French for Fun

Were you put off at school but wonder if you could still manage to speak French, wanting to go to France and not need to keep referring to a phrase book (or Google translate), perhaps you want to do business with a French company or just want to see if you can – well local resident Rachel Brown is starting up French for Fun language classes for adults in January so you can now put a date in your diary.

Rachel fell in love with French aged 11 and is passionate about the language. She took a degree in French and Business and has had a 30 year international banking career working with businesses of all types in the UK, France and Belgium.

She promises that the classes will be fun and informal with no homework or exams, but still structured to make sure progress is made, using tried and tested “Language for Fun” methods and materials. Classes will be for all levels according to demand – beginners, improvers, intermediate and advanced. To start with, she will probably only be offering beginners and improvers but this could change subject to demand.

Starting on 20th January (until 26th March), classes will run every Wednesday in terms/blocks of 10 weeks (roughly in line with the school year), provisionally (depending on demand) they will be:

7pm-8pm Beginners French – suitable for complete beginners.
8.15pm-9.15pm Improvers French – suitable for those who have done some French in the past but feel a bit rusty.
Further classes will be added in due course for other levels.

The classes, which will cost £120 per person per term (including all materials & refreshments) will be held at 23 Lexden Road where there is ample off- and on-road parking available.

Free Launch Event

To find out more you can attend Rachel’s Free Launch Event on Wednesday 6 January 2016 – 7pm-9pm at St Mary’s Church Hall, New Church Road, West Bergholt – come along for wine, soft drinks and nibbles and find out more about our stress free, fun French language classes for adults. Or, if you can’t wait, call her on 01206 241555 or 07772918097, contact by email, [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”] or visit the Language for Fun website.

October 16, 2015October 16, 2015

Heathlands Fireworks 2015

The show that always goes with a bang proves to be even better this year as the Heathlands Fireworks 2015, taking place 17:30 – 20:00 on Saturday 7th November, are promising:

Double the amount of stalls (minimise queues);
Almost twice as many fireworks;
Luxury toilet facilities;
Additional catering options from external providers (a Hog Roast, Fish & Chips by Greens and 2 bars); and
More room!

With gates opening at 5:30, music & entertainment will start at 5:45, bonfire lighting at 6:15 and the display kicks off at 7pm lasting about 25 minutes – the event closes at 8pm. Organisers ask that you arrive in plenty of time since parking will, as ever, be a challenge with some 4,000 expected to be attending!

Tickets go on sale from Monday 19th October and, with a continuing price freeze once again offer great value, which just gets even better with some of their special offers including BBQ food from the PTA stall. Advance ticket prices are £3.50 (under-5s free) or £5.00 including your BBQ option; if any are tickets left on the day the gate price will be £5.00..

Tickets can be bought from:

Ash’s Convenience Express – Colchester Road,
The Blue Owl – Mill Street, Nayland,
Beauty at the Bay – Bergholt Road,
Kitty Rose – Colchester Road,
Scissorhands Salon – Chapel Road,
The Treble Tile – Colchester Road,
The White Hart – Nayland Road,
The Wine Centre – The Causeway,
West Bergholt Pharmacy – Chapel Road, and
Some other local schools.

Follow the event on Facebook or the PTA website.

September 3, 2015August 17, 2017

Lexden Road Closure – Buses Update

Following further discussions with bus companies we are now able to provide a fuller update on bus routes and stops in use whilst the sewers are repaired in Lexden Road (expected to be until Wednesday 9th September but could be longer).

All buses that would normally complete the “West Bergholt loop” will now be running up and down Chapel Road only, using Mumford Road and Donard Drive to turn around. Only the Chambers 753/754 will continue along Colchester Road as a whole, the other buses will not be running along Lexden Road or the top part of Colchester Road by the Treble Tile (see map).

The following bus services will be affected:

17 – Hedingham School Service – West Bergholt to Stanway School
755 / 756 – Chambers School Service – West Bergholt to Norman Way Schools
66 – First Essex – West Bergholt to Colchester/Old Heath
67b – First Essex – West Bergholt to West Mersea

Please wait for your buses at the waiting areas along Chapel Road and only the part of Colchester Road past the roundabout to the Maltings where the school buses would normally stop.

August 5, 2015August 5, 2015

Shakespeare’s Villains

Shakespeare’s Villains – A WEA Short Course

Not “done” Shakespeare since you left school? Do you think his works are not for you? This autumn in West Bergholt we are looking forward to welcoming Ron Marks who will be our tutor on “Shakespeare’s Villains”. This will be an exploration of Shakespeare’s insights into how “one may smile, and smile and be a villain, a scheming ‘machiavel’”, “bloody, bawdy” and eternally fascinating to audiences.

This course promises to make Shakespeare’s interesting and accessible to all.

So why not come along and try it? You can sample the first evening for free! The course starts at the Methodist Hall at 8pm on 15th September and lasts for 10 weeks.

10 evenings cost £48, those on income under £15,276 net per annum or income based benefits/JSA free.

For further information please contact Gill on 01206 240512.

No Prior Research Needed – but:

… if you wanted somebody else’s take on the top 5 Shakespeare villains then here they are:

1. Iago

Driven by an overpowering lust for evil rivaled only by Satan, Iago grabs the title as worst Shakespeare villain hands down. As the critic William Robertson Turnbull once pointed out, “Iago is an unbeliever in, and denier of, all things spiritual, who only acknowledges God, like Satan, to defy him”

2. Richard III

The tyrannical, morally vacuous Richard III orders his own brother’s execution and the murder of two innocent children because they are obstacles to his kingly ambition. Luckily, Richard’s horrific acts come to an end when he is slain by Richmond at the battle of Bosworth Field.

3. Cornwall

In King Lear, a play rife with heinous evildoers, Cornwall towers over them all. Infinitely greedy and exceptionally cruel, Cornwall schemes with his wife, Regan, and sister-in-law, Goneril, to torture Lear and Gloucester. Cornwall delights in gouging out Gloucester’s eyes, exclaiming “Out, vile jelly!/Where is thy lustre now?”

4. Aaron the Moor

Among other vile crimes, Aaron the Moor, servant and lover to Tamora, masterminds the brutal rape of Titus Andronicus’s daughter, Lavinia. When, at the end of the play, Titus’s son Lucius decides that Aaron should be buried to the neck in sand and starved, Aaron, defiant to the end, tells Lucius that “If one good deed in all my life I did/I do repent it from my very soul.”

5. Edmund

Resentful of his illegitimacy, the Earl of Gloucester’s bastard son strives to destroy his brother and father to gain Gloucester’s title and possessions. Successful in his evil plot to ruin Gloucester, he next plans to kill Cordelia and Lear so that he can rule Britain. Edmund’s henchmen strangle Cordelia and Lear dies broken-hearted as a result of his daughter’s murder.

April 17, 2015February 23, 2019

Road Closures April – May

Road Closures Map April-May 2015 — Map showing locations of closures

The following information about a number of road closures / traffic controls has been received from Heathlands Primary although will impact others as well – on verifying details on the Essex Highways website at 6pm on Friday 17th April (click link to check current status), each is considered to be of high impact with delays likely – it is usual for such works to maintain access for residents at all times although (Ed. speaking from personal experience), the route might sometimes be circuitous and bumpy.

New Church Road scheduled to start on 20th April – 1st May. It is unlikely to be possible to park on New Church Road for dropping off and collecting children near the school.
B1508 opposite Garthwood Close from 22nd – 24th April for carriageway patching.
Lexden Road in the Scout Hut area from 20th – 24th April.
Cooks Hall Road and Chapel Road from 24th April – 2nd May.
School Lane from 1st – 13th May.
Newbridge Hill from 5th – 11th May.
Chapel Lane and Whitehouse Lane from 5th – 15th May.
Hall Road from 5th – 29th May.
Chitts Hill from 11th – 18th May.

Road Closures April-May 2015 — Red indicates High Impact – delays likely and Amber, Medium Impact – delays possible

The car park at the Orpen Hall should still be accessible although it is likely to be busy.

February 9, 2015February 9, 2015

Appeal for SN Support Volunteers

Appeal for Special Needs Support Volunteers

Do you want to have the opportunity to support children with Special Education needs, then why not become a volunteer Independent Supporter (IS) with ECDP? The purpose of the role is:

To provide appropriate support to young people with special educational needs (SEN) and their parents/carers through the transition from a traditional Special Educational Needs Statement system to the new Education, Health & Care (EHC) assessment and planning process.

Full training will be provided
All reasonable expenses will be provided
Volunteers will be working either alongside other volunteers and staff or independently
Working hours are flexible
Volunteers would usually need to commit to around 6 hours per month
To support group-based and individually focused support, workshops/events which will empower young people and parents/carers to make informed choices/decisions

Successful applicants will be required to complete two days face to face training, two days on-line training plus some supplementary training.

Training is available throughout Essex. If you would like to work with us to support disabled children and their parents/carers in Essex, please contact Cindy Peacock by email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”] or call her on 01245 392 319.

More about ECDP

ecdp (Essex Coalition of Disabled People) is a pioneering charitable organisation (no. 1091293), run by disabled people, for disabled people. They deliver a range of services and award winning programmes which enhance the everyday lives of disabled people across the UK. Involving and engaging disabled people in all that they do, ensuring that their voice continues to be heard.

Our values

Our values underpin everything we do and shape our behaviour, both as an organisation and as individuals working within ecdp. We are:

Inclusive

We include anyone who has rights under the Equality Act 2010 within our definition of ‘disabled people’. This includes anyone with a physical and/or sensory impairment, mental health condition, learning disability or long-term health condition (such as HIV/AIDS or cancer). We also recognise anyone who declares themselves to be a disabled person.

Expert

As an organisation run by and for disabled people, we have a unique and insightful perspective. Our history and work provides us with a depth of knowledge on the issues faced by disabled people in Essex. We use this knowledge to add value to our own work and that of the public, private and voluntary sectors in order to effect change for disabled people.

Innovative

We are adaptable, embrace change and try new ways of doing things. We work in an imaginative and flexible way, seeking feedback to help us innovate.

Responsive

We listen to the needs of and work in partnership with disabled people and our stakeholders. We respond in a timely manner and in a way that is enabling, supportive and professional.

November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

Inland Waterways – Past & Present

Heybridge Basin at the end of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation is a local Inland Waterway — Heybridge Basin – end of the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation is a local Inland Waterway

With the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation not that far away we have a real local model to add context and flavour to the WEA’s next course. Inland Waterways, starting on January 13th at 8pm in the Methodist Church Hal, is described by the WEA as follows:

Our next subject is Inland Waterways by Steven Worsley who will cover, over 10 weeks, the increasing leisure use of our inland waterways contrasting with their past as a transport medium during the industrial revolution. The legacy of this past will be studied on this course.

Ten interesting evenings cost £48 or for those on income under £15.276 net per annum or income based benefits/JSA free.

In doubt, then sample first evening for free

For further information please contact Gill on 01206 240512

October 15, 2014October 15, 2014

Heathlands Fireworks 2014

Fireworks 2014 Extravaganza

Sponsored this year by ‘Cinderella, A Traditional Panto at the Mercury Theatre’ (which runs from 5th December to 11th January), Heathlands PTA is pleased to announce that its renowned annual fireworks display returns this year on Saturday 8th November.

Advance purchase of programmes at just £3.50 offers great value and they are available from Heathlands Primary School, local businesses & other schools in Colchester from 22nd October 2014. Entry at the gate will cost £5.00.

The gates are opening at 5:30 pm and there will be plenty going on before the display including:

Bonfire lit at 6pm,
Barbecue,
Children’s games,
Hot Drinks,
Real Ale,
Mulled Wine,
Sweets,
Glow performer, and
Live Music from ‘Sonic Architects‘.

Pictures are from previous displays.

To find out more visit www.heathlandsblog.co.uk or email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]. Heathlands School PTA is a registered charity (10377284).

September 29, 2014September 29, 2014

Lollipops Required

School Crossing Patrol Officers sought

Essex County Council have vacancies for a number of school crossing patrol officers including in the Colchester area. ECC are asking you to support your local school by being part of a dedicated team who are valued within your community. They offer:

Good rates of pay,
Full training,
Uniform & equipment provided,
Term time only,
Morning & afternoon, up to 2 hours per day.

For more information they ask you to contact the School Crossing Patrol Team on 03330 136687 or by email to [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].

Current vacancies

As of 25th September the following vacancies exist:

Ghyllgrove Primary – Basildon
St Ann Line Inf & Jun schools – Basildon
Kingswood Primary – Basildon
ST Marys C of E – Kelvedon
John Bunyan Inf &Jun Schools – Braintree
Brentwood School – Brentwood
St Martins Secondary School – Hutton
Old Heath Primary – Colchester
Kings Road Primary – Chelmsford
Kingston Primary – Benfleet
Jotmans Primary –Benfleet
Perryfields Inf & Jun School – Chelmsford
St Michael’s Junior/Galleywood Infant – Galleywood
The Cathedral Primary – Chelmsford
Melbourne Park Primary – Chelmsford
Milldene Primary – Colchester
Tiptree Heath Primary – Tiptree
Cherry Tree primary – Colchester
St Georges New Town inf & jun schools – Colchester
Upshire Primary – Epping forest
Whitebridge Primary – Loughton
The Alderton Primary – Loughton
Hare Street Primary – Harlow
Pear Tree Mead Primary – Harlow
Latton Green Primary – Harlow
Lawford Mead Primary – Colchester
Holland Park Primary – Holland Park
Rolph Primary – Tendring

There are also 4 mobile staff vacancies – these cover Maldon, Braintree, Chelmsford and Brentwood.

September 17, 2014September 17, 2014

Centre Stage Essex

Stage School Opens

Centre Stage Essex provides Performing Arts training in Dance, Acting, Singing & Performance for students aged 8 – 12 years. Under the supervision of qualified teachers and industry professionals, the weekly 3-hour sessions will carousel through the art forms with students learning new skills in a fun environment tha Centre Stage Essex t will build confidence and technique. Each term will culminate with a live performance using West End and Broadway repertoire.

Sessions will run during term time each Wednesday between 5:30pm and 8:30pm and will be held at Heathlands Primary School. The first sessions will be a free taster after which each sessions will cost £15 (which can be paid termly). Sibling discounts are available.

For more information either email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”] or visit their Facebook page.