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A WivSoc Wednesday with a difference this week - it’s only the AGM of our lovely local town civic society.

Cripes.

To the Nottage, fashionably late, and not so fashionably dressed. I did make an effort on the nautical front, sporting one of my latest charity shop finds from a recent trip to the Oldest Recorded.

Turns out that I wasn’t alone. For all yer Essex Man jibes, Wivenhoe Man is something of a salty sea dog. I wasn’t the only WivSoc Sir wearing a captain’s sea hat (although I take pride in the knowledge that mine was the biggest.)

Blimey.

But anyway - what of the business end of the WivSoc year? It was all routine stuff, with Mr Chair admirably sticking to the agenda, and sticking it (in a very, very polite way) to anything that might upset the balance of the old meets the new, that makes Wivenhoe such a charming place to live.

I say routine stuff, but when the annual log book for events organised by WivSoc takes in (deep breath…) Open Gardens, wine tasting, the Fun Day, two heritage walks (8th May imminent) two riverbank clean ups (10th April even more imminent) the Craft Fair, the Quayside crabbing, the Colne talk, the post-Christmas party, Hanging Basket competitions, helping out at the Regatta, then you can see how a routine year in Wivenhoe needs some sense of formal organising.

Which is precisely where the incredibly hard working WivSoc committee members come in. The meeting opened with the approval of the previous minutes, plus some fool wearing a silly sea hat walking in halfway through.

Whoops.

Mr Chair’s Report was deliberately brief - new members were made to fee most welcome.

The Secretary’s Report was the opportunity to outline in more detail some of the fine work of WivSoc over the past twelve months. Monitoring and responding to planning applications remains the main priority.

New procedures mean that objections now have to be channelled through Borough councillors, thus further complicating matters. WivSoc wishes to place on the record the support so far offered by Cllr Steve Ford of Wivenhoe Quay ward.

The WivSoc Newsletter was praised, providing members with quarterly updates not only on Society matters, but also locals items of a more general interest. I hear that the next issue has a half-decent front-page pic snapped by some hit and miss photographer.

For a Society that is all too conscience (often too Conscience in my opinion) of the ‘mature’ nature of the membership, it is rather ace to see the modern interweb being explored.

Members’ email updates are sent out when ever a matter of urgency arises. The Secretary highlighted recent issues such as the proposal to build on the land near to Millfields School, the sea wall clearance, Transition Town Wivenhoe updates and the impact of the Knowledge Gateway on the town as recent examples of online dialogue.

Outside of the internal mechanisms of WivSoc and it was also mentioned that the Society has a formal voice at the NAP meetings, the Wivenhoe Townscape Forum (local list) and still my fave ever group, the Wivenhoe Wood Working Party.

A big thank you went out to Cllr Bob Needham for giving up his Wednesday evenings once a month to offer feedback on WTC meetings. Nice hat m’Cllr friend - never mind the length, feel the thickness etc.

The Secretary wrapped up by saying that the WivSoc membership continues to grow, as well as observing developments within the town that reflect well for the future of Wivenhoe.

Helping Hands, Moving Image, TTW and *cough* the Wivenhoe Forum - all of these are positioned well to help out in Wivenhoe as we face what is likely to be unstable economic times ahead.

Speaking of all things fiscal - it’s only the WivSoc Treasurer’s Report…

The Society’s finances are “healthy.” Let’s leave it at that. Well, not quite… A *shhh* three figure surplus was made in the last financial year. No deficit deniers upstairs at the Nottage on Wednesday night.

£200 was donated towards Wivenhoe in Bloom. All social events made a profit. The increase in membership numbers covers the running cost of WivSoc.

Thanks were rightfully given to our friends from Rollo Estates, Eyecare, the Co-op and EWS skip hire, for very kind sponsorship and support over the year.

Chair’s Q & A simply put out the request for any tree expert within Wivenhoe to step forward. Help is needed in identifying any trees in the town that might need a little TLC. Having accidentally managed to floor one in my own back garden after only three months of living here, I thought it best not to volunteer.

The election of officers followed, with the motion to keep subscription rates as the same level also passed.

Any Other Business?

Um, booze?

Almost. Time first for a splendid talk by Anthony Roberts, the esteemed Artistic Director @ColchesterArts. With a #hyperlocal artistic history boasting Francis Bacon (sort of,) the Lakeside (not quite Wivenhoe) and the grand plans for the old Engine Shed (um…) Anthony was preaching to the converted.

We heard a wonderful social history of the old building, covering a barely plausible Humpty Dumpty reference, and leading up to the opening of the ace arts space in 1980.

Anthony then spelt out his vision for @ColchesterArts to champion new and emerging talent. The importance of online culture was emphasised, with a brilliant explanation of how the modern interweb has helped the centre to build new communities and change the artistic experience.

And then it was time for booze. Except @AnnaJCowen and I took something of a liking to the food first, and didn’t really move away from the buffet table. Some charming conversations followed, and then soon it was chucking out time at The Nottage.

No worries - we stopped off at the Rose and Crown and necked eight pints of Carlsberg each, and were back at base in time for the Ten O’clock News.

Only joking. It was the Eleven O’clock News. Fashionably late, and timing has never been my strong point. Nice nautical hat though.

That was a fine way to spend a Friday evening - inside the splendour of St Mary’s buying up a supply of books that should see us through until, oooh, about this time next year when the annual St Mary’s Book Fair is upon us once again.

Blimey.

It takes something slightly more life changing than births, marriages and deaths to get me into a place of religious worship these days. A Book Fair is one of those rare epochal moments in one’s life that you can’t miss.

A slight hiccup in the working day, and the planned 4pm visit was postponed until shortly after six. Turns out it was the right decision. Book Fair’s are an inclusive event, especially so at chucking out time for the little ankle biters.

The word on the street just south of the railway bridge was that St Mary’s became something of a homework club, once the little folk of Broomgrove and Millfields had packed their book bags for the day.

Bt the time of the later shift, the lady (yeah, right…) and I had a far more leisurely approach to our perusing. I wouldn’t quite go as far as describing it an *ahem* adult book affair, but it was all rather laid back and lovely.

The pews were covered in paperbacks and hardbacks; I sought sanctuary towards the cupcake table.

With over 2, 500 books on sale this weekend, the St Mary’s Book Fair should keep the coffers ticking over nicely for another year. My three paperbacks covering the Good, the Bad and the Ugly) clocked in at a Book Fair blasphemous price of precisely £1. I left a little extra in the collection plate to cover my conscience.

@AnnaJCowen meanwhile still had change from her grubby fiver for the five books that she picked up. The RHS Encyclopaedia alone had a publisher’s price of £35.

We had a slight wobble with the good man collecting the coins near the chancel. The confusion came from a bendy book that was neither hardback nor paperback. I didn’t like to argue with a man of religion over flaccidity, and so we happily went with the more hardcore pricing option.

It was ace to catch up with Bookshop Sue …buying books. Talk about a busman’s holiday. Apologies (as ever) for what I think was some name confusion yet again, but I think we got there in the end.

Sue let slip that the fine folk of Wivenhoe Bookshop are already planning the next intimate night of acoustic music within the surrounds of the back of the shop. The weekend of the May Fair was mentioned; a jazzed up gypsy style band is all that I can give away right now.

Meanwhile, the St Mary’s annual Book Fair continues on Saturday morning. I’ve always valued churches as places of great learning and wisdom, and not necessarily involving religion either.

I think I’ve become a convert.

You may prefer the photographic evidence in the blog post below, but for me, the official heralding that spring has arrived around these estuary parts is the publishing of the spring edition of Wivenhoe News.

Hurrah!

Town and Uni Clash Over Proposed Road is the lead story. With a byline of *ahem* Jason Cobb (blimey!) the news piece documents the recent lively Nottage meeting about @Uni_of_Essex’s Knowledge Gateway, and the traffic disruption is will cause those travelling in from the Tendring Peninsula.

The front page is shared with a photo of a very dashing young man about town. Workers of Wivenhoe features the rather charming Mark Andras and his local building business. I hear the good man builds rather decent kitchen extensions…

The Editorial lead describes the recent Environment Agency work as:

“Napalm-like treatment of the sea wall.”

Peter Kennedy pens a moving piece on page 3 all about the recent floods suffered by our Wivenhoe namesakes centred on Wivenhoe Dam in Australia. For all the recent CO7 woes regarding the vandalism by the Environment Agency, such devastation Down Under brings home the message about the importance of protection.

Back down to local matters, and if you want to define Wivenhoe, then ‘sitting somewhere between Theydon Bois and Hatfield Peverel‘ would suffice. Not geographically correct of course, but fine work with Wivenhoe News being sandwiched between the two locations, in proudly picking up the silver place in the 2010 Essex Community Magazine Awards.

In anticipation of Lifeboat Week (6th - 11th June,) Jane Hughes writes about The First Lifeboat: Henry Greathead’s Original. The as ever excellent Arts News wraps up Christmas Presence, the Denis Wirth-Miller retrospective at the Minories, recent events up at The Lakeside (“…no longer as austere and drab“) Moving Image (hurrah!) Jardine (hurrah! hurrah!) and even the Hub (hurrah! hurrah! hur… oh - you get the idea.)

David Williams reviews a selection of CD’s that are available at Wivenhoe Bookshop, and then there is a brief para all about the rather bizarre arrival of Sinterklaas down at the Quay in December (which incidentally I have deliberately chosen not to blog about. Having been asked why by a number of sources, then I will add the diplomatic answer of finding it all rather surreal for 2010.)

Moving on…

Nottage News reports on the buildings update for our fine nautical place of heritage. The Film Club is mentioned, as well as looking ahead to the annual Summer Exhibition.

Ian Valentine then updates on the state of the local bell ringers.

Blimey.

Anyone living in lower Wivenhoe will no doubt testify that the men and women of bells are indeed in fine form, what with the weekly Wednesday evening rehearsals, and the peeling out of a quick chorus shortly before 10am on a Sunday morning.

Ding dong. Get in there.

Restoring the Royal British Legion reports on the good news of a planning application and possible listed status having been submitted. A decision is due later in March.

The fine work of the locally based ADP Theatre receives a positive write up on page 12, as well as reviews of recent events at St Mary’s, such as the Cavendish Consort and The Odd Tale of Odstock.

The wonderful Wivenhoe panto gets the star treatment overleaf (“Energetic! Hilarious! Charismatic!“) as well as a quick plug for Oklahoma being performed by the Wivenhoe Gilbert & Sullivan Society from 15th - 19th March at the Loveless Hall.

Plans for the May Fair are mentioned on page 14, as well as a call for ideas and inspiration for the fascinating Off the Rails project down at The Station. The brilliant Bookshop updates on the forthcoming Philosophers course, the Reading Group (now staged within the splendour of Jardine) and the branching out of the Bookshop to stage intimate live music. All accounts suggest that Fiona Harman’s Drum performance was the perfect start to this recent venture.

Wivenhoe in Bloom and Open Gardens take a green-fingered approach overleaf. With spring finally having settled in these parts, the time is almost here to proudly show us what you’ve got. Anyone interest in a half-seeded lawn?

Wivenhoe Allotments ponder the woe of the extreme winter, whilst the fine Richard Allen, Wivenhoe’s Bird Watcher Supreme, writes of his good fortune during the cold snap in being able to spot fifteen waxwings down by the Colne - and the exact location for this rather rare appearance? Um… in the bushes that have now been bulldozed by the Environmental Agency.

Whoops.

Coppicing with the Wivenhoe Woods Working Party is explained, as well as a fascinating write up of the fungi forage that took place in Wivenhoe Wood during the autumn.

The centre page diary events are as packed as ever (and soon to be shamelessly added to the Wivenhoe Forum diary…)

Early 80′s events centred on Wivenhoe Port, and in particular, a plausible tale of smuggling and intervention by the Belgium Old Bill, are written with the perfect prose from Bill Ellis on page 22.

The Circumnavigation of St Barba of Mersea by Peter Goldsmith continues the maritime theme. The ace Transition Town Wivenhoe provide an update, alongside the equally ace Wivenhoe Pets (Murphie settling in rather well, thank you very much.) Some online bore then bangs on about the Wivenhoe Forum (whaddya mean, you *still* haven’t joined, blah blah blah…)

The View From the High Street with Tom Roberts looks back on past Wivenhoe winters, making comparisons with the snow of 2010, and explaining rather helpfully some of the urban myths about clearing the snow away yourself.

Bernard Jenkin MP uses his column to try and explain the abolition of PCT’s, as well as pressing the case for a cleaner Colne. Mr Mayor Brian Sinclair explains WTC matters, covering the closure of the police station, Cook’s Shipyard progress (slow…) the new Medical Centre (stationary) and the continuation of the closure of Queens Road.

LibDem Colchester Borough Councillor Mark Cory (Wivenhoe Cross ward) uses his column as an election launch ahead of voting this May. Meanwhile Labour’s Councillor Steve Ford adds his views on the closure of Clingoe Hill and the Knowledge Gateway. Plus any local Cllr column wouldn’t complete without the mention of potholes.

Essex County Councillor Julie Young keeps up the familiar local themes - Knowledge Gateway, Queens Road, potholes - as well as the ongoing debate about making Station Road a 20mph zone.

Speaking of our friends up at the University, the Essex Book Festival, the recent Ofsted report on the Nursery and the Town and Gown Dinner conclude events centred around Boundary Road and beyond.

Obituaries are provided for David Adams and Gerry Oliver.

News From Our Schools uplifts the mood, with ample enthusiasm for our young folk. Millfields School has a Young Reporters theme, encouraging pupils to pen pieces all about recent news around the school community. The recent performance by a selection of Millfields pupils at a prestigious concert at the O2 is rightfully celebrated.

Broomgrove are equally enthusiastic about the community ethos of both the Junior and Infant school. News of the Colne Community School May Fair (15th May) is also mentioned.

WivSoc reports back on recent committee meetings, mainly covering planning, as well as a call to arms for more active local involvement. The incredibly community spirited Ellie Gornall writes about The Hub, Wivenhoe’s fantastic facility for young folk around the town.

Emma Cameron’s Vivid Gaze exhibition at Jardine is reviewed, as well as Guy Taplin’s recent retrospective as the Messum’s. “Wivenhoe’s alchemist of driftwood” is a fine working title for one to trade under.

Finally and Flying the Flag for Wivenhoe Folk Club reports on the successful move of the fine folkies up the road to The Flag for the monthly music sessions.

Wivenhoe News is sold at the Co-op, Crossways, the Post Office, Bryans Newsagents and the lovely Wivenhoe Bookshop.

The copy deadline for the next issue of Wivenhoe News is 1st May.

To the Town Council offices (cripes) on Tuesday evening for the bi-monthly meeting of the Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Action Panel, the Essex Police initiative, defined as:

“Each NAP consists of representatives from the local community, residents’ associations, children and young people, voluntary agencies, schools, faith groups, Town and Parish councillors, Colchester Borough Council, Essex County Council and other statutory groups or organisations that are best placed to make a valuable contribution to community problem solving throughout Colchester.”

Oh - and nosey bloggers as well. Many thanks for making me feel most welcome…

Scaling down further for Wivenhoe, and our very own #hyperlocal NAP states:

“We want to tackle crime and quality of life issues that are effecting Wivenhoe and the University of Essex. We not only want to tackle them but we want to reduce them.”

A cursory glance over at the online data released last week via police.uk reveals that downtown Wivenhoe ‘aint exactly a crime hot spot. Ah, but it’s all relative, and also all about reassurances.

Seven incidents of anti-social behaviour, plus the three reports of violent crime in December 2010, are much more than pure, hard online data. These are very real situations that NAP seeks to address to help to make Wivenhoe an even better place in which to live and work.

Violent crime is hard to predict. Parking issues however can be addressed to help achieve a positive outcome.

Um, can’t they…?

As was the case with the previous NAP back in November, a great deal of the debate on Tuesday evening was taken up with parking issues around the town. Put simply, we have too many cars parking within Wivenhoe.

You can’t legislate for car ownership; nor for local authority cuts, which reduces the budget available to address the issue. Which all rather depressingly sums up the majority of agenda items at the NAP: Parking problems, no money, not much we can do.

Bare with me, blog readers - there is something of a warm, happy ending involving Mayor Brian Sinclair…

But first the roll call of cars parking woes:

Rosabelle Avenue has been reported as being a problem area for dangerous parking. Wivenhoe Town Council is currently waiting on a review of the 2011 budget for possible funding.

Moving on…

Parking outside One Stop towards The Cross - Councillor Penny Kraft reported on the solution being pressed by WTC. Essex County Council Highways have agreed to widen the pavement at the Colchester Road end.

Hurrah!

The problem? The small matter of the shortfall of £25k to pay for this. Cripes, you’re thinking - that’s a lot of wonga for a small stretch of road. Indeed it is. A more conservative £4k is the figure for the physical pavement improvements; £21k is the amount needed to pay off the various utility and telco companies who would be caught up in the crossfire.

NAP Chair Eugene Kraft has approached One Stop about some friendly sponsorship to help carry out the work, and ultimately improve the parking outside the business. Times are tough for traders as well as local councils. Sadly the scheme is now on hold.

Something slightly more positive however is the report of disruptive parking outside Millfields School. Councillor Kraft observed:

“You need a physical presence to address this. Whenever someone from the school stands outside during the school run, parents tend to park properly. Without this however and the problem returns. People don’t park cars - they abandon them. This is a great inconvenience to local residents.”

In response, the Deputy Head of Millfields [apologies, didn't note your name...] kindly attended the meeting to update on the issue:

“Our last formal complaint from a resident was back in May 2010. If we aren’t aware of the issues, then we can’t act upon them. We have extended parking in the school so that there are more spaces. Teachers arriving early morning are parking flush to the edge of the space. We now have fewer employees parking outside the school.”

The Chair observed that the Millfields parking problem is now “not as bad as it once was.” The NAP agreed to remove the item from future agendas, pending any further complaints.

Which was all very considerate, which also leads rather nicely into, ah… the Considerate Parking Scheme.

This is a WTC initiative, which aims to promote a better understanding of the parking needs around the town, in the absence of any law of the land to ease the flow of traffic. Wivenhoe tends to be a terribly considerate town anyway. If such a scheme were to work, one would hope that it would work in Wivenhoe.

The idea is simple: encourage and promote a more considerate, shared use of car parking space around the town, and explain the positive outcomes for the community. Councillor Kraft explained how the scheme has been discussed at WTC, along with input from our local police team.

“We looked at the Brightlingsea model and concluded that the Brightlingsea problem is not the same as ours. WTC decided not to pursue the Considerate Parking Scheme. The police aren’t keen, and we haven’t got the backing from Colchester Borough Council.

Commuters cause the problems in Wivenhoe - in Brightlingsea it is residents. We tried to speak with inconsiderate parkers down at West Quay and we didn’t even know who we are dealing with.”

Wivenhoe Society Chair Tom Roberts was not alone in expressing his disappointment that this scheme has now been shelved:

“I had hoped that the Considerate Parking Scheme would address the problem of cars parking with two wheels on the road.”

[um... Valley Road.]

The official WTC response is that this can’t be done without police support.

Sgt Lou Middleton added:

“It is not an offence for cars to park on the public pavement, as long as they are not obstructing pedestrians. If it was HGV’s, then we could act.”

A discussion then followed about *ahem* Park Road in particular, and how double parking takes place on both sides of the pavement. It was suggested that putting double yellow lines down one side of the road would ease the problem, but… there isn’t a budget for this.

A work-around of sorts was concluded, which kept in with the very considerate nature of Wivenhoe: the NAP will work alongside the local police to leaflet cars, which are parked inconsiderately.

Different agenda point, same problem: dangerous parking along Elmstead Road. The Chair noted:

“Nothing can be done. The road is too narrow and there are no pavements.”

And then just when you wait for yet another dangerous parking conundrum, along comes… Queens Road.

Oh Lordy.

The problem, if indeed there is one with Queens Road, is not so much dangerous parking but the inverse and the continued closure of the stretch. An update was kindly provided by a QRRA member, outlining the Association’s view on the fire at the Business Centre last year.

This is all old ground, and nothing new was discussed that we didn’t already know. Highways are not prepared to change their position on the closure, and so the item was ticked off the NAP agenda.

And relax.

Sgt Littleton then explained a little more about the Essex Police Emerging Communities initiative:

“This is a government led scheme to identify new groups moving into communities. We are keen to identify these groups so that we can give them the same standard of support as we do other members of the community.”

A bit of head scratching around the Town Council table, and apart from an anti-Mubarak poster that has been spotted in solitary along Park Road, Wivenhoe doesn’t seem to be a town that is that transient right now.

But anyway - back to parking - or back to the pedestrian flow around parked cars to be more precise.

The much-mooted zebra crossing by the Co-op now seems like a lost cause. With much personal frustration, Mayor Sinclair explained the saga that has frustrated WTC for some time:

“We can’t have a pedestrian crossing close to a road junction, therefore the only location would be above from the Co-op. This would wipe out resident parking space, as well as creating extra cost in having to move the bus stop.

Delays happened, and we simply ran out of time with the project in relation to the budget. WTC is collectively very angry over this. The money has been put aside, and we want to make sure that we have still got access to this.”

Tom Roberts raised the valid point of tapping into some Section 106 funding as part of the planning process for Cedrics Bus Garage. The current planning application has now been withdrawn, with WTC waiting for an expected re-submitted approach.

AOB raised up the appropriate issue for a NAP panel of the closure of Wivenhoe Police Station. As has already been documented, Sgt Middleton, PC Bond and PSCO Neville are moving out to the Fire Station. Sgt Middleton confirmed that this would be happening later in the month. The ICT infrastructure is currently being kitted out.

The possible problem, as pointed out by Councillor Kraft, is that there will be no public access to the new premises. This is simply a physical imposition of the building.

Sgt Middleton commented that he doesn’t view this as a problem, as the old police station gets very few doorknockers anyway. A police surgery at the library was confirmed, as was the very visible police van drop in sessions that you can currently see around the town.

A final point was confirmation that the police houses will be sold…

And then as promised, here comes the lovely *ahhh* moment that one just wasn’t expecting to conclude a Wivenhoe NAP meeting.

Mayor Sinclair reported back on a couple of incidents involving vocal students, tired and emotional, late in the evening after taking part in the legendary Wivenhoe Run. Not wanting to condone the actions (The Flag down to The Station, and then back again, mid-week as an Essex undergraduate? Not me, Oh no, Sireee…) but there is something of a lovely ending.

Personal apologies have been made to locals who were disturbed by the behaviour, as well as apologies to our local pubs. My Mayor thought that this was very humble, and even told the young boozers this as well as encouraging them to return to our town.

Perhaps it’s a good idea to get the bus back to campus next time, eh, guys ‘n girls?

Oh - and with perfect comic timing, and just as the meeting was concluded, in walked the good Councillor Steve Ford.

The poor chap probably couldn’t find anywhere to park.

Whoops.

It’s a busy time for the letterboxes of Wivenhoe right now. Dropping on the doormats is The Chronicle, the WivSoc Newsletter (more to follow) and the Wivenhoe Town Council Newsletter. That’s either a cracking read for the weekend, or a free supply for the cat litter tray, depending on your point of view.

I fall into the positive category. WTC are something of an unloved lot, carrying out some fine work with often no reward. Councillor Needham quotes in the latest update from the Pop Genius of this Parish, with the wise words coming from the pages of the wonderful A Prospect of Wivenhoe:

“The WTC of recent times has always been rather nice and approachable. It chiefly comprises of people who know the worth of the place and love living here. Sometimes there are cock up… it would be unusual if there were not. At other times - when not hamstrung by the far larger Borough Council - our Councillors do genuinely good and valuable work, much of it behind the scenes.”

Hear, hear.

The Newsletter itself is a run through of common issues that the Town Council comes against, as well as opening up the decision making process for Wivenhoe locals.

Planning, as ever, is top of the pile. Pertinent is the explanation that:

“When a planning application is made, the decision over whether to allow or refuse it is made by the planning committee at Colchester Borough Council. WTC is always consulted in an advisory capacity, but does not actually make the decision.”

Local knowledge is the key. This is a model that dates back to the town elders (arf!) advising, albeit with no absolute power to implement. It must be a difficult balancing act in trying to move forward, yet sill retaining what makes Wivenhoe so special for many.

Councillor Penny Kraft pens a short piece praising Mick and Lesley Wells, the team that manages the William Loveless Hall. More than sixty different clubs use the facility, with discount for hire available to local residents.

The possibility of developing the green space opposite Millfields School is also mentioned in the newsletter. With Elmstead Parish Council actually owning the land, the hands of WTC seem tied.

Although no formal planning permission has been made at present, plans are already in place to try and keep away the developers. The most inventive of these is an application that has been lodged to convert it to Village Green status.

Councillor Cyril Liddy writes a passage explaining the consultation to increase the WTC to thirteen Councillors from the current tally of eleven. Once again it is worth emphasising that this is a volunteer role. No budget will be eaten into - it is simply a necessity of the increased workload.

Mr Mayor, Brian Sinclair, updates locals about the situation on the roads following the recent run of bad weather. Put simply, gritting every highway within Wivenhoe is not an option. With Essex County Highways funds for the grit in short supply, WTC took the decision itself to buy a pallet of salt, which still wasn’t sufficient.

Councillor Liddy also writes a personal view on the future of the old Engine Shed behind the railway station. It is a depressing, but pragmatic read, with Councillor Liddy concluding:

“I think that it is time that we faced up to the fact that the building will never now be saved. We should discard our sentimental attachment to the flapping asphalt roof, the scaffolding and the drab fence boards. Paradoxically it is protected from demolition, but not from dereliction.”

Councillor Liddy calls for the Secretary of State to de-list the building, and use the land for a purpose that will help to improve Wivenhoe. Further car parking for the train station is mentioned.

Speaking of pragmatism, Councillor Needham pens the most telling piece in the WTC Newsletter, offering up a view on how to deal with the cuts on a local level:

“CBC has previously awarded an annual grant support grant to Wivenhoe and all other town and parish councils in the district. In Wivenhoe, the grant is worth approximately £32,500. CBC has cut the grant by 50%.”

Blimey.

“If you are interested in hearing how we are tackling this financial storm, pop in to one of the monthly Council meetings. The genuinely good and valuable work doesn’t necessarily have to be behind the scenes.”

Ah - now *there’s* an idea…

*plus top marks for WTC in enabling Transition Town Wivenhoe to have a flyer distributed to every house with the Newsletter.*

Here’s something of a brief plug for the fine folk running the Wivenhoe, Fingringhoe and Rowhedge Ferry. Nope - not they’re not looking for potential Sea Captains, but poetry and prose all about Wivenhoe. Even better if the words take on aquatic approach.

As part of the programme that will be printed ahead of the new season, some words of Wivenhoe wisdom are required. No mention if Fingringhoe or Rowhedge inspired artistic prose will suffice.

Um, good luck, neighbours…

Catherine Alexander is your contact, and the need is rather urgent. A brief of 300 - 500 words has been mentioned, but I think that anything that you think will fit the ferry theme would be most welcome.

My first thoughts were with Poetry Wivenhoe, Millfields and Broomgrove. Can anyone help here, please?

My time here in Wivenhoe is sadly too short so as not to have experienced the ferry as yet. With a programme currently being planned, and with the request coming in as URGENT, then it can’t be too long before I find my Fingringhoe sea legs.

Now then:

There was a young man new to Wivenhoe
Across to Fingringhoe he thought he would go
The ferry was late
He missed his date
And ended up back at home fing…

Naughty Jase. VERY naughty.

A very kind invite from the good folk who give up their time to help out at The Hub, and come Tuesday evening, I walked straight into the energy that is the Wivenhoe Youth Club at the Philip Road Centre.

This was something of an eye opener. My only experience so far at Philip Road has been to watch some rather arty films in the blacked out main hall, staged by Moving Image.

Tuesday evening instead saw the hushed tones of the movie buffs being replaced by what to be honest, can only be best described as a hell of a lot of fun.

I have very fond memories of my own time spent at a village youth club back in the rolling wolds of South Nottinghamshire. It was the social highlight of the week - a time to dress up, escape from homework and just generally hang out, bruv.

How brilliant then to see that the power of a village youth club is still functioning so successfully down at Phillip Road. Sure, times have changed. My day job requires me to be CRB checked, and despite having my camera with me, I was very weary of taking photos of some of our young folk. A bit of artistic creativity, and you get the idea in the images below.

But what of The Hub, Wivenhoe’s very own youth club? More importantly, why was I tagging along in what seemed like a hybrid of a game of football / table tennis / snooker, all being played out to the soundtrack of some modern music that made me feel like a High Court judge?

Well…

Wivenhoe’s Hub doesn’t run itself. It is an incredibly valuable asset within the town that is in urgent need of some adult support. The very kind Michael Padmore invited me, partly to help plug the cause, partly to, um, probably just feel very old.

Volunteers are needed in order for The Hub to keep on growing. Finding the young folk isn’t the problem; for more members to be able to attend, more adults are required to help join in with the fun.

This seems a very rewarding role. Support is given by the current volunteers. No specific training as such is needed. All that is required is for a basic CRB check to be carried out, and then being able to offer a coupe of hours a week.

Tuesday evening is for the Year 6 and Year 7 young folk. This in itself encourages great interaction. Broomgrove, Millfields and Colne Community School pupils, all mixing together, both uptown and downtown. Thursday evening is set-aside for Wivenhoe teenagers.

Through talking with some of the volunteers and the young folk, I found out how The Hub was an idea that developed out of the Wivenhoe Youth Council. This is an initiative supported by the big boys and girls at the Town Council, where real power and decisions relating to the youth in Wivenhoe is handed over.

Thirty-eight Hub members attended on Tuesday evening. Michael mentioned that a figure of fifty is not unknown. Volunteer levels need to be matching this rise if The Hub can continue to flourish down at Philip Road.

As I’m finding with much of Wivenhoe life, gossip seems to tick over the social circle. Michael was keen to point out that The Hub IS NOT closing; likewise the future of the Philip Road Centre seems secure for now.

This is a community space that can only continue to be justified if the community carry on using it. Providing a release once a week, for parents and kids alike, has to be a good thing.

Anyone wanting to make initial enquiries about what a volunteer role at The Hub is all about can contact Michael via email over here. Helping out young adults is incredibly rewarding.

Youth - wasted on the young. I never did find out what that music was…

Many thanks to Rosie, Hettie and Louis for kindly agreeing to the podcast catch up below.

A bit of a rounded blog post, taking in the wonderful Wivenhoe Bookshop, Moving Image and some mosaics. Oh, and a possible opportunity for local groups to grab some free books.

Blimey.

That’s what happens when you cast yourself a little too wide over Wivenhoe - updates start to come in on all fronts. Many thanks to all for the various heads up. Funny to see how they are all inter-related. Keep them coming…

First off on this #hyperlocal literary tour and we take in the Wivenhoe Bookshop. Pantomime action sadly kept me away from the Drum unplugged gig at the weekend. All reports however suggest that this was an incredibly successful and intimate evening. More of the same please.

But sometimes a bookshop has to do what a bookshop has to do - y’know, sell books ‘n all that. In the Wivenhoe Bookshop mailout for this month, there is news on the Perfect Seasonal Read:

“Still time to bag a space on An American Tale For Winter, our short course on Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, which begins on 3rd February.

The six informal study sessions on this dramatic Gothic novella include a screening of the film with Liam Neeson and Patricia Arquette, and homemade cake.”

Yummy.

If you fancy yourself as something of a scribe yourself, then how about Finding the Writer Within?

“Following the success of our recent Memory - Place - Belonging writer’s course, tutor Thorunn Bjornsdottir Bacon joins us again from 25th Feb.

This time Thorunn, founder of Raven Creative Writing, is offering a six week Short Story Writing course. Places are limited, so early booking is advisable.”

A bit of book cross-pollination, and the Wivenhoe Bookshop also gives a heads up to PoetryWivenhoe:

“Acclaimed poet Katrina Naomi returns to poetrywivenhoe on 27th January, supported by popular local writer and poet Mike Harwood

Her latest pamphlet of poems, Charlotte Bronte’s Corset, penned whilst Writer in Residence at the Bronte Parsonage Museum in Haworth, and very well received, will be available in the bookshop, and on the night.”

Phew.

Time for a sharp intake of breath before turning the next page…

Ever wanted to see the Wivenhoe Bookshop in mosaic form?

“Anne Schwegmann-Fielding loves to recycle the old into the new. In her skilled hands buttons, crockery, shattered glass, tools, and utensils take on new life and are transformed into vibrant and beautiful sculptures, collages and mosaics.”

Anne’s work will be on show until February in our favourite local bookshop.

Next challenge: produce an accurate mosaic model of the old Engine Shed in all its glory.

Only joking…

Keeping with the story-telling theme however and here comes a rather lovely project, with a little help from @firstsite and our very own Moving Image, the independent community run cinema for Wivenhoe:

“The Vintage Mobile Cinema Bus:

Firstsite can proudly introduce a unique slice of cinema and automotive history. The Vintage Mobile Cinema Bus is touring around Colchester and Essex, showing free screenings of fascinating archive footage of twentieth-century Essex.

The luxuriously appointed mobile 22 seat cinema, converted from a unit built for the Ministry of Technology in 1967, is a unique slice of cinema and automotive history.

Rescued from a field in Essex, it’s the only remaining bus from a fleet of seven, and the renovation includes 1930s velvet cinema seats, HD projection, and Dolby surround sound.”

Sunday 6th February is the date that Wivenhoe can welcome this venture. The Station will be the location, with screenings at 11am, 11:45 am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 2:35pm, 3:30pm and 4:15pm.

And finally, a literary related word from the good George McKissock, known to some around these parts as *ahem* Squire Adamant (a role which suits the fine fella rather well…)

George has been incredibly successful in being able to secure from World Book Night just under fifty copies of Selected Poems by Seamus Heaney. This is a community led institutive, with the idea to bid for books that can then be released back into your own local patch.

George hopes to spread the good words of Seamus Heaney out amongst PoetryWivenhoe, the Library, Tudor Tea Rooms and The Station (I think he means the railway station, but you never know. Chin chin…)

The message from George is that there may still be time for others within Wivenhoe to apply for a particular book. With all these austere talk of cuts to libraries, this may be the start of a new form of community distribution of reading material.

Although the deadline has officially passed, an email from World Book Night states:

“Nevertheless we are still asking people to sign up as givers on the World Book Night website or by calling 0207 467 0855 to ask for an application form. If you know somebody who you think would make a great giver, please let them know that the deadline is rapidly approaching.”

Broomgrove? Millfields? Um, The Greyhound?

20,000 books in total are up for grabs. Many thanks to the Squire for the heads up.

Read all about, blah blah blah…

To the Loveless Hall for some Friday night fun with @wivenhoepanto and the production of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Oh no you’re not!

Oh yes… blah blah blah.

You need a certain mindset to attend a village pantomime and participate in the true spirit of the occasion. Twelve months ago, and the boy from back in the hood would have been far too cynical and sneering as the community came together for nothing as harmless as some shared humour.

But transported out to the estuary wilds, and @AnnaJCowen and I were first in the queue to snap up tickets for the annual Wivenhoe Pantomime. For a peanut price of five pounds, there hasn’t been a better value ticket in the town over the five day run.

“The Friday evening performance has something of a reputation for being rather lively,” warned the good @MatthewLinley when he kindly invited me backstage for a pre-panto podcast just before Christmas.

What the Director of the Wivenhoe Pantomime didn’t let slip was the rather saucy script, penned by Folk Club regular Brian Ford. It went straight over the head of the Ice Maiden that is @AnnaJCowen. This is the girl don’t forget who associates ripe melons as an aperitif, and not something slightly more arousing.

It was all good clean fun though, with our charming Front of House Manager David Harrison meeting and greeting locals on the door, accompanied by Mr Mayor, Brian Sinclair.

Taking up your seat was something of a social event in itself. Of all the pantos, on all the nights and in all the rows and yeah, by good fortune and we just happened to be sitting right behind the lovely @tinysketchbook.

I say right behind, and yep, it was a rather intimate experience. They don’t half pack ‘em in at the Loveless Hall. The first sighting of the ripe melons up on stage proved to be a slightly uncomfortable experience for me.

The panto itself was part professional, part playful and painfully funny in places. Littered with local references and staged in old Wyvenhoe, I don’t think it will transfer well to the West End. Which is all part of the cause - keeping it #hyperlocal and joining together all that live within the town.

The #bigsociety beanstalk was something of a cause for combined celebration, uniting both Millfields and Broomgrove schools to work together to come up with the all-important overgrown big green plant.

The ease in which the Friday night crowd took to the crowd participation scene summed up the enthusiasm that the audience had on the evening. The cast including @HazelFunnyFarm, Pete McDonagh, Sara Rout, George McKissock, Anna Chernova, Rosie McDonagh, Sally Knight and many fine younger generation rising stars, all made this a show that you wanted to become involved with.

Any panto that has a Meat Loaf as the central musical thread, as well as an opening scene where a cow delivers a huge great cowpat has to be a show to celebrate. There was even fighting talk on the way from @AnnaJCowen of treading the boards herself next year. All my sneering and cynicism (actually, chuckling) can’t keep the girl away.

We need to have a chat about those over ripe melons first…

The plan was for a blog post entitled The Snowmen of Wivenhoe. Except during my Wednesday morning cycle from the Cross down to the Quay, I failed to find a single snowman. Front gardens uptown had the recycling boxes covered in a coupe of inches of snow. Squint hard enough, and the green boxes could possibly pass as a most peculiar form of snowman.

Past The Greyhound, and I swung right for the KGV fields. Surly this must be the ideal breeding ground for the Snowmen and Snowwomen of Wivenhoe?

A bloke was out early was out early walking his dog - not at the most briskest of paces, but even a prolonged squint down towards the Wood, and you would be hard pressed to describe a docile dog walker as a snowman.

I put the lack of Wivenhoe Snowmen all down to the timing. We were blessed with our heavy covering of snow rather late in the day on Tuesday. Most of the kids from both schools were already back at base, with only a delicate snow covering at chucking out time.

I presume both Broomgrove and Millfieds were both open on Wednesday? Scholarship is the enemy of the Snowmen of Wivenhoe. Plus by lunchtime, and the Park Road and Queens Road area had been reduced to a rather large ice rink.

Take it easy out there, folks.

Instead I carried on cycling down towards the Quay. By mid-morning, and most of the virgin snow had been sullied by the daily business of the town. The view downstream was gloomy, as further bursts of snow threatened down the Colne, although ultimately stayed away.

Work was calling for me, and so I abandoned the idea of a ride out to Alresford to try and capture the snow along the Trail. An earlier ride in the opposite direction towards the Hythe was almost aborted. The snow was patchy in the sheltered spot around Ferry Marsh, yet extremely thick under foot (and tyre) opposite the University.

And so with the Snowmen of Wivenhoe keeping a low profile, I settled instead for a hit and miss photo shoot of what was left down at the Quay. I still haven’t found the Christmas card picture that I’m craving for, and the clock is counting down on printing deadlines.

A light flurry is forecast for Thursday - it would be lovely to have a fresh covering for the late night shopping. If you feel inspired, a Snowman of Wivenhoe would be ace. You never know - it may even make its way onto a Christmas card coming your way.

Watch where yer sticking that carrot…

Full flickr set over here.