Community, Parish Council & Village
The deadline for submissions to the Gladmans’ appeal is looming large. You have until 15th September to submit your comments for the appeal which will be held in January. Among other, the Parish Council and Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group have already raised objections; now is the time to add yours if you haven’t already done so.
Continue reading “Gladman Appeal – Deadline for Submissions”
Essex Police are warning residents not to leave their home in the dark. With the nights drawing in, the tell-tale signs of empty houses become more apparent. This is a bonus for burglars who prefer to target empty homes unseen and avoid confrontation.
As the days get shorter if you work away from home, or even pop out to get the children from school, by the time you return home it may already be dark. A house in darkness says no one is in especially if your neighbour’s houses either side have lights on and show other signs of being occupied. If you back onto open farmland or have parking areas or footpaths to side or rear this may be even more apparent.
Create the “Illusion of Occupancy”, when its dark make your home look like you are in. Leave lights on or put them on timers or daylight sensors to come when it gets dark. Remember though no one lives in the hall or on the landing so if you leave these lights on supplement these with lights on in rooms that you would normally occupy at that time of day i.e. lounge and kitchen.
A carefully placed imitation TV or “Fake TV” can further add to that illusion of occupancy by making it look like the television is on. Some burglars may also listen at windows or letterboxes for signs of activity, so consider leaving a radio on within your home.
Don’t forget the outside of your property too, if burglars see that it is lit they are less likely to approach for fear of being seen.
Leave lights on, with energy efficient bulbs it costs very little nowadays and yet may save you lots!
After 139 YearsAfter 139 years of Methodist Ministry in our Chapel in West Bergholt, and after much prayer and discussion among our members, a decision was made to cease Sunday worship at the end of August. With an ageing congregation and numbers falling we have sadly decided that it is no longer reasonable to continue regular Sunday morning services. The Colchester Circuit will be marketing the site for sale from September. We will continue our activities in the hall, as part of our outreach in the village, for as long as we are able.
We could not let this important decision go by without a special event. To mark this we are holding a special weekend of “Methodist Memories” at the end of September, September 29/30. This will be a Continue reading “After 139 Years”
St Mary’s Update – 5th September 2018St Mary’s Church update for 5th September provides listings of services and other events and news. This update includes Colchester Chamber Choir performing at St Peter’s, Boxted, Messy Church, Harvest Festival, Home Groups and more.
This Saturday, 8th September, at 6:30 pm the Colchester Chamber Choir will be at St Peter’s, Boxted, in aid of the tower repair fund. They will perform inspirational Continue reading “St Mary’s Update – 5th September 2018”
Summer History VisitsFrom May to August the WBLHG replaces its normal monthly meeting programme with a series of visits to places of local historical interest. This year the group visited:
See below (click the links) for the reports.
Upcoming MeetingsThe Local History Group welcomes Continue reading “Summer History Visits”
If you do then you need to read this because the 63 bus service is under consultation about possible changes. The following are extracts & quotes from the Essex County Council’s proposal: Continue reading “Who uses the 63 bus service?”
Let the music beginAs the summer break comes to an end, normal term-time activities resume and music begins again. With rehearsals taking place every Friday evening in term-time, West Bergholt Concert Band’s first is on Friday 7th between 6 pm and 9 pm at Heathlands School.
The band plays Continue reading “Back to School means “Let the music begin””
The Jazz Century – Cakewalk to CultureAfter its summer break, the West Bergholt Branch of WEA is welcoming the return of popular tutor Graham Platts with a Jazz theme. Members enjoyed Graham’s previous courses:
For this course, Graham’s subject is “The Jazz Century – Cakewalk to Culture” the origins Continue reading “The Jazz Century – Cakewalk to Culture”
August Highways HighlightsThe latest August Highways Highlights is available now to download, here are some teasers so you can see if you want to read it in full:
As if West Bergholt didn’t know – all Essex Highways’ Road Surfacing crews are working flat out. There is also a list of how many have been fixed in each district with advice to not treat it like some type of league table because each district has different types of roads. 🙂
Apparently, Continue reading “August Highways Highlights”
Colchester Borough Council has issued a few news items lately that you might have missed and yet could interest you:
Heritage Open DaysThis year Heritage Open Days is set to open the doors to over thirty historic properties across Colchester for FREE. This includes Colchester Castle on Saturday 8 September.
From 6-9 and 13-16 September 2018, Colchester’s sites of significant historical and architectural interest will be open free of charge. Other planned activities over the two weekends include accompanied guided walks, talks, tours and exhibitions.
Heritage Open Days is England’s largest festival of history and culture. It sees historic places countrywide throw open their doors to celebrate their individual heritage, community and history. It provides a great way to discover Colchester’s fascinating history and see inside venues that are usually closed to the public, all for free. Find out more here.
This promises to be a great event so why not make the most of it?
Recycling – Thank You!The latest figures for recycling are out one year on from the collection changes which were introduced last June. Non-recyclable rubbish is down by 31% and food waste is up 80%, when compared to the same period last year.
Overall recycling is up to 53% of the total rubbish collected with recycling rates for all individual items also increasing. You can read more here.
KeepCupsEssex County Council has recently launched a Keep Cup campaign. It aims to get as many people in Essex to make a pledge to reduce the use of single-use coffee cups by opting for a reusable cup. More than 1000 residents have already made their pledge so why not make yours today?
Simply visit their website and make your pledge to show your support. Every pledge helps reduce the impact on the environment.
Save paper by switching from pay and display car park tickets to the FREE MiPermit app to pay for your town centre car parking in Colchester (and many other locations country-wide).
You can also use the app to:
You can find out more about the MiPermit app and register for an account here.