HATS are the height of fashion right now. From berets to bowlers, baseballs to bakerboys, they're everywhere - and they've even got a new night of music dedicated to them. The unique Hat-Club, which is coming to Southend this Sunday, plays the very
AT last, after winning a Popworld competition in December, Heist will finally appear on the Channel 4 show on Saturday, June 2. The Funk and R&B group from Southend went up against nine other bands in the web-based competition that relied on visitors
LOVABLE in Eastenders as Alfie Moon, theatregoers won't recognise Shane Richie when he comes to Southend next month. The former Pontins bluecoat will be starring as brash rebel Randle P McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and seems to have had
THE hills are still alive with the singing of von Trapp family more than forty years after they first rang to the sound of their music. Following in the family tradition The von Trapp Children - Sofia, Melanie, and Amanda, joined by young brother Justin
A TEACHING shortage could hit south Essex if salaries are not increased, according to the unions. The National Union of Teachers is demanding either a 10 per cent rise or £3,000 hike in pay from September 2008. The demands followed warnings from the
IT'S official! Summer's here and it's time to party while you shop. Cecil Gee will be hosting its first beach party of the season at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Thurrock, Essex on Saturday June 2 and to celebrate they're offering £250 of Cecil
A CRAMPED primary school could soon be replaced with a new £8million building in the Shoebury garrison development. Southend Council's cabinet backed the rebuilding plan at a meeting last week. Gladedale Homes, which is building a mini-village at Shoebury
DISABLED workers at a south Essex factory have been left devastated after an announcement the site will close by the end of the year. Tearful employees at Remploy, in Sutton Road, Southend, have been told the plant was one of 43 doomed sites across the
PLANS to demolish a snooker and health club and replace it with a block of 57 sheltered flats have been thrown out by councillors. Southend Council's development control committee followed their officers' recommendation to refuse the plans for Riley's
THE Golden Lion in Rochford has regained its crown as south east Essex's real ale pub of the year. The local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale regularly picks the Rochford pub for its top honours. It has yet to win Camra's overall Essex pub of the
AN emergency road closure next week is likely to cause chaos for traffic across a large part of the Rochford area. Essex County Council is closing the junction of Rectory Road, Main Road and Hall Road, Hawkwell, from 9.30am on Monday, June 4, to 7pm
HISTORY is brought to life in a new educational DVD - and the star of the show is none other than Pitsea Marshes. For decades it has been dismissed as just a tip, but the DVD proves otherwise and gets its own celebrity endorsement in the voiceover by
A NEW plan to redevelop an eyesore building on Southend seafront is due to be submitted to the council within weeks. Esplanade House, a derelict former office block in Eastern Esplanade, is set to be turned into shops, bars, a new budget hotel and accommodation
Men and women who served in the Armed Forces prior to December 31, 1984, qualify for a Veterans' Badge. All veterans, whenever they served, are warmly invited to the National Veterans' Day service and celebration at St Mary's Church, Benfleet, on Friday
COUNCILLORS are worried an exhibition of plans for 1,800 more homes in Rayleigh will be shown at a time few people will see them. The exhibition on Rochford Council's plan to build 3,700 extra homes across the area will tour the district until Saturday
A DEVASTATED woman is pleading for the return of her stolen camcorder, which holds the last recorded footage of her grandmother. Caroline Davill was distraught after thieves broke into her car and stole the film of her family's last Christmas together
A NEW one-way system is being created to stop drivers pulling out on to a dangerous blind bend. The new system in Valkyrie Road, Westcliff, will prevent southbound motorists having access to the railway bridge and turning into oncoming traffic in Station
A NEW arrival at a Hadleigh farm made a dramatic entrance in front of enthralled visitors. Nymph is the latest Bagot goat to arrive at the Salvation Army Farm Rare Breeds Centre, but her sudden appearance on Sunday surprised everyone - not least her
THE Port of London Authority has promised to look after the interests of the Thames as a whole during the inquiry into plans to store liquified gas on Canvey. The authority reassured protest group People Against Methane it would fight for equal status
FANS of Southend Airshow may have had to wrap up with a few extra layers as the heavens opened and a cold wind blew, but it didn't stop the enjoyment of the ever-popular event. Organisers estimated hundreds of thousands of fans flocked to both days of
JODIE Marsh's method for testing out a suitor, and possible future hubby, Matt Peacock: Take him to Southend's Adventure Island. It's a pretty good idea, really. A roller-coaster is probably the ideal preparation for life with Jodie.
MEET Mike Stone, of Canvey. He stands in the great tradition of the lone individual with neither wealth nor power, prepared to make a stand against a giant corporation with deep coffers and terrifying lawyers. Despite the powerful forces lined up against
MEAL times for little Alex Renton differ dramatically from those with other babies. Six-month-old Alex has a rare condition which means he risks suffocating from any food he eats. While most parents are looking forward to the start of weaning their
HOMEOWNERS have launched an action group to stop their 100-year-old houses from being demolished for development. Residents of Herbert Grove, Southend, plan to protest against a proposal by urban regeneration company Renaissance Southend to turn their
A LITTLE girl has sampled life as a real-life Angelina Ballerina as a very special guest for a day at the Royal Ballet. Angelina Vidler, four, was granted her wish to be a ballerina for a day as a reward for her courageous fight against cancer. The
A DISABLED man who was beaten black-and-blue by two thugs has told of the trauma. The man, who suffers from the brittle-bone disease osteoporosis and has a crumbling spine, was punched with such force his shoulder broke. He was set upon by two men,
MOTORISTS are counting the cost of a huge pothole which damaged cars and caused chaos. Breakdown services were inundated with calls to Lower Dunton Road, Dunton, where a large hole had opened up in the road causing damage to vehicles yesterday evening
THEATRE-GOERS are set to be captured hook, line and sinker when pirates take over a local beauty spot. In a first for Basildon, the Towngate Theatre will be hosting an open-air show this summer with a performance of the classic tale Treasure Island.
ESSEX girl Jodie Marsh screamed as she and one of her "suitors" hit Southend seafront. Jodie, of Brentwood, was filmed at Adventure Island for her new TV show, Totally Jodie Marsh, which follows her search for a husband. She was with Matt Peacock, ex-boyfriend
THE manager of a popular nightclub is planning a charity night to raise money for robbery shooting victim Adam Mapleson. Mr Mapleson, 24, of Downhall Road, Rayleigh, was shot twice in the chest as he tried to stop an armed robbery at Rayleigh station
A FORMER planning committee chairman has renewed his call for more building in the green belt to stop urban areas becoming "saturated" with flats. Bill Sharp, who resigned as chairman of Castle Point's planning committee earlier this month, feels some
AN IT manager plans to climb Africa's highest mountain to raise more than £3,500 for the National Deaf Children's Society. Michael Pellett, of Ulster Avenue, Southend, will climb to the summit of Mount Kilamanjaro on Kenya's border with Tanzania with
A COMPANY set up to improve Basildon's 12,000 council homes has cost taxpayers £1.3million - with no guarantee of success. St George's Community Housing Association is an independent company set up because it is eligible for Government cash to bring
IT WAS all very hush-hush when a former SAS soldier made a top secret visit to a secondary school. Andy McNab, author of the critically acclaimed Bravo Two Zero, sneaked into Sweyne Park School in Rayleigh and spent a day speaking to students. He discussed
THERE are 4,000 people in Southend alone who are dependent on alcohol. A further 22,700 are drinking at hazardous levels, according to figures by South East Essex Primary Care Trust. In the backdrop of stark statistics about binge drinking and alcohol
SIX young cellists from Billericay hit the perfect note when they performed at the Leigh Music Festival. The group picked up trophies and medals in group, duet and solo performance sections. Barnaby Walter, 14, Timothy Blore, 14, Molly-May Walter,
POLICE were alarmed to find 200 windows and 20 doors left open during a two-hour walkabout. Basildon crime reduction officer Steve Greener and a team of PCSOs hit the streets of Vange to give residents advice about how to beat burglars. Yet they were
PRIMARY schools in Southend will have their catchment areas and admission figures adjusted to reflect new population trends. Southend Council says the catchments need updating, as they have not been altered since it became responsible for education as
CASTLE Point Council is looking to step up its plan to go green. Councillors will soon start work on developing a plan to cut carbon emissions and try to make the borough "carbon neutral" by introducing projects such as planting trees and using alternative
FAIRIES at the bottom of a rather wet garden attracted nearly 600 people to Wat Tyler Country Park. The RSPB used its base to host the Fairyland Trust Fairy Fair. There were workshops for children, who could make fairy crowns, wizard shields, flower
TWO Castle Point Tory councillors have escaped a rule which threatened to cut their right to claim expenses because they had missed too many council meetings. To be entitled to a £2,784 a year attendance allowance, councillors have to attend at least
PUPILS at St Bernard's High School and Arts College don't have much to complain about with their lunchtime menu - because they help write it. Girls at the school regularly meet with catering manager Mary Cooper to discuss the food on offer. Mrs Cooper
Reading your report on the proposal to close no fewer than 48 Remploy factories, I can only say I view the news with utter disgust, especially since we pride ourselves as being a caring society. I have a particular interest in this, as way back in the
People have long complained of rubbish-tip England. One apocryphal tale has Hitler refusing Goering permission to drop surrender leaflets on England on the grounds no-one would notice them amid the litter. You have merely to watch moron motorists using
Recent letter writers, claiming unspecified world leaders have finally realised the danger of global warming and are taking drastic action, have taken a sudden setback this weekend. The Asiatics are unlikely to attend the forthcoming June G8 summit on
It is shameful MPs such as James Duddridge have sought to protect their own interests by excluding themselves from the Freedom of Information Act. To say it is about protecting constituents' interests is ludicrous. I believe it is more about hiding how
It is now some years since the abolition of censorship was hailed as a great triumph for freedom. Since then, many might agree this freedom has brought with it a disastrous fall in public behaviour and morals. However, during the same period of time
AN 80-year-old man was attacked by violent burglars. The drama unfolded when the pensioner opened his back door to let his dogs out. Two burglars pushed him back inside and forced their way into his home. While one man held the pensioner down, the
SOUTHEND United have tabled another two bids for summer transfer targets. The Shrimpers are known to be interested in a non-league striker as well as Barnsley forward Paul Hayes. But manager Steve Tilson and his staff have now made moves to strengthen
THERE were times, when cycling through the tears, Bernie Friend felt like giving up his epic cycle ride. Yet even during his lowest moments, he pedalled on. Pulling him through his epic cycle challenge across northern Europe were precious memories of
TAKING part in a marathon may be hard enough for most runners - but that does not include the amazing Ernie Jewson. For the Hockley-based athlete - who is a member of Benfleet Running Club - has just completed a course more than five times longer,
THREE suspected illegal immigrants have been arrested in Thurrock. The Border and Immigration Agency carried out raids, targeting individuals thought to be using forged immigration papers to disguise fake marriages. They are also believed to have made
LAKESIDE return to Elite League action when they take on Poole Pirates tonight. The Pirates will be without World Champion Jason Crump, who dislocated his shoulder in the Swedish Grand Prix on Saturday, but they have drafted in a top-drawer replacement
ROBERT Foster-Jones has enjoyed mixed fortunes in the MSA Championship. The teenage Southend driver took a stunning double victory in the second round at PFi, near Newark, but then found things tougher at the Italian Open Masters. He qualified 29th
ESSEX start their County Championship match against bottom-of-the-table Glamorgan at Swansea today hoping to complete the double over the Welsh county who are bottom of Division Two. Five weeks ago, a double century from Ronnie Irani, who made 218,
DANNY Gabbidon believes his injury nightmare will turn him into a better player. The West Ham defender was sidelined twice with long-term injuries last season, first with a hamstring strain last November, then with two separate groin injuries in the
ROY Carroll has been released by West Ham. The Northern Ireland international goalkeeper was granted a free transfer by Irons boss Alan Curbishley after requesting a move that would guarantee him first team football. The 29-year-old stopper has fallen
NORTHLANDS Park regular "Dagenham Dave" Pitt, hit the jackpot three days running by landing more than 250lb of big bream in his three sessions at the Basildon venue. Pitt's biggest haul came on the first day when he fished the cafe lake. Fishing
LEIGH anglers Pete Draper and Aaron Faulkner spent a night on Doggetts' south bank. Draper beat his personal best with very hard-scrapping 26lb mirror followed shortly by a fine fish of 19lb- plus, although he lost an even larger fish. Faulkner
EKCO Monarchs and Trojans slumped to a fourth straight T.Rippon Mid-Essex League Premier Division defeat, going down to title-chasing Aythorpe Roding by 19 runs. The defeat came in spite of a superb individual bowling performance from Mike Walsh, who
THE quick- thinking actions of two children stopped a fire spreading to a row of terraced houses. Ella Boyle, nine, was playing in her back garden in Alderney Gardens, Wickford, when she saw smoke billowing out of her next-door-neighbour's roof. She
A COUNCILLOR is calling for more information about possible future housing developments in his village to be made public. John Mason, independent Rochford district councillor for Hawkwell, thinks the district's present development strategydoes not give
AN escapologist is hoping to learn some new tricks from an old pro - if he can find him. Albert Alchemy is trying to find retired escapologist Nick Janson who lived in Hadleigh and may well still living locally. During a career starting in the Fifties
MORE than 9,000 complaints about aircraft noise over Essex and Suffolk in the past year were made by just 14 callers, it has been claimed. A public inquiry into plans to remove existing limits on passenger numbers at Stansted Airport starts next week
THE RNLI has warned watersports enthusiasts about the importance of communication after three people were stranded at sea in two days. A waterbiker was rescued on Saturday after a member of the public spotted his broken-down craft. The lifeboat was
A CIVIL servant is waging a one-man battle against BT over a new policy to charge customers more for not paying by direct debit. When Mike Stone, 59, received a letter from the phone company asking him for an extra £4.50 for processing charges because
SURVEILLANCE cameras are set to be installed to record every vehicle which enters and leaves Canvey. Castle Point Council is in talks with police to install number plate recognition cameras at Waterside Farm roundabout to record vehicle movements on
