STUDENTS are frustrated that a sanctuary is still under construction at their school six years after it was initially proposed.
Work started on the building, just inside the entrance to Anglo European School, in 2009 and will be completed by Easter, according to co-Head teacher David Barrs.
Designed as a quiet place for students to relax and pray, the sanctuary has drawn mixed opinion from parents and students, many of whom were not pupils at the Ingatestone secondary when it was first conceived.
Year 11 pupil Bryce Gale, 15, said: "The school itself is to blame for spending too much money on the sanctuary and by [under-estimating the construction timeframe]."
Another student, Year 13 pupil Jens Van den Brande, 17, had a similar opinion. He said: "Three years is definitely too long for a building that isn't particularly large or specialised in its design."
The £68,000 budget had been raised by the families of students and the Anglo European School Association, a fundraising organisation of parents and governors.
In efforts to speed up the project, the parent of a pupil was even drafted in to help paint the inside walls of the sanctuary.
Mr Barrs said: "I am disappointed with the pace in which the project has gone, but we are now close to finishing. I'm hoping for completion by Easter."
However the sanctuary has not been popular with some parents who were not pleased with the large sum of money being poured into the project.
Mr Barrs said: "I had two complaints before the building started but since then no one has complained to me regarding it.
"The Anglo is a rich and diverse community and our exchange programme, the [International Baccalaureate] and the Sanctuary are all key parts in staying different from other schools. I think most people can see that."
Mr Barrs did however concede that since the plan was set out in 2006, the lengthy process has seen a fall in student support.
He said: "In the early days I had hundreds of pupils up for it. Over the years the interest has been lost somewhat."
Both headteachers, of which Jill Martin is the other, hope the sanctuary will be open for use ahead of the school's 40th anniversary later this year.

JACK 'The Stone' Mason is looking to take less fights after dropping down to welterweight towards the end of the year.

The Chelmsford-based cagefighter, 30, ended the last year with an impressive points victory against the highly-rated Frenchman Florent Betorangal on New Year's eve.

It meant he ended 2012 with a record of five wins and two defeats but he only wants to fight around four times in 2013, so he can prepare better for opponents.

He said: "After dropping down from middleweight to welterweight I'm coming up against world class opponents on a regular basis now. I lost my first fight when I dropped down because I just had nothing left to give in the final round. I've worked with a nutritionist and I'm feeling a lot better about it now."

On the 30-27 points win, which took place the Cage Warriors #51 show at the Helix Arena in Dublin, he said: "I was pretty dominant and took him down at will.

"He was a very quick and athletic guy but I kept taking him down against the cage and managed to get kicks and punches in."

Next up for the current British Welterweight Champion will be a bout against an as yet unknown opponent on March 9 at the HMV Forum in Kentish Town, London.

"I want to fight for a Cagewarriors world title this year but I've been told I need a couple more wins under my belt first," he said. "So that's my aim for this year."

AN AWARD-WINNING poet has ventured into a new market by releasing two compilations of his work in e-book form. Anthony Knight, 61, now offers poetry fans the chance to download electronic versions of his work on Amazon's Kindle e-reader.

Mr Knight, who lives in Stansted Close, Billericay, started wrote his first poem at the tender age of 13.

He was introduced to poetry by his English teacher, Mr Tierney, whom he said "played a major part in my becoming a poet".

Mr Knight added: "He was hugely influential and, from that point on, I never wanted to express creative writing in another form other than poetry."

The dad of two said the inspiration for his writing, a mixture of traditional and modern poems, comes from "all sorts of things".

"It could be from a film I've seen, a newspaper article I've read, or something I've heard about," he explained.

"I write about things from the war, to politics, to my personal life."

His two e-books are titled The Debris Field and Beyond The Terminus, the latter of which contains the award winning poem, The Journey. Based on the Holocaust, it won first prize in the prestigious Rhyme International Competition.

Indeed, it is Knight's favourite poem too, given its success.

Mr Knight has had a wealth of experience in writing, spending 28 years working in London's Fleet Street for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.

As well as being a poet, he now works part-time as a pharmacy assistant at Basildon Hospital.

Both of Knight's poetry collections are on sale for 77 pence each, although he said he would have been equally happy to have given his work away for free.

He added: "It's never about gaining money, but gaining the readership of the public."

Mr Knight decided to release his work in e-book form after hearing about it from a friend who had done the same. He hopes this will help to improve his reputation as a writer.

THE quality of life in Havering has been given a boost after Boris Johnson revealed that 100 trees are to be planted around the borough.

Paid for by City Hall funds, the Mayor of London announced the planting as part of a bigger scheme to place 10,000 more trees around the capital in built-up areas by 2015.

The first 2,000, including those given to Havering, will be placed in the ground this spring, it was revealed on Friday.

Other boroughs to benefit from the scheme include Barking and Dagenham, which will get 190, and Redbridge with 55.

The borough of Ealing secured the largest number of 210 and the lowest was Hounslow with 15.

The mayor is planning to increase tree cover across the city by 5 per cent by 2025, and the target of 10,000 by 2015 will double the number planted in his first term in office, which ran from 2008 to 2012.

He said: "Street trees deliver a whole host of benefits for Londoners, helping to improve the look and feel of neighbourhoods as well as making the capital a more attractive place in which to live and invest.

"My first 10,000 street trees are a flourishing success and I am delighted to announce this latest crop of areas to receive funds for more trees by spring time."

The range of benefits that trees can bring include improved air quality, flood risk reduction and havens for wildlife.

Funds of £1.7 million have been made available for more trees to be planted across London and the window to apply for the next round opens shortly.

The project is being delivered in partnership with the Forestry Commission and the environment support charity Groundwork London.

It is open to all London boroughs, private landowners who own or manage a public realm, such as businesses and registered social landlords.

Civic society groups and community organisations working with boroughs and private landowners may also apply.

For more information, log on to the website www.london.gov.uk/priorities/environment/greening-london/ releaf-london/msti

A GRANDMOTHER who worked to change the image of the 'Essex Girl' has been honoured by the Queen.

Daphne Field, 72, from Galleywood, wrote a book about the Essex girl stereotype and dedicated much of her spare time to working with women's groups across the county.

On December 29, Daphne discovered the Queen had chosen her in the New Year Honours list, awarding her the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to charity and the community in Chelmsford.

"I was naturally delighted," said Daphne. "I was very, very flattered, as you can imagine because you think, 'oh my gosh, there must be other people who are far worthier than me'."

Daphne has an idea as to who the group of people who nominated her were, but prior to finding out about her award she thought her husband Michael suspected her of less noble actions.

"Looking back, I began to wonder if my husband thought I was having an affair because he kept asking me questions about what I had been doing," she laughed.

It turns out that Daphne's husband was informing her nominators about different aspects of her work.

"You have to do your homework on a person and you obviously don't want them to know," said Daphne, who is on the board of the Essex Women's Advisory Group.

"How it really started was that I had been the vice-chairman of the Prince's Trust in Essex and we became very aware that many of the girls we were helping were very much affected by the 'Essex Girl' image," she said.

"I'm old enough and ugly enough to cope with it but some of the other, brighter girls were moaning that they came from Essex. We wanted to say 'be proud of where you come from and have pride in yourselves'."

After setting up an endowment fund with the Essex Community Foundation, the group raised enough money to start distributing funding to a variety of groups such as women's refuges and Girl Guides.

Then a media storm kicked off two years ago when Daphne, who has a daughter and twin grandchildren, wrote a book of limericks about the Essex Girl.

"It was amazing really," she said. "There was a little piece in the Chronicle and the following day I had a telephone call at 6am and I jumped out of bed and I was asked if I would do a radio interview at 6.45am.

"That day I did 17 radio interviews and four television interviews, all because we talked about Essex Girls – that's what amazed me."

Since then she has worked tirelessly to improve women-of-all-ages' perception of the Essex Girl.

"I had a lovely text from my granddaughter Tara and an e-mail as well saying she was very proud," said Daphne. "It was lovely. It's very humbling actually."

WITH the post-Christmas clean-up now well and truly over, a series of recycling events were held in Chelmsford to encourage people to go green.

At Hylands Park on Sunday, members of the council's green team collected unwanted Christmas trees, which will be sent off to be made into chippings for woods and parklands.

And for two days before that, the Recycling Team from Chelmsford City Council were based in the car park of Riverside Leisure Centre collecting Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE).

After collecting nearly one tonne of WEEE, team member Mark Smith said: "I can tell you that it was beyond successful in the amount we collected and it was a great opportunity for us because we do have a permanent bank in the car park and we had people telling us it was a great idea."

Among items collected by the team were televisions, computers and keyboards, and laptops.

"Everyone was telling us that their items were all in good working order but the thing is that nobody wants old TVs and you can't give them to a charity shop because they need a PAT tester so it's very important to recycle them," said Mark.

WEEE is one of the most harmful types of waste still being sent to landfill as it contains hazardous substances such as mercury, lead, beryllium and cadmium.

When disposed of these substances are released into the ground where they pollute the surrounding area.

Mark added: "The idea of the whole event was to raise awareness because too many items are going to landfill."

For more information on recycling go to www.chelmsford.gov.uk or essex.gov.uk

A VILLAGE vicar who was bowled over by the success of his church's African cricket festive appeal has decided to push the boundaries further, by extending the campaign into the New Year.

Thankfully, this year's Christmas present appeal has been no great slog for the Reverend Patrick Sherring, the rector of Ingatestone Parish Church.

The clergyman was hit for six by villagers' generosity after receiving more than 200 toys and games, each of which will be handed to children in some of the world's poorest nations including Kenya, Rwanda, Botswana and Cameroon later this year.

A huge cuddly bear, a telescope, a football and giraffe puppet were among the double century of treasures handed over in two Christmas Eve services at the Parish Church of St Edmund and St Mary in the High Street.

The gifts will be taken overseas by volunteers from the charity Cricket Without Boundaries later this year.

In total the hoard is thought to be worth hundreds of pounds.

The parish church is situated next to Fairfield, the home of Ingatestone and Fryerning Cricket Club.

And with such a strong response to the appeal and the potential to improve the lot of many more impoverished Africans, Mr Sherring was delighted to announce an extension to the appeal until January 20.

As for donating presents to the appeal, Mr Sherring, 57, said: "People are able to come along to any of our church services or instead leave them at the rectory.

"Even if I'm not there they can leave them there.

"It's a fantastic way for local people to connect with some of the poorest people in the world and it's a wonderful thing to be able to do.

"Remarkably you will be giving in an anonymous and rewarding way, because you know that your gift is going to be appreciated but you don't know exactly who it is going to help, so it gives a real sense of giving.

"And around Christmas time were are reminded that giving is better than receiving, as Jesus said."

Keith Brown, who runs The Fryerning Foundation charity, introduced the church to Cricket Without Boundaries, which, since 2005, has raised awareness of HIV and AIDS to children in Africa through the teaching of cricket.

Fryerning resident Mr Brown, who is also a board member at Essex County Cricket Club, said: "These kids are desperately poor – some have not even got shoes so if people even want to donate new shoes they would be equally welcome.

"We have such wonderful Christmases here but the kids living in those poorest African countries won't experience anything like that.

"They are so desperate and deprived, we need to help them."

You can make a contribution to the appeal by handing over a new toy or game at any service in St Edmund and St Mary Church or outside Mr Sherring's home at The Rectory, in Rectory Close, Fryerning Lane, Ingatestone, before Sunday, January 20.

THIS weekend the Chelmsford Chieftains could clinch their first silverware of the season.

Gary Clarke's side play the two-legged final of the South East Trophy against Wightlink Raiders.

They travel to the Isle of Wight today before the teams go head-to-head at the Riverside the following day.

And Clarke is pleased the first leg is on the island after they topped their group.

"It's an advantage for me to be playing the second game at home," he said. "It's good to know what we have to do at home."

Although it's not considered the most important cup of the season Clarke is more than keen to add it to last season's play-off triumph.

He said: "The fact of the matter is that there are only four pieces of silverware to go for each season and this could be a stepping stone for us to go on to better things."

The player/ coach is wary though of today's fixture which takes place on the smallest rink in the division.

"We went there and lost 1-0 in the league recently," he said. "It's a completely different game, it's like pinball with the puck bouncing and going everywhere.

"We've won two cup games on the island this season so we know what we're up against and there are no excuses."

Forward Tom Castle is rated at 50/50 after suffering a concussion at the weekend while netminder Ryan Bainborough is still two to three weeks away from recovering from a fractured hand.

Back-to-back wins at the weekend moved Chelmsford level on points the Romford Raiders at the top of the English National Hockey League South One table.

A 5-1 demolition on Saturday night in Berkshire could and should have been a 5-0 whitewash but thanks to some questionable officiating the Chieftains were shorthanded and Ben Clements missed out on his chance of a shutout with a late goal from the home side.

Earlier in the game Danny Hammond had opened the scoring early on before a Clarke hat-trick and a Julius Sinkovic marker had the Essex side 5-0 ahead at one stage. Clarke rightly picked up the man-of-the-match award.

On Sunday night and it was a similar tale as the Chieftains ran in seven goals with just one in reply from former Chieftains favourite Jakub Klima late on to again stop a clean sheet from Clements.

This time the goals came from a pair from Hammond and Tibor Schneider and single goals from James Ayling, Grant Bartlett and Michael Ranby.

Ayling had an exceptional night and took home the man of the match award, while Klima took home the beers for a lacklustre Redskins team.

MIDDLE Earth inspired road signs in South Woodham Ferrers have been captured by a local photographer as The Hobbit appears in cinemas across the country.

Tracy Morter, 33, a professional photographer took the snaps on a post-Christmas stroll through the town where roads have names inspired by Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy and other books.

"We're a little town but we have some interesting quirks and the signs are one of them, I thought it would be something really interesting to photograph," said the mother-of-three. "I remember the last time the films came out we had several people visiting the town to have a look."

It was the whimsy of a planning officer in the 1980s that led to the sign names being based on the epic novels, although some of their original titles had to be renamed.

Celeborn Street, one of the two feeder roads into the estate, is said to have been called Gollum's Reach previously.

"This would have made sense as Gollum's 'reach' for the One Ring is one of the key themes in the books but of course this proved to have a fatal result and so the street was renamed," said Bob Massey, a Chelmsford city councillor for the area. "There were rumours that nobody would buy houses on the street because of the link!"

Tracy has been taking photos professionally for the past three years after realising that being self-employed would allow her time to spend with her three sons, one of whom is autistic and requires extra care.

"I find it really rewarding, especially when I get to take my kids along to music festivals such as Brownstock and share it with them," she said. "With The Hobbit coming out in cinemas I'm hoping these photos might capture people's attention.

"It's just a shame they didn't follow it through with all the names. We could have had the pub called The Prancing Pony!"

Visit www.tracymorter.com

HERE are some of the roads in South Woodham Ferrers with a Tolkien link.

Arwen Grove – Arwen was an Elven princess.

Bree Hill - Bree was the main village of Breeland.

Buckland Gate – Buckland was one of the regions of the hobbits' home in The Shire.

Bucklebury Heath – The hobbits were nearly ambushed by the ringwraiths at Bucklebury ferry on their departure from the Shire.

Butterbur Chase – Barleyman Butterbur was the landlord of The Prancing Pony – an inn in the village of Bree.

Bywater Road – Bywater was a village in The Shire.

Celeborn Street – Celeborn (pronounced Keleborn) was the Elven King of Lothlorien.

Elrond's Rest – Elrond was a half-elven prince.

Galadriel Spring – The Lady Galadriel was the Elven queen of Lothlorien.

Gandalf's Ride – Gandalf was one of the last and greatest of the wizards of Middle Earth.

Gimli Watch – Gimli was a dwarf and a member of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Hobbiton Hill – Hobbiton was the most famous village in The Shire, the home of the Hobbits.

Lorien Gardens – Lorien, in ancient times before the events described in The Lord of The Rings, was a vast, beautiful garden, which in turn gave its name to Lothlorien, where the Elves lived.

Meriadoc Drive – Meriadoc Brandybuck, also known as Merry, was one of the hobbits who accompanied Frodo Baggins on the quest as a member of The Fellowhip of the Ring.

Rivendell Vale – Rivendell was a refuge built in the mountains by the elves. It was the site of the House of Elrond.

Rohan Court – the kingdom of Rohan (meaning Horse Land).

Shirebourn Vale – The Shire was the peaceful, historic homeland of the hobbits.

The Withywindle – was a small river which flowed through the Old Forest, to the east of the Shire.

Thorin's Gate – Thorin is a name shared by several kings of the dwarves.

Took Drive – Peregrine Took, also known as Pippin, was a hobbit, and a companion of Frodo Baggins.

Treebeard Copse – Treebeard was an Ent, or tree shepherd, who lived in the old forest of Fangorn. He and his fellow ents destroyed Saruman's fortress at Isengard.

Westmarch – Like Buckland, Westmarch was part of The Shire, the historic home of the hobbits.

White Tree Court – The White Tree was ancient, even in the times described in the Lord of the Rings. The line of saplings could be traced back to pre-history and was a symbol of the continuing line of the men of Gondor.

REGISTRATION opens today for the North Weald Race for Life.

The women-only run, which raised more than £1.5m in Essex for Cancer Research UK last year, will set off at North Weald Airfield on July 3.

Entrants are encouraged to wear pink for the event, which will take place at more than 230 venues across the country, and can choose to walk, jog, or run over a 5km or 10km route.

Gill Burgess, Cancer Research UK's Essex events manager, said: "There are over 200 cancers and we won't give up until we find cures for them all."

The charity worker added: "We are very grateful to everyone who took part last year and in the past. Thanks to them Cancer Research UK has been able to make progress against many forms of the disease. But the battle against cancer never stops and for this reason we need everyone to return in 2013 and bring new recruits with them."

This year, organisers are looking for 21,800 women across the county to take part.

Race for Life is suitable for women of all shapes, sizes, ages and levels of fitness and is described as "non-competitive".

Entry costs £14.99 for adults and £10 for girls under 16.

To enter Essex Race for Life visit www.raceforlife.org or call 0845 600 6050.

A PET pygmy goat called Bella, who was separated from her owners for more than week after being stolen, is set to become the star of a new mobile urban farm.

Twenty-month-old Bella will be appearing alongside her best friend Holly, a miniature horse, as the main attractions at Warescot Farm, a mobile petting zoo organised and run by neighbours Emma Skinner and Helen Bruce.

The farm is designed to fit in with primary and pre-school nursery syllabuses and will also feature Velvet, a former racehorse, pigs, hens, ducks, a pheasant, hedgehogs, turkeys, geese, a royal python and a leopard gecko.

Most of the animals will come from rescue centres while the turkeys, geese and pigs raised by Emma at her smallholding in Warescot Road, Brentwood, will eventually be sent for slaughter.

Emma, 34, a mother to Isabelle, Jack and Leo, said: "We want to be able to teach youngsters how to care for animals properly and have an appreciation of the British countryside – which is where the hedgehogs, owls and pheasants come in – but we also want to show children where food comes from.

"Lots of children can see animals but we want them to be able to touch them and handle them and get up and close with them.

"It always amazes me how many kids don't know where eggs come from, for example.

"At the end of the day, we want the farm to be educational and to give children a respect for wildlife."

Emma, a nutritionist who used to work in the Education Centre of Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, is often seen taking Holly out for a walk around Brentwood High Street.

She has already raised two Gloucester Old Spots (a breed of pig) in her garden for the table.

The farm will be available for parties, groups and public events.

She said: "To be honest, it's an idea that I've had for some time but when Bella got stolen we thought the whole plan had been thrown in the air.

"Then, after we had a spate of burglaries in the road, we were going to give the whole thing up, but now it's all calmed down and we are OK to carry on."

For more information, call 01277 216 205 or visit http://warescotfarm.co.uk

WAITING for the green light, specialist officers in riot gear sat in marked police cars on a quiet street, half a mile from their target. Then, at precisely 5pm on January 2, the convoy wound its way through the streets of Chelmsford, to make an unwelcome entry at two homes where cannabis was suspected of being grown.

An hour earlier, at the Special Operations Division in Boreham, the team had been briefed by PC Jim Allen.

Officers from the Operational Support Group, intelligence-led police trained to deal with public order offences and drugs searches, the Force Support Unit, which deals with firearms and building entry, and the Dogs Unit, were given background information on the raid.

Before the raid, Sergeant Lee Devall said: "We receive intelligence from a variety of sources and today was set up by the Serious Crime Directorate, who have the overview of drugs intelligence. They have set today up as part of a series of raids.

"We are trained to do it and are the best placed people to get the results they want."

As the first cars pulled up outside the addresses in Ockleford Avenue and Shelley Road, FSU officers equipped with stun guns leapt out to lead the way in.

A dozen police officers storming the property from the front and back, and the objections of the occupants, attracted a gaggle of neighbours in Ockleford Avenue.

"What's going on?" shouted some, while others stood on the pavement, watching from a distance with their dogs, or peered out of windows.

Despite a thorough search of both properties by officers and Bobby the sniffer dog, neither address was found to be cultivating cannabis. A disappointing outcome for the officers.

"You win some, you lose some" said Sgt Devall.

He added: "The good thing is that if people give information about drugs, everyone can see we are doing something about it.

"It has an impact on the community and that alone puts people off doing it."

THE woman hit by a rampaging deer in Chelmsford High Street wants to thank the people who came to her aid.

Jenny Lang, 24, suffered a fractured skull, a torn ear, two black eyes and required stitches in her lip after being knocked to the pavement on Sunday, December 30.

Miss Lang, of St John's Road, Chelmsford, was on her way to Caffe Nero as the wild red deer dashed from New London Road into High Street.

"To be honest I didn't even know the deer hit me," she said. "I was just walking past High Chelmer shopping centre and was in the pedestrianised bit when I was hit twice from behind.

"I thought it was a car or something and lots of people started coming over to help.

"It hit my shoulder and it kind of pushed me down – apparently it tried to jump me but I didn't have time to put my hands out," said Miss Lang, who works in Chelmsford on a Marks & Spencer graduate scheme.

By chance, an off-duty nurse, a paramedic and a doctor were all nearby and rushed to help.

The medics, none of whom knew one another, made sure Miss Lang was in a stable condition and reassured her as she lay on the ground waiting for an ambulance.

"I was definitely in shock and I was quite upset and cold," said Miss Lang.

"I really wanted to thank the people who were off duty.

"The nurse held my hand and was trying to keep me calm, while the doctor and the paramedic stabilised me.

"Because I was on my own they really took care of me.

"It would have been a lot worse without them."

Miss Lang has now been signed off work for three weeks after being kept in Broomfield Hospital for 48 hours.

"I'm never ill or injured and talking about it at the hospital it felt a little bit surreal," she said.

Police said the deer was briefly spotted on CCTV before calls started coming in from motorists claiming a deer was on the northbound carriageway of the A12.

A police spokesman said a search was made and roadblocks set up, but there were not any further sightings of the animal.

It was still unknown as the Chronicle went to press where the animal had come from, or where it ended up.

Miss Lang said: "If I had just decided to go to Costa I would have been fine."

BILLERICAY trampolinist Joshua Newman believes the Australian Youth Olympic Festival provides him with the perfect platform to prove Britain's worth in the sport as the road to Rio 2016 begins.

Britain failed to qualify a male athlete for the trampolining competition at the London 2012 Olympics with Kat Driscoll the only representative in the women's – something Newman wants to change.

The 14-year-old is brimming with confidence after surprising even himself to qualify for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, which starts on January 16 in Sydney.

Newman, of Brentwood Trampoline Club, is no stranger to representing Britain after appearances in Germany and Bulgaria in 2012, but admits it can be overwhelming with so much at stake.

But featuring at a multi-sport event for the first time Down Under, Newman wants to come home a more experienced athlete – something that will only benefit him in the future.

"I can't wait for the trip now and I am just so excited to get out there. We didn't really know a great deal about the competition and I perhaps felt it was a little bit out of my reach," said Newman.

"But when I hit the scores it was fantastic and an amazing achievement for me to even get selected. It was two scores over two competitions that you had to get to qualify and I managed to do that.

"I represented Britain at the German Youth Match and the Sofia Cup in Bulgaria. It was really fun and you can stress a bit but you have to be able to deal with it.

"It is another experience for me and I am going there to do my best and learn from it all because I want to go to an Olympic Games myself.

"We had Kat Driscoll in London but we didn't have any men because they didn't qualify but I want to fill that gap and make sure next time we do have a male representative."

Newman will be just one member of Team GB's 120-strong squad travelling Down Under to compete against 1700 athletes from 30 different countries in 17 different sports across five days of competition.

And, admitting all he can think about is his dream of becoming a fully-fledged Olympian, the Billericay School pupil just wants to perform to the best of his ability.

"All I think about is getting to the actual Olympic Games so this is a great step for me and will give me a feel for what it might be like one day," he added.

"I want to be able to get to the final and achieve what I know I am capable of and if I do that, I will be happy. I want to show male trampolining has an exciting future."

The British Olympic Association prepares and leads British athletes at the summer, winter and youth Olympic Games. It works in partnership with sport National Governing Bodies to enhance Olympic success and is responsible for championing the Olympic values. www.olympics.org.uk

TOURING the world and dancing on stage with one of the globe's top Michael Jackson tribute acts is a daunting task – and one that a once overweight Billericay resident never imagined he'd be part of.

At Christmas 2011, Steven Briggs, an assistant manager in a phone shop, weighed 20st 4lb, was self-conscious and didn't like going out in public.

Yet just eight months later, he had lost 7st 7lb and now regularly moonwalks in front of big crowds.

He started to gain weight rapidly following a painful seven year battle with a cancer diagnosed when he was just 18.

Mr Briggs, 34, of Chantry Way, told the Gazette: "I was in a lot of pain so I had to put sport on the back burner.

"Then I just started to think 'I've lost out on a couple of years' and the good living started, going out every night after work and things like that.

"Around that time size wasn't an issue, I just got on with it, but with the take away meals after work and the alcohol, the weight just piled on."

After living like this for years, those close to Mr Briggs became concerned for him and advised him to try to lose some weight.

It was then that he joined a colleague who attended the Slimming World group in Billericay.

Mr Briggs said: "Something just clicked and I went along to a meeting for moral support.

"In the first week I lost 11lbs and in the second, which was Christmas week, I lost 6 and a half pounds and I thought something is working."

Mr Briggs is good friends with Navi, a world renowned Michael Jackson tribute act and, after a period of his weight loss, an opportunity arose to join him.

"During one of Navi's shows I went up for a dance competition and after he asked whether I would like to join the shows," he said.

As a result, Mr Briggs, a keen Michael Jackson fan himself, has danced all over the world.

He said: " One of my first shows was in Lebanon, which was amazing.

"It's somewhere that I would never have gone on holiday so that was a really good experience.

"I still have a day job but whenever Navi's shows come up and when I'm needed and I can do it I'll join in.

"It's really enjoyable."

Mr Briggs added: "To be able to get up on a stage and dance in front of hundreds of people is something I would have not been able to do before.

"The size I was before there is no way I would have had the opportunities that I've had recently.

"One of the major things is that I've literally had to change my entire wardrobe, I've gone from a 44 inch waist down to a 32.

"I've had to get used to my own appearance again and that's been quite a long process."

For more information about Slimming World in Billericay, call Suzanne on 07967 609257 or visit www.slimmingworld.com.

"WELL, what are you doing, my man?"

A voice boomed from above Stephen Bunce. Slyly Bunce looked up and saw a gentleman seated on a handsome horse, then suddenly he threw himself to the ground and lay there, apparently listening to something that came from within the earth itself.

The gentleman was amazed and moved closer to the recumbent figure. There seemed to be no reaction. "Answer me, you fool!"

"Shh…!"

"What is it? What are you hearing?"

A blissful expression came over Stephen Bunce's face. "Fairies. I can hear fairies. It's the most beautiful sound I ever heard. Such sweet music!"

Well in our day and age we would expect nothing but laughter from the gentleman, but this was 1707 and in 1707 people in Essex believed in house elves, imps and fairies of all sorts. The gentleman wanted to know more. He could not resist it. He dismounted from his horse and gave Bunce his horse to hold, while he put his own ear to the ground. Of course there was nothing!

Nothing, that is, except the sound of the thump of horse's hooves galloping away. Bunce was riding the gentleman's horse to Romford.

A highwayman always knows a fine horse when he sees one. So for that matter does an innkeeper. The landlord of the inn where Bunce stopped recognised the black stallion as soon as he saw it. "That's Mr. Bartlett's horse."

"So it is, so it is. Mr Bartlett has asked me to offer him as a pledge for he's asking you kindly, sir, if you could lend him 15 guineas. It's a little matter of a debt of honour at Ingatestone, you understand."

The landlord understood quickly enough. Mr Bartlett was a notorious gambler. The horse was a good bargain in the circumstances and he handed over 15 guineas in a leather bag to Bunce without a protest.

The highwayman, for a moment, had trouble keeping his face straight but he marched away happily with his loot. It was as well he was not there when Mr Bartlett finally arrived at the inn. Sadly we have no record of what he said when the innkeeper told him: "There was no need to have left the horse. I would have lent you the money anyway…"

ONE of the most famous ghosts in Essex was that of a man nicknamed Spider, who worked as an ostler at a pub called The Bear at Stock.

As usual, it's James Wentwoth Day who gives the most vivid picture of the man.

"'A tiny little man in dirty white breeches, a faded pink hunting coat, black velvet hunting cap, boots and stock.

"He was steady as a hanging judge after 14 pints of beer, lousy as a hedge pig and swore like a Crimean trooper."

His real name was Charlie Marshall.

He had no home or family and lived in the stables at the pub with the stable cat as his bed warmer.

He became well known in the area for his party trick which was to climb up the chimney in the tap room; then covered in soot he would reappear down the chimney of the bar parlour.

He would get a few coppers or a free pint of beer for his trouble. Sometimes, out of a sense of mischief, he would take his time to reappear and he would stay until the pub's customers lit a bunch of straw and smoked him out.

His hiding place was probably a bacon loft straddling the two chimneys.

Sadly the joke went too far one Christmas Eve.

He did not seem to want to come down at all.

A bunch of rowdy customers tried to get him down by lighting logs.

He never came. He was suffocated to death.

No body was found.

Later they tried to find that bacon loft.

They pushed a long pole in to test its depth, only to find a large crack appearing. Panic!

The crack was quickly cemented over in case the building collapsed!

It didn't, but his presence was still there.

Many people since have claimed to have caught a glimpse of a ghostly figure in boots and white breeches, still teasing his tormentors.

SNOW fell across the county this week and temperatures plunged, but Essex managed to escape the worst of the winter weather.

Residents woke on Monday morning to icy windscreens and council gritters out in full force as the forecast snow arrived across the county.

Further snowfall in the afternoon and into Tuesday prompted concerns on the roads but, in contrast to the chaos just two months ago, the council's 60-strong fleet of lorries were deployed well in advance.

County councillor Derrick Louis, cabinet member for highways and transportation, said: "Our gritters have been doing a great job over the past few days, making sure our road network is kept moving.

"I advise residents to continue to travel with extra caution, especially on untreated side roads and pavements.

"We are continuing to monitor weather forecasts, and decisions on further gritting runs will be taken as required."

The public can even keep up to speed with the Essex Highways gritting lorries online on a new live tracking system at www.essex.gov.uk/highways.

Meanwhile, Essex Police have warned motorists to check their vehicles ready for bad weather.

They urged drivers to make sure that antifreeze is topped up, the wiper blades are working efficiently and tyres and tyre pressure are checked.

But the county has so far managed to avoid the full force of the snow, whereas Suffolk and Norfolk suffered hazardous driving conditions and some roads were brought to a complete standstill.

There were some delays on the trains in Essex .

Looking to the next few days, temperatures are forecast to remain low but with the chance of sunny spells on Thursday and Friday.

More snow is predicted for Essex over the weekend.

ON SATURDAY thousands of people were shipped out to Shenfield station from Liverpool Street because of a signalling failure, and myself and my fellow Chelmsford City Councillor Mark Springett were caught up in the chaos.

We were appalled at the health and safety risks, with staff ill-equipped to cope with such a huge influx of people with nowhere to put them, nor any information about onward services to various destinations.

Ironically, we had just attended a course in central London (Facebook HQ) extolling the virtues of digital media as a form of communication, in particular, the benefits of Twitter, Facebook and blogs.

When we reached Liverpool Street there were no trains leaving and a message about a signal failure between Seven Kings and Romford.

We went and had a coffee to look at our options, i.e. the website and Twitter account for Greater Anglia, the train operator, and there was no information at all.

When we went back to the station we were told a train would be leaving in 15 minutes to Shenfield and to change there for Chelmsford.

At this point we had been contemplating going by Underground to Epping and finding our way from there, but we jumped on the train which, over the course of 15 minutes, became full.

At each station, the situation became more dangerous as people were packed on like sardines and tempers started to fray.

The lady next to me then had a panic attack through claustrophobia, and I managed to distract her enough to calm her down, and a relative found their way close enough to at least hold her hand.

After an hour on the train, we stopped just outside Shenfield station and were told the platform was too overcrowded to let us off. At this point messages on Twitter were coming through with people's concerns for safety and the lack of information for passengers.

When we eventually got off the train it took 25 minutes to get off the platform, which was a serious health and safety risk. People on the edge of the platform were completely reliant on the calm of others, as they could so easily have toppled onto the track if anyone had pushed through.

At this point there was one visible member of staff who had no information about ongoing services, just that everyone needed to go onto Platform 2. Anyone who has young, elderly, disabled or vulnerable relatives or friends must have been terrified at this situation, and I am just thankful that there were no serious injuries, or worse.

There was no sign of any emergency planning, and at this point, I feel the police should have been involved in crowd control. From this point, we left the station to get a lift to Chelmsford, but met some people outside the station who were visibly shaken by the experience.

The staff at Shenfield were completely overwhelmed as so many people were just herded there to get them out of Liverpool Street. There was complete lack of communication to them by Greater Anglia and, indeed, to passengers.

Had we known of the chaos ensuing at Shenfield, we, and many others would have made the informed decision to take a different route, but with the complete lack of information the situation was compounded.

I sincerely hope Greater Anglia listen to rail-users' concerns to ensure this situation doesn't happen again. As a priority, the improvements to the rail service need to include better communication to passengers.

Linda Mascot

Councillor

Goat Hall Ward

Chelmsford City Council