KEEN cyclists are being encouraged to get on their bikes to raise money for poorly children. Hadleigh Castle Rotary Club is holding a sponsored family bike ride on Sunday, September 15, to raise money for the Haven’s Hospice. The six-mile route
A MAN is running a half marathon to say thank you to the charity helping his family. Leigh Dale, 33, of Sullivan Way, Laindon, will be in Newcastle during the Great North Run to raise cash for Diabetes UK. Leigh’s mum, dad and cousin all live
MYSTERY still surrounds the future of a Thundersley wood after it was sold at auction. The 14.5-acre site, in Daws Heath Road, which is known as the Cottage Plantation, was put up for auction as part of a sealed bidding process in April. Hopes
GREG Smith finished with a career-best 177 as Essex clinched maximum batting points for the first time this season and took a firm grip on the LV= County Championship Division Two match with Gloucestershire at Bristol. After rain had washed out
HISTORIC diaries of soldiers who fought in the First World War are set to go on display as part of a museum’s tribute to the 100th anniversary of the conflict. Next year will mark the centenary of the Great War, which claimed millions of soldiers
A HOUSING association has been accused of only doing half a job over the regeneration of a Vange estate. South Anglia Housing started the renovation of the 3/4 estate, in Vange, in 2006, with the aim of tackling crime and antisocial behaviour.
A HAVE-A-GO hero who chased a violent mugger who had attacked an elderly woman has been rewarded by his community. Connor Clifford, 18, instinctively chased after the thug – who had left a 73-year-old woman covered in blood and snatched her handbag
A LIFESAVER told of his shock after he was warned off providing help to his 150 neighbours by Basildon Council. Emergency first responder, Hugh Hunter, 65, was dumbfounded when he receivedaletter from the council saying helping neighbours in Spencer
A CHILD has been airlifted to hospital after being taken ill. The air ambulance has airlifted a child to hospital from a house in Thorpe Bay. The lifesaving service was called to a house believed to be in the area of Fermoy Road and Tyrone
WEATHER experts are warn ing extreme downpours and flooding will become more common over the next few years. The Met Office says people should brace themselves for more freak weather after Saturday’s rain turned roads into rivers and forced people
WORKMEN were today due to finish repairing flood damage to the A127 responsible for mile-long traffic jams. With the eastbound carriageway down to a single lane, traffic in Southend backed up from the Bell Junction, to the Tesco roundabout yesterday
YOUNGSTERS have had their daily bus journey to school brightened up...by regular appearances in a shop window by a white gorilla. Special needs pupils loved seeing the cuddly toy in window displays of Furniture Kingdom’s shop, in Benfleet High
SOUTH Essex’s top three golfers resume European Tour duty today at the Wales Open. Leigh’s Richard McEvoy, Southend’s Matt Southgate and Basildon’s Daniel Brooks are all in action at the Celtic Manor Resort in Newport, and all need an incredible
RYAN Peniston finished runner-up at the prestigious Aegon British Junior National Championships. The south Essex player lost a hard-fought boys’ under-18s singles final 6-4, 6-2 against Sam Butler at the Nottingham Tennis Centre. The tournament
POLICE have released CCTV images of man wanted for an assault in Leigh. The attack happened when a 53-year-old man was punched in the face outside J D Weatherspoon, The Elms Public House, on Sunday, August 11 just after 5.30pm. The manager
THE thought of out-of-town shopping centres can often send shivers down the spines of town centre workers. Millions of pounds of investment into attractive new units, free parking, and having everything under one roof, can spell the end to many
I’VE been delighted by the positive response of the players since the defeat at Chesterfield. We trained hard on Monday and the following day we assessed the video of the match and tried to find out the reasons why we lost the game. Jose Mourinho
A TEENAGE couple who died in a motorbike crash had taken cannabis, an inquest heard. Abbey Parker, 17, and Brad Cooper, 18, both students at Basildon’s Prospects College, died when their blue Yamaha motorcycle was in collision with a tractor in
A MAN was jailed after admitting stealing a truck from Adventure Island. David Bateman was arrested on Saturday night after taking the red Nissan pickup from the Southend seafront theme park. The court heard Bateman, 46, used a screwdriver
THE hot meals service at day centres for the over-50s looks certain to be scrapped after no one came forward to run it. The subsidised service has been under threat for months after Basildon Council revealed it needed to save £30,000 from its catering
HULLBRIDGE teenager Liam Nash scored a hat-trick in a trial for Premier League side Norwich City after being spotted playing in a local reserve game. The 17-year-old striker scored a volley, a penalty and a neat finish as he turned out for a young
DALE Connelly forked out a lot of dough to make his proposal to long-time girlfriend Catherine Scott one to remember. Dale hired Southend Pier and got Pizza Express to send the couple’s favourite pizza to the spot to make the cheesy moment perfect
SONNY Coutts has continued his progression at Southend United by impressing for the club’s under 18 side. The 15-year-old, from Rayleigh, has already been with Blues for eight years and was head of youth Ricky Duncan’s first signing on his return
SOUTHEND United are asking their fans to show support for both the first team and the youth academy when the Shrimpers host Morecambe at Roots Hall next month. The club has labelled the match, which takes place on Saturday September 7 at Roots
ADAM Thompson will be a man on a mission when Southend United head to Wycombe Wanderers this weekend. The on-loan Watford defender is eager to show Blues boss Phil Brown that he should stay in the starting line-up, even when Mark Phillips returns
THE father of a girl who died from drinking poisoned gin in Indonesia told how he was coping with her death by throwing himself into a life-saving campaign. Brenton Emmons, 47, of Southend, is on a mission to ensure what happened to his Cheznye
ACTRESS Gwen Taylor has a soft spot for our part of the country – to be more precise, the riverside town of Wivenhoe. That’s because back in 1996, she spent many happy weeks filming the short-lived sitcom A Perfect State. Running for just seven
THE leader of Rochford District Council has made it clear that protecting homes from flooding is the responsibility of homeowners not his council. Terry Cutmore stunned residents during a TV interview when he said it wasn’t down to the council
A MAN allegedly posed as a prospective home buyer in order to steal tens of thousands of pounds worth of jewellery. Detectives investigating a series of thefts arrested a man on Monday in connection with three reported crimes in Rochford, Rayleigh
IT’S a bit of an admission from the croaky-voiced singer, but Jon Fratelli reckons the recently reformed band is quietening down a bit. “We all seem to be far too well-behaved these days,” says the Fratellis frontman. “It’s very bizarre that
THE second busiest children’s centre in Southend looks set to close, despite an outcry from parents. Officers plan to recommend Southend Council shuts Hamstel Children’s Centre, in Southchurch, to save about £60,000 even though 350 people signed
A YOUNG singer is looking to raise £6,000 to give a better life to poorly little girl she has never met. Arianna Morgan, 12, from Grange Way, Thundersley, is taking part inacharity gig next month so five-year-old Maisy Hutley, who suffers from
A BROKEN down vehicle caused chaos for commuters heading into Essex on the M25 this morning. The lorry blocked the left hand tunnels at the Dartford tolls. Traffic queued back to junction 2. The lorry was eventually moved at about 7.30am
A SPEED camera on the A127 is one of the top ten earning devices in the country, new figures have revealed. The camera on the London-bound track of the Fortune of War at Laindon – where the legal limit is 40mph – snared 20,498 speeding motorists
