A Christmas Eve walk around the edges of Arlresford and Wivenhoe, under bruising skies and high spirits. Have a safe seasonal period, all. Many thanks for the very kind support that I continue to receive.
Full flickr feed.
To the Quay! …on Tuesday evening for the annual Quayside Carol Service. The short walk down to the water provided the festive scene of Christmas lights radiating against the recycling bags left out for the morning after. Fairy lights and half a dozen empty bottles of liebfraumilch - it’s the traditional Wivenhoe Christmas scene.
I love these occasions when it seems that half the town has a mass exodus down to the front. Just like the Fireworks Display and, um, Crabbing by the Quay, from the Co-op down and there was a buzz (steady) with Ding Dong Merrily men, women and kids, all anticipating the al fresco service.
Quite a scene had assembled Quayside. A Wivenhoe All Stars Band of sorts had set up in front of The Nottage. Under the expert musical guidance of Graham Wadley, any All Stars Band can’t go wrong if it features a squeezebox. Boasting fourteen local musicians from primary school to pension age, the musicians were well rehearsed. A bit like… the singers.
Ah yes, the singers: the Ding Dongers stretched back from The Nottage to chilly banks of the Colne, and out towards the Ferry shelter and opposite across to the Rose and Crown. You could get a sense of the social strata of Wivenhoe life, judged by the strategic positioning and the surrounds. The loudest Ding Dongs came from the Rose and Crown crowd.
And so shortly after 8pm, and with the Christmas lights turned on around the tuba, a couple of microphones were dangled down from The Nottage balcony, like fishermen casting their bait for the catch.
The service was paced perfectly. With co-operation from all denominations under the Churches Together banner, readings punctuated the carols, telling both the religious and historical story behind the songs. Staunch believers and those that might have been little lapse on a Sunday morning of late were all catered for.
The highlight was the South Yorkshire rendition of While Shepherds, accompanied to the tune of On Ilkla Moor Baht’at [ACE version on the new Kate Rusby album...]
“Let’s wake up Rowhedge!” came the rallying cry from the good Rev.
Um, good luck with that…
But it wasn’t all about Ding Donging with a squeezebox. Buckets were generously filled, with money being split between the ever-deserving Wivenhoe Helping Hands, and a children’s charity in Kenya with very close Wivenhoe connections.
Mince pies were very kindly supplied come the close by the Rose and Crown. The Legion had a rare Tuesday opening for those in need of thawing out. You try holding a microphone with your raw hands for forty minutes on a sharp Christmas Quayside evening.
The crowds then slowly snaked back up the foot of the High Street and back towards the boozers. Congregating and boozing - it’s something that Wivenhoe does rather well.
Chin chin.
To the Town Council offices! …a week before the Feast of Stephen. It would be stretching it slightly to suggest that peace on earth and goodwill to all men was in abundance; cross-party Christmas cards were exchanged between the different political parties that represent us on Colchester Borough Council. I bet they were bought from the Pound Shop; I bet cuts and the blame game of inheriting austerity was nestled in amongst the manger scenes.
Have a good one.
But what of the more or less apolitical Wivenhoe Town Council, gathered around the grotto that is the Town Council office? I counted three wise men, a couple of sheep and a Virgin Mary.
Only joking. Christmas may be coming, but the unpaid work of a Wivenhoe Town Councillor can’t afford to pause for a mince pie intake. Nope - the WTC budget REALLY CAN’T AFFORD for a mince pie intake from the Co-op right now.
Never short on cheer at any time of the year though is Cllr Julie Young, our representative on Essex County Council. Reporting back to WTC over her recent activities, Cllr Young was keen to escalate the issue of speeding motorists around Wivenhoe:
“Following on from the Community Day of Action, we now have two officers that will be working in Wivenhoe for a three month period. They will be concentrating on speeding and parking. The area around Millfields School is proving to be problematic when it comes to speeding.”
Cllr Young then recounted the chilling prophecy that the NAP identified as a nightmare scenario, just one week ago in the very same room. The CDA officers feared a pupil at the school might get caught up in the increased road activity along Rectory Hill. Sadly this was the case later in the week.
A number of 20mph speed zones outside schools are currently being piloted across the County. Cllr Young is keen for Millfields to become part of this scheme. The Highways Department has explained that the results of the pilots need to be analysed before any decision is taken.
And the name of the ECC officer driving this policy?
Tracy Chapman.
Talk about a Fast Car, etc.
In more positive news from Cllr Young, the promised bus shelter has now appeared alongside Rectory Road. This was pledged to appear “before Christmas,” and like a little Elf clutching bulging sacks of joy and happiness, the residents of Rectory Road can now wait for the number 78 under the safety of shelter.
Cllr Young touched upon the decision by the Conservative ECC to close the re-cycling centre at St Osyth:
“Two Tory Cllr’s voted against this, but the decision was still taken.”
And finally on to the Philip Road Centre, which I am afraid doesn’t make for friendly reading for our community:
“I have received a number of enquiries about the future of Philip Road. I am arranging a meeting with the different user groups. ECC is intent on reducing the number of students. Currently there are ten pupils at KS1 and KS2. These will be transferred to the Mile End training centre.
ECC doesn’t want to relinquish the Philip Road Centre, but it won’t be used on a daily basis. The local users groups [Moving Image, the Hub, Jenny's dance classes] need to organise and talk to one another.”
Cllr Lodge of WTC then pursued this point further:
“We need to keep our eye on Philip Road. There is the opportunity down there for it to offer so much more to our whole community. There are plenty of Wivenhoe folk who are looking for community space. This could be used during the daytime as a local business space.”
Moving further down the Quay ward, and even further across the muddy banks of the Colne, Cllr Richards asked Cllr Young for an update on the possibility of a quarry across the water at Fingringhoe. Cllr Young answered:
“Ah - this is very difficult… Fingringhoe has not been selected as a site in Essex for the quarry. I have contacted the Fingringhoe protest group, and told them to be wise to the opposition. If the selected sites don’t deliver, then there is the possibility that Fingringhoe may be assessed once again.”
Watch this space. Or even (possible) quarry pit.
But back to more hyper hyperlocal planning matters and the ever smiling Cllr Steve Ford of the Quay ward:
“I can confirm that I will be calling in the planning application to build a new property on the site of 58 Queens Road. I have concern about possible flooding and also being sympathetic to the conservation area.
The Community Day of Action was a great success. The children of Broomgrove School greatly enjoyed taking part in Speed Watch. Six and a half tons of rubbish was removed, graffiti was cleaned up and two thousand dog foul bags were issued.”
Poohy.
Time to take your pegs off your noses as Cllr Jon Manning of the Cross ward wished:
“A very Merry Christmas to all at WTC from the LibDems.”
I don’t think that this was a line taken from inside a Christmas cracker.
On more serious matters, Cllr Manning added:
“The planning application by the University to build over four hundred new student residences as part of the Knowledge Gateway was withdrawn at the last minute last week. The applicant simply stated environmental reasons as the issue.”
Cllr Young clarified that another concern was that for 420 flats, the application contained zero parking spaces.
Whoops.
The implication for Wivenhoe residents is that of the trickling down of the Section 106 money. Any delay in processing the planning will lead to further delay in the community having access to the funds that the developer needs to cough up to appease the locals.
As shortened Transport Report submitted by Peter Kay alerted WTC to timetable changes on the 61 and 62 in the New Year. “Significant changes” to the number 74 will also be in operation for the number 74 after 8th January.
Planning…
Phew - where to start? As ever, Cook’s Shipyard is always a good port of call, so to speak. Cllr Sinclair updated that:
“The Working Group will meet on Wednesday to discuss exactly how we are going to manage the dry dock facilities. The base for the dingy park has already started. This will be complete by February.”
Hurrah! Baggsy a couple of berths for a couple of canoes, dear Cllr…
The Health Centre meanwhile is:
“still ongoing - both sides are still talking to one another…”
Finance and Admin took a brief overview of the proposed WTC budget for the forthcoming financial year. Behind the scenes - and more specifically at the closed door Best Value Committee, the *real* powerhouse at WTC - and apparently discussions were “intense.”
There is the very real sense that WTC is at the bottom of the supply chain when it comes to cuts and funding. Central government cuts, burns and blames; likewise for local authorities. It is the parish grants that then get to implement the effects on the frontline. This was a point well made by Cllr Sinclair, who was keen to place on the record that:
“Colchester Borough Council quite glibly keeps on saying ‘We are not going to raise Council Tax!’ This might give them brownie points with the government, but they then pass this down to us.”
With the WTC grant having been halved for the forthcoming financial year, balancing the books has been an incredibly sensitive, and stressful job. Great credit was given to the Town Clerk, who is currently working on the tenth revision.
Factor into all of this funding woe the essential purchase by WTC of the two police houses as a long-term community asset, the year ahead and beyond looks set to continue this woe. The budget was passed unanimously, but not without cause and concern.
Something smelling slightly more favourable was the news coming out of Best Value that a legacy fund of £3,000 to develop a community garden is going to be used as part of the WTC celebrations for the Diamond Jubilee. A rose garden is planned.
The William Loveless Hall [um, where else?] has sadly not been so scented. Following an extensive - and costly - repaint of the Wyvern Room, the very next day it had to be re-painted after a private party.
Cllr Kraft updated:
“A children’s party left the room with feet and skid marks all over the walls. A damage deposit was taken. This will be used.”
Meanwhile the Munty Bus has passed its MOT, and Mr Mayor updated with seventeen [!] civic events that he has attended since the previous meeting. These included the Community Day of Action, the Town and Gown event at The Nottage, the arrival of Saint Nicholas at the Quay, the Big Turn On of the Wivenhoe Christmas lights, Christmas parties, Christmas lunches and… a visit to Elmstead Parish Council, which was “very useful.”
Well I never.
Cllr Endean gave feedback on Community Safety and Police Matters:
“The Community Day of Action went very well. There are still concerns about the lack of police support [visible, not emotional] around the town. There has also been an increase of valuables stolen from vehicles around the town.”
And finally the Mayor’s Charity [can we still call it that?] was boosted by a fiver with the civic sin of a mobile phone call being taken around the top table. No worries - it was only the good Lady Mayor enquiring if now was a suitable time to heat up the delightful civic soup as part of the Christmas celebrations back at chez Mayor.
We could do with a few more of these charming phone calls from the equally charming Lady Mayor if those books are going to be balanced.
Have a good one.
With just over a month to go, it must that its time for the very kind annual invite to the Congregational Hall to witness the preparations for the Wivenhoe Pantomime. Oh no it’s not! Blah blah blah…
Actually, yes it is. Production for Robin Hood has been in full swing behind the scenes for over four months now. The script-writing process put in place by Hazel Humphreys dates back to sometime around Valentine’s Day - a true labour of love, ‘n all that.
Wednesday evening at the Congregational Hall witnessed some splendid pantomime chaos. The chorus line of the young folk were enthusiastically running through a hyperlocal rap, more seasoned pantomime dames were in the kitchen camping it up. Director @MatthewLinely was commanding the Congregational Hall, unprompted, and without notes yet somehow pulling the strings in all the right places.
Matt explained how this time of year is when the overall vision for the Wivenhoe Pantomime just about starts to come together. All of the stand-alone scenes somehow become joined, and the whole flow and pace of the show becomes clear for the volunteer team involved.
I sat in a corner of the Congregational Hall, trying to remain composed, but laughing wildly within, knowing that Wivenhoe won’t be disappointed come Showtime.
All the hyperlocal references were there. I don’t think that I am dropping too many spoilers when I say that the Sheriff of Nottage-ham (aha!) will have you booing from the comfort of the Loveless Hall stalls; likewise who needs Sherwood Forest when you have, um, Wivenhoe Wood?
The rehearsals were as intense as they were thigh slapping. I didn’t want to lurk for too long, but it became instantly clear as to how much natural talent that we are blessed with here in Wivenhoe.
Make no mistake - the Wivenhoe Pantomime is a semi-professional production in all but name. Cast members such as Shane Diggens have the theatre literally running through their blood; Hazel is a natural writer and performer. Director Matt Linley meanwhile hotfoots it straight off the train and the day job of… theatrical management, and straight into the hot seat of the Congregational Hall.
The entire cast deserves to break a leg, in the nicest possible sense.
The Wivenhoe Pantomime presents Robin Hood at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] from Wednesday 18th January to Saturday 21st January 2012 with shows at 7.30pm. There’s also a Saturday matinee performance at 2.30pm. Tickets are available from the High Street Post Office or Premier Stores at the Cross, priced £4.50 (£4 concessions) for Wednesday & Thursday evening, and £6 for Friday and Saturday.
To the Town Council Offices! …on a blustery mid-winter Tuesday evening. The quarterly Neighbourhood Action Panel was meeting in the chamber. It wasn’t quite car crash viewing, but very informative, illuminating and *shhh* slightly inspiring.
Put your foot down now if Speed Watch isn’t your type of thing…
Essex County Councillor Julie Young addressed the Panel about the recent Community Day of Action in Wivenhoe:
“Almost 50% of the concerns that we had from residents were related to parking problems. Now that this priority has been identified, Colchester Borough Council is working out what can be done over the next three months.”
Cllr Young then shared a list of five other concerns that had cropped up after the lengthy consultation taken by CBC. These included:
1. Overgrowing hedges and trees at Park Road
2. The visibility of the zebra crossing at The Avenue
3. White lines along Clingoe Hill by the traffic lights not being visible [although slightly out of the hyperlocal Wivenhoe patch]
4. Anti-social behavior in the Rosabelle Avenue approach to the Wivenhoe Wood picnic area and
5. A lack of signs towards the bottom of the High Street, warning HGV’s to stay away.
Welcome to Wivenhoe, etc…
Cllr Young recognised though that parking and speeding are both priorities; both are also dependent on the zero funding that is available to introduce ways in which to reduce these within Wivenhoe.
A Park Road resident [for the record, *not* a hyperlocal blogger...] then addressed the NAP:
“The residents of Denton Terrace and Colne Terrace between them pay tens of thousands of pounds to Colchester Borough Council, yet they have nowhere to park. The collective land that these residents have is but a tenth of one plot of land for a single house opposite along Park Road.”
The point was well made, but I’m not sure if it was a good one. It took the chair of Wiv Soc to point out:
“If folk want to buy a Victorian terrace house then they shouldn’t really expect to have two parking spaces. Double yellow lines are needed all the way down Park Road.”
@SgtLouMiddleton added:
“Until we have less cars, the problem won’t go away.”
The ‘problem’ being that residents of Denton and Colne Terrace park their cars along, um, Park Road - where residents also pay Council Tax to Colchester Borough Council.
It’s not exactly a chicken and an egg situation - Victorian period piece property simply wasn’t designed for two cars to be parked up alongside the pony trap.
The Chair of the NAP clarified that Park Road residents have been consulted previously about introducing a parking zone for the area. This was refused.
The conversation reached something of a roadblock…
No worries. What we need now is a community spirited volunteer led scheme to shine some light on all things transport related in Wivenhoe; what we need is Speed Watch.
The Chair noted that the previous NAP had held some “considerable discussion” about Speed Watch at the last meeting. Following on from this and one of the fine volunteers had been invited to address the meeting.
Speed Watch is essentially a volunteer led initiative where local residents check the speed of passing traffic in their community. They are fully trained in both the technology and the safety to carry out their duties. Data is passed on to Essex Police. Persistent offenders then receive a polite letter, possibly leading to three points on the licence.
The Wivenhoe Speed Watch volunteer explained how:
“Seven of us are currently trained to take part in the scheme. Three of us are actively operative. Broad Lane has been the main area of our work to date. We are also working around The Avenue. Rectory Road and Elmstead Road are also areas of concern. We have caught motorists speeding in both directions - that is going out of Wivenhoe as well as coming in.
Our main concern is that we urgently need more volunteers. We work for around an hour each morning from 7:30 onwards. This is to catch the commuters and traffic on the school run.”
@SgtLouMiddleton then fully endorsed the scheme - as did the rest of the folk sitting around the NAP table:
“Between August and October of this year, just under 3,000 letters have been sent out by Essex Police as a consequence of the Speed Watch scheme. Sixty-five drivers have been sent on a speed awareness course. Speed Watch is incredibly effective. We need to encourage as many volunteers as possible - this is a key problem for our community.”
The NAP Speed Watch volunteer then added that:
“Motorists are actually very supportive of us. We are always thanked for having a presence each morning.”
The concern in Wivenhoe is that unless more Speed Watch volunteers step forward, it will become tricky for @SgtLouMiddleton to justify keeping all the tech gear within our hyperlocal patch.
The agenda then made a rare diversion away from all things car related, with a discussion about the proposed youth facilities around Broadfileds. The September re-launch of the Broadfields Residents Association was deemed a “partial success” [I thought that it was rather ace...]
The problem of course is… funding. The equipment to place around Henrietta Close comes at a steep cost - around £100,000.
OUCH.
We heard how for funding to be applied for, BRA [yeah, yeah] needs to become established and constituted. To achieve this, it needs more… support. No cheap chicken and egg references to be made here.
Any Other Business saw an evening all, and a return to… transport matters.
Oh Lordy.
We were joined midway through the meeting by two representatives from the Safer Colchester Partnership. This is a CBC initiative that is sending a police flying squad to come in and squat some parts of the town. It all sounds very Sweeny-esque, but is actually incredibly community orientated.
Did someone mention the S word?
Speed Watch has been implemented by the Partnership, working in… partnership with some of the children from Broomgrove. We heard how twenty-five hours have been put in place by the police and pupils, with so far forty-five speeding motorists stopped.
It turns out that a good ticking off by the ankle biters actually has more of an effect that the police laying their size 10′s in, so to speak. This work will continue until the end of February. Locations were mentioned, but to repeat them would be, well, giving the game away.
Finally the NAP came to a close with the good news story that the Safer Colchester Partnership is putting in place a regular Friday night football session for Wivenhoe yoof at the Philip Road Centre. These will kick off [geddin] on 6th January, starting at 7pm. All young folk are welcome.
And so no U-turns, emergency stops or even skid marks.
The next NAP will meet on 13th March. All are welcome…
The glutton of Christmas TV films has yet to transform us into armchair Empire Strikes Back aficionados (um, bring it on…) but already Moving Image is looking ahead to a promising year in providing a community based cinema for Wivenhoe.
A bit like the Scottish Premier League, Moving Image decided to take a min-winter break. I think that this is a hyperlocal euphemism for enjoying Christmas and taking an incredibly well earned rest.
But the calendar for an independent community run cinema keeps on ticking by. Before you know it and it will be 7th Jan, the Philip Road Centre grand black out curtain will be in place, local ice cream will be on sale and One Day will be screened.
Moving Image has announced the run of films for the first few weeks of the new season. The Empire Strikes Back doesn’t feature. Instead, Wivenhoe film lovers can sit back in the splendour of the Philip Road Centre and enjoy:
7th January, One Day
14th January, The Skin I Live In
21st January, The Guard
28th January, Black Pond
29th January, Arrietty
All films start at 8pm prompt, apart from Arrietty, which is a matinee screening. As ever, it’s a creative schedule. Black Pond in particular looks intriguing. The Guardian described it as:
“A deeply eccentric, haunting marvel… If Syd Barrett had ever written and directed a movie, it might well have looked like this.”
The good folk of Moving Image actually wrote to the Director, Tom Kingsley, enquiring about the possibility of screening Black Pond in Wivenhoe. Tom took a look at the Moving Image website and apparently was so impressed with the concept of a hyperlocal community cinema, permission was granted. Local support on the 28th January would be particularly appreciated.
Jenny O’s dance exams [!] take precedent at the Philip Road Centre in February. That’s not something that the fancy Dan’s of the film world at Leicester Square have to contend with. Moving Image then has another run of films lined up for early spring, including Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, Drive, We Need to Talk about Kevin, The Ides of March, Wuthering Heights and The Deep Blue Sea.
Which should take us around to Easter time. Betcha BBC1 will be showing The Empire bloody Strikes Back…
A walk down the stairs at Red Lion Books along the High Street in Sunny Colch, and then a cheeky peer around the corner, and you’ll find yourself entering the latest unassuming James Dodds exhibition. For such an unassuming artist, the setting makes sense; equally the exceptional standard of Dodds’ print work could hold its own on the gallery space of any international exhibition.
*shhh* - Red Lions Books isn’t the only place in the *ahem* centre of the art world that has had the priviledge of hanging some prints from the master lino cutter of this hyperlocal patch.
Nine Dodds are currently being exhibited at the lovely Red Lion Books. The style may be familiar, but each work of art has a new detail to explore. How many times have you found yourself discovering something new in Wivenhoe Past and Present as you nurse another half shandy at The Greyhound?
The thrill of seeing this exhibition is the locality. Dodds is appreciated worldwide, but it is the very localised subject matter that make him such a joy around these parts. He is inspired by what he see around him - which is the way it should be for any artist / writer / um, hit and miss hyperlocal blogger.
It’s a two way relationship as well - witness Dodds’ support for the very ambitious and burgeoning Essex Print Club that brazenly set up a pop up shop over the summer months down at the front at Brightlingsea.
A settee at Red Lion Books very kindly provides you with the best seat in the house. Or even the basement. On Saturday afternoon, I sat back and enjoyed the views of St Oysth, Tollesbury and Brightlingsea. All from the comfort of Colchester High Street as well.
Blimey.
Written work is also featured in the exhibition, including Mr Mule’s celebrated Wildman of Wivenhoe masterpiece.
You can take the lino cutter out of Wivenhoe but you can’t take blah blah blah…
Hyperlocal art exemplified.
