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THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
MARCH 2005
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS
DURING MARCH 2005 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON
BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.
A welcome change to retail trading in TB (Theydon Bois)
was the formal opening, by Eleanor Laing MP, of Theydon Security a new
business occupying the premises formerly used by the Market Garden greengrocers.
The owners Tim and Kate Penegar lived in the village and had been trading
for some five years on a mobile basis and from their first shop, "The
Lock Shop", in Walthamstow. They primarily provide a variety of locksmith
and security services but had taken the opportunity to also sell electrical
and hardware goods to fill the gap resulting from the closure of a village
hardware business several years ago.
Eighty pupils from years 5 and 6 of the TBCPS (Theydon
Bois County Primary School) recently staged a performance of the Amazing
Technicolor Dreamcoat before a large audience of relatives and friends.
This was a fund raising event in support of the Asian Tsunami Appeal for
which the school has now raised over £1,000. This money would be
forwarded to the village of Navanlady in Sri Lanka to help rebuild two
schools and an orphanage, which had been destroyed in the disaster.
Metronet which, operates the Central Line which serves
Theydon Bois, stated that more than £1b a year was now being invested
to improve standards and reliability in the system. Some 150 stations
were being modernised, 200 miles of track renewed and the production of
almost 240 new trains had commenced. Stations and trains were now cleaner
and graffiti had been eradicated from the trains.
The years were rolled back at the TBVH (Theydon Bois
Village Hall) when the Epping Branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution
held an old Time Music Hall in aid of this charity. Entitled "Chiefly
Yourselves" a group of Epping residents, using simple props, entertained
a full house with many of the old time songs which were popular around
the turn of the twentieth century. The Master of Ceremonies was Epping
Solicitor Peter Wells and the cast comprised Ann and Michael Blagden,
Barbara and Michael Lane, Sylvia Simms, Desmond Slade. Linda and Humphrey
Wheeler, and Leora Williams. Janet Cass (piano) and Daniel Andrews (drums)
provided the musical accompaniment. The evening was organised by the Branch
Committee led by Michael Hayter and the event raised over £900.
In mid March, the Arctic winds which had blown for
the last ten days finally decreased to allow the temperature to rise to
a more seasonable level of around 3 degrees centigrade. Sharp frosts prevailed
and some snow had fallen, albeit lightly and infrequently during this
time, except for the previous Friday (04 Mar 05) when an early morning
sharp blizzard caused problems for commuters and even laid on the pavements
in Central London. But spring arrived ahead of the equinox with bright
sunshine and warmth, which was almost a shock after several weeks of icy
winds and frost. But, once again, rainfall was light and already warnings
of summer water shortages were being forecast by the authorities, and
the advent of global warming meant that the coming summer could be hot.
Meanwhile birds were nesting and squirrels active, although hedgehogs
had still to put in an appearance and the call of the first cuckoo of
spring was awaited.
The funeral of William (Bill) George Best, a well-known
member of the local community, took place at St Mary's Church on 8th March.
The large congregation present heard Rev Canon Colin Travers tell of Bill's
long and loyal commitment to the local community and to the Church. Bill's
career as a police officer was described in a tribute paid by an ex Chief
Superintendent of the City of London Police and the standard of this Police
Force was draped over the coffin. A reception was afterwards held in the
Church Hall for family and friends, and Bill was cremated later that day
at the City of London Crematorium in Manor Park East London.
Two stalwarts of village trading, Pravin and Chamnpa
Keitya, who owned the Bookshop newsagents in Forest Road, retired from
the business after twelve years of providing a comprehensive and first
class service to the village. Originally an actual bookshop, the Keityas
transformed the business through sheer hard work, not least with early
morning and weekend newspaper commitments, into a thriving newsagents
selling many related items. Their experience in the trade extended to
over 22 years through similar business operations elsewhere eg. in Ilford.
In 2003, the business was upgraded to high street standards and became
a more integral part of the village. The Keityas would continue to live
in Theydon Bois but were taking a long awaited holiday in Florida together
with their two sons and, afterwards, were considering returning to trading
but on a lesser scale. Bipin and Mina Patel, who also run the Spar grocers
two doors away, have now acquired the Bookshop business.
The AND Technology Research software business in Forest
Road recently celebrated 25 years of business success in developing electronic
products. Founded in 1980 by managing director Val Thorn, the Company
provides electronic design, consultancy and prototyping services to manufacturing
companies in a wide range of industries. The Company also planned a future
open day, a project with local schools and a series of short technology
lectures.
Subsequent to an Epping inquest in February 2005 when
a verdict of accidental death was recorded on Samuel Berrill, 28, who
died in a motorcycle accident in the Abridge Road TB, the Three Valleys
Water Company was fined £1,700 for poor reinstatement of the road
surface. Police investigators had examined the point where Mr Berrill
had lost control of his motorcycle and found a three-inch drop in the
road where an excavation had been filled in. Twenty breaches of the New
Roads and Street Works Act 1991, not related to the accident, were also
found further along the Road and included poor road signs and lighting
and insufficiently protected excavations. A police spokesman said that
"In this crash, as with many others, there was more than contributory
factor and the substandard reinstatement (of the road) was just one of
these".
Led by Group Scout Leader Paul Vincent, the 1st Theydon
Bois Scout Group attended a recent church parade at the Theydon Bois Baptist
Church. Also present was the 1st Theydon Bois Girls Brigade led by Captain
Alison Saggers. During the service, the Rev David Penegar encouraged all
young people to think about their Potential, Peace and Prayer.
Pat Davies of Theydon Park Road, TB, was recently elected
President of the Essex Golf Union following a long sporting career in
golf. A member of Theydon Bois Golf Club for many years, he had served
on the Club Committee in several positions including Treasurer and then
Captain in the 1970s and again in 1997. He has also been involved with
cricket being appointed the accountant for the Essex Cricket Club in 1986
and then sitting on the executive committee of what is now the Essex Union.
He was also appointed Secretary of the Boy's Committee in 1996 and had
held other chairmanships at county level. As President of the Essex Golf
Union, he was keen to promote golf, with young people.
At the Annual Meeting of St Mary's Church the following
were elected to office:
Churchwardens - Carole Fenton and Robin Marsh, Deputy Churchwardens -
John Eaton, Liz Hannibal and Roy McClean.
The young children of the Theydon Bois Montessori Nursery
collected more than £200 for the national charity Comic Relief by
completing various activities. These included throwing a ball into a bucket,
walking over a balance beam and manoeuvring a tricycle around cones. Proprietor
Debbie Palmer said that the parents had been very supportive in sponsoring
the children, the event had been most enjoyable and could be repeated
in the future.
The controversy regarding the usefulness or otherwise
of speed cameras continued, especially that at the junction of Coppice
Row and Piercing Hill. Most offenders were caught speeding down the long
incline in Coppice Row which, apart from having a number of road hazards,
also displayed no less than eleven road warning signs before the camera
was reached.
"Sandcastles", the current production in
the TBVH staged by the Theydon Bois Drama Society was the usual success.
Set in a typical English resort, the play evolved around three beach huts
occupied by three different classes of society. Upper class William and
Margaret, played by Mike Rankin and Linda Hayball, were the annual occupants
of the first hut. Next door, and lower down the social scale, were second
hand car dealer Stan played by Martin Oliver, and other members of his
family played by Terese Greener and Xanthe Bearman. But the prime character
of this group was "mother", an elderly and belligerent lady
played by Betty Gilbert, who would not discard "a clout" despite
the warm weather. Simon Gilbert portrayed the wealthy fish and chip shop
owner who arrived with his two "nieces" to occupy the third
hut. The resulting discord and misunderstandings were classic English
comedy of the highest order, which kept the audience in an almost constant
state of mirth. Angie Becket-Franks was the director and an excellent
cast supported her.
More than 26,000 responses had been received by the
EERA (East of England Regional Assembly) regarding the proposed East of
England Plan for massive residential development in East Anglia which
included 11,000 homes in the Epping Forest District and, especially, a
new town of 6,000 homes on North Weald Airfield. It was estimated that
some 14,000 of these responses came from the Epping Forest District and
most objected to the Plan; the response form produced conjointly by the
TBPC (Theydon Bois Parish Council) and the TBRPS (Theydon Bois Rural Preservation
Society) was used extensively. Eleanor Laing MP commented that she knew
how strongly the people of this District felt about keeping the Green
Belt intact, and our little towns and villages safe and pleasant, because
of the many letters she had received on this matter. However, Leslie Jerman
of Coppice Row TB thought that more homes were needed and that the housing
shortage could be alleviated by allowing land in towns and villages to
be fully developed, and empty rooms over high street shops to be converted
into flats. And an EERA spokesman said that the Assembly would continue
to press the Government for further financial investment to ensure that
development (the Plan) would be supported by the provision of the necessary
infrastructure.
The long closed toilet block on the south of the village
green was finally demolished by the EFDC (Epping Forest District Council)
despite an approach by the TBPC to discuss its future. Some years previously,
the EFDC had requested the TBPC to take responsibility for this necessary
facility, but an impasse had resulted over the costs incurred, hence its
closure. TB had a history of hospitality for visitors going back to the
days of the Grays and Riggs Retreats when hundreds of "day trippers"
flocked to the village by train and horse drawn vehicle, especially in
the summer months. Even now limited numbers still came to enjoy the pleasures
of sitting on the green and walking around the village, so the need for
a public toilet remained. Today, parties of visitors especially children
have to use the TBVH toilet facilities it these are available, a most
unsatisfactory arrangement.
The well intended proposal by the TBPC to construct
a hard play area on the site of the toilet block, at the south of the
village green, were thwarted by the Epping Forest Conservators who refused
permission for the use of this site; the Green is part of Epping Forest
for which the Conservators are responsible. This project would have catered
not only for village youth, who were "homeless" following closure
of the village youth facility in Loughton Lane, but would also have provided
a small sports area for villagers generally. This was an undeserved set
back for the TBPC who, despite adverse criticism, had tried to cater for
a small and sometimes vociferous group of young people who demanded "skateboard"
and other facilities. The TBVH car park and surrounds, especially the
steps, had suffered from unauthorised "skateboarding" and from
the misbehaviour of young people in this area; villagers had also complained
of hooligans around the proposed site on the Green and this may have influenced
the Conservators in their decision. Nevertheless, the TBPC were continuing
to seek another location.
During March, the following entries were recorded in
the registers of St Mary's Church:
Marriages
19 03 05 Leigh Perryment and Tina Bechtel
Baptisms
20 03 05 Lara Bialowas
Funerals
07 03 05 William Best 21 03 05 Charles Ridley
22 03 05 Stan Guttridge 24 03 05 Stuart Ballard
29 03 05 Irene Tigar
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THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
FEBRUARY 2005
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING FEBRUARY
2005 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON BOIS LOCAL
HISTORY RECORDER.
In his continuing campaign to encourage the greater use of the TB
(Theydon Bois) shops, Lesley Jerman of Coppice Row appeared to overstep
the mark by criticising local resident Eleanor Laing, the MP for Epping
Forest, over this matter. In a comment in the local press Mrs Laing had
appealed to residents to shop locally but Lesley Jerman claimed that she
rarely did so herself. This resulted in a sharp riposte from a Valerie
Metcalfe of Loughton who said that that Mrs Laing, as a matter of principle
and over the last eight years, had made a point of shopping regularly
in the small shops of TB. However Lesley remained concerned about the
loss of trade in the village due to the TESCO Express outlet, which traded
from early morn to late night and provided a comprehensive range of goods.
The TBVH (Theydon Bois Village Hall) was packed to capacity for a
quiz night held by the Theydon Bois Friends of Cancer Research UK charity.
The questions were varied and mind stretching which required considerable
mental lubrication (from "bring your own drinks") and also much
needed break during which fish and chips (provided) were eagerly consumed.
The event generated over £1,100 for the charity bringing to a grand
total of £350,000, the amount raised by the Friends since its formation
in 1974.
On Shrove Tuesday the TBWI Theydon Bois Women's Institute) held its
annual "pancake coffee morning" in the TBVH with children from
the TBCPS (Theydon Bois County Primary School) invited to attend and take
part in a pancake tossing competition. This year 28 pupils aged between
5 and 6 years from Class 1RG were present together with School Governor
Mrs J Grant, Class Teacher Helena Boult and Classroom Volunteer Brian
Dougal. The children held their own competition and proved to be quite
expert, having possibly practised at home! The winners received a large
Easter Egg and all the other children, a smaller egg, as a reward for
their efforts. The Ladies competition then saw some pancakes deposited
on the floor and then, possibly discreetly spirited away. Members of the
"Singing and Hard of Hearing Club" were present and took part
in an Easter Bonnet competition with their creations, which would not
have shamed many a London West End fashion house. The youngsters then
left with their precious Easter Eggs while the adults finished the pancakes.
Martin Gwilym-Jones, violin, and Jason Ridgeway, piano, gave an entertaining
and professional recital of classical music in the TBVH at the first 2005
meeting of the TB Music Society. A large audience heard the pair play
a variety of music ranging from Four Fairy Tale Pieces by Schumann to
the Brahms Sonata No.1 in G major. This recital gave a good start to a
comprehensive programme of music planned for 2005.
The Indian Ocean Restaurant in Coppice Row was reopened by the TBPC
(Theydon Bois Parish Council) Chairman, John Eaton, following a major
refurbishment; the premises now included the adjacent former office of
Funeral Directors Chris Poulton, which was previously the florists "Fairytale
Flowers". During the function, £1,100 was raised for the Indian
Ocean Tsunami appeal.
The commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the controversial
bombing of the German City of Dresden, by the Royal Air Force during WW2,
brought back strong memories to Peter Twinn of Dukes Avenue TB who was
the rear gunner of a Lancaster bomber which took part in the raid. To
him the raid was little different from others except that the flight was
long, winter weather made the operation hazardous and little was known
about the German air defences. The city was almost totally destroyed and
there was an outcry against the raid because of the colossal number of
civilian casualties, the loss of that beautiful architecture of the city
and the mistaken belief that only Dresden china was manufactured there.
In fact the city was a strategic strong point intended to be held against
the advancing Russian armies and was also an armaments manufacturing centre.
Because of the adverse public reaction, and in a typical political strategy,
the British War Cabinet led by Winston Churchill distanced itself from
the furore and Bomber Command received a much undeserved bad reputation,
such that a campaign medal was never awarded to the heroes of that Command.
Peter hoped that the thousands of aircrew who died defending this country
in this way would now be remembered in a better light.
At a Valentine's social evening and dinner held by the Theydon Bois
Baptist Church, more than 60 members and friends who attended were served
Valentine heart shaped strawberry desserts prepared by Jenny Hall and
Val Penegar. Family entertainment after dinner, organised by Jeremy Walling,
comprised a karaoke competition and musical quiz. At the end of the evening,
the men received red chocolate hearts and the ladies were presented with
red posies.
The first Lent Lunch of the year, as provided by the Ladies of St
Mary's Church, was held in the Church Hall. The usual highly appetising
selection of soups was on the menu together with an equally mouth watering
variety of home made desserts followed by coffee, all for the inclusive
price of four pounds! A series of seven weekly lunches would be held until
Easter with the proceeds from each lunch supporting a particular charity.
The coming marriage of Prince Charles to his long-term partner Camilla
Parker-Bowles divided public opinion both nationally and in the village.
Some were pleased that their long-term relationship would be formalised
while others were unhappy because of a strong sense of loyalty to the
Prince's former wife Princess Diana, who was killed in a road crash. Local
resident Arthur Thorne thought that they should marry but that Prince
Charles should not become King. Another resident, Mary Snelling, opposed
the marriage because of the relationship of Prince Charles with Camilla
while he was still married to Princess Diana. Resident Beryl McLeod's
comment was that, if the marriage took place, Prince Charles would never
become King because the Queen would continue as monarch until Prince William,
Prince Charles's son, was old enough to succeed her.
At an Epping inquest, Coroner Caroline Beasely recorded the verdict
"death as the result of an accident" on Samuel Berrill of Woodford
who died on 6 Jun 04 when his Suzuki motorbike crashed on the Abridge
Road near Theydon Bois. A police officer said that, as the bike entered
a bend, it encountered a road repair and began fishtailing; it then crossed
the opposite lane and struck a pole before going onto the grass verge
and a wooden fence. A post mortem gave the cause of death as multiple
injuries; toxicology tests had found traces of ecstasy and cannabis in
Mr Berrill's blood.
The introduction of restricted parking was completed in Elizabeth
Drive, Buxton Road, Poplar Row and Slade End by the painting of yellow
lines on the road surface and the erection of signs banning parking for
one hour each day from Monday to Fridays. This measure was intended to
discourage commuter parking in these roads and was particularly effective
in Elizabeth Drive, which was part of a motoring "rat run "through
the village. As expected, parking increased in unrestricted roads especially
in Morgan Crescent, which had a particularly sharp bend, and Orchard Drive
where the TBCPS is situated. The implementation of these restrictions,
or otherwise, appeared to relate to the wishes of residents when previously
canvassed by the TBPC; those against the restrictions either wished to
park their vehicle(s) in the road or else liked visitors to park outside
their properties.
Peter Comber was the speaker at a meeting of the TB Baptist Church
Men's Forum. His subject was "mushrooms and toadstools", illustrated
by a series of photographic slides of a variety of these fungi growing
in various locations. He explained that their function was to break down
organic material and that they could be could be found anywhere in the
environment, even the home. Epping Forest contained many but he warned
that they could not be removed without authority because of the countryside
act. Despite fears to the contrary, some could be eaten but only with
expert knowledge as others contained deadly poison.
During the middle of the month, the cold weather of previous days
culminated in light fall of snow which dispersed during the day to leave
a wet surface which promptly froze when night fell; a subsequent snowfall
overnight produced treacherous and slippery conditions which made most
side roads hazardous. Coppice Row and Piercing Hill, the main routes through
the village were reasonably clear due to the continuing gritting by the
EFDC (Epping Forest District Council) who also used ice-dispersing chemical.
The emergence of the sun in mid morning quickly cleared the snow, which
resulted from cyclonic disturbances over the Arctic and Northern Europe
and strong winds from Eastern Europe and Siberia. This weather was expected
to continue for some subsequent days but its severity was limited by the
increasing strength of the sun, which had already brought daffodils into
bloom.
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PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
JANUARY 2005
THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY
IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS
DURING JANUARY 2005 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON
BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.
The Market Garden greengrocers in Forest Drive put up the shutters
after having experienced poor trading for some time. An undoubted factor
was the opening of the Tesco Express store just around the corner in Coppice
Row, which also sold fresh greengrocery in addition to other provisions.
However, the Quality and Excellence Family Butcher also in Forest Drive
was now stocking high quality fresh fruit, salads and vegetables plus
a free delivery service at weekends for purchases.
The TB (Theydon Bois) Baptist Church held a special New Year Tea for
the elderly and housebound of the village; one of the oldest present was
Charles Pratt, 98, who was well on the way to making his century. The
event commenced with a short service in the church, conducted by the pastor,
the Rev David Penegar. Tea was then served, this being organised by Pastoral
Leaders Pipps Rackham and Barbara Archbell. Together with St Mary's, the
Baptist Church continued to be a centre of activity within the village.
During the latter part of 2004, the Bull Pub in Station Approach had
deteriorated so much that it received a damming assessment in the local
press. Last December it was reopened by new managers, Steve and Sally
Allen, after general changes that brought it line with the popular image
of an English pub. It was now a "family pub" with fires to sit
by, home cooked food and, most important, a welcoming atmosphere. Sally,
had run pubs for many years including the Standard and the Hollybush both
in Loughton so the improvement was not unexpected.
During the Christmas and the New Year celebrations the postal service
had coped well with the millions of cards handled. But the efficiency
of the service was brought into question when all the postal collection
boxes (still known as Pillar Boxes) in the village were sealed so that
mail could not be posted. A general letter explained that the keys to
these boxes had been "lost" and that the nearest available collection
boxes were at Epping! The letter also promised that the village boxes
should be open again by the 14th of January but many residents wondered
what had happened to their mail which was posted before the keys had gone
missing!
Bob Smith of Abridge complained about an apparent confusion with the
"no parking" double yellow lines outside the Heights apartments
adjacent to Coppice Row. The lines ran directly across a layby, which
can accommodate several parked cars, instead of following the contour
of the kerb. Mr Smith parked within this layby but was given a parking
ticket by a traffic warden who claimed that parking there was not
allowed. It was assumed that the Warden had also booked vehicles parked
on the yellow lines outside the Tesco Express; illegal parking at this
store was an ongoing hazard, which impeded traffic flow in Coppice Row.
The appearance of a Traffic Warden, presumably to deal with the Tesco
parking problem, was a surprise to many villagers who hoped that a Warden's
presence would now be a regular occurrence in TB.
Another resident, Trevor Roberts, wrote to the local press about a
letter from an Epping resident who complained about the EFDC (Epping Forest
District Council) refusing a planning permission for celebrity Rod Stewart
to have floodlighting at the football pitch by his home on the Copped
hall Estate. Mr Roberts pointed out that, disregarding the matter of the
planning refusal, there remained the real problem of light pollution in
the area. Starlit skies were fast disappearing due to the increasing use
of domestic and industrial lighting, often of excessively high intensity.
The Council for the Preservation of Rural England had embarked on a national
campaign to alert the public to the loss of privacy now experienced by
many and the colossal waste of energy from finite sources, which could
have serious long term consequences. TB did not have street lighting as
a part of its rural environment but, in recent years, reflected illumination
from neighbouring built up areas eg. Loughton, Epping and the M25 motorway
was increasing such that total darkness no longer existed in the village.
A heartening sign was that its residents were conscious of this fact such
that objections to a recent application to floodlight the Tennis Club
courts in Sidney Road had resulted in the rejection of the application
by both the TBPC (Theydon Bois Parish Council) and the EFDC planning committees.
Memories of World War 2 were revived for many of the audience at the
last night of the current production by the TB Drama Society. The BBC
Light Programme broadcast many radio shows during wartime years which
were designed to divert the attention the population from the realities
of the night time aerial bombing of London and other cities. So the Society's
production of "Radio Times" did just that expect that, thankfully,
it was now 2005 and not 1941. The BBC team was played by Frazer Freeman,
Dave Bennett, Derek Hirsute, Paula Duncan and Xanthe Bearman who did well
in portraying the difficulties of presenting a wartime radio show despite
the distractions of whistling bombs and wailing air raid sirens; the offstage
sounds of sirens were used in the production only after serious consideration
was given to the possible adverse affect on those in the audience who
had experienced such air raids. The music of Noel Gay, which included
many wartime favourites, enlightened the proceedings and the vocalists
were backed by the singing group "The Grosvenors". The Muriel
Montgomery Ensemble provided the musical backing and Janet Cass was the
musical director, possibly for the last time with the Society. The production
was directed and choreographed by Jan Freeman.
Pictures of TB in the past generated much interest when they were
published in the local press. These were extracts from a family album
donated to an Epping charity shop for onward sale, and were part of a
"letter card" written nearly 100 years ago. Ron Hall
of Morgan Crescent, a volunteer worker at the shop, said that one picture
showed St Mary's Church which was now hidden by trees. Because of their
unusual nature, an approach was made for a conjoint purchase by TBPC Councillor
Antony Purkis and other individuals involved with local history. Regrettably,
this was unsuccessful and the albums were sold to an unknown agency, possibly
a dealer, so depriving the village of an addition to its historical records.
TB resident David Sullivan of Birch Hall, publisher and the 85th wealthiest
individual in the country, was reported as wishing to acquire a financial
interest in two the first division football teams, Tottenham Hotspur or
West Ham United. He already had a strong involvement with the Birmingham
City Club but was interested in the two other clubs primarily because
they were "local".
Motorists were pleased to hear that the ECC (Essex County Council)
was now using a new chemical as opposed to salt, to clear ice from road
surfaces. Termed "Safecote" this material was a by-product of
sugar production and had the properties of easier application, better
adherence, was bio degradable, environmentally friendly and, most important
to motorists, inhibited damage to road surfaces and motor vehicles.
TB Baptist Church held a recent Music Day in which more than thirty
musicians, instrumentalists and singers took part. In the morning, local
musician and teacher Ann Reece organised music workshops for different
band groups led by Tim Penegar and Andrew King. The afternoon session
saw the musicians playing together the music they had been rehearsing
in the morning. The Choir Director and Organist for the church, Philip
Sams, said "Ann made it a most enjoyable fun day for us all. We are
fortunate to have so many talented musicians in our church".
At the January meeting of the TBPC, Jim Watts of the TB Rural Preservation
Society spoke about the threat to the area proposed in the RSS14 East
of England Regional Plan Consultation document. Some 123,000 new homes
could be built in Essex with 11,000 in the Epping Forest area. The Society
questioned the need for such large-scale development with 80% on Green
Field sites. An additional 6,000 homes were proposed for the North Weald
area without the necessary infra structure and this would impact considerably
on TB in terms of increased traffic and commuter use of TB station. The
TBPC was liaising with the Society to encourage residents to make their
objections to the Plan.
Local resident Barry Kingscote received a silver medal at the Construction
Manger of the Year Awards organised by the Chartered Institute of Building.
This award was made for Barry's project management of apartments at the
Easter Quays residential development at the Royal Victorian Dock in East
London.
During January, the first residential course of the new Wansfell College
educational establishment, Wansfell College 2 Ltd, was held at the Corus
Hotel in Old Harlow. Thirty-one former students from a wide area
including Newcastle on Tyne, Norwich, Essex and London studied aspects
of local History. Course Leader Peter Lawrence dealt with Old Harlow,
Marilyn Taylor with the Harlow New Town and Peter Bossier talked about
Essex Composers. Further weekend residential courses would be held in
the future.
Sadly, the deaths were announced of the following past leading members
of the community:
Dora Prince, a former resident of Hill Road died on 23 Dec 04 in Addenbrooke
Hospital, Cambridge. She was a TBPC Councillor for many years in the 1970s
and her husband Arthur was a Chairman of the TB Rural Preservation Society.
In later years they moved away to the Saffron Walden area.
Jean McQuire died on 14 Dec 04 in Lincolnshire. She and her husband
Tom came to the village in 1961 to start the Frank Foster Home. This residence
was one of the first ECC Homes, purpose built for the elderly.
During January and the previous months, the following entries were
recorded in the registers of St Mary's Church:
Marriages:
18 12 04 Laura Shears and Evan York
Baptisms:
19 12 04 Toby Hart
Funerals:
19 11 04 Charles Hayman 15 12 04 Margaret Dodsworth 30 12
04 Derek Higgins 14 01 05 Jean Dicey 25 01 05 Christopher Spencer
Burial of Ashes:
29 12 04 Grahame Lavender
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