A CHELMSFORD school will become the first in the region to have a giant "air dome" installed to shield players from the elements on a new 3G AstroTurf pitch.

The £325,000 facility will have lights and heating to allow youngsters to play a range of sports in all weathers.

Work is expected to start in the New Year on transforming a dilapidated tarmac playground at the Great Baddow High School into a 3G sports pitch.

Then, the "double-skinned" air dome will be placed over the pitch and kept permanently inflated thanks to its own generator.

Just over a third of the cash – £115,000 – has been donated by Sport England's Inspired Facilities scheme, which funds the renovation and modernisation of grassroots sports facilities.

Paul Draper, business manager at the Duffield Road school, had bid for cash from the fund on two previous occasions before hearing his third attempt had been successful.

"Persistence was the key to us getting this cash," he said. "The balance for the project will be made up from money saved by the school since we converted to academy status in 2011, and around £50,000 that our school raised through contributions from parents and fundraising activities."

Head teacher Carrie Lynch said: "We are delighted that Sport England has supported this exciting project. It is effectively allowing us to have a brand new indoor sporting venue which will provide even more opportunities for our students and the local community to benefit from outstanding sports provision at Great Baddow High School all year round.

"As well as being a state-of-the-art sports venue, there will be times when other subject areas will be able to use the dome. For example, as we've just become a science college, we're hoping to be able to project images onto the domed ceiling, which would bring the teaching of outer space and the planets to life."

The new venue will be 43m by 33m and have a pitch that can be used for football, hockey, rugby, tennis, athletics, and other sports.

The dome will be nine metres high and will only be deflated in severe weather conditions.

Football clubs are already contacting the school asking to use the facility out of school hours.

YOU could be forgiven for thinking that curling without ice would be a non-starter. However, an ambitious Maldon PE teacher has brought the spirit of Sochi to the town.

Daniel Rose, who teaches at the Plume School, decided he would use his £750 Jack Petchey Leader Award grant to introduce curling to his pupils and the community by purchasing four sets of indoor curling stones and targets.

The 33-year-old told The Chronicle: "I won the grant around the time of the Winter Olympics and I'd heard a lot of the students talking about the curling, in particular about team GB's success.

"We looked at the option of introducing curling to the curriculum. Eventually we took the plunge and got the equipment and it has been really successful."

Earlier this year, Daniel won the prestigious Jack Petchey Leader Award, recognising his dedication and commitment towards supporting young people.

The Maldon man also ran the 2013 London Marathon in just over six hours, two years after successfully beating testicular cancer.

Daniel's efforts raised £2,500 for Orchid Cancer, a UK charity supporting research and treatment for men's cancers, the organisation that helped Daniel throughout his illness.

"Dan isn't afraid to let the kids know about the tough times he has been through and uses it to inspire them to be better and never give up. He always goes that extra mile," said Marylin Ruston, Jack Petchey coordinator at Plume School.

However, that wasn't enough – Daniel also encouraged his co-workers to take part in Movember, where people don moustaches throughout the month to raise cash for men's health charities.

The PE teacher added: "The kids have loved the moustaches and were disappointed on Monday, December 1, when it was gone – my wife wasn't, however."

Interest in Curling has snowballed after becoming an official Winter Olympic sport since the 1998 games in Nagano, Japan.

Daniel said: "We've had a brilliant response, and it has opened up a different and unique sport to students.

"It gets everybody involved, and it gets students of all abilities involved, and it's quite an even playing field. We have inter-form competitions, which have been really fun, and hope we can engage and compete against other schools in the near future."

THIS is the man caught breaking into a frail pensioner's home and stealing a memento from her late husband as she lay sleeping in the front room.

The gold Parker pen was among two handbags, a pair of glasses and cash taken from the 79-year-old's cottage in High Street, Ongar on Wednesday last week (December 3).

"He is a scumbag that needs to be caught, that's for sure," said the victim's son.

Police are searching for the man  breaking in through the backdoor of the cottage at about 5.15pm.

The possessions stolen have been valued at a three-figure sum, but the sentimental value of the pen far outweighs anything else that was seized.

"Everything else can be replaced but that can't be," said the woman's son, who did not want to be named.

"There were a lot of things in her purse that were taken like pictures of her grandchildren, things that are sentimental, but she has still got her grandchildren and can get copies of the pictures again.

"But my father had given her the pen over 40 years ago, that's what she wants back more than anything. Dad is not going to give her another pen as he has passed away now – that made her really angry."

The son has demanded that the thief be caught sooner rather than later. "We've got to catch him because we don't want him doing it again," he added.

The same man can be seen on the property's CCTV at a similar time the week before, "strolling up the drive like he owned the place".

"This person must have seen her through the side window. We have him on CCTV outside looking in the property – peering through the kitchen window. As soon as he had seen the two handbags he was determined to get in."

It was not until the next day that the woman, who had fallen asleep after having lunch with a friend, realised she had been burgled when she tried to find her handbag.

He added: "She noticed that the door was open and she thought she must have left it ajar.

"Mother was angry more than anything, she was fuming – she just wishes she could have got hold of him.

"It's frightening knowing the attitude of the person seeing my mother in the house, knowing she was there and still being determined to get in – he is a grubby little thief and chancer.

"He is the scum of the earth, a cowardly little maggot that isn't worth talking about really.

"If you do recognise him, please do get in touch and help to stop him because next time someone might not be asleep, they might catch him and he could do something to them."

Anyone who can identify the man should contact detectives at Loughton CID on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

A university lecturer has paid tribute to her student who was struck dead while walking along the A1060 Roxwell Road on Monday, December 1.

Third-year Anglia Ruskin University civil engineering student Pavels Ivanovs, 22, a Latvian-expat who was living in Chelmsford, was knocked down at about 6am in the dark while he is believed to have been walking to Chelmsford.

Dr Esther Norton said: "He was very bright and worked extremely hard. He always helped his fellow students when they were struggling, especially with maths at which he was very good.

"He was a cheerful, relaxed person who was fun to be with. Staff and students are greatly saddened by his death and he will be missed by us all."

A 26-year-old Billericay man has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving, and bailed until April 10 next year, in connection with the accident.

Anyone with information can still contact Essex Police on 101.

NEW APPOINTMENT FOR THE SURVEY INITIATIVE

Award winning Frinton-based staff survey and employee engagement specialist, The Survey Initiative, has appointed the services of a highly experienced senior level HR strategist, to further strengthen its provision of employee consultancy.

Jacqueline Mitchell, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, and Director or Granta HR, will work with specialist teams at The Survey Initiative, to analyse staff surveys and offer a blend of insightful solutions and experience to real life issues that businesses face.

Commenting on the strengths she will bring to the role, she said: "My approach is always to ask first "what can I do to help this business thrive?" With a strong commercial drive, I always look to optimise cost versus benefit, and reduce risk, while maximising the engagement and development of people at the heart of a business."

She continued: "I am naturally very analytical, reflective and insightful, which means that I have the knack of being able to look behind the raw feedback that surveys and focus groups provide, to interpret the impact of the current culture on the business and its staff.  I also provide some often 'straight down the line' advice for focusing action for change."

Gary Cattermole, Director at The Survey Initiative is delighted to have her on board: "Jacqueline is an outstanding specialist with unusually broad experience. She is an excellent strategist and analyst and will bring value added interpretive narrative to the survey analysis we provide for our clients."

Jacqueline has worked in HR since 1989, and has worked from the bottom of the career ladder to the very top, having occupied a range of roles up to Director level within successful national and international organisations, including Cambridgeshire County Council, WS Atkins Consultants Ltd and the Royal Society of Chemistry. Jacqueline also spent three years on the advisory board of the UK sector skills council for promoting skills and knowledge for careers in publishing. She will also continue to run her people management consultancy, Granta HR.

With experience across all three main sectors - public, not-for-profit and commercial - Jacqueline has an exceptional understanding of how to deliver innovative yet grounded strategic and operational solutions to enable organisational growth and development. She holds a passionate belief that organisations are more successful when they have the right practices in place to enable their staff to achieve their best and engender loyalty.

To find out more about The Survey Initiative, visit www.surveyinitiative.co.uk.

Leading staff survey and employee engagement specialists, The Survey Initiative, has won an impressive East of England Business Champions Award.

The Frinton-based company fought off stiff competition from organisations across Essex to walk off with the top prize, Business Champion in Essex.

The Survey Initiative has experienced exponential growth over the past year and has picked up a wide range of new clients from NHS Trusts, multinationals and SMEs, as well as expanding its services and gaining a very high percentage of repeat business from its current client list too. The company also won a B2B award at the Essex Business Awards earlier in the year.

Gary Cattermole, Director, The Survey Initiative, is delighted. He says: "The team has worked particularly hard, and we have seen impressive growth over all our clients' sectors: from construction to hospitality and healthcare to retail. This award is a wonderful way for us to celebrate our success, and to say a big thank you to our very dedicated and hardworking team."

The finals of the East of England Business Champions Awards tookplace on 13 November at Center Parcs, Woburn, Bedfordshire.

The Survey Initiative was launched in 2006 to offer bespoke staff surveys. The company enjoys long-standing relationships with their clients, which includes: Rolls Royce, The Telegraph, NHS, John Lewis and the Natural History Museum.

For more information about The Survey Initiative, visit www.surveyinitiative.co.uk.    

Hundreds of schoolchildren from across Essex entered the competition to help raise much-needed funds for the Polly Parrot Children's Ward Appeal, but Evie and Ethan's designs were the best, says Lorna Evans, Restaurant Manager, "We were sifting through the piles of entries and had chosen our top ten, then we were down to our last two and we were finding it very tricky to decide upon the winner. We then noticed that both of the entrants' details were the same and that they had to be twins, so we decided to bend the rules and make them both winners, and create two Christmas cards this year!"

"The designs are just so lovely. We asked children to create their perfect Christmas and these really are images of a child's perfect Christmas. We would like to thank all of the schools and our customers for taking part," added Lorna.

The winning designs are now being turned into Christmas cards and will be handed to all Tutti customers throughout December. Ethan and Evie not only helped to raise £250 for the Polly Parrot Appeal, they have also won themselves a special family meal at the award-winning restaurant. 

To find out more about Tutti Grille, visit www.tuttigrille.com.

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This outfit is a regulated business in the UK and you can participate in playing in some of the biggest lotteries in the world, including those which you wouldn't have access to at your local newsagent. Games offered range from well-known ones such as the EuroMillions to the likes of the MegaMillions Lotto all the way from across the pond in America.

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Neighbours in Rayne have come together once again to light up their road for Christmas with some colourful displays.

A group of householders in Nayling Road pitched in and decorated their homes, featuring elegant icicles to flashing models of Snowmen and Santa's grotto.

The fundraiser has lasted for almost 10 years. Impressed neighbours are able to stop by and make donations to Breast Cancer Care and St John's Ambulance.

The homes pictured belong to Neil and Julie Jesse, of Nayling Road, while one neighbour boldly covered his whole front garden and house in fake snow for an alpine setting.

Have you seen any lights which can beat these? Send us your pics to jessica.mcardle@essexchronicle.co.uk post them on our Facebook page or tweet us @EssexChronicle and we'll publish them online!

Terrifying images of a gunman have been released by police hoping to track down an armed robber who left a female Ladbrokes worker "scarred for life."

The man walked into the store at around 8.25pm on Sunday (December 14) before threatening the staff member with what is believed to be a shotgun while demanding cash.

She then handed over £155 in cash from the from the till was given to the man and he then fled.

Police rushed to the scene and searched the area but no trace of the man was found.

The suspect is described as white, around 5ft 5in tall, of medium build and was wearing a green hooded top with a black scarf covering his face. 

Detective Dan Smith said: "This was a traumatic experience for the member of staff; she could not have expected to have been faced by a masked man, pointing what appeared to be a shotgun directly at her demanding money.

"This violent incident has left the victim scared for her life and it will no doubt have a life-long effect on her, all for the sake of £155.

"There are people within the community who will know who committed this crime and we urge them to come forward and speak with us. While you cannot see the man's face in these stills I suspect there are people who will still recognise him from his clothing. 

Anyone with information should contact Chelmsford CID on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or they can contact the charity through its anonymous online form at www. crimestoppers-uk.org. 

No personal details are taken, information cannot be traced or recorded and you will not have to go to court.

THE kindhearted people of Essex are sending a little love over to children in developing countries this year as part of Operation Christmas Child.

More than 22,000 shoe boxes filled with everything from cuddly toys to pencil sets and exercise books are being sent from a warehouse in Chelmsford to orphanages, refugee camps and impoverished neighbourhoods in Romania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, among others.

Operation Christmas Child, which is organised by the Christian charity Samaritan's Purse, has had donations from schools, churches, and local businesses, as well as individuals.

"These boxes will go out to orphanages, schools and villages to children who need a bit of love. It's love in a box, and the logo is a shoebox with wings on it," explained Chris Giffin, the Operation Christmas Child area co-ordinator for Essex.

"We actually went over to one of the places we send the boxes, Kurdistan, in March. Kids there can't go to school unless they provide their own notebooks and pens, so we always include those. And the most important thing we include is a cuddly toy for everyone.

"People have said 'well, what does a 16-year-old want with a cuddly toy'? because kids of all ages get the boxes. But I say to them 'If you're living in Iraq and you've just seen your parents killed and your home destroyed, why would you not want a cuddly toy'?"

The Essex effort joins others all over the world, where boxes are collected and sent to those in need. The box appeal has been running since 1990, and initially boxes were delivered mainly to Romania during the humanitarian crisis there, although they have since branched out to include destinations all over the world.

"When we were in Kurdistan, to see the look on a child's face when they got a box, to say it bought tears to my eyes is an understatement," said Mr Giffin.

"The charity has taken more than 100 million boxes to children across the world since it started, and we have met adults who have moved to the UK but got a box in another country when they were children – we have had people who have kept things from the box for all those years, that's how much it meant."

The appeal has touched many people, with MP Simon Burns and the mayor and mayoress of Chelmsford visiting the warehouse in Lone Barn Link, behind the Aldi distribution centre, to see the efforts made.

Carol Swallow from Regus in Victoria Road, Chelmsford, said: "We're thrilled that our local network of Regus centres could help such a worthwhile cause by being collection points again.

"We would like to thank all the local businesses, schools, groups and individuals who brought in shoeboxes and made it a great success."

AS HE marks two years in the job, Essex Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston believes local people have a better deal with him than they did under the old system.

The former Royal Navy officer took up the US-style role when the old policy authority, which consisted of 17 members made up of local councillors, was scrapped in a move aimed at cutting crime and giving the public more power to hold the force to account.

And despite criticism of Mr Alston's highly-paid appointments, including spending £230,000 on five new employees last year during a time of austerity, the commissioner insists that the public has made a saving through his role, and that he has already seen several successes during his tenure.

"I felt very strongly about bringing democracy alive in policing. I wanted people in Essex to have a decent say. We are not a new addition or level of governance, we replaced the old police authority," Mr Alston explained from his office in Hoffmanns Way, Chelmsford.

"We want to make the contract between police and the public they serve more dynamic and real and make partnerships to drive change and make communities safer.

"And this office costs less than the old police authority and is doing substantially more. We have ten people working here – we are doing all of that for far less money. I think that's good value."

In his Police and Crime Plan for Essex 2014, Mr Alston, 62, says he has focused on ten key areas, including reducing youth offending, improving crime prevention and road safety.

But he recently made the surprising announcement that he would be scrapping numerical targets for Essex Police, which would help them focus on the overall goal of reducing crime, rather than chasing numbers.

"There is a huge difference between data and crime," he explained. "The risk is that officers will manage to those targets but miss the point.

"We want Essex to be safer, for there to be less harm so that people feel safer. There is a risk in setting targets, it's damaging.

"For example, someone attempting to break into a property but failing could be classed as burglary or as criminal damage, so if you are trying to keep burglary statistics down… If you don't have an accurate record, police don't have a chance."

Although the commissioner said he did not want to have specific targets, he did say that he would continue to focus on issues such as domestic violence, which he has been working to combat since taking up his role.

"Since I took over, roughly once every two months in Essex someone has been murdered in a domestic violence incident, and every other day I am reading about really serious domestic abuse cases.

"A woman won't contact police until there have been around 30 incidences of domestic violence, and at A&E the number of women with injuries from domestic abuse is staggeringly high.

"When I took over, Essex Police was at a standstill over how to deal with domestic violence effectively, and it was criticised in reports from the IPCC. I found they were in a bad place, and I have engineered them towards new solutions.

"The most important thing I have done is appoint Stephen Kavanagh (the former Deputy Assistant Commissioner at the Met Police) as Chief Constable.

"I said before I found him that this would be the most important thing I did. He has transformed how Essex Police deal with domestic violence."

Images have been released of people wanted by police for questioning in connection with the robbery of a 16-year-old boy in Central Park in Chelmsford.

The victim was assaulted and had his mobile phone and bike stolen shortly before 3pm last Thursday (December 11). 

Essex Police DC Martin Amundsen said: "There were another five suspects there at the same time and I'm asking for anyone who recognises any of them or who has any other information about this incident to call me at Chelmsford CID on 101 or ring Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

Three men have already been charged in connection with the offence.

Zacheriah Gauld, aged 24, of New London Road, in Chelmsford. He is charged with robbery, resisting a constable in the execution of their duty and possession of cocaine. He was arrested on Saturday December 13 and remanded in custody to appear before Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Monday December 15.

Alex King, aged 19, of no given address. He is charged with robbery. He was arrested on Thursday December 11 and remanded in custody to appear before Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Friday December 12.

Archimede Kintadi, aged 19, of The Chase, Great Baddow, in Chelmsford. He is charged with robbery, possession of an imitation firearm, possession of a knife in a public place, and assaulting a police officer. He was arrested also arrested on Thursday December 11 and remanded to appear before Chelmsford Magistrates Court on Friday December 12.

Two men have denied sex attacks on a pair of 14-year-old schoolgirls at an Indian restaurant where they worked.

Sumon Ahmed, 25, and Muhammad Ali, 19, are accused of sexually assaulting the girls at the premises in Church Street, Great Baddow.

The offences are alleged to have taken place on August 21 this year.

Ali, who wore a green baseball jacket and spoke through an interpreter, confirmed his age, address and name as well as entering his not guilty plea.

Ahmed, wearing a dark blue puffer jacket, also only spoke to confirm his identity and to deny the charge during the 15-minute hearing at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court on Friday (December 12).

The court heard one of the girls were allegedly taken to a back room and kissed, while a man said he wanted "to do stuff to her", while touching her bottom over her clothing.

She allegedly told him "no", and he allegedly pulled her in and kissed her again. It was then she said she had to leave and ran out of the room.

Angela Hughes, prosecuting, said: "The most aggravating feature is the girl's ages, but the sexual touching was over clothing and the kissing was somewhat more intimate."

Ahmed, of Whitman House, Cornwall Avenue, Tower Hamlets and Muhammed Ali, Gunton Road, London, opted to face a jury trial at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday, March 2.

Hoping to make any last minute purchases from Amazon for Christmas? Well you have until the end of the week to do so!

Buyers have until midnight on Friday (December 19) to make their orders via the Amazon Super Saver delivery.

First Class orders must be made by Sunday, December 21, while, for one day delivery and next day delivery, orders must be made by 7pm on December 23.

And for a truly last minute gift, to arrive on that Christmas Eve evening, put in your orders by 9am.

On the day itself, the website will give people the chance to buy and print off a gift card

For pre-Christmas click and collect service  at John Lewis, you'll need to order by 8pm on Monday, December 22 and for standard delivery services order by 8pm on Saturday, December 20 for pre-Christmas delivery

Forecasters have dashed hopes of white Christmas in Essex this year, with temperatures forecast to be above average this time next week.

Milder air has been creeping in this week, and the warm temperatures are set to stick around for the festive period.

See the weather forecast here

Not looking very promising for any snow over Christmas period. Temperatures likely to be slightly above average for the 25th.

— Essex Weather Centre (@EssexWeather) December 17, 2014

And the long term Met Office forecast does not suggest a cold spell in the early part of next year.

It comes as 2014 is predicted to be the warmest year on record. Scientists partly attribute the rise to global warming, with September one of the driest on record and October one of the warmest.

In the short term, the rest of the week will stay mild and dry, rising to 13C tomorrow, but going no lower than 8C on Saturday.

One lucky National Lottery player will get the chance to make it a Christmas to remember this year - by scooping tonight's quadruple rollover.

Tonight's jackpot is a massive £14.7million after there were no winners for the last three draws.

Fifty people will also have the chance to welcome the festive season with some much needed riches, with £20,000 prizes on offer for participants in the Lotto raffle.

Need a reminder of Saturday's numbers? They were 18, 33, 30, 48, 34, 38 and the bonus ball was 36. The Lotto made 259,311 winners in Saturday's draw.

And just in case you need to check Wednesday's numbers, they were 14, 15, 31, 36, 42, 47 and the bonus ball was 1.