Community, Parish Council & Village
Bergholt Heath YFC Under 15’s have made the final of the Colchester & District League Cup for the second successive year having won the under 14 title last year.
They will play league champions Notley Youth at Wivenhoe Town FC on Sunday 18th May, kick off 4pm.
All are welcome to attend and support the team. Please note no balls allowed and no entering the field of play. Thanks.
Dawn Chorus Walk 2014As usual, Steve Hallam will be leading this walk around Hillhouse Wood, which will afford the opportunity to see and/or hear nightingales and many other brilliant dawn choristers. Last years walk saw and/or heard 21 different varieties with a record attendance of 32 walkers!
The walk will start from the Old Church at 3:45am on Saturday 17th May. You should bring warm clothing, stout footwear, a flask of hot drink and a torch – please note that the walk will only go ahead weather permitting.
If you haven’t been on one of these walks before you will find it a rewarding and delightful experience at a very special time for the wood’s varied wildlife; if you would like to know more then check out this report from last years dawn chorus walk.
Other useful links are:
Outline Productions are a TV Production company and the makers of BBC2’s ‘The Great British Garden Revival’ and are currently making a brand new prime-time TV series which explores Britain’s beautiful private gardens.
Are you a passionate gardener, is your garden your pride & joy, do you want to prove you’ve got the best garden in town?
Well, Outline are casting for people who would like to showcase their stunning, imaginative or unique gardens to the nation, no matter what style, shape or size. Does your garden represent peace and tranquility? Is your garden fit for entertaining? Are you the proud owner of a National Collection? Perhaps it’s a tropical paradise or has an impressive prize winning fruit and veg patch? Outline are looking for people to apply and go head to head in a competition with other garden lovers to compare and critique who has the best garden / gardening skills and hospitality in town.
Outline would like to come to Essex for the first episode and have been identifying highly regarded and pretty villages in the county. They believe our community could be home to keen gardeners with fantastic gardens and are inviting anybody interested to contact them either by:
Bergholt Heath YFC – Results w/e 4th MayTwo matches were played last week, both by the under 15s..
Having been re-instated into the League Cup as Clacton had fielded two cup-tied players in the quarter final, Bergholt took on Heybridge under the floodlights at Halstead Town FC on Tuesday evening 29th April.
Bergholt were looking for revenge against the team that had battered them 5-1 just a couple of weeks before, and from the outset the team looked far more determined to prevent Heybridge scoring, with Ciaran in particular running the midfield like a man possessed – possibly hyped up on various cold remedies downed for his bad cold! Heybridge had the better of the early exchanges but as usual the Bergholt defence stood firm and any shots that did come in were rushed and as a result were high and wide. Bergholt had their moments but generally it was half chances for both teams. HT: 0-0.
The second half was generally the same pattern as the first half, although Bergholt had a shout for a penalty when the Heybridge defender looked to bat the ball away from Max in the area using his arm, however the referee appeared not to see it and waved away the protests. This incident was the highlight of the second half. FT: 0-0.
In to extra time and Bergholt seemed to be getting stronger the longer the game went on with the Heybridge players rattled that they couldn’t find a way past a resolute Bergholt team with all 11 players on the pitch trying their hardest. All through extra time half chances again came and went, but the final score remained 0-0 and so for the second time in the cup against Heybridge this season, it was to be decided by penalties.
Bergholt are into the League Cup Final for the second season in a row. They will play Notley Youth on the weekend of 17th/18th May at Wivenhoe Town.
Bergholt Heath ‘man of the match’: votes not collected but special mention should go to both Ciaran and Aaron.
The last league game of the season on Sunday 4th May saw Bergholt make the short trip to Bures United who had secured runners-up spot behind champions Notley. As seems normal these days Bergholt again had a few players missing, with striker James back on the injured list after just one substitutes appearance since the end of November. This week he was joined by fellow striker Ben who was unavailable as he was taking part in a charity event and Tom who had injured his foot.
Missing two strikers meant the Bergholt manager had to shuffle the pack and this week it saw usual front man Max joined up top by central defender Sam. The match kicked off in bright sunshine on a bobbly pitch. The early exchanges looked typically end-of-season with neither team having the killer instinct. Bergholt however used the relaxed atmosphere to soon get their passing game together and had a few superb passages of play that just failed to be rounded off with a goal the passing deserved. After around 15 minutes Bergholt took the lead with Max battled his way through the central defenders and slotted the ball under the keeper as he came out to block. Unfortunately just a few minutes later Bures were level when a couple of Bergholt players were slow to clear the area after a corner was cleared and played the Bures front men on side when the ball was played back into the box. 1-1. The entertaining game ebbed and flowed through to half time without any further goals.
The second half started in the same exciting end to end fashion. Bergholt regained the lead when Ollie sent Max away with a superb through ball. Max ran on to the ball and, under pressure from the defender, coolly curled his shot round the keeper and into the far corner of the net without breaking side for one of the goals of the season. However as with the first Bergholt goal, Bures got back on terms soon after. This time a free kick from the half way line deceived Connor in goal and he could only parry it into the roof of the net for a soft equaliser. Back came Bergholt and they were awarded a penalty when Sam had his shirted pulled as he escaped his marker on the edge of the box to run through on goal. Up stepped usual penalty taker Ollie to confidently slot the ball into the net. 3-2. Again Bures came back into it and for the first time in the match they managed to carve open the Bergholt defence down the left wing. The ball was whipped in and with only one central defender back in position, the striker connected well with his header for yet another equaliser. Not to be beaten, Bergholt scored their fourth – and what proved to be winning – goal when the ball was pumped into the Bures area from a free kick and Max got a back header in just as the keeper came out and well and truly clattered him (a good job he was facing backwards so he didn’t see the challenge coming!). The ball bounced into the empty net with Jamie on hand to ensure none of the defenders could get near enough to clear off the line to deny Max his hat-trick.
Final score: Bures United 3-4 Bergholt Heath
Bergholt Heath finish the season in 4th place in the A League – the same position as last year – on 26 points and a goal difference of +11.
Bergholt Heath ‘man of the match’: Max for his hat-trick and non-stop running.
The final match of the season for Bergholt Heath will be the Under 15 League Cup final vs Notley Youth over the weekend of 17th / 18th May to Wivenhoe Town FC – details to be confirmed.
Save £££ and win – visit Green Open Homes during MayOn Saturdays and Sundays / weekends from 3 – 15 May, 20 local householders will be opening their homes to the public as part of Colchester’s Green Open Homes. Find out how easy it is to cut hundreds of pounds from your energy bills by installing energy saving measures, from low cost to bigger investments. Plus win shopping vouchers just by visiting one of the Green Open Homes.
The event will be a great opportunity for visitors to see first-hand how various environmental and renewable technologies work, such as solar panels and air source heat pumps. See the technologies in use in real homes discuss with the householders the practicalities and benefits for them.
Visit www.colchester.greenopenhomes.net or contact the organizers, en-form, on 01206 367776 or [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”] for locations and opening details.
April started with a burglary after a late flurry of incidents in March and then saw two-vehicle-related crimes…
At some time between 4:10 pm on the 4th and 9:30 am on the 5th April unknown suspects gained entry to the house through an insecure rear door. Once inside they made a tidy search and removed a number of items.
At some time between 9pm and 5am overnight on 8th/9th April unknown suspects siphoned a quantity of diesel from a lorry parked on the A12.
At some time on 19th April an unknown suspect threw an egg at a vehicle which, being left on for a length of time before being noticed, caused damage to the paintwork.
Two have come through this month, one on how to deter criminals rather than attract them and another on garden security.
Without that initial attraction most crimes could be avoided, statistics show that most crimes are opportunist crimes; yes they may go out intending to commit crime but the victim is not yet chosen. So if there is no attraction then you may not become a victim.
What is the attraction?
The above is just short list I am sure you can think of more. What can you do? STOP, think like a thief, spot the attraction and, where possible, remove it.
For Crime Reduction Advice contact – Stephen Armson-Smith, Colchester District Crime Prevention Officer using the police non emergency telephone number 101 then extension 436126.
Garden Security – Hints & TipsWith the weather steadily improving and with the nights getting longer, it is even more important that your garden is secure from would-be criminals. Making your garden more secure could prevent an intruder from getting into your home, garage or shed.
Hints and tips for securing your garden:-
For further advice contact, please contact:-
Crime Prevention Tactical Advisor:- Stephen Armson-Smith on tel 101, extn 426127, or email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”].
Bergholt Heath YFC – Results 27th AprilBoth the under 9s and the under 11s have now completed their seasons, so it’s just the under 15s left to complete theirs in the next couple of weeks.
Being their final home league match of the season, Connor missed his first ever game in goal as he was away for “Duke of Edinburgh”, and the team were also missing James Holden and Leo Tiffney.
The game started with Bergholt looking much brighter than their last game against Heybridge and they looked to take the game to the visitors with Max in particular looking sharp up front. The midfield this week, with Sam moved there from central defence, generally stopped Cornard having any time on the ball and the defence swept up comfortably anything that got beyond the midfield so much so that Tom, who was finally making his debut in goal, had very little to do other than collect a couple of through balls. Mid way through the half, after several half chances came and went, Bergholt finally took the lead when Max played in a corner, Sam and Jamie neatly switched places to draw the defenders (as practised in training), and Ciaran was left unmarked to stab the ball home from close range for his first goal of the season. The remainder of the half was played out in midfield but any chances that came were for Bergholt. HT: 1-0.
The second half started with Sam back in defence, Jamie pushed out to left back and Max dropped back into midfield. This stifled the Bergholt attacking instincts a little but the midfield and defence were totally in command with Cornard never looking looking a threat at any time. Again the half chances fell to Bergholt, including what looked like a clear penalty when the keeper took out Owen, but the referee gave the easier decision of a corner which Sam headed narrowly over the top. The closest Bergholt came to a second goal was with around 10 minutes remaining when Jamie was played in on the overlap and he whipped in a superb cross that Max rose to head powerfully goal wards, only to see the ball cannon off the crossbar and back out over the top of him. As with the first half the second was played out comfortably for a 1-0 home win that moves Bergholt up to 4th in the table with one league game to play next week vs Bures.
Bergholt Heath ‘man of the match’: Ciaran Donnellan – tireless midfield work and finally a goal to show for all his effort.
The NE Essex CCG have recently published a new strategy for caring for adults, their families and carers who are facing conditions with limited life expectancy. This is part of a whole series of initiatives designed to customise NHS Service Provision for NE Essex’s needs – more can be found on their website at www.neessexccg.nhs.uk.
Part of the introduction of this end-of-life strategy document makes clear its objectives:
This document is a 5 year strategy detailing the future commissioning of end of life services across the health and social care economy. The document identifies the importance of raising the profile of achieving ‘a good death’ and putting mechanisms in place to achieve this.
The Department of Health End of Life Care Strategy acknowledges that there are many challenges to be overcome to ensure that everyone attains ‘a ‘good death’ irrespective of their background. The focus for the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group End of Life Strategy is to ensure that all patients achieve ‘a good death’ and their families and carers feel supported.
The full document can be downloaded here – NHS NE Essex CCG End of Life Strategy 2014.
The West Bergholt & Eight Ash Green Speed Watch team remains one of the most active in the county; with 78 groups in total only 7 undertook more speed checks in March. Across the county as whole there were 147 speed checks (up from 99 in February), which resulted in 1,129 first warning letters, 77 second warnings and 24 being processed for further action being either a visit from an officer or specific enforcement.
Essex Police are always actively trying to clamp down on speeding drivers and they have a dedicated web page where you can see details of recent speed checks undertaken by police officers as well as the location of Community Speed Watch groups throughout the county – http://www.essex.police.uk/be_safe/speeding.aspx. Essex Highways also maintain a mapping system where you can find details of accidents, speed cameras etc… at http://www.essexworkstraffweb.org.uk/main.html.
If you are interested in finding out more about the local Speed Watch group, perhaps you would like to join them, please contact Anthony Robin by phone on (01206) 571910 or email [antibot mailto=”[email protected]”]. An earlier post on this site also has more information – speed watch campaign.
Free Health And Wellbeing Event For People Living With And Beyond CancerFor the first time in North Essex and surrounding areas cancer patients and their families who are living with and beyond cancer are being invited to a free health and wellbeing drop in cancer information day taking place on Saturday 26 April at the St John’s Community Centre, St John’s Close, Colchester, CO4 OHP between 10.30am and 3.30pm to find out about all there is available for those affected by cancer. There will be free parking and refreshments.
Macmillan Cancer Support and Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust have joined forces to host this major cancer event to provide people, who have undergone or completed treatment for cancer, no matter how long ago or for what type of cancer, with the opportunity to find out about what support, information, advice and facilities are available, to help them adjust to life with, and beyond, cancer. This event is linked to a new Self-Managed After Care service launched on the 1st April by the Trust and Macmillan Cancer that will provide one of the most comprehensive support and information services to cancer patients and their families in the UK.
The event is funded by Macmillan Cancer and supported by more than 20 local organisations such as Macmillan Welfare Benefits, CHAPS – Men’s Health, Age UK, Breast Care, St Helena Hospice, Health Professionals, Equipment Suppliers, Cancer Support Groups, Marie Curie, St John’s Church Community Centre, Essex Carer Support and many more. The day will include four 45 minute presentations and question times on Benefits Advice, Counselling, Men’s Health, Physiotherapy & Exercise.
We are encouraging people and their families affected by cancer to come along to the event, so they are better informed about how they can make a positive difference to their every-day life. No one with cancer should have to face it alone; they should have easy access to high quality care, treatment, information and support, to meet their medical, practical, emotional and financial needs. Research has shown how important health and wellbeing is to the recovery and long-term health of cancer patients. For more information please phone 01206 744401.
The cancer journey can be a particularly difficult time for many patients and their families and they need to know there is a robust safety net of support throughout diagnosis, treatment, survivorship, rehabilitation and beyond enabling them to return to everyday life and activities. This event will empower people to live more independently knowing our support and help is always available no matter when on how they need our help. We meet or talk to approximately 5,000 people, families and health professional per year and give out 18,000 plus information booklets with 309 patients and their families receiving on-going daily support from our volunteers with fast track access to health professionals where needed.