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Ahh - the wonders of the modern interweb.

Back in the day and the closest I came to a conversation with the then Vice Chancellor up at the University of Essex was when I gatecrashed a drinks reception for local dignitaries. Not so much a warm welcome at Wivenhoe House but a room temperature bottle of cheapo Tesco bolly.

Chin chin.

More than two decades later and digital technology allows you to engage [URGH] with @forster_anthony - the new VC up on campus.

Keep your 140 character tweet on message and you may even get a very kind invite for an interview with the internet savvy new VC.

9am was a little sharp on Thursday morning.

No sign of cheapo Tesco bolly either.

listen to ‘.@Uni_of_Essex expansion, excellence and car parks with @forster_anthony #Colchester’ on Audioboo

Having taken up his official title as the Vice Chancellor of the University of Essex back at the start of August, yer new man on campus has wasted no time in getting a feel for both Town and Gown.

Keen to meet both staff and folk from the town - an often-interchangeable group - it’s quite an open office as you are welcomed through the fancy Square 5 Reception area. Oh the irony of the plush meet ‘n’ greet space once being home to the old undergraduate phone boxes back in the day.

“Mum - can you send us a grubby fiver in the post ASAP please? I owe a man a bottle of cheapo Tesco bolly.”

Whoops.

A quick cheesy pose for posterity, and then we were straight into the conversation about what brings Anthony to Colchester:

“I’m a Professor of Politics and International Relations. Over the past twenty years or so I’ve specialising in foreign and security policy. More recently I have been looking at British military politics. I’m particularly interested in a range of relationships that the armed forces have with society, with the government of the day and the Ministry of Defence.

A number of different aspects of that have concerned me over the past decade, particularly issues around the duty of care that the government owes service men and women. I’m also interested in the way that society relates to the armed forces.”

Quite fitting then that Anthony should find himself here in Sunny Colch. The Garrison connection with the town pre-dates the academic relationship by a couple of thousand years. The more modern day issues of the 16th Air Assault Brigade might keep Anthony busy when he’s not wearing his VC hat.

As for the University itself?

“The reputation of the University in social sciences is absolutely top. It is the number one University in the United Kingdom for social science. Being a social scientist, that sort of reputation has a very strong appeal to me.”

Having a Professor of Social Science as your VC presents some interesting possibilities to the growing Department of Government. It’s the academic equivalent of Dave Grohl being the drummer in the world’s leading rock band, then forming a new group and deciding to drop the drumsticks.

The process of appointing a prestigious VC however is slightly different to forming Foo Fighters:

“It’s an open competition for attracting external and internal candidates. It’s advertised in the major newspapers and the academic press. It’s followed by a selection process that involves not only members of the academic community, members of Senate, but also members of the University Council who are the board of Trustees of the University.”

With only couple of months to prepare himself for Fresher’s Week, Anthony’s August arrival at Wivenhoe Park gave him a short learning curve before the students returned.

What were his first impressions of the University?

“It’s a wonderful University doing some very important things. It’s a University that has a very clear sense of values in terms of the international dimension and interdisciplines. Those are very strong features of the University. These are features of the University that in my first three months of my appointment I have really noticed in a very significant way.

I also think that the campus is wonderful. I happen to love this sort of architecture. A lot of thought and care and attention has been put into designing the campus to make sure that the architecture and the buildings reflect the academic mission of the University. I’m excited about the prospect of putting up some new buildings, but also the refurbishment plans that we have for the historic estate.”

A man that can appreciate the beauty of the Essex brutalism is a man that should fit in well around these parts.

As for looking around outside of campus?

“We have managed to get out a little bit. We’ve explored Colchester and Wivenhoe. We’ve travelled around parts of North Essex and into Suffolk. That’s been a wonderful experience. I’ve been incredibly impressed by how wonderful the landscape is and how friendly the people are.”

The meet ‘n’ greet aspect of being the VC is often overlooked. Managing budgets, expanding the business, building car parks - all are part of the hustle and bustle of being the VC at Essex. But being the public face of one of the major employers in the region is a role that probably isn’t part of the job spec when you apply to be a Professor.

Anthony has made a great start already in attending the Wivenhoe Town and Gown event that took place down at The Nottage last weekend:

“It was a wonderful occasion of about 60 - 70 people who came together from the town and the University to fundraise for student scholarships. It was a fantastically enjoyable occasion. It really represented what I would like to see as the best of the relationship between people of Wivenhoe and the University, coming together to celebrate students and to find resources to help students who are now paying very significant fees.”

Ah yes - “significant fees.”

My undergraduate days of social science diplomacy suggested that the £9k Essex tuition fees were probably best left until the close of the interview, just before the expectant man hug session when we were due to depart.

Let’s talk instead about not what you can do for the University, but what the University can do for you (in a broad PEOPLE OF COLCHESTER sense, and not in relation the new VC…)

“The University generates around £192m into the local economy. Beyond the people that the University directly employs, there are another one thousand jobs that are derived from the University being at its location at Wivenhoe Park.

There is so much more that the University does for the local community, in terms of art and volunteering. The Art Exchange and the Lakeside Theatre on campus are open for business. They are offering very exciting shows that have a local draw. About 40% of visitors are coming from the local community. That’s wonderful - if it could be even higher it would be even better.

The University also makes a very significant contribution to firstsite. That’s really important in making sure that we share the cultural heritage of this region as widely as possible, both at Wivenhoe Park and at firstsite in Colchester.”

Just name checking firstsite clearly shows that Anthony has done his Colchester homework. With a new VC on campus and a new Director taking up his post at the Golden Goose, this could possibly be just the fresh start that firstsite needs to build upon the well-intentioned community involvement.

Anthony’s understanding of Wivenhoe hyperlocal history continued to come across clearly:

“I’m struck by the fact the University was founded by the generosity of the people of Essex nearly fifty years ago. They raised a million and a half pounds for the University to be established in Wivenhoe Park. I think that it’s a really exciting opportunity to ask ourselves what should the relationship be like between Wivenhoe and Colchester. Have we really capitalised in the best sort of way in those relationships? What are the steps that we can take in the next fifty years in terms of strengthening the relationship between Town and Gown?

I would want to look at anything that could strengthen our relationship between our neighobours in Essex and the University. We should leave no stone unturned. The founding vision of the University was to make sure that there was no barrier between the boundary of the campus and the boundary of Wivenhoe and the boundary of Colchester. I’m really keen to see how we can create a space where people who aren’t part of the University can feel welcome on campus.”

Those boundaries are becoming increasingly blurred with the rapid building of the Knowledge Gateway. Colchester now comes to a close somewhere around the edges of the Greenstead roundabout, with the University starting once you have managed to navigate yourself away from the multi twists and turns. Wivenhoe continues to creep ever closer towards campus.

Never the twain shall meet, but the University has managed to make sure that Colchester and Wivenhoe have remained geographically separate, for better or for worse. Meanwhile the No Man’s Land of the Knowledge Gateway will provide a buffer between Boundary Road and both towns.

And so what the chuffers is a Knowledge Gateway exactly?

“The Knowledge Gateway is a space where we want to make sure that the University is more business facing. We want to create an opportunity for businesses to come to the Wivenhoe Park campus, to be located in excellent infrastructure and in a way that they can actually benefit from the intellectual capital that exists within the University.

We’ve completed the first phase of that. The roads and the infrastructure have now all gone in. We’re just about to start building on the Knowledge Gateway site. The first phase of that is something called Parkside where we will be creating business units. We can then start off the process of attracting businesses into the campus so that they can benefit from the type of infrastructure and facilities that we have got.”

This is quite a social, economic and indeed political shift away from the founding fathers (ALWAYS fathers…) of the University back during the early ’60s. The Essex Troubles of the early ’70s would probably have thought that a Knowledge Gateway was a mind-expanding drug.

Maybe it is? (in a purely economic frame of reference, you understand.)

Is this a new way for Universities to work in a new business sector?

“To some degree it is new, but to some degree it is a well established path that Universities have been taking over the past fifty years or so. The founding vision of the University is that there wouldn’t be Ivory Towers [...just residential towers.] We wouldn’t be a University that would just be inward looking and writing scholarly texts for other academics. Actually it was about producing research and knowledge for the real world.

In many respects the Knowledge Gateway represents a return to the founding vision of the University. It is very outward looking, very engaged with the regional and national economy, and producing research that impacts and matters.”

With the clock in Anthony’s art-adorned office signaling that our time was almost up, it must almost mean that it’s time to stutter in with the t-t-tuition fees question.

Um, they’re a bit steep, aren’t they?

“It would be fair to say that the funding regime is changing very radically. We have moved from direct funding from the State coming from government, to the prominence of the funding that the University has now coming from students who directly pay fees. That is a very significant change.

Over the next three years about 80% of our funding will be removed from central government. It will be replaced by student fees. We need to make sure that we are drawing in income to the University that will support our mission. Our mission for me is very clear: excellence in research and excellence in education.”

And so how do you sell this vision, so to speak, to any future world leaders who want to study at Wivenhoe Park?

“The selling point for the University of Essex is that we offer research led teaching. We care about the student experience. We recognise that students are not simply spending three years at University to get a degree, but are actually spending three or four years at University to be educated. With a combination of research led teaching and making sure that students are taught by absolutely world leading academics, we get a better quality of education that we can offer to students.

The campus experience really matters. There are opportunities for sport, for arts, for volunteering - leadership opportunities that will help people develop and ultimately be more attractive in the job market. We hope that this will be attractive to students.”

Phew.

That wasn’t so tough.

At a push we could possibly even get in the multi-story car park question ahead of the expectation of man hugs to conclude the conversation.

And so why does a forward thinking University need a multi-story car park? Isn’t that sending out the wrong type of sustainable transport policy message?

“The University was designed for 20,000 students. We currently have 11,000. Car parking hasn’t kept up with the modern ways of working. The multi-story car park is the first time that we have significantly expanded parking at the University over the last fifty years.

It’s not the only thing that we’re doing. We’re encouraging green and sustainable forms of transport, and have received prizes for the amount of energy and effort that we have put in for really thinking what a sustainable transport plan would look like.

Clearly one of the important elements will be putting in a cycle path between Wivenhoe and the University - something that we feel very strongly indeed. The University has provided a quarter of a million pounds for that. We are now lobbying hard to the Council who are responsible for putting the cycle path in place to make sure that this happens as quickly as possible. At our Council meeting on Monday we spent quite a bit of time talking about this. Having provided £250,000, we’re very keen that the cycle path goes in as quickly as possible.”

Off mic and genuine further frustrations were made by Anthony over the delays in the Wivenhoe cycle path. The University has kept to its side of the back scratching bargaining in handing over the funding for the cycle path. With the car park rapidly appearing over the horizon of Boundary Road, it is now down to Essex County Council and Colchester Borough Council to deliver with the promised cycle path.

Build it and they will come?

If only campus life was as simple as that.

It all comes back to the £9k tuition fees, which then finance expansion and investment in research and teaching. What would be the message from the new VC for any prospective students thinking about coming to study at Essex?

“The University has a very exciting opportunity to really focus on the mission to be excellent in research and excellent in education. The University has a phenomenal track record in terms of research excellence. It is ranked ninth nationally for the quality. For a University of our size that is an extraordinary achievement.

What I’m very keen to do is to match the excellence in research with the excellence in the education that we offer to students who are already paying £9,000 in fees and will really want to feel in a very real and material way that they are benefitting from not just the infrastructure, but also the world class research that is taking place across the whole of the University.”

My gaze momentarily moved from the clock on the wall indicating that time was up, over to the impressive Ivor Crewe Lecture Hall, the legacy [URGH] of a previous VC. It must be quite an intimidating sight for any new incumbent to be reminded daily of the success of a predecessor.

It is incredibly early days under this new leadership on campus, but don’t rule out a future Forster Fitness Centre, should the success of the University continue. Another off mic chat revealed how Anthony uses the University Sports Centre, and often finds himself involved in constructive conversations with staff and students during the workout.

If bench-presses isn’t your preferred route for access to the new VC then there’s always the online availability.

@forster_anthony was very open, interesting and most certainly available. The cheapo Tesco bolly wasn’t required to keep the conversation going - that’s what an Essex education does for you.

Many thanks to both Anthony and Ben from the University press office for assisting with this interview.

Chin chin.

To the Business Centre! …on Sunday morning for the Look Twice Vintage Fair. I had to take a double look at how Wivenhoe had somehow been transformed into something of a Hipster happening scene.

But this wasn’t any old Shoreditch shipped out to Wivenhoe style event. The success of the first Vintage Fair over the Regatta weekend had spread. Wivenhoe welcomed some incredibly hip Vintage loving sorts into the town on Sunday, alongside bored bloggers who can no longer squeeze into the Man at C & A style.

Stallholders included a lovely mix of the hyperlocal Hipster (ish), plus the more mature folk and friendly faces for whom Vintage isn’t just for one Sunday morning down at the Business Centre.

It helped that the sun shone from somewhere out east over Anglesea Road. Vintage evokes memories of a Golden Dawn. The golden showers [Oooh] from the day before wouldn’t have quite lit up the gathering.

With half of the mere £1 entrance fee kindly being donated to Moving Image, it was fitting to see the cinema box office popping up to take payment. The retro 50′s retro look set the scene for the stalls scattered around the old unit.

But where to start for a boy decked out in lycra that is more vulgar than Vintage?

A lovely, lovely conversation with a lady that took the form of a soft sell, and halfway through I was hooked. It’s amazing how a homemade water bottle and some scatter cushions can be brought back to the theme of bicycling.

Fine work, Madam.

With many of the clothes suiting that special - or even not so special - lady in your life, I was pleased to stumble upon the Hawaiian shirt section. You can never go wrong in making a fashion statement that doesn’t sit on the fence. Keeping with the Moving Image theme, I thought it best to take second dibs and allow a certain cinematic Hawaiian shirt lover to get stuck in first.

As well as the clothes, Look Twice also covered household items, gardening tools and homemade bread.

Blimey.

Chris was charming company with his burgeoning baking business. Free samples of warm fresh bread is perfect for a Sunday morning recovering from the tired and emotional state of the night before. I hope that Chris can carry on with Sunday morning home deliveries.

The gardening angle took the form of a Vintage style implement used to press down seeds during home planting. That’s the best description I can come up with. Search for ‘implement used to press down seeds during home planting’ in the B & Q online catalogue and you get a great big fat zero.

Which is why we bought up an implement used to press down seeds during home planting.

Reap what you sew, etc.

Perhaps the best bargain however was the social element. You can’t put a price on creating a social space that combines the hyperlocal economy with conversation. Talk was cheap, especially so at £1.

Is there scope for a regular market down at the Business Centre?

Possibly.

The trade seemed stable and Look Twice worked wonders in getting people out towards the bottom of Wivenhoe on a Sunday morning. If something sustainable could be set up, then the other local traders in the nearby units would hopefully benefit.

As for publicising such a venture?

Paul’s brilliant What’s On In Wivenhoe had a presence at Look Twice, iPad et al.

Hipster happening waiting to… happen I tell you.

Vintage morning.

To the Town Council Office! …on Monday evening for the monthly Wivenhoe Town Council meeting.

And whaddya know?

REJOICE!

The Council Chamber has a Christmas tree ERECTED.

Evergreen, artificial, and a star sitting at the top.

And that was just WTC.

Boom, boom.

It wasn’t quite the standing room only from the previous October gathering. Cllr Julie Young of Essex County Council and a bored blogger comprised the public chamber.

The meeting *was* advertised on the WTC notice boards, natch.

Apologies were sent from Cllr’s Steve Ford, Cyril Liddy and Mark Cory of Colchester Borough Council. Apologies weren’t being sought later in the evening from Cory Environmental Trust…

No apologising necessary however from Cllr Julie Young, who delivered her monthly report updating over matters coming out of the big cheese over at Chelmsford:

“Everyone is aware of the situation regards the Philip Road Centre. Essex County Council has NOT declared that it is surplus to needs. Until this is so, the community can’t move forward. I am a bit concerned about the interim period. The Dance Group is looking into the cost of keeping the site open for business in terms of utilities.”

And then casually dropped into the debate:

“Essex County Council might be looking at Philip Road as a site to relocate the library.”

GOSH.

Talking of *ahem* relocations, the Health Centre had WTC then searching for their physical - and moral - compasses.

Cllr Young updated:

“Charles Gooch met with Richard Warner of Realise Health last week. I am trying to get a date to get everyone together. I have had a limited response. I am waiting for Bernard Jenkin to identify a date. He has come back with Fridays, but this is not suitable for Richard Warner.”

<irony alert>

Cllr Neil Lodge asked:

“Can WTC be included in this meeting please?”

Cllr Bob Needham continued with the same slapstick:

“Information must come out of these Health Centre meetings for the public.”

</irony alert>

Kinda related (health centre, not humour bypass) - Cllr Andrea Vaughan asked about possible passing bays along The Avenue. Cllr Young agreed to look into these.

Passing ships in the night - on paper, if not in person - were Cllr’s Cory, Ford and Liddy of CBC with their written reports.

Cllr Cory of the Cross ward kept it simple with planning, planting trees and the Philip Road Centre. Plus keeping abreast of all things with BRA.

A double act from Cllr’s Ford and Liddy covered the re-application by Taylor Wimpey to convert the three remaining commercial units at Cook’s Shipyard into residential flats, a move also supported by the two CBC Quay ward councillors.

Cllr Vaughan of WTC was not happy:

“I am very disappointed in Cyril for approving this, and I am very disappointed that he isn’t here tonight to explain his actions. I feel let down by our Borough councillors. The bigger fear is that this is not the end of the development at Cook’s.

If we can’t rely on the views of our Borough councillors to represent the people of Wivenhoe, we are in a sorry state.”

The issue here is the surrender of commercial space for yet more residential property, and in particular, the parking issues that this may bring.

Cllr Young attempted to explain the thinking behind her two absent Comrades:

“Planning is difficult. The Planning Committee is quasi-juridical [cripes.] You have to judge each case on its merits.”

Cllr Brian Sinclair of WTC explained his concerns:

“Affordable housing needs to be for young people. We have got to continue to campaign for this.”

No holding back from Cllr Lodge:

“We shouldn’t be confused about our Borough councillors voting against the people of Wivenhoe.”

As for the outcome?

WTC resolved to write to Cllr’s Ford and Liddy to “show their disgust.”

Best, etc.

Mwah, Mwah.

But before an RSVP has had time to return, a footnote in the written report from Cllr’s Ford and Liddy:

“On the question of the Health Centre, WTC members may have more information than either of us.”

OUCH.

Return to sender, etc.

Madam Mayor then asked for feedback on the public meeting to discuss the Health Centre situation.

Cllr Kevin Read offered:

“It was good that so many residents turned up. They behaved impeccably.”

Keeping it hyperlocal was Cllr Sinclair:

“It was good to see residents at the meeting that were Wivenhoe born and bred and don’t read the Wivenhoe Forum.”

OUCH, OUCH etc.

But back down to the Cook’s site and on with the rest of the WTC agenda:

Planning…

A quote is in for the completion of the decoration the toilet block. Pebble dashing not considered.

Much more serious is the consideration for the Wivenhoe Town Plan.

Does this need updating?

Yes was consensus.

Is anyone willing to lead on this?

Um…

Let’s have a meeting to decide. 10th December at the Town Council office, if you want to add it to your diaries.

Part of the Town Plan may *or may not* be the patch of land at the back of the Town Council office known as the Diamond Jubilee Garden / Nature Garden (depending on who you talk to…)

Work was progressing incredibly well with the good folk of Transition Town Wivenhoe volunteering to turn the wasteland around.

A letter was read out by Madam Mayor from Cory Environmental Trust. £27,000 of funding for the project has been dropped after a recent progress report was sent to CET. Submissions for a fresh application is apparently welcome…

Cllr Needham explained more:

“£41,000 in total was available. Decisions were made on the design - the budget expanded to £188,000. This was beyond our scope. As a group we decided to cut our cloth and trim back. Cory was kept in the loop.”

Madam Mayor asked where to next?

Re-applying for the grant was agreed.

Sticking with all things fiscal and the mid-term budget was then considered. Money made on the William Loveless Hall [where else?] currently stands at £10,000 - the £18,500 year end target “should be met” according to the Town Clerk.

Not making too much of a dent in the overall macro economic prediction was the agreement to fund St Mary’s Church £60 to buy sweets for the arrival of St Nicolas down at the Quay in December.

If the availability of the WTC Sweet Fund is any indicator as to finances of the nation, the outlook is encouraging. The exact same discussion last year took fifteen minutes to resolve. The candy coffers fund was agreed in fifteen seconds this year.

Sweet.

The bedtime reading of the Tendring Local Plan was then passed around. A wheelbarrow was required for Cllr Asa Aldis to carry it home.

The transfer of the licence for the KGV over to WTC was confirmed, and the meeting concluded with a slightly bonkers discussion about the possibility of publishing the agenda for future meetings on the WTC website.

“I’m not sure about this”

…said Madam Mayor.

A paper copy left on the public table was the agreed outcome.

You could fell a tree and ERECT a Christmas tree on the paper savings there, Comrade.

Next month, etc…

To the Congregational Hall! …on Sunday afternoon and a very kind invite to come along and digitally document the Wivenhoe Pantomime, 2013.

Which roughly translated means take some snaps, attempt a half decent interview with the cast and then bodge it all together back at base as an exercise in hyperlocal history for generations to come.

The lovely Panto Kids of Wivenhoe will LOVE all those cute photographs as a reminder of the way we were in years to come…

But for now it is the immediate future and January 2013 that attention is turned towards. With less then two months until opening night at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] how is the show shaping up for the 2013 Wivenhoe Pantomime?

Rather well if Sunday afternoon at the Congregational Hall was any indicator. The cast has been rehearsing twice a week since September. You need commitment and staying power for Panto - a dodgy double entendre that thankfully isn’t in the script for this season.

What is in the script however is a highly original storyline, penned by seasoned Panto regular, Sara Rout. Monsters Rock is the production - a title that you won’t find anywhere else in the history of thigh slapping. This is a production that is unique to Wivenhoe, with the WORLD premier (blimey) being performed on the evening of 23rd January, and running through until the 26th.

Sunday saw the singing rehearsal for the cast and musicians. Music maestro Nick White has once again kindly volunteered his professional input, along with the regular team of Julie-Anne White, Xanthia Fletcher and Greg Smith.

Some familiar and not so familiar faces made up the front row chorus line. The returning Panto veterans and the mix of new talent speaks volumes about the appeal of putting on a show. Yes it can be a testing six-month run in period, but something keeps the cast members coming back.

Generations of Wivenhoe kids have grown up around the Pantomime. You don’t want to sound like some third age mystical twaddle, but there is a Pantomime community in Wivenhoe. It’s a fine education for the little ankle biters; it helps that many of the adults also have a background in both local schools.

Speaking of learning, the main message coming from the musical maestro on Sunday was the importance of the opening song. It sets the tone for the rest of the show. SMILING is apparently important.

It was certainly GRINS all round when the fashionably late appearance of leading boy Shane Diggens made his grand Congregational Hall stage debut just as the opening number was coming to a close.

Save the best for last, etc.

I don’t want to give too much away, but Monsters Rock opens with Wake Up Boo, and then we went straight into the Pantomime finale. One presumes that there is a show somewhere hidden away in the middle…

A common question was:

“Who is singing and who is shaking their bop bops?”

Dontcha just LOVE Wivenhoe Pantomime?

It will be all right on the night, folks…

Tickets for Monster Rock go on sale at the late night Christmas Market at St Mary’s on the evening of 6th December. They will then be available from both Post Offices in the town.

listen to ‘Preparations for @wivenhoepanto 1 #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Preparations for @wivenhoepanto 2 #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Preparations for @wivenhoepanto 3 #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

listen to ‘Preparations for @wivenhoepanto 4 #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

Y’see the beauty about print is that you get to clarify all the facts before publishing.

Comment is free, facts are sacred blah blah blah. The modern interweb meanwhile is the springboard for the big boys to collate the hyperlocal news agenda.

Hurrah then for the big boy that is Scoop Scarpenter and his superb treatment of the Wivenhoe Health Saga in The Brightlingsea and Wivenhoe Chronicle.

Comment is free (for now… ARF!) facts are sacred.

And so you wait all year for the Esteemed Organ of Truth and Justice to lead with a Wivenhoe story, and then WOH! The Health Centre situation blows our Brightlingsea buddies out of the water.

Best have a Health Centre nearby to patch you up, boys…

Public Rejects Site for New Medical Centre

…rounds up the sequence of events that has seen the new Health Centre in Wivenhoe shift from Cook’s Shipyard, *possibly* back up to the Fire Station and then somewhere midstream in the muddy banks of the Colne.

Comment is free, facts are sacred, Comrades.

The depth of this story makes it difficult to capture the many interests and developments. But somehow Scoop does it anyway.

“Understandably many local residents feel that there has been a total lack of public consultation regarding this matter”

…sums up the saga in one sentence.

Scoop manages to blag an interview with Dr Paddy Carr and Practice Manager Zoe Cronin. Coming out of this is the fact that the funding is just a third of what is was eight years ago.

Former Mayor Peter Hill tells Scoop:

“The situation has not moved forward. It has gone backwards, back to 2004.”

The killer quote come the close of the full front page lead comes from Scoop:

“The Chronicle understands from a reliable source within the NHS that the site at Cook’s Shipyard is in reality no longer being considered.”

Comment is free, facts are sacred, folks.

But the Wivenhoe Well Being [URGH] story doesn’t stop there. Page 4 of The Chronicle carries:

Wivenhoe’s Health and Healing Fair

I understand that the holistic event taking place at the William Loveless Hall [where else?] on the 1st December isn’t an alternative plan put forward by Realise Health for a new health centre for Wivenhoe.

Phew.

Glad we’ve cleared that one up.

Instead there will be a group of experienced and qualified practitioners covering hypnotherapy, holistic health and personal development.

Perfect.

Not take a deep breath.

But not before you’ve blogged about:

Alresford Councillor Stands in Police Election

Ahh - so that’s the hyperlocal connection that saw Linda Belgrove address the good folk of Wiv Soc at The Nottage last Friday night. Other non- political - and some political - candidates are also standing in the election that takes place on 15th November.

“An Alresford resident who for four years was vice chairman of the Essex Police Authority, Linda Belgrove is standing as a candidate in the forthcoming election for a new Essex Police and Crime Commissioner.”

Good luck Linda, ‘n all that.

Those usual 4am election counts shouldn’t take that long to declare this time round. With the ballot box closing in the William Loveless Hall [where else? Um, other polling booths?] at 10pm, expect the half a dozen ballot papers to be counted shortly after.

Apathy may sadly rule the day, but that’s no reason to go cheerleading from the sidelines. Which is a shame, as page 8 of The Chronicle declares:

Cheerleading Classes

Tell It Like It Is, etc.

“Cheerleading classes are currently being run at the William Loveless Hall for 9 - 14 year old children. Organised by HRC All Stars, the classes are held on Monday evenings from 6pm to 6:45pm.”

Which should give any Wivenhoe Town Councillors sufficient time to go Rah Rah Rah ahead of the 7:30pm Town Council monthly meetings next door.

Act your age, etc.

Tennis, comedy and folk music make up the reminder of the Wivenhoe connections in The Chronicle. Success for Wivenhoe Tennis Club is celebrated; the Funny Farm on 29th November gets a nod, whilst Paul Riley’s appearance at the Folk Club on 6th December completes the hat trick of hyperlocal events.

Next month: who knows where the Health Centre situation will be?

Probably not down at Cook’s Shipyard.

Facts are sacred, etc.

For a volunteer led organisation that is focussed mainly on film, Wivenhoe Moving Image has many assets and ideas to help bring about the idea of an independent community cinema.

One of those assets [aha!] is the Philip Road Centre in Wivenhoe. With social space [URGH] becoming increasingly tight in the town, attention has turned towards securing the future of the old school building to remain in use by the community.

An update is provided by Moira at the start of our regular @audioboo recording.

listen to ‘Catching up with @wivmovingimage and future plans for Philip Road Centre #Wivenhoe’ on Audioboo

Owned by Essex County Council (the Philip Road Centre, not Moira) the old school is scheduled to cease becoming a specialist education unit “sometime in January or Easter.”

Moving Image has made tremendous strides over the past two years in keeping alive the vision for a genuine independent community cinema. The Bums on Seats Barometer continues to show a clean bill of health. Skid marks are not being mentioned.

Moving Image is starting to plan ahead and try and secure the future of the Philip Road Centre. A user group has been set up with the help of the other tenants - the Wivenhoe Youth Hub and the Colne Bank School of Dance.

The Community Right to Bid offers up an amazing opportunity to secure the site as community asset. It also offers up the challenge of finding other partners, not to mention the currency of social assets, i.e. HARD CASH.

The call has gone out for any other local groups or businesses in the area that might benefit from using the space. This could be a similar community orientated project, or perhaps a hyperlocal business that wants to rent out a commercial space at Philip Road.

A location for a new Health Centre probably won’t go down too well right now…

But in between all of this business activity, the meat ‘n’ veg of Moving Image continues. Following the half term / bonfire night sabbatical, Moving Image is back on 10th November with a screening of Monsieur Lazhar.

This translates as: Mr Lazhar…

Tres bien.

Billy Connelly and Emma Thompson then come to Wivenhoe [blimey] on Sunday 11th with the family matinee screening of Brave.

The autumn season continues on 17th with Deep End, a “sexually vivacious” late 60′s exploration with Jane Asher and Diana Dors.

Don’t fancy yours much, etc.

The same probably won’t be said seven days later when Daniel Radcliffe appears in Woman in Black.

And then we hit December and the Wivenhoe Moving Image run in to the Christmas season officially starts. Jaws on 1st December should test that Big Society funded projector to its full potential.

It’s a Wonderful Life will have them weeping into the mulled wine when it is screened the following day.

Event themed films have been something of a success of late. Moira explains in the audioboo catch up how Moving Image now has a dedicated Events Manager. The Bugsy Malone brings Chicago Gangster to Downtown Wivenhoe was a huge success.

It’s a Wonderful Life is going to see the Philip Road set suitably transformed for the occasion. A large box of Kleenex [steady] should suffice.

And then with the Philip Road Centre being booked up for Christmas events (told you there was a demand…) Moving Image counts down to Christmas wit a Film Quiz at The Legion on 8th December.

A member’s screening of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner follows on 9th December. The recent survey showed an interest in a screening followed by a discussion. Local film buff Syd Bailey will be leading the conversation.

You can soon see how there’s more to Wivenhoe Moving Image than simply screening films. The January 2013 season is already be planned, but attention and energies are also looking towards the continued sustainability [URGH.]

Stick that in yer Right to Bid proposal and the job’s a good ‘un, Comrades.

Many thanks to Moira, as ever, for filling in the cavernous gaps covering the lack of film knowledge.

BLATANT PLUG alert - but it’s a good ‘un.

You may remember back during the Regatta Weekend and the splendid Vintage Fair that took place at the Business Centre on the Sunday.

Well - it’s back.

Hurrah!

Trading under the Look Twice banner, Charlotte and Celeste are returning to the space at the Business Centre on Sunday 25th November. A seasonal selection of vintage and retro items will be on sale. Various traders from around the town will be setting up stalls.

If that doesn’t quite grab your attention then the self-styled strapline should work:

“A cornucopia of vintage clothing, jewelry, crafts, collectables, upcycled items and household paraphernalia.”

…’cos ANYTHING that involves the phrase cornucopia has to be cool, right?

What certainly was rather cool back in July was the 40′s style three-piece whistle that I came very close to buying. The *ahem* inside leg measurement didn’t quite give the old boy enough breathing space, but it was a lovely find, all the same.

Foraging is most definitely encouraged on the 25th. The event runs from 10am - 4pm, with £1 admission. Half of the proceeds will be fed back to Wivenhoe Moving Image, a set up that isn’t adverse to the odd bit of retro theme itself.

Speaking of which, here’s the Radio Wivenhoe ad for Look Twice, recorded and produced by another chap who has hit vintage form himself of late.

Lovely.