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And so with the summer Bank Holiday out of the way, the kids soon to be back at school and the return of the X-Factor on our screens on a Saturday evening - it all must mean that Wivenhoe Moving Image is ready to announce the autumn schedule.

Hurrah!

If you want to escape the X-Factor TV twaddle on a Saturday evening then the splendour of the Philip Road Centre in Wivenhoe should be on your radar. Moving Image screens film on a professional screen with a fancy Dan projector kit pretty much every Saturday night heading into winter run in.

Included in the September schedule are also a couple of kid friendly Sunday afternoon matinees, as well as a *shhh* dress up and sing-a-long very special screening to come (disclaimer: sadly it ‘aint Purple Rain. Our day will come, Comrades…)

And so with a tap tap tap of the keyboard to signal a hyperlocal drum roll, the Moving Image September schedule reads as follows:

La Havre, 8th September

Marley, 15th September

The Kid with a Bike, 22nd September

The Pirates, 23rd September

The Angel’s Share, 29th September

Bugsy Malone, 30th September

All films are screened at the Philip Road Centre in Wivenhoe with an 8pm start time, except The Pirates and Bugsy Malone, which have a 3pm family friendly start time on Sundays.

La Havre is the sing-a-long screening. Audience members will be encouraged to come along dressed up as immigrant children in a French port city as befriended by a shoe shiner.

Only joking - Bugsy Malone awaits your best Chicago Gangster Comes to Wivenhoe dressing up experience.

Meanwhile, Moving Image is in need of further volunteers. After an incredibly successful spring season, audience numbers are up and extra helping hands are needed for the volunteer led community organisation to continue to grow.

It’s part physical, part glamorous. Screens need to be set up, chairs have to be arranged and ice creams are there to be sold. In return and you will of course gain free admission to any screening that you help out at. It needn’t be a weekly commitment either - once a month really would help, allowing you to spend the rest of your time brain-rotting away in front of the X-Factor TV twaddle.

As for the entrance prices for Moving Image?

These remain an absolute bargain: £10 annual membership, £4.50 on the night for members or £6 for non-members. Any students heading our way are most welcome with an incredible £2.50 admission price.

And so new season, new schedule for Wivenhoe Moving Image. Soon it will be Halloween, Bonfire Night and the Christmas run in will commence. X-Factor the Movie is probably low down the Wish List for the film selection folk.

listen to ‘The launch of the new season @wivmovingimage, the independent community cinema for #Wivenhoe #cinema’ on Audioboo

To the William Loveless Hall! [where else?] …on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon for John Stewart’s superb Wivenhoe Memories exhibition. This has long since been a highlight in the hyperlocal calendar for all lovers of Wivenhoe history. Judging by the Loveless Hall love-in late on Monday afternoon, there are many within Wivenhoe to whom hyperlocal history matters.

Spanning across three days of the Bank Holiday weekend and two rooms in the Loveless Hall, John has curated a collection of public and personal photographs, documents and various memorabilia that helps us to understand how Wivenhoe has changed as a town, but also as a hat tip as to how we have got here.

This is no history lesson but a loosely themed offering of the many stands of Wivenhoe life over the past three hundred years or so. It is also a very high social occasion. Walking around the tables and display boards and you can’t but help share your observations with the fellow hyperlocal historians.

It all got a little personal when a local lady declared:

“Granddad is over there, and Great Granddad can be found in the far corner.”

Thankfully she wasn’t pointing down towards St Mary’s at the time.

The randomness of the exhibition works well. Themes such as shipping, sport or education are well presented, but you don’t get the feeling that you are being guided with a firm hand around one of those linear museum displays that fail abysmally to tell a historical timeline story as you are guided around.

There was no Exit by the Gift Shop either, although the bucket for Madam Mayor’s Charity was doing brisk business on the way out.

Some personal highlights included a photograph of G.A. Went’s Bicycle Shop [ooh!] which is now the base for the Wivenhoe Bookshop. The old Co-op along The Avenue “sometime in the ’70s” was also featured, as was a rare photo of White House (of White House Beach fame…)

Positioned poignantly towards the top table of the Loveless Hall was a large, framed photograph of Mr W.G. himself - a stern expression and a dress code that slightly differed to the dress down Bank Holiday flip-flops found on Monday afternoon.

What soon became clear as you walked around the William Loveless Hall is that the story of Wivenhoe can’t be told in isolation. In order to understand the social history then you need to know more about industry; the world of work impacts upon family life, which then leads to the social such as the many sporting clubs from past eras that were presented.

The hyperlocal economy in particular made for quite painful viewing. Long lost old Wivenhoe traders such as Mallets Hardware, Franks the Bakers and Mr Brown’s the Chemist are now but a fading photograph in the annual Wivenhoe Memories exhibition.

The decline of the hyperlocal economy is sadly a theme that still resonates around the town during the summer of 2012, although there is optimism with a number of new traders about to set up shop. For every old photo of a long shop front then there is a pertinent reminder that every penny counts when it comes to shopping locally 2012 style.

Down at the bottom end of the Loveless Hall and the Essex Social Family History team were on call to help with the more personal side of the historical quest. If the story of Wivenhoe is one that has previously been tough to tell, the current interest in documenting and keeping alive more recent memories will hopefully make future exhibitions easier to curate.

Perhaps the lasting …memory from the Wivenhoe Memories afternoon was that social history is a social activity in itself. The Loveless Hall was a world away from the Library across the road. Old documents may have been made available for viewing, but the conversations taking place around these created a real buzz in the old hall.

This is a community inspired exhibition, with many folk around the town kindly volunteering some very personal artefacts to share amongst others over the weekend. Shared social dialogue came out of these documents - folk were talking, remembering and even looking ahead to the future, having understood a little more about the past.

At the centre of all of this - although taking a very humble backseat role - is of course John Stewart. This exhibition was superbly curated, with great thought going into how to display such an immense catalogue of hyperlocal history.

Year after year and the Loveless Hall remains the highlight over the August Bank Holiday weekend in which to reflect and continue to explore Wivenhoe’s past.

Which in itself is history in the making.

That sinking feeling - *not* a metaphor for North East Essex life, but instead a favourite image from around these estuary wilds over the summer months.

High and dry at the Hythe…

You know you’ve hit hyperlocal headline BINGO when you can bring together both Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe in one catchy sentence. Even better if you can work in the River Colne as well.

Congratulations then to Scoop Scarpenter, with the front page of the current Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe Chronicle able to boast:

New Ferry Service Will Serve the River Colne

…’cos it would be a bit daft if the Danube was the headline crowd puller.

“A new ferry service, which will operate between Brightlingsea and Colchester, made its inaugural journey recently, carrying local council dignitaries from Brightlingsea, Rowhedge, Wivenhoe and Colchester.”

I’ve often pondered that the best time to start a hyperlocal uprising is during these moments when local council dignitaries are all out to sea.

“Brightlingsea Harbour Commissioners will be running the ferry service and the Harbour’s Chief Executive Bernie Hetherington said: The new ferry service is expected to be a tourist attraction but also a facility that can be used by local residents.”

Scoop adds that the service sails when high tide is between 11am and 4pm. Twelve passengers, dogs and bicycles can all board. Bookings need to be made in advance.

Other hyperlocal ferry services also run…

Back on dry land and we learn how:

“The third annual Art in the Church Exhibition will be held in Wivenhoe on Saturday 8th September. This event will run from 10am to 5pm and will coincide with a number of activities taking place in the churchyard as part of the Wivenhoe Weekend.”

Which is almost sufficient information to get you digging in the crates for the Flowered Up 12″.

Turn to p.6 and there is a lovely picture of the beaming Bonnie Hill. When you take on board that we now need to add MBE to the back end of Bonnie’s name, and you can see the reasons for the infectious smile:

Guide Commissioner is Awarded the MBE

“A Wivenhoe resident who actively served the community of North East Essex for many years has been awarded the MBE.”

Hurrah!

“Bonnie Hill was nominated by the Essex North East Girl Guides. Besides her very active involvement with the movement locally, she was also County Commissioner for Essex North East from 2006 to 2011.”

Bonnie is also a mid-summer garden party host supreme, although I doubt Her Maj took this into consideration when awarding the MBE.

LOVELY.

Much like the Wivenhoe Jubilee Jigsaw:

“A large colourful jigsaw commemorating life in Wivenhoe during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Year has been placed on the exterior wall of the Co-op store in The Avenue. Volunteers worked on eleven large wooden pieces which made up the jigsaw.

Organiser Marika Footring said: the idea behind the project was to bring organisations together and in particular, to encourage residents to learn about the town they live in.”

listen to ‘The unveiling of #Wivenhoe @JubileeJigsaw #community #collaboration’ on Audioboo

Sum of the parts, community cohesion but most definitely not the weakest link. The Jubilee Jigsaw is ACE. Future hyperlocal memories are made of this.

Speaking of which:

“The forthcoming annual Wivenhoe Memories exhibition will this year feature a number of notable photographs being displayed for the first time, including some recently found in a loft of the High Street in 1986.”

Here’s hoping that they aren’t of the ‘specialist’ variety.

“In all, hundreds of photographs will be on show covering the maritime and local history of Wivenhoe. They date back to the earlier half of the 19th Century and will include a display of photographs from 1863 onwards of the former Brightlingsea to Wivenhoe railway.

Organised [SUPERBLY] by local historian John Stewart, the Wivenhoe Memories exhibition will be held over the Bank Holiday weekend.”

The William Loveless Hall [where else?] is the location for lovers of hyperlocal photographic history.

Just down the road along the High Street and you can now find:

An Emporium of Women’s Accessories

“Bee Accessorized, a shop specialising in handbags, jewellery has opened in Wivenhoe. The venue is a small emporium of elegant women’s accessories.”

Suits you Sir, etc.

listen to ‘.@BeeAccessorized arrives along #Wivenhoe High Street’ on Audioboo

Bee is certainly very benign. She even had the patience to entertain a bored hyperlocal blogger type one morning. Pop in for a chat. See what can be accessorised.

You’ll be surprised…

The Wivenhoe Folk Club at The Flag on 5th September gets a plug, as does the mighty Hurricane gig at the back room of the Bookshop [blimey] on 24th August.

If however you prefer being tutored on a course entitled: From Today, Painting is Dead, then the WEA ten week autumn course at The Methodist Church is for you.

From Tomorrow, Hyperlocal Blogging is Brown Bread.

Here ends this blog post.

Blimey.

Pah! Who needs the Ryder Cup in Sunny Colch when we are currently hosting a major European sporting championship? With the more traditional golfers soon jetting out to Illinois for the Europe Vs the USA showdown, Colchester is at the cutting edge of cool in the golfing world right now.

The *disc* golfing world.

GREAT!

The prestigious 2012 European Disc Golf Championships are being staged up on campus at the University of Essex. This is the showcase event on the European circuit with competitors flying into Sunny Colch from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Plus don’t forget the hyperlocal home grown talent from Essex.

Having has a short taster of the highly addictive sport during the Essex Open earlier in the month, I’m not quite qualified to give a comprehensive overview of the sport. European Tournament Director Charlie Mead speaks much more sense:

listen to ‘Preparing for the European Disc Golf Championships @Uni_of_Essex #Wivenhoe #Colchester’ on Audioboo

Ah yes - Charlie Mead.

The first Championships in Sunny Colch were staged in 1982. Charlie was crowned the Open Division winner that year. Head up to Wivenhoe Park between now and Saturday and you will see Charlie proudly directing the high profile tournament some thirty years since he first designed the course.

That’s a true Colchester sporting legacy for you…

Some of the players that I spoke to on the first day of the competition were rather nervous about the “challenging” course. Some of the holes have been specifically re-designed just for the Championship.

You think throwing a frisbee is for the beach only? Nope - you should try the 90 degrees hole that involves turning a corner around the Albert Sloman Library, before putting downhill past the Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall.

This is the seventh time that Colchester has welcomed the leading players from around Europe or even the World for the elite championships. The course has an incredible reputation, aided by a brilliant back up and support from the University in accommodating the players.

Plus don’t forget the spectators too - play continues all the way through until Saturday afternoon. Entry is FREE - just turn up on campus and prepare to be amazed at some of the power in the disc shots.

Better still - why not play disc golf? Maybe not over the next couple of days, but otherwise it is as simple as turning up at the Sports Hall on campus, paying your 80p to hire the discs and then teeing off.

Which make much more sense than heading all the way over to Illinois for some tin pot tournament or other.

Disc Golf - it’s Grrrrreat!

Full flickr feed.

Close a police station, re-house two families and offer up some space for a new hyperlocal business within Wivenhoe - the shifting of the old police station up to the fire station is far from a bad news story.

The wisdom of Wivenhoe Town Council in not hanging around to purchase the central High Street property is now paying off. A new business opened up last week in Wivenhoe, with Bee Accessorized now occupying the space where police officers once stood behind a counter.

Wivenhoe local Belinda Warburton is behind the business, transferring her existing online and party organising operation to a physical shop space within the town:

“I deal in ladies accessories, anything from handbags and scarves, purses, necklaces, bracelets, hair accessories. The beauty of opening the shop is that it has allowed me to put more gift items in.

I’ve been running my business since last February. I’ve been running lots of hen parties and events. I have people in Colchester who have my stock, but I really wanted my own space. I’ve been looking at Wivenhoe - I’m a Wivenhoe girl - I truly believe that what I do works well here.”

It’s quite a story as to how the old police property has been transformed from being an empty shell to now being owned by Wivenhoe Town Council, and then let out to two local families and the Bee Accessorized business.

Belinda explains:

“I had a newsletter through the door explaining what was happening to the old police station and that the middle bit was available for commercial let. I was really interested. The location is in the thoroughfare down to pretty much everything in Wivenhoe.

I came and had a look, spoke to Robert Needham the Councillor, and here I find myself after my husband has put in some very long hours to build me what I believe to be a really beautiful little emporium.”

Anyone expecting an old cop shop should take a wander down (or up…) the High Street and see how the space has been transformed into charming accessories set up. A shop sign is in place, and the whole front has now been opened up with a large display window. Stylish cabinets are in place inside. The long arm of the law has been replaced with handbags.

And so how has business been so far for Belinda?

“I opened last Saturday - the weekend was a little hectic. I’ve had really positive responses lots of people purchasing bits and pieces. People have been saying that they will tell other people about the shop. I’m really pleased.

I’m not aiming at one particular market - that’s the beauty of what I do. I have everything from young girls in here to more mature ladies. There’s something for everybody. If you are just looking for a present for someone, you will find something in here.”

Our ad hoc interview had to be paused to allow for a customer to make a purchase - always a good sign. Belinda is really keen for Wivenhoe folk to just take a wander insider the shop, see what is now on offer and just generally have a friendly chat about her plans.

It’s not quite ‘evening all, but Bee Accessorized is open Tuesday to Saturday 9am - 5pm, and then 11am - 3pm on Sundays.

Anyone still yearning for that out of office hours experience at the now transformed old cop shop can book a private shopping experience. Belinda is happy to open up for groups of ten or more in the evenings.

You can follow Bee Accessorized on Twitter, or like the Facebook page.

Probably more important though is just to take a wander along the High Street and say hello.

Fair cop, Gov.

listen to ‘.@BeeAccessorized arrives along #Wivenhoe High Street’ on Audioboo

And so a childhood phobia of moths (they’re like WW2 bombers, the little buggers) was finally overcome at the old Wivenhoe Cemetery mid-morning on Saturday.

Well I never.

Re-homing cats, painting Jubilee Jigsaws and POTHOLES - the Wivenhoe Forum can now add to the list the ACE organisation online of the Beautiful Moths and Moths Events as part of the shared community dialogue.

MOTHBALLS, etc.

The Wivenhoe Watching Wildlife group (www.www.co.uk ahoy!) attracted an interested audience of over thirty eager moth enthusiasts on Saturday, not to mention the forty-nine moths that made an appearance overnight.

Sometimes it wasn’t entirely clear as to who was observing whom.

Chris Gibson has been largely responsible for organising the event. With a background in wildlife conservation, it is to the great fortune of the town that someone with such a specialised insight is not only a resident in Wivenhoe, but also more than happy to share his knowledge.

Chris explained:

“What we have done over the past day is to run a moth extravaganza in the old Cemetery. At 9pm we had a generator running, we fired up a couple of bright lights to attract in the moths. We attached one of those lights to a trap, trapped the moths, kept them overnight, and then at 10am this morning we have unleashed them.”

listen to ‘Moth extravaganza with the #Wivenhoe Watching Wildlife group’ on Audioboo

Phrases such as “auto digests its own gut lining” and “the scourge of Canvey Island” then formed the dialogue for the Great Escape, as the moths of Wivenhoe were released back into the glorious wild of the ever so slightly overgrown old Cemetery.

Had the hit and miss hyperlocal weather of late helped the overnight observation?

Chris explained:

“This year has been appalling for moths and other insects because of the dull weather. Population levels are down. There are great concerns for populations of things that feed off moths like bats and birds. Last night the weather came good - we were lucky. It was just about the perfect night, it didn’t fall below 15 degrees all night. This wonderful habitat of the old Cemetery is sheltered. There are lots of things for moths and butterflies to feed on. It is a great place for a moth trap.”

The chase isn’t always better than the kill, so to speak. What of the moths that were uncovered to the Wivenhoe Watching Wildlife crowd on Saturday morning?

Chris identified just under fifty different species. The BIG Ooohs and Ahhhs always go to the BIG mini-beasts. The large female oak eggar didn’t disappoint.

Other members of the informal group also brought in some samples of moths which they had managed to also attract overnight back at base. The old Cemetery soon took the form of a school Show and Tell Friday afternoon session, with much amazement as to the delights that were delivered to the rest of the group.

Chris and other members of the group were keen to emphasis the superb management of the old Cemetery by Wivenhoe Town Council. It is a delicate task in observing respect in such a place of solitude, whilst also encouraging a unique hyperlocal habitat to flourish:

“This is a demonstration of the value of green space in urban areas. It is vindication of the Town Council’s wonderful management of this place. If you’ve not been to the old Wivenhoe Cemetery, for me it is better than Highgate Cemetery. It is the perfect place to take respite from the mad world.”

Following on from the success of the initial WWW launch event at The Nottage back at the start of the year, a similar evening is being planned for late September. Over £400 was raised back then for the Headway charity - WWW is a local group that clearly has a growing interest in the town, and is not afraid to use the shared knowledge to help benefit others:

“We decided that we want to share out enthusiasm for local wildlife and provide a forum for the exchange of sightings and to share our enthusiasm with the wider public. The Wivenhoe Forum provided the ideal leaping off point for setting WWW into the wider community.”

But before I go back to swatting moths against the bathroom wall ahead of brushing my teeth (only joking…) what of the real stars of the evening and morning after event?

The full role call covers:

Larger (Macro) Moths

Marbled Minor; Cloaked Minor; Common Footman; Scarce Footman; Dingy Footman; Oak Eggar; Swallow Prominent; Lesser Broad Bordered Yellow Underwing; Ear Moth; Uncertain; Rustic; Double Square Spot; Black Arches; Buff Ermine; Common Rustic; Clay; Dark Arches; Dun-bar; Straw Underwing; Snout; Dwarf Cream Wave; Least Carpet; Willow Beauty; Small Emerald; SMall Fan-footed Wave; Clouded Silver; Common Carpet; Yellow Barred Brindle; Latticed Heath; Riband Wave; Oak Hook-tip; Maiden’s Blush

Micromoths (some of which don’t have English Names!)

Water Veneer; Agriphila straminella; Garden Grass-veneer; Catoptria falsella; Light Brown Apple Moth; Blastobasis adustella; Eudonia mercurella; Udea prunalis; Cnephasia stephensiana; Endotricha flammealis; Diamond-back moth; Phycita roborella; Mother of Pearl; Codlin moth; Cydia splendana; Bramble-shoot moth; Bryotropha terrella.

You can find out more about future events of the Wivenhoe Watching Wildlife group by following some of the incredibly active and informative threads over on the Wivenhoe Forum.

Phobia overcome, moths are my new best mates.