A 10-YEAR-OLD girl is preparing to travel at up to 90mph down one of the world's longest zipwires – in the name of charity.

Jodie Giller, from Hornchurch, will be strapping herself into a special harness on May 27 for her high speed descent down the one-mile zipwire at Zip World, at Penrhyn Quarry, in Bethesda, North Wales.

The youngster, of Ashley Close, will be taking on the challenge for Cancer Research UK in memory of her grandmothers, both of whom died of the disease.

She will be accompanied on her trip by parents Tracey and Paul Giller.

Jodie, who attends Langton's Junior Academy in Hornchurch, said: "I'm a little bit nervous about the experience but both of my nans died of cancer, so I thought it would be a really good idea to raise some money for Cancer Research UK.

"I want to raise £300 but if I get any more that would be really good. I am looking forward to seeing how everything looks 700 feet up."

At 1,600 yards, the £600,000 zip line is the longest in the northern hemisphere.

Just two others, one in Cusco, Peru, and another in Sun City, South Africa, can claim to be longer.

However, Penrhyn Quarry is in the record books for being the world's largest slate quarry and the site of the longest industrial dispute in British history, where quarry workers downed tools in 1900 and did not return for three years.

Mr Giller, who will also be experiencing the zipwire on the same day as his daughter, said: "Nothing fazes her.

"She wanted to go down the zip wire for Cancer Research UK for obvious reasons but we are all really proud of her. She's an absolutely superb girl and so thoughtful."

To sponsor Jodie, visit www.justgiving.com/jodiegiller2212

BOSSES at Crossrail have come to an agreement with Brentwood Borough Council over controversial plans to occupy one of its car parks in Shenfield.

The construction consortium had written to the council advising it that it planned to compulsorily purchase the 54-space Friars Avenue car park – a move which Shenfield traders warned could cripple their business.

Yet following intervention from Brentwood and Ongar MP Eric Pickles, the local government secretary, it now says it will only need to occupy the facility for two years from next summer.

Crossrail says it needs to take over a section of the car park in order to install a sixth line at Shenfield railway station.

Traders fear that the loss of the 54-space car park would deter motorists from using the shops in Shenfield and further diminish business at a time of economic stagnation.

After a dialogue with Mr Pickles, Crossrail's surface director, Matthew White, confirmed the car park would not be compulsorily purchased.

In a letter to the MP, he wrote: "Whilst the Crossrail Act permits acquisition of the car park to support Crossrail works, Crossrail's intention is to work with the council to find a mutually agreeable way forward that avoids permanent acquisition and instead permits Crossrail's temporary occupation of the car park in line with the commitment given.

"With the agreement of the council, Crossrail will carry out the works in accordance with the undertaking and will withdraw the notice when the works are complete.

"The programme of works shows that Crossrail will only need the car park for the duration of work at the station and on the tracks at Shenfield, currently expected to be between the second half of 2014 and mid 2016.

"When the work is complete the car park will be handed back to the borough council."

Mr Pickles, who had offered his support to a Conservative Party petition against the compulsory purchase last week, said: "I have now received a letter from Crossrail that explains that there is no intention to remove or take ownership of the Friars Avenue car park on a permanent basis."

He said he was talking to Brentwood Borough Council and the County Council about parking arrangements in the area.

However, the news is cold comfort for traders.

Christine Preston, the manager of Shenfield Bakery, said: "Even though they are not purchasing the car park, if they are going to be using it for several months or years, then of course that is going to be a problem and that is going to affect us."

DEVELOPERS are celebrating a "watershed" moment in Chelmsford's history after a £64 million project to build a huge retail park in the heart of the city got under way.

Aquila Holdings Ltd aims to unveil a flagship John Lewis store, a new cinema, 25 shops and four restaurants by summer 2015 in Bond Street, behind Debenhams.

On Monday, contractors started work, which will shortly include the demolition of a 1960s NatWest bank building.

"It's a watershed moment really in moving this scheme forward," said Aquila development consultant Neil Ridley.

"The next step in the process is agreeing terms with tenants – there are some very big names but it would be improper to breach the commercial process.

"There is plenty of stuff we can't talk about – but certainly in due course."

Phase two of the project follows the development of the Hub, a block of apartments and restaurants including Loch Fyne and Prezzo, on the banks of the River Chelmer.

The shopping development will provide the city with an estimated annual boost to the economy of £100m and 450 new jobs.

Aquila managing director Paul Hirst said: "We are very pleased that we can start work on the scheme and get rid of what is certainly an eyesore in the centre of the city.

"It removes a building which has been vandalised extensively and it allows us to begin work on the drainage system by taking down these two buildings."

Contractors Heard Demolition will also tear down the back of an old Barclays bank that extends from the High Street, but will not touch the front, which is listed.

Mr Hirst and his colleagues hope to have diverted drainage and electricity cables below the plots by autumn.

Wrecking-ball destruction of the back part of the 30,000 sq ft NatWest building will begin in two weeks' time and continue for about another six weeks.

Workers are currently removing all the broken glass from windows.

"There seems to be a genuinely positive feeling that things are beginning to happen," added Mr Hirst.

"We did hope that we would be a few months ahead of this and we hoped we would complete it by the end of 2014 but the programme has slipped, so we are looking at the summer of 2015."

John Lewis bosses had planned to build one of its At Home department stores, which would have created 200 new jobs, but they changed their minds and decided on a complete store with a beauty hall, fashion floor, cafe and electronics department, creating 350 jobs instead. It will be the firm's third shop of this kind in the country.

City council leader Roy Whitehead, who worked tirelessly to persuade John Lewis to come to the city, said he is looking forward to seeing the NatWest building being demolished.

"I am delighted because it shows that the John Lewis store is getting closer and I think that NatWest building is one of the least loved sites in the high street.

"There won't be too many people crying."

Mr Whitehead said it was understandable the project was delayed in the economic climate, and added Chelmsford would feel more like a city come 2015, along with a new Waitrose supermarket.

"We now have other people who want to come into the city who didn't want to before.

"It's a milestone moment."

THOSE who find themselves down on their luck in Wickford will no longer go hungry following the launch of a new food bank.

The Gateway Project, run by the Salvation Army and churches in the town, was launched on Thursday.

Those who need provisions will be able to collect them from the Salvation Army centre in Jersey Gardens between 10am and noon every Thursday.

Volunteers will also be on hand for a chat.

Pasta, soup, rice, cereal, tea, coffee and biscuits are among the foodstuffs which the needy can collect.

The churches involved in the project are St Andrew's Church, Our Lady of Good Counsel, the New Life Church, St Mary's Church, the Wickford Christian Centre, St Catherine's Church and Christ Church.

Alan Bliss, senior pastor at the Wickford Christian Centre, said: "It's part of the churches – we are all involved in the Gateway Project.

"We bring food in and finances in and it's a wonderful outreach into the community.

"We're wrapping the Gospel into a sandwich."

Mr Bliss added: "Because of the need in the community we are getting busier and busier with our food service."

Allison Gaudion, a major at the Salvation Army based in Wickford, said: "It's not just the Salvation Army that's involved, it's Anglican, Catholic and other churches in Wickford.

"All the churches have their own volunteers who will help out with the project.

"We have a rota and we have volunteers from each church.

"We will try to sit with people and have a cup of tea and a biscuit as well as giving them food.

"We have leaflets giving debt advice and can help point people in the right direction for help if they want it.

"We want them to feel comfortable and to be able to talk about what they need."

Mrs Gaudion said she expects to have a variety of people coming along.

"It could be someone with one child, or a family or a single person," she said.

She added that plenty of food has already been donated, saying "People can choose what they need – we cater for vegetarians too."

The idea for the project came about in September when it became clear that such a service was needed.

Paul Waldron, children and family worker at the Salvation Army, said: "We have worked with external agencies like Family Mosaic, social services and community police.

"We are all working together, it's not just one denomination.

"Food has been donated by the public as well as schools and church collections – we have purchased no food whatsoever."

The schools which have donated so far are Beauchamps High School, Runwell Community Primary School and North Crescent Primary School.

Mr Waldron added: "The need is getting bigger and bigger – we're here as a church for the community, not to judge.

"Those who want to donate can drop food into the Salvation Army or in any church donation box."

The Salvation Army are urging any local businesses and groups that want to get involved to visit the Wickford centre or email Paul Waldron at paul.waldron@salvationarmy.org.uk

AFTER 24 years spent giving rides to disabled children, a beloved pony donated to a Chelmsford farm by children's TV programme Blue Peter is retiring.

Jet, a hard-working 31-year-old Dales pony, will spend the rest of his days at Highwood's Barrow Farm riding club for the disabled enjoying a "life of luxury".

His retirement, however, will not pass without celebration, and on Saturday, chief instructor Anne Mitchell will host an open day for the much-loved animal.

"We will miss him hugely," said Anne, 60.

"He is a very old pony now and he has worked so hard all his life – it's no longer fair to expect him to do work and you wouldn't always expect a pony to live until they're 30.

"He will now spend the rest of his days at Barrow Farm with his friends and generally doing whatever makes him happy – he still comes running when he wants something!"

Anne, who is manager of the centre she founded with her mother in 1976, said Jet has spent his days giving pleasure to countless riders, drivers and Blue Peter viewers.

The talented carriage driver, who took part in national competitions after Blue Peter bought him via a 1987 Christmas Appeal, came to the farm after training with the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA).

"We hope to have him a bit longer as this is home to him and it has been his home for so long," she added.

"He will live a life of luxury, eating, sleeping and going out into the fields in the daytime.

"He hasn't worked much in recent months so it won't be a huge change for him when he stops completely, ponies don't like change.

"It's not like us retiring – it's a very gradual change."

RDA coach Claire Skinner, 28, who first met Jet when she was 14, remembers being taken aback by his performance in competitions.

"He would always stand out. His character gave the riders confidence and allowed them to ride completely by themselves, without assistance," she said.

"He was always the easy one to have on the ride and you always knew you didn't have to worry about him because he would always look after his rider."

She added: "He put Barrow Farm on the map and his publicity made people realise we were here."

"THE doctor just sat down and said, 'You've got cancer. Any questions?' and I didn't know what to say.

"I went in for a routine check of my blood pressure and cholesterol and they wanted to check my PSA levels while they were there. Then I got the results back and was told I'd got prostate cancer," said Andrew Moses, 56, of Towerlands, Braintree.

PSA is prostate-specific antigen and doctors test the levels of this protein in the blood to determine if a patient has cancer.

When Mr Moses was first told he had cancer he was presented with two options; surgery or chemotherapy.

Both seemed daunting, but Mr Moses opted for surgery.

"It doesn't just boil down to age, younger and younger people are getting it. A lot of people have it but because it's so slow-spreading they don't realise they do – unless they get tested like I did.

"It is so important to know what to look for and get tested. But the problem is because of where it is people just don't like talking about it.

"I was told it was hereditary, then my aunt told me my father had it – but no one knew because people didn't talk about it.

The hereditary form of prostate cancer affects only about 20 per cent of all sufferers and many people, especially over 70, have the condition without realising.

Because of this experience, Mr Moses now wants to set up a support group for other men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, to enable better communication about the disease.

"Families often find it difficult to talk about and deal with. Everybody deals with it in different ways. I found it especially hard to talk to my daughter about it because of the possible side effects."

Mr Moses added: "It would be good to have somewhere people could get together in this area and share experiences.

"I've got to have PSA tests for three months. If it rises on three occasions, then they could go back to doing radiotherapy.

"It's good to talk to other people that have had prostate cancer and talk through the options with someone who's been through a similar experience and can explain what to expect and to help with some of the jargon."

Mr Moses had an operation in November last year to remove his prostate gland, so has avoided chemotherapy for now – but he still has some final tests to undergo before the all-clear.

"I've had the surgery and they'll check my PSA levels and if it's increased I may need further treatment, but right now I'm just trying to get back to normal.

"Before then, it was hard to stay positive. The hardest part is during the evenings when there's no one else around to talk to and you're just alone with your thoughts. I called the Samaritans – they were really good to talk to and I came out feeling better.

"I'd like this group to be like that – where people feel free to call each other if they need to.

"It's about having someone to talk to away from the family – it could be about football or anything, even if it just takes your mind off it."

Melissa Moses, 27, Andrew's daughter, said: "It was a big shock and it's been hard because, even though he's sort of got the all clear, there's still this uncertainty that it might come back – it's the unknown that's hard.

"It's been hardest on my mum because she's been the one that's had to deal with it.

"She's had to do a lot of things for him – he couldn't drive for six weeks then, straight after he came out of hospital he got an infection.

"My mum's the one that's been his life-saver and done everything for him. But it's what you do for your loved ones.

"You just have to deal with things and normal life has to go on for the kids. It's been hardest for my oldest – he's eight so he understands that bit more and wants to know what's going on."

TWO more wins and two more pole positions kept Billericay's Bradley Smith's 100 per cent record intact in the latest rounds of the Radical SR3 Challenge on Brands Hatch's Grand Prix circuit.

Smith had pole for race one by 1.055sec from Paddy McClughan and in the second by only 0.003sec from Bradley Ellis, after both Ellis and last year's main rival Matt Bell had briefly led qualifying.

The start of race one was fairly straightforward, with Bradley taking the lead into Paddock before heading an early three-car break.

By lap six the lead had grown and looked fairly comfortable, but with the pit-stop window approaching the safety car was called into action and the hard-earned lead was all but gone.

Bradley decided to make his stop first but somehow lost out to James Abbott on rejoining. It became a frustrating second half of the race for Bradley as he sat patiently in Abbott's shadow, waiting for a mistake or an opportunity to challenge and regain his lost lead.

"The safety car messed it all up for me, until then I thought the gap was OK. I got held up a little rejoining after my stop but sat behind James. I got a nose alongside a couple of times, but had to back off again. He made a couple of small mistakes but then another one at Stirlings and I was through," he explained after taking victory with only a lap to spare.

With the fast-starting Ellis alongside for race two, the start was critical and Bradley did not disappoint.

"I made sure I didn't get mugged at the start as I knew they would be pushing hard," he said.

Ellis kept the pressure on, however, so Bradley was unable to ease up. He pitted early once more and only lost his lead for a couple of laps during the stops. "The safety car wasn't my friend again, I just had to keep going though but could have done without it," he said.

At the flag the lead had been restored to more than five seconds and so win number four and the championship lead were secured once more.

The next round of the championship is at Brands Hatch on June 1 and 2.

An inquest has heard how the blaze that killed a 90-year-old war veteran the day before Remembrance Sunday probably started from an electric fire left too near a chair in a downstairs living room.

Boysie, as Harold Porter was known, was dead when he was found at the bathroom window while standing in the bath of his three-bedroom council house in Snakes Hill.

A post mortem examination showed he died from smoke inhalation and burns in the fire that broke out in the downstairs living room  at about 12.30pm on November 4 last year.

The inquest, held last Thursday in Chelmsford, heard firefighters had been initially forced back by the ferocity of the heat and smoke that had spread rapidly, trapping the Second World War veteran upstairs.

Mr Porter had struggled with his mobility, suffering from severe arthritis, osteoporosis, sciatica and the lingering effects of malaria that he caught in Asia.

It was only a coordinated effort from fire crews wearing breathing apparatus entering from both the front and the rear of the three-bedroom property, that they were able tackle the blaze successfully.

It was at about 12.30pm that Boysie's 70-year-old friend Wilf Ellis, who lives close by but who had been helping the ex-Essex  Regiment soldier, get up, found the fire was already well underway when a smoke alarm was triggered.

His attempts to extinguish the fire with water from the kitchen and from an outside hose were unsuccessful.

Investigating fire Phil Pidgeon, a firefighter for 25 years, said the electric heater was so badly damaged that it was impossible to ascertain whether it was on or not when the blaze began.

He said: "However, that was where the fire had originated and the evidence showed that the chair was the first to ignite and the blaze spread from there."

The house, where Boysie lived alone, was strewn with combustible paper and books, thought to have readily ignited and allowed the fire to easily spread.

An open fire grate had not properly caught fire and was not to blame for the fire, the inquest heard.

There was no evidence the fire had originated from a cigarette or that it had been started deliberately.

"It was a very rapid and fierce fire," Mr Pidgeon said.

"Firefighters found Mr Porter standing in the bath hanging out of window. Crews were unable to see him from outside due to the smoke."

Mr Porter, a tree surgeon by trade, had served in North Africa, Italy and Burma during the war and for many years was a regular at the annual Remembrance Day commemorations in Brentwood.

Originally from Kelvedon Hatch, he lived alone and was a regular contributor to  the Gazette.

Essex Coroner, Caroline Beasley-Murray, said she could not rule that the death of Harold Porter was caused by an accident and instead returned an open verdict.

"We may never know what happened," she said.

TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh could soon be swapping Brentwood for Hollywood.

According to reports 21-year-old Lucy could soon be staring in a Hollywood horror film after her looks wowed a top director.

Lucy apparently was invited by Will Holman after she was noticed during a photoshoot on the French Riviera.

A formal meeting with her, Holman and his producer is then said to have taken place over lunch at the swish Carlton in Cannes last week.

She is now believed to be auditioning for a role in his upcoming movie.

Lucy recently tweeted about a possible life-changing experience

She wrote: "Wow sometimes dreams do come true #HappyGirl."

TV viewers can next see her in Marbella, Spain, for the first episode of the ninth series of TOWIE.

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Around 300 chickens have died in a fire at a chicken shed in Tiptree. 

Emergency services were contacted earlier this morning regarding the fire on Tudwick Road at a 20m by 80m shed housing hundreds of the birds. 

Crews wearing breathing apparatus have managed to extinguish the fire using a hose jet but it is reported that up to 300 chickens have been killed in the blaze. 

An investigation will now be carried out to establish the cause. 

British Transport Police detectives are appealing for information after a man was robbed of his phone, money and ordered to leave a train at Upminster station.

Investigators have today released CCTV of a man and woman they would like to speak to in connection with the incident, which took place around 9.15pm on Thursday, April 25.

Detective Constable David Bishop, the investigating officer, said: "The victim, a 28-year-old man, was on board a train between Basildon and London, when he was approached by a man and woman.

"As the train was approaching Upminster station, the man snatched a phone from the victim's hand. The man then continued his attack by forcing the victim to empty his pockets, where he handed over five pounds in change.

"He then aggressively told the victim to get off the train at Upminster. Fearing for his safety, the victim did so whilst the man and woman continued their journey. They are believed to have left the service at Barking."

The victim immediately alerted a member of staff and police, and an investigation was launched. Officers have carried out a number of enquiries to establish the identity of the man and woman, including viewing CCTV from on board the train and from the surrounding area.

DC Bishop added: "This must have been a terrifying ordeal for the victim, who was threatened with violence. We will not tolerate this type of behaviour and we will continue to work to identify those responsible.

"We have clear CCTV of a man and woman that we are keen to speak to following the robbery. If you know who they are, or indeed are the pair, I'd urge you to contact police and assist in the investigation."

Anyone with information is asked to contact British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40.