The event, organised by the Rotary Club of Corringham Thameside required each school choir to sing two songs of their own choosing which were judged on the following criteria, choice of songs, quality of performance, teamwork, and the enjoyment displayed by the children in the choir.

Songs ranged from “The Purple People Eater,” “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”, “It’s Always a Good Time”, and “The Water of Life”. After a fiercely fought contest, Arthur Bugler Junior School retained the coveted “Rotary Shield” whilst Corringham Primary were runners up and Abbots Hall Primary were third.

The excitement mounted as the children tried to guess who the “special” celebrity was going to be, who would present the prizes. An enormous roar of approval went up as “Shrek” appeared on stage to present certificates to each choir and to hand the shield to Arthur Bugler school. The children were overjoyed when “Shrek” left the stage and mingled with them after the show.

There was also a fine performance from Le Danse Fantastique, a troupe of handicapped and “special needs” children who received a standing ovation.

Monies raised from the competition will be donated to the charity, “Roll out the Rotary barrel” which stives to alleviate the necessity of young children in third world countries having to carry heavy loads of water over long distances to service their families needs.

This is done with a simple “lawn roller” type barrel which can be pulled along with far less physical effort and at the same time can carry more water. The concert is expected to raise in excess of £600.

A short section of the A13 will be diverted in both directions between Saturday 15th June and Monday 17th June 2013.

The diversion will commence at 5am on Saturday, and will last 48 hours, before the carriageway reopens at 5am on Monday 17th June to minimise disruption for weekday commuters.

Traffic will be diverted over the Stanford-le-Hope roundabout before rejoining the main carriageway.

A small hole appeared a few weeks ago and slowly but surely, according to parents it has got bigger and bigger.

Mother-of-two, Joanne Smith told YT: “It was just a small hole a few weeks ago but it has grown and grown to such an extent that I have to push my buggy into the road.

“And that can be dangerous when so many cars are outside the school at the end of the school day.”

Joanne and a number of parents have contacted the council and submitted a complaint on-line.

A council spokesperson has pledged that they are looking into it. He said:

“This has been referred to Anglian Water as it is believed to be associated with the adjacent sewer.

“The matter is still under investigation to establish the cause and further works will be undertaken during the next two weeks.”

YT will report back in a weeks time to see if the work has been done (June 12th).

Journey times will be longer for those who use Stanford Road, as the approved safe diversion route is via the Orsett Cock Roundabout. The diversion will be in place for two weeks. These works have been brought forward from the original closure to allow construction to progress whilst the bridge installation works are being completed.

To ensure commuters are safe, during major work on the bridge structure, the A13 will be diverted, taking traffic up the junction’s slip roads and back down onto the A13. The majority of this work will take place between Friday 12 April and 6 May and will see the diversion in place all weekends from 20.00 on Fridays until 5.00 on Mondays and on most weeknights from 20.00 until 5.00.

Murphy Construction Manager, Simon Fay, said: “The patience and understanding of all road users during the construction of the junction improvements has been a great help, and we will continue to work hard to keep any inconvenience to a minimum.”

Diversion routes have been approved by the highways authority and are designed to provide a safe alternative road, capable of handling an equivalent or higher level of road traffic.

The works are being undertaken to increase the capacity of the A13/A1014 junction by widening it from the current two lanes to three lanes. Each of the slip roads will see significant remodelling as part of the works. Despite slip road closures, the junction will operate a single lane usage to maintain access to all surrounding areas.

Road users are recommended to subscribe to the email alerts system on www.a13roadworks.co.uk, which will provide advanced warning of changes to traffic management, allowing them to better plan their daily commute. Diversion routes will be signposted and road closures kept to a minimum. Road users should plan their journey and allow extra time whilst the restrictions are in place.

The day was organised by the Residents And Traders Association of Corringham (RATAC).

Over 140 children took part on Saturday, even though it was a very cold day with snow showers and at one point hail stones!

Ron Huelin, President of RATAC said “It was great to see so many excited children and happy smiley faces in the town centre.

“So many people said it was an excellent idea and what a great day it was, then asked us to do some more”.

Deb Stewart from Your Do it Yourself Centre (which was the starting point for the Free Easter Egg Hunt) said “We had a great time interacting with the children and parents. Everyone enjoyed themselves and we had children returning with “Thank you” letters and flowers only hours into the event, it was an amazing day filled with laughter for everyone”.

Ron Huelin added: “We achieved the desired effect – Local residents and shopkeepers became re-acquainted with each other and their town centre. Some people discovered shops they didn’t know existed in Corringham and more importantly, had fun doing it.

It was wonderful to see our local MP Stephen Metcalfe and councillors Mark Coxshall and James Halden.

Emma Keast of Cranberries surprised the lucky winner of the prize draw with a phone call. Marie Birde of Oxwich Close was amazed when she came to collect her prize and realised just how much she had won.

The prize worth over £300 consisted of gifts and vouchers from all the shopkeepers that took part in the Easter Egg Hunt.

The association has organised an Easter Egg Hunt this Saturday 30th March to take place in Corringham Town Centre between 9am and 4.30pm.

Chairperson of the association William Tilby said: “We are proud to be able to put on our very first event, run by the community, for the community.

All you need to do is collect your map and visit the shops listed on it. (Children MUST be accompanied by an adult). Find the egg picture hidden in the shop and write down the easter word you find on it.

Then collect your Easter egg sticker from the counter. When you have found all the egg pictures and collected your stickers, children can redeem their map for a real chocolate Easter egg and a lovely certificate of completion.

Adults can join in too! Simply collect and complete the Easter egg hunt (as above) and your entry will be entered into a prize draw for an Easter box of gifts and vouchers worth over £150!

The Easter egg hunt will be open to join in from 9am to 4.30pm Saturday 30th March 2013 On Saturday simply collect your map from the starting point: Your Do It Yourself Centre Ltd (No. 33 St. Johns Way Corringham) And off you go!

Mr. Tilby went on to say “We hope this will be just the first of many fun filled events that we can organise for the Corringham Community”.

The application is for a building and two storage containers to be used as a community centre in Corringham Town Park, Gordon Road.

Karis May Darling was just 12 years-old when she died in April 2011 after contracting a bug called Streptococcus A, which can develop into meningitis.

Since then, her family and friends have organised event after event as part of the Karis May Darling Foundation.

The highlight of this summer will be a family fun day on July 13th.

There has been no date set yet for the application to be heard.

Southend Road has long been a concern to residents, with a council speed survey showing some drivers travelled at over 70mph. The road is also used by residents crossing for public buses and school/college buses. Additional road markings and a flashing speed sign have already been installed and the new crossing will complete the works.

Conservative Councillor Pauline Tolson for Homesteads ward said “We have been campaigning on residents’ behalf about Southend Road for some time. About a year ago we secured funding for signs to help cut speeding, this crossing will now provide a safe place for many local residents, including schoolchildren, to cross. In such an economically tough time, it’s great to see we can still deliver these important community projects”.

Homesteads Councillor James Halden said “We have also been working hard to make sure that any idea of speed bumps gets blocked. These bumps would only serve to penalise local residents and ultimately force traffic down the avenues and onto Branksome Avenue. This is unacceptable and thus I’m pleased that Stanford will remain free from this “passing the buck” scheme”.

Stanford East and Corringham Town councillor Phil Anderson added “we completed a survey of residents opinions nearly two years ago, and it’s great to see the changes finally being made. We still need drivers to be responsible for their speed, but with these new measures they now really have no excuse.”

The Association hold a number of events throughout the year to raise money for some extremely worthy local causes – this year’s beneficiaries are Holiday Homes for the Handicapped, First Responders and ‘Blu’s nu-shoes’.

Blu’s nu-shoes is a fundraising campaign for four year old Blu from Chadwell St Mary. Blu suffers from cerebral palsy and his parents Laura and Damien had been fundraising for him to have the pioneering Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy operation which will ease his mobility problems, this has now been approved and so all funds raised will go towards physiotherapy and equipment.

Mr Metcalfe commented: “It was a real privilege to attend the Stanford and Corringham Carnival Association spring dance and to present cheques to some fantastic local charities.”

“It was a great occasion and I would like to offer my sincere thanks to the Association for their ongoing fundraising efforts. The money raised makes a real difference to the local community and will bring Blu one step closer to his life changing operation.”

“I look forward to the main Carnival this summer and will continue to support the Association however I can.”

If you would like to donate ‘Blu’s nu-shoes’ please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/blus-nushoes .

Members were informed of the progress being made to secure the tenure of the land and buildings in Herd Lane.

PWC, the liquidators of the Petroplus assets, have met with members of the club committee and negotiations are ongoing.

The Thurrock Councils Local Development Framework Plan was also discussed, which affects the grounds where The Pegasus Club is based.

Members were urged to study this closely and, if they so wished respond to Thurrock Council by 4p.m. on the 1st March.

Any Members still wishing to join the Community Share Scheme could still do so.

The overwhelming support of the members to retain the current sports and social facilities at the Pegasus Club is apparent and everyone is working to that end.

His latest tour sees much-loved Jimmy coming to the very popular Corringham Village Hall on February 23rd.

Doors open at 7.pm. There is a full licensed bar from 7pm to 12pm. With hot and cold snacks.

Tony Vegas will also be appearing throughout the evening.

Tickets are £12 each for a great night of entertainment.

Ring 0844 5617107 or go on line at www.corringhamvillagehall.co.uk.

So, please not that his act (and the film clip) contains some adult content and may not be suitable for children under the age of 18.

The committee told the assembled throng that they had been given notice to quit by the administrators, Price Waterhouse Cooper by June 20th, 2013.

Between now and then, the membership, which numbers 1250, were told by the committee that the best chance of survival is a community share scheme.

There are over 160 similar schemes in the UK including FC of United.

The maximum amount invested is £20,000. More importantly, the minimum is £500.

After the committee outlined the details of their proposals, questions were invited from the floor.

One member asked if they had “a ballpark figure in mind when bidding?”

A committee member said: “We are trying to keep that close to our chest but we understand that they (PWC) had received an unsolicited bid of £400,000.”

The committee asked members to fill in a pledge sheet as well as directing them to the Local Development Framework document on the council website, where they could express their opinion on the mooted plans for the area.

One member asked about the lines of communication between PWC and the Pegasus Club. The committee said there ‘Was virtual radio silence.”

The meeting ended with the committee handing out a pledge forms and announcing that the next meeting will be February 19th.

The members believe that this is now their only option to save their 1300 full members (3500 with their families) who use the sports and social club after the Thames oilport bid which would have left the club in trust was turned down by Price Waterhouse Coopers (administrators) in December.

A number of issues will be discussed at the meeting.

The meeting will discuss where they are right now; what the options are; what possible barriers are in their way.

They may also discuss concerns over any planning applications for the area.

A spokesperson said: “The building of a football stadium on the Pegasus club would completely destroy our club grounds.

Our clubs Executive committee have unanimously decided to have no dealings with East Thurrock Football Club, but we cannot speak for all our members and this will be on the agenda at our Members meeting on the 29th January.

“Maybe they should look to build their new stadium on the land next to the Billet pub in Billet Lane I am quite sure the Council will let them.

“We already looking at funding to improve our facilities ie. Lottery, Sports foundation.”

The special event is organised by the Corringham Thameside Rotary Club.

It will be held at St John’s Hall, Corringham on Tuesday 11th December.

Tickets in advance – anyone interested call Charlie Key on 07939 202683.

Only 100 tickets available so please book ASAP to avoid disappointment.