HADLEIGH and Thundersley Cricket Club are closing in on the Southend Indoor Cricket League title after beating Westcliff this week. Their opponents were bowled out for 52 with John Pratt scoring 26. Tim Lowes took three wickets for seven runs for Hadleigh
SOUTHEND Sabers skater hockey club are looking to build on a successful first season when their new campaign begins shortly. They have formed new peewee and youth sections and anyone aged above nine years old are welcome to join. Contact Aaron Hawkins
A YOUNG Essex engineer could scoop up to £10,000 to make his water-saving invention a reality. Henry Monkcom has designed the Water Wizard, a device to conserve the water wasted before a tap runs hot. The 14-year-old's invention has made it through
A SHARP overnight frost failed to dissuade dozens of competitors turning out for Belfairs' Stableford competitions. On Friday, 28-handicapper David Buddle (33 points) won a low-scoring contest from Eddie Stretch (29), who held off Jim Dennis on countback
MARDYKE Valley GC's men staged their annual Last Man Standing competition at the course at South Ockendon. The weather was enough to blow away the New Year cobwebs and, in some cases, the chances of many of the 27-strong field. Club captain Eamond Legg
WICKFORD karter Marc Dawson, 29. had a great weekend at Kimbolton Raceway. The 2006 Kimbolton Senior Rotax 125cc kart champion was let down for his new 2008 chassis so decided to throw one together out of a collection of bits and pieces in his garage
THE pictures owned by Jack Doodes are ordinary black and white snapshots, taken outdoors in the summer sunshine in the late Forties. They are the sort of photograph which can be found in millions of family albums up and down the land. Most of them show
PLANS for more than 200 homes on a beauty spot have been thrown out by Basildon Council. Campaigners claimed a victory after councillors said "no" to building on ten of the 100 acres of Barn Hall fields, off Station Avenue, Wickford. Yet the fight is
THERE was disappointment for Benfleet Running Club at the third race of the South Essex Cross-country League at Thorndon Park. Benfleet could only manage third place in Division One as Thrift Green Trotters made it three wins out of three events. Top
BASILDON snooker star Stuart Bingham plunged out of the Welsh Open at the third round stage, losing 5-2 to world number 18 Joe Perry. Bingham, who overcame world number two Stephen Maguire to set up the clash, looked in good shape to reach his second
LEIGH took over top spot in Men's Division One following a 4-0 win over title rivals Rayleigh. The Watchfield Road club had been in pole position ahead of their visit to Leigh in the Leigh & Westcliff LTA winter leagues. But their two pairing both went
A HEAD for heights is as much of a necessity as cleaning products for the workers tasked with cleaning the theatre pod at South East Essex College. The giant lecture theatre at the college in Luker Road, Southend, is being given a spring clean by three
MANY will remember Burglar Bill with his stripey top, eye mask and swag bag...but it seems the modern day version of Bill prefers a hoodie. This man has been caught on CCTV breaking into the office at Somerfields in High Street, Wickford, and calmly
BOBBY Zamora is fit as a fiddle, in form and cannot wait to fire West Ham up the Premier League table. The striker continued his comeback from a long-term knee injury by scoring a sublime hat-trick in Tuesday evening's 4-1 Barclays Premier Reserve League
AFTER 44 years of membership, Jo Rumsey has taken over as lady captain of Rochford Hundred Golf Club. Rumsey is one of the best known golf personalities in south Essex, having spent 10 years on the European women's professional tour since 1984. Her
A FLOOD of objections have been made to the council by residents who fear they could lose a prized snooker hall and bowling alley. More than 20 people crammed into a Leigh Town Council planning meeting to voice their concerns about the proposals to demolish
LEIGH Town Council is preparing a list of former shops in the town which it believes have become cafes without seeking planning permission. When it has been completed, it will be submitted to Anna Waite, Southend councillor in charge of planning, who
SOUTHEND Council is to buy a guest house in part of Southend town centre which is earmarked for a huge rejuvenation scheme. The Elizabeth Guest house, 1 to 3 Herbert Grove, South-end, is set to be sold to the council and leased back to the current owners
LUKE Walker, ten, has found a novel, if scary, way to raise money for cancer research. Like many people, snakes give Luke the creeps. As a fundraising stunt, though, the West Leigh pupil has overcome his fear and volunteered to handle a python. Of
COMMUNITY spirit extinct? A society besotted with self interest and materialism? Anyone making such claims should first examine the drama of Fair Havens Hospice. Little more than a month ago, the hospice appeared in dire straits, threatened at the very
RAWRETH saw off Legra A 8-1 in a top of the table clash in the Premier Division of the Southend District Table Tennis League. Kevin Read and Aaron Fennell both scored maximums but Legra's John Monk stopped the whitewash when he overcame George Reeves
LAKESIDE Hammers have signed two major sponsorship deals ahead of what the club's owners hope will be the biggest season in the club's history. The Elite League side hope the agreements with national fish and chip shop chain Harry Ramsden's and Vision
A LEADER of a youth club targeted by thieves gave an inspirational talk to youngsters - and ended up getting back some of the stolen goods. The 13 to 19-year-olds who use Langham Crescent drop-in centre, Billericay, were upset when £800 of computer consoles
CUPID'S busy - spreading love around the Eastgate Centre for Valentine's Day. The Roman god of love - or at least an actor dressed as his bronze statue - spent yesterday afternoon at the Basildon shopping centre, along with a female colleague, posing
ESSEX captain Mark Pettini is hoping a winter in Australia will ensure his 2008 season is everything the 2007 version was not. Last summer should have been the best of the 24-year-old's career, only for a combination of poor form and the pressure of
THERE is a "compelling case" for Essex striking out alone by declaring itself an independent state, it has been claimed. County council leader Lord Hanningfield said residents would be better off breaking away from Westminster, as they pay on average
ESSEX County Council has confirmed it will be demanding more than £40 extra a year from the average household for its portion of the council tax. An above-inflation 4.2 per cent council tax rise, equating to 82p a week for Band D homes, was set as the
Thorpe Hall golf professional Richard McEvoy has lost his European Tour card for the 2008 season. McEvoy successfully earned his card for the 2007 season, but finished 173rd on the money list, which was not high enough to retain his position on the tour
GENEROUS groups and individuals have rallied behind a cash-strapped hospice, helping it beat its short-term fundraising target by nearly £30,000. Fair Havens Hospice, in Westcliff, has sent out a big thank-you to all donors who helped it raise £127,000
A DISTRAUGHT mum says she waited an agonising 20 minutes for medics to reach her sick baby - because paramedics' sat nav system couldn't find Canvey's biggest supermarket. Emma Buckley's 17-month-old daughter, Lily, was taken ill on a shopping trip
BASILDON and District Swimming club stars Aidan Robinson and Amy Murfitt both claimed two gold medals at the County Sprint Championships. Aidan, 10, won the 50 metres freestyle in a personal best of 32.23 seconds but this was overshadowed by his performance
CHAFFORD Hundred's Mike Joseph has successfully completed his qualifier for this year's British bench pressing championships. The 36-year-old competes in the 82.5kg bodyweight class and has years of weighty achievements to draw upon. He's been world
BASILDON Council has been given £40,000 to extend a popular park's miniature railway. The Echo reported last week private firm Go Bonkers was investing £50,000 in a new diesel-powered train and four new carriages for the mini-railway in Wat Tyler Country
SOUTHEND United boss Steve Tilson today explained why he has decided to drop club captain Kevin Maher from his starting line-up in recent weeks. The long-serving midfielder has not featured in the Shrimpers first team since the 1-0 defeat to Bristol
NEW Year's Day 1992 will forever be a date that will go down in Southend United folklore. Nearly 10,000 fans packed into Roots Hall to watch Blues thrash Newcastle United 4-0 to go top of the old Second Division. For a few short weeks, the Shrimpers
WEST Ham captain Lucas Neill has admitted the Irons may have missed their chance to secure a place in next season's UEFA Cup. The frustrated Australian believes his side should have taken maximum points from their last two Premier League outings against
VISITORS to Southend Central Library will get a glimpse of scenes from around the world with an exhibition by a travelling artist. Victoria Bowater-Wright is exhibiting her paintings, photos, pastels, ink and pencil drawings and prints, which record
A CHARGE for the loss of parking fees during the popular Leigh fishing festival has been scrapped by Southend Council. Leigh Town Council was charged £96 last year for loss of parking revenue because car parks in the old town were used for the event.
SOUTHEND United reserves suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to local rivals Colchester United on Wednesday afternoon. The Shrimpers opened the scoring through midfielder Richard Priest but the U's - who included former Blues man Luke Guttridge in their side
SOUTHEND Rugby coach Kevin Harman is urging the town to start backing his side in big numbers. The Seasiders are enjoying a solid first season in National League Two after their promotion last year. And Harman is hoping their fine form can attract higher
STUART Bingham has revealed that two cans of Red Bull were the key to his dramatic Welsh Open second round victory over world number two Stephen Maguire. The 32-year-old battled back from 3-0 down before making a fine 92 break to overcome the Scot 5-
ENERGETIC volunteers were out in force to lend a helping hand to wildlife. The Greengrid Taskforce, part of Thames Gateway South Essex, enlisted the help of residents to plant a hedgerow at the Salvation Army Farm in Hadleigh. Groundwork South Essex
A REFUGEE from Nazi Germany and prominent community leader is being mourned. Heny Waldman, 87, died on January 15 of heart failure at her Leigh home after years of service to Southend's Jewish community. She lived in St Clement's Avenue and was made
TRIBUTES have been paid to a distinguished community stalwart who has died after decades of service to groups in Southend. Derek Baum MBE, 80, died at home in Southend on January 19. He was made life president of Southend and Westcliff Hebrew Congregation
A MAN has nominated his former care worker for a Health Hero award. Pauline Brown, who works for South West Essex Primary care Trust, was nominated by Terry Bradford, of St Peter's Road, Chadwell St Mary. Mr Bradford, who suffers from chronic obstructive
BILLERICAY High Street's first ever public toilet will open next month. The public convenience will be built at the back of Woolworths. It was due to open on Saturday, but a row with land-owners over digging up Holly Court to put in the plumbing has
SECURITY guards carrying cash around Southend will be able to park as close to banks and shops as possible to stop potential robberies. Southend Council has vowed to work with firms to allow security staff to park near the building where cash is being
We want to thank Mark Sellick and Daniel Tajero for their heroic rescue of us all on Sunday morning, January 20. All too often the young people of Southend are victims of bad press, but on this occasion the unselfish act of human kindness and bravery
After reading the report in Wednesday's Echo regarding the implementation of single status' pay in Southend's schools, I would like to clarify a few points. Southend Council is not taking too long to bring in this pay review which actually affects school
POLICE have officially named the two victims of Sunday's horrific fatal road crash on the A13. They have confirmed Katie Johnson, 19, of Elmway, Grays, and her friend Georgia Hammond, 17, of Hall Avenue, Aveley, both died after their silver Renault Clio
In her article in Echo Homes (Feb 7), Jenny Green invites readers to take a look at this new block of flats - a new development in Basildon which is fast becoming a bit of a landmark. I believe this to be blot on the landscape, one that has quickly emerged
I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to the recent coverage in the Echo of Southend Council's first Stars award ceremony. While I appreciate the Echo is one of the many important channels of communication for the council to reach its residents
COMMUNITY groups could benefit from up to £50,000 being made available to local projects, thanks to the Echo. The Gannett Foundation, the charitable trust of Gannett, which owns the Echo, is offering the cash to innovative charities, who can demonstrate
A TOP judge risks putting criminal law "on ice" if he allows travellers more time at their illegal sites, the High Court was warned. Defending Basildon Council in its showdown with travellers at Dale Farm, Crays Hill and Hovefields, Wickford, barrister
TV chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will be cooking up some Valentine's Day love today when he launches an exclusive new menu at a Westcliff casino. Novelli will be at Maxims Casino Club from 5.30pm demonstrating some of the highlights from his menu. The
A DAY-long rock concert has raised £1,700 for Southend Hospital in honour of a band member's mother. Lee Duncan, 29, performed with his own band, Bison, and organised the Still Fighting 2007 gig last October with another ten local bands supporting it
THE sun is out, the sky is blue and there's not a cloud to spoil the view - spring has sprung! Parks and gardens have been blooming with blossom, new lambs have been born and Southend seafront has become a hive of activity with the first signs of spring
CHARITY, it is said, begins at home. And although that may well be true, it has taken Ben Ward all over the world. Since falling in love with South America in 2000, the teacher, who grew up in Hullbridge, has raised thousands of pounds for disadvantaged
PLANS to sell off county hall are well-advanced, opposition politicians have insisted. The ruling Conservatives were dismissive when the proposals to put Essex County Council's Chelmsford headquarters on the market were leaked to the press recently.
Speical quizzes, bingo nights, trips to the pub and days out in the summer. Members of Southend Stroke Club lead a busier social life than many. And that's largely thanks to Christine Bailey. A part-time teacher and long-term volunteer for the club.
A generous family has given Basildon Hospital £1,000 for new mobility equipment. Patients receiving care in the William Harvey Ward at the hospital will benefit from better equipment thanks to the donation. Basildon woman Margaret Clark was a patient
FOR most couples, marriage marks the start of a long and happy life together. But Wendy Wiseman and David Guthrie, her partner of 15 years, are just hoping that she lives to see their wedding day this March. Wendy, 42, has been fighting a rare form of
FOOTBALL fan Christopher Dove, from Westcliff, accompanied Jermaine Jenas on to the pitch at Wembley for the recent England game. The nine-year-old won the opportunity to be a mascot at the friendly against Switzerland on February 6. He walked on to
A FUTURE generation of politicians took part in an event styled on the BBC TV programme Question Time at Shoeburyness High School. The aim of Debate Shoeburyness was to involve pupils at the secondary school and nearby primary schools in a debate with
WE all feel isolated at times, but imagine inhabiting a world so dark and lonely it leaves you too scared to leave the house for six years and robs you of the ability to go shopping or even read a book. Hundreds of blind and visually impaired people
CASTLE Point MP Bob Spink has joined in a bid to find a Parliamentary skipping champion. The Conservative MP was pitted against his peers in a school-style skipping contest when Sainsbury's Active Kids 2008 Campaign teamed up with Skip2bfit at Westminster
Children at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in South Ockendon were kept busy when they celebrated Chinese New Year. Head teacher Katherine Golden said: "They enjoyed learning the Lion dance and other customs and traditions of China."
PRIMARY school pupils are playing it safe after being given special booklets. Property company Autrac Manage- ment based in Southend Road, Grays, donated 250 booklets entitled Play, Stay, Keep Safe' to Bonnygate Primary School in South Ockendon. The
PLANS to sell off County Hall are well-advanced, opposition politicians have insisted. Ruling Conservatives were dismissive when the proposals to put Essex County Council's Chelmsford headquarters on the market were leaked to the press. However, Labour
FAMILIES are being encouraged to unwind with a spot of high flying fun by taking part in a range of wildlife-themed activities at Langdon Nature Reserve tomorrow. The woodland beauty spot, off Dunton Road, Laindon, has plenty in store for youngsters
AN Essex charity needs money to try to save an African boy who is starving to death because of lockjaw. Benin Christian Support needs to raise £500 for an operation. Maureen Sanders, a founder of the charity, said: "Time is of the essence. At the moment
