W HEN Mark Gooday and his wife Jane decided it was time to move from their house in Howe Green and start searching for a new home, they had some fairly specific requirements.

"Ideally, we wanted it to be Georgian," recalls Mark, "because to my mind there is nothing quite so perfect as a classic brick-built Georgian house." It also needed to be in the country - a real haven of rural tranquillity - but with first class transport links.

Most important of all, however, the new property needed to have a substantial parcel of land, providing the space necessary for Mark to run his company from home.

And not just any company. Ashdown Engineering is one of the world's top specialist suppliers of bass guitar amplifiers to the music industry. A true British success story, the firm exports to 80 countries and counts many of the biggest names in the business among its customers - including Sir Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters and U2. Mark reckons he spends a total of around four months every year travelling, everywhere from China and Japan to Australia and the USA. Hence the need for the new home to have first class transport links.

The chances of finding somewhere that fitted the bill might sound like a tall order – but Mark and Jane found the perfect answer in Stevens Farm, a Grade II-listed Georgian house standing amid tranquil countryside on the outskirts of the small village of Chignal St James. It was a genuine case of love at first sight, says Mark. "As soon as we saw it, we knew it was the ideal place for us, in the perfect location. It is amazingly quiet and peaceful here – you can hear every barn owl, every deer – and there's virtually no traffic either. I can cycle to and from the local pub and not see another car. You really feel as though you're in the middle of nowhere - yet incredibly, we're little more than 5 minutes from Chelmsford station, 15 minutes from Stansted, and an hour from Heathrow."

Most important of all, the property also came with some 10 acres of land, together with extensive stabling, which could readily be converted into the offices and storage facilities that Mark needed for his business.

The Goodays having seen Stevens Farm and fallen in love with it, it was another three years before the house actually came onto the market. "We put in an initial offer, and were just pipped at the post," says Mark. "However, as luck would have it, the first sale fell through – so we jumped at the chance, lowered the asking price of our own place in order to get a quick sale, and were in here within about eight weeks."

When they bought the house, some 7½ years ago, it was, as Mark diplomatically puts it, "very much a horseperson's property." The listed barns and stabling were all in first class condition. The house, on the other hand, definitely needed some TLC… "For the first 5 years or so, we effectively lived in the middle of a building site," he says. "As well as a complete refurb of the entire house, both internally and externally, we had 4 new bathrooms and 2 new kitchens installed, as well as a brand new landscaped courtyard area accessed via electronic gates." At the same time, the stabling and barns were carefully converted into some 5,000 square feet of offices and storage.

Today, Stevens Farm is a handsome brick-built Georgian house, with the pleasingly symmetrical elevations typical of the era. The elegant, beautifully-proportioned rooms together provide well balanced family accommodation, all flooded with natural light through the large sash windows. On the ground floor are the principal reception rooms and the well fitted kitchen/breakfast room; while on the first floor is the en suite master bedroom together with 5 further bedrooms, one of them also en suite, and all enjoying lovely views over the surrounding countryside. Two of the rooms in the extensive cellars, meanwhile, are used as party and games rooms.

The property also benefits from an exceptional range of ancillary buildings, including a fine traditional coach house, and a cart lodge which has planning and listed building consent for conversion into enclosed garaging. Particularly impressive is the stable block which houses the offices.

Stevens Farm stands in mature, well-tended grounds extending to nearly 10 acres. Abutting the house is a broad, south-facing flagged terrace from which lawned gardens descend. These are interspersed by shrubs and herbaceous beds and borders, and studded by mature trees. Surrounding the house, gardens and buildings are fenced paddocks, bounded by the River Can, and also incorporating an all-weather manège.

The property benefits from three separate accesses: a carriage driveway in front of the house, a gated drive to the Coach House, and a separate access to the offices and other outbuildings.

Mark describes Stevens Farm as a truly amazing place to live and raise a family. "In our case, our children had actually grown up and left home before we moved here - which is why we really wish we'd been in a position to buy it years earlier than we did."

It is also, of course, - as he himself has proved – the perfect place in which to live and operate a business. Although the majority of Ashdown Engineering's manufacturing is now done in China, all the design, marketing, R&D and back office support is handled here.

And it also makes the perfect equestrian property – to which end, the offices and storage facilities were designed in such a way that it would be relatively simple to convert them back into stables.

Finally, with all its extra facilities and space – there is parking for around 150 cars without even beginning to encroach on the paddocks – not to mention its seclusion, Stevens Farm is really in a class of its own when it comes to entertaining. Around 250 guests attended Mark and Jane's daughter's wedding reception in the grounds.

And then, of course, there are the legendary rock music gatherings. "Around the time of the V Festival, we usually have all manner of artists turning up to visit and party," says Mark. But that is something over which he draws a veil. "Maybe one day when I retire, I'll write a book," he says, mysteriously…

In the meantime, he and Jane are now looking to downsize. "Although I find it really relaxing sitting on a tractor at weekends, there's no getting away from the fact that unless you have horses, 10 acres do take some looking after. Somewhere with about 3 acres would do us fine." At the same time, Mark adds, his company has now grown to the point where it would be more convenient to house the offices and storage facilities elsewhere – probably closer to one of the specialist manufacturing units that exist elsewhere in the county.

Clearly, however, the influence of the rock and roll lifestyle hasn't entirely worn off yet. "We will definitely also be buying a house in Antigua," says Mark.

Stevens Farm is for sale through Strutt & Parker with a guide price of £1.85million.

PINT-SIZED players at a youth football group in Billericay were given a boost by Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Intersports football club, which trains at Barleylands Farm Park, in Barleylands Road, were delighted to receive 50 goodie bags from the nine-times European champions.

The bags were bursting with Los Merengues memorabilia and the youngsters were also given a signed football to auction to help with the development of new training sessions.

Terry Canty, head coach at Intersports Football Club, said: "Our new open training sessions for boys and girls aged four to eight are very unique and were attracting a lot of attention very early on but still we did not expect help from so far away.

"Donations from large clubs like this are rare and we appreciate them."

Club chairman Dave Nurcombe said: "There are lots of medals, trophies and now goody bags plus quality coaching from the most experienced coaches in such a relaxed mature way the children do not realise how much they learn."

Children are welcome to join these sessions which are every Saturday from 10 until 11am at the Intersports ground. They can just turn up or call 07791151880.

THE family of a Brentwood man who died following a fatal crash on the A414 near Ongar on May 23 have paid tribute to him as the investigation continues into the incident.

Colin Evans, 70, died after a silver Honda Jazz he was a passenger in collided with a red Vauxhall Vivaro van travelling in the opposite direction at the Pensons Lane junction just before 5pm.

Mr Evans, who had two grown-up daughters Emma and Melodie, had recently moved close to Brentwood from Chigwell where he had lived for almost 40 years.

His wife of 38 years, Lynne, died in 2009.

A statement issued by the family read: "Colin was a keen follower of the arts, and often painted scenes in the Impressionist style.

"He was passionate about classic cars, loved playing golf with his friends at Theydon Bois Golf Club and supported West Ham since his boyhood.

"He loved to visit France, having driven to most parts of the country, and often holidayed in Provence with his family.

"Colin had recently retired as a chartered surveyor and ran his own estate agency firm in Islington for 40 years."

His daughters Melodie and Emma are appealing with the police for witnesses to the fatal accident or for anyone that can help the police, to come forward.

The driver of the car he was travelling in, a 73-year-old woman, also from Brentwood, was flown by air ambulance to the Royal London Hospital suffering from serious injuries.

A 53-year-old man from East London, who was driving the Vauxhall, was taken to the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow with broken bones.

Police would like to speak to anyone with information about the incident or who stopped to help to please contact officers at the Serious Collision Investigation Unit on 101 or by e-mail at collisionappeal@essex.pnn. police.uk and quoting incident number 0726 of May 23.

ESSEX head coach Paul Grayson has admitted former skipper Mark Pettini has not scored enough runs so far this season.

Pettini, 29, was left out of the side for the LV> County Championship clash with Lancashire which started on Wednesday after just 222 runs in 12 Championship innings so far this season.

His 88 against Derbyshire at Leek in the YB40 on Sunday was the first time he had passed 50 since the University match with Cambridge UCCE in April.

And with Owais Shah making his first four-day appearance of the season and a Championship debut for new overseas signing Hamish Rutherford, Pettini is the man who has made way.

Grayson said: "Mark Pettini's unfortunately missing out.

"He's played quite well in a couple of games, he's got us over the line in a couple of matches, especially down at the SWALEC and against Hampshire, but I think also Mark realises that he hasn't scored the volume of runs that he would like to have done, especially batting in the key positions of number four or five.

"The guys knew that when Shah and Ryan ten Doeschate came back from the IPL – and with Hamish joining as well – that they were going to have to fight for their place in their side.

"We look strong on paper this week and we're looking for a really positive performance against Lancashire this week."

In fact, Shah and ten Doeschate were tasked with a rebuilding job as the Chronicle went to press, with openers Tom Westley and Jaik Mickelburgh as well as Rutherford falling early on as Essex slumped to 13-3 after being put in by Lancashire.

Grayson has been pleased with his side's recent form, and with the Friends Life t20 just around the corner, the mood inside the camp is a positive one.

"There's still a lot of areas to improve on," he added. "Everyone's honest that we didn't start the season well enough, but there was no panic. I've got a lot of belief and confidence in the players and they've responded very well in all formats of cricket, we've played very well of late and we've got to keep that going.

"There's still a lot of cricket to be played in the County Championship, we haven't started the T20 yet but we sit nicely in the YB40 despite the defeat on Sunday.

"We're slowly but surely becoming more consistent as a group and that's the aim of everyone in the dressing room."

As well as Rutherford, the Eagles squad will be joined by former Australia seamer Shaun Tait for the T20 campaign, and Grayson revealed the 30-year-old is set to join the squad this week.

"Shaun will probably join us at some stage at the back end of the week," he said. "It'll be good to see him, he knows quite a few of the boys.

"He's looking forward to playing some cricket, he'll be doing a little bit of work with us over the next ten days to sharpen up and then hopefully he'll be ready and firing for the first game against Hampshire."

But for now the focus remains on the City of Chelmsford Festival, which also includes a YB40 game with Lancashire on Sunday. And with it being Father's Day, Grayson is hoping a big crowd will be present to see the game.

"Chelmsford's always a good place to watch cricket – a nice ground and small ground so you always get a good view from where you sit. Hopefully there will be some good cricket on show from both sides and let's hope we get a decent crowd there to appreciate that."

BURNHAM RAMBLERS manager Keith Wilson admits everyone associated with the club cannot wait for the new season to begin.

After almost 30 years in the Essex Senior League, the Ramblers will be lining up in the Ryman League Division One North next term following their promotion last season.

And Wilson is looking forward to seeing his young side make the step up.

"Everyone's excited," he said. "The players keep texting and Tweeting saying they're looking forward to pre-season, which isn't normally the case.

"It's going to be a test for us, but hopefully something we'll be prepared for and we're heading the right direction finally after many years in the senior league.

"It's a real boost. Everyone at the club is thrilled.

"It's something that they've dreamt of for a long time. We've been close on several occasions and not quite got over the line, so to do it last season with some big clubs in the Senior League with a lot more resources than we had was a great achievement.

"We want to get started now, we like the break but we want to get going to keep the buzz and the enthusiasm and positivity at the club going, so the sooner we start the better."

Wilson, 35, is about to start his fourth season at the helm at Leslie Field, and the former East Thurrock left-back believes the fixture schedule could help his side out in the new campaign.

"If early on we get sides who will be in and around us and we can pick up a few results in the first half a dozen games then you never know," he added.

"I've got to be realistic.

"I'm not going to say we're going to get in the play-offs or anything, but if we start well, you never know in football.

"Winning football games is a good habit to get into and if we can win a few early on then the confidence is high and that's what we had last year."

A TEAM of devoted youth workers are celebrating a landmark moment in their history after The Lottery granted them £405,829 to help the county's youngsters.

Essex Boys and Girls Club, who have been flying the flag for the county's youth clubs since 1939, were one of 17 national charities to benefit from a £5 million fund.

And the kitty will be ploughed straight into the districts of Braintree, Maldon, Uttlesford and Tendring after parish councillors called for help because of a lack of activities for youngsters.

Assistant director Juliet Townsend, who has been with the team for two years, said the money will fund two new youth workers for five years to help set up youth clubs in those areas.

"We were absolutely over the moon when we got the news," said 34-year-old Juliet.

"There is no way we could have focused on the districts without this fund. We already work in those areas but this is going to make such a difference"

Based at Harway House, Rectory Lane, Chelmsford, the organisation, which currently supervise about 150 youth clubs across the county, initially bid for the fund for this precise reason.

"We help them run it so it's sustainable and we support people to run them and since the grant we've had such a positive reaction," she said.

"It's all part of a development process. We allow young people to try something new – only the other day we held an archery day.

"They come to try something entirely new but in an environment they're familiar with," the Colne Engaine resident added.

Before the clubs are set up in the districts, community consultations will be held in key areas where there are limited youth activities.

New projects will be created including development training, leadership and confidence building, behavioural and relationship workshops and practical sessions such as budgeting, fundraising, CV writing and interview techniques.

The Essex team is now looking to recruit the two workers and is holding open application sessions.

AT JUST 27 the new owner of Marsh Farm has a business most people twice his age would envy.

As well as managing a troupe of successful party entertainers, James Sinclair, pictured in the poster above, owns five indoor play centres, two laser combat centres, and two nurseries.

But it is as Jimbo the Partyman that James is in his element. Twelve years on from starting out as a children's entertainer, he still dons his wacky clothes most weekends and heads out to make youngsters giggle.

He said: "I absolutely love it, I couldn't stop doing it as I would lose a vital part of me, corny as that sounds. I put a lot of thought and energy into it, and it keeps me fit."

James was born in Elm Park, near Hornchurch, but grew up in Brentwood, where he started his company in the spare room of his nan's house.

Unable to keep up with demand for his act, James took on other entertainers and thus the Partyman Company was born.

He said: "If you are going to run a business it may as well be in an area that is fun. I'm so excited about taking on Marsh Farm. There's such a passion among the staff here. They have been great. They know things could not have stayed as they were, and they know we are going to make it work. I think they are happy it was not taken over by a big corporate company.

"I want people who work for me to feel empowered, to make suggestions, and for managers to make their own decisions. I see my senior managers as mini entrepreneurs."

HUNDREDS of bikers rode 30 miles from Mervillle Barracks in Colchester to a living war memorial near Chelmsford to raise money for the Army Benevolent Fund on Saturday.

The 600-strong group of motorcyclists, some ex-military personnel, made the journey in memory of Lee Rigby, the Royal Fusilier murdered in Woolwich on May 22, and all other soldiers killed in the last year.

Andy McGowan, secretary of the East Anglia D-Day Memorial Riders, said: "Those guys that have come back from fighting with mental health problems or disabilities are going to need help for the rest of their lives.

"There is support from Help for Heroes but when the conflict in Afghanistan is over these servicemen won't have gone away, they'll still need a lot of care."

The riders that set out every year to commemorate those service personnel killed between D-Day anniversaries has grown from an initial 70 bikes four years ago to their current number of 600.

At the event there was The Royal British Legion Band and Corps of Drums Romford and a 25lb Royal Artillery field gun marked the start and end of a two-minute silence by firing a shell.

The names of 11 other soldiers killed since the group's D-Day memorial run last year were read out, along with Drummer Lee Rigby and a special memorial plaque was installed.

Through collections and a Justgiving page the event raised over £4,000 for the Army Benevolent Fund.

The 'Living Memorial' at Whitehouse Farm in Rettendon was set up by farmer Pete Theobald and his wife Frances.

On the land they have planted 700 trees and plaques naming the war dead as far back as World War Two, and the couple have spent over £50,000 of their own money on the 11-acre shrine.

Frances Theobald, 57, told the Chronicle: "This is our small way of saying thank you to all those brave soldiers in Afghanistan, Iraq and all the previous wars.

"It's a living memorial because we plant trees and there's lots of wildlife nearby so people can just come and reflect and pay their respects.

"There's quite an air about the place when they play the last post and read out the names – it can get very emotional."

The names of every military person killed since the Second World War are named on plaques, including the Korean War, Northern Ireland, Malaya, Borneo, Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

East Anglia D-Day Memorial Riders are always looking for more participants for their next trip which will be next year on June 14.

For more details visit www.the-dday-memorial-ride.co.uk.

A GRANDMOTHER who died of sudden liver failure while embarking on the trip of a lifetime in Singapore may have been poisoned, an inquest has heard.

Sandra Bushby, 64, was struck by the fatal condition while enjoying a four-day stopover in south-east Asia on the way to Australia last October – a trip she had been planning with husband, Graham, ever since her retirement just four years earlier.

But despite more than seven months of tests, toxicology reports, and correspondence with Singaporean medical teams, the cause behind the mother-of-two's liver failure remains unknown.

"There is a number of causes which can include poisoning of some form or a drugs overdose," said coroner Caroline Beasley Murray at the inquest last Wednesday (June 5).

"However, this court is unable to pinpoint exactly what the cause has been and so I will record that Mrs Bushby died of massive hepatic necrosis of an unknown cause."

Mrs Bushby, from Hatfield Peverel, had been out for a stroll in the Asian city on the morning of October 17 when she suffered severe stomach pains. The pensioner was rushed to Raffles Hospital where within an hour she had grown delirious as doctors attempted to treat her.

"Within another 30 minutes she was in intensive care where she had to be resuscitated, and from then on it was a downhill battle as her organs failed," the inquest was told by Mr Bushby, Sandra's husband of 45 years.

"The next morning we took the decision to turn off her life-support."

The ultimate cause behind Mrs Bushby's death may never be known, however, although Dr Davis, of Broomfield Hospital, told the inquest at New Bridge House, Chelmsford, that causes could include an overdose of drugs such as Paracetemol, a spider bite or even food poisoning.

"My abiding memory is particularly the last four years with Sandra where, as a retired couple, we thought we had our lives stable and would be able to do what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it," said Mr Bushby after the inquest. "We had planned out our long-term travels and Australia was to have been our last long-haul holiday before we moved on to South America and Europe, ending up with our Zimmer frames in the UK. Sadly those plans are now only past dreams as Sandra has been so suddenly taken from us."

It was not the first time that Mrs Bushby had been to Singapore after spending the first 18 months of her married life in the city, as she accompanied Graham throughout his career in the Army.

But after 13 moves the couple had settled in Hatfield Peverel, devoting much of their time to fundraising toward life-changing surgery for grandson Fraser, who suffers from cerebral palsy.

"Sandra made £2,000 just selling keyrings she had cross-stitched by hand, and we held events in the village hall, with all the money raised going toward the spinal surgery in the US," said Mr Bushby, a parish councillor.

"Fraser and the family went out to the States in March this year and he's doing fantastically well. He has walked for the first time and is even riding his first bike. At least when she died she knew there was most of the money for the treatment raised."

Mrs Bushby was buried in a traditional Singaporean coffin last year to acknowledge the support offered by doctors in the "horrendous days" surrounding her sudden death.

STORMTROOPERS took over Chelmsford city centre on Sunday, not to expand the evil Empire but to support a worthy cause.

The Imperial Guards from the Star Wars movies marched along Chelmsford High Street to help raise funds for the city's Kids Inspire charity which helps troubled children across Mid-Essex.

Live music from Beats Workin', dance classes by Dance Essex, a book sale and face-painting entertained the crowds.

Event organiser Nicola Lane said she hoped the event helped raise awareness and much needed funds for the charity.

"It's been a real fun day and the band has been brilliant," she said.

"Many of the children we help have suffered trauma, neglect or abuse and our aim is to help them through therapy, counselling and mentoring.

"It helps them become positive, valued members of their school and community. I think the need for Kids Inspire has definitely increased recently.

"The families that come to us are looking for that practical support that isn't always readily available."

Kids Inspire currently helps support over 200 individuals across the area but relies on donations for over 95 per cent of its funding.

On the day Andrew Wutton was on hand to ensure no one was blasted by the menacing stormtroopers from the 501st legion.

"We've had a really good response. The kids have loved it but we've also had a lot of dads getting excited and having their picture taken," he said.

At a neighbouring stand, free cake was dished out to passers-by to celebrate the re-launch of the Meadows Shopmobility charity under its new guise Getting Around, as it celebrates its tenth birthday.

The charity helps people of all ages, disabilities and conditions to have greater independence and can now boast a decade of helping others.

Chairman Ian Channing hopes the new branding will help to raise awareness of the organisation to those who need it.

"There is a huge demand to meet," he said. "Without a service like this people could be trapped in their houses. We want to show people it isn't solely for disabled people we can help anyone who is struggling to get around, be it temporarily or more long term."

To find out more about the charities visit their websites at www.kidsinspire.org.uk and www.gettingaround.org.uk.

A GIRL who has battled courageously against problems with her sight was honoured with the opportunity to meet the Queen at a charity gala.

Maddie Scott, 8, of Mill Lane, Danbury, took her place in a line-up including singing stars Il Divo and Michael Ball at the event at St James' Palace on June 3 to present Her Majesty with a bouquet.

"The Queen was quite posh but she said she liked the flowers, and I had a really nice day," said Maddie.

"I also spoke to Michael Ball and he said he thought I was a princess from the palace, I think he said it to make me smile but it was still a really nice thing to say."

Organised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Maddie from Danbury, was handpicked to attend the star-studded event after her "zest for life" was spotted at a musical workshop run by the charity.

"When we asked her if she'd like to meet the Queen, Maddie jumped up and down with joy, and screamed," said mother Penny.

"She was just enthralled by the whole day and – even though the Queen was there – she was the centre of attention.

"Afterwards a gentleman approached her and asked to give her a present – he then handed her two £50 notes, which was amazing."

Maddie was born with congenital cataracts and nystagmus, a condition that required her lenses to be removed at a young age and which has left her unable to focus from more than a few feet away.

She later developed glaucoma, a build-up of pressure in the eye, which is treated with daily drops, and laser surgery. But the youngster has not let that stop her from pursuing her passions and counts judo, gymnastics, playing piano and swimming amongst her extra-curricular activities.

"She'd do more if I let her, she's got such a zest for life," added Penny, a bookkeeper. "I think that's partly why they chose her to meet the Queen. They approached us after a workshop and said she was just so lovely."

A film crew from the national charity also followed the family in their daily lives prior to Monday's event to feature in a promotional video shown to guests on the day.

The glamorous audience included charity vice-presidents Rod Stewart, and wife Penny Lancaster, but the Queen shared her time equally among the guests.

"When Maddie presented the posy Her Majesty thanked her, and said how beautiful the flowers were – Maddie just beamed at her," said mother-of-two Penny.

"This week has been an absolute whirlwind; I don't think I'll ever have another like it."

A 93-YEAR-OLD driver banned from the wheel for six months after crashing through a park fence says he now feels like a "prisoner" in his own home.

Jim Sims, of Daffodil Way, Chelmsford, says his foot accidentally slipped on to the accelerator from the brake pedal on the New Nabbotts Way 'T' junction while on his way to post a letter.

He narrowly missed a cyclist, crashing through a park fence, before hitting concrete bollards on a nearby green.

The Second World War veteran, who says he has 32 great grandchildren, claims he can no longer travel on the motorway to watch his beloved Arsenal Football Club.

"There's no justice," he said.

"Fifty years I've been driving to Arsenal, I've been a season ticket holder for 20 years going from here to the Emirates Stadium, down the M11 and the M25 north circular – and I have never had a scrape.

"Then one day I go from here to post a letter at 4pm in the afternoon – slipping off of the brake pedal on to the accelerator.

"All the police want to do is to stop me driving because I look old. They are trying to get me off the road."

Mr Sims was fined £100, £90 court costs and a £20 victim surcharge on Tuesday, June 4, at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court, for the incident on March 18.

He was charged with driving without due care or attention and will now have to retake a driving test if he wants to get back on the road once his ban is finished.

His Vauxhall Astra 1.8 convertible, worth £21,750, was written off after the incident but a buyer is now offering about £7,000 for it.

Yet Mr Sims voluntarily surrendered his licence on March 19, and while the police said he failed the '20.5 metres eye sight test', he says he passed a Specsavers eye test on Monday.

The arthritis sufferer and former electronic mechanic added: "I'm a prisoner in my own home now. These four walls are a prison to me.

"Without that car I am lost. I have got a bus pass yes, but I have to walk around to the bus stop and I can't do that."

His son, Terry, said: "It's disgraceful. They didn't have to crucify him but they did – they intimidated him."

The current UK licensing system requires drivers aged 70 or over to apply to have their driving licence renewed.

They must also complete a self declaration of fitness to drive.

They then have to reapply for their licence to be renewed every three years.

Pc Andy Sumner of Chelmsford Road Policing Unit said: "Essex Police are dealing with more instances where motorists are driving after a point in their life when they are not fit to do so through mobility, reactions, eye sight, or the combination of medications.

"It is a difficult decision for motorists to make as we are ever reliant on the convenience of having a car.

"However, it would also be a tragedy for the driver if they spend the later years of life knowing that they had seriously hurt or killed someone.

"Essex Police aim to reduce serious and fatal collisions and hope that the mature members of our community will make the responsible decision."

GIANT ceramic sculptures and wood cuttings will be exhibited when a Brentwood artist showcases her work.

The work of Carole Windham, of Kavanaghs Road, will be on show for 10 days at a new venue in east London from July 4.

Mrs Windham, who has one daughter and two grandchildren, lives with her husband Geoffrey, who is a therapist, and has been a ceramic artist all her life.

She also taught ceramics at Havering College for 25 years.

She has had her art displayed in many prestigious exhibitions including in Rude Britannia at London's Tate Britain.

Recalling this opportunity, she said: "It was really fantastic – the funny thing was the piece they chose was not a rude piece."

Mrs Windham grew up in Southport, Lancashire, where her art teacher inspired her to get into ceramics.

In 2000 she completed an MA at the Royal College of Art in London.

Her latest show will showcase her signature work of ceramics and also woodcuts.

"A couple of years ago I decided to break out and created some woodcuts," she said.

"It was the same time that I retired from teaching at the college which was last July.

"I was interested because it's a three-dimensional process.

"I am known for my ceramics though – when I started in the 1960s ceramic sculpture hadn't taken off and people mostly made pottery.

"I became a sculptor and pushed the boundaries of ceramics, as that's what I'm interested in.

"Most of the work in this exhibition is large-scale sculpture taken from teapots and jugs.

"From the '60s I was a pop artist so they are blown up – giant.

"What I'm interested in is the Staffordshire potters who worked in the 1950s and '60s.

"They made Noddy teapots and homemaker teapots and I've made blown up versions which are three feet high and very heavy."

Speaking of her one-woman exhibition she said: "It is a solo show with a lot on display at a new venue, which is a mill.

"The renovated part has been made into a gallery on two floors where I will be showing quite a number of pieces – I do figurative work on a large scale.

"People are welcome to come and everything's for sale, but no one is under any pressure to buy."

Mrs Windham moved to Brentwood in 1997 and works in a studio at the bottom of her garden.

She explained what it is she enjoys about ceramics: "There is a lot of variety – I'm making, decorating, packing kilns, firing kilns or glazing.

"You have to be pretty strong to do it."

She added that the process of moving the work is very stressful for fear of her items being damaged.

"I get nightmares the night before they are moved, and it is very traumatic difficult task," she said.

Another exhibition coming up for Mrs Windham is Victoriana: The Art of Revival at the Guild Hall Art Gallery in London from September 7 to December 8.

She will also be displaying her work at Subversive Design at Brighton Museum and Art Gallery from October 12 until March 9 next year.

Her one woman show, Woodcuts and Ceramics, will take place from 11am until 4:30pm and will be closed on Mondays.

Private viewings are available on Thursday, July 4 from 6 until 9pm.

The House Mill Gallery is located on Three Mill Lane, Bromley-By-Bow, London E3 3DU.

To see more of Mrs Windham's art visit her website at www.carolewindham.com or for more information e-mail her at carole.windham@virgin.net

THE smells, sounds, feel, taste and sights of the countryside were brought to life for more than 3,000 Essex schoolchildren at a popular event near Chelmsford.

Watching enormous state-of-the-art combine harvesters cut corn in a field, sampling freshly cooked pancakes; handling turkey eggs, stroking alpacas and sniffing fresh herbs were just some of the activities on offer to youngsters at the show staged by Essex Agricultural Society.

Led by farm worker escorts, the children, who came from 43 schools, move round five zones: machinery, crops, livestock, food, and countryside and environment, each of which tells a part of the food and farming story.

In the Livestock tent Writtle College part-time lecturer and PhD student Stephanie Collingbourne is being kept busy looking after 12 one-month-old piglets and their mother, while youngsters huddle round eager to stroke them.

Stephanie said: "The children are all very excited and are asking lots of questions. Some do not realise that the ham in their sandwiches and the bacon they had for breakfast started out as piglets like these."

Over in the crops tent Amy Middle, nine, from Lawford Mead Junior School in Chelmsford is sniffing oils and seeds.

She said: "It's really interesting here. I've learnt a lot such as how certain flowers can make oil which is used in animal feed.

"I liked handling the turkey eggs, which were big. There were also chicken eggs of different sizes and I was told that the bigger ones have two yolks and could produce two chicks."

Enjoying putting their hands in big bowls of flour to feel the difference between white and wholemeal are pupils from Holy Family Catholic Primary in Witham.

Daisy Hastings, 10, said: "I've learnt how different parts of the wheat are used in different types of flours. That's useful to know as I make a lot of bread with my mum at home."

Overseeing the samples were Graham Loveday and Russell Hume from Marriage's flour millers in Chelmsford.

Russell said: "We've been coming along to this show since it began as we see it as a very worthwhile day out for youngsters. They're very eager to learn and I'm quite surprised by how much knowledge some children have."

A huge outdoor stage gives pupils the chance to view sheep-shearing demonstrations and learn about the various breeds.

Oxsana Bateman, 10, from Holy Family Catholic Primary in Witham, said: "We've found out there are lots of different breeds of sheep in Europe and their coats can be quite different and make different types of clothes."

The food tent with cookery demonstrations is a very popular location as here youngsters are able to sample goodies such as pancakes, smoothies and cake.

Enjoying smelling and tasting a variety of herbs are a group of pupils from St Peter's C of E School in South Hanningfield.

Georgette Payne, 10, said: "Some of these are surprisingly tasty. We have just learnt how sausages are made which was good."

Classmate Isabelle Partridge, 10, said: "I've learnt how to dry herbs and how bees make honey. I think this is my favourite area of all."

Another hands-on display has been set up by members of the Writtle Evening Women's Institute.

President Enid Roberts said: "We come here every year and members make cakes, gingerbread, scones and quiches which we display alongside their raw ingredients.

"The aim is to show children at a glance what goes into the food they eat every day."

All primary schools in Essex are invited to the event, which is always vastly oversubscribed. Organisers try to give priority to those schools who have not been before. This year 40 per cent of the schools were visiting for the first time.

Guy Smith, Essex farmer and chairman of the event's steering group, said: "The most encouraging thing about being involved in putting this day together is the fact so many schools want to come. Within weeks of us announcing the event in the autumn we are over-subscribed.

"As a farmer I think it's great that I work in an industry where schools and schoolchildren have such an appetite to learn more about what I do. Not many other industries are so lucky."

AN international horse rider from Brentwood has been personally congratulated by the Queen for her achievements – after the monarch read about them in the Gazette.

Gaby Lucas, 17, spoke about the letter she received from Elizabeth II this week, after learning that she has qualified for the Junior European Dressage Team for the second year running.

The royal dispatch arrived after the former Anglo European School pupil's mum, Anji Lucas, wrote to Buckingham Palace and attached a previous Gazette story on her daughter's dressage achievements.

In the letter, the Queen, herself a keen horse rider, sent her congratulations, telling Miss Lucas she was proud of her achievements and that she was pleased to receive a copy of the article.

Miss Lucas, who lives with her parents in Mores Lane, Pilgrims Hatch, told the Gazette she was thrilled to receive a reply from the head of state.

She added: "The Queen told me to keep up the good work and it made me realise what I had achieved, as not many people get a response from her."

Miss Lucas said she was delighted to be competing in the European team again.

Not many riders go straight from competing on ponies to performing at such a high level.

She said: "It's a big step up so I was really pleased – there are only one or two other people that have done it before."

Miss Lucas said she has been riding since the age of two and was introduced to the sport by her Mum.

She added: "It's what I've always wanted to do – I don't see myself sat in an office."

Miss Lucas is a member of the World Class Development Programme, a scheme which aims for excellence in equestrianism.

She is also studying towards a Level Three Diploma in Horse Care at Writtle College and plans to go on to study Sports Performance at university.

Her mount, the grandly-named Laurentius II, is an 18.2hh gentle giant, informally known as Lause.

The bay gelding is a 14-year-old Danish Warmblood that she has owned for two years.

Her second horse, Zanté, is a seven-year-old bay gelding whom she does less competitions with at the moment but she has big plans for his future.

"I do more with Lause as he is getting me further at the moment in European and international shows," she said.

She said she rides both of her horses four to five times a week and trains with international dressage riders Mette Assouline and Erik Theilgaard on the World Class Development Programme.

She has had a successful year so far, winning the regionals at Patchetts Equestrian Centre in Hertfordshire in February – the youngest rider to have done so.

The future looks bright for the teenager who hopes to go into the Young Riders squad next year – and qualify for the Olympics in Rio in 2016.

"I am hoping Zanté to be my European Young Rider horse at Rio as he is more up-and-coming," she added.

As for the prospect of perhaps competing at the Olympics, she said: "I am really excited – even though it's three years away it's going to go really quickly."

Miss Lucas is now looking forward to taking part in Pre-European Camp to work with world-famous dressage rider Carl Hester.

BRADWELL Power Station could become a dumping ground for the nation's nuclear waste, it has emerged.

A report by the National Decommissioning Authority (NDA) lists Bradwell as one of the options for storing toxic waste from other UK sites.

If approved, hundreds of 18-tonne transport containers could be brought via lorry or rail for storage in a facility of around 500 sq m, a revelation that shocked representatives at a recent meeting of the stakeholder group.

"Everybody was aghast when a representative from the NDA stated that the possibility was being looked into," said Maldon district councillor Brian Beale, a member of the Bradwell Local Community and Liaison Council.

"To say this could happen when it had always been understood that Bradwell was not intended to be a site for waste created uproar."

After operations at the station ceased in 2002, decommissioning began with an estimated end date of 2092.

It had been proposed that waste from Bradwell would be stored in a facility there. But the NDA report released in May says 40 per cent of the storage would be left empty.

It suggests around 280 "yellow boxes" of intermediate level waste could be brought from other sites to be stored until 2040, when a long-term underground deposit for all UK waste should be built.

Members of the Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG) have criticised the proposals for nuclear storage on what they regard as a vulnerable coastal location.

"Bradwell is a wholly unacceptable site. The possibility should be resisted by a firm 'No' now," said BANNG chairman Andy Blowers.

However, environmental planning expert Professor Munir Morad, of Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, said there is little risk to the community.

He said: "There is no cause for alarm as the technology with transport and storage is such that there is no danger to the public. The only tiny risk is terrorists getting the material to produce a dirty bomb, but I don't foresee that being a problem."

A working party, including representatives from Maldon District Council, is due to meet tonight (Thursday) to discuss the issue. Members of the public can comment.

An NDA spokesman said: "There will be a full evaluation of the report before a list of preferred options is drawn up with public consultation and a full planning process."

To comment on the proposals e-mail strategy@nda.gov.uk

BRAINTREE is one of the few success stories of the "Portas Pilot" scheme, according to traders and businesses in the town.

The £1.2 million Government-funded initiative started over a year ago with 12 towns around the country receiving more than £100,000 each to improve their high streets.

Braintree was involved in the second funding stage, along with 14 other towns, and received a further £86,500 to regenerate the flagging market town's economic prospects.

Last month a survey carried out for Radio 4 revealed that all but two of the first 12 towns have seen a decline in new shops opening in their high street.

Bedford, Croydon, Dartford, Liskeard, Market Rasen, Nelson, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Stockport, Stockton-on-Tees and Wolverhampton reported that 700 closed, whereas only 600 opened.

Braintree, as a second-round town, is not on this list, but remains a rare case in that traders and businesses have reported widespread positive feedback about the scheme.

MP Mark Prisk, minister for housing and local government, has visited nine Portas towns as part of his portfolio duties.

He visited Braintree last Thursday and told the Chronicle: "I'm really impressed with the partnership between local businesses and the council.

"I wanted to come and see for myself. Everyone is working together and different ideas are shared on how to improve business and customer experience.

"Braintree is leading the way with their leadership and innovative ideas. It is only when local businesses, councils and retailers come together as they did in Braintree that things start happening on the ground."

Along with the monthly town team meetings, Braintree council introduced a parking initiative called 10p after 3 – which over 12 months drove an increase of more than 44,000 people using the George Street, Manor Street and Victoria Street car parks.

The introduction of the Indi card – a discount card to encourage customers to shop in the town rather than larger supermarkets by offering them freebies and money off – has also been credited with a rise in trade.

Each three months, a new retailer gets the opportunity to showcase their products in the pop-up shop.

Current occupant Tynska Designs is owned by Elaine Newman. She told the Chronicle: "I've never done anything like this before so it was a great way to showcase my work and try out my business idea. My favourite part was dressing the window with all the jewellery displays."

Chris Siddall, cabinet member for prosperity and growth, said: "Braintree has done well because it's been driven by the district council so the key thing is we wanted to bring in local retailers and make it retail-driven.

"We started a town team and allowed local business to take charge. We want to show what retailers are offering and to raise awareness of what's in town."

Initially the interest in the monthly meeting was slow until a "buddy network" event encouraged traders to start working together.

Ignite, a business enterprise centre, has helped new businesses get started and is situated next to the council's pop-up shop.

Managing director Liz Story said: "We provide help and support to new businesses through the pop-up shop with the hope that they can move on to a fixed unit in the town.

Over the next year the panel, made up of councillors and Portas Pilot organisers, will hold interviews for the next three stalls in a Dragon's Den-style pitch.

Gary Woodhouse, from Autoparts of Braintree, said: "We've been in the town for over 45 years and I've been there for 38. In that time I've seen a lot of changes – some good, some bad.

"I think it's good the town has started working together and if we can continue and build on that then it can only benefit the town.

"A lot of the other Portas towns have not responded well to some of the criticism and advice that comes with it. But we've just taken it on the chin and gone with it and listened – and it's got us all talking with each other and sitting around a table and discussing ideas."

Lin Marshall, owner of The Hair Salon, said: "We've been open for around 26 years so the only short term benefit we get is exchanging ideas at the meetings.

"But we think that if we can all pull together and make the town better then it benefits everyone in the long term.

"A lot of other towns could learn a lot from just sitting in on some of our meetings.

A MUM who gradually lost her sight from the age of seven met the Queen at St James Palace last Monday, where she also made a speech at the packed RNIB Royal Gala dinner.

Kate Crofts, of Tiptree, who only has peripheral vision, spoke about the support she has received from the charity and the donations needed for its work to continue.

She also featured in a short film about the different stages of blindness, in which she wrote and performed the voice over.

The film is about Kate's experience of sight loss through the eyes of eight-year-old Maddie Scott, who also suffers from problems with her sight.

Mrs Crofts told the Chronicle: "It was fantastic and just magical and wonderful. My husband described all the armour around us and these ancient swords that had actually been in battle."

Mystery still surrounds Kate's sight loss - as an only child there's only a small genetic stock that can be tested and the condition has not been passed on to either of her two children. "The more money raised the better, because gene therapy research could benefit a lot of people.

"People asked if it took confidence to speak like that in public, but I've never allowed my disability to hold me back and I've always enjoyed my life and been a confident person.

"I don't get as star struck as most people because I don't see all the media coverage. I tend to take people as I find them, whether it's the Queen or someone taking my glass," said Kate.