Archive

TICKETS for Prince live in London, with coach travel, go on sale at 8am on Friday. Call Echo reader travel on 01268 270027 for more details.

STUDENTS from the San Toy Dance Academy of Dance and Drama are busy preparing for their annual charity show this weekend. The show, called Variations, will be held at Basildon's Towngate Theatre on Saturday and Sunday. It will feature up to 70 children

COMPOST enthusiasts could win £100 worth of garden centre vouchers to do up their garden. Southend Council is running the competition as part of Compost Awareness Week, until Saturday, to encourage people to compost their kitchen and garden waste. Any

BLACK and Asian people in Southend are asked to come forward as volunteers to help look after disabled children. Southend's Children with Disabilities Team is hoping to match disabled youngsters with people from their own ethnic background to give their

BOXER Joe Knighton is just one bout away from a dream fight against Shane McGuigan, the son of former world champ Barry. The Rayleigh Amateur Boxing Club youngster defeated Jerome Farrell in national quarter finals of the Senior Novice ABA Championships

KENT Elms' men's third team only had four players for their match with Rochford II but they still pulled off a win. Norman McCouat and Danny Lovett defeated Barry Chasmer and Andrew Woolston 6-2 6-1 before the host club were forced to concede the second

SOUTHEND Swifts Basketball Club girls will have three teams battling for national honours this weekend. The aim of all young basketball players in England is to reach the Final Fours in May each year at RAF Cosford. It is the culmination of a season

SINCE its inception in 1992, the Premier League has thrown-up a plethora of escape acts, of which the Hammers' is the latest and surely one of the most dramatic - coming from ten points adrift of safety with ten games remaining. However, the fun began

ROCHFORD Hundred gained sweet revenge for being dumped out of the Essex County Thornton Cup by Boyce Hill last year by beating their South Benfleet rivals 9-6 on Sunday in this year's competition. Rochford got off to the best possible start by winning

ANGRY residents are campaigning to have what they believe are shoddy pavement repairs to be corrected across Pitsea. A group led by Rob Hill, chairman of Northlands Park Residents' Association, wants Essex County Council engineers to inspect and put

A FAMILY day of digging has unearthed a haul of old artefacts which they reckon could rival TV's Time Team. Keith Hewer started investigating what may be hidden in his garden in Long Road, Canvey, after having a pampas grass pulled

THEY say that good things come to those who wait. That is certainly true of Andrew McGarry, who has been re-signed by Essex - three-and-a-half years after initially being released by the county of his birth. The seam bowler and former South East

AFTER starting the season in the Conference with a clash against Stafford Rangers, winger Michael Kightly is now just three games away from a place in the Premiership. The 21-year-old, from Benfleet, has enjoyed a remarkable rags to riches tale since

Southend United chairman Ron Martin has moved to end speculation surrounding the future of Shrimpers star striker Freddy Eastwood. The Basildon-based forward has again been linked to a series of sides, including Charlton Athletic, following Blues'

NEW traveller camps may have to be created by every council in Essex to solve the build-up in Basildon. Two options make up a review, launched by the East of England Regional Assembly, which has now gone out to public consultation until July 31. Option

BANDS paid tribute to a musician who died from cancer and to raise funds for charity. The all-day music festival was in memory of singer, guitarist and songwriter Jerry Davies, of Glenwood Avenue, Westcliff, who died two years ago, aged just 50. Bands

DISABLED drivers have welcomed new measures to restrict the amount of time they can park in council-run car parks. New rules, introduced by Basildon Council, mean disabled drivers can only use specialised bays for up to three hours. Before, there was

The Benfleet Aero-modelling Club was active in the late 50s and 60s. My husband and a group of friends formed this club and met in the back room of the then Bow and Bray shop, on the incline from Tarpots to Benfleet (proprietor Mrs Rawlings). Their

AN estate should get its own police and community advice centre by the end of the summer. The drop-in centre is expected to open by September on the Vange 3/4 estate, which is due for a £14.5million redevelopment. It will be a base for police but there

STAFF and students thanked a special member of the community for ten years of outstanding service as a governor of Runwell Community Primary School. Headteacher Jeremy Crook, Pauline Lands-dale, chairman of governors, and a handful of students, delivered

THESE three teenagers have been chosen to lead this year's Basildon and Pitsea Carnival. All eyes will be on carnival queen Charlee Kenny and princesses Laura Gordon and Emma Booth when the parade is staged, on June 24. The court was picked by three

FED-UP residents living on a graffiti-strewn estate have called for a clampdown on the menace. People living on the Wick, Wickford, say they are sick and tired of having to clean up after vandals. One of the worst hit areas is in the heart of the estate

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. Monadia Properties is the new owner of the paddock near Pond Farm, Crays Hill. Members of Crays

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

A NEW police helpdesk officially opened in the heart of Basildon this week. 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

PUPILS, parents and staff have been studying healthy eating to achieve the National Healthy School Standard. Chef David Soraf visited St. Peter's Roman Catholic Primary School, Billericay, and spent the day exploring different food elements

Here is a bizarre discovery. Purfleet was once a thriving film location centre for shooting westerns. Local studios in the silent days turned out several cowboys and indians movies a week. There is no record as to what put an end to Thurrock westerns

A THREE-car pile-up close to the site of a recent fatal accident has renewed campaigners' calls for road safety improvements. The crash in Elm Road, Leigh, just after noon yesterday, happened close to the spot where Sheri Lawrence, 20, was killed last

A THREE-car pile-up close to the site of a recent fatal accident has renewed campaigners' calls for road safety improvements. The crash in Elm Road, Leigh, just after noon yesterday, happened close to the spot where Sheri Lawrence, 20, was killed last

THE East of England Regional Assembly's report on travellers' sites echoes a point stressed repeatedly in this newspaper - Basildon has more than its fair share of pitches, and other Essex districts must play their part. Councils across the county agree

A YOUTH service is raising awareness about treatment and support for people with mental illness. Essex, Southend and Thurrock Connexions, in partnership with South Essex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is calling for young people and their parents

A LEADING company has, once again, stepped in to help fund Southend's entry into the Hampton Court Flower Show. KeyMed, based in Stock Road, Southend, hands out thousands of pounds to charities and community groups and is well-known for funding road

SIX charities are each a £1,000 better off, thanks to the Essex Country Show held at Barleylands Farm, Billericay. Cheques were presented to Little Havens Hospice, The J's children's hospice, Pinpoint Cancer, British Pigmentosa Retinitis Society, Glenwood

SHE had groove and she had feeling... but it wasn't enough to stop the TV judges eliminating Joanna Power from hit ITV show Grease is the Word. Joanna, 22, of Anvil Way, Billericay, has now had time to reflect on her experience following her ousting

A MAN has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving after a crash in which another man died. Samuel Matkin, 22 of Burrs Way, Corringham, was driving along the westbound carriageway of the A13, between the Pitsea flyover and the Five Bells

A FAMILY is "thrilled to bits" after their learning disabled son was finally awarded a place at a special school, two months after being refused one. Jamie Crocker, and his wife, Jeanette, were devastated when their son Jake, 12, was not granted a permanent

A COLLEGE is offering free courses to adults looking to retrain. South East Essex College in Southend offers the free courses under the Government's Train to Gain initiative and they vary from professional cookery, vehicle maintenance and repair, and

AN AMBITIOUS blueprint to change the face of Southend town centre is to be unveiled next week. Regeneration company Renaissance Southend will be revealing its proposals at an exhibition in the town centre to gauge public reaction. As part of the scheme

A RETREAT which gives young people the time and space to develop is set for a big celebration. A £250,000 facelift of Walsingham House, Lionel Road, Canvey, will be unveiled later this month, thanks to the efforts of fundraisers from across the Catholic

A POLICE sergeant has turned presenter in a bid to forge closer links with local people. Benfleet officer Sgt Paul Saunders is presenting a show on Link Radio which allows people to phone in with any neighbourhood policing questions. During the show

AN Essex MP has added his voice to the criticism of the Portuguese police in handling the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, saying it felt like history repeating itself. Castle Point MP Bob Spink recalled how in 1992 he tried to defend a constituent

Properties to Let in South Essex Units to Let Office & Workspace No Leas - No Legals All Inclusive of Business Rates Also Available on Site Large Commercial Units From 2,000 sq ft - 60,000 sq ft Call 08000 723348 Sell Your House For CASH NOW Genuine

CONTROVERSIAL plans for an off-licence at Southend Victoria station have been submitted for a second time. The proposals for the Londis foodstore, on the site of the former Monk and Fisherman pub, to sell alcohol were rejected earlier this year by the

LOVE is still well and truly in the air for Sharon and John Massey. Sharon, who has just turned 40, had the shock of her life when she pulled up outside the offices of the Basildon company she runs with her husband John, 60. He had arranged for a 30

THE Countess of Wessex returns to south Essex next week, to officially open a new residential care centre. She will open Kenway Court, a John Grooms care centre in Prittlewell, on Thursday, May 17, touring the building and meeting residents. Kenway

TONY Blair has announced he will resign as Prime Minister on June 27. He told an emotional meeting in his constituency "Today I announce my decision to stand down from the leadership of the Labour Party. The party will now select a new leader. "

A SOUTHEND nightclub has been praised by police for its constant efforts to make nights out safer for customers. Talk, in Lucy Road, Southend, has been awarded a five-star rating under Essex Police's Safer Bars scheme. The award marks a big turnaround

A NEW ballot paper system confused a pensioner when he voted in last week's elections. Christopher White, 73, was perplexed when he turned up to vote and his ballot paper was not stamped as usual after visiting a polling station in Hadleigh. Mr White

A POP singer who performed with Paul Weller is selling off a treasured silver disc to raise cash for a children's hospice. Mum Tracie Young, 42, from Southend, toured and recorded as a backing singer with Weller's bands the Jam and the Style Council

HOLIDAYING travellers have been seen looking for a place to stay in south Essex. Around 20 families, in more than 40 caravans and trucks, were spotted on Basildon's Pipps Hill industrial estate in Miles Gray Road Wednesday, May 10. They parked their

THE cancer ward at Southend Hospital is boasting new equipment thanks to generous fundraisers. Although the hospital's charitable foundation has started its fifth appeal for a state-of-the-art stroke unit, it is still receiving donations for previous

A DEFIANT pensioner fought off a would-be robber armed with a knife. The 60-year-old woman was walking along a street when the man grabbed her from behind, pulled out a craft knife and demanded her purse. But the woman said she did not have a purse

A FORMER stage school boss has been arrested following allegations of sexual assault. Daniel Holt, 40, of Rayleigh, was arrested by police yesterday and was questioned about the allegations before being released on bail until June 12. Mr Holt ran the

HEALTH bosses were celebrating today after hitting tough national A&E targets - despite a record number of emergencies. New figures for 2006/07, show doctors in Basildon Hospital's emergency department diagnosed, treated then admitted or discharged 98.7

FINDING the perfect outfit suitable for any occasion can give you a shopping headache at the best of times. But add a baby bump into the equation and suddenly your wardrobe options can seem limited to vast swathes of material that leave you resembling

A LORRY leaking fertiliser caused tailbacks on the A127. Rush hour traffic was held up from Wickford to Laindon on the Southend-bound carriageway from about 8am this morning. The powdered fertiliser had leaked on the hard shoulder and one lane of the

THURROCK councillors could soon be printing the phrase "Thurrock -- film location capital" as a slogan on Thurrock's town signs. They will be telling no more than the unvarnished truth. The district may well have hosted more location shoots than

I was not surprised to see such a low turnout of voters in the local elections last week. The average was around 30 per cent. Come on residents of Southend! Don't waste your vote. Yet again no chance in council. We will still be talking about the pier

BEEF is back. The cattle are returning to Essex fields. The comeback is happening six years after south Essex had the dubious distinction of being the place where the 2001 outbreak of foot and mouth disease was first identified - at Great Warley, by