OUR recent stories regarding the cricket merger between Southend-on-Sea with the Ekco, Monarchs and Trojans clubs, continue to attract interest among our readers. Brian Smeeton has sent us this old picture of a local cricket team lining up outside the
A WOMAN has told of her relief after doctors wrongly diagnosed her with terminal brain cancer. Grandmother-of-five Jacqueline Cox’s world was turned upside down when she went to the hospital after complaining of headaches, double vision and dizziness
A CANVEY school in special measures is on the road to improvement, according to the latest report from Government inspectors. Furtherwick Park School was branded inadequate by Ofsted inspectors who visited in January 2009. They were critical of the quality
BOSSES of a vital transport service for the elderly told how it is surviving thanks to the goodwill of fundraisers. Iris Brown, transport manager of the Castle Point Social Car Scheme, said things had been incredibly hard since Castle Point
A GARDENER will take off his boots for the last time today after 50 years of loyal service in the district. Roger Amos, who celebrated his 65th birthday on Wednesday, took up an apprenticeship at Basildon Council after leaving school in 1960, and went
SHOEBURY golfer Richard McEvoy failed to make the halfway cut in the first European Tour event of the new year. In the one million euros Africa Open in South Africa, opening rounds of 76 and 71 saw the Thorpe Hall tournament pro one over par on 147 after
CASTLE Point MP Bob Spink has presented a petition to the House of Commons in a bid to save the struggling car scheme. The petition was the result of efforts by the New Thundersley Townswomen’s Guild, who gathered almost 100 signatures from people opposed
MENTION mobile homes and most people think of draughty caravans with chemical toilets. But modern mobiles, or park homes as they are known, could not be more different, with their fitted kitchens, carpets and proper plumbing. With prices starting
CAT rescuers are looking for a new home for a Siamese crossbreed, found dumped in a ditch. The cat, christened Cleo by Rayleigh, Castle Point and District Cats Protection, which is looking after her, was abandoned in the Rochford area three weeks ago
One of my new year’s resolutions is to give up smoking – yet again. The other is to have as little to do with call centres as possible. Take the other day. My gas fire conked out and the engineer said there was water in the pipes and I’d better
Almost all the letters I have read in respect of wars appear to consider the valour and integrity of the combatants is decided upon whether the conflict is justified, or simply an attempt to impose alien philosophies on others. I suggest nothing
I was very pleased to read the headline Canvey Flood Scheme Sunk (Echo January 4). The scheme by the Environment Agency was ill thought out and would have destroyed the freshwater bird sanctuary Castle Point Council and the RSPCA have worked
We totally repudiate the allegations and insinuations made by Castle Point chief executive David Marchant about our provision of community transport services (Letters, December 8). Mr Marchant states: “The funding has not been cut and the only
Mike Grimwade (Dec 29), has objected to my “brainwashing” comments and asserts that “it would be better to base my opinions on facts rather than ignorance”. Far from ignorance, I have been involved in quite a few projects that have involved
The controversy rumbles on with those for and against expansion of Southend Airport each claiming to have majority support. There are no figures to support either group. There is also another group who have no feelings either way, possibly the
The Canvey Greenbelt Campaign fully appreciate the support and encouragement it continues to receive in its opposition to Castle Point Council’s core strategy document. However I must disagree with part of Bill Perkins’s letter (January 4).
A Harland (Jan 4) was quite scathing in his comments on commuter parking. However, they do not live on or near a private road. I, like all other commuters, pay my road tax and am therefore entitled to park down any road I wish, as long as it
J Williamson sums it up so well. The home spivs are making money, our money. Voters of Southend are starting to understand what the Tories at Southend Council and the Labour Government have done to the housing market. In Southend, we have in
Councillor Kevin Blake complains Old Man Stan is taking the mickey out of Basildon and running down our town. The latest video dares to refer to Basildon Council’s plans to import more than 20,000 lorry loads of waste on to Basildon Golf Course
In my early days, when snow was more frequent than now, clearing it away from pavements in front of houses was a regular thing for people to do. I have been told by someone who is fairly knowledgeable, that if we clear it nowadays and somebody
If prospective Tory MP Rebecca Harris wants my vote, she had better rethink her ideas on the DNA database (Jan 5). The only people who have anything to fear from having their DNA on the police database are those planning to commit criminal offences
Monty Martin’s contention (Dec 14) that the further left or right you go on the political spectrum ends up at the same place of authoritarianism is quite correct. But while the left-wing press has a fair representation in the broadsheets, the
I am sure we are all pleased to hear from Southend Airport director Alistair Welch the vast majority of local residents are all for the expansion of the airport! Really? He goes on to say how we only need to look at Southampton and Blackpool
NATIONAL selector Geoff Miller has defended the decision not pick Essex batsman Ravi Bopara in the England Lions squad for the tour of the United Arab Emirates next month. Bopara has been making runs in Auckland this winter, since being dropped from
I was replacing a blown light bulb from my stockpile of 150watt incandescent gas-filled proper bulbs, but, unfortunately, as I gave the required push and twist, the bulb holder disintegrated. Fortunately, one does not enter one’s ninth decade
A YOUNG man was hit over the head during a robbery outside his Westcliff home. The 27-year-old was approached by two men in Avenue Road who struck him causing him to fall to the ground. They then rifled through his pockets and took a
On collection day I put out two black bags with a small wooden box on top. I was later surprised to find that my black bags were the only ones in the road that had not been collected. I phoned Southend Council for an explanation and was told
DESPITE a slight improvement in weather conditions yesterday, the chances of non-league soccer making an early return to action look bleak. Already the Essex Senior League have taken the unprecedented step of cancelling their entire midweek programme
MOTORISTS driving on the A127 are facing at least two more months of delays caused by road works. Drivers heading towards Southend at busy times will continue to face delays of as much as 30 minutes, according to highways officials. Work on the Dunton
RANDY George continued his excellent start with the Essex Pirates at Everton Tigers on Friday night, but he could not stop his new side suffering a 99-79 defeat. The 28-year-old bagged another 24 points to take his own personal tally to 72
A SCRIPTWRITER and actor who grew up in Southend is celebrating the start of the second series of his hit show, Being Human. Toby Whithouse, 38, writes the BBC Three series which tells the story of a werewolf, a vampire and a ghost who all share a house
A SCHOOL bus got stuck in roadside snow as it took pupils to a Rochford school. The double decker was taking students to King Edmund School, in Vaughan Close, when it got stuck on Barrow Hall Road shortly before 8am. No-one was injured and pupils
SIMON Francis insists he is keen to stay with Blues – despite being wanted by Championship strugglers Peterborough United. Posh had an £150,000 offer for the right-back accepted towards the end of last week. “I listened to what
AS a thaw appears to have set in, the remaining snow and icy conditions have closed a school in Hockley and caused the cancellation of several social club meetings in Southend. The BBC's list of school closures for today, Monday, January 11
MOST schools have reopened their doors to students after snowy weather forced them to shut last week. A handful of schools across the country are still either closed or opening late. No schools in Basildon or Castle Point are thought
A LOVING dad-of-three has died suddenly aged 27 – just four months after his youngest child was born. Greig Rawlinson died at Southend Hospital from a blood clot that spread to his lungs days after being taken ill at his home in Ramuz Drive, Westcliff
THERE was traffic chaos leading up to a busy Southend roundabout as trees were chopped down to make way for a new £25 million regeneration scheme. A stretch of the Victoria Avenue, Southend, dual carriageway was reduced to a single lane on
A FORMER Woolworths is being transformed into a doctors’ surgery and drop-in health centre. The facility will open in May at the former shop in Grays town centre. It will offer GP and nurse appointments to registered patients, as well as walk-in services
A PUB has launched a charity campaign to help Asian Tsunami orphans. Project Re-Gift aims to help orphans in Thailand five years after the Boxing Day Tsunami as well as disadvantaged kids across the UK. It has been launched by the Rayleigh Lodge pub
