"HE was my John. Nothing spectacular, just a very good man."

These are the words of Brenda Elliott, who lost her husband to cancer aged 76 on February 9.

An "honest" and "hard-working" grandfather from Kelvedon Hatch, Mr Elliott played a part in building the M11 and Heathrow Airport's terminal three.

He was the skipper of Fyfield Cricket Club and also played football for his village team.

Mr Elliott was born into a Fyfield farming family on September 9, 1936.

He grew up on Clarke's Farm in Dunmow Road, before moving to Wood End Farm in Abbess Roding, where he ploughed fields and scattered seeds until the 1960s.

He stayed in agriculture for a few more years before he took up a job building roads across the country.

Working for various construction firms, Mr Elliott travelled the nation building motorways and A roads. Before retiring in 2002, he also worked at landfill sites.

The sports-mad former Essex County Cricket Club member met "his girl" Brenda in 1963 at The Bull pub in Fyfield, which was then run by her parents.

The happy couple tied the knot three years later and soon after she bore him three children.

Mrs Elliott, 76, said her husband was never one to complain about anything and he was always happy and content with his lot.

"He was just a happy man. You never heard him moan about anything, he was just content.

"Before he died, my son David bought him a digital picture frame and we had old pictures put on it – it was a Christmas present.

"He sat looked at this and he had tears in his eyes and he said to me 'you know what, girl? We have had a bloody good life really."

She added: "I had lots and lots of cards and most of them said what a lovely man he was.

"He was just John to me – nothing spectacular – he just did the best he could with what was handed to him."

Mrs Elliott said that, a few weeks after his death, she is still coming to terms with his passing.

She said: "It doesn't really hit home for quite a long while, it's only just over a month and you still sort of turn around and speak to someone even though they are not there, it's a funny feeling and difficult to explain."

The couple's eldest daughter, Jacqueline, 46, also paid tribute to her dad.

She said: "He was an all-round good bloke, very reliable, and you knew that if you went to him for some advice, he would give it to you straight."

In November 2011, Mr Elliott was diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite courses of chemotherapy, he died at home on February 9.

He leaves behind his wife, his children Jacqueline, Anne, 43 and David, 40, and grandchildren Sarah, 15, Daniel, 13, Deanna, 13, and James, 10.

"DANGEROUS" driving and parking around two Billericay schools has sparked the launch of a community campaign involving teachers, parents, pupils and the police.

Buttsbury Junior School, in Norsey View Drive, and Buttsbury Infant School, Perry Street, have joined forces to combat irresponsible driving on three streets – Norsey View Drive, Perry Street and Trafalgar Way.

Parents, staff and residents living near the schools have become increasingly concerned for pupils' safety, not to mention agitated by the behaviour of some drivers.

Mums and dads dropping off their children in the morning and collecting them in the afternoon have been blamed for causing havoc on the roads.

Some drivers stop on yellow lines, others pull out without indicating and others have even been spotted parking in disabled bays without a permit.

There have also been several reports of drivers pulling up on yellow zigzag lines where they are not permitted to stop and leaving their cars by crossings.

Buttsbury Junior School's head teacher Ann Robinson said: "I took over as head in January and I was soon aware of the problem, which clearly has been an issue for many years.

"I had a number of complaints about the parking situation and saw it first-hand.

"It's quite ridiculous when parents are the offenders – they are supposed to be showing the children a good example, not putting them in danger."

Mrs Robinson, who is responsible for 491 pupils, added: "They also park on the pavements and block people's drives – if an ambulance needed to access one of these houses the consequences could be serious."

Buttsbury Infant School has 362 pupils, which means that 853 pupils have to cross these roads each day.

On February 25, a meeting was held and a working party was formed to tackle the problem.

Among those involved were staff, parents and pupils from both schools, Reverend Warner Pidgeon, of Christ Church in Perry Street, and Police Community Support Officer Lauren Bryant.

The meeting established a plan of action to improve the safety of the roads.

The campaign group has since sent out a newsletter which encourages car sharing and driveway renting to reduce traffic volumes.

The working party also launched a 'name and shame' system, where offending drivers will be photographed and their photos will be sent PCSO Bryant.

The children will also design posters with the help of PCSO Bryant, who is part of the Billericay West Neighbourhood Policing Team.

One parent who has been heavily involved in the scheme is Leigh Anne Wiles, of Perry Street.

Mrs Wiles, 40, a mum to Oliver, 5, and Isabelle, 8, said: "I wanted to get involved for the safety of the children.

"Children can't see when they are crossing the road because of cars blocking their view.

"We want people to be aware that our work is for the benefit of the children.

"I understand people are very busy and don't have much time but their children's safety is the most important thing."

Mrs Wiles added that Mr Pigeon had offered free parking in the church car park for parents dropping off their children.

A GRANDMOTHER had nothing to laugh about after breaking her funny bone and having to wait 90 minutes for an ambulance.

Pauline Randall, 61, slipped on The Walk, the path that runs between the High Street and Waitrose car park, at around 5.45pm on Thursday.

She fell with all of her weight on her right arm and could not get back up.

Mrs Randall, of Scrub Rise, did not have her mobile phone on her and so cried out for help.

Luckily, two men working at Darwin Recruitment, in the High Street, heard her calls and came to her aid.

The grandmother-of-two, who suffers from high blood pressure, said: "I knew I had hurt myself badly and there was no one about – I called out and a couple of young chaps came out of their office.

"They wanted to get me up off the floor but I knew it would do more damage.

"I remembered my husband's mobile number and they called him for me from their phone.

"They knew I needed an ambulance as it was so painful I couldn't move – I was screaming in pain."

Mrs Randall's husband arrived in 10 minutes and by this point the men had managed to put some magazines under her to make her more comfortable on the wet ground. They supported her head and spoke to her to try to distract her from the pain.

Mrs Randall said: "I waited and waited and we kept phoning the ambulance but it went on and on and I was in so much pain.

"I heard one ambulance come past and then another – each time I thought it was for me.

"I waited for 90 minutes until help finally arrived."

When an ambulance did reach her, Mrs Randall was given gas and air and it took half an hour to get her stabilised in the ambulance.

She was taken to Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital where she was told her humerus was broken in three places.

Mrs Randall left hospital at 11pm with her arm in a sling.

Her husband David, 64, said: "It was very distressing to hear her cries of pain and being unable to do anything.

"We were afraid to move her in case we did more damage, we just needed expert assistance.

"Thank goodness for the community-minded action of the staff from Darwin who went to great lengths of discomfort themselves to help make her comfortable.

"The police told me they had to wait two hours for an ambulance earlier in the week when someone had been knocked over by a car.

"I am concerned, not only by the service but with the damage to morale this inflicts on frontline staff. Emergency services should be the last to suffer budget cuts."

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said they could not find a record of an ambulance being dispatched to that location on that day.

PUPILS from a Billericay school were taught how to help save lives when they spent a day in the life of a paramedic.

Downham C of E Primary School welcomed AST ambulance training academy to teach the children the importance of first aid.

The day of training at the school in Church Road, Ramsden Heath, included learning more complex techniques such as CPR, the recovery position and spotting the signs of a heart attack as well as simply how to call for an ambulance.

The whole school had the opportunity to visit the ambulance which was parked in the grounds during the day and they were given the opportunity to learn the typical role of a paramedic. 36 children from year 6 were also given basic first aid training.

Head teacher Sue Crace, spoke about the day, saying: "As part of our citizenship, personal, social and health education we consider these to be very important life skills that the children may be able to use in the future to save a life."

"The sessions were very well planned, just at the right level for the children.

"The staff learnt lots too."

She added that the workshop gave a healthy balance of fun and learning for the pupils and staff, providing a successful day of training last month at the school.

A GROUP of Year 12 students from Brentwood County High School took to Shenfield Common to help make Brentwood a cleaner, greener borough.

The 22 school pupils, teachers, councillors and council Streetscene staff planted two new chestnut trees, cleared vegetation from a woodland pond, prepared an insect habitat and put up an owl box – all as part of the Countryside Awareness project.

The students enjoyed the morning's work on Tuesday, March 5, which followed on from the previous week's litter awareness presentation and litter pick with Year 7 pupils from the same school.

Councillor Tony Sleep, chairman of Brentwood Borough Council's environmental panel, said: "It was great to be working alongside these enthusiastic young people helping make the environment of Brentwood better.

"I am pleased that this first project in our joint environmental work with a school has worked so well and I look forward to many more."

The group was also accompanied by officers that run the Countryside Volunteers Group every Wednesday morning between 10am to 3pm.

This group of volunteers works on valuable community projects throughout the borough and are always hoping to recruit new volunteers who enjoy working outside on conservation projects.

Anyone who is interested in becoming a volunteer can e-mail tracey.lynch@brentwood.gov.uk

A BRENTWOOD boy has won a special award at Crufts for the loving care he gave his dog.

Four-year-old Nicholas Skidmore was handed the Young Kennel Club's Shaun McAlpine Outstanding Young Person Award last Sunday, March 3.

He is the youngest winner of the award in its 25-year history.

Nicholas, a pupil at St Helen's Catholic Infant School, Sawyers Hall Lane, entered the Young Kennel Club Ring at the final day of the Crufts dog show at the Birmingham NEC.

He was up against 22 other young people up to the age of 24.

All those shortlisted were chosen for their passion and dedication in either training, helping or working with dogs.

Nicholas was nominated following the death of his German Shepherd Wolfey, who was well-known around the town for his canine modelling.

As Wolfey grew older, Nicholas was especially responsible in caring for his pet.

Nicholas' mother, Joanna Skidmore, said: "We lost our dog last year to a spinal condition – he had to be put to sleep and it was heart-breaking.

"Nicholas and Wolfey had a great relationship. Wolfey was amazing with Nicholas and kept an eye on him as a baby.

"He was really responsible with Wolfey as he got older; he was aware of the need to be calm and gentle as he was less active. He would make sure Wolfey was happy by fetching him toys and helped with grooming to keep him comfortable."

Mrs Skidmore explained that when Wolfey died James was very brave.

She said: "He asked lots of questions which helped him to understand what had happened. He now openly talks about Wolfey but knows sadly he passed away.

"Nicholas remembers the happy times and included Wolfey in his animal project at nursery and showed his friends. When meeting other dog owners, Nicholas shows a great sense of pride to tell them about Wolfey and the fun they shared together."

Ed and Cindy McAlpine have presented the Shaun McAlpine Trophy and awards at Crufts in memory of their son Shaun, who was killed in a road accident two weeks after his 22nd birthday in November 1984. The trophy is awarded annually to encourage young dog lovers to become more involved in dog activities, as Shaun himself was a successful dog handler.

On the day of the competition Nicholas took a family friend's dog, named Gismo, who is a four-year-old Jack Russell, into the ring. Gismo is a canine actor and appears in the Harveys Furniture television advert.

Mrs Skidmore added: "Nicholas was very excited and won a rosette, award and goodie bag."

THE number of advertising boards and stands and seating on the streets of Havering will be cut.

Havering Council is bringing in a new policy which it says will help to keep the pavements clear of excess street furniture.

The authority says that many residents have complained about the amount of street clutter on the grounds that it can cause problems for people who are in wheelchairs or those who have prams.

Under the council's new policy, controls and charges will be introduced to minimise the number of boards and stands that can be put out on the street.

The draft of the so-called Street Trading Policy will be subject to a two-month consultation period, during which all residents and traders can comment via a questionnaire.

The council says that all comments will be "carefully considered" before the final policy is agreed.

The questionnaire, which can be completed online or on paper, features 11 questions which relate to the draft policy, regulations and fees.

It can be completed up until April 28.

Councillor Geoff Starns, cabinet member for community safety at Havering Council, said: "While we support businesses in Havering, our high streets can be very busy and we need to make sure that the streets are clear enough for people to use.

"It is really important that we get this right and that is why it is important that visitors, residents and traders all take part so that we can get a balanced view of this new policy."

To complete the questionnaire online, visit www.havering.gov.uk/streettrading.

For more information, or to obtain a hard copy of the draft policy and the questionnaire, call 01708 432777 or e-mail licensing@havering.gov.uk

A FORMER Brentwood School boy has been appointed the new chief executive of Manchester United.

Ed Woodward will have overall responsibility for the club, including player transfers and its £160 million salary bill. Last year's revenue was £320 million.

Mr Woodward, who attended Brentwood School from 1983 to 1990, has been at Old Trafford for eight years and will take over from Manchester United chief executive David Gill in the summer.

A former investment banker, the 40-year-old said he had very fond memories of his time at Brentwood and was still in contact with many of his old school friends.

While at Brentwood he crossed paths with the school's other notable footballing hero – Frank Lampard – who attended the school between 1985 and 1995.

"I made lifelong friendships with grounded individuals," he explained.

"Being friends still with so many people from school is a great testament to Brentwood.

"My favourite teacher was Mr Little who taught English."

He will retain the title of executive vice-chairman but will take over David Gill's duties from July 1.

"This appointment is a great honour," he said. "Manchester United is a glorious football club.

"We have wonderfully loyal fans, a deeply rich history and tradition but also aren't afraid to lead and to innovate.

"I am particularly humbled to have the chance to work alongside the greatest manager in the history of the game.

"Alex's experience and track record are incomparable and I look forward to having the opportunity to support him in shaping his squad in the future and maintaining the club's position at the pinnacle of the sport."

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed Mr Woodward's appointment, adding: "He is a young man with the energy and drive to help keep United at the forefront of the game and to help us maintain our success on the field.

"I'm looking forward to working with him and wish him all the best."

Headmaster Ian Davies said: "Ed's success is an inspiration to all Brentwood pupils. The School has acted as a springboard for yet another OB's amazing career."

BRENTWOOD'S Crown Street will be transformed with a multimillion-pound development of shops and flats – dubbed Towie Towers.

The plans put forward by Paul Mecklenburgh, father of Towie star Lucy, involve the demolition of the building at the corner of Hart Street and Crown Street and the construction of a three-storey building containing 14 flats and shops.

First revealed by the Gazette in December 2011, the proposal was rejected by the borough council's planning development control and licensing committee in July last year after members decided it would be too large.

That application was for a four-storey block of 17 flats plus ground-floor shops and food outlets.

However, at last week's planning meeting, councillors voted to give the go-ahead to the revised plan.

For more than three years, the entrance to Crown Street has been marred by the former bike shop.

The shop continued to operate until 2006 but since then it has blighted the entrance to the cobbled street.

Lin Heath is one Crown Street trader who has welcomed the council's decision.

The owner of French Quarter said: "I'm very happy that it's been passed. It should be a vast improvement for this road. I think all the traders down here would agree with me.

"When shoppers look down Crown Street all they can see are lorries parked in the bay and the dilapidated remains of the building on the corner.

"Something has needed to be done there for years."

Nigel Clarke, who owns The Hair Company in Crown Street, said: "I think it's good. It's not as big as the original development.

"The way it is at the moment it's just an eyesore and in the current climate we are very lucky to have someone want to build it in the first place."

Ian Page, owner of the Crown Street Cafe, said: "It has been a complete eyesore for years. Developers have successfully built apartments on Hart Street.

It doesn't encourage shoppers to walk down Crown Street when there is an old bike shop rotting away on the corner.

"Crown Street has been the forgotten part of Brentwood and so all in all it has to be a good thing."

However, Corinne Nunn, who has run her nail studio in nearby Ropers Yard for the past eight years, is decidedly unhappy with the plans.

The owner of Nails At Studio 4 said: "We have not been notified of the plans whatsoever.

"It's good to have a development there but the size of it means all our natural light is going to be blocked out. And what about the dust and the noise?

People come in here to have relaxing experience – what sort of compensation are we going to get because of the disruption from the development?"

When asked if the council had consulted Nails At Studio 4, a spokesman replied: "The council always consults on planning applications with those affected, and in respect of the application you mention, we wrote to the address you give on December 7, 2012."

What do you think of this new development? E-mail editorial@ gazettenews.co.uk or write to Brentwood Gazette, 1st Floor, Kestrel House, Hedgerows Business Park, Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 5PF

A MAN from Romford has appeared in court alongside three others accused of running a teen prostitution ring.

Nabil Ahmed, 24, of Chadwell Heath Lane, denied six counts of rape, controlling and inciting child prostitution against three vulnerable teenage girls while they were living in a care home in east London.

Two girls were forced to work as prostitutes and one was repeatedly raped, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard on Friday. Another girl was raped and assaulted, it is alleged.

The accusations came to light following an investigation by the Met's trafficking and prostitution unit last December.

Prosecutor Bobbie Cheema said: "The Crown alleges that these defendants targeted a care home where there were vulnerable young girls aged over 16. Over time that led to sexual offending and child prostitution."

Naeem Ahmed is also charged along with Anas Iqbal, 25, from Newham Way, East Ham, with paying for the sexual services of a child. Both deny the charges.

Nabil Ahmed, 25, from Westminster Gardens, Barking, denies six counts of rape, while Hassan Raza, 23, also of Westminster Gardens, denies a single count of sexual assault.

They are next due to return to the court for a further hearing on April 12. The trial, listed for June 3, is expected to take four to eight weeks.

JOE MULLENDER is hungry for more after making it four wins from four at York Hall on Saturday.

The Brentwood middleweight won his latest professional bout after Latvian number one Jevgenijs Andrejevs did not come out for the fourth round.

It is the second time 'Smokin Joe' has stopped an opponent in his fledgling career, having turned pro in May last year.

"It's onwards and upwards for me now," said Mullender. "I want more fights with better opponents so I can really show just what I'm capable of."

Mullender was fighting at the famous venue on the undercard of two Southern Area title fights, and he was on the front foot from the very outset.

In what is fast becoming his trademark style he was always on the front foot, imposing himself on Andrejevs and defending his opponent's challenges well.

In the second round he was stronger still but had to contend with Andrejevs' tendency to hold, reducing the opportunity for Mullender to unleash the punches.

However, this was quickly quashed by the referee, allowing Mullender to unload his signature body blows.

By the third round, no-one was in any doubt as to who the better boxer was with Andrejevs showing signs of fatigue following relentless punches from Mullender.

Almost immediately after the fighters took to their corners at the end of the third round, Andrejevs' corner signalled that Latvia's top middleweight was unable to continue and Mullender was declared the winner.

"Fighting at York Hall always comes with added pressure as you're performing in front of true boxing fans who expect a good show and a high-quality fight," Mullender added.

"I was really looking forward to this fight as I knew Andrejevs was a good fighter and that's what I want, to come up against top-quality boxers who will challenge me.

"But from the first seconds of the first round I felt in control. I knew what I had to do and I knew I could win.

"Over the course of the three rounds it was just a case of keeping on him, wearing him down and I wasn't surprised that after the third round they called it a day."

AS THE wintry weather continues gritters will be heading out this evening across Essex from 7pm.

Wintry showers will continue tonight and are likely to lead to some accumulation of snow in places. There will be a widespread frost too.

Thursday will have sunny intervals with further wintry showers and hail with lows of 1C.

From Friday the weather should be warmer reaching highs of 8C with sunshine and showers.

BRAINTREE TOWN chairman Lee Harding has admitted the buffer of money earned in the FA Cup earlier this season has helped the club through a difficult period.

Having seen a number of games – particularly at home – called off, the Iron are facing fixture congestion, with 14 games to play in just five weeks, starting with Saturday's trip to Stockport.

And while the situation – which will see the Iron forced to play a number of games on Thursday nights as well as Saturday and Tuesday – is not ideal, Harding is keen for the club to soldier on through.

"It's just one of those things that happens occasionally," he said. "We've had some extraordinary weather and it's a matter of working our way around a through it. There's not a lot we can do, if the referee says the pitch is not playable, that's that.

"It's been the second wettest winter in 100 years and the end of the season has been brought forward by two weeks.

"A wet winter is going to give you fixture problems and knocking two weeks off the season is going to give you fixture problems, so the two of them together means clubs like us are going to be playing Saturday Tuesday Thursday Saturday. The issue for us is working our way round and through it."

The financial impact of losing Saturday games can be quite large, but with money in the bank from the cup run and a sensible attitude to budgeting, the Iron are still in good stead.

Harding added: "Earlier in the season we played Tranmere at home in the FA Cup and earned ourselves £110,000 out of that game, and that really has helped the club get through a difficult spell.

"Each season we do try and budget sensibly and you do always budget for a bit of fixture disruption.

"We've had more than our fair share this year but it's a winter sport so you have to be prepared for that.

"Games going from a Saturday to a Tuesday does always have an impact but we'll fight our way through it.

"We've got – hopefully – four home games coming up in eight days, so things will pick up."

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NEVER mind market town, Brentwood is fast becoming a supermarket town.

Sainsbury's dominate William Hunter Way, Tesco are popping up with convenience shops around the outskirts and now rumours are rife that Morrisons are planning a move into the High Street.

Surely we can find a spot for Asda.

The upshot of a retail giant moving into a town like Brentwood is that local independent traders will suffer.

With multimillion-pound marketing budgets at their disposal, they have us all believing that they sell everything cheaper.

Of course that's not true, but most consumers struggle to see past the supermarkets with their loyalty cards, celebrity TV ads and headline promotions.

CHARITY begins at home, they say, and Brentwood is certainly homely.

The Brentwood Half Marathon comes around again on March 24, and good people are queuing up to take part once again to raise cash for good causes.

A whole range of charities are set to benefit from the selfless efforts of participants in both the half marathon and fun run, and we suspect the race might be quite the spectacle once again, with many crazy costumes on show.

And of course this Friday it's Comic Relief and the folks of Brentwood are never shy when it comes to fundraising.

The Gazette hit the High Street on Friday to offer red noses to residents and we were overwhelmed, not just by the amount of people who donated, but the amount of cheer and good will.

It is heartwarming that so many people want to help when asked, and we believe Brentwood folk are at the top of the tree when it comes to supporting good causes.

STORIES about struggling rail firms seem to come in more regularly than the trains themselves.

Commuters who have been forced to stomachrising fares year after year for getting from Brentwood, Shenfield and Ingatestone to London will be miffed to hear that the firm behind Greater Anglia, Abellio, has won an award for its efforts.

Last month it was voted by service users as the second worst rail firm in the country and now they're getting a pat on the back.

That is while customers continue to suffer delays and cancellations.

Some can't a even get a seat after paying through the nose for a ticket.

Handing Greater Anglia "Train Operator of the Year" at the annual Rail Business Awards for 2012 for "punctuality, customer service and station improvements" is an insult to customers and makes a mockery of the awards themselves.

We thinkGreater Anglia might have done themselves a favour if they had refused the award, saying: "We're not interested in praise until the job of getting people safely to work on time is done."

Oh well, one can dream.