This section of the website contains village and club news as well as news from the Parish Council and Borough Councillors. If you have news to contribute please contact the parish clerk.
Damaged Clay EmbankmentSeawall Repairs – Old Hall Farm, Tolleshunt D’Arcy
The Envionment Agency have advised that during a routine survey they have identified a section of sea wall that is in poor condition and requires repair. This work will be taking place over the next few weeks (weather permitting). The following are extracted from their factsheet.
Where is this work happening?
We will be carrying out repair works to
approximately 20m of clay seawall adjacent to
the steel piled defence wall at the end of Old Hall
Lane, Old Hall Farm.
Where is this work happening?
The Agency will be carrying out repair works to approximately 20m of clay seawall adjacent to the steel piled defence wall at the end of Old Hall Lane, Old Hall Farm.
What will we be doing?
The existing clay embankment has eroded and slipped reducing the current standard of flood protection it provides to the local area. We will re-profile the clay seawall back to the correct height and install Gabion basket scour protection to the seaward face of the seawall. The rock filled Gabion’s will provide toe and anchor support to the seawall preventing further erosion and slippage. Gabions also provide a useful refuge for many types of wildlife. To complete these works safely and efficiently, it will be necessary to use some machinery both on the site and to access the site. We appreciate that this may be unsightly and we will work hard to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.
Why are we doing the work?
This important work is being delivered to help safeguard people, property and arable land in the local area of Tolleshunt D’Arcy.
Full Time – 35 hours per week Salary circa £24,000
Job Vacancy with RCCE Rural Housing Enabler
Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE) is a leading charity working in Essex for over 85 years. We provide assistance to people and communities throughout rural Essex to build a sustainable future.
RCCE is looking for a new Rural Housing Enabler to help rural communities in Essex provide the housing they need.
You will promote and advise on affordable rural housing, working with parish councils, registered providers and local authorities to achieve this. You will attend community events, deliver presentations at parish council meetings and undertake housing needs surveys.
You will also have the opportunity to work on other community engagement projects that include wider housing and development priorities or needs.
You will be a confident communicator, able to prioritise and problem solve and be enthusiastic about rural communities, especially in terms of affordable housing. This role will require flexibility, as it involves some out of hours working. We are particularly interested in hearing from applicants that have experience of affordable rural housing or planning/development.
RCCE registered charity no 1097009 Registered company no 4609624
To apply you must complete an application form and an equality monitoring form, which can be downloaded from RCCE’s website: www.essexrcc.org.uk/Working_for_us or can be provided by contacting us (see above).
For any queries relating to the posts or application process, or informal discussion please call 01376 574 330.
Colchester Borough Council have just issued details of a number of events and activities, including some for this half term, as follows:
Half term fun with Colchester Museums
Banish half term boredom with Colchester Museums this May, as we host activities that are a break from the norm!Get your creative juices flowing with the twisted history of Colchester in cartoon, enjoy a feast for the ears with tales of Roman Food or prepare your very own shell-fishy hand puppet to take home! Find out more here.
Summer Screen
Two weeks of Summer Screen in Castle Park between 29 June and 12 July will be covering everything from live Wimbledon, Amélie, Mamma Mia and Shaun the Sheep: The Movie; all accompanied by a licensed bar, pop up food kiosks, bands and more! Wimbledon is FREE, film tickets just £2, under 3yrs FREE. Find out more here.
King of Pop, The Legend Continues
‘NAVI’ the world’s No.1 Michael Jackson performer will be recreating the magical classics from the early Jackson 5 songs to the mega-hits such as Thriller and Smooth Criminal. A great night of entertainment suitable for the whole family. Tickets £17 and £10 for children 16 years and under. Find out more here.
Be more streetwise about your well-being
Street Wise, is offering all things ‘street’ and more, for families to enjoy for free this summer – in a bid to help local people become more streetwise about their health and well-being.Street dance, street food and street sports such as football, basketball and skipping are just some of the free activities and attractions on offer at the event on Saturday 13 June, 10am-4pm at the Colchester Institute. Find out more here.
Colchester Borough Council run numerous events throughout the year, some upcoming events are:
Bandstand Concerts in Castle Park
The concerts take place on Sunday afternoons (and the occasional Saturday) through the summer from May to September. Highlights areThe Band of the Parachute Regiment, The Colchester Band and Sweeting Swing Band. Find out more here
Half term activities at Colchester Museums & Leisure World
Colchester Museums: live animal encounters, Roman food, puppets, kites and more! Fine out more here
Leisure World Colchester: badminton, short tennis, swimming, arts, crafts, dance and more! Find out more here
Celebrate the Moot Hall Organ restoration
Celebrate the restoration of the Moot Hall Organ with a mix of great events at firstsite and Colchester Town Hall. Meet the Organist, make your own organ pipe, join the Big Pipe Busk, Organs in the Archives and Organs in the Movies. Don’t miss the inaugural recital on 24 May! Find out more here
There are lots of great events taking place in Colchester – why not take a look at the Visit Colchester website
Starting at 12:30pm at St Stephens Church, Great Wigborough, this afternoon event promises to be a fun family event with food, drink & entertainment from a Barnershop Quartet. Early booking is recommended as space is limited, contact Ann Coates by phone, 735340 or email [email protected] – tickets are £8 adults or £15 for families.
This event is being organised jointly by members of the church council and others from the village. We are very sad that the Friends of the Wigboroughs has had to close through lack of a Chairperson, but hope that village events can still be enjoyed and funds raised for both the fabric and running costs of the churches.
Abberton Rural Training – The Rural Skills Centre for Essex has just launched new Short Courses! Ranging from one day to a few weeks, there are lots of options to choose from. For more information, or to book, contact us on 01206 738609 or through our website at: www.abbertonruraltraining.org or by email to: [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you! Take a look and just some of the courses on offer:
Short Courses
19th March (1 day course) – Make a natural bee skep
Use willow and cob to make your own strong and natural bee skep. Learn what to do next and how to start making honey.
26th March or 23rd April (1 day course) – Basic Plastering
Introduction to basic plastering techniques, tools used, background surface situation and preparation prior to plastering, along with care and maintenance of tools. Mixes of various plasters and finishes will also be covered.
16th April (1 day course) – Felt applique
Learn the art of applique using felted wool to make a small reverse applique sachet! Learning traditional needlework. All materials provided.
23rd April (1 day course) – Make a natural trellis
Use local native wood to make a robust and attractive plant support/trellis. Learn how to choose and shave your wood, then use green joins to combine it
18th June (1 day course) – Make a traditional gate
Using native wood such as chestnut, ash, and oak to make a garden gate. Learn to choose, shave and prepare the wood, using green woodworking skills.
Longer courses
17th April – 22nd May (6 weeks) and 5th June – 10th July (6 weeks) – Introduction to Basic Carpentry
This 6 week course will cover use and proper care of tools, introduction to basic joints, fixings and finishes. Uses of different timbers (hard, soft and man-made). Design and construct your own small project.
16th April – 14th May (4 weeks, no class on 07/05) and 11th June – 9th July (4 weeks, no class on 16/07) – Spinning
Learn to spin in 4 weeks – learn about the quality of fleeces and carding. Learn how to wash, card and spin natural wools. Each person works on their Individual spinning wheel, giving plenty of hands on practice.
17th April – 22nd May (6 weeks) and 5th June – 10th July (6 weeks) – Creative Textile Techniques
Learning basic sewing skills on the sewing machine and more advanced techniques, such as machine embroidery and quilting, to create contemporary textile designs.
17th April – 22nd May (6 weeks) and 5th June – 10th July (6 weeks) – Fruit & Veg for Beginners
An introduction for new allotment holders and home growers, covering what you need and how to do it. Focusing on setting up systems within your allotment or garden, seasonal planning, management and composting.
23rd April – 21st May (5 week course) – Interior Design Accessories
Using colour, historical design and textures this course is about how to adapt and redesign small interior accessories. Collage and moodboards creates a design sketchbook without the need for drawing skills.
Being organized by the Friends of St Mary’s, Peldon, this will be a truly Scottish night with Scottish dancing and haggis & neaps for supper (alternatives available)! So get out your tartans and dancing slippers this 7th February for a really enjoyable evening! Everyone is welcome.
Tickets £10.00 Adults and £6.00 under 12’s are available from Sally Abbott on 01206 735931 or by email [email protected]. Please state if Haggis, Chicken or Veggie option is required. Bring your own wine and glasses.
The Peldon Players proudly present The Snow Queen by Tina & Robert Burbidge between 21st & 24th January at Peldon Village Hall. This promises to be a real treat for all ages, being based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of ‘The Snow Queen’ it is delivered as an English pantomime – with jokes, songs, and the occasional accident with a large pie.
Tickets are available from Melanie Newton for £6 Wednesday & Thursday (7:30pm curtain) and £7 Friday & Saturday (7:30pm curtain, 2pm matinee on Saturday) – concessions £4 and £5 respectively. Melanie can be contacted by:
Abberton Rural Training, a new project offering a programme of short and part time courses starting this Autumn. There are still places available! Based at Layer Water Treatment Works and around the Abberton Reservoir it is a beautiful place to study. Autumn courses include:
Spinning – Learn how to wash, card & spin natural wools. Each person works on theeir individual spinning wheel giving plenty of hands on practice. This 4 week course has already commenced (see picture) on 16th October.
Willow weaving – Learn how to make a willow basket, you will leanr a couple of differnt weaves and get ideas for progrsssing with this fun and flexible craft. Runs on Friday November 7th between 10:00 – 4:00 and costs £60 per day.
Greenwood crafts – Experience working on a green pole lathe to make a dibber and also carving utensils. All equipment provided, suiotable for novices; this is, however, quitr a physical activity. Runs on 7th November between 9:30 – 12:30 or 1:30 – 4:30 for £65, or full day, 9:30 – 4:30 for £120.
Felt applique – Learn the art of felt applique using felted wool to make a small reverse applique sachet. Learning traditional needlework, all material provided, Runs on Thursday 13th November between 10:00 – 4:00 for just £30.
Quilting – Learn how to make a 1m square patchjwork quilt – great for keeping warm in the winter, just when you need it. Suitable for beginners. Four week course starting on Friday 14th November between 10:00 – 4:00 for just £25 per week.
Origami textiles – Using recycled fabrics make origami anipmals to create a piece of art – a decorative item to treasure or even wear in your hair. Two dates for this course, Thursday 20th or 27th NOvember betwen 10:00 – 1:00 for £20.
Art classes – Adult Club – A 6 week course teaching a selection of watercolour techniques and skills. Excellent renowned local artist John Harrison shows his expertise with excellent teaching. Runs Thursdays 10:30 – 12:00 (ongoing) at £150 for all 6 weeks.
Art classes – Children’s Club – A 6 week course teaching a selection of watercolour techniques and skills suitable fro children. Run by renowned local artist John Harrison. Runs Thursdays 15:45 – 16:45 (ongoing) at £48 for all 6 weeks.
NEW – CHRISTMAS WREATHS 11th DECEMBER & CHRISTMAS CRAFTS 18th DECEMBER!
Based at: Layer Water Treatment Works, Church Road, Layer de la Haye, Essex CO2 0EP
Hours: Monday – Wednesday 10:00 – 12:00 with an opportunity to increase the hours worked further as the project develops
Salary: Negotiable
Abberton Rural Training is a new Rural Skills training charity providing Further Education for post 16 students in Land Based Studies, and short course programmes in a variety of rural skills. A diverse range of organisations have come together to work in partnership to create and deliver Abberton Rural Training. These include Essex County Council, Colchester Borough Council, Layer Parish Council, Rural Community Council of Essex, Colchester Institute, Writtle College and Essex Wildlife Trust.
Following the commencement of our courses, we now wish to recruit a part time Administrative Assistant who will support the Project Manager and the Programme Tutors in:
maintaining student and timetable records;
recording and investigating student absence;
dealing with parent/family enquiries;
following up referrals;
booking visits;
liaising with feeder schools and other community bodies;
taking minutes for meetings;
updating finance records;
purchasing consumables and other items relevant to the course;
handling the post; and
dealing with other administrative requirements as they arise.
The successful candidate will ideally have had experience working within an educational environment, and will be proficient in using Microsoft Excel and Word. You will be educated to at least GCSE standard, including Maths and English, with excellent IT, organisational and communication skills, and will possess the ability to work effectively to tight deadlines whilst handling multiple priorities. Outstanding attention to detail, first-class interpersonal and team-working skills, and the ability to establish good working relations at every level of the organisation, are all essential requirements for the post. A First Aid qualification would also be an advantage.
The successful candidate will be required to undergo a DBS (formerly CRB) check, and references will be sought.
This summary is designed to assist prospective candidates in understanding the key components of the role. It is not intended to be exhaustive. The content of the role may be subject to modification from time to time.
To apply, please email your CV and a covering letter to Jacqui Stone, Project Manager, Abberton Rural Training at: [email protected]. The closing date for receipt of applications is 3rd November 2014.
Rural Community Council of Essex (RCCE) is a leading charity working in Essex for over 85 years. We provide assistance to people and communities throughout rural Essex to build a sustainable future.
Half term fun with Colchester Museums
Summer Screen
King of Pop, The Legend Continues
Be more streetwise about your well-being
Colchester Events
Saturday 4th July – The Wiggys Go Yankee
Abberton Rural Training – The Rural Skills Centre for Essex has just launched new Short Courses! Ranging from one day to a few weeks, there are lots of options to choose from. For more information, or to book, contact us on 01206 738609 or through our website at: 
Peldon Highland Fling
The Snow Queen Arrives Soon
Abberton Rural Training, a new project offering a programme of short and part time courses starting this Autumn. There are still places available! Based at Layer Water Treatment Works and around the Abberton Reservoir it is a beautiful place to study. Autumn courses include: