. To book a free one hour session please complete CBC’s online form or call 01206 282222.

Local Health Matters Meetings

Taking place twice a month in various parts of the North East Essex area, these meetings are free to attend without prior booking and give you an opportunity to discuss matters of concern or interest to you regarding Local Health matters. The minutes of the recent meeting in Colchester will give you an idea of what they are about:

Winter’s on its way

The unseasonal mild spell is coming to an end. Are you ready for wintry conditions on the roads? Keep up to date with road conditions via Essex County Council’s website or Twitter accounts.

Visit ECC’s winter travel web page for useful information about salt bins, salting (gritting) routes and links to other winter-related advice about school closures, flooding alerts and health. Follow @Essex_Travel and @EssexGritters for all the latest winter road updates from Essex County Council on Twitter. ECC does not manage the A12, A120, M11 and M25. Visit the Highways Agency website for information about these roads.

At midday every day during winter a weather report comes in to Essex County Council and the decision is made whether to send gritters out onto the Essex roads. Essex County Council has 59 gritters which grit 2,500 miles of roads in the county using a mixture of salt and brine. Find out how the gritting service works in a feature which appeared in the East Anglian Daily Times this week.

Remember to always drive to the weather conditions to keep safe on the roads this winter.