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Category: Essex

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New primary school places?

New primary school places?

You have until 31st January to share your views online about proposals to create 1,085 new primary school places across five existing Colchester schools from September 2018. All five projects would involve new teaching blocks, enhanced external areas for outdoor PE and play spaces, and increased car parking.

West Bergholt falls into the Colchester north and rural northeast zone where the following is forecast: Continue reading “New primary school places?”

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The Who Will Care? Awards Return for 2017

Who will Care? AwardsThe Who Will Care? Awards Return for 2017

Nominations are now open for the prestigious Who Will Care? Awards taking place on 24 May 2017. Seven award categories celebrate the unsung heroes volunteering across Essex.  They bring together communities and individuals who are working to make Essex an even greater place to live, work and visit. 

Nominate any business, charity or individual you feel deserves recognition for their volunteering efforts in our county, by filling in an online form.

Nominations close Friday 3 March 2017 at midnight. Read about last year’s winners here. Continue reading “The Who Will Care? Awards Return for 2017”

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Chitts Hill Overnight Closure 3rd December

chitts-hill-crossing-closure-03dec16Chitts Hill Overnight Closure 3rd December

There will be a closure of Chitts Hill Level Crossing to traffic between 23:45 and 07:00 on the night of 3rd December.  This is to enable Network Rail to undertake urgent track consolidation through the crossing.  Network Rail will maintain emergency & pedestrian access at all times.

The alternative route will be via Chitts Hill, Argents Lane, Spring Lane, Halstead Road, Chitts Hill and vice versa.

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Christmas is Coming – Highlighted Events to Go To

Christmas is Coming

Since Christmas is coming, it’s now less than a month away (gulp), you might want to get up to date with some events (Castle, Zoo, Cressing & New Hall) and other Christmassy news (free park & ride).

Events at Colchester Castle

colchester-castle-grottoMeet Santa in his Grotto

Colchester Museums are offering a unique opportunity this festive season. Families will be able to meet Santa in the historic setting of Colchester Castle.

From Friday 9 to Sunday 11 December and from Friday 16 to Friday 23 December, the Castle’s ancient Lucas Vaults will be transformed into a magical grotto where families can visit Santa, take in the decorated surroundings and receive a gift from the man himself.

Prices vary from £5 – £8.50 depending on numbers and whether you simply visit Santa or also follow the Children’s Christmas trail.  More details online here.

Free Castle Entry for Special Christmas Open Evening

castle-christmas-open-eveningColchester Castle opens its doors for its annual Christmas Open Evening on Wednesday 14 December from 3pm – 8:30pm.

A seasonal treat as Colchester Castle opens its doors for FREE! Come and soak up the Christmas atmosphere with carols, mince pies, entertainment and an opportunity to meet Santa before his busy night.

 

 

Booking not required. Free  entry to the Castle, entry to Santa’s grotto £3.50 per child. Suitable for all ages.

christmas-reindeer-at-colchester-zooColchester Zoo

Magic of Christmas

Meet Santa’s beautiful reindeer in their stables and travel through the farmyard to meet Santa’s friends. You can join the elves and friends for a very merry Christmas party!  Or why not make Christmas crafts at the Elves’ Workshop.

More details online here.

Starlight Nights

Visit from 9.30am until 8.30pm on the 17th & 23rd December! As well as fantastic daytime events you will be able to stay after dark as the festivities continue into the evening beneath the Christmas lights!

The extended opening will give you even more time to see Santa’s beautiful reindeer and take part in The Santa Experience! PLUS from 5pm you can take a ride on the Christmas train and check out special evening encounters!

More details online here.  The Zoo is offering other Christmas activities as well so well worth visiting their website.

magical-christmas-cressingCressing Temple

Guided by a friendly elf, your group will explore Father Christmas’s busy Christmas base at Cressing Temple Barns. Learn the secrets of the wrapping machine, magic mailing systems and landing pad. After passing through these magical rooms, families go on the meet Father Christmas himself in his traditional Grotto with full size sleigh ready for photos.

Whisper your Christmas wish and then head onwards to the toy shop where an elf will help you choose the perfect Christmas gift to take away as a memento. Here your guided tour ends, but there is so much more to see! The site is accessible for wheelchairs and buggies, except for the Grotto itself which is on the second storey (although Santa will come down to visit those who can’t manage the stairs).

More details online here.

New Hall – Vineyard Winter Wonderland

Taking place on 3rd & 4th December from 10am – 5pm, at New Hall Vineyard, Purleigh, CM3 6PN.

A winter wonderland combining a great atmosphere, Santa’s Grotto (foc), children’s craft area and free refreshments including mince pies, sausage rolls, hot chestnuts and mulled wine. A great opportunity to taste wines and stock-up before Christmas. All wine is discounted and personalised labels can be printed for free while you wait.  All donations go to Maldon Carers.

Shop ’til you drop on Small Business Saturday

Heading into Chelmsford or Colchester for your Christmas shopping? Essex County Council are offering a helping hand by making Park and Ride travel free on Small Business Saturday.  Small Business Saturday should see many small businesses offering special deals in the spirit of Black Friday.  Take advantage of the free Park and Ride offer on Saturday 3rd December.

 

 

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Best Village of the Year

Village-of-the-Year-Presentation-2016
Chris Stevenson (centre) receiving the award last night.

Best Village of the Year

Every Year the Rural Community Council of Essex holds a competition to determine the best Village of the Year.  The award is based on the activities and work of the community as a whole, not just the Parish Council:

This is the only competition of its kind in Essex that focuses on the whole community rather than on the work of the Parish Council or one particular organisation or amenity.  We will be looking to reward villages of all sizes that are doing most to enhance the quality of life for their inhabitants.

RCCE Website

Continue reading “Best Village of the Year”

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Passenger Transport Survey

Passenger Transport Survey poster

Passenger Transport Survey posterPassenger Transport Survey

Essex County Council is a major funder of local passenger transport services including:

  • providing transport for over 20,000 children to travel to mainstream and special need schools each day.
  • providing transport for children in care, older people and people with learning disabilities and physical or sensory impairments.
  • supporting around 15% of local bus services in the County including many evening, rural and Sunday buses that are socially necessary but loss-making and so need funding support.

Continue reading “Passenger Transport Survey”

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Families Included

Families IncludedEssex Challenge launches with a Families Included Prize

Essex County Council are launching a new initiative called Essex Challenge Prize on 12th May. The Families Included Prize is the first in a series of Challenge Prizes.  Challenge Prizes are a tried and tested method of generating a broader range of original ideas to solve difficult problems.  Over the next few years ECC intend to run a series of prizes to address the diverse issues facing Essex.  Along the way they will offer a range of support to nurture and develop the ideas of individuals, communities and organisations, as well as awarding a prize for the winning solution.

We are looking for great ideas, projects and solutions from Essex that involve local families with young children in opportunities that enrich their lives.  Ideas can relate to any aspect of life including personal and social experiences.  They can look to address the problem across Essex or focus on a local community.  All we ask is that solutions come from people or organisations in Essex and will make a positive difference to Essex families.

Entry will be open between 12 May and 14 July 2016.  After this a team of assessors and judges will choose the most promising ideas to go forward to receive further support to test and progress their solution.  The winner will receive a prize of £10,000 to help them take this forward.  We don’t know what the winning idea will look like.  It might be a product, a service or a clever bit of tech.  It could be completely new or an adapted way of doing things.

To find out more:

  • Visit the website at challenge-prizes.essex.gov.uk/ to find out more about Challenge Prizes and why ECC want to address social isolation impacting Essex families.
  • Be a champion!  ECC want to get as many people across Essex as possible to put on their thinking caps and want to reach beyond the usual suspects.  Please tell people about this exciting project and share, share and share again the website address on your social media account.
  • If you have any questions please email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].
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Clubs – Volunteer Awards & Culture Grants

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:

Stars-of-EssexWho 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]”].

 

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Roadworks in Lexden Road April 2016

Lexden Road closure Apr16Roadworks in Lexden Road

Between 11th & 14th April Lexden Road will be closed to through traffic from the junction with Sackville Way south for a relatively short distance whilst the National Grid carries out essential work to connect properties to the gas network.  The alternative route from 50 – 88 Lexden Road (& vice versa) will be via: Lexden Rd, New Church Road, Chapel Road and vice versa.  Access for emergency services and pedestrians will be maintained at all times.

To see more details for this closure, and to view other roadworks that might affect you, look on the roadworks website at https://roadworks.org/?tm=60252.  Apart from minor works installing signs in New Church Road later this week (23rd – 25th), the Roadworks site shows no other works are currently scheduled in the village for the next 3 months.