colchester 101 december 2011

Colchester’s Access All Areas Magazine

Issue 14 December 2011Issue 14 December 2011

L I S T I N G SC O M M U N I T YFA S H I O NT H E A R T SH O M E & G A R D E NE AT I N G O U T G U I D EH E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G

FreePleasetake one

FreePleasetake one

A very

DingusChristmas

WIN a Cubic Zirconiabracelet worth £225from Ciro (see page 5)

WIN a Cubic Zirconiabracelet worth £225from Ciro (see page 5)

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Colchester 101The StudioTye RoadColchesterEssex CO7 7BN

Tel: 01206 544700 Email: [email protected]: Simon Crow and Paul ClarkSales and Marketing: Rebecca PriceFood Editor: Melissa PorterFashion Editor: Angela MitchellDesigner: Paul Clark, Tonic Creative Solutions

Thanks to our contributors:Andrew DellPeter SherlockKem Izzet and Colchester UnitedSven WombwellJennie GillionsHazel Humphreys Luke O’LoughlinAngela MitchellAdrian MultonBecky Davis

Front cover photo by Andy Roshaywww.roshayphotography.co.uk

Special thanks to Hearts Delight Garden Centre inLawford for allowing us use of Santa’s Grotto forthe front cover photo. www.hearts-delight.co.uk

All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or whole without publisher’s written consent is prohibited. Whilst every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of all details and information the publishers are not liable for errors and omissions to any features, listings or advertisements. Any views expressed are not necessarily those of the publishers.

www.Colchester101.co.uk

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Happy Christmas from all at Colchester 101

hristmas is almost upon us, andat the time of writing we are finallyexperiencing weather that israther more appropriate to the

time of year than some of the unseasonablywarm Autumn temperatures we wereexperiencing just a few weeks ago. Maybe wewill even see a white Christmas in 2011 asColchester 101 celebrates its first full year,during which we have firmly establishedourselves as the town’s favourite magazine.

It seems that barely a day goes by when wedon’t get more positive feedback about whatwe have been doing since we hit the streetsof Colchester last November. Readers of allages love our features and interviews withsome of the amazing musical talent thatColchester is producing, along with ourmonthly look at the goings-on at SlackSpace, the Mercury Theatre and firstsite. Ourfashion features give you our fashion expertAngela Mitchell’s regular take on what’s hot,and what’s not, and not content with makingsure you look your best, Bid TV and Price-Drop TV’s Peter Sherlock ensures you knowhow to smell your best too. This month wechat exclusively with Dingus Khan, one of themost exciting bands to have appeared on thelocal scene recently, as well as up andcoming local band rockers, Pistols andVultures. Also, I went along to recent shows inthe town by Michael McIntyre and thehilarious Three Bonzos and a Piano, and youcan read all about them here in Colchester101, as well as finding out about what iscoming up at firstsite, along with a preview ofnext year’s line up at the Mercury Theatre.

Merry Christmas to all our readers and aHappy and Prosperous New Year.

Simon CrowEditor

C

Dingus Khan - Page 16 Photo by Andy Roshay

www.facebook.com/colchester101www.facebook.com/colchester101presents

@colchester101


13 Air Assault Support Regiment have returned to their natural role as the high readiness logisticspecialists for 16 Air Assault Brigade. Following a period of well earned summer leave theRegiment has hit the ground running as it prepares to deploy at very short notice anywhere in theworld. 13 Regiment has still found time to enjoy itself, sending ten soldiers to the USA for aninternational military parachute competition, Exercise LEAPFEST. Five soldiers were also sent toOberstdorf on a Basic Paragliding Course which was a huge success. Privates London and Lewisdeployed to the Ukraine in support of 2 PARA, gaining their United States Army jump wings in theprocess. Private Gutteridge also gained a set of Dutch jump wings when he jumped at Arnhem onthe Anniversary of Op MARKET GARDEN in September.

The Regiment have been preparing to return to contingency operations with the Airborne TaskForce. All involved have been busy training, learning new skills and fine tuning those alreadyacquired, ready to support the Brigade in the numerous exercises. In addition, there has been a bigpush to get as many of the Regiment as possible through P Company, the infamous paratrooperselection course.

On the sporting front; Captain Paul Brewer led an Adventurous Training expedition to Corsica onExercise CORSICAN DRAGON, trekking across the island’s rugged terrain over ten days. TheRegiment also competed in the United States Marine Corps Marathon in Washington DC. The teamwas organised by Warrant Officer Class 2 Jones and they carried 38 pounds of weight raising moneyfor the Army Benevolent Fund. Staff Sergeant Arger also led a team of 17 runners at the RoundNorfolk Relay race. The route mirrors the Norfolk county border over a distance of 195 miles splitinto 17 stages. With the aim of completing the event in less than 24 hours, the team completed thecourse in 23 hours 52 minutes winning the Best New Team trophy out of 57 competing civilian clubs.

Captain Jon Lelliott, Adjutant, 13 Air Assault Support Regtiment Royal Logistic Corps

16 Air Assault Support RegimentRoyal Logistic Corps, Colchester.

04

C O M M U N I T Y

Yesterday I headed into townfor my first abortive attemptat Christmas shopping. I’mdelighted that, so far, Ihaven’t heard any carols orany hideous Christmas-related pop songs blastingout of shops, and moredelighted than I can expressthat this year I won’t have togo anywhere Oxford Streetto get presents. Finally, I livesomewhere that has all the shops I need.

A couple of weeks ago I was standing at the bus stopnear North Station, chatting to two women who had spentthe day shopping in Ipswich on the recommendation of afriend.

‘Don’t bother,’ one of them told me. ‘You’re muchbetter off staying in Colchester.’

I’ve never been to Ipswich but I’m willing to take theirword for it. I’m not exaggerating when I say I’d chooseColchester for shopping over London. In London I livedin a middle class suburb, where the only shops werereally expensive. It was a 20 minute bus ride to thenearest high street, which had a couple of decent shopsand a lot of nasty ones. Finding anywhere with acombination of good high street and more individual,boutique-type places was near-impossible.

Not so here. Alongside Debenhams, M&S,Waterstone’s and TK Maxx (I love Colchester TK Maxx.As you probably know, every TK Maxx caters to itsclientele with its stock; I’ve been in lots, and ours ispretty good), we have the gem that is Williams & Griffin.We don’t do badly for bookshops, or media andentertainment stores; we’ve got high end clothing stores,unique ones, alternative ones and cheap and cheerfulones. There are some lovely independent jewellers, toyshops, art stores, antiques shops… really, we’re prettymuch set.

Christmas shopping in London was invariably ahideous experience involving slow public transportjourneys and far, far too many stressed-out people. Iusually did the vast majority of my gift buying online toavoid the whole thing.

I suspect I’m actually going to quite enjoy it here. I’mcertainly going to give it a shot and buy as much aspossible by going into actual shops and talking to actualpeople. There’s a nicer community feel to shopping in atown, rather than a city that people travel to specificallyfor shopping. I’ve got used to slightly longer, slowerqueues, and appreciate that what you lose in time youmake up for in less grumpy customer service (most of thetime, anyway) and significantly less stress.

Colchester natives maybe don’t appreciate the otherrather lovely thing about shopping here. Living in an oldmarket town that cares about its heritage means some ofthe shops, particularly those in and around Eld Lane, arein remarkably attractive buildings.

Perhaps this is all over-optimistic of me, and actuallyChristmas shopping is horrible wherever you are. I’mfrom a pretty market town, but it’s been 13 years since I ran around its shops desperately looking for last-minutegifts and perhaps I’m viewing the whole thing through(cliché alert) rose-tinted spectacles. I’ll let you know in January.

As an aside, I’ve realised that use of the word‘abortive’ in my first sentence might look at odds withthe rest of this piece. It wasn’t Colchester town centre’sfault I bought nothing; my mother is notoriously difficultto buy for, and she didn’t have my dad’s Christmas list handy.

JennieGillions’ Blog

Staff Sergeant Rory Campbell completeshis leg at the Round Norfolk Relay. The Round Norfolk Relay team after winning Best New Team.

Lieutenant Ross Devlin and Staff Sergeant Sumnerprepare for action.

Clear skies for 13 Air Assault

Parachutists on Ex LEAPFEST

in the USA.


Our new home offers us moreopportunities than ever to welcomevisitors throughout December.

Since opening in September we’vebuilt a devoted audience for many ofour events and activities, whichinclude our Family games, run onSaturdays and Sundays from 11am -1pm or 2 - 5pm throughout December.They’re absolutely free and you candrop in at any time, so if you (andyour children) need a break fromChristmas shopping and fancy doingsomething creative instead, we have a solution

Children and families are alsowelcome to join us for Archive filmhour on Sunday 4 December from2.30 - 3.30pm. This month the focus ison celebrations, with a series of filmscalled The Way We Were; perhaps theperfect inspiration for a retroChristmas party! In Fluorescence,from Monday 19 - Wednesday 21December at 4, 5 and 6pm, ourAssociate Artists create a festiveinteractive light show for the whole family.

If you fancy escaping the crowdswithout the children, there’s plentyjust for adults too. We’re screening thesecond selection of artist John Smith’sshort films on Thursday 8 December,from 7 - 9pm, for only £5 a ticket.John’s documentary style is often used

to comic effect; his films are as muchinfluenced by the humour of MontyPython as the theories of avant-gardefilmmaking.

Keep an ear out for new, speciallycommissioned fanfares, which willring through the building during thelast two weeks of December. We havealso collaborated with Colchester NewMusic for a day of these scores playedlive on the hour, on Saturday 17December.

If you simply need some peace andquiet, firstsite continues to be free toenter. You can sit and relax in ourMosaic space or recharge with a cupof tea or a bite to eat in MUSA. Don’tforget - firstsite’s shop is full ofunique gifts to suit all budgets, fromart books to artist-made ceramics,designer gifts and local-madejewellery.

Finally, MUSA is open everyevening in December for dinner, so ifyou haven’t tried it yet a Christmastreat is the perfect excuse!

Season’s greetings from all at firstsiteand thank you for your support in2011 – a fabulous year for us! We’lllook forward to seeing you in 2012.

By Kath Wood, Director of firstsite

C O M M U N I T Y

FestiveActivities at firstsite

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Name:Email:Contact number:Please return to the Ciro counter at Williams & Griffin, or post to Ciro, c/o Williams & Grffin, 152 High Street, Colchester CO1 1PN.If you do not wish to be contacted with offers from Williams & Griffin or Ciro in the future, please tick here

WIN this gorgeous

Cubic Zirconiabracelet

worth £225!

WIN this gorgeous

Cubic Zirconiabracelet

worth £225!

Ciro are located on the Ground Floor of Williams & Griffins’ spectacular jewellery department. Ciro are famously known for bridal jewellery, costume,

freshwater pearls and Cubic Zirconia.

Receive10% off any Ciro purchase when you spend £50 or more 1st - 24th December

Great Christmas gift ideas Wednesday late night shopping throughout December

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Dog About Town

Benton! BENTON!!!The runawayLabrador just kepton chasing thosedeer in RichmondPark and theresulting videoquickly went viral.

It turned out that the dog was actually called Fentonand all the po-faced ‘experts’brushed aside the hilarityand swiftly mobilised tostress the importance ofcontrolling your dog. Yesdog owners, to avoid asimilar scene of a herd ofconfused beasts dashing forsafety, or even a frightenedchild running from your pet,keep it under control.

Obviously, everyresponsible dog ownerknows this already. Themost important thing youcan teach your dog, even ifyou train nothing else at all,is recall. For all kinds ofreasons, not least the dog’sown safety, you must ensurethat they stop whatever they’reup to and come back to youwhen their name is called.

Hmmm. Far easier said than done.

In Berta’s puppy trainingclasses, recall wasintroduced after a few basicobedience exercises. Sittingon command or shaking apaw may seem likemeaningless tricks, but theyprovide the essentialfoundation for instilling therequired behaviour into yourdog. It’s all done with simplerewards - the desiredbehaviour gets a treat. Andthat treat doesn’t alwaysneed to be edible. Tryalternating those little snacksor chunks of cheese with abit of fuss and attention.Dogs often enjoy that just as much.

As soon as you’ve gotsome consistent ‘command -action - reward’ behaviourestablished, the recall workbegins. You can use a long

training lead for this but beprepared to bite the bulletand let your dog free. It goeswithout saying that you needa safe environment for this -the middle of a gated park isideal. And make sure thereare no distractions around.

The key to training isconsistency. If you choose touse your dog’s name, thewords “here” or “come” oreven a whistle, stick to thatone command. Little andoften is also the key. Don’tlabour the training. Dogs dobecome bored so be preparedto leave the training sessionafter a short while and returnto it later.

Also, don’t be scared of“grabbing” for your dogwhen they’ve returned toyour reach. The swiftdelivery of a treat and they’llsoon learn that you needthem back under your control.

And don’t believe the tiredadage about old dogs andnew tricks - if you’reconsistent and you persevere,you can teach your dog toreturn to you when called atany age. You just need tofind the reward that your dogloves most of all. Berta’salmost five years old nowand I decided to teach her to‘high five’ the other evening.Just because it’s cute.

Within minutes she wasraising a paw for a treat like acelebrating basketball player.

I can’t claim 100%confidence that Berta wouldreturn immediately if shewas bothering some pooranimals or frolicking awaywith a new friend, but afterlots of consistent trainingand countless treats I’m 99%sure that she’d respondsooner or later.

Life With Miss BertaBy Andrew Dell

H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G

The Essex Blades are, at time of writing,enjoying a great start to the 2011/12 season,with two wins from their first two games inthe UK universities’ South East League. ‘It’s already a better season than last year,’laughs President Jake Hawkins. ‘We only wonone game.’

Team morale is understandably high. Jakeattributes this partly to the arrival of newHead Coach Adam Burrows, who, as well asintroducing a pre-season camp that Jake sayswas instrumental in re-building motivationand confidence, has done a lot of work onteam discipline.

He says: ‘…we have had problems over thelast few years with discipline and attendanceat training - with it being my first year as thehead coach…I decided to instate a listof…simple rules which we expect all playersto follow on the field and off.’Adam says he is ‘lucky’ that so far no playerhas breached the rules, but it is clear he andthe other coaches work hard, so theimprovement is probably judgement ratherthan luck.

Both Jake and Adam got into AmericanFootball more or less by chance. In sixth formJake worked with fans who suggested he try itat university. Adam was approached bysomeone on his university team duringFreshers’ Week and decided to join, despitehaving never seen a game.

Both of them quickly became addicted, andit’s clear this is partly down to the game’steam spirit.

‘It is one of the only sports in the worldwhere we depend on every player on everyplay to work together to succeed,’ says Adam.‘I honestly believe this is the best team sportto play.’

Jake agrees: ‘You have to be able to trusteveryone on the field – if one person misses ablock then you can lose the game.’

American Football puts off a lot of peoplebecause it is undeniably stop-start, and onegame can last up to three hours. It isn’t free-flowing, but it is tactical, highly intelligentand can be nail-bitingly exciting. Games caneasily turn on a missed kick or a fumbledpass, and the sight of a player running flat-outfor 80 yards, dodging tackle after tackle onhis way to scoring a touch-down, is enough toleave even a novice viewer slack-jawed withadmiration.

Ah yes - and there are cheerleaders. Adam’swife was a cheerleader when they met, sojoining a club can pay off in ways other thanfitness, enjoyment of a sport and camaraderie. Despite the padding and the helmets, (Adamadmits that before he started playing hethought it was a bit of a ‘girls’ sport becauseof all the protection) it is also punishing. Jakesupports the Denver Broncos, who havesuffered the loss of a couple of players inrecent weeks, and it’s not unusual for playersto be out for weeks with concussions, breaksor ligament damage. The padding meansplayers can get up unhurt after tackles thatmake viewers wince.

Because American Football is still a nichesport, and because each team needs about 50players available for every game, Jake andAdam say they have problems attractingenough people to the club; Adam’s hope isthat schools will start teaching AmericanFootball so more young people get into it andknow it’s available to them.

If this article has piqued your interest thenyou can see whether you like AmericanFootball by going to a Blades game. Theyplay on the university campus, and you canfind all the fixtures on www.essexblades.co.uk.

If you want an idea of the rules and the set-up before you go, the Wikipedia page is fairly comprehensive -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_football

The EssexBlades‘Football is a mistake. Itcombines two of the worstthings about American life. It is violencepunctuated by committee meetings.’

So said American journalist George Will of American Football. Hedidn’t make it sound terribly appealing, did he? Personally, havingwatched a good few NFL games this season, I disagree with hisassessment; so, with some vehemence, do the Head Coach andPresident of the University of Essex’s American Football team.

06

By Jennie Gillions


07

THE

SCENTTRAIN

Peter Sherlock’s Scent TrainBid TV and Price-Drop TV’s resident expert gives hisregular lowdown on scents for both men and women, oldand new, good and bad. This month, Peter provides somesuggestions for festive fragrance gifts.

You can find plenty of fragrance bargains and loads more besides at Bid TV and Price-Drop TV.

Peter is Managing Director of The Scent Train, aunique organisation that provides fragrance salesvideos for online retailers and creates bespoke staff training courses.

www.TheScentTrain.com

There’s a widely held opinion that fragranceisn’t a good idea for a surprise gift. That it’s toopersonal a choice with a high probability thatyou’ll misjudge the recipient’s individual tastesand preferences. Baubles! It’s wonderful toreceive the gift of fragrance, especially if somethought has gone into the choice; if the giverhas selected something that they enjoy andwould enjoy smelling on you. Fragrance reallyis one of the very few affordable luxuries in life,making it an ideal gift in my opinion.

With that in mind, here are my festive picksfor your family members. Whether it’s agenerous stocking filler or your main giftchoice, these are scents to impress…

For your GranddadIt can often be a mistake to describe afragrance by its notes alone. Caron’s 1934classic Pour Un Homme is classy and assuredyet accessible and unpretentious. A perfecteveryday scent for a gent. However, when I tellyou that it’s built around a beautiful lavenderaccord, you may well have instant visions of ananna’s knicker drawer or some cheap bathsalts. There’s a major cultural differencebetween the French and the Brits when itcomes to lavender. Our associations are atcomplete odds: here we immediately think “oldladies” whilst over there they declare“mmmmm - très, très masculine!” So, whenyou hear that a fragrance includes a note thatyou don’t think you like, keep an open mindand give it a chance. The skill and artistry ofthe perfumer means that the ingredient towhich you have an aversion has quite possiblybeen blended and combined with such skillthat it may just pique your interest after all.

For your DadDefinitely one of the finest men’s releases ofrecent years, Terre de Hermès is a trulybeautiful enigma. At once light, fresh, clean andeminently wearable on any occasion, this isalso a rich, deep and extremely wellconstructed scent. The in-house perfumer atHermès is the revered Jean Claude Ellena andthis scent is typical of his renowned minimaliststyle. There are oranges and grapefruit at the top,rich woods and a strange ‘mineral’ quality but theresulting fragrance has a unique character that’sso much more than the sum of its parts.

For your sonAs an alternative to all those sporty, watery,fresh scents that target the younger end of themale fragrance market, why not go forsomething totally different? EscentricMolecules is unique in the world of perfumerywith its celebration of the synthetic. Molecule01 is basically just a single aromachemical - Isoe Super - and it behaves like some magicalolfactory illusion. It’s light, sheer and woody butseems to disappear shortly after application -but only to the wearer. Others will beclamouring to get a whiff of this sexy, beguilingcreation. I guarantee that if your son is singleand you buy him this, 2012 could well be theyear he settles down. You can find this rarity atHarvey Nichols in London or on cultbeauty.co.uk

For your GrandmaThe great fragrances of the early TwentiethCentury are well worth checking out, not onlyas curiosities of a bygone age and markers ofsocial history, but real alternatives to today’soften unimaginative offerings. Habanita byMolinard from 1924 is one of those ‘flapper

fragrances’, rich, heady and dangerous scentsthat targeted the modern, emancipated woman.There’s juicy fruit, fleshy flowers, sweet vanillaand marvellous musks. It’s a great oldfragrance that is all the more attractive for it’swildly creative complexity. The black glassflacon is beautifully grand too.

For your daughterThe reformulated, modernised version of Chloeinjects shimmering new life into the 1970soriginal. Dripping with rich flowers and sweetlychee and grounded by a beautifully lightamber and cedar accord, this fragrance is atonce classically pretty and thoroughly modern.Standing head and shoulders above all theother ‘fruity florals’ out there, Chloe works fordaytime wear as well as a bit of nighttime drama.An ideal companion for the girl about town.

For your mumWhat better choice for that most importantwoman in your life than the perennialmasterpiece of perfumery, Coco’s 1921benchmark scent that still tops the fragrancecharts ninety years later? However, for some,No.5 may be overly familiar or too self-consciously ‘perfumery’ and for this veryreason, the House of Chanel has come up witha surprisingly successful modernised version inNo.5 Eau Premiere. Retaining all the dramaand grace of the original, this version is lifted,lightened and sweetened with some subtlefruitiness. It really works - and makes the idealgift for a beloved mother.

And finally, MERRY CHRISTMAS

and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.

FA S H I O NC

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Fashion Tips& TrendsBy Fashion Editor, Angela Mitchell, Alter Ego Hair Design

FA S H I O N

We are fast approaching the end ofFashion 2011, and what a great year ithas been! Now, when I have sat backthis year and just watched what thelovely people of Colchester are sayingwith there fashion attire all I have tosay is that we are really hitting themark on fashion this year and I cannot wait to see and share what fashion2012 has to offer us. In this last issueof the year I want to look back at whatwe have loved in fashion 2011.

08

A Year InFashion

Clothing TrendAt the start of the New Year in 2011 we loved theopportunity to finally be at ease with ourselves withwhat we wanted to be wearing. Fashion was movinginto a more comfy era. Fuller tops, wide leg trousers,maxi dresses. The fabrics were softer, with moremovement. Making clothing much more comfortableto wear, but keeping into the themes of the 60’sLadylike Silhouettes and the 70’s Sophistication,makes these comfortable looks cleaner and sharperwith more structure to them. Knowing that thesewere our trends for 2011 I am so happy that we wereable to research and write about the influences ofMary Quant and Vidal Sassoon in the 60’s and 70’s inour June issue. It is inspiring to see where the fashioncomes from and then to enhance it into a modern feelwhen it comes to building a great wardrobe in ourown home. Festival season was splendid this yearwith all of the beautiful colours, the short shorts andthe maxi dresses. I’m sure we could all see how muchfun everyone was having with the Rock Chic look orthe Boho Babe styling. I do hope we have helped withfiguring out what to wear for the party season thisyear, in our last issue we had so much fun findingsome of the simple key guides that can help make iteffortless. With this season being the first in a newdecade, it will also be the season that will go a longway in defining next years 2012’s fashion trends.Remember we are bringing in the new year with thisseasons autumn/winter trends, with its fabrics that


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FA S H I O N

hold structure, like felt and wool, combined with thesoftness of silks and enriched with beautiful autumncolours. This bridges the gap between ladylike and modperfectly and should be a great inspiration for us in theNew Year.

Hair TrendWhat a year for Hair! Fashion 2011 hair has just been abreath of fresh air. It has been easy to style and maintain,keeping the soft tousled curls or wave for that beachyaffect and 70’s feel or keeping it a bit more fierce withstrong lined shapes for that 60’s feeling. I love that that70’s beachy affect give us that beautiful Boho girl with acomfortable, free flowing, airy feeling. The “bob” washere for yet another fab year, with its paintbrush feel ofno layering and the length in the bottom line hitting justabove the shoulder. The fringe was back with a vengencethis year and I’m sure that will keep on trend well intothe New Year. It can give us a soft change to ourhairstyle or a dramatic change without having to shortenthe rest of it. Which is great for all of us out there tryingdesperately to grow our lovely locks. At the beginningof this year I was shocked and excited about seeing thatRed head’s are to be the new ‘bombshell’ for summer2011. I thought red, summer sun, maybe not a good plan,but then like I said the first issue, 2011 was all aboutbreaking the rules on fashion. It was fantastic, there wereso many clients changing to red hair this year… It issuch a beautiful colour and using the right salon productdefinitely helped the reds last for our guest. And yes red

was the new 2011 bombshell and yes this years redsdefinitely turned heads. I must say that the look thatcaught my eye most this year was the Topknot andBird’s nest Bun. We notest that it was coming right inthe New Year with the catwalk looks but to watch andsee how much of a hit it was on the high street this yearwas fantastic. I had a really short bob hairstyle at thebeginning of this year and I have been growing it sinceJanuary to be able to get my locks into that topknot. Ihave finally done it and excited to know I can be a partof the topknot frenzy in the New Year. I am also reallypleased that we were able to do a piece on men’s hairthis year. Men’s hair is getting more exciting as the yearis progressing… I am seeing more and more guyscoming in and getting the sides and back cut short andleaving that top left a bit longer. As we move into 2012 it stays much the same but it try’s to stretch the boundaries a bit more with really extending the length in the top andbeing worn higher with more curl. It looks great and I dohope that the guys out there welcome this really fun change.

I would like to add a massive thank-you to all of ourreaders out there and everyone who has helped andparticipated in making this article successful for the past10 months. We have really appreciated all of your hardwork, and we had such a great time putting all togetherwith all of you!

Cheers! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Looking forward to bringing you fashion 2012!


The 633 have been quietly building a name for themselveson the local music scene. Having started promoting TheRaging Bull (funnily enough at The Bull) once a month,they have been responsible for giving many aspiring bandsin Colchester (and from further afield) a friendly leg up.This led to them playing Colchester Free festival earlier thisyear and now the release of their debut EP ‘If You CouldOnly See.’

You can certainly see where The 633 have come from.Not shy of wearing their influences on their (CD) sleeve,‘If You Could Only See’ has hints of Ocean Colour Scene,Oasis, The Jam and The Who splashed all over it.

Dan Bowen’s guitar work at times reminded me of ChrisSquire in his Seahorses days, flitting around in thebackground finding an alternative to the melody. Thisprovides a superb counterpoint to Mike Deans rough, grittyvocal on’ Seems So Simple.’ The boy sounds like he’spleading his heart out to you. From its acoustic guitar andvocal intro it bursts into life with some driving drummingfrom Paul Ambrose and solid bass from Craig Fookes.

Stand out for me is ‘My Little War’, again having an air

of The Seahorses about it. This track fair whips along.Mark Pinckney’s talent as a songwriter shines through on

‘My Brother’s Keeper’, a simple verse moving into ananthemic chorus… a sing-along if ever I’ve heard one.

After the build-up, ‘A Hundred Days’ slows things downwith a softer vocal performance from Mr Deans.

The boys get their rock out for ‘Looking Up & Under’, athumping beat delivered with strong vocals, a catchy riff andplenty of power chords... Who-esq?

‘Live Your Life’ brings the CD to a close with a little bit ofwhimsy and a superb guitar solo. It leaves too soon, but leftme wanting more.

As a four piece The 633 were a good band, as a five piecethey have the potential to be great band. Although a littlerough round the edges, this is a fine introduction to The 633and your iPod deserves a little bit of BritMod.

Isn’t it about time that everyone justcheered up a bit? Yeah we know theeconomy is down the toilet and thestreets are filled with pre-teen looters.We know that. We’re bored of that.There is another way you know. AndLusty Zanzibar has found it, capturedit and distilled it. After a decade plusof singles, remixes, collaborationsand dj-ing Alex Cordiner finallyreleases his debut long player underhis Lusty Zanzibar moniker on theuber-hip Nang label. Recorded overtwo years in his basement studio,Find a Way is Lustys logicalconclusion to his lifelong love affairwith the Synth. It’s an album thatbrings to the party blissful swooshes,Balearic beats, shimmeringsequencers and exotic female vocalssoulfully delivered from rising starMuneerah. It makes you want todance, but more importantly dancewith a smile on your face. This isperformance enhancing music. TheLusty Zanzibar sound is oftendescribed as nu-disco - but Alexprefers to steer away from this type ofpigeon-holing. He prefers “gooddisco” - and he’s right. It’s more thanan homage to unremembered NewYork clubs of the 70’s - yes that is inthere, but along the way he also doffshis cap to the electronic sounds thatseemed exotic and otherworldly to akeyboard-nerd growing up in 80’s and90’s Colchester. You see Alex is oneof our own. He was the one throwinghimself around to Cabaret Voltaire,Depeche Mode and Kraftwerk at theFreakShow. The one putting on clubnights at the Embassy Suite orrecording upcoming Colchester bandsat the now defunct Garden RoomStudios. He’s done the groundwork,much of it in our town, taken the bestbits and transformed them intosomething celebratory. In a recentinterview Alex claimed he mademusic to help people feel good. Finda Way does this and in these troublingtimes that is no bad thing.

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EP Review:

The 633If Only YouCould See

By Lee Carter

EP Review:

LustyZanzibarFind A WayBy Jon Barber

He has graced our television screensin such favourites as Mock the Week,8 out of 10 Cats and Have I GotNews for You, appeared on BBCOne’s Live at the Apollo and theRoyal Variety Performance threetimes each, he’s nearly rolled the‘reasonably priced car’ on Top Gear,and is more used to playing sell-outshows at major arenas includingWembley and the O2; yet here wasMichael McIntyre performing to amere 500 of us at the MercuryTheatre in little ‘ole Colchester. Andwhat a show it was!

Taking to the stage, McIntyre madeno bones about it - we were to be theguinea pigs upon which he would betrying out his new material at thishastily arranged show. He was evenarmed with pen and paper to makenotes about what worked, what didn’t(the audience at least left agreeing itall worked) and to jot down any newmaterial and ideas that evolved fromhis interaction with the eageraudience. “Salt and onion crisps” and“FEBREEEEZE” look sure to be inthe final version of McIntyre’s stock-in-trade observational comedyoutpourings, in a routine that hereinforces with his larger-than-lifepersona and over-exaggeratedgestures. On a one to ten scale of‘edginess’ you may only find himnestled around the three mark, but hiscomedy is inclusive, it is fresh, andmost of all it is funny. Very funny.

Whether demonstrating how to don

reading glasses when unexpectedlyrequired to read something, or thefrustration of trying to round up andget his children out of the house for aday out, McIntyre had us laughingout loud over, and over, again. He isposh, he is jolly, and he seems veryapproachable, but he is also verydetermined and sharp with it, as headmirably demonstrates when hegoes ‘off script’ for a spot of improvfollowing an exchange with a localdentist sitting in the front row. Beforewe know it our sides are splitting ashe tells an off-the-cuff tale about thetime he had some dental work doneby a dentist he’d been recommendedto by Jonathon Ross, a dentist who, itturned out, had a bad back at the timeand, due to his own pain, was unableto complete the work he started,leaving our hero in agony andrequiring hospitalisation. The imageof McIntyre mimicking both himselfand the hapless dentist, each cryingout in their own pain, almost broughtthe house down - and not for the onlytime that evening, as the hystericalobservations and hilarious anecdotescontinued to flow thick and fast until,sadly, it was time for him to go, andfor us to make our way back to thecar repeating the evening’s funniestlines to each other.

The Mercury did us proud bringinga star of the calibre of MichaelMcIntyre to town. Let’s hope, as hepromised us at the end, that it won’t betoo long before he is back.

Live Comedy Review:

By Simon Crow

Michael McIntyre @ The Mercury Theatre

Photo by Aaron James Rodgers

M U S I C

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The word ‘legendary’ seems to be useda little too often when describingentertainers. You only have to havebeen around for a couple of years thesedays and the label gets automaticallyapplied. But The Bonzo Dog Do-DahBand are truly that. Legendary. Theyhave been performing now, on and off,since 1962, and the list of bands andartists they’ve worked with reads like aWho’s Who of the the last fifty years,Liberace, The Who, King Crimson, andFairport Convention to name but a few.Oh, and not forgetting The Beatles…that Liverpudlian beat-combo whowere so popular back in the 1960s. Infact, it was Paul McCartney himselfwho produced The Bonzos hit single“I’m the Urban Spaceman” afterspotting the band and asking them toappear in 1967 movie Magical MysteryTour. The movie was unscripted, withThe Beatles literally making it up asthey went along, which must have feltlike a busman’s holiday for TheBonzos, whose stage act works prettymuch on the same basis. And tonight atThe Lakeside was to be no exception,with three of the original line-up,Roger Ruskin Spear, Sam Spoon, andRodney Slater, along with DaveGlasson on the piano, performing asThree Bonzos and a Piano.

I have to admit that it was with alittle trepidation that we set off to theUniversity. Plenty of Googling hadgiven us an idea what to expect from aBonzos show, but then shouldn’t youalways expect the unexpected? As weentered the Lakeside it was filling upbut there were still seats free in the

front row. So, playing safe, but wantingto feel like part of the evening’sshenanigans, we grabbed a couple ofseats in the second row. The seats infront of us remained surprisinglyempty, offering us little to noprotection should it be needed, andgave pianist Dave Glasson an easyopportunity later in the proceedingswhen he left the stage and offered meone of his biscuits! Nervously I tookone, fearing that a bunch of flowerswould spring from the packet, or I’d besprayed with water perhaps. Nope,there were no surprises and the biscuitwas delicious. This is the way of theBonzos… it’s chaos up there! Masks,hats, outfit changes, robots, bubbles,props, props and more props, and ofcourse audience participation. Ah yes,the audience! We were having the timeof our lives joining in with many of thesongs. Some already knew the words,but to help the rest of us The Bonzoswere often kind enough to hold upsigns with the words on them, exceptwhen my friend Anna enlisted to go uponto the stage to hold up, anddisappear behind, a banner printed withthe lyrics to one of their newer songs,Purple Sprouting Broccoli.

And so it went on, the finest ineccentric lunacy, brought to us in twoacts to allow for a quick mid-showdash to the bar. When were weren’tlaughing out loud for Britain we weresinging our hearts out to The Bonzos’take on Monster Mash, Jake the Peg(with their own words of course), CoolBritannia (sung to the tune of RuleBritannia) as well as many of their

older crowd pleasers which includedJollity Farm and Hunting Tigers, aswell as the first song they ever wrote,My Brother Makes the Noises For theTalkies, blending them seamlessly withsome of their newer material includingOld Geezer Rock, Senior Moments,Ginger Geezer and White Van Man. Atotal of almost two hours’ worth ofsinging, jolly japes and tomfoolery. Wehad an absolutely fantastic evening,and if The Bonzos had been playing asecond night I’d have been the first in

line for tickets the next morning. Theband clearly enjoyed the show too, thiswas the first time they had beentogether in eight weeks, and as DaveGlasson told me afterwards,“What agreat crowd tonight! We had no ideahow it was going to go, we haven’tplayed this area before, and it was justa superb evening. Thank you verymuch you lovely people of Essex.”

And thank you very much for puttingon such a great show. Please comeback soon.

Live Review:

Three Bonzos and a Piano@ The Lakeside TheatreBy Simon Crow

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M U S I C


Pistols and Vultures are incrediblyindustry-savvy. They know exactlywhat they are doing and have beensuccessful in getting their music oniTunes, and if you listen to their music,it is clear they are unique from otherbands that have emerged fromColchester - they have a very tight,polished sound.They have been together for two and ahalf years. Drummer Freddie Cantinoexplains: “We met on the popular musicdegree course at the ColchesterInstitute. Alex [Green, guitar] was in aband called Red Sky Rebel at the time(who won the battle of the bands at theTwist in 2007) and I was playing withCarnell [Cook, vocals] in a covers band.We merged to form Pistols andVultures.”

Their first Colchester gig was at TheTwist supporting The Skints. “When we started, The Twist was themain musical hub, especially for localbands,” says Alex. “In the past fewyears, there’s been a strong energy inColchester, with the likes of The Bull,Tin Pan Alley, V Bar and numerousothers catering for live music. Howeverour favourite has to be the Arts Centreas the sound and feel of the church isbrilliant. Anyone who can put us on

there, feel free to get in touch!”Pistols and Vultures are creating real,interesting and non-generic music. Themessage they want to emphasise is thatthey are ‘trying to find the line betweeninteresting and catchy’. “We want to create interesting musicbut keep it accessible to the generalpublic and show them there is more tomusic than generic pop on the radio,”says Carnell.

This begs the questions of their viewsthe X Factor. The band’s consensus isthat “it’s good entertainment for peoplewho aren’t into being creative withmusic, whether that’s playing orlistening to it. However it does verylittle to nurture new ideas or promoteanything outside of mainstream pop.”The message that guitarist Alex hopesto pass on to listeners is the same thathe interprets from the music he listens to.

“Be inspired by life and create somenoise which reflects your inner soul,whilst channelling everything you eversaw, felt, heard and thought. Then addsome other people to the equation andhear it grow into something bigger.”Their influences as a band come from adiverse range of not only bands butgenres too. When asked what they listento Carnell says: “I know it’s a massive

cliché, but I really do listen to anything;usually either soul, hip hop or rockbands and most Motown. From a vocalperspective I’ve got to pay tribute to thevoices that got me into singing: MarvinGaye and Luther Vandross! Then thenew voices in soul like Bilal and CalvinRichardson. As far as local bands: TheIdeals, The Cads, Basement, and myother project Millionaires By Morning.One of my favourite bands was ThatMouth - one of the best live bands Ihave ever witnessed.”

Alex’s main influences differ toCarnell’s. “If I you held a gun to myhead and asked for the first three bandsthat spring to mind they would be PearlJam, The Clash and Led Zeppelin. As aguitarist I try to mix my knowledge ofchord extensions and harmony withpunk aesthetics to create my ownsound. The guitar is such a popularinstrument so it’s my mission to createchord voicing which isn’t just yourstandard open chord/barre chords andthen arrange them in conventional songstructure. Locally I like The JornetaStream, That Mouth, Vardo and TheBoss, and Jack Howe.”

Their self-titled debut EP is availableon iTunes, which is remarkablyimpressive for an unsigned band buteven more so as Freddie explains theyhave “a deal with a distributioncompany in which we retain 100%rights and royalties to our music”. “Fora small fee they distribute our music toiTunes, Spotify and all the big digitalstores. I think it’s important as iTunes ishugely popular and people automaticallyknow that they are buying a wellproduced record.”They also have their own merchandise. “We wanted to make some t-shirts thatlooked awesome, so we asked TomBates (a friend of a friend) to work withus,” says Alex. “The band came up with

the concept of the design and Tomcomposed the finer details and addedhis vibe to the ideas we’d put forward.We still love the design now, so don’t besurprised if you see us all wearing themaround Colchester. The reasoning behindprinting our own merch was to helpspread the name around and also to makea few pennies at gigs to cover expenses.”In the future Pistols and Vultures wouldideally like to get signed, providingthem with the financial backing toenable them to continue writing andplaying the music they love.’There’s only so long and so far youcan go with your own funding,’ saysCarnell. ‘But I’d hate to get signed andthen change our sound for commercialsuccess. The timing of when you getsigned is so important, you want labelschasing you so you can have a say inthe terms and conditions of the band!”Alex adds: “I really hope that one daysoon we can quit our jobs that bring uslittle happiness and make the best musicwe possibly can.”The band is currently working on newmaterial, which they are going torelease gradually track by track. “This seems much more beneficial,”says Freddie. “This way we don’trelease everything we have at once andwe constantly have things to promote.”Their plans for 2012 are to keepworking hard with new releases, videosand to keep getting their name out tonew fans - be sure to check them out ata live show.

They are currently looking for a bassplayer to play live with the band so ifyou play bass and like their tunes thenplease get in touch.

Check out Pistols and Vultures music,including live sessions, on YouTube, iTunes and Facebook:www.facebook.com/pistolsandvultures.

Pistols and Vultures

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M U S I C

Introducing local alt-rockers Pistols and Vultures,who are making music their way…

By Becky Davis


13

M U S I C

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L I S T I N G S

This Month’s Essential Events GuideSponsored by Tonic Graphic Design

Thursday 1st DecemberMolloy’s, 66 North Hill4 Play Karaoke

The Victoria Inn, North Station RoadQuiz Night

The Bull, Crouch StreetMatt White - Main BarThe Jazz Project & Jazz Jam - TheSoundhouse (Live Music)

Slack Space, Queen StreetDECEMBER MINI FESTSouterrain and special guests (Live Music)

firstsite, High StreetCamulodunum. The town’s heritage as acentre of power for the ancient kingCunobelin (mythologised as WilliamShakespeare’s Cymbeline) and the principalcity of Roman Britain, is the starting point foran exhibition of contemporary art thatconsiders how history is recovered,represented and reenacted.

Lakeside Theatre, University of EssexWorking the DevilTwo sharp and blackly funny takes on theabsurd world of work. With The Devil and theDetails, less is more, more or less. Set againsta live beat box score, it takes minimalism anddance to a darkly comic place. MeanwhileHinterview channels the grand themes ofprogress and collapse into solo dance, foryour pleasure. (Theatre)

Weston Homes Community StadiumComedy Club (Comedy)

Friday 2nd DecemberThe Judge and Jury, St Botolph’s CircusThe 633 - EP Launch (Live Music)

Molloy’sAngelfire (Live Music)

The Victoria InnStruck Bats (Live Music)

The BullLive @ 6.45 - Ady JohnsonThe Reason - Main BarKeep Colchester Cool & The Bull presents BGoodes, Jonas Graille, Paper Cages + Guests-The Soundhouse(Live Music)

Slack Space Queen StreetPiano Friday - 11am - 6pm (Live Music)DECEMBER MINI FESTThe Mixing Bowl 3A night of eclectic sounds. Powered by EMS

Colchester Arts Centre, Church StreetTHE LAUGHTER ZONE: MILES JUPP +JAMES GOLDSBURY + MICHAELFABBRI (Comedy)

Robert’s Live Lounge, Vineyard StreetSkandal (Live Music)

Mercury Theatre, Balkerne GateBeauty and the BeastOnce upon a time the beautiful Belle stumblesacross someone big, hairy and a little bit scarylurking in the forest. Dame Twiggy and thevillagers swiftly launch a brave but ever-so-unnecessary rescue attempt! Can the beast betamed? Can Belle’s heart be claimed? Can theevil sorceress Botoxia be restrained? All willbe revealed in this magical adventure full ofslapstick humour, sparkling sets, sumptuouscostumes and sing-a-long songs. Laughter,romance, song and dance… sorcerers,lumberjacks, toxic monkeys and a beast…this story has it all!

Charter Hall, Cowdray AvenueSally Morgan (Pyschic)

Saturday 3rd DecemberThe Judge and JuryDog in a Side Car (Live Music)

The Fat Cat, 65 Butt RoadStrings Attached

Molloy’sMissread (Live Music)

The BullUnder Ether - Main BarGuilt Coins & Friends - The Soundhouse(Live Music)

Slack Space Queen StreetDECEMBER MINI FESTNew Music Against the GrainMaster class for writing for 5-string violinand 5 string electric violin

Robert’s Live LoungeCommitted (Live Music)

Mercury TheatreBeauty and the Beast

Charter HallShakin’ Stevens (Live Music)

Sunday 4th DecemberThe Judge and JuryForever After, Jellycats & Lamplight Hideouts

The Victoria InnJazmine Ava (Live Music)

Slack Space Queen StreetDECEMBER MINI FESTArt auctionAnother of Slack Space’s fund raising artauctions.

Colchester Arts CentreGILAD ATZMON (Jazz)

Stanway Rovers FCColchester Jazz Club - The Phoenix DixielandJazz Band

Lakeside Theatre, University of EssexAladdin. A poor street boy falls hopelessly inlove with a Royal Princess in this classic talefrom the Arabian Nights. Told using giant andbeautiful shadow theatre, follow Aladdin’swild and dangerous adventures through vastdeserts, mysterious caves and royal palaces.After the fun of the show, join Indigo MoonTheatre behind the scenes of Aladdin as theyreveal the magic of light and shadow for youto try at home.

Monday 5th DecemberRose and Crown, WivenhoeOpen Mic with showcase from ‘The FourBlokes’

Molloy’sRadioplay (Live Music)

The Qube, Crouch StreetArgentine Tango Cafe Evening (Dance)

The BullJam Night

Slack Space Victoria PlaceArgentine Tango workshop - Bring smoothsoled shoes

Colchester Arts CentreBELLA HARDY TRIO CHRISTMASSONGS: ‘BRIGHT MORNING STAR’ (Folk)


The Headgate Theatre, Chapel Street NorthThe Cricket on the Hearth by Charles DickensDickens’s third Christmas book is a comedyof errors. In typically Dickensian fashion, afinely drawn cast of eccentric charactersprepares to celebrate Christmas. Whatever cango wrong, does, but there is a happy endingand warm Christmas celebration. All presidedover by the cricket of the title chirping on thehearth.

Tuesday 6th DecemberMolloy’s Live Music

The BullAcoustic Session with Jeanette Lynes & TomHardy

Colchester Arts CentreDANIEL SLOSS: ‘JOKER’ WITH SPECIALGUEST KAI HUMPHRIES


Wednesday 7th DecemberMolloy’sIce Breaker Promotions presents...

The BullOpen Mic Night with Showcase

Slack Space Queen StreetLight and Dark - A themed show exploringlight and darkness through a variety of media


The Headgate TheatreWhat the Butler Saw by Joe Orton. The chaseis on in this breakneck comedy of licensedinsanity from the moment when Dr Prentice, apsychoanalyst interviewing a prospectivesecretary, instructs her to undress. It containsenough twists and turns, mishaps and changesof fortune, coincidences and lunatic logic tofurnish three or four conventional comedies.

Thursday 8th DecemberThe Judge and JuryMID WEEK HEROES - Criminal ChaosPromotions presents Governor’s Luck andMeet Me At The Border (Live Music)

Molloy’s4 Play Karaoke

The BullJunkyard Aliens - Main BarRock to Raise, We Are Embassy, Faga,Molly’s Daggers - The Soundhouse

Slack Space Queen StreetLight and Dark

Slack Space Victoria PlaceSouterrain (Live Music)

Colchester Arts CentreAMPLIFIER + MOJO FURY (Live Music)


The Headgate TheatreWhat the Butler Saw

Friday 9th DecemberMolloy’sStalker (Live Music)

The Victoria InnVixation & Friends (Live Music)

Slack Space, Queen StreetPiano Friday - 11am - 6pm (Live Music)Light and Dark

The BullLive @ 6.45 - GroovetailsThe Current - Main BarThe 633 presents The Raging Bull with ChrisHelme (Ex Seahorses), Marner Brown - TheSoundhouse (Live Music)

Colchester Arts CentreTHE TREATMENT (Live Music)

Robert’s Live LoungeContraband (Live Music)



Charter HallRat Pack At Christmas (Live Music)

Saturday 10th DecemberThe Judge and JuryThe Dead Lay Waiting (Live Music)

The Fat CatThe Groovetails

Molloy’sSoul’d Out (Live Music)

The BullGraffiti - Main BarAngry vs The Bear - The Soundhouse (LiveMusic)


Slack Space Victoria PlaceSlack Folk. Featuring The Medlars andspecial guests

Robert’s Live LoungeRetro Night with DJ Adi Clark



Charter HallPolice Christmas Cracker featuring EssexPolice Band and Philip Morant School Choir(Live Music)

Sunday 11th DecemberThe Victoria InnWilliams & the Roots Collective


Hythe Community CentreSupastars Academy Supastars ChristmasShow. A celebration of youth, music andChristmas

Colchester CastleSt Helena Hospice Light up a Life.

Colchester Arts CentreROSS NOBLE & FRIENDS (Comedy)

Stanway Rovers FCColchester Jazz Club - Dave Browning andPeg Pegg’s Band

Charter HallChristmas Show Time 2011Monday 12thDecember

Molloy’sAsa Ireland (Live Music)

The Qube, Crouch StreetArgentine Tango Cafe Evening (Dance)

The BullJam Night


Slack Space Victoria PlaceArgentine Tango. Bring smooth soled shoes

Colchester Arts CentreBOO HEWERDINE (Folk)

Mercury TheatreBeauty and the BeastThe Headgate TheatreWinter Dance Show,Best foot forward (Dance)

Weston Homes Community StadiumPENSIONER CHRISTMAS LUNCH

Tuesday 13th DecemberMolloy’sNext of Kin (Live Music)

The BullKevin Pearce (Live Music)


St Peter and St Paul Church, High Street,West MerseaSt Helena Hospice Light up a Life

Colchester Arts CentreGLENN TILBROOK + STEVE POLTZGIGS(Live Music)


Weston Homes Community StadiumCLUB CHRISTMAS PARTY


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L I S T I N G SWednesday 14th DecemberMolloy’sIce Breaker Promotions presents...

The BullOpen Mic Night with Showcase - MainBarDrive Through Therapy (Album LaunchParty) - Soundhouse


Colchester Arts CentreJACK DEE (Comedy)


Thursday 15th DecemberMolloy’s4 Play Karaoke

The BullThe Scoobs - Main BarJukebox Fury - The Soundhouse



The Headgate TheatreWeCan-Ucan Variety ShowIn association with WeCan-Ugan and theHope Revival Agency for Rural Development(HORARD). The Colchester County HighSchool for Girls is aiming to raise £10,000 tobuild a boarding school for one hundredorphaned children of the devastating Barlonyamassacre and the Variety Show is just oneway in which you could support us! CCHSwould like to invite you to an exhilaratingevening of excitement - The WeCan-UganVariety Show offers songs, dance and comedyin aid of improving the lives of the peoplewho have suffered from the 20-year civil warin Uganda. (Variety)

Friday 16th DecemberThe Judge and JuryColchester 101 Presents The Raffles Gang,We Are Embassy, Dingus Khan (Live Music)DJ Gilly

Molloy’sAngelfire (Live Music)

The BullSnippet - Main BarLive @ 6.45 - Lady Bird & The LarksBacktrackin - Main BarElliot Chapman - The Soundhouse

Slack Space Queen StreetPiano Friday - 11am - 6pm (Live Music)Light and Dark

Robert’s Live LoungeReady Steady Go (Live Music)

Mercury TheatreBeauty and the BeastThe Headgate TheatreWeCan-Ucan Variety Show (Variety)

Saturday 17th DecemberThe Judge and Jury + TribalUndergroundCav OK presents Club OKKill The Party (Live)Mat Tha Hat (DJ Set)Ben Howard (DJ Set)Cav OK (Live)Irrelevant (DJ Set)Dead Cannons (Live)Louis Napoletani (DJ Set)IntoTheNorthSea (Live)Molloy’sVoodoo Child (Live Music)The Victoria InnNavaCross (Live Music)

The Fat CatRyan Galvin

The BullBouncing Off Concrete - Main Bar (Live Music)Essex Rocks Xmas Cracker with The KuruSmile, RAK, Fashoda Crisis, Electra - TheSoundhouse (Live Music)


Colchester Arts CentreJOHN COOPER CLARKE (Poetry)

Robert’s Live Lounge70s and 80s with DJ Simon Simon Lewis


The Headgate TheatreFolk 4 RETTImagine the symptoms of Autism, CerebralPalsy, Parkinson’s, Epilepsy and anxietydisorders ... all in one little girl. This is RettSyndrome. These symptoms have beenreversed in mice with late stage RettSyndrome. Rett Syndrome Research Trust UKare working towards a cure for this crueldisease and the proceeds from this fun concertwill all go to them. (Folk)

Sunday 18th DecemberThe Victoria InnHat Check Honeys


Stanway Rovers FCColchester Jazz Club - Hugh Rainey’s JazzBand

Monday 19th DecemberMolloy’sDan Warburton (Live Music)

The BullJam Night


Slack Space Victoria PlaceArgentine Tango workshop. Bring smoothsoled shoes


Tuesday 20th DecemberMolloy’sLive Music

The BullJoel Fisk & Friends - Main Bar (Live Music)


St Helena Hospice, Myland Hall,Barncroft Close, ColchesterSt Helena Hospice Light up a Life


Wednesday 21st DecemberMolloy’sIce Breaker Promotions presents...

The BullRekovered & Brass - Main BarOpen Mic Night - The Soundhouse (LiveMusic)



Thursday 22nd DecemberMolloy’s4 Play Karaoke

The BullMaxwell Hammer & Smith - Main BarThe Xmas Jazz Jam - The Soundhouse (LiveMusic)


Colchester Arts CentreTHE BLOCKHEADS (Live Music)


Friday 23rd DecemberMolloy’sStiff In The Morning

The BullBeagles - Main BarBenny’s Xmas Cracker with Ady Johnson -The Soundhouse(Live Music)

Slack Space Queen StreetPiano Friday - 11am - 6pm (Live Music)Light and Dark

Colchester Arts CentreLOCK UP + THE ROTTED + DRIPBACK(Live Music)

Robert’s Live LoungeSpooky (Live Music)


The Headgate TheatreRemember When, Mr Rock ‘n’ RollEastAnglia’s Premiere Rock ’n’ Roll entertainerwith a special tribute to Buddy Holly andChuck Berry with hits such as That’ll Be TheDay, Oh Boy, Rave On, Peggy Sue, Roll OverBeethoven, Johnny B. Goode and Sweet LittleSixteen. A chance to sing, dance andreminisce to classic hits of the 50s, 60s and70s. Also featuring hits from Elvis, TheBeatles, Cliff Richard, Jackie Wilson, BillHaley, The Everly Brothers and many more.(Live Music)

Saturday 24th DecemberThe Judge and JuryThe Majestic (Live Music)

Molloy’sBatman’s Cat (Live Music)

The BullStiff in the Morning - Main BarVardo & The Boss - The Soundhouse(Live Music)


Monday 26th DecemberMolloy’sLive Music

Tuesday 27th DecemberMolloy’sLive Music

The BullEnd of Year Blues Night


Wednesday 28th DecemberMolloy’sIce Breaker Promotions presents...

The BullOpen Mic Night (Live Music)


Thursday 29th DecemberMolloy’s4 Play Karaoke

The BullThe Shagamaloo Shufflers (Live Music)

Wivenhoe Funny Farm, Wivenhoe TownFootball Club, Rectory RoadCole Parker, Paul Ricketts, Claire Nelson(Comedy)

Colchester Arts CentreTHE FABS + SHORT PEOPLE + THEJUDITH CHARMERS (Live Music)


Friday 30th DecemberThe Judge and JuryShake 101 (Live Music)

Molloy’sLive Music

The BullCover Station - Main Bar (Live Music)

Robert’s Live LoungeFull Phat 5 (Live Music)

Saturday 31st DecemberThe Judge and JuryTall Dark Friend (Live Music)

The Fat CatJazmine Ava Band

Molloy’sNew Years Eve with Batman’s Cat (Live Music)

The Victoria InnNew Years Eve with Dice People (Live Music)

The BullNew Years Eve with Scooby (Live Music)

Essex UniversityFREEKIE 3 rooms drum and bass, breaks ,and techno. BLADERUNNER, KENNYKEN, RAY KEITH, BRYAN GEE, D.A.V.E.THE DRUMMER and CHRIS LIBERATORalong with some of the areas finest local DJs

Colchester Arts CentreNEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY WITH NEWTOWN KINGS

Robert’s Live LoungeSoul and Funk with Nick Gunn


Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracyof the information contained in our events listings,we cannot accept responsibility for anyinaccuracies or omissions. Events may becancelled or postponed, and you are thereforeadvised to check with the relevant venue before travelling.

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For your event to be considered for

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16 Photography by Andy Roshay. www.roshayphotography.co.uk

Everyone knows what Dingus Khanmeans, and if you knowingly nodwhilst hiding an unknowing vacantshake of the head when someone asksyou, you’d better quickly look it up inthe Urban Dictionary.

Dingus aSong or TwoBy Paul Clark

Pictured left to right:Nick Daldry - drumsPaul Miller - drums/percussionTom Armstrong - bassBen Brown - guitar/vocalsJosh Court - ukuleleAlex Dunne - bassAdam Toms - bass


C O V E R S T O R Y

17

ingus Khan formed fromthe remnants of two bands,Cosmic Sands and Elfred

& the Uber Peas. After the drummerof Uber Peas left, original bandmembers Ben Brown and NickDaldry had some drums up at Ben’shome in Manningtree and startedplaying around... unwittinglycreating quite a hub for friends tohang out. Before they knew it, asthey wanted their friends to beinvolved, there were seven of them.This was only last summer, andsince then things have moved on atquite a pace.

At first it was Nick and Ben doingthe live shows, as the other bandmembers were away at college, onlygetting together to practice as a fullgroup when they were back. Thisstripped down line up at least gavethem the chance to test the songs toan audience.

Ben is the band’s songwriter,writing the songs acoustically - himsinging and playing guitar - as itwould be nigh on impossible to bewriting the tunes whilst trying to

organise six others into a cohesive(or chaotic if that’s required)sound... Once he has the songsready they are ‘presented’ to theband, where they miraculously takeon a life of their own.

The first time I saw Dingus Khanwas earlier this year at The Bull.After only a few bars the words andtunes were firmly in my head.Instant anthems. That may conjureup thoughts of stadium rock, itdoesn’t have to be though. But itcould be, such is the power of‘getting the songs right’ beforetrying to ‘be a band’.

Three basses, a ukulele, twodrummers and Ben on lead vocaland guitar.

The ukulele was custom made forJosh in America because he plays itmore like a lead guitar and playschords, so It needed doublecutaways like a Gibson SG,allowing him to get his fingers rightup the neck. “He’s probably one ofthe best ukulele players in theworld, although that because there’sonly three of them” quips Ben.

Josh not only plays the ukulele,he’s obsessed with the UkuleleOrchestra of Great Britain, evengetting on stage with them at aconcert in Ipswich and headbanging.I can’t even begin to imagine howthat must have gone down.

The band have various influencesfrom Hip Hop to Heavy metal,however that’s not necessarilyreflected in the music they play.This eclectic mix of influences doeshowever help them now, and willwork for them in the future as theyevolve their sound.

But what DO they sound like? Iask Ben and Adam: “Some are likechirpy pop songs, like Ambulance orMade a List” Ben tells me. “Theystart off almost like folk songs, butend up being a cacophony of sound- a behemoth, a monster.”

Adam continues “Because thesongs are written on the acousticguitar there is a pop sensibility onthe acoustic that comes through...though it’s kind of skewed when wedo it live, but it’s still in theresomewhere.”

Such is the impact of the band thatthey are already playing dates inLondon, and now have a record dealwith Fierce Panda’s Fandangosubsidiary, who describe DingusKhan as “Seven characters fromManningtree in Essex. They featuretwo drummers, three bass playersand sometimes one baseball bathitting a beer keg. With whistling.And choreography. Sounds funenough already, but when theythrow out a bucketload ofdementedly catchy tunes wrappedup in a turbocharged blast ofprogpunk guitars you’ll findyourself offering them a single dealon the spot. Which is exactly whatLabel Fandango did, and that singleis called ‘Knifey Spoony’ and willbe out on March 5th 2012.”

There will be 500 7 inch vinylspressed and the single will be alsoavailable for download.

So how did the record deal comeabout? The band’s manager, PhilWyard explained how he knew ClubFandango from getting another banda gig with them: “So I sent them an

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C O V E R S T O R Y

email and a link to ‘Made a List’. Theguy came back within five minutesand offered us a gig. Then I got aphone call from Simon Williams,who’s the Fierce Panda boss. He justsaid ‘We’ve been playing it in theoffice and we need to have a chat’ Itkind of went from there really. Theycame down to see the band at the gig,and they all loved it, met the bandafterwards and booked them foranother gig the following week. Theybought some others from the officeand it snowballed from there.”

Ben: “That’s when we realised itwas going to another level. It wasn’tjust us who thought it was good.Normally you look out (from thestage) and you can just see people,your friends who are singing anddancing along… at that gig there werepeople we didn’t know singing anddancing to us. Someone boughtforward a bottle of Champagnethrough the crowd that I’ve still goton my mantlepiece.”

“They run a lot of gigs, almost oneevery night, and are always lookingfor something different. They keephearing the same kind of bands overand over, so I think when they cameto see this lot, they were a bit ‘ok, weneed to investigate’” explains Phil.

The Dingus Khan sound is certainlymore leftfield, more ‘out there’ andthat is what attracts record labels suchas Fierce Panda, who are looking for

the next big sound, not a copy of thecurrent big bands.

Although it’s really only thebeginning of their journey, FiercePanda are about developing acts, sowatch this space, you may besurprised where they pop up nextyear. Things can move fast in themusic business, and with the rightbacking and hard work, you neverknow where they could end up.Exciting times.

“We all like the songs Ben writes,we all get into them,” says Adam“and we’re all best friends. It’sliterally the best thing in the world.We’ve got loads of friends who cometo see us, who enjoy coming to gigsand see all of us mucking about.”

Ben continues : “On stage we let offsteam, we’ve got energy to get rid of,it’s the excitement of it and the loveof it that comes across when we playlive.”

The chaos and enthusiasm certainlycomes out in their live performances -but, as they are underpinned by‘proper’ songwriting, you’ll also besinging or whistling along at the end.

You can see Dingus Khan atColchester 101 Presents at The Judgeand Jury on Friday 16th December. Itwill be one Christmas party not to miss.

If you haven’t got a pulse, you willhave after seeing Dingus Khan.

66 North Hill‚ Colchester‚ CO1 1PX - Tel: 01206 578555

Visit our website www.molloyspubs.co.uk for a booking enquiry form

FREE BOTTLE OF WINE FOR BOOKINGS OF 6 OR MORE

1 COURSE

£5.992 COURSEs

£7.993 COURSEs

£9.49


recently attended one of those scary ‘networking’ events for people who write ‘material for performance’. Amongst the genres mentioned were drama, storytelling even songwriting. I mentioned that I wrote, performed and taught comedy to reactions that ranged from indifference via bemusement to pity. I felt like a slightly embarrassing ghost at the feast, perhaps one that drank too much and belched loudly during Grace.

The diary of an independent comedy promoter by Hazel Humphreys

I

View from the

Funny Farm

Full House for EnglandU21 Match

A few years ago I had a chastening learningexperience trying to organise a Colchester ComedyFestival, bringing together venues to put on variedand accessible events. Theatres, pubs and galleriesaround town were all on board, acts were booked, weeven had a logo. We planned a series of diverseperformances from outrageous late-night shows toclowning workshops for kids. All I needed wasfunding to cover promotional material. Amongst therejections was a letter from the Arts Councilcommending the clear and “exciting” proposal, butstating that unfortunately they did not considercomedy to be an art form and therefore could notprovide funding.

Whilst comedians are wary of taking themselves oranything else too seriously, it’s sometimes gallinghow little respect there is for comedy writing andperformance. Whilst it’s considered easy to tell gags,the best comics work labour intensively over

material. Greats like Bob Monkhouse and EricMorecambe filled rooms with notebooks of ideas,meticulously piecing together imaginative narratives.And ultimately the performance is instantly judgedby an audience through laughter, which promptedLenny Bruce to call comedy “the only honest artform”. If it wasn’t for the jokes we’d be described as“Brechtian” by some ponce.Theatre is portrayed bythe twin images of comedy and tragedy, but when itcomes to artistic legitimacy the smiling mask is oftenforgotten. I’d argue it’s equally as important inrepresenting the human condition. One of the mostprecious sounds to parents is the first cry of theirnewborn child, but they devote years afterwards totrying to replace that sound with something lessgrating, usually laughter. (Incidentally someonebought their young baby to my last gig. I didn’tcharge the sprog, but realised I’d been ripped offwhen it started laughing loudly during the show. I’m

not sure about the rest of the audience; they mayhave just had wind). Steve Martin described comedyas “the art of making people laugh without makingthem puke” (he hasn’t watched “My Family”), andwhilst that’s the ultimate aim, making a connectionvia humour can be more elevated whether throughthe films of Charlie Chaplin or the dazzlingwordplay of Dylan Moran. From Alan Bennett toJohn Cooper Clarke, the best writers understand this.Comedy as art shouldn’t be overlooked just becauseit’s funny to occasionally see someone hit over thehead with a frying pan.

Wivenhoe Funny Farm on December 29th features Cole Parker and Leonardo da Vinci*. More information and booking viawww.wivenhoefunnyfarm.co.uk

(*One of these is a lie).

Hello again from Colchester United, Ihope you’re all well and lookingforward to Christmas.

Anyway, back to the football andwhat a game the Weston HomesCommunity Stadium saw whenEngland U21s came to Colchesterrecently. It was fantastic to see thestadium full to the rafters and theplayers on show certainly senteveryone home happy.

While Layer Road holds so muchhistory for us as a club, can youimagine the FA ever looking to playan international there? We’ve only

been here for three and a half seasonand the recent game was the fourthone we’ve hosted. Everyone behindthe scenes at the club works very hadand it’s great that they have beenrecognised by the nation’s footballauthorities.

Stuart Pearce was more thancomplimentary about the club and thepitch so hopefully, they’ll be back inthe not too distant future. And from afootball point of view, it was great tosee the best young players in thecountry perform here in Colchester.Those of you who came along to the

game must have really enjoyed it,with the football on the pitchmatching the atmosphere off it.

The challenge for us now is to tryand get as many of that ten thousandto return and watch Colchester Unitedin action in the coming weeks. Wehave a great core of loyal supporterswho already come and we would loveto see another couple of thousand inthe stadium every time we run out.

We are confident that we’re capableof closing the small gap between usand the top six and want to continuethe good home form we have

managed over the past couple ofseasons. For us to close that gap, wehave to perform consistently well andpick up a few more points than wehave been recently.

Kem Izzet

Photo: CU-FC.com

UNITED FC COLCHESTER

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For the true chocoholic Chocolate TastingEvening £40Delight your taste budswith all things chocolatefrom cocoa pulp juice toorigin bars, couturechocolates in whimsicalflavours, truffles, saltedcaramels, chocolate icecream and chocolatecocktails. A fun,informal andinformative evening atArtisan du Chocolat inWestbourne Grove,London from 7pm to9pm on specificThursdays.

For your Christmastable or a cheesy friendSuffolk ArtisanCheese Hamper £30The milk is pasteurisedon-farm from their owndairy herd, thencarefully handmade byKatherine into cheese,using traditionalmethods. They producetwo main cheeses; aSuffolk Gold - creamysemi-hard farmhousecheese, and a SuffolkBlue - a creamy lightlyblue-veined cheese.

Cheese hampers areavailable direct from thefarm this Christmas toinclude; a Suffolk Goldtruckle, a Suffolk Bluetruckle, Hebrideanoatcakes and a jar oflocally made red onionmarmalade.

For the traditionalistsGunton’s Hamper -larger baskets from£20

Their CelebrationBasket would be mychoice at £34.99, whichincludes; ChristmasCranberry CrunchSpecial Recipe Biscuits,Strawberry &Champagne Conserve,Clotted CreamShortbread, VictorianKitchen Chutney, Date& Walnut SpecialRecipe Biscuits,Raspberry & PortCoulis, Clotted CreamFudge, SugaredAlmonds & ClottedCream Whisky Fudge.

For true connoisseursFrank Hederman’sOrganic Irish SmokedSalmon £56.50This is simply the finestsmoked salmon I havetasted, Frank Hedermanis a master of his craft.This organic salmoncomes from ClareIsland, County Mayoand is smoked in thetraditional way in thetimber, Belvelly SmokeHouse in Cork, Ireland.The salmon is bathed insmoke from beech wooduntil it has acquired thedistinctive and delicateflavour that makes it sounique.

For the sociable foodie,who likes to discusswhat’s on her plate, aswell as eat itSuffolk Food HallKitchen Club Voucher£18.50The Foodies’ KitchenClub has been a greatsuccess over the lastfew years. It is aninformal evening andthey actively encourageaudience participation,particularly on tastings.Sessions take place onthe first Wednesday of

each month.

For your friend with aconscienceBritish Fruit &Vegetables SeasonalGuide Tea Towel £10 ‘A Seasonal Guide ToFruit & Vegetables OfGreat Britain’ all printedon a Tea Towel. 76cm x48cm six colour 100%unbleached organiccotton. Designed, madeand printed in the UK.

For the hands onpractical typesLearn to Bake Bread,Keep Bees or Build aClay Oven, £80-£85 This has to be myfavourite pick of thebunch (hint, hint).Assington Mill inSuffolk offers short oneto three-day courses onover 50 different topics.They focus mainly onrural and traditionalcrafts; subjects that fitin with their rurallocation. The teamprovide a friendly andwelcoming settingwhere people can enjoylearning something new,and have a great day outwith like-mindedpeople. Prices include ahome-made lunch,biscuits & cakes.Reader Discount:Contact Anne on 01787229955 quoting‘ORLANDO’ for a 10%discount.

For the breakfastaficionadoA pair of Arbroath

Smokies, £9Arbroath smokies havebeen produced in Arbroathby Alex Spink and Sonssince 1977. Theyspecialise in smoking thetraditional way over anoak-wood fire.

For the life longimproverMersea IslandCookery SchoolVoucher, from £120Interactive, hands-oncooking classes with topchefs from busysuccessful restaurants ina relaxed and friendlyenvironment.The school primarilyuses seasonal and localproduce, you will cooklots of seafood and beshown how to selectfresh fish and how toprepare it.

For sharing with friendsTaylor’s 40 year oldTawny Port (37.5cls)£59.97This half bottle of 40year old Tawny port hasa medium tawny colourand is fragrant with avivid roast almond andapricot flavour. It is fullof personality, has alively richness and amouth watering finish.

Drink now - 2050.Winner of the best Port Trophy WineInternational Awards ‘04.

This vintage port isshipped in a deluxe silklined woodenpresentation box withfour wine accessories(corkscrew, wine pourer,drip stopper & winethermometer) [worth£17.99] at no extra cost.

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Top 10FoodieXmasGiftsBy Melissa Porter

Nearly that time again, I can’t quitebelieve another year has gone by. I’meven more disorganised than usualthis year, yet striving to accept thefact that I will always be a bit lastminute with everything in my life andstop being disappointed with myself(New Years resolution right there!!).If you are still pondering Christmaspresent ideas for the food lovers inyour life, I might just have the perfectgift in mind, allowing you to becomeone of those self satisfied, organisedpeople who have never spentChristmas eve fighting their way tothe till with 5 minutes ‘til closing,unlike some. Merry Christmas!

Find them online: www.artisanduchocolat.com; www.suffolkcheese.co.uk; www.guntons.co.uk; www.shopwrightbros.com; www.suffolkfoodhall.co.uk;www.stuartgardiner.co.uk, www.assingtonmill.com; www.arbroathsmokiesonline.co.uk; www.merseaislandcookeryschool.co.uk; www.vintagewinegifts.co.uk.


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SeasonalFood Guide

Spotlight on ClementinesSome believe clementines originatedin China, others cite the story of amonk, Father Clement, whodiscovered it in the garden of anAlgerian Monastery. Whatever thetruth, the fruit was introduced to theUS in 1909 while Corsica and Spainare the main growers in Europe.

In seasonAutumn, late November to earlyJanuary. You are unlikely to find UKgrown clementines in the shops, but itis possible to grow your own.

StorageKeep in a cool place or in the fridgefor up to a week.

Quick Serving IdeasInject sweetness and colour to a saladwith clementine segments. Blend segments with vanilla yoghurtand milk for a creamy fruit smoothie.

Use it upUse clementine segments to flavour apan of cooking mulled wine. Clementine zest can also be candied.

Did you know?As well as Christmas oranges,clementines are nicknamed zipperoranges in the United States, becausethey are so easy to peel.

Citrus Mulled Wine Recipe2 bottles of Red Wine (1.5 litres) 4 clementines1 lemon1 lime200g caster sugar 6 whole cloves 4 cinnamon sticks 3 fresh bay leaves 1 whole nutmeg 1 whole vanilla pod2 star anise

Peel away large sections of peel fromyour clementines, lemon and lime, tryto avoid the pith. In a large heavy-based saucepan heat the sugar over amedium heat, add the pieces of peeland squeeze in the juice from eachfruit. Add the cloves, cinnamon sticks,bay leaves and about 10 to 12 gratingsof nutmeg. Split a vanilla pod with aknife down its length, add to thesaucepan and pour in just enough redwine to cover the sugar.

Let this simmer until the sugar hascompletely dissolved and bring to theboil while stirring. Keep on a rollingsimmer for about 4-5 minutes, or untila thick citrus spiced syrup isproduced. Turn the heat down to lowand add your star anise and bothbottles of wine. Gently heat the wineon a low heat (don’t boil your alcoholaway!) stir occasionally and afteraround 15 minutes turn it off.

Prepare some extra fruit slices andwedges as a garnish, keep your mulledwine warm and ladle into glasses.

By Melissa Porter

Fruit Clementine, dates, lemon.

Vegetables Beetroot, brussels sprout, cabbage, carrot, cauliflower, celeriac,chestnuts, Jerusalem artichoke, leek, mushrooms, parsnip, potato, purplesprouting broccoli, swede, sweet potato and turnip.

By Melissa Porter

Ultimate Woo WooBy Mal Evans at Mojo

25ml vodka75ml peach schnappsPour into tall glasses with ice, top upwith cranberry juice and a squeeze oflime.

The OFM ShotBy Anthony Yu at the H Bar at the Hempel

40 ml tequila 15 ml fresh lime juice squished upwith brown sugarDash of ChambordShake the tequila, lime juice andsugar together. Pour into a shot glassand top with a dash of Chambord.

Basil and Honey FrescaBy Jasper Eayres and the staff at Nocturne

50ml vodka 12.5ml fresh lime juice 12.5ml grapefruit juice6 basil leaves dash of honeyShake over ice then strain into a tallglass over fresh ice. Top withlemonade and garnish with a limewedge and two straws.

Double Chocolate MartiniBy Chris Caira at Indigo Yard

25ml vodka 25ml white créme de Cacao 25ml BaileysShake over ice and strain into amartini glass.

The Mayfair FlapperBy Stass at Claridge’s

25ml créme de cassis 3 strawberries 100ml champagneSlice the strawberries into a blender,add the créme de cassis and blend.Pour into a champagne flute, and topwith champagne.

Cocktails forChristmasWhat better excuse than Christmas to mix up aCocktail. Better to start with one of these deliciousspecimens before you throw together your owncreation. Nobody will care if you serve them astrange mix of whatever you have left in your drinkscupboard after the first few anyway. ‘Tis the seasonto be jolly after all!


Colchester Farmers MarketFriday 2nd & Friday 16thDecemberColchester Arts Centre, Church Street,Nr Mercury Theatre 9.00am - 1.00pmFree Admission

Quality foods, locally produced. Over20 Stalls. Make a date to support yourlocal producers.

Christmas Food & Craft ShowSaturday 3rd & Sunday 4thDecemberCressing Temple, Braintree, CM77 8PD10.00am - 4.00pm Adults £4.00, Under16 FREE

Helen Rollason Cancer Charity isholding a Christmas Food and CraftFayre at Cressing Temple Barns. Therewill be a fantastic range of stallsincluding: Food and drink from aroundthe world, Speciality bread, cheese,cakes and sweets, Christmasdecorations, Toys and gifts. It’s theperfect place to go to for yourChristmas shopping!www.cressingtemple.org.uk

The Spirit of Christmas Thursday 8th December The Food Company, Marks Tey6.00pm - 9.00pm Free Admission

Get into the spirit of Christmas with afestive evening at The Food Company.Sample an array of traditional treats aswell as an exotic selection of seasonalproducts from around the globe. Manysuppliers will be on hand with tips anddemonstrations on creating the perfectChristmas breakfast, lunch, afternoontea, dinner and, of course, party.www.thefoodcompany.co.uk

Tree Dressing & WinterWoodland Crafts Saturday 10th DecemberHigh Woods Country Park1.00pm - 3.00pm £3 per child

An afternoon of fun, makingdecorations from natural material.No need to book. Suitable for ages 4+.Children must be accompanied. Meetat the Visitor Centre.www.colchester.gov.uk/countrypark

Father Christmas for EveryoneFayre Saturday 10th DecemberColchester Arts Centre, Church Street,Colchester. 10.00am - 5.00pm Free entry

Mulled wine, Face painting, soft toys,Clothes, Books, Handmade fudge,Jewellery, Escteric Gifts, Tarotreadings and much much more!www.colchesterartscentre.com

Christmas Wine Sale WeekendSaturday 10th & Sunday 11thDecemberNew Hall Vineyards, Purleigh, MaldonFrom 10.30am - 5.30pm each day.

A Special Event held once a year forCustomers to purchase a selection ofNew Hall Wines before Christmas.www.newhallwines.co.uk

Colchester’s Christmas Market Sunday 11th December High Street, Colchester

Join the Mayor, the Town Crier, FatherChristmas and his reindeer at thisyears Colchester Christmas Fair. Food,music and two radio stations willentertain the crowds. The event will beheld outdoors on Colchester HighStreet which is closed to traffic for theoccasion.

Castle Open Evening andChristmas MarketWednesday 14th December

Castle Park, Colchester3.00pm - 8.00pm Free Entry to theCastle. Father Christmas visit £2 for asmall gift. Hear carols, munch onmince pies, take part in the Christmasquiz and visit Father Christmas in hisfairytale grotto. Outside there will be aChristmas market, with stalls so youcan stock up on those festive treats,fun rides and entertainment.www.visitcolchester.com

Christmas at Layer Marney Tower Wednesday 14th & Thursday 15thDecember. Layer Marney Tower, Colchester3.30pm - 6.00pm No need to book. £6.00adults, £4.00 children, family ticket£18.00 (2 adults and 2 children) No extracharge to visit Father Christmas.

Christmas Tea Room in the LongGallery with Mulled Wine & MincePies. Story Telling, Carol Singing,Christmas Music and FatherChristmas. New for 2011 theEdwardian Farm in the Barn, comeand meet the animals and the peoplewho look after them.www.layermarneytower.co.uk

Wivenhoe Farmers MarketSaturday 17th DecemberThe Congregational Church Hall,High Street, Wivenhoe 9.00am -12.00pm Free Admission

Over 18 stalls of fresh, seasonal andlocal produce.

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Food and Family Events in December

F O O D

If we could put Christmas in a glass itwould be Mulled Wine. The smell ofhot spices is more than enough toencourage overweight, bearded men,dressed in red velvet to clamberdown your chimney. Well in our questto keep the BIG man happy we havebeen experimenting with these fineingredients to bring you the ultimateChristmas Cocktail.

Heres HowTake one redhotchillifella Mulled Wine Spice Bag and place in a jar with 300mlgood quality Vodka leave to infuse for 5 days shaking every day. Put theresulting infusion back into the bottle of Vodka, discarding the spice bag.

Making your Cocktail - serves 250ml Mulled Vodka50ml Cointreau25ml Elderflower Cordial25ml Water10 Ice Cubes1cm Piece of red chilli

Put the above ingredients in to acocktail shaker of large jar and shake. pour in to 2 appropriately ChristmasyCocktail glasses and serve. You can also make this in to a long drink by puttingthe above in to a highball glass and diluting with Soda Water or Tonic..

Have a drink on us!

Mulled WineChristmas Vodka

Cocktail


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PIZZA AND PASTAStrada 19-20 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 542854

Valentino’s 11 High St, Wivenhoe CO7 9BE Tel: 01206 825738

Ristorante Favoloso 2-4 Balkerne Passage CO1 1PA Tel: 01206 549080

Finezza45 Osbourne Street CO2 7DBTel: 01206 619128

Ask Colchester 16 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 366379

Pizza Express 1 St. Runwald’s Street CO1 1HF Tel: 01206 760680

Zizzi 12 Headgate CO3 3BT Tel: 01206 576816

Prezzo1 Culver Street East CO1 1LDTel: 01206 573388

Granata’s Restaurant 42 North Hill, Colchester CO1 1PY Tel: 01206 762277

Portofino Haven Rd, Colchester CO2 8HT Tel: 01206 795043

Pizza HutTurner Rd, Colchester CO4 5JR Tel: 01206 546545

GASTROPUBSRose & CrownNayland Road, Great Horkesley CO6 4AHTel: 01206 271251

The Anchor 26 Court Street, Nayland CO6 4JL Tel: 01206 262313

FAMILYBalkerne Gate Brewers FayreIpswich Road CO4 4WPTel: 01206 852932

Harvester186 London Road, Stanway CO3 8NZTel: 01206 575456

Nando’s Chicken Restaurant 11-13, Head St, Colchester CO1 1NX Tel: 01206 760344

AMERICANSloppy Joe’s American Dinner 37 High Street CO1 1DH Tel: 01206 577229

Clowns Restaurant61a, High Street CO1 1DNTel: 01206 578631

Frankie & Benny’s Tollgate West CO3 8RH Tel: 01206 216220

TRADITIONALThe Coast Inn 108 Coast Rd, West Mersea CO5 8NATel: 01206 383568

The Lion Public House The Street, Ardleigh CO7 7LD Tel: 01206 230083

The CricketersSpring Lane, Fordham Heath CO3 9TGTel: 01206 583357

Beefeater Restaurant & Pub The Albert, Cowdray Ave CO1 1UT Tel: 01206 561914

Dedham Restaurant & Boat Hire Boat House, Mill Lane, Dedham CO7 6DHTel: 01206 323153

Fountain House Dedham Hall, Brook Street, Dedham CO7 6AD Tel: 01206 323027

The Greyhound Pub and Restaurant62 High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AZTel: 01206 825573

Green Room RestaurantNorth Hill Hotel, 51 North Hill CO1 1PYTel: 01206 574001

ORIENTALFai’s Noodle Bar 26-27 St. Botolphs Street CO2 7EA Tel: 01206 762288

Banquet 1408 Chinese Restaurant342 London Rd, Stanway CO3 8LT Tel: 01206 211588

North Hill Noodle Bar 2 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 618790

House of China 19-21 Crouch Street CO3 3EN Tel: 01206 575111

Embassy Oriental Buffet 2 Balkerne Hill CO3 3AA Tel: 01206 572266

Orientation Oriental RestaurantMercury Theatre, Balkerne Gt CO1 1PTTel: 01206 368100

Chef Canton Chinese Restaurant 2a Crouch Street CO3 3ES Tel: 01206 572703

China Blue 25 Head Street CO1 1NH Tel: 01206 761876

China Chef 73 Crouch Street CO3 3EZ Tel: 01206 546953

SPECIALITY Le TalboothGun Hill, Dedham CO7 6HP Tel: 01206 323150

MilsomsStratford Road, Dedham CO7 6HWTel: 01206 322795

Chystal Restaurant 49, St. Botolphs Street CO2 7EB Tel: 01206 545566

The Barn Brasserie Brook Road, Great Tey CO6 1JE Tel: 01206 212345

Bellapais St. Johns Street CO2 7AHTel: 01206 571830

Baumanns Brasserie Ltd 4-6 Stoneham St, Coggeshall CO6 1TTTel: 01376 561453

Naree Thai Restaurant10 North Hill CO1 1DZTel: 01206 560633

The Thai Dragon 35 East Hill CO1 2QX Tel: 01206 863414

Thai 1 82a East Hill CO1 2QW Tel: 01206 870011

MIDDLE EASTERN CUISINEAl Batta Coffee & Middle East CuisineEnjoy a relaxed atmosphere, a taste of the middle east and variousflavoured shisha.18 Sir Isaacs Walk Tel: 01206 618121

INDIANAlishan Tandoori Restaurant 19 Osborne St CO2 7DP Tel: 01206 564009

Ashiana Tandoori 181 Magdalen Street CO1 2JX Tel: 01206 570533

Curry Hut 34 Osborne Street CO2 7DA Tel: 01206 769209

Tandoori Villa 6 Villa Road, Stanway CO3 0RH Tel: 01206 369600

Curry India Tandoori Restaurant 119-121 Crouch Street CO3 3HA Tel: 01206 571555

Raj Palace 28 North Station Road CO1 1RB Tel: 01206 760920

Way to the Raj 90 Coggeshall Rd, Marks Tey CO6 1LSTel: 01206 211495

Titash Restaurant Ltd 40b High St, West Mersea CO5 8QA Tel: 01206 381778

ENGLISHFountain House Dedham Hall, Brook Street,Dedham CO7 6AD Tel: 01206 323027

BISTROS AND BARSLove Bistro The Minories, 74 High St. CO1 1UE Tel: 01206 765131

The Anchor 26 Court Street, Nayland CO6 4JL Tel: 01206 262313

The Peldon Rose Inn Colchester Rd, Peldon CO5 7QJ Tel: 01206 735248

The Angel St. Marys Square, Kelvedon, CO5 9AN Tel: 01376 573746

Jardine140 High Street, Wivenhoe CO7 9AFTel: 01206 820390

Restaurant at The George Hotel116 High Street, CO1 1TDTel: 01206 578494

EUROPEANThe East Street Grill East Street CO1 2TZ Tel: 01206 866677

Cafe Rouge - Colchester59 High Street CO1 1DHTel: 01206 541839

La Tasca 14-15 North Hill CO1 1DZ Tel: 01206 768060

La Cascada Fox St, Ardleigh CO7 7PP Tel: 01206 864030

The Old Siege House 75 East Street CO1 2TS Tel: 01206 792333

BAR AND GRILLQube Bar & Grill 8 Crouch Street CO3 3ES Tel: 01206 578800

Copacabana Bar and Grill62 High Street CO1 1DNTel: 01206 765090

FISH ‘N’ CHIPSFish N Grill 120 High Street CO1 1SZ Tel: 01206 540333

Myland Fisheries32 Nayland Rd, Mile End CO4 5EQTel: 01206 841495

Rons Plaice56 London Rd CO3 4DFTel: 01206 540436

Nindys 28 Dugard Ave, Colchester CO3 9EJ Tel: 01206 769184

The Islander 37 High St, West Mersea CO5 8QA Tel: 01206 382305

MODERN CUISINEThe Bakehouse 5 High St, Wivenhoe CO7 9BJ Tel: 01206 824569

Parliament Restaurant at The Red LionHigh Street CO1 1DJTel: 01206 577986

The Lemon Tree48 St Johns St, Colchester, CO2 7ADTel: 01206 767337

The Lexden Crown235 Lexden Rd, Colchester, CO3 4DATel: 01206 548490

Warehouse Brasserie12 Chapel Street North CO2 7ATTel: 01206 765656

MimosaThe Crescent, Colchester Business Park CO4 9YQTel: 01206 751555

Mussi’s3-7 Museum Street CO1 1TN.Tel: 01206 762000

FISH AND SEAFOODWest Mersea Oyster Bar & SeafoodRestaurant Oyster House, Coast Rd, West Mersea,Colchester, Essex CO5 8LTTel: 01206 381600

The Company Shed129 Coast Road, West Mersea CO5 8PATel: 01206 382700

Your Guide to eating out in and around Colchester

For your restaurant to be consideredfor inclusion in Colchester 101 please

call us on 01206 544700 or [email protected]

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H O M E & G A R D E N

So why do so many think they don’tneed to maintain their homes? Not justre-painting and papering the livingroom, but dealing with points thatneed repair or other regular attention.Let’s look at the chain of events: noteverything here is obvious.

If a tile comes off your roof, it islikely to leak. If your gutters areblocked or sagging, the leaks oroverflow will cause damp, and inwinter, ice patches will form on theground, on which you may slip andinjure yourself. So you replace thattile, and clean out the gutters – beforethe winter bites. Just look up there.

Broken windows need noexplanation, but if the putty dries andfalls out, you get leaks and rot aroundthe glass. If windows rot, the glassmay as well not be there. Neglecteddoors let in leaks and draughts,

wasting heat and pushing up thosebills. If you have to slam the door toshut it, and don’t get it eased, theframe will loosen in the wall and abigger problem results. So you clean,paint and check the frames, trim thatdoor when it starts to stick.

When you do that, take time to lookat the walls, Cracks appearing arounddoors or window frames are easy tosee, but look at the lower parts nearground. The “damp-proof course”,usually seen as a thicker mortar joint,must be at least 150mm/ 6” above theground surface or damp may enter.Splitting mortar along the lines(“courses”) of brick can show theearly movement of foundations.

Tree roots can disturb drains andundermine walls, so you don’t wantbig trees or shrubs too close, say lessthan 10 metres/ 35 feet away. Paths

becoming very uneven can show draintroubles. Look down your drains,carefully opening the covers, hosingthem through to check for good flow.If the drain chambers or gullies aredamaged or cracked, any leaks willcause the building to subside – bigproblem!

Inside, we must renew washers ondripping taps, which waste water –bigger bills again – and stain thebasin. Look for leaks on the sinkwaste pipes, and fix them. If the wastepipes gurgle when you pull the plug,they might be getting blocked.Pouring cooking fat down the sink isoften the cause, so think whenwashing up after the turkey. Hair fromthe bath or shower does the same.

When you have the central heatingserviced, don’t just have the boilerlooked at. There are pipes, radiators,

valves, pumps, controls, loft tanks andthe cylinder (that’s what we call thehot water tank) needing to be caredfor as well. A good heating engineerknows to do all this when he comes.

Do room doors stick? Cracks innearby plaster? Is plaster bubbling,damp or loose? Ceilings bowed orcracking? Are floors level or do theycreak? Loose stair treads?

Finally, if a visitor or passer-by isinjured on or near your property, areyou at risk of being sued? Call in aChartered Surveyor to advise you onall these things, now!Merry Christmas!

Leslie J. Long F.R.I.C.S.CHARTERED SURVEYORS,VALUERS, PROPERTYCONSULTANTS & MANAGERS www.eyesurvey.co.uk

If you don’t look after yourhouse - will it look after you?

Colchester 101 is the Colchester magazine writtenby LOCAL people, for LOCAL people, about LOCALpeople, LOCAL issues and LOCAL events, and someother pretty cool stuff thrown in too!

AdvertiseColchester 101 is a full colourFREE A4 Colchester magazinebursting at the seams with local news, interviews, things to see and do, reviews, music,theatre, sport and much more...

Advertising OpportunitiesINSIDE FRONT PAGE Type area 270 (high) x 190mm (wide)Full Bleed 303 x 216mm (297 x 210mm type area)

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Contact: 01206 [email protected]

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Issue 10 August 2011Issue 10 August 2011

Free Festival Line-Up

Modern English to

Headline

Essential Events Guide

Gig Review

Eating Out in

Colchester Guide

Free Festival Line-Up

Modern English to

Headline

Essential Events Guide

Gig Review

Eating Out in

Colchester Guide

L I S T I N G S

C O M M U N I T Y

FA S H I O N

H E A LT H & W E L L B E I N G


All hail

NewTownKings

FreePleasetake one

All hail

NewTownKings

Leslie J Long FRICSChartered Surveyors, Valuers, Property Consultants & Managers

Telephone: 01206 545139Email: [email protected] Rayner Road Colchester Essex CO2 9AE.

• Home Buyers & Building Surveys •

• Specialist Commercial Property Services •

• Rent Reviews & Lease Renewals •

• Small Business Rates Advice •

• Property Management & Lettings Advice •

• Planning & Property Developments •

The PropertyDetective

If you don’t have your car serviced, eventually it will break down. If you let a virus into your computeror don’t back up the data, it can potentially wreck your business. If you don’t pay your subscription,your professional or trade association will strike off your membership, you may not be able to work.


Armstrong Family LawUnit 9, North Colchester Business Centre, 340 The Crescent, Colchester CO4 9AD.

Tel: 01206 848426 Email: [email protected]

www.armstrongfamilylaw.co.uk

Solicitor-led negotiation in divorce and separation

Advice and representation in court proceedings

Family Mediation

Collaborative negotiation

Fair and cost effective solutions to meet you and your family’s needs

Specialist family law solicitor

4 bedroom semi-detachedhouse for saleMersea Road£197,500

Four bedrooms, utilityroom, bath and showerroom, cloakroom,drivethrough garage,lounge/diner, walk toamenities. Must be seen.

Call Saxons: 01206 517778

4 bedroom detached housefor saleCoriolanus Close, Roman Fields,Colchester.£399,995

Well presented and much improvedupon executive four bedroomdetached residence situated on thepopular Roman Fields development tothe South West of Colchester. Entrance hallway, ground floor cloakroom, lounge,separate dining room, fitted kitchen diner, separate utility room, largeconservatory, four first floor good size bedrooms, family bathroom and en-suiteto master bedroom. Integrated double garage with up and over door,power and light connected, off road parking for three vehicles.Detached office to the rear of the garden which requires completionmeasuring 15’9 x 9’10.

Call Palmer & Partners: 01206 572233

2 bedroom end of terrace house to letWest Street, Colchester £650pcm

Ezelet are delighted to offer this two bedroomterrace house situated within walking distanceto colchester town centre. The property offers alounge, kitchen, two bedrooms with a bathroomoff one bedroom. Viewing is highlyrecommended.

Call Ezelet: 01206 564700

4 bedroom housefor sale

Located within a stone’sthrow of Crouch Street andColchester town centre thisfour bedroom detachedearly Victorian farmhouse

is in need of some modernisation but offers an abundance of original character,good size town centre garden and garage with outbuldings.

Call Boydens: 01206 762244

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e ezlet

Editor’s Choice Our top four homes of the month

P&Palmer & PartnersProperty sales with service


Hospital Road, ColchesterPrice £350,000

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Nandinadomestica‘HeavenlyBamboo’ or the ‘SacredBamboo’Is one of thebest winterfoliage plantsaround, itoriginates from

mountain woodland areas of East Asiaand I have three great specimens in agroup in my garden. It is commonlyknown as the heavenly bamboo or thesacred bamboo, despite its name it isnot a relative of bamboo but that ofthe Berberis family. Nandinadomestica is an evergreen shrub thatgrows between 1.4m and 2.2m’s tall;it likes a fairly sheltered position andpretty fertile soil, but in all honestywill grow in most places. The onlything you really need watch out for arecold winds and severe frosts that willdamage the delicate leaves. The joy ofthis plant is the ever changing colourof the leaves, the new growth is a softred turning green, then in the latesummer the foliage erupt withdifferent shades of red and pink whichlasts well into winter. It will producetiny white flowers in the summerwhich are followed by small shiny redberries, so this plant offers you yearround value for money. Nandinadomestica does tend to get a wee bittop heavy and bare below the canopy.This is easily remedied in early springsimply by shortening the older shootsto the ground which encourages newgrowth that will fill the lower level ofthe plant.

Sarcococca hookeriana var.digynaOf Nepalese origin and is anotherreally useful shrub that is a real assetto the winter garden. It is a compactmound forming evergreen shrub thathas tear-shaped dark green glossyleaves. The best feature of this plant isthat in early winter it bears the mostsweetly scented small white crimsontinted, tuft like flowers. I like to planit near a path or patio in the earlyevening the air will be filled with itssweet aroma! It is a great plant for

shade and flourishes in a free drainingsoil, making it a great plant for shady,dry problem areas. It will grow up to1.5m tall and grows well in a largecontainer and indeed in pretty muchany soil type, even heavy clay butthrives on free draining chalky soils.Ideally keep it sheltered from toomuch exposure from either directsunlight or cold winds as this willdamage the plant. This is a must forany winter garden and is a reallyuseful shrub that adds compact formto any space, so is a truly valuabletool for the plants person!

The Hamamelis‘Witch Hazel’group of shrubsare perfect for thewinter gardenoffering dazzlingdisplays of tuftedspider like flowers

during the bleaker months of the year.Some people wrongly believe that thename ‘Witch Hazel’ comes from somemystical association with witches,well I am afraid it nothing so exciting,just an adaptation of the MiddleEnglish word ‘wiche’ meaningflexible, which the stems of this shrubare known for being. They like aposition in full sun or part shade andlike pretty fertile well drained neutralto acid soil. They are ‘vase shaped’deciduous shrubs with attractive brightgreen foliage and usually flower fromJanuary onwards and will take all thatany harsh winter can throw at them.

Hamamelis x intermedia ‘Jelena’has to be one of the star performers ofthe group having fiery orange, sweetsmelling, flowers that grace bare twigsduring winter. The Hamamelis groupof shrubs come with a few differentcolour of flower from the brightyellow of Hamamelis Mollis togorgeous deep crimson reds ofHamamelis X Intermedia ‘Diane.’All require a fair bit of space with aneventual maximum height of up to 4metres, but the can be kept cut backwithin their boundaries.

The other bonus with Hamamelis isthe fact that in autumn the foliageoffers a stunning display of fiery reds

and deep oranges that literally is ashow stopper!

They require very little in the wayof maintenance, as with most shrubsany crossing or dead and diseasedbranches should be lopped off inspring. They will really appreciatelashings of organic matter such aswell-rotted farm yard manure or leafmould in spring, their natural habitatis woodland so this helps to mimictheir home surroundings beautifully!They are also sometimes known assnapping Hazel because in autumn theseed capsules explode with enoughforce to send the seeds flying todistances of up to 10 metres. So if you

are looking for some excitement inyour bed in the dull winter months thisis the plant for you!

If you want to visitsome amazinggardens this winter,then Marks HallArboretum

(pictured below) is a stunning way tospend a crisp winter’s day. OpenFriday, Saturday and Sunday, 10.30amuntil dusk. Marks Hall is easy to find,just follow the brown tourist signs at the A120/B1024 junction. MarksHall, Coggeshall CO6 1TG. 01376 563796 www.markshall.org.uk


Great WinterPlantsBy Sven Wombwell

My company specialises in design, consultation, garden construction andmakeovers which start from £99 and we also offer a full planting service. If you want to chat through any ideas please feel free to get in touch at [email protected] or call on 0845 4085 382/0790 4087 188.

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Call today on 01206 564700Email: [email protected] 7a Magdalen Street, Colchester.

www.ezelet.co.uk

Let your property the way

At eze let we know that each landlord’s requirements are unique. Our highly experiencedteam will work with you to ensure a stress free,tailor made solution to letting your property and ensuring the best return on your investment.

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A R T

To complement the Olympic Challenge of learning anumber of different sports before the 2012 events arefinished, Slack Space Colchester is running a similarCreative Challenge! Local artists and craftspeoplewill share their expertise and offer over 20 freeworkshops up to August 2012. To give everyone afair chance there will be a selection of daytime,evening and weekend workshops. You simplycommit yourself to learning 5, 10 or even 20 newcreative skills. To do this you would need to attendyour choice of workshops to meet your personalcommitment.

Each workshop will be offered free, successfulparticipants will receive a coveted CreativeChallenge Certificate issued by Slack Space andselected work will be exhibited at a special exhibitionin August 2012 where we will celebrate with our own‘Closing Ceremony’. We challenge you to join withus and make this commitment!

The Slack Space Olympic Craft Club is curated bylocal artist Paula MacGregor. To register for thisexciting event simply email Slack Space [email protected] stating howmany crafts you are challenging yourself to learn!

Paula says: “Having heard about the Olympic GoldChallenge of learning a number of different sportsbefore the 2012 events are finished, I decided itwould be a great idea to do something similar butwith a creative twist to it.

We all know that the body needs exercise - but the

mind does too.Creative activities notonly exercise themind and fine motorskills, but also greatlyhelp therapeutically -and of cause itencourages newfriendships to beforged within the community. The reward of seeingthe huge satisfaction reflected in participant’s faceswhen they have created something is beyond words -both participant and facilitator greatly gain inconfidence and self-respect.

The impact this project has had on our communityis great, we have people from all walks of lifeattending. The feedback has been amazing witheveryone saying what a fantastic idea it is to have a‘Creative Olympics’. Since this particular challengeand subsequent group of workshops has beenlaunched the workshops held at Slack Space havereally increased in popularity where the dynamics arebuzzing with excitement!”

The Slack Space Olympic Craft Challenge willfeature 2 free craft workshops a month. Dates alreadybooked are given below but make sure you register toreceive details of new workshops as they are booked.

Anni Howard - Yule Time Yarns - WednesdayNovember 30th at 6.00 - 9.00pm

Paula MacGregor - Festive Decorations -Unusual Ideas - Thursday December 8th at11.00am - 2.00pm

Kirsty Warren - Crochet Creatures - New YearMascot - Saturday January 14th at 11.00am - 2.00pm

Liz Wotton - Collaborative Mosaic Making -Thursday January 26th at 11.00am - 2.00pm

Paula MacGregor - Creative Journalling - TheGratitude Attitude - Wednesday February 8th at6.00 - 9.00pm

Other workshops in the pipeline are felt making,woodland crafts, just one stitch and wicked wire works!

If you think you might have a role to play in the development of the new Slack Space Victoria Place property then please [email protected]

A Very Crafty ChallengeThe Slack Space Olympic Craft Challenge

If you are stuck for the perfect present for a loved one this Christmas thenwhy not look to the Mercury Theatre for inspiration; over the comingmonths some of Britain’s best loved actors and actresses will beperforming at the Colchester theatre.This is certainly the case when theyhost a production of On GoldenPond (17-21 Jan) where Hollywoodstar Stefanie Powers (fresh from herexploits in I’m a Celebrity Get Meout of Here!) is joined by RichardJohnson, who appeared in numerousfilms in the 1960s and is a regularwith the Royal ShakespeareCompany, and Elizabeth Carling,best known from her regular roles inBoon, Goodnight Sweetheart andCasualty. This timeless andendearing love story sees an elderlycouple, returning to their summerhome on Golden Pond for the forty-eighth year. A deeply moving andtouching exploration of theirrelationships with their daughter andgrandson follows and, as thesummer wanes, there is a realisation

that time is against them. And as if that wasn’t enough the

Mercury has announced one of thefirst shows of the new season willbe Noel Coward’s final play, StarQuality (13-18 Feb), starringGolden Globe winner AmandaDonohoe and Daniel Casey (bestknown as Sgt Gavin Troy inMidsomer Murders). AmandaDonohoe made her name in the1986 film Castaway opposite OliverReed. She went on to star innumerous films and the US TVseries LA Law where she won aGolden Globe. In recent years shehas starred as businesswomanNatasha Wylde in ITV’s Emmerdale.The play takes us behind the scenesof a new West End productionwhere Coward conjures up a

wickedly observant satire of talentand treachery and a gallery ofunforgettable characters.

For those of you who prefersomething a little more cutting-edge,the theatre also hosts the incredibleCircus of Horrors with their latestshow The Ventriloquist (10 & 11Jan). Having rocked Britain’s GotTalent the troupe features some ofthe most bizarre circus acts on earth,from hair hanging beauties andtwisted contortionists to voodoowarriors and sword swallowers!

Tickets are available from the BoxOffice on 01206 573948 or online atwww.mercurytheatre.co.uk

By Luke O’Loughlin

Star names coming to the Mercury Theatre in the New Year!

By Abigail Cheverst, Slack Space


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TONE UP YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

Where to Go & Getting ThereNot sure where to go? Exhausted allthe local beauty spots? Why not graba book of walks that covers the wholeregion. They usually include a map,detailed directions, and a list ofinteresting features you can expect tosee at each location. The walks oftentake the form of a circuit around agiven area that may range from agentle 2 or 3 km to a more exercising15 km. Circuits are handy if you needto get back to a car – but don’tdiscount other forms of transport. Afavourite jaunt of mine, for example,is cycling to Dedham, walking withthe bike across country toManningtree (taking in Flatford Mill,of course) and then hopping on thetrain back to Colchester where I canrelax and check out the day’s shots inthe back of the camera (push bikesusually go free on trains).

Even a relatively short walk can offera range of photographic opportunities -try following the coastline from East toWest Mersea and see how the differentstretches of beach inspire contrastingmoods and ideas in your work.

When to GoThere’s no such thing as a bad timeof year to shoot landscapes, but formy money summer is perhaps theleast interesting of the seasons. It isalso, counter-intuitively, the mostrestrictive in terms of which part ofthe day to venture out. This isbecause the sun is high in the sky formuch of the day and most landscapephotographers prefer a low,directional sun for a number ofreasons:1: The texture of surfaces is broughtout more2: Long soft shadows are usuallypreferable to short dense shadows3: The general quality of the light ismore pleasing and atmospheric,especially at sunrise, sunset andgolden hour (directly after the sunset)

If you take your landscapes seriously,a good habit is to scout out locationsin advance, decide which featuresyou wish to photograph, and thenfigure out a good time of day (andyear) to go back and get the bestshots. Ask questions such as “where

is the sun at a given time of day”,“what kind of weather will best suitthe way I wish to interpret this scene”and critically for coastal locations“when does the tide come in and goout”. Great photography can comefrom happy coincidence – but moreoften stems from planning andfamiliarity with the location.

What to TakeThe type of scene you expect tophotograph, and the space availablein your camera bag will determine theequipment you take with you. A fewitems you might take include:• Sturdy tripod or monopod or at thevery least a beanbag for resting yourcamera on walls etc• A range of lenses, but mostespecially your wide angle lens, amacro lens if you like to get up closeto things, and maybe a fast fixedfocal length lens if you absolutelyhave to shoot handheld• Polarising filter• Other filters such as NDs and ND grads• A good supply of memory cards orfilm and plenty of batteries –

especially in very cold environmentsthat chew up batteries• Waterproof covers to protect yourcamera whilst shooting in wetconditions (you may also wish toconsider waterproofs for yourself, butthat is less important)• A thermos or hip flask, dependingon your preference – as well asgetting to the location, you may sendquite some time there in order to getthe shots you want

So you know where to go, when togo, how to get there and what to takewith you. Next month we’ll considera variety of ways to bring thelandscape to life.

Adrian Multon is a freelance photographer based in Wivenhoe. He provides high quality imagery for local businesses. Adrian also offers group and 1-2-1 photographic tutoring and image editing workshops.

See www.adrianmulton.co.uk for details.

The Essex & Suffolk Landscape: Part 1By Adrian Multon

Essex and neighbouring Suffolk offer a surprisingly versatile array of environments for you to interpret through the lens of acamera. From stark wind-swept coastlines and wreck-strewn creeks and marshes, to gently rolling countryside dotted withpicturesque villages and landmarks, there is something for every taste, including two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty -Dedham Vale and Suffolk Coast and Heaths. So grab your camera and take a trip to the countryside this weekend.

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Expect the unexpectedfrom the Essex landscape

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Discovering first-hand how aColchester based charity istransforming the lives ofothers less fortunate thanthemselves has helped bothJenny Brayshaw and LizKennedy with their ownhealth problems.

As well as beating cancer, Jenny who is a retiredschool teacher was also told 12 years ago that shewould end up in a wheelchair as a result ofosteoarthritis and osteoporosis. Keeping physicallyactive has meant that she has been able to keep herbone density in check. Now, with 17 overseas cyclerides for charity LEPRA under her belt and the 18thin India in the offing, Jenny extolls the benefits thatthe exercise has brought to her health and wellbeing,as well as to the lives of others.

The ride in India which Jenny will be leading inJanuary is an annual one run by charity. Among thegroup each year are several retirees who, like Jennyhave made the 500km trip several times. “I tellpeople, this is not a holiday, it is an adventure!” saysJenny of the trip on which cyclists are able towitness first-hand the work the charity carries outfighting diseases like leprosy, TB and HIV in remoteand poor communities.

“We see India as no-one else sees it,” said Jenny,“We pass through some of the most rural andisolated villages.” The group travel with a LEPRAhealth education van, visiting clinics and helping tospread awareness along the route, in communitieswhere she says, “We always receive a very warmwelcome. Most women in the villages are dead by50, so when they see this white-haired womanleading a group of cyclists they think we’ve landedfrom another planet!”

“I am a great believer that he more you give themore you get back.” Says Jenny whose osteoporosishas remained the same since it was first diagnosed.

According to Jenny “When I first got involved Ididn’t realise leprosy still existed. Support from theUK public is vital to LEPRA’s work in the fightagainst leprosy, and we are always recruiting for thebike ride!” Jenny returns from her trips feelingrejuvenated and positive about life, touched by thestories of those she is helping, “There’s still a lot ofstigma around leprosy, as well as HIV and I can’tbear people to be outcast or discriminated againstthrough no fault of their own. I’m a very tactileperson and I love to give them a huge hug. I met aman on this trip who had lost his wife to AIDS. Hewas holding his little girl, although she was five shewas just skin and bone. Her father had tears in hiseyes, because it was the first time that anyone hadwanted to hold his child.”

Westminster Business School lecturer LizKennedy used the promise of another cycle trip toget her through cancer treatment in 2006. Liz whothis November is undertaking her fifth fundraisingtrip for the charity in India did the same again morerecently when she had a hip operation.

“Having a goal in mind helped me to recover.”says Liz, particularly as she points out as these goalsinvolved helping others.

Liz had been on a couple of rides for LEPRAbefore being diagnosed with anal cancer. Six monthsafter completing her radiotherapy and chemo shewent off on a trip to Malawi. After her hipreplacement she went to India.

“You need a goal, something to aim for.” says Liz“I am not very good at getting fit for the sake ofgetting fit.” Knowing that she is doing good at thesame time and helping people that without us wouldnot have access to the help they need makes it all somuch more worthwhile.

LEPRA is currently recruiting for people to takepart in its life transforming annual India bike ride.Over two weeks, the group journey from the north-eastern region of Andhra Pradesh to the countrysideof the state of Orissa, where the population is largelytribal. In addition to seeing where the money you areraising is being used and how it is transformingpeople’s lives.

“It puts your own problems into perspective. saysLiz, I come back feeling fantastic.” If you would like to start your adventure you canfind out more from Lizzie or Karen at LEPRA Health in Action: 01206 216700 or via the charity’s website: www.leprahealthinaction.org.

HELPLINES If you need help and support to deal with an addiction or crisis, below are contact details for organisations dedicated to providing support and advice for a variety of problems.

If you have a story to tell then send it to us at [email protected]

30

Alcoholics AnonymousSupport group for persons needing help toovercome and recover from alcoholism.Helpline 0845 769 7555Email: [email protected]

Al-Anon Family GroupsSupport for anyone whose life is, or has been, affected by someone else’s drinking.Helpline 020 7403 0888Email: [email protected]

Narcotics AnonymousSupport group for persons needing help toovercome and recover from drug addiction.Helpline 0300 999 1212www.ukna.org

Cocaine AnonymousSupport group for persons needing help toovercome and recover from cocaine addiction.Helpline 0800 612 0225From UK Mobile Phones 800 612 0225Email: [email protected]

Colchester Gay SwitchboardHelp and advice for gay, lesbian, bi-sexualand transgender individuals and those affectedby HIV and AIDS.Helpline 01206 869191 or 0845 1 23 23 88www.gayessex.org.uk

BrookFree and confidential sexual health adviceand services for under 25s providing professional advice on Contraception, STIs and Pregnancy.Helpline 0808 802 1234 www.brook.org.uk

Overeaters AnonymousOvereaters Anonymous is a fellowship of individuals who, through shared experience,strength and hope, are recovering from compulsive overeating.Helpline 07000 784985 www.oagb.org.uk

beatThe leading UK charity for people with eating disorders and their families.Helpline: 0845 634 1414Email: [email protected] 0845 634 7650Email [email protected]

RelateSupport and advice, relationship counselling,sex therapy, workshops, mediation, consultations and support.Telephone: 0300 100 1234

Families Need FathersSupport and information if you are separatingor divorced and are worried about not seeingyour children, or the effects on them. Open tomothers, fathers, grandparents, new partnersand extended families.Helpline: 0300 0300 363 www.fnf.org.uk

SamaritansIf you are in crisis, feel distressed or are perhapsthinking of suicide, Samaritans trained volunteerscan give you the time and space to talk aboutyour feelings, help you explore your optionsand perhaps seek a way to face the future.24/7 Helpline 01206 561234www.Samaritans.org

Open RoadReducing the harmful impact of drugs and alcoholon users, their families, partners and society.Telephone: 0844 499 1323

A Problem Shared


Economicrevival? Or just wishful thinking?

Would a rebrand or corporate identity makeover give your company a competitive edge?

Maybe it is time to refresh your website to make it truly work for your business?

Do you want sales and marketing literature that will really get you noticed?

Then talk to Tonic, Colchester’sgraphic design and creative communications specialists.

Your future growth depends on effectively promoting your business.

The Studio, Tye Road, Colchester, Essex CO7 7BN. Email: [email protected]

Call today to find out how we can help you take your business forward.

01206 544700www.TonicOnline.co.uk

first friday is an informal monthlynetworking event. The next first friday ison Friday 6th January 2012, 12.30 - 2pm.

There is no need to book, just turn up and don’t forget your business cards!

Expand your business network by meeting:• Local business people• Potential new customers• Valuable new contacts

FREE entry Canteen available for light lunches, tea, coffee and soft drinks.

NEW VENUEKings Café (Above Aldi),London Road, Colchester.

For further information call 01206 544700.Email: [email protected]

The Essential Directory

Advertise your for only £30 in The Essential Directory

For more details call 01206 544700 or email [email protected]

Professional accounting and tax

advisory service for business and

individuals.Call: 01206 713600

Domestic andCommercial Property

MaintenanceFast, friendly, reliable service.

Comprehensive list of services.

Call: 01206 729721or 07739 181776

Solicitors and commissioners for oaths

Providing LegalAdvice Since the

18th Century

Tel: 01206 577676 Email: [email protected]

Personal, Friendly,Professional Service

for Landlords andTenants

All kinds of electricalwork for private and

business to business.Call: 01206 213457

www.whitehallelectrical.co.uk

All roofing worksundertaken including: lead

work, guttering, soffits and facsias

Call: 01206 82559607863 326509

Peter YuleRoofing Services

Websites from £250

Contact us for more details

Call: 01206 544700www.toniconline.co.uk

We can plan your new officespace or a complete officerefurbishment, or supply a

single chair or filing cabinet.

Call: 01206 823618www.gosh.co.uk

osh!g

Graphic Design

PROJECTS


We moved in with

Martin & Co Colchester11 North Hill, Colchester, Essex CO1 [email protected]

01206 760950www.colchester-martinco.co.uk


colchester 101 december 2011

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