RECYLING was the main focus of an annual Student Voice meeting, which attracted pupils from schools across Billericay and beyond. The group looked at things schools could do to make better use of rubbish. Among the ideas were mobile phone re-use and
TEENAGERS enjoyed some fast and furious soccer action at a family fun day in Benfleet. The new enclosed football cage was the star attraction at the bank holiday event organised by the Legacy Youth Congregation and St George's Church on Saturday. More
A YOUTH had his car stolen after being assaulted by two men outside his home. The 19-year-old had his black Ford Fiesta stolen after being threatened by two white males in their twenties. He was approached by the men at 11.15pm just as he was about
Echo reader JAMES GARRATT researches the history of a Westcliff Road and its inhabitants THE BIRTH OF VALKYRIE ROAD 1901 - 1910 Valkyrie Road is situated in Westcliff, flanked to the east by Cranley Road and to the west by Ceylon Road. Today Valkyrie
FRIENDS of a young man who died in a car crash paid homage to his love of football during a charity match against police. The memorial match was held in honour of Chris Garrod, who died aged 21, after his car hit an electricity pole in Lower Road, Hullbridge
TRADERS say Southend Council is letting York Road market "die a slow death" after it was revealed as little as £400 a year is spent on its upkeep. An Echo freedom of information request has revealed the council is spending less and less money on the
MEN and women who gave up playing in bands when they got married and had children rem- embered how to rock at the Eastgate Centre, Basildon. The Creative Music shop set up a microphone, drum kit, guitars and amplifiers on a stage, in the centre, and
WEST Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson wants to keep Carlos Tevez at Upton Park. The Argentine forward - a pivotal figure in the Irons' recent run of six wins in eight matches - was widely expected to leave the club if they were relegated from the Premiership
LAST week's local election results continued the onward march of the Canvey Independent Party on the island. Candidates from the party won five out of the six of the island's ward seats up for election, sweeping aside one Labour and three Conservative
A SHOPPING centre has stubbed out smoking two months before a nationwide ban. Smoking within enclosed public spaces will be banned from July 1, but the Royals Shopping Centre, in High Street, Southend, has decided to enforce it early. Smoking from most
CHAMPION fundraiser Joyce Long is looking to add more to the £1million she has already raised for Southend Hospital. Mrs Long has raised most of the sum by selling donated items from vacant shops several times a year. Her next charity shop will be held
NO one could accuse Ron Woodley of being lazy. As part of his election campaign, the new councillor for Southend's Thorpe ward knocked on 3,000 doors in just three weeks. This kind of determination is one of the reasons independents did so well in last
TAKE another look at the picture of Rosina Lewis on Page 3. This cheerful woman has just celebrated her 101st birthday...and still lives on her own. She has lived in the same road for 88 years and her son, Ken, is next door. He was born in Eversley
REVELLERS did not let the rain spoil their fun when they gathered to enjoy May Day celebrations. The festivities were due to be held on Strand Wharf, Old Leigh, but visitors were quickly crammed into the Scout Hut, near the Crooked Billet pub, after
A NEW museum - which is an exact replica of a traditional fisherman's cottage - has opened in Old Leigh The building is a reproduction of the original Plumbs Cottage, at Strand Wharf, which stood there in the 1850s. It has taken more than a year to
PUBLIC attitudes to sex have regularly changed over the years, with each generation seemingly more liberal than the last. What would have been private and unspoken in the past is now flaunted on TV and in magazines...and sometimes in the streets where
THE owner of a country house says he regrets using it for "swinging" sex parties. Three parties have been held over the last month in the secluded house, thought to be worth more than £1million, at the end of a leafy private road in Langdon Hills. But
ANGRY residents have slammed the decision to allow a Hadleigh nightclub to open 22 hours a day - from 8am to 6am. Several people living in Kings Lodge and Queens Lodge, opposite Capones nightclub, which is above La Quinta restaurant, in Benfleet Road
REVELLERS did not let the rain spoil their fun when they gathered to enjoy May Day celebrations. The festivities were due to be held on Strand Wharf, Old Leigh, but visitors were quickly crammed into the Scout Hut, near the Crooked Billet pub, after
SOUTHEND United manager Steve Tilson is unsure if the Shrimpers will be able to keep hold of their star striker Freddy Eastwood following his side's relegation back into League One. The Seasiders, who were beaten 4-1 at Southampton in their final match
FORMER Zimbabwe test star Andy Flower has quit Essex to become Peter Moores new assistant coach with the England national side. Flower, who had previously worked as a batting coach with the academy, will take up the position with immediate affect.
STUDENTS from Thundersley's SEEVIC College returned from the British Colleges National Championships with another impressive medal tally. SEEVIC took a big squad of 40 students to the Championships, held annually at Loughborough University, representing
CAROLE Mulroney sees planning as the main issue to tackle now she has taken up a post on Leigh Town Council. As a councillor for Elms ward and member of the Leigh Society, she hopes to ensure development does not affect conservation in Leigh. Mrs Mulroney
RAYLEIGH Boys proved to be the twin glory heroes of the day when the Southend Junior League cup finals were staged at their usual Roots Hall venue on Sunday. For the first time in many years, the six-final occasion ran to time as not one of the games
AN ANXIOUS Beaver group has issued a desperate plea for the safe return of its beloved furry mascot of 20 years...after it went missing during a daytrip to the seaside. Members of the 1st Canvey Beaver Group wanted to take their toothy friend to the
ROSINA Violet Lewis has lived on the same street almost her entire life...all 101 years of it. Mrs Lewis celebrated her 101st birthday with family and friends at Benfleet Methodist Church, and proudly told how she first moved to Eversley Road, Benfleet
DETECTIVES have appealed for help from the public to unravel the mystery behind a possible assault. Police received several calls from concerned motorists who witnessed a man strangling a woman beside the A127, on the layby just before the Billericay
A BUSINESS is calling for more police in Rayleigh High Street, after its windows were damaged for the third time since Christmas. Anthony Jacobson, 26, manager of Secrets hair and beauty salon, in Rayleigh, puts the weekend damage down to yobs, who he
A MAN abused the trust of a friend who let him stay in her flat, by sexually assaulting her in her own bed. Carl Baillie, 34, of Plumberow Mount Avenue, Hockley, crept into the woman's bed after returning to the flat drunk in the middle of the night.
POLICE have urged Canvey residents to do more in the fight against the growing motorbike menace following a bank holiday leaflet blitz. Officers and police community support officers leafleted almost 1,000 homes on the island in a bid to gather intelligence
OPPONENTS of the Priory Crescent road-widening scheme are planning a fancy dress carnival and party outside the Mayor's Ball. The official ball is being held at the Cliffs Pavilion on Saturday. But while those invited to the event by the Southend mayor
A NEW museum - which is an exact replica of a traditional fisherman's cottage - has opened in Old Leigh. The building is a reproduction of the original Plumbs Cottage, at Strand Wharf, which stood there in the 1850s. It has taken more than a year to
A NEW police helpdesk was due to officially open in the heart of Basildon. Police are hoping the move will improve relations between the force and the public, giving residents an alternative place to go to speak to officers. Under the three-month pilot
AFTER weeks of unseasonably glorious sunshine, the weather returned to form this May Day bank holiday. Daytrippers hoping to enjoy a sunny Southend were instead greeted with a dismal washout. Even when the sun poked its head out of the clouds, the seafront
TRAVELLERS who were evicted from Basildon's second largest travellers site have been blocked from returning. A High Court injunction has been served to stop travellers reoccupying two plots, including one called Dunroamin, near Gypsy Hill, in Hovefields
BOSSES of a property firm which paid four times the going rate for eight acres of green belt investment land say there are no short-term development plans. The Echo can reveal Monadia Properties is the new owner of the paddock near Pond Farm, Crays Hill
A WOMAN is warning pet owners to protect small animals from foxes after finding her pet dog savaged to death. Jackie Cockbill, 51, of Oakhurst Road, Southend, was distraught when she found Sophie lying dead in her back garden. But it was not the first
ADULTS in Essex are being called upon to learn how to save a life. A recruitment drive for first responders has been launched to set up new groups in Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford. First responders live in the community and are activated by the
WHENEVER there are significant delays on the train line to London, you can predict the commuters' big complaint: We understand problems happen, but the communication was terrible. That lack of communication is exactly what Hugh Jennings hopes to address
A CARE home in Westcliff has been sold to a new owner. St Michael's Care Home, in Meteor Road, which has been owned by Yvonne Blackman since 1988, is registered for eight elderly patients. The new owner is Dr Kenneth Ihuoma, from Ilford. St Michael's
TEN new jobs have been created in Basildon thanks to a £1.5million investment by TNT. The express delivery corporation is expanding its document processing arm with the addition of six colour printers and two new high-speed mailing machines. TNT Document
DETECTIVES are investigating an alleged sexual attack on a woman in her forties near Woodside School, in Little Thurrock, Grays. Land near the school, in Grangewood Avenue, was cordoned off and guarded by police, while officers searched the area for
NIGHT staff from a Basildon supermarket are on their way to raising £1,000 for charity following a sponsored walk. The workers from Asda, at Pipps Hills, are planning to spend the whole month raising funds for men's cancer charity, Everyman. They held
STRONG winds have been hampering Tony Bullimore's solo round-the-world sailing record attempt. Mr Bullimore, who grew up in Southend, left Australia last Tuesday in an attempt to sail round the globe in less than 70 days and got off to blistering start
NIGEL Holdcroft looks likely to be crowned leader of Southend Council by the town's Tories. The Conservative group, still reeling from the loss of leader Murray Foster, is holding a private meeting to elect a new frontman or woman. Mr Holdcroft only
BABY Harry was just six weeks old when mum Cara Terry began to realise something was seriously wrong. His head was becoming increasingly misshapen and Miss Terry was growing concerned he would be left with a permanent deformity. She and her partner,
VEHICLES based at Target Express's depot in Basildon will wear a different livery, following the company's acquisition by City Link. The move makes the Basildon fleet part of an operation that runs 4,360 commercial vehicles across the UK. City Link
WHEN Britain's bosses assembled at the Royal Albert Hall for their annual get-together, they found some unusually young faces in their ranks. The faces belonged to nine teenagers from across Essex who were given the chance to attend the Institute of
KIND-HEARTED punters at a Canvey bar have raised £1,700 for charity through donating their loose change from buying rounds of drinks. Customers at Madsons, in Long Road, have been putting their spare coins into giant whisky bottles placed on the bar
A NEW children's centre for under-fives has now opened in Vange. The Kaleidoscope Children's Centre, run by the South West Essex Primary Care Trust, provide a home for a toddler group, plus advice and support services for families. Nina Davies, a centre
