Your Thurrock » Communities

Aveley Community Forum AGM

michael casey — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:28:02 +0000

AVELEY Village Community Forum will be holding its AGM on Tuesday 23rd July at 7.30pm at the Aveley Youth & Community Centre.

This meeting is open to anyone and we would invite our local residents to join us.

First residents move in to Elizabeth Gardens

michael casey — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:50:50 +0000

THE first residents move in to a new type of housing next week (26 June), geared towards helping older people remain independent for as long as possible.

Elizabeth Gardens in Long Lane, Grays, has 18 one-bedroom and 47 two-bedroom apartments. It has a restaurant, hair and beauty salon, laundry, activity room and landscaped gardens, and all the flats are designed to enable people to maintain their independence well into old age.

Thurrock Council’s portfolio holder for housing, Cllr Val Morris-Cook, said: “It is great to see the first residents moving in to their new home. This first step heralds a new era for housing in Thurrock. We are creating homes where people want to live, in communities that are friendly and well connected to local services.

“We hope this will enable older people to continue to enjoy life and go on making a valuable contribution to their communities.”

Elizabeth Gardens is geared towards people aged 55 and over who need care and support services. Most of the flats are being let at affordable rents and 18 have been sold on a shared-ownership basis.

Claire Anderson, Development and Services Director at Hanover, said: “It is great to see people moving in to Elizabeth Gardens. This is a a fantastic flagship development helping older people to live independently in their own home with the peace of mind of care on site.”

Elizabeth Gardens has an on-site 24-hour care team and residents in the apartments can also receive personal care, including help with dressing and washing.

Cllr Barbara Rice said: “The first residents moving in to Elizabeth Gardens is an important step in our journey to providing desirable places to live – homes that meet people’s needs as they grow older.

“This housing development is a great example of how we are tackling the issues that cause ill-health such as poor housing and social isolation.”

Residents and Traders of Corringham meeting

michael casey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:18:54 +0000

THE RESIDENTS and traders association of Corringham will be holding a meeting at the Corringham Village Hall on Tuesday June 25th at 7pm.

RATA intend to arrange other events that continue to bring family fun and community spirit into Corringham Town Centre. The Association is currently awaiting a decision from Thurrock Council regarding their licence application to use the Town Square. Once this has been decided it will then determine the type of events they are allowed to organise. They have some great ideas for future events for the Town Centre which will be non-profit making run by the community for the community.

If you would like to be involved please come along to our next meeting on Tuesday 25th
June at 7pm in Corringham Village Hall to join the Residents and Traders Association of Corringham.

Over the next month or two RATA will be en- deavouring to bring some colour to the Town Centre with flowers. If there are any keen gardeners out there who have some spare plants they would like to donate to RATA, in order to help, then please call us on 07938 518576 or email randtofcorringham@gmail.com

Natalie Cassidy to star in Thameside panto!

michael casey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:06:29 +0000

JACK and the Beanstalk is a great hit with all the family whether you are 3 or 103 years old and is this year’s GIANT of a Pantomime at the Thameside Theatre in Grays running from Friday 6 December 2013 to Sunday 5 January 2014.

Following last year’s success of Cinderella, Polka Dot Pantomimes will once again be producing Essex’s best value Pantomime that will combine a West End cast, spectacular scenery, glittering costumes and some truly magical surprises. Leading the cast will be the lovely Natalie Cassidy who we all know as Sonja Jackson in BBC1’s EastEnders and more recently in BBC1’s Dancing on Ice. Natalie will play the Fairy in this year’s Pantomime and will be joined by the return of West End star Wain Douglas as our Dame who has been a favourite with the audience at the Thameside Panto in recent years.

It’s going to be a great show and tickets are already selling fast! To book your tickets you can telephone us on 0845 300 5264 or you can pop along to the theatre and book your tickets with our helpful Box Office staff. The Box Office is open 10.00am to 5.00pm Monday to Friday and on Saturdays 10am to 1.00pm. Alternatively, you can go on-line at www.thurrock.gov.uk/theatre any time of the day or night, where you can purchase up to 9 tickets. Book now to avoid disappointment and get the best seats in the house!

Also, don’t forget that it is the Children’s Panto Chorus Auditions this Saturday 22 June at the Thameside Theatre, Grays from 10.00am – 1.00pm.

Children must be no younger than 8 years old by 1 September 2013.

To audition, you must fill in an application form which is available from the Thameside Theatre Box Office or by sending an email to Polka Dot Pantomimes at darren@polkadotpantomimes.co.uk or call Polka Dot Pantomimes on Tel: 01775 712359 and bring it with you on the day.

Meeting to address concerns over South Ockendon parking

michael casey — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:38:27 +0000

A MEETING to discuss residents parking in the Flowers Estate, South Ockendon will be held this Thursday.

The meeting will be part of the South Ockendon Residents Association meeting on Thursday (27th) at 7.30pm in the South Ockendon Social Club, Canterbury Parade.

Portfolio holder, cllr Anji Gaywood has written an open letter to residents.

Cllr Gaywood said:

“I have made it a priority to introduce residents only parking on the Flowers Estate to resolve the issue of commuter parking– but wanted to make sure we could make the permits free of charge before consulting with residents.

I want to dispel any fears over future parking permit charges:-

I give my full assurance that under this Labour-run Council, we have pledged that residents will not bear the price for being unable to park near their homes and promise that the first two permits per household in these parking zones will be free and will continue to be free under our administration.

This is our chance to do something positive to change this problem – I am still shocked that in the six years the conservatives ran Thurrock Council -with Cllr Johnson as a cabinet member for much of that time – they failed to do anything to address this. I am also very disappointed that not one single conservative councillor voted to support this action when the council agreed it in February. I guess that tells Ockendon residents all they need to know about their local Tory councillors.

It is really important that local people make their views clear on this.

I am keen to hear what residents think and will be attending the

I would also be grateful for residents to respond to the consultation in writing and responses should be sent to Thurrock Council by no later than Friday, 28th June 2013.

Cllr Angie Gaywood (LABOUR)

Portfolio holder for Public Protection & Parking

Volunteering reaching out to South Ockendon

michael casey — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 10:51:32 +0000

NGAGE, the Community Organisation and Volunteer Centre for Thurrock has launched a new pilot project called ‘VCLocal’.

The project aims to launch smaller satellite volunteer centres across Thurrock in order to encourage more local people and organisations to access volunteering opportunities within the local area.

VCLocal was launched at the new South Ockendon Centre in Derry Avenue, and will offer a drop in service every Tuesday morning between 10am and 1pm.

“We want to encourage local people to pop in and talk to us about volunteering opportunities, as volunteering can help people in so many ways including building confidence, gaining new skills, meeting new people, improving employment prospects and much more. We hope to see more people using the VC local drop in service and are keen to talk about ideas for local volunteering projects”.

“We would like to hear from more local organisations, who can let us know about any opportunities they may have to use volunteers, and also local businesses who may want to support local projects in the area”.

ngage are currently registering volunteers to help out at some of the community events this year, including T Fest which takes place on the 27th and 28th July which is a great weekend event, and volunteers can get involved in a variety of roles.

For more information about volunteering or to register for the one of events call Laura on 01375 389853 or email volunteer@ngagethurrock.org.uk

Stanford residents anger at dumped waste

michael casey — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:30:07 +0000

FIRST THEY appeared in Purfleet, then another just over the border on Pea Lane, Upminster and now a mass of waste has been dumped in Stanford-le-Hope.

The stinking stretch of waste is over 100 metres long and is in a storage yard near to Rookery corner in Stanford-le-Hope.

It appears to have been there since last month.

YT has been told by Thurrock Council that they are waiting for the Environment Agency to take action.

Children sing for Shrek

michael casey — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:54:47 +0000

CHILDREN from six Corringham primary schools took part in the Corringham Junior School Choir Competition at the Springhouse Club on Wednesday 12th June 2013.

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.

Thurrock Gang Show hope to be Bright Sparks

michael casey — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 11:31:19 +0000

THE months of rehearsals that go into a Gang Show are tiring and more than enough work for most but the Gang at Thurrock Gang Show had more work to do after their successful 2013 show came to an end.

They decided to put together an entry for the Bright Sparks Project, a competition by The Scout Association which is looking for the hidden talent within Scouting. The grand prize is the opportunity to work with leading songwriters, artists, producers and more to produce a music album, single and music video which will be released on sale.

Entries to the competition take the form of a video which has to be uploaded to YouTube. The entries with the most views will be judged and the winners chosen.

Thurrock decided to perform a powerful song from their 2013 finale, Sing by Gary Barlow and the Military Wives Choir.

Please watch the video and like, share and comment as winning this competition would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the young people involved in the show.

For more information on The Bright Sparks Project, visit www.brightsparksproject.com

Commemorating the Norman knight, Henry de Grey

michael casey — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 11:46:53 +0000

ALL of 818 years ago on 11 June Henry de Grey, a Norman knight, acquired the Parish of Thurrock from King Richard the Lion Heart.

On Tuesday this year Thurrock Council marked the first step in the creation of a town named Grays with a Thurrock Heritage Plaque.

The plaque scheme is maintained by the council’s museum service maintaining and stimulating interest in the borough’s unique heritage.

The 13th plaque reflects on the arrival of Henry de Grey from France who settled here after his purchase of the parish, thus becoming Lord of the Manor.

His family continued to stay and the parish name became known as Grays Thurrock and the town simply as Grays.

The unveiling of the plaque was held at Grays Parish Church in the High Street and it is expected the plaque will be permanently placed nearby.

A grant from the Veolia Mardyke Trust enabled Thurrock Museum to continue its series of plaques across Thurrock.

Bulphan WI learn all about wine-making

michael casey — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 08:22:37 +0000

By Janice Curtis

FOR their June meeting, several Bulphan WI members, along with six of the Brentwood Belle’s WI took a trip out to New Hall Vineyards in Purleigh, which has been producing wine since 1969 and is the largest in East Anglia (second largest in England).

On our arrival we were greeted by the fab Daryl Kemp who was our guide for the evening.

We watched an award winning DVD by Colchester Film Makers, showing a year in the life of the vineyard and giving a brief history from the current owner Piers Greenwood.

Daryl then took us on a tour around the processing areas where depending on yield they can produce up to 100,000 bottles per year. He was a font of knowledge and answered all the questions the ladies fired at him fully, with demonstrations where possible. He explained they grow 14 varieties of grapes which are blended into several wines many of which have won awards from the East Anglian Wine Growers Association & nationally.

We were then treated to a selection of four wines which we had to judge and score for colour, bouquet, taste and appeal. Thankfully we were allowed to drink them after the assessment! A lovely ploughman’s supper was provided and many of us took the opportunity to purchase their favourite from the wines, there were also local chutneys, jams and pickles available.

Some of our members were so impressed they are going to take up the chance of leasing a row of vines.

All in all an excellent evening thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Chadwell concentration camp survivor wins award

michael casey — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 07:43:25 +0000

A WORLD War II veteran from Chadwell St Mary has become the first-ever recipient of PETA’s Compassionate Dad Award for a lifetime of encouraging kindness and empathy for animals. Sidney Pledger, who turns 90 in October and was born in Ireton Place in Grays, was nominated by daughter Sharen for his progressive views and always helping animals in need, having rescued many homeless, sick and injured animals over the course of his life.

Each year, thousands of cats and dogs in animal shelters must be killed because there aren’t enough good homes for them. Other animals are abandoned on the streets, where they starve to death, are injured or killed by vehicles or fall prey to abuse. The Dogs Trust’s Stray Dog Survey 2012 revealed that a shocking 119,000 stray and abandoned dogs were picked up by local councils across the UK over the previous 12 months – a staggering 325 stray dogs found every day.

“As a Nazi concentration camp survivor, my dad always used to tell us that life is one big concentration camp for animals”, says Sharen Pledger. “Having seen so much cruelty during the war – even bombs being dropped on animals – made my amazing dad turn his back on all forms of cruelty for the rest of his life.”

Sidney Pledger was on board the SS Orama when it was sunk by the German cruiser Admiral Hipper in 1940. He was interned at Sandbostel Concentration Camp and moved to Milag Nord Prisoner of War Camp along with author PG Wodehouse, who mentions the good-humoured Orama sailors in his memoirs. Upon his return to Britain, Pledger vowed to show compassion and respect towards all those capable of suffering. This led him to adopt countless animals in need. People who are willing to commit the time, love and money that are required to take care of an animal companion properly can follow Pledger’s example and save lives by adopting from a local animal shelter.

A slick £1,700 for Children’s Hospice

michael casey — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:38:31 +0000

OIL workers in Stanford Le Hope have raised £1,700 for seriously ill children cared for by Little Havens Hospice.

Staff at businesses across the Thames Oil Port bought tickets to win a selection of prizes including Apple iPads and an iPhone, Kindles and a large flat screen TV in a charity raffle which took place on 28th May. These prizes and more were generously provided by companies Vopak, Jacobs, Amec, Beaumonts, BIS, Redhall and ERM/Redhill.

THE draw raised £1,700 for the hospice which cares for children from across Essex who have a life-limiting condition and was organised by Project Administrator Sharon Palmer, aged 52, from Jacobs Ltd who said, “The raffle was a great success and I want to say thank you to all our employees for buying a ticket. I realise that we raised a small amount in comparison how much Little Havens needs to keep running but if everybody locally did there bit then the hospice could do even more to support local families. In today’s busy and hectic lifestyle it’s easy to forget how important it is to look after others and however much or little we give, we can all help.”

Little Havens is not part of the NHS and receives limited government funding. The hospice must raise £46,000 every week to be there for the children and families who rely on its care.

Little Havens Community Fundraiser Peter Hall visited the team on to thank staff and receive the cheque. He said, “We are extremely grateful to Sharon for organising the raffle and to all the companies who so generously contributed prizes. Whether we care for a child for years, months, weeks or even days, we make a real difference to their life but that simply wouldn’t be possible without businesses in the community, like Jacobs Ltd, fundraising for us. ”

To find out more please visit havenshospices.org.uk or contact Peter Hall on 01702 220305 or phall@havenshospices.org.uk for fundraising and volunteering ideas.

Thurrock bin collections should be sorted in three weeks

michael casey — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 08:09:50 +0000

IT WAS NEVER going to be easy and judging by the lists of “uncollected” streets in Thurrock, it is proving to be true.

We are now two weeks into the the “Same Service, Different Day” system of waste collections.

One of the reasons for the new system was a “smarter” approach.

As one Bulphan resident told YT at the weekend. “We used to see a council refuse van, clean one street and then say they would be back two days later to clean the other side. This new system seems to make much more sense.”

However, Thurrock Council have told YT that it may take a few weeks for the system to “bed in”.

In the meantime, the council will publish, each day,a list of the streets that did not have their waste uplifted.

Here is the list for Tuesday.

Adstock Way, Grays
Alexandra Way, East Tilbury
Aluric Close, Chadwell St Mary
Arun, East Tilbury
Ashley Close, Corringham
Atherton Gardens, Chadwell St Mary
Bark Burr Road, Chafford Hundred
Beaufort Close, Chafford Hundred
Beechcroft Avenue, East Tilbury
Belhus Park Lane, South Ockendon
Belmont Road, Grays
Berwood Road, Corringham
Blue Anchor Lane, East Tilbury
Boleyn Close, Chafford Hundred
Bonner Walk, Chafford Hundred
Bracelet Close, Corringham
Brampton Close, Corringham
Brandon Close, Chafford Hundred
Brentwood Road, Chadwell St Mary – part Brindles Close, Stanford Le Hope
Broadlands, Grays Bull Close, Chafford Hundred
Button Road, Grays Calder, East Tilbury
Calshot Avenue, Chafford Hundred
Camden Close, Chadwell St Mary
Camden Road, Chafford Hundred
Caravel Close, Chafford Hundred
Cardinal Road, Chafford Hundred
Castle Road, Grays
Caswell Close, Corringham
Catalina Avenue, Chafford Hundred
Catharine Close, Chafford Hundred
Cecil Avenue, Chafford Hundred
Celedon Close, Chafford Hundred
Chance Close, Chafford Hundred
Chester Close, Chafford Hundred
Church Road, East Tilbury
Clifford Road, Chafford Hundred
Cole Avenue, Chadwell St Mary
Colne, East Tilbury
Cooke Close, Chafford Hundred

Cooper Shaw Road, Chadwell St Mary
Coronation Avenue, East Tilbury
Courtenay Drive, Chafford Hundred
Courtney Road, Chadwell St Mary
Coxon Drive, Chafford Hundred
Crawley Close, Corringham
Cromwell Road, Grays
Cumberland Road, Chafford Hundred
Dalroy Close, South Ockendon
Daniel Close, Chadwell St Mary
Darenth Lane, South Ockendon
Davis Road, Chafford Hundred
Dawley Green, South Ockendon
Deben, East Tilbury
Delargy Close, Chadwell St Mary
Dell Road, Grays
Dene Path, South Ockendon
Dent Close, South Ockendon
Derry Avenue, South Ockendon
Devereux Road, Chafford Hundred
Deveron Gardens, South Ockendon
Diamond Close, Chafford Hundred
Diana Close, Chafford Hundred
Douglas Close, Chafford Hundred
Dove Close, Chafford Hundred
Duarte Place, Chafford Hundred
Dudley Close, Chafford Hundred
Duffield Close, Chafford Hundred
Dunkellin Grove, South Ockendon
Dunkellin Way, South Ockendon
Dunning Close, South Ockendon
Dupre Close, Chafford Hundred
Easington Way, South Ockendon
Edmund Road, Chafford Hundred – part Elan Road, South Ockendon
Elmdon Road Enborne Green, South Ockendon
Ernan Close, South Ockendon
Ernan Road, South Ockendon
Erriff Drive, South Ockendon – part Faymore Gardens, South Ockendon
Felicia Way, Chadwell St Mary
Fenton Road, Chafford Hundred
Florence Close, Grays
Fortin Close, South Ockendon
Fortin Path, South Ockendon
Fortin Way, South Ockendon
Founes Drive, Chafford Hundred
Frances Gardens, South Ockendon
Frobisher Gardens, Chafford Hundred
Frome, East Tilbury
Fullarton Crescent, South Ockendon
Furness Close, Chadwell St Mary
Fusedale Way, South Ockendon
Garron Lane, South Ockendon
Gatehope Drive, South Ockendon
Gavenny Path, South Ockendon
Giffordside, Chadwell St Mary
Gordon Road, Corringham
Groves Close, South Ockendon
Gun Hill Road, East Tilbury
Halt Drive, East Tilbury
Halton Road, Chadwell St Mary
Hamble Lane, South Ockendon
Hampden Road, Grays
Harrap Chase, Grays
Hatfield Road, Chafford Hundred
Hathaway Road, Grays
Hayle, Grays
Hazelwood, East Tilbury
Henry De Gray Close, Grays
High House Lane, East Tilbury Hill House Drive, East Tilbury
Hodges Close, Chafford Hundred
Holford Road, Tilbury
Holyrood Gardens, Chadwell St Mary
Hopewell Close, Chafford Hundred
Humber Avenue, South Ockendon
Hyder Road, Chadwell St Mary
Ingleby Road, Chadwell St Mary Irvine Gardens, South Ockendon
King George Avenue VI, East Tilbury
Lambourne, East Tilbury
Langland Close, Corringham
Langton Way, Chadwell St Mary
Limeslade Close, Corringham
Linford Road, Chadwell St Mary
Linford Road, East Tilbury
Linley Close, East Tilbury
Lomen Path, South Ockendon
London Road, Grays – part Longhouse Road, Chadwell St Mary
Love Lane, Tilbury
Low Street Lane, East Tilbury
Meesons Lane, Grays
Milton Road, Grays
Muckingford Road, East Tilbury
Newton Close, Corringham
Norton Close, Corringham
Nottage Close, Corringham
Orwell, East Tilbury
Oxwich Close, Corringham Park Road, East Tilbury
Parker Road, Grays
Parkmill Close, Corringham
Pendine Close, Corringham
Philippa Way, Chadwell St Mary
Pinewood Close, Stanford Le Hope
Princes Avenue, Corringham
Princess Avenue, East Tilbury
Princess Margaret Road, East Tilbury
Pym Place, Grays
Queen Elizabeth Avenue, East Tilbury
Rectory Road, East Tilbury
Roach, East Tilbury
Roman, East Tilbury
Rookwood Close, Grays
Sabina Road, Chadwell St Mary
Sachfield Drive, Chafford Hundred
Saints Walk, Chadwell St Mary
San Juan Drive, Chafford Hundred
San Marcos Drive, Chafford Hundred
Sandy Lane, Chadwell St Mary
Santiago Way, Chafford Hundred
Seaborough Road, Chadwell St Mary
Semper Road, Chadwell St Mary
Severn, East Tilbury
Solway, East Tilbury
Springhouse Road, Corringham
St Augustine Road, Chadwell St Mary
St Cecila Road, Chadwell St Mary
St Francis Way, Chadwell St Mary
St Johns Road, Chadwell St Mary
St Marys Road, Chadwell St Mary
St Michaels Road, East Tilbury
St Patricks Place, Chadwell St Mary
St Peters Road, Chadwell St Mary
Stenning Avenue, East Tilbury
Stuart Road, Grays
Tasman Close, Corringham
The Green, East Tilbury
Trent, East Tilbury
Turnpike Lane, East Tilbury
Tweed, East Tilbury
Tyne, East Tilbury
Vigerons Way, Chadwell St Mary
Waldon, East Tilbury
Waterson Road, Chadwell St Mary
Welland, East Tilbury
Wickham Road, Chadwell St Mary