village news issue 96 december 2016 page 2 christmas ... dec v news.pdf · village news issue 96...

Village News Issue 96 December 2016 Page 2

Christmas Market on December 2nd 2016

The amount that the Parish Council’s

Christmas Charity Collection raised for

St. Clare’s Hospice was £878 Thank you all for

your generosity

See the village website at

www.theydon.org.uk for a report & photo

galleries


Christmas Market on December 2nd 2016 (continued)


Parish Council Chairman’s Report

JOHN PHILIP

We have had a fairly busy past three months on the Parish Council and there are several things that will have occurred between the writing of this column and you getting to read it. Firstly, we will have had our annual Christmas market on the 2nd of December. This event has quickly become part of village tradition, and will see many things continuing from last year. We hope to have made some changes for the better as well. We have arranged for the presence of reindeer and a snow globe to add to the School Choir, brass band and stalls from last year. Additionally, we are bringing back the location of our Christmas Tree to the Green, near the zebra crossing.

As ever, the Councillors will be collecting for our charity of the year, which this year is St Clare’s Hospice. Collecting tins will be all around the market and the Councillors will also have given up time on the Saturday morning to collect in the village centre. There is particular poignancy this year, as in September we experienced the loss of previous Councillor Peter Hammond, who spent some time in St Clare’s himself. The Council observed a minute’s silence before the September meeting and were well represented at Peter’s funeral. As a council, we remain grateful for all the time and effort Peter spent on Parish issues.

The Parish Council has also spent significant time, effort and resources working on our response to EFDC’s Draft Local Plan. We had budgeted this year to allow us to employ some professional advice to assist with this task. At the time of writing, the response had not yet been produced, but we will be publicising what we have learnt and our response. It was good to see many more people at our September Council meeting and at the special Local Plan meeting in November, than we usually get to our monthly meetings. As a reminder, all our meetings are open to the public and the full Council meets on the last Thursday of each month, with the exception of December and August. Agendas are published on our notice boards and the village website contains much Parish Council information.

The last Friday of November will have seen our quarterly Theydon Seniors get-together. These afternoons of tea, chat and entertainment are always enjoyed by those who are there, but it is unfortunate that we are seeing fewer people from the village attending. Again, these events are open to all in the village who are not as young as they used to be; if you are interested in coming along, please contact the parish office to find out the details of our next one.

There have also been many background activities going on. The parking regulations have been implemented on the Green and repair work has been carried out on the path there as well. We have also repaired the fence by Station Hill on the Abridge Road. We are also aiming to improve the CCTV coverage in the village.

The finance committee has started work on next year’s budget. Our aim, as always, is to keep the Parish Council component of the Council tax the same as last year. We will be completing the process and making the final decision at full Council in our January meeting.

I want to finish by wishing everybody in Theydon Bois a happy Christmas and look forward to meeting many of you in the new year.


Parish Council’s School Christmas Card Competition

Every year the Parish Council together with Theydon NewsDesk challenge the children from the Primary School to produce a Christmas Card for our village. The judges pick a winner from each class, winners for Infants/Reception & Juniors and an overall winner (which becomes the Parish Council’s official Christmas Card).

Coppice OLIVIA BIRD Overall Winner

Left - Harewood AISHA QURESHI

Above - Pakes ABIGAIL FRY


Parish Council’s School Christmas Card Competition (continued)

Left- Forest ISABELLA LESTER

Above - Buxton CAITLIN KELLY

Above - Baldocks & Infants Winner ELSIE JONES

Above - Orchard JOE COYNE


News from County Hall The district council’s draft local plan has been a big topic of conversation in the village. Any new development generates demand for county council services such as school places and roads. The county council already predicts we need an extra 560 primary school places and 1,300 secondary school places in Epping Forest by 2021. This is equivalent to 1½ new primary schools and a new secondary school. The numbers could increase to 700 primary places and 1,400 secondary places by 2021 because of new housing development identified in the draft local plan and will rise beyond that to meet demand from housing built after 2021. Like the parish council, the county council is a consultee on the plan. At the time of writing the county council is putting together its response. I am in contact with various county council officers in different departments to make sure they are aware of local issues and try to have them addressed in the formal response. Pavement and verge parking - Those of us at December’s parish council meeting heard a presentation from the North Essex Parking Partnership’s enforcement manager. His civil enforcement officers issue penalties where vehicles are parking on yellow lines, in residents’ parking zones or obstructing dropped kerbs. Only the police have the power to deal with vehicles causing obstructions in other locations. However the sad truth is that the police have many priorities and may not always respond (hence the demand to reverse the recent cutbacks in community policing). Pavement parking is a real issue in many roads locally and comes up so often the county council's Place Services and Economic Growth Scrutiny Committee recently held a session on it. You can download the briefing considered by councillors at

http://tinyurl.com/pavementparkingbrief. Frustratingly the conclusions were that little is likely to change in terms of enforcement unless there are changes to the law such as those advocated by the Guide Dogs Association. This places the onus on the council or landowners to look at alternative ways of solving the problem, such as providing parking bays (expensive and often at the expense of grass verges), tolerating parking on grass verges or greens (often unsightly) or introducing new parking restrictions (via the North Essex Parking Partnership). Despite the frustrations it is an issue I will continue to work on. Information about care and health support - It’s not always easy to find reliable information about care services and health support. The www.livingwellessex.org website is intended to be a first port of call giving initial advice and information about the different sorts of support that are available. If you are not on the internet Healthwatch Essex runs a Freephone telephone information service on 0300 500 1895 which covers social care services as well as health. Don’t miss the deadline - A reminder that, if you have a child due to start school next year, the deadline for applying for a primary school place is Sunday 15 January. Last year every child living within Theydon Bois Primary School’s priority admission area got a place but this can change from year to year. It’s important not to miss the deadline as that may reduce your child’s chance of getting the school, you want.

As this is my last column of the year I’d like to wish all readers a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. Thanks to everyone who has contacted me or raised issues during 2016.

Councillor Jon Whitehouse County member for Epping & Theydon Bois

Telephone 01992 561875 Email: [email protected]


Copped Hall Corner

P ROGRESS AT THE MANSION - The south wall of the larger of the two School Rooms in the Mansion is actually the external wall of the eighteenth century building. This wall includes a window which originally gave light into the kitchen in the Mansion basement. The Trust has restored the brickwork around the former window and installed a window of eighteenth century design. As this window is now internal, it provides a view directly down into the basement kitchen. This is helpful to those who are unable to negotiate the stairs to the basement. The second flight of the central stone staircase has been installed; the stone for the third flight is being sourced. When complete, this will bring the staircase up to the first or principal floor in the Mansion. Work has resumed on the original 1895 lift in the Mansion Wing and includes structural work on the timber enclosing the lift shaft. This is an historic manually controlled lift which was not converted to electrical operation as the Mansion was not used by the Wythes family after the fire of 1917. Work has also begun to reinstate the original interior of the State Hall; this work can be done accurately as the Trust has the relevant fifteenth century drawings. The repaired stone work for the missing chimney cap has been delivered to the site and is being gradually lifted and fixed in position.

P ROGRESS IN THE GARDENS - A special education committee of six tutors has been set up to bring education into the Walled Kitchen Garden. There have been horticultural workshops before, and primary schools often visit, but the time has come to use the Kitchen Garden more intensively as an educational resource. An application has been made for a grant to complete the eastern end of the Orchard House, for use as a teaching base. Later, it is intended to seek funding for the restoration of the adjacent glasshouse to extend this educational project. It is sometimes surprising to find that young people are often unaware of the origins of natural food. Work has begun on the restoration of the east/west path across the north end of the lower gardens. This was a major path overlooking the historic parkland to the north and its restoration will complete the sequence of the restored paths that now extend from the western side of the Mansion right down to the Kitchen Garden. This is a major project and will take time to complete.

P AST EVENTS IN SUMMER & AUTUMN 2016 - A very full programme of well attended events included the May Open Day, Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and, a new event, Afternoon Tea at the Mansion. Music featured prominently and there were Study Days. Particular major events near the end of the year were Apple Day (a tremendous success), Pudding Evening and the Carol Concerts.

F ORTHCOMING EVENTS UP TO 30TH DECEMBER 2016 - Dec 3, 4, 10, 11 - Christmas Carol Concerts

S ITE AND GARDEN TOURS 2016 - Guided Tours of the Mansion and grounds/walled garden are held on the 3rd Sun each month (from Jan to Nov). Tours from 10.15, for two hours approx (gates open 10.00 to 11.00 only - extended to 13.00 for Jul only). Special openings of the Gardens are held on 1st Sunday each month from Apr to Sep - between 14.00 and 16.00.

Unless otherwise stated, all events are held at the Copped Hall Mansion. Car parking is always available, as are refreshments. Vehicle access is only possible via the London entrance

in the Upshire Road off the B1393. For further information/tickets please contact 07749 397932 or E Mail [email protected]. See also www.coppedhalltrust.org.uk.


District Councillors Column

This column is being written while the consultation on the Draft Local Plan is still in progress. The work on the plan has occupied a significant amount of time over the past months. There have been many workshops attended by District Councillors, and some with Parish and Town Councillors, working through the policy sections of the plan, as well as the site selections. While the focus has naturally been on the potential sites for development, the plans and visions contained within the draft are also very important. As I am sure you will have noticed, there is a section in the plan dedicated to Theydon Bois. As part of that section there is a vision for the village. “Theydon Bois will continue to maintain its local feel and character and preserve its rural setting, adjacent to Epping Forest, while providing a mix of housing, key local services and high-quality independent retail. Theydon Bois will also enhance its leisure facilities and social infrastructure to support existing and future residents.” I hope that significant responses to this vision will have been made in peoples’ consultation returns. We should be able to make use of this vision to help control changes to the village. The new policies proposed in the plan cover many aspects of development. An important area is the approach to parking provision. Whereas before EFDC simply signed up to making use of the Essex County Parking Standard, the new plan will provide a much more local and granular policy. It will be able to recognise that there is a difference in parking needs between, for example, Buckhurst Hill and Fyfield. We need to ensure that the approach set out for Theydon Bois is appropriate and does not over emphasise the presence of the Tube Station. We have talked to many of you about the contents of the plan, and recognise that there are a number of different views on the proposals. We will be continuing to work in the current months to try to ensure that we get an acceptable final position. Following the closure of the consultation period on the 12th of December, the Council will be processing all the responses received. We hope that in early 2017 to be able to feedback around the number of responses and over the following months, highlight the key messages and directions that have come from them. It is likely that the publishing of the version of the Plan for submission to Planning Inspectorate will be in the late summer or early autumn of 2017. Moving on to other matters, all residents should have received communication from the Electoral Services department at EFDC with instructions on how to register to be on the Electoral Register. This is an important activity, but one which Epping Forest is good at. We have kept our registrations at a good level, and this year more than half the respondents have done so via an automated method, phone, email or internet. If you have not done so yet, I would encourage you to make sure that you do. Finally, two things that will be changing over the course of the next 12 months. Firstly, EFDC’s car parks which are currently looked after by the North Essex Parking Partnership, the organisation that we all recognise does such a bad job about parking enforcement on our roads, will be being brought back into Council control. We all wish that it was possible to do the same for our on-street parking, but unfortunately, Essex County Council is in the process of giving NEPP another four-year contract. We also look forward to the Epping Forest Shopping Park at Langston Road in Loughton opening in

August 2017. I am sure many of you will have experienced the roadworks currently occurring by Debden tube station, but the result should ensure that the traffic flows are significantly improved from the situation that would have been the case without the upgrades funded by the development. It only remains for us to wish you and your families a Very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a successful New Year.

DISTRICT COUNCILLOR JOHN PHILIP - 812473

DISTRICT COUNCILLOR SUE JONES - 814548


Xxxxxxxx


Theydon Bois & District Rural Preservation Society At the time of writing the Society have been working with the Parish Council, their Planning Consultant and TBAG, in the preparation of an outline village response to the Draft Local Plan and also the preparation of ‘guidance notes’ for responses to the 9 questions posed by EFDC in the consultation. The Society produced and met the cost of printing of 2,200 copies of the ‘Guidance’ for distribution throughout the village in the hope that as many people as possible would respond to the threats to the character of our village and the harm to the Green Belt. The Society will also make its own strong objection to the disproportionate allocation in the plan of 360 homes in Theydon and the alteration of our Green Belt boundaries.

Those who came to the Apples and Orchards talk on the 7th October by Michael Clark were amazed by the many varieties of apple he brought with him to supplement his illustrated talk. Michael is the voluntary warden of Tewin Orchard that dates back to 1933 and has many of the original Bramley apple trees and Conference pears. At 80 odd years old they tower over the habitats that are managed by the Hertfordshire and Middlesex Wildlife Trust to retain fruit production but also leave wilderness for wildlife too. No spraying is used and volunteers harvest the fruit for the annual sale at an Apple Day in early October. Our last guided walk of the year in September was well attended and Robert Levene led us through the forest on a warm sunny day with occasional stops to explain the nature of the trees we passed. We hope to offer a similar series of guided walks next year. The conversion of the Sixteen String Jack public house into 7 flats and a cottage was finally agreed by EFDC after many changes to the original plans following numerous objections by our Society, the Parish Council and others. While everything we wanted was not achieved this was a significant improvement on the earlier proposal and we hope the changes will help to mitigate its effect on its surroundings. A number of other individual houses have been proposed and/or approved as infill within the village and we monitored all of them with care and made comments as necessary to achieve the best outcome for the village.


Countryside Walks - Nazeing

Epping Forest Countrycare is Epping Forest District Council’s award winning Countryside Management Service. It is the key resource for advice, information and practical assistance on the countryside, nature conservation and wildlife law. Countrycare undertakes a wide variety of community-based activities and coordinates a regular programme of practical conservation work. They have prepared some guided local walk leaflets. These walks take in some lovely areas of countryside and some interesting and informative

history. Choose your walk based on an area or the length of walk you would like. In this and future editions of Village News we will try to include details of some of the walks. The walk below is obviously best enjoyed during the summer months when the illustrated flora and fauna is in full flow but as always winter time exhibits its own special attractions. You can download complete leaflets from

http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/index.php/out-and-about/countrycare/get-involved/walks

NAZEING COUNTRY WALK The History - Nazeingwood Common operates under a unique arrangement. Typical commons would normally have one owner with several individuals holding commoners’ rights. However, since around 1600 the owners of ninety-eight ancient properties in Nazeing have actually owned the commons themselves. Each property has common rights for grazing sheep and cattle. This right is no longer exercised and today the Common is rented to a local farmer. The Common would have originally been a very wet, marshy area. Looking from almost any part of the route you can see how the Common acts as a bowl to collect water from surrounding land. Over time ditches were dug and the land gradually drained to provide better grazing land. However, following the outbreak of the Second World War, it was ploughed up for crops. The Common was also used as a dummy airfield during the war. Complete with wooden aircraft, it was designed to mislead German bombers and lure them away from nearby North Weald Airfield. However, it worked rather too well, and fooled an RAF bomber crew. They attempted to land on the non-existent runway, and ended up crash-landing in the marshy soil. Fortunately the crew escaped unharmed. About The Walk - Nazeing Country Walk is a circular route following the ancient track ways and footpaths around the edge of Nazeingwood Common. The circuit is about 4 miles long. Start between the pubs in Epping Green, CM16 6PU. The paths on the walk are in good condition. However some, and particularly Epping Long Green, will become muddy after wet weather. There are two road crossings. Please take care when crossing. Please follow the Country Code. Keep to footpaths, keep dogs on a lead near livestock or where requested by land owners. For any footpath queries please contact Essex County Council on 08457 430 430.

Nazeing Triangle


Countryside Walks - Nazeing (continued)


Countryside Walks - Nazeing (continued)

POINTS OF INTEREST 1. Epping Long Green - Imagine walking along Epping Long Green eight hundred years ago. This was a busy, bustling track way running straight into London. Situated on a ridge, travellers and their horse-drawn carts avoided the surrounding marshland. However, the Long Green wasn’t the attractive grass covered lane you see today, but a sticky quagmire churned up by cart-wheels and horses’ hooves. To avoid it, the travellers on foot used the drier path running along the north side of the lane. 2. Hunting Dragons - A sunny day between June and September is the best time to stop and watch the dragonflies over this pond. Voracious predators for their size, their large eyes allow them to spot prey the size of a small midge from twenty metres away. Larger species such as the Emperor can fly faster than most people can run and will seldom miss their prey. 3. Copy Wood Field - This is an ancient grassland that has only survived by virtue of its small size. Too small for a tractor, Copy Wood Field has remained as a grassland for hundreds of years. Look for grassy hummocks created by Yellow Meadow Ants, a sure sign that the soil has not been ploughed for many years. 4. Copy Wood - Copy Wood is an unusual woodland that has only survived

because of its isolation. Dominated by elm, it has mostly survived the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease because there is no link to any other woodland. In the early 1900’s, the local farmer would regularly coppice the trees. He transported the timber across the Common to the main road, the Trustees of the Common took him to High Court where the judge forced him to use only one path. The Trustees were victorious in winning damages amounting to three pounds, twelve shillings and eight pence, but paid more than £430 in costs. 5. Historic Buildings - Along this stretch of road there are various buildings with interesting pasts including the oldest wooden building in Nazeing, the old post office, which dates back to the 1400’s. There is also an old workhouse and poorhouse. Poor houses were usually a shelter for the old and infirm, whereas the workhouse was intended to provide employment for the able-bodied poor.

6. Nazeing Triangle - This little site is well worth a visit. It is managed by Countrycare for Nazeing Parish Council. The Triangle has open access and provides the perfect picnic spot. During the summer it is possible to watch mallards and moorhens on the ponds, dragonflies overhead, and common blue butterflies in the grassland. 7. Lodge Farm - Lodge Farm holds amazing views across Nazeingwood Common, albeit in a very exposed position. Originally called Nazeing Lodge, this was the site of the main building on the Common. Henry VIII ordered the original lodge to be built in 1542. By normal standards, it was rather flimsy and only cost thirteen pounds, fifteen shillings and 1/2 pence. It only lasted around one hundred years until the house that you see today was built.

Southern Hawker Dragonfly

Hornbeam Pollard Copywood

Ragged Robin


Theydon Bois Action Group

Theydon Bois Action Group www.theydonbois-actiongroup.co.uk Protecting the Village of Theydon Bois - Follow @TBActionGroup on Twitter

Local Planning Matters - Planning permission was finally granted for the development of 7 apartments and one 'cottage' on the site of the Sixteen String Jack PH (EPF/2000/16). In spite of the reduction in the number of flats, Theydon Bois Action Group considered that the final design, due to its height, bulk and insufficient set back, did not fully address the Planning Inspector's reasons for dismissing the earlier appeal. TBAG raised a further objection as did the City of London (Epping Forest) and local residents. Only time will tell what the true impact of the development will be on this sensitive location at the edge of the village!

TBAG also objected to the application for 2 large dwellings to replace agricultural buildings in the Green Belt at Blunts Farm (EPF/2298/16), citing an earlier Planning Inspector's appeal dismissal relating to this site. EFDC also recognised the relevance of the Planning Inspector's reasons and refused the application.

We were disappointed that the two incidences of unlawful activity on secluded sites off the Abridge Road were both granted a Certificate of Lawful Development because EFDC accepted the evidence put forward and that the activity had continued without being detected for 10 years. TBAG objected on the grounds that insufficiently robust evidence had been provided. One of the applications was refused at Planning East Committee but this decision was, unfortunately, reversed by the higher District Development Control Committee. Had the matter gone to appeal, it would have been interesting to have had a Planning Inspector's opinion.

Draft Local Plan & Protection of the Green Belt - Residents were concerned that three new development sites to the East of the railway line have been proposed in EFDC's Draft Local Plan as the railway line is a permanent and definitive boundary between the village and the Green Belt. TBAG will raise the strongest objection to breaching this boundary and, along with the Rural Preservation Society, have been working with our Parish Council and their planning consultant. EFDC claim that 11,400 new homes are needed across the District to provide homes for our children up to the year 2033. This is not true as the growth purely from within the District is "fairly small", about 200 a year, as stated by EFDC in their Issues & Options Consultation Document. This would only amount to a few thousand homes needed for our Local Plan. The Metropolitan Green Belt was put into place to protect the countryside around London and yet EFDC are proposing to alter our Green Belt boundaries, under pressure from Government, and take land out of the Green Belt for development due to outward migration from London by people who want, rather than need, to live here as well as pressure from Harlow Town who wish to expand by building on land in Epping Forest District. The Green Belt land in our District is effectively being squeezed by pressures from London and Harlow due to Government policies for "Growth" and through promoting development along the M11 Corridor from London to Stansted and Cambridge, including Harlow, which will drive a brown field development "wedge" through the Green Belt where we live!

Government Ministers have consistently stated that they will "Protect our precious Green Belt land" and that "The Green Belt is absolutely sacrosanct" and that unmet housing need does not justify building on the Green Belt. Yet these promises are not being honoured in practice. Theydon Bois Action Group have launched a Petition to protect all Green Belts in England. Please visit our Website and sign the petition if you value our Green Belt.

TBAG extends season's greetings to all villagers and wishes you all the very best for the New Year.


The Past Summer in Theydon Bois The Past Autumn in Theydon Bois, as described below, covers the extensive period from the beginning of August 2016 to mid November 2016 as recorded in the Theydon Bois Local History. Therefore, due to space limitations, much detail has been omitted and so this Past Autumn copy is considerably shortened. Nevertheless, this published copy gives a "broad brush" picture of the extensive and possibly momentous events which occurred during the Autumn of 2016. At around one a.m. in mid August villagers were disturbed by a bright night sky which could be seen through drawn curtains. This was caused by the annual Persoid meteor shower which occurs annually in August when the earth passes through an extensive Persoid meteor field. This year a “gravitational nudge” by the planet Jupiter had made the display appear more intense, helped by a clear sky and the absence of street lighting in Theydon Bois. Four weeks of relatively unbroken sunshine had favoured several notable Village events including the Donkey Derby, family barbecues and boosted the holidays of local families holidaying in the UK. This weather, coupled with the summer closure of schools had produced a marked reduction in local road traffic and the "motoring was easy". At midnight in mid August, the first night time underground trains commenced operating in London, but then only on Fridays and Saturdays and only on the Victoria and Central lines. Locally, the Central Line overnight trains did not operate beyond Loughton so late night travellers required other transport to proceed further. TFL were increasing the number of all night buses to augment the existing day bus services provided overnight. The considerable increase in passengers has also entailed more Transport Police being needed to monitor tube stations, particularly those normally closed at night; TFL announced that normal passenger traffic at weekends had already soared by 75% since 2000. Road traffic in the area and especially in Epping had increased during the August Bank Holiday period as many road users were passing though the town to avoid possible congestion on the M11 and M25 motorways. Unfortunately, this traffic flow was affected by part closure of the main road traffic lights at Bell Common and, together with other road works elsewhere in the town, was also affecting alternative routes.

A survey by the HM Inspector of Constabulary found that 36% of 26,000 people had not seen a police officer on patrol over a period of 12 months. In Theydon Bois this period was longer historically, and now more unlikely due to the cut back in police services. Twenty years ago, the Village had a resident police officer and a police house (now sold) by the green. The officer had retired and was replaced by an area officer based elsewhere who covered a large area of Essex including Theydon Bois and Stanford Rivers. For a short while, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) could be seen on a random basis in the Village and this constituted a police presence; but they have also gone - possibly linked to the closure of the Loughton and Epping police stations. Despite all this, a police spokesman said that the public perception of police was "vitally

important" in having the confidence to report crime. Another indication of the seriousness of this situation was that, in the Tendring District of Essex, driving instructors have been requested to report any unusual/criminal activities observed while conducting driving lessons. Moreover, their vehicles will carry incident recording cameras in a system interlinked to other instructors’ cars, and presumably, the police.


The Past Summer in Theydon Bois (continued) A late summer mid September heatwave brought record temperatures and high humidity to the south east of the UK including Theydon Bois. An anticyclone on the continent brought warm air up from the Iberian Peninsula resulting in a temperature of 84.5 degrees F, being recorded in Gravesend, the highest in the country since 1911.

The members of the Roding Valley U3A arriving for their monthly meeting in the village hall, were pleased to see a permanent overhead electronic projector in a new system now in use for current and future presentations. The projector of the previous system required a large stand, which had presented storage and screening difficulties; moreover the previous system was often incompatible with the projectors used by other lecturers. Another change was the new lightweight seating readily stored in high stacks and easily moved via special trolleys. These improved facilities had been arranged by the Theydon Bois Village Association. Following the raid on the Il Bacio Restaurant in Forest Drive, Theydon Bois, on 30th June 16 by police and immigration officials, and the arrest, of a 33 year old Colombian male, the restaurant had its licence suspended for three months at the EFDC Licensing review on 19th September 16. The male, Romero, was arrested when the officers found warning signs that he was a heavy drug user and seller, and had been known to threaten people with knives. It was revealed that he first came to the UK in 1999, was deported in 2007 and returned shortly after allegedly telling immigration that he had re entered in a friend’s car. The restaurant, had already paid a £10,000 fine for other offences. A midday Harvest Soup Lunch was held at St Mary’s Church Hall. This followed the usual pattern of excellent soup lunches organised by the ladies of the church with a choice of soups and desserts followed by coffee. The proceeds were donated to charitable organisations supported by St Mary’s including the Manna Centre for the Homeless, the Mission to Seafarers and Operation Christmas Child. Further soup lunches were planned for November 2016. The Draft Local Plan for the Epping Forest District was published and immediately caused confusions and concern in the Village. It would appear that there were four areas in the Village where residential development could take place; in the station car park area, the field to the north of Forest Drive, and in Coopersale Lane. Theydon Bois Action Group immediately asked all concerned to attend the regular monthly Parish Council meeting in the Village Hall on the next evening (29th September). The room, was almost packed to suffocation with councillors unable to be seated, despite the Chairman Councillor John Philip advising that the Plan would not be discussed at this meeting. Councillor Philip said “It is important to remember that things could change between now and the end of October 2016. It won’t be finalised until all EFDC Councillors have had their final say at a full council meeting.” The increasing local interest in Astronomy was reflected in the regular meetings of the Loughton Astronomical Society as well as the recent Study Day – Our Solar System and Beyond – held at Copped Hall where the Tutor was Ann Mills from the Royal Astronomical Society. An illustrated talk entitled the Apples and Orchards Project was given by Michael Clark in the village hall by arrangement with the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society.


The Past Summer in Theydon Bois (continued) Essex County Council warned that sales personnel for solar panel installations were adopting aggressive tactics and “tricking their way” into residences. One “entry ruse” was to tell property

owners with installed panel systems that they were carrying out “health checks” in conjunction with the Micro generation Certifications Scheme (MSC). In addition they were offering a service and system improvements scheme, were selling battery storage systems or inverters which were often overpriced and of no improvement to existing systems. Residents approached in this way were advised to contact the local branch of the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline. Ex local celebrity and "pop star" Rod Stewart (formerly resident at the Wood House on the Copped Hall Estate) received his knighthood at Buckingham Palace, for services to music and charity. He received this honour from Prince William who was deputising for the Queen, currently away in Scotland. Rod was accompanied by his wife Penny Lancaster and their two young sons Alastair(10) and Aiden (4). St. Mary’s Church was crowded to overflowing for the Funeral

Service of Peter Dennis Hammond, a long standing and popular member of the Theydon Bois Community. Peter’s casket was borne into the Church to the music ”Walk of Life” by Dire Straits followed by mourners comprising his family and friends. The Service was conducted by The Reverend Mick Scotchmer. Some of his grandchildren collectively read the poem “Death is Nothing At All” and added their personal recollections of their grandfather which gave a light but moving introduction to the Service. Tributes to Peter revealed that he had been very active in local community as a Parish Councillor, in welfare matters and as a great humanitarian always willing to help others. He had been a great all rounder in sport which activity he encouraged his family to follow, an aviation pilot, was widely travelled, a naturalist and considered by his grandchildren to have been a knight in shining armour. Peter was then cremated at Parndon Wood following which a funeral reception was held at Woolston Manor Country Club. Transport for London officials were quizzed regarding problems with the Central line services in the Epping Forest District. Particular issues discussed were the presumption that fewer services ran though to Epping, as opposed to Hainault, ageing trains, access problems for travellers with restricted mobility, the possible reinstatement of the line between Epping and Ongar, the extension of CCTV security coverage and future development of tube station car parks. An increase in “fly tipping” (the illegal and random dumping of domestic and building waste) was expected now that Essex County Council sites would only handle domestic waste. The official reason for this policy change was that sites did not have the capacity to cater for increasing usage by non domestic sites. Essex County Council claimed that this change in policy would help reduce the amount of illegal waste entering sites, which could then be reorganized and improved generally. Another reason given was the increasing site congestion caused by non domestic users. The illegal and careless parking of motor vehicles (especially on pedestrian footways) continued to be a hazard in the District, especially in Theydon Bois. Since parking restrictions were


Ed - Trevor lodges a comprehensive Annual Village Report with the Essex Record Office, extracts are submitted monthly for the village website and quarterly for village news. To avoid repetition, especially where news and information has been submitted by the club, society or entity directly to Village News, then it has been removed from Trevor’s Column in this issue.

The Past Summer in Theydon Bois (continued)

TREVOR ROBERTS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER

introduced along the south of the Village Green, displaced commuters were now parking their vehicles in the busy Abridge Road. This route is used by large commercial vehicles, and a danger to pedestrians (often mothers and children) due to footways being either limited or non existent. The police used to monitor this situation regularly and take action as necessary. However this appears to have ceased since the recent reduction in police services throughout the County. The November Fifth weekend celebrations began with a Village Fireworks display at the Village School. The fireworks produced squeals of delight from the excited younger children, many of whom were holding coloured battery lights, and the loud bangs (suitably modified) kept the adults on their toes. The wet ground presented difficulty in mounting some of the displays so the event finished early and the many there then moved across to the playground where hot /soft drinks and hot dogs could be purchased from stalls. An entrance fee of five pounds made a significant contribution to the school project of new changing rooms for the swimming pool. It was hoped that the construction of this amenity would now commence in the New Year. The event was organized by the school parents association under the chairmanship of Joanne Bird in conjunction with the Head Teacher Lesley Lewis. The Epping Rail Circle held its annual exhibition in the village hall with a good attendance despite the rain. Visitors could view the operation of ten model railway layouts in various gauges and configurations. A popular layout was the Circle’s own Tanglewood Common OO layout of substantial size which included Central Line Trains (models) and general lighting. The event included many stalls selling model trains and associated memorabilia, and the important refreshment facility was well supported. Against a background of possible Islamic plots to attack the Remembrance Sunday commemorations, especially in Central London, fewer veterans for (security reasons) marched past the Cenotaph in Whitehall, as part of the annual commemoration service which was attended by the Queen and members of the Royal family; also present were the new Prime Minister Theresa May and the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Police security was high with

helicopters, dogs and armed officers present. The Queen emerged from an adjacent government office, dressed in black to observe the two minutes silence and then lay her wreath followed by other members of the royal party who did likewise. In the Village, as elsewhere in the District, the Remembrance service at the Village War Memorial was well attended and with a police officer present– an indication of the necessary need for increased security even in the “backwoods" of Theydon Bois. And once again, it was most heartening to see so many young people present on this most important occasion. But Autumn rolls on and Christmas is fast approaching.


Mike Hannibal’s “A Walk in the Park” Well, I made it back! Our 7 days on the Naukluft Trail in the Namibian Naukluft National Park was extreme and personally challenging in every respect. Although I have always kept active I had never undertaken any trekking before and this was my introduction into a different world following my retirement from a sedentary office based position. Our party consisted of 9 people, including three people originating from Theydon Bois, being John Peck who organised this, Marcus Peck as our doctor and Edward Smith who is a qualified guide. With the heat and the 25+kg weight of our backpacks the trail certainly fully stood up to its reputation for being arguably the toughest trek in Southern Africa. The extensive training I did beforehand just about carried me through physically and the generous support I had for my

charity, amounting to some £4000 for the British Gymnastics Foundation, was an essential carrot in helping me focus in pushing on through some tough sections and the draining afternoons in the heat. The heat had been relatively kind to us with the first day being just below 30C but then increased throughout the week with the last 3 days hitting 39C, 43C & 37C. The Naukluft Park only allows in 3 groups of up to 12 people each week for the trail and that is restricted to between May and October. Each group starts at least 2 days apart and for any mishap event we carried a satellite phone but even with this we would always be somewhere


between 5 hours and 2 days away from any outside help arriving. We therefore needed to carry all we needed for 7 days including food and emergency medical equipment along with the 5 litres of water we carried each day. Our overnight shelters consisted of a small low brick wall enclosure to keep out any animals with some uprights supporting a tin roof giving shade and, most importantly, these were next to a hand pumped water well. I found that I developed a whole new appreciation for water as I was consuming some 7 litres of water per day. The park is in an arid area where the desert meets with the mountains and the environment is unforgivingly harsh.

Even in this environment some trees and scrubby bushes do find occasional areas to grow having evolved to protect themselves with long, hard and fierce thorny spikes to stop animals chewing the branches for moisture or eating their vegetation. These thorns left their inevitable and numerous bloody scratches on us and particularly on the legs of anyone wearing shorts. However, the scenery is stunningly magnificent in its expansiveness of mountains, large plateaus, rugged canyons and varied rock colours. The waterholes, when found, become a paradise amongst their surroundings but whose approaches were often littered with leopard kills showing the survival risk price to be paid. We saw many of the park animals, Giraffe, Zebra, Kudus, Oryx, Springbok, and Baboons but mostly they then quickly departed to stay well away from us. Gratefully, we were not bothered by any scorpions, snakes nor insects in any way. As a group we had started at a strong daily pace that towards the end of the week and with the heat increasing slowly tailed off. Each day involved around 8-10 hours of walking and scrambling on terrain that was always tough going. The mountains were not particularly high and the terrain was variable but always rocky. We had small rocks littering plateaus, were up and down steep mountains, some covered with scree, scrambled along canyons over rocks of all sizes, had to pass through a letter box cave and climb up a dry waterfall. All of this carrying the full weight of the backpack. Something of more concern to me personally was the traversing along some edges next to some seriously big drop offs, on one occasion in a strong wind. The whole experience was incredibly rewarding from; the support I was able to facilitate for the British Gymnastics Foundation; the sense of achievement from the personal physical challenge that tested my physical limits and ability to recover from being close to exhaustion and the resulting mental application required; the wonder and memories from exploring an area of Africa away from any civilisation in a very challenging environment; the great team spirit we had from all working together and the friends made from sharing that experience. Lastly, my sanity may be called into question but I am certainly looking forward to being able to do something similar again.

MIKE HANNIBAL

Mike Hannibal’s “A Walk in the Park” (continued)


Theydon Bois Drama Society

Our Last Production - Trevor Roberts writes - Lock up Your Daughters, the production by Theydon Bois Drama Society on 27th to 29th October, was certainly an evening of “frolic and fun” as advertised. A departure from the Society’s usual productions, this musical was based on the eighteenth century play “Rape upon Rape” as adapted by Bernard Miles and set to music by Laurie Johnson with Lyrics by Lionel Bart. Photos from the production may be found on the page opposite.

Set in a dubious 1735 London coffee house owned by Politic (played by John Haylett), his naïve daughter Hilaret (Nicola Gilbert) is determined to escape her over protective father and sets forth to elope with her beloved Captain Constant (Paul Bloomfield). In a further scenario, corrupt Justice Squeezum (Bernie Pavely) has a fine time keeping tabs on his lecherous wife Mrs Squeezum (Gill Newlyn). The general situation is compounded by Ramble (Jack Chambers) a virile and lusty gallant in love with the ladies, his friend Sotmore (Simon Gilbert) who is more in love with his wine and it all adds to the intrigue and colour of the situation. Other principal roles were played by Don Bennet, Gill Newlyn, Duncan Bostock, Rebecca Allen, Suzid Corryea, Paul Arber, Dave Allen, Martin Oliver, Angie Becket Franks, Lionel Corryea and Elizabeth Thomas. Worthy of special mention was the supportive musical group comprising Kevin Bashford (Keyboards and Musical Director), Richard Wale (Keyboards) and Jamie Murray (Drums). The production was directed by Jo Shephard.


Theydon Bois Drama Society - Our Last Production


Just For Fun

T his one was found on the internet. We cannot corroborate its accuracy, but it is an amusing story...) When Gandhi was studying law at the University College of London, there was a professor, whose last name was Peters, who felt animosity for Gandhi, and because Gandhi never lowered his head towards him, their "arguments" were very common. One day, Mr. Peters was having lunch at the dining room of the University and Gandhi came along with his tray and sat next to the professor. The professor, in his arrogance, said, "Mr Gandhi: you do not understand... a pig and a bird do not sit together to eat," to which Gandhi replies, "You do not worry professor, I'll fly away”, and he went and sat at another table. Mr. Peters, green of rage, decides to take revenge on the next test, but Gandhi responds brilliantly to all questions. Then, Mr. Peters asked him the following question, "Mr Gandhi, if you are walking down the street and find a package, and within it there is a bag of wisdom and another bag with a lot of money; which one will you take?" Without hesitating, Gandhi responded, "the one with the money, of course." Mr. Peters, smiling, said, "I, in your place, would have taken the wisdom, don't you think?" "Each one takes what one doesn't have," responded Gandhi indifferently. Mr. Peters, already hysteric, writes on the exam sheet the word "idiot" and gives it to Gandhi. Gandhi takes the exam sheet and sits down. A few minutes later, Gandhi goes to the professor and says, "Mr. Peters, you signed the sheet, but you did not give me the grade."

P arents Excuse Notes to the School - These are purported to be actual excuse notes from parents (including spelling):

My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him. Dear School: Please ekscuse John being absent on Jan. 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, and also 33. Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out of a tree and misplaced his hip. John has been absent because he had two teeth taken out of his face. Megan could not come to school today because she has been bothered by very close veins.

Chris will not be in school cus he has an acre in his side. Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels. Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak. Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault. Please excuse Jennifer for missing school yesterday. We forgot to open the Sunday paper and

when we found it Monday, we thought it was Sunday. Ralph was absent yesterday because he had a sore trout. Please excuse Joe from being absent yesterday. He had diah, dioar,diahoah, dyah, the runs.


Horticultural Society Trip to Hever Castle in September - The Society took 32 of its Members for a day's visit to

Hever Castle in Kent, famous for once being Ann Boleyn's home. There are letters on display from Henry VIII pledging his undying love for her and a letter from Ann to Henry begging , not for her life, but for the lives of her friends who were to be executed with her. So sad! The gardens are extremely varied and include a topiary chess set garden, an Italian Garden and a vast pergola. At the end of the gardens is an extensive lake with wonderful views. Everyone had an interesting and enjoyable day.

Container Planting in Forest Drive - The Society was visible in Forest Drive in November getting the planters ready in time for the Christmas Market. With violas and polyanthus primroses, this should make a nice display in time for the Christmas Market at the beginning of December. It didn't rain but it was so windy that the compost blew everywhere and we were soon covered in a fine layer of dust!

The AGM of the Society was held on the 23rd November - when there was also a Talk about "The Wonderful World of Flowers". The Speaker was Nick Dobson who lives in Chigwell and was a champion fuchsia grower. It was a most fascinating and interesting talk with some wonderful photos to illustrate it.

The meeting revealed that the Society was doing well with more members than last year, a larger number of entries in the Annual Show and an additional Committee Member, Mr. Robert Jones. There was even a slight profit over the year despite considerable

expenditure on plants for the station flowerbeds. Altogether, a successful year for the Society.

The Society now has its own website - tbhs.org.uk - where you can check the dates of events, access the list of classes at the Show or contact us with a query. We also now have a Facebook page to increase awareness of our presence and the work we do in the village.


Theydon Bois Golf Club SPECIAL MEMORIES OF THEYDON BOIS GOLF CLUB

After twenty-three years working as the Golf Professional at Theydon Bois Golf Club it’s now time to retire and I’ll be leaving the club at the end of November. In an effort to get everyone together and have a chance to say a final goodbye, it was decided to play a final Captain & Pro Challenge match. The entry fee was £5 a pair and every one who beat our score received a prize. All the entry fees were donated to the Captain’s charity, and a total of £200 was raised for the Brain Tumour Trust. We were extremely fortunate with the weather as eighty players played golf on a beautiful day with the golf course looking spectacular in the autumn colours. After the game we all gathered in the clubhouse and over one hundred people were present for the prize giving and presentation (photo above). The golf club were extremely generous and presented me with a solid silver Quaich and a voucher for a two-night stay at Cameron House in Loch Lomond. I can’t think of anything more appropriate: it will only be a short journey to Loch Lomond, as I’ll be moving to Scotland in February, and the Quaich, being a traditional Scottish drinking cup, that has now become my most treasured possession. Working at the golf club over the last 23 years has been a huge privilege, and I have enjoyed my time at the club immensely. My last working day at Theydon will be Wednesday 30th November and I shall leave the club with many fond memories. A new team of golf professionals will be taking over very soon and I’m sure they will be offering all the services you would expect from a members’ golf club. So, if you’ve ever considered playing the game, or you’re an established player looking to join a members’ golf club, I would highly recommend a visit. I know the new team will make you very welcome.

RICHARD HALL

Richard's last Captain Pro Challenge David Bowles, Louis McArdle, Richard Hall & Captain Ian Morton

NEW CAPTAINS at the Club were

elected in early December and are both Theydon Bois Residents

Ladies Captain Anne ZOERS (left) is from Elizabeth Drive

Club Captain Brian HATWELL (right) is from the Weind


Theydon Bois Tennis Club The recent AGM saw two long-serving members of the club awarded Life Membership. John Jones joined as a junior, and was a stalwart of the men’s and

mixed teams for 40 years until recently. June Snellin has been an enormous help with the junior tennis in recent years, including organising an annual ‘parent and child’ tournament, managing the support rota, and assisting with coaching camps. Both awards are thoroughly deserved and the club is delighted to be able to recognise their contribution to the club’s success. The Senior Finals Day saw Ian Smith retain his Mens Singles title, outlasting Ken Randlesome in a marathon third set. Gemma Wiggs took her second Ladies Singles title by overcoming the reigning champion Helena Tunks.

Junior Finals day this year saw a very competitive tournament as usual. Toby Parsons won the Boys event, his victory in the final avenging a round-robin loss to Tom Meyers earlier in the day. Holly Smith was the Girls champion, beating Olivia Shaw in their final.

The annual Captain’s Charity Tournament was held in September, and raised over £700 for the Alzheimer’s Society and the Breast Cancer Unit at St Margaret’s Hospital. An additional raffle was held at the AGM, the prize being two ‘behind the scenes’ tickets for the Queen’s Club tournament next year, and this raised a further fantastic £900 for the same charities. Congratulations to the outgoing Club Captain Ian Carter and Vice Captain Nigel Hanley for arranging this event.

Toby, Tom, Holly & Olivia with coaches Phil Woods and Gemma Wiggs


Remembrance Sunday 13th November 2016 On a bright, but chilly morning our young and more senior citizens gathered at the War Memorial in St. Mary's Churchyard for the annual service of commemoration. For more photos of the service see the photo gallery on the village website - www.theydon.org.uk


Richard Camp has contacted Village News to enquire whether anyone has information about the stamp illustrated on this page . He tells us that local groups were allowed by Royal Mail to produce stamps & deliver local letters at Christmas. Richard continues the story. The cover is a folded sheet - which is how most letters were before 1841. Prior to the postal reforms of 1839/1840 (stamps were introduced in 1840) letters were charged on distance and the number of sheets. The greater the distance the more a letter cost and every extra sheet cost the same fee again – so two sheets cost double the cost of one sheet. A separate envelope counted as one sheet so it was cheaper to use one sheet, write on one side and fold it over, seal the join with wax and write the name and address on the outside. Thus only one sheet would be used.

The stamp is of the same size as the first stamps of 1840 (1d black and 2d blue) and of the current small GB stamps with the Queen’s head filling most of the stamp – called ‘definitives’. It has the name ‘Theydon Philatelic Society’ (TPS) around the sides and top, with ‘Xmas 1951’ at the bottom. The postmark is called a ’Maltese Cross’ and is based on the sort used in the 1840’s. The addressee apparently lived in Leamington Spa. It cannot have been used in Royal Mail’s official post as the ‘stamp’ is not a RM stamp so would have attracted a ‘post due’ fee which would be stated on the front as a post due stamp or post fee handstamp. Charity Christmas posts (often run by scouts and guides to raise money) were only allowed from 1981, so it cannot be an officially allowed charity stamp.

This begs the question, ‘What is it’? It appears someone in Theydon in 1951 produced at least one (this one) and possibly more for some purpose. If there was a TPS it may have been produced by the TPS to promote the society or for some other purpose. If a number were produced they may have been used on local hand delivered Christmas cards with the stamps stuck on the envelopes. This would have been illegal if a charge was made but not if delivered free. Or they may have been stuck on folded paper covers as per the example and given or sent to people who may like to have one or used as publicity for the TPS. I would guess that the example shown was sent to the addressee via RM in another envelope. I have been unable to trace any record of Theydon Philatelic Society and would like to receive any information on it if anyone knows something useful or interesting about it. Does someone local have another one? That leaves just one intriguing question. It has the initials ‘JM’ in the bottom corners. (The early stamps also had initials in the bottom corners to denote the position in a whole sheet of stamps.) So why ‘JM’? Were these the initials of the designer or producer of the stamp?

Any information to: Richard Camp of Telford. Tele: 01952- 247783. Email: [email protected].

Address: 3 Barnfield Crescent, Wellington, Telford, Shrops., TF1 2ES.

Theydon Philatelic Society Christmas 1951 Cover


Collation & Installation of Revd. John Fry as United Benefice Vicar On Wednesday the 5th October at 8.00 pm the congregations of the United Benefice of St. Mary's Theydon Bois and All Saints Theydon Garnon together with of those St Michael's Theydon Mount and St Mary's Stapleford Tawney attended a special service to see the Revd. John Fry installed as vicar. John will have oversight of the parishes of St Michael's Theydon Mount and St Mary's Stapleford Tawney as well as those of the United Benefice. The service which, is both a legal act and an act of worship was mainly organised by Rev Joyce Smith, Area Dean. The 'Collation and Installation’ was performed by the Bishop of Barking, The Revd. Peter Hill & The Archdeacon of Harlow, The Venerable Martin Webster. This ceremony marks the beginning of John's ministry and a new stage in the life of the parishes. More photos can be found on the village website www.theydon.org.uk

Left to right: The Rev. Joyce Smith, Area Dean; The Rt. Rev. Peter Hill, Bishop of Barking; The Rev John Fry, Vicar of the Benefice; The Ven. Martin Webster, Archdeacon of Harlow


Contact the Elderly, a national charity, is launching a new group in Epping Forest in December 2016. Supported by a network of volunteers from the local area, the charity organises free monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties for small groups of older people, aged 75 and over, who live alone. These offer a regular and vital friendship link every month in volunteer’s homes in and around Epping, Theydon Bois and Loughton. Each older person is collected from their home by a volunteer driver and taken to a volunteer host’s home for the afternoon. The group is warmly welcomed by a different host each month, but the drivers remain the same which means that over the months and years, acquaintances turn into friends and loneliness is replaced by companionship. The tea parties offer a great way for intergenerational friendships to flourish and a number of the volunteers joining the new group are under the age of 30. Everyone involved has been touched by what the charity can offer and are all committed to making a positive difference in their local community. Joint Group Co-ordinators Sally Crone and Nicola Dean told Village News that they are running almost at capacity already with a couple of residents of Theydon Bois amongst the first elderly members to join. The group would welcome more volunteer Hosts, willing to commit to providing a simple afternoon tea for six to eight older guests as well as three or four drivers. The commitment you make can be as little as once a year or as often as once a month depending on your availability. The only essentials are a big teapot, a downstairs / ground floor toilet, easy access to your house (e.g. not too many steps to your front door) and enough seating for eight older people.

Further information can be found via www.contact-the-elderly.org.uk and if you can help the new group please contact Sally or Nicola by

email: [email protected]

“..We thoroughly enjoy ourselves and

the hosts are fantastic. I love the chat, the friendly

discussions and the fun we have … it’s

wonderful..” Dorothy 93

LIFE FILLS US WITH STORIES STORIES FILL US WITH LIFE

Change lives by volunteering - Contact the Elderly's monthly Sunday afternoon tea parties are a lifeline of friendship for lonely people over 75. Whether you host a small tea party once ot twice a year, drive & join our members once a month or coordinate a group you’ll hear plenty of lovely stories - and make a real difference

Contact the Elderly - Make a Difference


Focus on You - Toni Brooks Village News talks to Slimming World Consultant Toni Brooks for the “Focus on You” interview series. How did you get started in this business? -

I started losing weight with Slimming World myself. I lost 8 stones and 2 pounds and decided I wanted to help as many people as possible. When I was approached by Lisa Essex, my own Slimming World Consultant, she encouraged me to become a Consultant. I couldn’t say “no” as I wanted to help people lose weight easily and healthily.

What are the skills necessary to carry out the job? - Being friendly and compassionate as well as being able to understand other people’s pain and other people’s situations. Having lost a lot of weight myself, I feel I am in the ideal place to resonate with their situation and I can genuinely help. This is a job I love doing because I am assisting so many people achieve their own goals. Since September 2015 I have actually helped 13 members achieve their final target weights and my aim is to ensure they keep it off for life.

Is this the kind of job you can work around your family life? - It certainly is. In fact I have two jobs. My other role is a Pawnbroker which I have been doing since I was 14 years of age. I have three children and still manage to have a good work life balance. My priority is my Slimming World job and as long I do the planning beforehand, then I know I am fully prepared on the nights I work. I run two classes on a Wednesday at St Mary’s Hall in Theydon Bois. My first class is quite new. It opened in April and starts at 5.00pm-6.30pm and my second class runs from 7.00pm until 8.30pm. Both are very popular classes.

What are the typical challenges when running a business like this? - If I am not prepared for how a member may be feeling on a particular night, it could be a struggle for everyone in the room – especially the said member. This is why it’s important to have a caring and compassionate nature because slimming is a very personal thing and even coming to Group is a big step in the right direction for many people. Because I get so involved in my work, I find it very difficult to shut off from wanting to ‘rescue’ my members. Everyone has a reason for coming here and I want to give everyone my time and my support. Is there a lot of follow ups and aftercare as a Consultant? - Yes there is. Obviously I have to process the night of weigh-ins and send them to Head Office and I have to do this on the same night for my own sanity. But if I don’t do it as soon as possible then my members cannot access valuable resources online. Then there is also mid-week support to my members and checking food diaries for any help I may be able to give. We also do regular food tasting sessions and this again requires planning beforehand.

Is this a business you would recommend to other people? - Most definitely. It’s an amazing job. There are lots of rungs on the ladder. As long as you are running your Groups to the standard that Slimming World expects, you can advance to a Team Developer managing a team or you can be a District Manager where you run your own region. There is no limit to the number of Groups you can run either!

For more information about Toni and her business, contact her on 07908 793877 or email: [email protected] or visit Toni’s Facebook page SLIMMING WORLD THEYDON BOIS.


St. Mary’s Church Prepares for Christmas

St Mary's

Christmas Fair 2016

St Mary's held a very successful annual Christ-mas Fair in the church hall on

Saturday 26th November,

On Tuesday volunteers gathered in St. Mary's Church Hall for a 'Wrapping & Packing Day' for Operation Christmas Child. This has become an annual event in Theydon when volunteers find lots of empty shoeboxes and lids, wrap them in festive paper and fill them with things for the world's poorest chil-dren. At later sessions Junior Church and the Rainbows

helped in preparing and filling the box-es. Last year St. Mary's sent 201 boxes and this year they hope to exceed that number. The boxes cost £3 each to transport to the target countries so money to assist with this would be most welcome. Contact Mary Gill or Linda Hammond at St. Mary's.


News, Comments & Notices

Know someone doing an unusual

job maybe it's you?

You will have noticed the FOCUS ON YOU column in Village News. We would

like to run this as a regular feature, so if there is anyone in the village doing something unusual or out of the ordinary that would be of interest to our residents and readers, we'd like to hear about it. It doesn't have to be a paid-for job. It could be a role that's performed as a volunteer.

So, feel free to send in your nominations of people who live in Theydon Bois who do interesting jobs (it could even be yourself).

We will happily interview & write the article so anyone who is put forward doesn't have to do this.

please email: [email protected]

Fairlop Brass Christmas Crackers

Theydon Bois Village Hall (CM16 7ER)

20th December, 7.30pm

Adults £5 in advance, £7 on the door, children £3

Bring your own drinks and nibbles! Contact us for tickets

limited availability, join a table or make up your own table of 10

See our website for further details www.fairlopbrass.co.uk

email - [email protected]

VILLAGE NEWS WISHES A VERY

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR DISTRIBUTORS

& CONTRIBUTORS

THANK YOU



Theydon Bois Primary School has been busy this term . Trips have taken place to St Mary’s

Church, Harlow Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Hindu Temple in Neasden and the Imperial War Museum in London – these trips have inspired learning and enhanced children’s understanding. Alongside the wonderful fundraising achievements of the PTA; school enjoyed a “Spotty” day raising £421 for Children in Need, pupils raised £250 for the British Legion Poppy Appeal, individual pupils have raised funds for Water Aid and Mesothelioma and the sterling efforts of one family, supported by generous donations

have raised funds to enable us to have a defibrillator located in school.

We have taken on “Mile a morning”, during which pupils and staff participate in a daily jog – this is very successful. In recognition of our commitment to providing sporting opportunities we have been awarded the Key Stage 1 Active Sport Award and the Bronze Active Sports Mark.

THEYDON BOIS PRIMARY SCHOOL


In our Sept edition, the question was asked “Have you ever wondered why Orchard

Drive is so called”? Mary Glozier writes to tell us “I lived in Orchard Drive for over 60 years & my parents in law before me, so I can explain, Orchard Drive was once part of a large orchard and when the bungalows were built the road was to be called Baldocks Road because of Baldocks House on the corner. My Mother in Law Mrs Glozier decided when she moved to number 30 that the orchard should be remembered & she petitioned all of the occupants for the name Orchard Drive. She duly sent her petition to the council & got her wish.”


The Men's Forum meets in the Baptist Church rear halls twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday

mornings 10.15am - 12noon. Speakers & subjects for the first three months in the New Year are shown below.

THEYDON BOIS MENS FORUM

Jan 11 Beekeeping (also Essential Business) Chris Mead

Jan 25 Seasonal Customs and Traditions of Essex Mark Lewis

Feb 8 The Humorous Side of Policing Roy Tyzack

Feb 22 Trams and Tolleybuses Roger Torode

Mar 8 Things about London We Didn’t Know Brian Billings

Mar 22 The DaVinci Code Mike Howgate

WHY IS ORCHARD DRIVE SO CALLED?



The Epping Forest Group is a local group of the national Alpine Garden Society and is for all those with an interest

in alpine and other small plants, whether in the wild or growing at home in the garden, frame or greenhouse.

The Group meets every month from September to May usually on the second Tuesday of the month. Meetings take the form of an illustrated lecture or a demonstration, followed by refreshments. There is also a plant raffle, sales table and an alpine plant display. We meet at Theydon Bois Village Hall, starting at 8.00 pm.

Further information is available from:

Keith Ballard, Tel: 01992 813231, Email: [email protected]

www.alpinegardensociety.net/groups/Epping-Forest

Jan 10 Juno iris adventures in the Caucasus & Central Asia

Kit Strange (RBG Kew)

Feb 14 AGM followed by members’ slides

Mar 14 Vietnam Alex Summers

ALPINE GARDEN SOCIETY

A new charity event got off to a flying (hill) start as the first Go Kart challenge was held. Theydon Bois primary school pupil Conrad Leffman organised the race after coming up with the idea. It went ahead on Sunday November 6th on the hill at the end of Forest Drive. Four families took part in the event on the day with many more coming to support or buy cakes.

The best homemade Go kart award went to the Hall-Jackson family who entered into the spirit of the race and built a beast of a cart. Unfortunately it was too low slung and would not race down the hill but it looked impressive. Jacob Janda won the fastest race with his own go kart while Arthur Hall-Jackson won the race to carry a bucket of water down the hill in one hand spilling the least amount in the process. Other racers included Conrad Leffman, Marnie Leffman, Joe Oates, Oscar Hall-Jackson and Ellenie Halliwell.

John Padfield kindly gave his permission to use the field for what will hopefully become an annual event. The scout group has expressed an interest in building go karts to race against other groups for next year so hopefully the fun event could get bigger and bigger. The races raised a total of £134.50 for Water Aid. Conrad Leffman, 10, said: "The races were great fun, the cakes were amazing and it was great how much it raised. Hopefully it will be busier next year with more people making karts to join in."

GO KART CHARITY EVENT LAUNCHED

Village News Issue 96 December 2016 Page 40 Village Activities 2016/17

Copy for Village News & Website Send to c/o Parish Clerk, Parish Office

Theydon Bois Village Hall, Phone & Fax 01992 813442 or email the editors - [email protected]

NEXT VILLAGE NEWS COPY DEADLINE - 18th February 2017

Thanks to our Sponsors - Hetheringtons, Theydon Bois Pharmacy, Indian Ocean, Theydon Bois Balti House, Martin Shepherd Solicitors, Theydon Bois Dentists MandK Cleaning and Woodland Grove Care Homes see pages 5,9,12 & 38.

Village News

Edited & Produced by Tony Ames e-mail

[email protected]

Village Website www.theydon.org.uk

Edited & Produced by Jim Watts e-mail

[email protected]

12 Dec EFDC Local Plan Consultation - closing date for submissions

13 Dec Theydon Bois Singers - Christmas Concert at the Village Hall - see page 36

15 Dec Toy Fair at Village Hall - 7pm to 9pm

20 Dec Fairlop Brass - Christmas Crackers Concert at the Village Hall - see page 36

12-14 Jan Theydon Bois Drama Society - Blithe Spirit - Village Hall - see page 24

2 Feb Toy Fair at Village Hall - 7pm to 9pm

Various Men's Forum - see page 38

various Alpine Garden Society - see page 39

This diary is updated continually on the village website - www.theydon.org.uk The information, opinions and views presented in Village News and on the Village Website reflect the views of the authors and contributors of the articles and publication of articles, advertisements or product/services information does not constitute endorsement or approval by Village News, Village Website or the Parish Council.

Village News has only a small selection of event photographs - for most of the events covered there are usually many more which can be found on photos page of the Village Website at www.theydon.org.uk

village news issue 96 december 2016 page 2 christmas ... dec v news.pdf · village news issue 96...

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