SOUL queen Mica Paris is returning to her first passion, and audiences in south Essex are invited to share in it. The singer is back with her first original studio album in a decade, and a 19-date tour, which calls in on Basildon’s Towngate Theatre,
AS the Start-Rite Shoes rep for the South East, Tracey Manton became almost as well known in the shoe business as the firm’s famous ad showing two children walking down an everlasting avenue. For six years she travelled the roads of East Anglia, Kent
CHARLOTTE Adlington was not even a year old when she was diagnosed with a condition which would affect her for the next 13 years of her life. Aged about 11 months, Charlotte became the second youngest person in Essex to contract Stevens-Johnson syndrome
A MUM who lied about being raped has been jailed for two years. Jennifer Day, 34, of Williamson Way, Corringham, was led sobbing from the dock after she was sentenced for perverting the course of justice at Basildon Crown Court. Day accused her ex-boyfriend
A DOG owner has been cleared after her Staffordshire bull terrier was accused of biting a 14-year-old girl. Maxine Gabrielle, 32, was found not guilty following a trial for owning a dog dangerously out of control in a public place. It had been alleged
A man was left with severe burns to his hands and arms after a gas canister he punctured exploded. An eight-year-old girl, thought to be the 40 year-old man’s daughter, was also knocked over by the force of the explosion at their home in Southfalls Road
Division One: Westcliff on Sea hosted Hutton and lost by six wickets. David Bullen’s unbeaten 68 was the highlight of Westcliff’s innings of 153 all out off 32.2 overs. Chris Turrell (5-33) was the biggest threat, with Jonathan Mowll and Richard Lewis
TOURNAMENT official Daphne McNulty proved to be the surprise hit of the ladies bowls at the 64th Southend Ladies’ Open Bowls Tournament. When Lynne Daughtrey was taken ill after partnering Pam Sims through to the quarter-finals, Daphne, who acts as press
RESIDENTS can find out how it feels to be locked-up with a special event in Basildon tomorrow. The event will take place between in Basildon town centre between the mother and child fountain and East Square, from 10am to 4pm. Attractions will include
AN investigation has begun at Pitsea tip after staff were suspended on suspicion of allowing waste to be illegally dumped. Staff who work on the weighbridge at the landfill site in Pitsea Hall Lane, Pitsea, are under investigation following allegations
A HARD-working pupil has been recognised by her school with a special award. Crystal Pope, 11, beamed as she was proudly presented with her Endeavour Award by teachers at Cherry Tree Primary, in Church Road, Basildon. The school’s headmistress, Eileen
A MILE of coins in Southend High Street helped raise more than £1,000 pounds for charity. Malachy O’Sullivan was out with friends and members of the breast unit at Southend Hospital collecting and laying out the coins, for the Bosom Pals Appeal which
STALLED plans for a £1.6million sewer could be revived if a new housing estate gets the go-ahead. In March, Anglian Water shelved plans to build a 600m sewage relief pipe, which would have connected Thundersley’s overstretched sewage system with Hadleigh
FOLK music heroes are playing at the first Wat Tyler Folk Festival. The six-hour event gets under way from 1pm at Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea Hall Lane, Pitsea, on Saturday, September 5. Acclaimed-duo Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick, back together
CANVEY’S William Read Primary School have ended the summer term with a plethora of successes in a variety of sporting activities. Their glory trail started with a rounders event in which they took on Island neighbours Northwick Park Primary and Kents
A SECONDARY school has won an award for its use of technology in teaching. Sweyne Park School, in Rayleigh, has been awarded the Next Generation Learning Charter by Becta, a Government agency which aims to improve learning through technology. In September
FEARS are growing Basildon Council will be forced to provide new homes for travellers it plans to evict from Crays Hill and Wickford. The Government has said the district will have to set aside land for at least 62 new caravan pitches, despite opposition
CANVEY Island are pleased to announce that the club’s pre-season friendly against Great Wakering Rovers at their Brockwell Stadium on Tuesday August 4 (7.45pm) will be free entry to all. As part of the evening the club will again be showing its support
A FITNESS fanatic completed a 100-mile walk despite fracturing his ankle at the start of the race. Olly Browne, 55, of Tattersall Gardens, Leigh takes part in race walking events up and down the country. He has just completed a 100-mile race
A MUM and her four daughters had a lucky escape after a firework was shoved through their letterbox. The family were woken by the sound of the firework going off in their house, in Sandon Road, Basildon, in the early hours of yesterday morning
THURROCK residents can now report suspicions of benefit fraud to the council through a new fraud hotline. Thurrock Council’s benefit fraud team can be reached on 01375 652157. The most commonly committed fraud is failing to notify the council of a change
PREGNANT women and new mums say they have been left in the dark over confusing Government advice about swine flu. The NHS has been criticised for its conflicting guidance over the dangers posed to mums-to-be by the bug. The National Childbirth Trust
DOUGIE Freedman has injured his ankle during training and will miss tomorrow's friendly with Ipswich Town. The Scottish striker had scored three goals in four games during pre-season. But he is now expected to be out of action for around five days
THE GOVERNMENT has agreed to see if public land could be used to temporarily house travellers on illegal sites at Crays Hill and Wickford. Billericay MP John Baron, who is pressing the Government to find unused land outside the district to prevent an
EASTWOOD School had a great evening at the Essex Relay Championships in Braintree. Their under-17 4 x 400 metres team led from start to finish to win gold from a very strong Woodford Green outfit. Star runner Jake King led out the team in a split of
A MUM and her four daughters had a lucky escape after a firework was shoved through their letterbox. The family were woken by the sound of the firework going off in their house, in Sandon Road, Basildon, in the early hours of yesterday morning. The
TWO brothers who lost their beloved mum to cancer have been given a reason to smile – after being chosen to lead out teams of Canvey and Chelsea footballers in a special fundraising match. Dean Guthrie, 11, and his younger brother Ryan, seven
FOUR fire crews battled for more than an hour to put out a large grass fire that threatened nearby homes and gardens. The blaze took hold on a half-acre stretch of grass and undergrowth surrounding derelict farm buildings owned by the Salvation Army,
DOG owners who fail to pick up their pooch’s poop could be banned from public parks. Thurrock Council’s Cabinet member for public protection Ben Maney explained anyone who leaves behind their pet’s mess could be given a dog control order. This could
SOUTHEND United players were the guests of honour when they opened a new attraction for youngsters. Led by manager Steve Tilson, the players were on hand yesterday to reopen Kid’s Kingdom, in Garon Park, yesterday. Joining Mr Tilson was Alan McCormack
A TEENAGER who tricked British aviation executives into believing he was a tycoon about to launch his own airline will not face prosecution. The 17-year-old was arrested at Southend Airport after airline bosses became suspicious. The youngster, who
Division One: Leigh on Sea suffered a 127-run defeat away to South Woodford. The visitors suffered a bad start when opening batsmen Michael Browne (49) and Harry Neicho (67) found conditions to their liking. But Richard Browne (11) and Krishan Vadher
THE former Camp Bling site at Priory Crescent, in Southend, has been secured by the council following the departure of protesters from the site. The area where the burial ground of a Saxon King was found had been taken over for the past six years by
IT'S a case of like father, like son, for St Thomas More student Dominic Iorfa when it comes to sporting success. For the youngster, whose namesake former pro soccer star dad enjoyed a popular spell at Southend United, picked up three golds at the Southend
A NEW £2.2million visitor centre for Wat Tyler Country Park is set to finally open to the public this week. The former munitions factory at the park, off Pitsea Hall Lane, has been transformed into an eco-friendly visitor and education centre with the
SOUTHEND Amateur Boxing Club held their first presentation evening, sponsored by Pier Management. The club are grateful for all the company’s help and assistance this season, particularly Grant Cooper and Paul Mcfadyen. Club spokesman Tom Sloan said
IN the Premier Division Hadleigh and Thundersley moved clear at the top of the table after beating Rankins in a rearranged match. Eastwood lost ground after a tie with Rankins earlier in the week. Against Hadleigh, Rankins won the toss and batted first
SOUTHEND High School for Girls star Georgia Atkins starts her challenge for Olympic glory in Finland this afternoon. The Chelmsford AC athlete will be in action in the under-18 100 metres hurdles heats at the European Youth Olympic Festival. Atkins’
John Haran (July 16) suggests a Morris Minor for David Cameron. It depends what side of the road he is driving on – left, centre or right. These days they all veer from side to side and it is difficult to know who you are following.
I enjoyed, with many others, a film screening at the Palace Theatre organised by the White Bus organisation. The setting of the Palace Theatre proved a delight. Indeed many years ago the Palace Theatre was used as a cinema and the old projection
I’ve just seen a poster from Essex Police threatening a fine of £60 for cycling on the pavement, which is something I frequently do; and will continue to do. Mostly, though, I ride in the road. The offence should be “behaving in a discourteous
Under the Town and Country Planning Act 1995, to build a 600 cubic metre capacity car park on East Beach car park, as presented at a public briefing session in May, requires planning permission and a public consultation, because its capacity
If a bus lane is planned from Progress Road across the A127 and into The Fairway as part of the planned improvements at the Leigh junction, what bus are we talking about? In the past a group of us collected over 2,000 signatures to have a bus
I couldn’t agree less with councillor Roger Hadley’s comments on the proposed development at Chase High School, Westcliff. Prittlewell residents already have to put up with the busy floodlit football pitches on school grounds and the resulting
FORMER Aussie Test star Merv Hughes may have been stumped by the outcome of yesterday’s Second Ashes Test, which saw the visitors beaten at Lord’s for the first time in 75 years. But Hughes — famous for his moustache — was in relaxed mood at the Sportsman
ESSEX'S nomadic existence continues today when they begin their division two clash with Leicestershire at Grace Road. Mark Pettini’s side must have faint memories of home, having spent four days at Surrey at the end of last week, followed by Sunday’s
A 15-year-old boy suffered serious neck and back injuries after diving into shallow water. At 4pm yesterday the coastguard were called to the beach next to Uncle Tom's Cabin, Shoebury, after the boy had dived into three feet of water. The ambulance
MORE than 180 swimmers braved the temperatures of the Thames Estuary to raise thousands of pounds for the Havens Hospices. Fundraisers taking part in the second ever Great Pier Swim hope to top the £33,000 raised for the hospice last September
SOUTHEND United manager Steve Tilson remains unconcerned at failing to bolster his side’s defence so far this summer. With less than three weeks to go until the start of the League One season, Adam Barrett remains the only natural centre-back at the
CROWDS of people have gathered for an old-fashioned street party. Members of Leigh Road Baptist Church, along with residents from Marguerite Drive and Pall Mall, Leigh, took part in the event. There was bunting, food and drink and music
