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To the Town Council Offices on Tuesday evening for the NEW quarterly Wivenhoe Neighborhood Action Panel meeting. We may have scaled back the every other month scheduling, but boy - the NEW NAP certainly knows how to pack a few punches.

It wasn’t quite on the same scale of law and order issues around the capital of late, but the situation was tense, not to mention a little comical at times.

With a backlog of issues having built up, I wouldn’t say that it got personal, but OUCH: tense! Tense!! TENSE!!!!

It made the recent Wivenhoe Town Council grudge cricket match against the town team seem like a gentile afternoon of underarm bowling. I fought the law, and the law won.

Not really.

I sat at the back of the chamber, sharing a table with the good Chair of Wiv Soc and scribbled down the volatile agenda that one would expect from issues such as Considerate Parking and Speedwatch, before being politely asked to leave at the end as a “sensitive” issue was about to be discussed.

I hope they weren’t about to talk about the size of my prize courgettes.

But first of all, a disclaimer: this blog post is brought to you in association with the good folk of Essex Police. Not in a brown envelope sort of way, but a black biro endorsement all the same.

Tell It Like It Is, etc - it’s probably best to bring along your writing pen as well.

Whoops.

With a scribe in my hand care of the charming PSCO Louise Neville, I was glad that I didn’t have to revert to memory when recalling the conversation that came out of the first agenda item: Parking.

Oh Lordy.

Park Road still seems to be a problem. Disclaimer: close to home, blah blah blah, but as a non-car owner, I don’t really see what the problem is. Which isn’t really the point of the NAP - we’re all neighbours around here, Comrades.

One man’s Chelsea Tractor mounting the curbside two doors down doesn’t bode well for the sense of community ownership and empowerment on the street where you live. I’m sure m’South London colleagues would agree right now.

Councillor Kraft enquired if it was possible to paint one side of the road with double yellows. The good Chair of Wiv Soc raised the regulation and likely cost. Councillor Ford confirmed that this had been discussed four years ago. Residents were apparently against it.

I was reminded of my first ever NAP appearance, nervously shuffling into the Town Council Offices as the outsider back in those long lost heady days of, um, October 2010.

I was asked about any parking issues concerning my new Park Road patch. I retold the story of being fleeced by the fools at Lambeth Council and having to pay just under £200 for the privilege of parking a removal van outside MY house for one morning only.

Expecting something similar at the other during the Great Escape, contact was made with Colchester Borough Council. I was laughed off the phone when asked if I had to pay to park a van outside MY new home.

Parking in Wivenhoe ‘aint perfect, but I prefer it to what I have experienced elsewhere…

Tensions rose slightly when the good @SgtLouMiddleton was asked about the flyers to promote considerate parking that were pledged at the last NAP meeting. These have been attached to any cars around the town that aren’t parked in a considerate way, but not leafleted through the letterboxes.

It wasn’t quite a Croydon situation developing, but the long arm of the law very politely agreed to make residents more aware of what is expected parking wise.

Ah yes - considerate parking…

The above shouldn’t be capped up, but the below most certainly should.

Confused? Join the club.

The flyers, I believe, are to promote considerate parking - a linguistic term rather than a letter of the law. Considerate Parking however is a paid for initiative that has legal implications.

Wivenhoe has the former, but not the latter; Brightlingsea has both.

Blimey.

A question was asked of the panel as to why Brightlingsea manages to get funding for Considerate Parking, whereas Wivenhoe doesn’t. The political food chain of Town Councils, Borough Councils and County Councils all lead to the same paper chase of the big boys and girls controlling power (and the purse strings) over in Chelmsford.

Further complicating matters is that the local policing team in Wivenhoe can’t give their full support to Considerate Parking, but they are happy to support considerate parking.

Phew.

A Facebook group should be started with the relationship status of: It’s complicated.

Hey hoe.

Here’s something far more positive: Yoof matters within Wivenhoe. I have blogged before about how bloody brilliant the Youth Hub is. It’s not so much the facilities themselves down at the Philip Road Centre, but the sense of community and support from members and volunteers alike.

But that’s all down at the bottom end of the town - what of the top, I hear you ask?

Well…

Wivenhoe Town Council is proposing to develop Henrietta Close. Councillor Cory of the Cross ward is heavily involved and has been adding considerable support. Which is just as well, seeing as though Colchester Borough Council seems to be the only remaining stumbling block in allowing what facilities to be sanctioned.

A re-launch date is being planned for later in the month, coupled in with the putting in place of BRA. Stop sniggering - we’re talking about the resurrection of the Broomfield Resident’s Association.

The project has the expertise backing of the Hub. If the passion can be transferred from the Phillip Road Centre up to Henrietta Close, then the scheme will be an undoubted success.

With the NAP agenda speeding like a lycra clad lout along the Wivenhoe Trail (steady) - whaddya know and it’s only Wivenhoe Speedwatch.

@SgtLouMiddleton very helpfully informed the NAP that this has now been rolled out along Elmstead Road. Essentially the volunteer led scheme involves residents being trained up to use equipment to catch out speeding motorists.

It is not a snooping scheme - all volunteers wear high res jackets and the aim is to prevent, rather than to persecute motorists.

Considerable concern came from the Chair of the NAP, who enquired as to why Speedwatch isn’t quite so speedy in being rolled out around other parts of the town.

Risk assessments are involved, and being purely volunteer led, Speedwatch is always going to rely upon the goodwill and free time of those kindly stepping forward.

It’s got legs, this Big Society lark I tell ya…

I wasn’t sure who was quizzing whom, with some NAP members unhappy about the neglect of other parts of the town.

Tense! TENSE! TENSE!!!!

Oh Lordy.

Councillor Julie Young asked how often Speedwatch is currently put in place - on five occasions over the past three months apparently. The Chair asked where are the other proposed routes? @SgtLouMiddleton wasn’t prepared to volunteer this information.

It was a good point, and one well made. Why would you want to advertise where the Speedwatch scheme is about to be introduced? Accusations were made that closed information was being held back by the police.

Hardly.

@SgtLouMiddleton couldn’t have been more open in recent months in keeping residents informed about his work online. There is a sense however that Speedwatch is possibly slipping off the local agenda.

We then got bogged down slightly in the public nature of the meeting. The bored blogger sitting at the back started to chew on his Essex Police sponsored pen.

A resolution of sorts came when @SgtLouMiddlton agreed to inform the next NAP of which roads have been Speedwatched since the previous meetings, and how may vehicles have been found to be breaking the speed limit.

It was also agreed to publish this data online. ALL online sharing of information has to be a good thing. But not necessarily when it comes to NAP matters.

The bored biro chewing blogger was then politely asked to leave the open meeting, as a sensitive issue was about to be discussed.

Tense! TENSE! TENSE!!!!

And that was just me handing back my pen to PSCO Neville.

Until next time…

Something slightly different for Wiv Chat #7. There has never really been a plan for this random Radio Wivenhoe series, other than simply have a chat with Wivenhoe folk.

Most of the charming guests to date have reflected on the past; this particular recording looks towards the future.

I was very kindly invited along (again!) to the absolutely ACE Wivenhoe Youth Hub on Tuesday evening. Each time I turn up, I can visibly witness a growing social group. The energy almost flattens you as soon as you walk in through the doors of the Philip Road Centre.

The occasion on Tuesday evening was for a taster session for the current crop of Year 5 pupils. Tuesday nights are all about Year 6′s and 7′s. Those cunning (and charming) volunteers at The Hub planned to catch the next crop young, ahead of possible returns come September time.

I planned another basic blog post - a few photos, a snatch of audio, possibly some video. But with so many positive things in place at the Hub, and with the potential to capture all of this this through audio, I decided to try and record a snap shot of the evening for Wiv Chat.

No planning took place - you don’t say.

I was simply allowed to roam around the Philip Road Centre (FOUR times CRB checked with FOUR different organisations before you ask…) and see where the conversations took me.

I can safely say that this is the first Wiv Chat in which I get to record a piece whilst playing basketball. I certainly hope that it isn’t the last in which I get to talk whilst being put through an impromptu ballet class.

The audio quality in the boos below is slightly hit and miss. I’m sure that the nice Head Honcho of Radio Wivenhoe will see to these, come proper Sunday evening broadcast time.

But for now, here is but a micro take on some of the truly great work that is being carried out at Wivenhoe Youth Hub. Sixty-eight young folk turned up on Tuesday night. Numbers are also growing for the Year 8′s and above on a Thursday.

But I’ll leave the last word to Crystal, a somewhat reluctant (but charming) interviewee. She was at the old Youth Club when it demised. She mentions how the only option then was that was that of “hanging around the Co-op,” hence she was inspired to volunteer and help out the next generation of Wivenhoe youngsters.

Hopefully the recordings below capture some of this raw spirit.

The Wivenhoe Youth Hub is now taking a six-week summer break. The sessions will return come the first week of September. Simply turn up on a Tuesday evening for Year 6 and 7 pupils, Thursday for Year 8 and above.

Adult volunteers are of course always welcome. I guarantee you’ll come out beaming. You may even get to try some ballet.

Blimey.

And so there I was, walking down the High Street, past the Philip Road Centre and pondering how Wivenhoe Youth Hub is progressing some four months after my first lovely, lovely visit. An opening up of the inbox back at base and whaddya know - it’s only an invite to catch up and see how the Hub continues to grow from strength to strength.

Ace.

The Hub has been building upon the success since the re-launch at the start of the year. The Tuesday evening sessions for the younger folk around the town remain incredibly successful. Thursday night is for Year 8 and upwards, with membership also growing over recent months.

Having visited on a Tuesday evening previously, I was keen to find out how Thursday nights are shaping up. A whirlwind tour took in archery, rowing, a BBQ, conversations, catching up with a Colchester Borough Councillor and having a firm, civic handshake from the ever present and newly installed Mr Mayor of Wivenhoe.

Woh.

Yep - the Hub is having something of heyday right now.

As well as the usual activities such as pool, computer games and outdoor sports, Thursday evening saw a visit from the Hub’s friends from the Essex Boys and Girls Club based at Chelmsford. Rowing and archery were on the agenda. Both proved to be incredibly popular.

With forty or so young folk turning up at The Hub on Tuesday evenings and thirty on Thursdays, the Hub is still keen to recruit more members. Local organiser and volunteer Michael Padmore told me that it is encouraging to see the Thursday night sessions grow, but he is keen to continue to expand the membership.

It’s all incredibly informal - there is a small admission charge on the door, and then you’re pretty much in. With a committed team of local adult volunteers, the Hub is a safe and relaxing environment for all that help to make it such a success. Extra adult volunteers are also always welcome, with the only skills needed being enthusiasm and agreeing to have a CRB check carried out.

Having spent half an hour or so as a relative stranger walking around, it was wonderful to see the level of acceptance and interest in what I was doing down at The Hub.

“Um, I’m being nosey, taking a few photos [CRB checked - four times over for the day jobs...] and looking for some volunteers to have a chat with and explain more about what precisely goes off down here at the Phillip Road Centre.”

I wasn’t short on candidates.

As touched upon in the audioboo above, it’s not all about computer games or kicking a football about. The Youth Council plays a very genuine role in helping to shape local decisions around the town. Credit must go to Wivenhoe Town Council for allowing this level of trust, but more importantly to the Youth Council members who are genuinely keen to help shape facilities for young folk around Wivenhoe.

Funding of course remains a constant struggle in these days of financial uncertainty. The retiring Mr Mayor very kindly handed over a generous donation to the Hub as part of his Charity Fund; Cllr Corey is also looking at new ways to obtain funding from Colchester Borough Council.

But the best support that the Hub can receive is simply to continue to grow. New members, new volunteers, new ideas. It may sound like some claptrap of a Third Way of political thinking, but once you have that critical mass of membership, it is difficult for any organisation to deny funding.

If you want to get involved with The Hub, then a good starting point for any interested adult volunteers would be to contact Michael over here. The junior and senior sessions take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays - simply turning up and introducing yourself should do the trick.

I look forward to following the continued growth of The Hub…

With less than two weeks to go now before May Fair weekend, you can almost hear the bells ringing from St Mary’s to signal the hangover from hell as the big day (and morning after) approaches.

You can also see how Moving Image has put together a well themed mini May Fair fest of films to coincide with the Whitsun Bank Holiday hangover in the making over at the KGV.

It would have been so easy to play to the gallery and screen any old muso or festival film - but nope, Wivenhoe’s independent community cinema has very cleverly come up with a bill to match the Essex occasion.

The Runaways will be screened at the Philip Road Centre on Saturday 28th May:

“An in-your-face look at teenage life and the rock scene in the 1970′s starring Kirsten Stewart as the original riot grrrl Joan Jett. The movie serves up a sex’n'drugs’n'rock’n'roll biopic of The Runaways and their foul-mouthed Svengali, Kim Fowley.”

OK, so The Runaways may not have Made in Essex running through the celluloid, but I like to think that it captures something of the mood around these parts.

With the final portaloo hopefully having been put in place at the KGV on Sunday afternoon (it’s a dirty job…) then there should be enough time to relax ahead of all the May Day madness with a double bill at the Phillip Road centre once again:

“The first of Sunday’s fabulous double-bill is the wild and wacky Separado, a psychedelic-Welsh-Patagonian-road-music-movie with Super Furry Animals Gruff Rhyss almost out-Booshing the Boosh in this enjoyably quirky and thoroughly engaging music experience.

It follows his South American quest in search of Rene Griffiths, an obscure 1960s pop star who sang Welsh ballads in the style of an Argentinean cowboy.”

And then keeping it Essex and concluding the mini May Fair fest, Oil City Confidential will send you to bed on Sunday evening with an Essex boy wide smile on your face ahead of the fun and frolics to come:

“Julian Temple’s film about the world’s greatest local band, Dr Feelgood, reminds you why you love music and Essex equally. Fictional archive footage, stunning photography and beautifully composed interviews.”

Moving Image is selling a bargain price £8 ticket to cover the weekend. There will also be input from the independent community cinema on May Fair day itself, with a collaboration with Transition Town Wivenhoe and the Revolutionary Pedal Powered Cinema.

Now then - I did hear a Wivenhoe whisper that keeping with the May Fair themed run of films, The Man Who Fell to Earth and Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence may have a secret showing ahead of the *shhh* very special guest appearance come May Fair Monday…?

The good news story coming out of the Philip Road Centre is that Moving Image, the independent community cinema for Wivenhoe, is now a key holder. When it comes to local government and policy twonk type talk, terms like key holder and stakeholder etc are often part of the garbled Third Way of working.

Not so here in Wivenhoe - Moving Image is a key holder; the group physically holds a key for the Philip Road Centre.

Hurrah!

This should make the setting up and transformation of the centre into a state of the art cinematic experience (steady) a lot smoother on film nights. A spring and summer programme is currently being put together.

But it’s not all about lower Wivenhoe for Moving Image. The programme of parallel screenings up amongst the splendour of the Lakeside Theatre at the University has just been announced.

The fascinating theme of Futura Dystopia isn’t something that you’re likely to experience at the Co-op on a Monday morning, but it should make for a worthy experience within the post-modern (steady) surrounds of Square 5.

The schedule itself is a cracking run of futuristic films: Metropolis (16th May) Blade Runner [or Bladder Runner - arf] (23rd May) Monsters (13th June) and Children of Men (20th June.)

All films start at 7:30pm.

Back towards the town and it was fantastic to see that the recent Sunday afternoon screening of Bugs Life was fully booked for the showing at the William Loveless Hall.

Maybe this is an apt time to remind folk about the benefits of Moving Image membership?

“Annual membership of Moving Image will be £5.00 for 2010/11. Tickets will be £3.00 for members. Non-members will be able to buy tickets for £4.00 to include £1.00 guest membership. Tickets for under-16s will be £2.00 when family films are being screened.”

Sounds like something that you should be a stakeholder in.