It was all dark at the club last night (Tuesday).

The sign on the door stated the the parent company had ceased trading.

Whilst estate agents are advertising on the front of the building that the premises are available to let.

The club offered a number of facilities over the years including fitness suites, hall facilities as well as hotel rooms.

YT rang a number of contact numbers but there was no reply.

At full council Cllr Andy Smith, portfolio holder for transport, was answering a question from Cllr Danny Nicklen, who asked: “After reporting the issue of missing road signs in Stanford to Highways and raising it at full council last year, little or no progress has been made. Will the portfolio holder ensure the missing signs are replaced as a matter of urgency?”

Cllr Smith told the meeting that around 30 “safety related” signs in the Stanford area had been replaced.

He said: “Dealing with stolen signs remains an issue across Thurrock and the country.

Signs continue to be stolen including some of the plastic ones, and there is a considerable backlog of missing signs — well beyond the budget available.

“We are therefore programming the replacement of signs according to a number of factors.”

Cllr Smith said: “If a road has a substantial number of signs stolen, that road will be prioritised as high ranking; warning signs rank the highest priority, regulatory signs next and directional signage as the least high priority.

“There is also the issue of the condition of the existing signposts. If the posts are not up to specification the whole assembly will have to be replaced, so consideration will be given to the financial implications for replacing the sign.”

Speaking afterwards, Cllr Smith said: “I’m not sure what else we can do. We know metal signs are attracting thieves so we use plastic ones and we put notices on the back saying they are plastic and worthless, yet still they are taken.

“I know the phrase ‘thoughtless thieves’ is a bit of a cliché, but it seems rather apt in these cases!”

The PM was responding to a question by South Basildon and East Thurrock MP, Stephen Metcalfe at PM Questions this afternoon.

Mr Metcalfe asked: “Could we have support for all the customers and suppliers for this very important business that lies at the heart of my constituency.”

“The prime minister replied: “I whole-heartedly agree. The administrators are looking to continue with operations and you are right that it is vital for customers and suppliers to be protected.

“We will continue to keep on the case.”

A number of potential sites had originally been identified for a new substation to connect the Gateway Energy Centre, a proposed new gas-fired power station, to the national grid, which transports electricity supplies around the country.

National Grid undertook a wide-ranging public consultation and completed exhaustive technical studies into the plans for connecting the power station to the transmission system (or National Grid if preferred). However, a recent review found that with fewer power generators than originally anticipated needing connecting to the grid in the area, the power station could be connected using the existing substation at South Coryton.

The new proposal involves a minor expansion of the existing substation on land owned either by National Grid or the power station developer InterGen.

Project Manager Brian Smethurst said: “National Grid always looks at connecting new generators to the grid using our existing transmission network and infrastructure first rather than building new infrastructure.

“This vital scheme will deliver the best of both worlds to people. It will help ensure they continue to enjoy safe and reliable electricity supplies with little or no impact on the local area.”

He added: “I would like to thank all those who took part in our public consultation, your feedback was greatly appreciated.”

A planning application for the new scheme will be submitted to Thurrock Council and it is hoped work will be completed by 2014.

For more information on the scheme call 0800 319 6165, email nationalgrid@easthurrockconnection.com or visit www.easthurrockconnection.com

The incident happened at just after midday on Sunday in Fobbing Road, Corringham

Firefighters were called to a fire in the kitchen and reports that the cooker was on fire. The fire was out on arrival before the fire crews arrived.

Station Officer Geoff Wheal from Corringham Fire Station said:

“Essex County Fire and Rescue Service had fitted the property with a smoke alarm approximately six months ago. The smoke alarm alerted the 73 year old resident that there was a fire in her kitchen. The lady had been cooking her Sunday dinner and had not heard her cooker timer go off on the oven as she had been watching TV in another room. Thankfully the smoke alarm went off in the hallway alerting her to the fire and she called 999.

Station Officer Wheal added: “A smoke alarm provides you with a vital early warning system that a fire has started in your home, giving you time to get out of your property and call the Fire Service.”

If you would like advice on home fire safety and smoke alarms please call 0845 6012495

1. Community Grants

The Thurrock Council for Voluntary Service is administering a Community Grants scheme on behalf of Thurrock Council.

£81,000 is available to local voluntary, community and faith organisations working in support of Thurrock’s priority to ‘Build pride, respect and responsibility in Thurrock’s communities and its residents’.

The fund was launched in November 2011 and applications can be made up to the end of January 2012.

Application forms are available via the Thurrock CVS website.

Local organisations can also apply up to £5000. Applicants must be members of CVS – this is to encourage capacity building within the voluntary, community and faith sector.

Organisations must have been active since December 2009 (newer groups can apply through another organisation as a sponsor).

2. Community First

This is an £80 million government initiative which targets those wards in England considered to be subject to significant deprivation and low social capital.

Eligible wards where data showed an 10% increase in benefit claimants was noted between May 2009 – 2010.

Four wards in Thurrock are considered to be eligible for this programme. They are Chadwell St Mary; Tilbury St Chads; Tilbury Riverside and Thurrock Park and West Thurrock and South Stifford.

There are two elements to Community First; the Community First Neighbourhood Grant Programme (up to 2015) and the Endowment Match Challenge (beyond 2015).

The £30 million Community First Neighbourhood Grant Programme will make £33,910 available to each ward for local improvements over the life of the programme. In order to access this funding local areas must establish a Community First Panel, and the Panel must identify match funding.

A Community First Panel should comprise between 4 – 8 local residents who will need to register their interest on-line with the Community Development Foundation to be recognised. The Panel will then need to work with local residents and partners to produce a Community First Plan and recommend projects/activities to be funded in their ward.

3.Devolved Councillor Budgets

Seven Councillors in three wards have access to £2000 each, to pilot a devolved budget scheme. These wards are: Stanford East and Corringham Town, Tilbury St Chads and Chafford South.

Devolved Councillor Budgets were agreed by Cabinet in June as a pilot project to support elected councillors to be effective community champions.

One application has been approved – £1000 each from both Councillors in Tilbury St Chads will be used to support bulb planting at the Daisy Field, Tilbury.

The statement on the website says: “Ryans family are sorry to have to provide you with the latest sad news regarding Ryan’s condition.

“All tests have now come back from the hospital, the prognosis is that Ryan’s brain injuries are so extensive that he will never recover from the coma and have no quality of life at all.

“Therefore we were asked by Ryan’s medical Team to attend a meeting to discuss and consent for all medication to stop, this decision has been made by all Ryan’s medical Team and immediate family, also if in the future Ryan requires resuscitaion, this will not be given.

“Ryan’s family and Partner Rie are sincerley sorry to provide you with this sad news.

On Saturday 27th August Ryan was doing a border bounce (visa run).

According to sources, he was using a minibus company and on the way back from the Malaysian border, the driver lost control going to fast round a bend.

Ryan suffered a fractured skull and after 2 major brain surgerys to remove a bone fragment from his brain and reduce swelling and compression, he slipped into a coma.

The fair trade mark (www.fairtrade.org.uk) guarantees decent wages and living conditions for people who grow and make products that we use every day. By buying products with the fair trade mark you can be confident that the producers have not been exploited by ruthless middlemen and that practices like child and slave labour (yes, it does still happen even today) have been stamped out. Fair trade products available locally include tea, coffee, chocolate, fruit and juices, sugar, wine, and more. To achieve fair trade town status, retailers, schools, community groups, and the local authority have to come together to make sure that products are available to buy and use and that the message is getting out there.

A meeting is being held on Thursday 19th January at 8pm for anyone interested in getting fair trade in Stanford and Corringham “off the ground” in 2012. The meeting will be at the 24-7 Stanford community house at 217 Southend Road, Stanford-le-Hope, and anyone is welcome to attend.

Local Councillor Phil Anderson has helped to secure the council’s support for the fair trade town initiative. Phil said “In the current economic climate, I sometimes hear people saying that charity should begin at home. Fair trade is a way that anyone can make a difference, through the decisions they make right here at home. There is often little difference in price, but the difference it can make to people’s lives in communities around the world is immense. I’m delighted to be supporting fair trade in Stanford and Corringham, and I’m really looking forwards to hearing people’s ideas on Thursday 19th.”

Pc Dave Dunn, who is based at Basildon and front man for band Coldfire, held the event back in November at Corringham Village Hall to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

250 people attended the event, and a staggering £2,000 was raised for the worthwhile charity.

Local stores Tesco, Asda, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams all dug deep to provide raffle prizes for the night, and Corringham Village Hall donated the use of the venue for charity. Sports and Star Autographs, based in the Eastgate Shopping Centre, generously donated framed authentic signed pictures of Johnny Depp, John Travolta, Dennis Waterman and Kelly Osborne, which helped raise cash.

FOR the first time in many years new Thurrock Council homes are being built in the borough.

Cllr Andy Smith, the council’s housing portfolio holder was at the Oxwich Close development on Wednesday (21 December) morning to officially lay the foundation stone.

The site, in Corringham, used to be garages which were poorly used and attracted vandals and arsonists.

The scheme will provide 16 flats — one- and two-bedroom — for rent, owned and managed by the council. All of the homes are specially designed to be energy efficient, Secure by Design, and meet the government’s Quality Design Standard as well as several of the Build for Life criteria.

Cllr Smith said: “It is imperative that local authorities do all they can to help people into affordable accommodation, especially in these difficult times.

“There is increasing pressure on the council’s housing list and this is one small, but important step on the road to easing that pressure.”

He added: “These homes will not only be affordable rent-wise, but because of the way they have been designed, the tenants living here will benefit from cheaper energy bills too.

“Not only do they reach Sustainable Code Level 4 which will reduce energy and fuel costs, they will have photo-voltaic panels on the roof to supplement the residents’ energy needs by solar power, low ‘u-value’ windows to reduce heat loss, and low-flow taps and showers as well as dual flush toilets to conserve water.”

Cllr Smith said: “The scheme has other less tangible benefits too, including three local people employed as trainees on the construction, two local companies working as sub-contractors with more jobs for local people, and local apprenticeships and training opportunities being provided by the main contractor Durkans.

”This is just the start. My ambition is for us to provide significantly more affordable social housing in Thurrock as the pressures, financial and social, continue to grow.”

On Monday (19 December) staff from Thurrock Council’s children’s social care went to the refinery to pick up around 250 presents donated by staff and contractors.

For the last eight years the refinery has run a virtual Santa programme where social services staff supply a list of the toys and gifts the children they work with would like to receive for Christmas. The details are loaded onto the refinery’s intranet site and employees and contractors remove from the list the gift they would like to buy.

Jon Barden, Refinery Manager said: “Our Virtual Santa programme has become an important part of our Community Programme and I am always proud of the generosity of our employees and the contractor personnel – we are absolutely delighted to continue what has now become an annual tradition at the refinery.”

Cllr Barbara Rice, the council’s portfolio holder for Children’s Social Care and Health said: “On behalf of the social care team I would like to thank everyone at Petroplus for their continued generosity.

“Many of the children we work with are facing difficult times and this helps ensure they will have a memorable and happy Christmas.

“This generosity and commitment over the years, buying wonderful gifts for children that may receive very little or none at all sums up the real spirit of Christmas.”

Council staff will be delivering the gifts before the Big Day and Cllr Rice added: “Social workers have an incredibly difficult job and seeing the children’s faces light up with joy when they get the chance to play Santa gives them a tremendous boost too.”

Thanks to the main sponsors Petroplus as well as the hard working team who graft all year round to ensure the community come together for this wonderful event.

There were numerous stalls as well as a great variety of acts on the stage. There were also activites in the library including Santa!

We will show our film of the event tomorrow but the first part of the event, with carols and singing around the Tree of Light outside the library had to be performed inside the library as a number of acts of vandalism took place over a number of evenings.

Local Labour councillor Phil Smith was so incensed that he took us to one side and wanted to have his say on the acts of mindless vandalism.

Well done to all involved in the fayre for putting on a great evening.

This is the first year that the calendar has been on sale and features many photos of Corringham including the view from the Manorway to the Thames and the Fruit and Veg stall in Corringham Town Centre.

All of the photos featured calendar were taken by members of Corringham Thameside Rotary Club and friends. The calendar has been generously supported by local business which ensures that all proceeds go to charity.

If you would like a Corringham calendar or would like more information on Corringham Thameside Rotary Club and their activities – please get in contact with Charlie on 07939 202683.