Village News Issue 98 June 2017 Page 2 The Village that ... › Downloads › 17 V News June.pdfVillage News Issue 98 June 2017 Page 6 News from County Hall It was an honour to be

Village News Issue 98 June 2017 Page 2

The Village that Refuses to have Street Lights - on Norwegian TV

Many villagers were intrigued in mid March when they saw a film crew working in Theydon. They were from the Norwegian TV broadcasting network NRK, the national licensed, like our BBC, TV network. Espen Aas the UK and Ireland Correspondent had come across Theydon Bois while putting together another story about the Central Line tube stations. He liked the character of our village and was interested in our 'Dark Skies Policy' that adds to the particular character of our village. He had looked at our Village Website and contacted Jim Watts the Website Editor to see if he could help them with a short film story for the Norwegian broadcaster. Jim was happy to help and fixed up a number of villagers for them to meet and places in the village that they might be interesting in filming. Espen and cameraman colleague Johan Bull arrived in Theydon on Monday 13th March and spent the whole of the day from 9am - 4.30pm filming accompanied by Jim and also Peter Newton, Chairman of Theydon Bois & District Preservation Society. They also did one TV and two radio broadcasts live to Norway from here about the Scottish Referendum that was breaking news on that day. Then at 4.30pm they went back to do another broadcast about this from Westminster at 6pm, returning again to Theydon at 8.30pm to photograph our 'Dark Skies', the thing that had intrigued them about Theydon in the first place. While here they interviewed a number of the villagers Jim had arranged for them to meet, attended and filmed a Village Association meeting in our Village Hall, visited St. Mary's Church, Green's Butchers, Esquires hairdressers and of course The Bull for lunch. All this filming made over the whole day in the end had to be edited down to just 4 minutes. They had hoped for 5 minutes, but schedules meant it had to be cut further and so some interviews were cut out entirely, although information from them is related in the online story that accompanies the film. The story went out on Norwegian TV (on Sunday 19th March at 7.00 pm their time) and a link to the film for viewing is on Norwegian TV version of I-Player that is directly linked from the Village Website News Page; www.theydon.org.uk/pages/news where you will also find links to a

translation of the Norwegian article and a gallery of photos.

Espen said “We were delighted by your very welcoming and helpful response to my query. As a foreign journalist you are used to not always getting answers, but this time I was lucky. As I had seen parts of your village when I took some photos of the tube-station for my ongoing project on Facebook, I wanted to see more. And we were so lucky not only to meet the editor of Village website, but also important members of the local community. We had a great day, despite it being sometimes disrupted by

Interview in Esquires Hairdressers


other news that I had to cover briefly. Rather than staying on in the village to film in the dark, we

had to go to Westminster to do a live outside parliament and then return. We were greeted welcoming by everyone we met and spoke to, and I have had some lovely response afterwards – also from local residents. Almost 800.000 people in Norway saw the tv-story when it went out. Several thousands have watched it online since. 63 people have shared the link to the tv-story”.

Peter and Mandy Stevenette FNAE MARLA & MNAEA & MARLA

Martin Rumbelow MRICS

The Village that Refuses to have Street Lights - on Norwegian TV (continued)

Talking to Peter Newton Village Association Meeting


Parish Council Chairman’s Report Between the writing of this column and you receiving the Village News, we will have had our Annual meeting and, unfortunately, we will also have announced that our Clerk, Julie, is leaving the Council. Below, you will see an advertisement for her replacement, so I won’t go into any more detail here. I do want to put on record our thanks to Julie for her dedication to the Council. She joined us at the end of 2013 and has helped us through many of the tasks we have had to carry out. I am sure that many of you will have had pleasant experiences of your communications with her, either over the phone or when you have popped into the office. At our February meeting, we had a presentation from the Playground at Theydon committee. They are in the process of trying to raise a significant amount of money to refurbish and upgrade the playground. We were significantly impressed by their professional approach and identified a way that we could help with the project. As a Parish Council, we are going to cover the provision of the bonded rubber mulch flooring. While we are in a position to do this, we would also encourage everyone who has had the good fortune to be able to make use of the park or may do so in the future to help where they can. The playground is a real asset to the village and we as the Parish Council are fully behind the scheme. The normal business of the Council has carried on through the Spring time. Our Planning Committee meets every two weeks and considers every planning application that is submitted in the Village. While we must assess each application on planning grounds, it is important to remember that it is at the start of the planning process that people are able to comment, either positively or negatively, on any application. While it is important to ensure that those responses go to EFDC, our committee would also be interested in hearing people’s views. We have reached the end of our financial year and work is underway to produce our accounts. These will, of course, be published as usual after being discussed at our full council meeting. JOHN PHILIP

Theydon Bois Parish Council - VACANCY PARISH CLERK AND RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER

The Parish Clerk’s position will involve being both the Council’s Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer with the responsibility for all the administrative work and financial affairs associated with the Council. The successful applicant will need good administrative, financial and computer skills with a communicative ability for interacting with members of the public. A CiLCA qualification would be preferred or appropriate training will be facilitated. For a copy of the full job description and any further details please contact the Chairman as below.

The number of hours will include some evening meetings and is expected to be between 24-28 hours per week at a rate starting at £11 per hour or as appropriate to experience through the NALC salary scale up to SCP 31 if CiLCA qualified. APPLICATIONS, TO INCLUDE A CV, SHOULD BE MARKED PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL AND ADDRESSED TO THE CHAIR OF THE PARISH COUNCIL, CLLR JOHN PHILIP, PARISH OFFICE, VILLAGE HALL, COPPICE ROW, THEYDON BOIS, CM16 7ER or by email to [email protected] Tel: 01992 812473

Closing date for applications: 26 June 2017


News from County Hall It was an honour to be elected on the 4th May 2017 to be the new County Councillor for Theydon Bois and great to meet so many residents in recent weeks to hear their concerns on a whole range of issues not all the responsibility of the County Council but all important to you and the village. I look forward to working with the Parish and District Council colleagues. A number of residents have already raised issues with me directly which I am working on. Of course there are a number of longstanding concerns including commuter parking on the Abridge Road and other locations in the village which we need to be addressed. Where we have parking schemes in place we need to make sure they are properly enforced and the necessary lines and signage maintained. I will press for improved performance by the North Essex Parking Partnership. The condition of our pavements and roads are also a concern, again I will continue to press to get those highlighted dealt with. Speeding has also been raised as a growing concern. Your District Councillors John Phillip and Sue Jones already hold regular surgeries and I look forward to joining them at these to listen to your concerns. As was seen during the election campaign local residents want us to address their concerns regardless of which authority is

responsible Sue, John and I will work to make sure your voice is heard. I look forward to reporting to you in greater detail in your next news letter. In the meantime please feel free to contact me, details below.

Councillor Chris Whitbread County member for Epping & Theydon Bois Telephone 07866 749783

Email: [email protected]

At the Baptist Church we are pleased to announce that our new pastor, Peter Pilavachi, will be commencing his ministry on Saturday 16 September at a special service to be held at the church. He is currently a “Minister in Training” which means he is a part time pastor of a small church and part time student at Regents Park College, Oxford. So at the special service he will be ordained as a Baptist Minister and inducted into the pastorate of Theydon Bois Baptist Church. Peter is married with two teenage children. He worked in IT before training for the ministry and in his spare time he enjoys hiking, cycling and playing badminton.

All are welcome to come to the service on 16 September and if you would like to attend, please let our church secretary know

(email: [email protected]).

New Pastor for Theydon Bois Baptist Church


Xxxxxxxx


District Councillors Column

DISTRICT COUNCILLOR JOHN PHILIP - 812473

DISTRICT COUNCILLOR SUE JONES - 814548

It has been good to see many of you over the past few weeks leading up to the County Council Elections, and no doubt we shall be out again before the General Election. However, it has also been good to have a number of people visit us at our monthly surgeries, which happen on the first Saturday of each month at 11 am in the Queen Victoria. No appointment is necessary; please just turn up, with comments, questions or requests. We do our best to get through everyone who comes to see us. We are pleased to report that at their meeting on the 31st March, NEPP agreed to put the Abridge Road on to the list of parking schemes that they will work on over the coming months. It will, unfortunately, not be a quick process, even now. As we saw with the scheme on The Green, there are several stages to be gone through before anything can finally be implemented. We expect NEPP will carry out a survey before designing a potential scheme. That scheme will then be consulted on. We expect that residents close on the Abridge Road will be contacted directly. There will, we are sure, also be information attached to visible points around the parking location. We will ensure that, when we hear of the consultation, we will publicise it via All Things Theydon Bois, Theydon Bois Parking issues, the village website and the Parish Council. It will be essential that those who want the scheme to go ahead respond to the consultation to say so. We would expect those who park there will be responding that they are against the scheme, and for the scheme to go ahead it must be well supported. We think it is important to provide an update on the situation of the Draft Local Plan. It is unfortunate that a number of incorrect interpretations of the situation have been put forward as facts recently. As stated in the last Village News, there were 3,300 responses to the consultation. We are still working our way through the complete detail of those responses. John presented a report to the Cabinet at EFDC on the 9th March which provided an interim view of the responses. The report is available on the Council website. As expected, there have been several potential changes to the available sites, some removed, some changed and some new ones put forward. The Council will be assessing these new and changed sites through the same detailed process as was carried out to the original sites. At this stage, there has not been any firm decision as to which sites will be used for the actual local Plan. It is incorrect to say that 2,200 dwellings will be built in Epping and Theydon Bois as we need to wait to find out what the responses to the consultation say. The Draft Plan contained a significant number of sites more than are required. This will permit choices to be made for the final selection. John also updated the schedule for the production of the plan. The details are in the same report as referenced before, but are also available on EFDC’s website. The current target is to have the publication of the Plan document early in 2018. There are, however, a significant number of tasks to be carried out both within the Council and with external consultants, including Essex Highways, and these may not run to the tight schedule that is planned.

We have been successful in obtaining Government funding for a Garden town. You may have heard of the Harlow Gilston Garden Town. This does, in fact, include the whole of the area around Harlow, including the strategic sites included in our Local Plan, as well as Gilston to the North. The funding will allow significant extra work to be carried out to ensure that the resulting developments are aligned with Garden Town principles.


Playground at Theydon (PAT)

It has been full steam ahead for the fundraising team on the Playground At Theydon committee who have raised just over half of the total needed of £113,400. The committee are determined to raise the full amount to be able to replace all the equipment in the playground which is now beyond its guaranteed life and is becoming dangerous or constantly in need of repair. So far PAT have raised £56,800. The Parish Council has agreed to fund the replacement flooring, which will cost circa £40,000, which really kick started the fundraising. The Theydon Bois Village Association has also agreed to donate £5,000, which is very much appreciated along with a £1,000 donation from the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society. Other private individuals have very, very kindly donated £7,000 between them which has been overwhelmingly generous of them. The team on the committee, which is a charity, have also secured a deal with Tesco from their Bags of Help initiative. So anyone who shops in their stores in Theydon, Epping or Ongar throughout May or June will be given a token and can choose for Tesco to make a donation on their behalf for Playground At Theydon. The charity can gain up to £4,000 through this initiative so the committee would be most grateful if shoppers could make sure they ask for the token every time they go to Tesco and pop it in the PAT box. Other applications are also being pursued with large firms and the committee hope to have some good news from at least one of them. The Bull kindly let the committee use the pub for a charity quiz event in March and provided a special menu for the evening. The event was great fun and raised approximately £825. The PAT committee are intending to hold a Spring Fair in the playground on May 20th with lots of stalls, crafts and a large raffle. A leaflet has gone out across Theydon outlining the Playground at Theydon's campaign. These were delivered by Hilary Burbank and her friend Carole Cole who kindly offered to do this rather onerous task. Shelley Dix, chair of the Playground At Theydon committee, said: "The support we have had has been astonishing. We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people and we hope to make our dream of giving the playground a new lease of life come to fruition this year. We would also like to thank Hilary and her friends who kindly hand-delivered leaflets for the playground to every house in the village." If anyone would like to donate, please log onto www.totalgiving.co.uk/charity/playground-at-theydon-association or if anyone would like to become a member of the PAT committee and join our friendly team, please email [email protected] or call Shelley on 07919 215465.


Theydon Bois & District Rural Preservation Society If you missed our Deer Sanctuary walk on 21st May we still have three others planned: 11th June – Theydon’s hidden Rhododendrons 10th September – Exploring our local Forest 8th October – Outdoor sculpture and the Woodland Trust’s new woods at Theydon

All these walks have stiles to be negotiated. They start at the Village Hall at 2pm and last for about two hours and cover some four miles. The Society where possible likes to support other groups that contribute to our village. In April we presented a cheque for a £1,000 to Playground at Theydon (PAT) to assist with the refurbishment of the playground. Ivor Chinman (Treasurer) and Peter Newton (Chairman) presented the cheque to Shelley Dix and members of the PAT committee at a small ceremony - fittingly in the playground. As in past years the Society supported the bi-annual Flower show at St Mary’s Church with an exhibition of local photographs amassed during the Society’s many years since its formation in1943. In July we plan to contribute to the Donkey Derby brochure and man a stand on the day. On Friday 7th July at 8pm in the Village Hall there will be an illustrated talk: Looking after the street trees in Theydon Bois by Chris Neilan, Principle Landscape Officer & Arboriculturist for Epping Forest District Council. It is free and all are welcome; it will be followed by refreshments and our AGM. The Interim Report on the Local Plan Consultation was presented to the EFDC Cabinet Committee on 9th March and can be found on the EFDC website. There is a direct link to the document from the EFDC Local Plan Consultation page of the Village Website. There appear to be a number of issues with the presentation of data in this interim report. There are a number of Pie Charts, but these seem only to have taken into account the ‘tick box’ returns and the returns without boxes ticked are given as ‘No Opinion’. This misrepresents the % of disagreement. e.g. Q6. Do you agree with the proposed sites in your area? Theydon Bois shows 74.8% as having ‘No Opinion’ when really the opinions are in their submitted text. The Theydon Bois & District Rural Preservation Society was one of only 15 ‘Interest Groups’ that responded from the whole of the district. TB&DRPS have the largest amount of main points raised listed in the report text, but some of our most important points are still left out. It would seem there is a case of selective editing in this report? It appears from ‘reading between the lines’ that Theydon managed to get in the region of 430 people to respond to the consultation from a total of 3,300 for the district. This must be considered quite good as Epping, which is much larger than us could only manage about the same number. It seems the Society’s efforts to get a good turnout worked. It is hoped that when the full report is published it will give a fairer representation of the results of the consultation, which in the case of Theydon (discounting the ‘No Opinions’) really show that 95% do not agree with the proposed sites for our village.


Copped Hall Corner PROGRESS AT THE MANSION - State Hall: Work continues on the 1758 interior of this grand room situated above the Mansion entrance hall. Expert plasterers are reinstating the cornice and other mouldings to help restore the elegance of the room’s interior. Lift: Restoration also continues with the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers. These Friends also carry out mundane but essential work on the Mansion site where substantial manual effort is needed. Heating: The powerful, mobile, electric heaters connected to the Mansion's more comprehensive power supply have been in considerable demand this winter and spring during the continuing cold spell, and much appreciated by workers and Friends alike.

PROGRESS IN THE GARDENS - A considerable amount of work has been carried out to restore the Grand Path across the northern edge of the gardens. As the adjacent “ha ha” will have to be rebuilt, a revetment has been constructed below the ground along the outer edge of the Path to prevent any alteration to its structure during this alteration. Work has now commenced to advance the restoration of the Orchard House in the Walled Kitchen Garden. Further timber work has been machined and painted. A length of balustrade has now been reinstalled adjacent to the Northern Summer House. Funding is being sought to reinstate further lengths of this feature. The Trust now has many of the original stone work components – some of which have been retrieved from the locations to which they were taken in the 1950s.

PAST EVENTS IN SPRING 2017 - A surprisingly full program for the early 2017 “quiet days” commenced with a presentation to Friends and associates of the plan to “Glaze the Mansion Light Well”. This also featured a further special visual presentation of the now completed 2nd and 3rd floors of the Mansion which are only accessible at present via ladders. The Easter Egg Hunt and the Alan Cox talk about the progress of restoration to Mansion/Site in 2016 were very popular and successful.

FUTURE PRINCIPAL EVENTS UP TO 30TH SEPTEMBER 2017 11 June – Study Day – Eric Beaumont (Bee Health) 18 June – Greek Theatre Players – Midsummer Night’s Dream 25 June – Study Day – Eric Beaumont (Bee Keeping) 04 July - Study Day - William Tyler (Public/Private Life in Georgian Country House) 13 July – Recital – Craig Ogden 26 July – Music Workshop – Arbutus Music 29 July - Afternoon Tea 05 Aug – Jazz Concert 27 Aug – Open Day 10 Sep – Concert – Fitz William Quartet 16 Sep – Furniture Restoration Workshop 28 Sep – Study Day - Heraldry

SITE AND GARDEN TOURS 2017 - Guided Tours of the Mansion and grounds are held on the 3rd Sun each month (from Jan to Nov). Tours from 10.00, of 2.5 to 3.0 hrs duration approx (gates open 10.00 to 11.00 only – extended arrangements for 16 Jul only). Garden afternoons are held on 1st Sunday each month from Apr to Sep - between 14.00 and 16.00. Unless otherwise stated, all events are held at the Copped Hall Mansion. Car parking is always available, as are refreshments. Vehicle access is only possible via the London entrance in the Upshire Road off the B1393. Post code for entry by Satnav is CM16 5HR


At the end of the Spring term the school sadly said goodbye to the Headteacher - Mrs Lewis and wished her well in her move to Yorkshire. Kim Williams will be Acting Head teacher until the end of the year.

There was an exciting start to the summer term with the new swimming pool changing rooms being delivered in April and installed over the holidays after extensive fundraising and support from past and present parents alongside the PTA. The children were all eager to try out the changing rooms and the swimming sessions are being enthusiastically enjoyed by all pupils.

The pre-fabricated building was lifted into place on a new landscaped base using a crane at the site in Orchard Drive, plumbed in and ready for the children to use when they got back to school after the Easter break. Full photo gallery may be found on the Village Website newspage link. Joanne Bird, chair of the PTA said: "It's great news! Thank you to our contributors of local businesses sponsoring our PTA raffles and events, our parents past and present for supporting our efforts and for our lovely children for being so patient waiting for this new facility to help them enjoy the use of our pool. ” "Theydon Bois Primary are so lucky to have their own swimming pool as it is a curriculum requirement and we don't need to ship the children to the local pools to have this life saving lesson.” "The PTA’s main task is to fund and maintain this pool, and we wish to thank all the parents who have also helped sell raffle tickets, serve teas and hot dogs etc., without your help we wouldn't have been able to raise enough money at all."

Theydon Bois Primary School


Theydon Bois Primary School (continued)

The school had four pupils who got through to the individual county cross country finals which were held on a very cold morning at Hadleigh Farm. Reception pupils have enjoyed a day looking at all the animals at Lee Valley Farm and Years 3 and 4 have visited St Mary’s and the Baptist church in the village to learn about baptism. The school is celebrating 60 years since it opened for the first two classes. Classes have enjoyed looking in the school archives and discussing the changes that have taken place.

On Friday 5th May a May Fair was held which was organised by the PTA to celebrate the school being first opened in May 1957. There was a cake which was cut by the oldest and youngest pupils presently at Theydon Bois Primary School. As the school was officially opened with all classes for the new academic year in September 1957 the school is planning an afternoon and evening to enable past pupils to return to the school and reminisce over old photographs. If you have any photographs or school memorabilia that could be displayed please get in touch. Please come and join in to celebrate 60 years of Theydon Bois Primary School on Tuesday 19th September 2017.


Theydon Bois Action Group

Theydon Bois Action Group www.theydonbois-actiongroup.co.uk Protecting the Village of Theydon Bois - Follow @TBActionGroup on Twitter

Local Planning Matters:- The Old School House, Coppice Row. Following the 'demolition' of much of the original building, the owner has now submitted an application described as the 'extension and conversion' of this historic, locally listed building - Ref. EPF/0811/17. The reality is that any development would now necessitate a rebuild, rather than a conversion. The present plans are for a more intensive development of 2 x 5 bedroom dwellings, instead of the previously approved plans for a 3 bedroom and 4 bedroom dwelling. Theydon Bois Action Group has submitted a strong objection to the increase in bedrooms, from 7 to 10, as this would result in an over-intensification of residential use on what is a highly sensitive Green Belt site adjacent to the Churchyard, War Memorial and Epping Forest land. Draft Local Plan & Protection of the Green Belt:- EFDC have been holding Development Forum meetings with potential developers of sites around Harlow and across the rest of Epping Forest District. It appears that many new sites have come forward but details have not been made public and no Minutes of these meetings have been published. While residents were trying to get to grips with the enormity of the Draft Local Plan Consultation Document last year, Harlow, EFDC and East Herts District Councils made a joint application to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) requesting Government support for a new, 'Locally-Led' Harlow and Gilston Garden Town, the huge impact of which was not fully appreciated at the time of the Consultation. (See TBAG website- www.theydonbois-actiongroup.co.uk) EFDC stated in their Green Belt Review that the expansion of Harlow, as part of the London, Stansted, Cambridge Corridor, represented the 'Exceptional Circumstances' which justified altering Green Belt boundaries in Epping Forest District. The proposal for growth and expansion around Harlow, as a new Garden Town, which includes land in Epping Forest District, gained Government approval in January 2017. This, so called, 'locally led' proposal, was supported by our MP as well as the MP for Harlow but did not have the support of residents of Epping Forest District who were not consulted and unaware of the impact that it would have on our Green Belt. As a consequence we are now faced with housing development on many Green Belt sites in Epping Forest District, including Theydon Bois. EFDC are still analysing the responses to the Draft Local Plan Consultation as not all responses used the Questionnaire format. A summary of responses, largely to the Questionnaire, have been published and the response to Question 3 (proposed development sites around Harlow) showed that only 8.1% strongly agreed, whereas more than 20 % strongly disagreed; and this was without residents having the full knowledge of the implications for the rest of the Green Belt in Epping Forest District. TBAG continues to work as an Executive Member of the London Green Belt Council, in conjunction with CPRE, to do the utmost to protect the Green Belt around London. In contrast to our District, other MPs in Surrey and Kent are doing their best to protect their Green Belt, as can be seen in their responses to the recent Government White Paper Consultation on Housing, which can be viewed on the TBAG Website. It is clear that some Conservative MPs are prepared to put their heads above the parapet to protect the Metropolitan Green Belt, whereas our elected representatives and EFDC are actually facilitating development of our Green Belt land!


Countryside Walks - Sheering Country Walk

Sheering History - The first records of Sheering exist in the Doomsday Book over 900 years ago. Already a thriving settlement, the village was noted for possessing one of only two mules in the country. The name Sheering probably originates from Scira, a Saxon leader who first cleared the area. As a result, the settlement was named Sciringa which has gradually been corrupted to Sheering. Today, the village is quite extensive, but several old buildings survive along The Street. The oldest building is the church with which the marauding vicar of Sheering is associated. In 1320, the parson of Sawbridgeworth claimed the parson of Sheering was part of a renegade band of clergymen who grievously assaulted him, damaging his house, imprisoning his servants and stealing his seven horses and forty sheep. In recent times, transport systems have greatly affected the village and its surrounding countryside. The Stort Navigation tow-path forms much of the northern and eastern section of the walk, and although originally built for commercial reasons, use of the canal is now mainly for leisure. It also forms an excellent habitat for wildlife. On a warm summer’s day, dragonflies can be seen hawking over the water, and if you are lucky you may even catch a glimpse of a bank vole or a kingfisher. About the Walk - The Sheering Country Walk is an attractive 7 1/2 mile circular walk off the Stort Valley Way. It will take approximately 5 hours to complete. Alternatively you can split the walk into two shorter circuits; the northern circuit is 3 3/4 miles long and the southern one is 5 miles. The footpaths on the walk are in good condition, but they will become muddy after wet weather. There is a small amount of road walking involved along main roads. Please be aware of traffic and take care whilst walking on the road. In addition, please take note of the safety signs at the pedestrian railway crossing. As you walk please follow the Country Code. Keep dogs on a lead near livestock and keep to the footpath when walking across privately owned land.

There are several parking places, these are marked with a P on the map.

Epping Forest Countrycare - Is Epping Forest District Council’s award winning Countryside Management Service. It is the key resource for advice, information and practical assistance on the countryside, nature conservation and wildlife law. Countrycare undertakes a wide variety of community-based activities and coordinates a regular programme of practical conservation work. They have prepared some guided local walk leaflets. These walks take in some lovely areas of countryside and some interesting and informative history. Choose your walk based on an area or the length of walk you would like. In this and future editions of Village News we will try to include details of some of the walks. The walk below is obviously best enjoyed during the summer months when the illustrated flora and fauna is in full flow but as always winter time exhibits its own special attractions. You can download complete leaflets from

http://www.eppingforestdc.gov.uk/index.php/out-and-about/countrycare/get-involved/walks


Countryside Walks - Sheering (continued)


Countryside Walks - Sheering (continued)

POINTS OF INTEREST

1. St Mary’s Church - St Mary’s Church dates back to Medieval times. Its claim to fame is that is has the largest central beam in Britain measuring 12 metres long. It was cut from an Oak in Hatfield Forest and then had to be dragged five miles to the church. 2. Sheering Copse - Most of the trees in the copse are relatively young with the exception of sev-eral ancient field maple coppice stools on the boundary ditches. The largest of these measures 4.8m in circumference. The presence of several Scots Pine indicates this may have been a plan-tation on a semi natural woodland site. In 2014 Countrycare signed a five year agreement with Sheering Parish Council to manage the site. 3. Sheering Mill Lane - Sheering Mill Lane once formed part of a major route from London to the North. This was probably because of the twenty-three public houses that could be found along its length. Many travellers from the capital made Sawbridgeworth their first stop. The 17th Century mill can still be found today standing beside the canal. 4. Feakes Lock - Named after the builder of nearby Durrington Hall, Feakes Lock is one of fifteen locks along the Stort Navigation. The canal was opened more than 200 years ago by Sir George Jackson as an easier way of transporting malted barley into London and bringing back timber and grain. However, the opening of the railway in 1842 marked the end of the Stort Nav-igation. Transporting goods by train was much faster, cheaper and allowed increased trade. 5. Marsh Lane - The River Stort would have once been surrounded by wider marshland. Over time, this was drained and ditched, creating water meadows, allowing local people to take advantage of rich soils. Marsh Lane was probably a droving lane that allowed herdsmen to take cattle down to graze on these meadows. 6. Sheering Hall - Attractively positioned beside the Pincey Brook, the current Sheering Hall is over 300 years old. In the 1960s, the owner of Sheering Hall discovered underground tunnels linking the adjacent Durrington Hall and Aylmers Farm. These were large enough to stand up in, and it has been suggested that they may have been priest holes or used as arms caches during the Civil War. The original boundary to the Sheering Hall Estate is marked by hedgerows to the east and west of the M11. These hedgerows are thought to be as much as 700 years old. 7. Glyn’s Spring - Almost two hundred years ago the Glyn family took over Sheering Hall, giving this relatively young woodland its name. The most famous member of the family was Elinor Glyn, who came to fame in the early 1900s through her steamy romantic novels which were adapted into Hollywood films. The nature of her books gave rise to the rhyme:

“Would you like to sin with Elinor Glyn on a tiger skin? Or would you rather err with her on a different fur?”


The Past Spring in Theydon Bois The Past Spring in Theydon Bois, as described below, covers the extensive period from mid February 2017 to early May as recorded in the Theydon Bois Local History. Therefore, due to space limitations, much detail has been omitted and so this spring copy is somewhat shortened. Nevertheless, this published copy gives a "broad brush" picture of the extensive and possibly momentous events which occurred during the Spring of 2017. Once again passengers using the Central Line at Theydon Bois were affected by travel disruption when drivers of the RMT Union went on a 24 hour strike in February in protest at the relocation of Tube train drivers; some other underground lines were also affected. A similar but unconnected strike by maintenance workers on the London Underground system over industrial relations was also planned. The increasing and dangerous vehicle parking in the busy Abridge Road just south of the rail bridge resulted in local and district councillors calling for action by the ECC and the NEPP (North Essex Parking Partnership). The problem was being caused by rail commuters parking in a small lane and then onto the road. Brass Band enthusiasts, and especially local residents who lived previously in the Redbridge area, enjoyed an evening concert in St John’s Church, Epping, given by the Redbridge Brass Band in support of the Bloodwise Cancer Charity. Their “Big Band” performance featured the music of Glen Miller and others in a concert of some fourteen musical items which included favourites such as Moonlight Serenade, American Patrol and Pennsylvania 6-5000, which had many in the audience tapping feet and reliving their youth. The band that evening comprised some twenty seven mainly brass, instrumentalists conducted by Jeremy Wise. A report by the RAC road vehicle recovery organization claimed that some 3,200 road bridges in Britain were not in an adequate condition to support the heaviest lorries, which can weigh up to 44 tons. This number of sub standard bridges had increased by 36% in the last two years and was due to the lack of maintenance. The small bridge at nearby Abridge which carries the road to Theydon Bois was now seeing a substantial increase in vehicle use due to road traffic seeking alternative routes to the M11 and M25 motorways. On a bright April spring evening, the Theydon Bois Singers commenced their 2017 season with an ambitious performance of Handel’s Messiah. Thirty seven singers under their conductor Lawrence Tatnall gave more than justice to the New Novella Choral Edition (Shaw) version of this great work in which they were joined by soloists Frances Childers - soprano, Rebecca Leggett - mezzo soprano, Guy Elliot - tenor and Simon Tatnall - bass. Paul Chilvers was the hard working piano accompanist. A Business Fair organised by the Epping Chamber of Commerce was held in the Village Hall. The function was formally opened by Eleanor Laing, the MP for Epping Forest who is a Deputy Speaker at the House of Commons and also a Patron of the Chamber of Commerce, which she praised for organizing the event and added; “It was very important not just to have individual businesses thriving but to bring them together to exchange ideas”. The Fair comprised a number of stands for businesses to showcase and promote their products, and a number of business-related demonstrations and seminars were held during the day. The sixth and last of the Lent Soup Lunches organised by the St Mary’s Church was a great success with many "diners" crowding into the Church Hall to enjoy this “lunch of lunches”. It was announced that a total £2,000 had been raised for charities by these six lunches, and a total of £3,000 during the similar period during the previous year.


TREVOR ROBERTS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER

Ed - Trevor lodges a comprehensive Annual Village Report with the Essex Record Office, extracts are submitted monthly for the village website and quarterly for village news. To avoid repetition, especially where news and information has been submitted by the club, society or entity directly to Village News, then it has been removed from Trevor’s Column in this issue.

The Easter Weekend began with dry but cold weather which deterred many from following outdoor activities. The usual Easter Services were held at St Mary’s and the Baptist Churches. On Good Friday, both Churches combined in a Walk of Witness from the Baptist Church along the Village Green to the Village shopping area where a short service was held. Police in nearby Loughton seized four motorcycles following complaints about excessive noise and the antisocial behaviour of riders who drove dangerously, (performed wheelies), in built up areas. The following day seven motorcycles were also seized in neighbouring North Weald in a police trap set to deal with such bad driving. Speed traps elsewhere in the District caught 97 speeding drivers. With the local County Council elections due on the 4th May, political candidates and party workers least expected the "political bolt from the blue "when Prime Minister Theresa May announced a snap General Election for the following 8th June. The reasons cited for her decision were that she needed a strong hand of a parliamentary majority in order to defeat the opposition parties which had threatened to jeopardize the Brexit process. Another reason was that the prolonged wait until after 2020, for a promised election would only cause uncertainty and instability just as the country should be preparing to seize the opportunities which lie ahead. A cold and windy day for early May did not deter the many who turned out to elect a new member for the Epping Forest seat on the Essex County Council (ECC). Seven polling booths across the District were open from 7am to 10pm and the one at St Mary’s Church Hall in the Village was highly active during the day. The four candidates for the vacant seat were: Bullough, Simon, Labour, (353 votes) - Johns, Barry, UKIP, (264) - Whitehouse, John, Lib Dem, (2275) - Whitbread, Chris, Conservative (2419)(elected). The Conservative Leader and Prime Minister Theresa May thanked all the party's supporters and workers for their efforts in the local elections but stressed that Party victory in the forthcoming national elections was not a foregone conclusion. The Labour Leader Jeremy Corbin said his party faced a huge challenge with the loss of 387 seats and the Liberal Democrats remained defiant despite substantial losses. The UKIP Party lost all 9 seats in Essex but a spokesman said that UKIP was not a spent force and that voters and supporters would return. The North London and Essex Transport Society held its regular Bazaar in the Village Hall. Once again the car park was the transport scene with well-maintained examples of public transport buses which once served the Epping Forest countryside; these monarchs of the road were providing nostalgic rides along these long lost routes during the Bazaar. Inside the Hall were many stands displaying extensive amounts of memorabilia and models, mainly bus related. But not to be outdone, the Epping and Ongar Railway Volunteer Society, which operates the only working preservation railway in the area, was present with an extensive stand and members to promote the Epping Ongar Railway (EOR), and to enroll volunteers to help operate it. A feather in EOR’s cap would have been an actual locomotive in the car park, and possibly in steam, to rival the bus monopoly. But then – perhaps in the future – who knows?

The Past Spring in Theydon Bois (continued)


Focus on You - Stephanie Marco - Virtual PA ‘Focus on You’ focuses on people who live or work in the village of Theydon Bois. People who perform interesting

and sometimes unusual jobs. When the filing is piling up, there are expenses to reconcile and emails to deal with, just what do you do? You’re leading a busy life running a business and very often some of those important tasks slip to the bottom of the action list. It’s easily done. Well help is at hand. Someone who can tackle those important jobs that help give you back your TIME. Enter the services of Stephanie Marco, a Virtual Assistant (VA) who lives in Theydon Bois.

Back in April 2016, Steph had been working in the City for 22 years; 15 of those working on a London trading floor where she was used to working in a highly charged, fast-paced environment. The offer of voluntary redundancy and the thought of setting up from home were very appealing. And that’s exactly what she did. Now, operating as a VA as well as being mum to a busy 5-year-old daughter, Steph loves the fact that she can balance her work around her family life. Steph said, “I started with nothing. I didn’t take any clients with me and didn’t know how to get a business together. In my old job I worked from home on occasions, and as long as the work was done that was good.” She added: “By capitalising on my former City life, I now use those skills and knowledge by working for individuals and small businesses. I help people who in the past would spend their weekends and evenings doing stuff they hate to do. So I work for them as a ‘Busy Life PA’ so they can spend more time doing the things they want to do.

Steph’s business took time to get off the ground. To get the foundations right she spent time doing research, looking at other VA’s and networking. This gave a taste of what it was all about. Steph said: “You need to sell yourself, but not in a ‘salesy’ way. I classify myself as a traditional PA and I do a lot of diary management, organise a lot of travel and events as well as typing, internet research and preparing presentations. I organise people for a living. I book people’s family holidays, I look after people’s homes when they are away and I organise parties. I am a lifestyle PA.”

Steph’s background is very much a corporate one. “Although some of my clients are ex-corporate, most of my other clients are local. My ideal would be to attract people who have maybe left the City and now run a business from home – those who may have had a PA in a former life.” She remarked: “To be a PA you need to manage people’s expectations. If I don’t understand something I will ask. I’ve always had the mind-set of ‘work hard, play hard’. I’m a grafter. I’ve been used to early starts and late nights. Time management is so important though – and you need to have the determination to leave the City and set up this type of business from home.” Steph is totally committed to what she does – 24/7. She said: “I block book hours on a retainer basis or I work on an ad hoc basis. I get to know people’s personal information. It’s a massive trust thing and you have to feel comfortable with that person so it’s important that I meet people beforehand and discuss everything that is required of me.”

(continued on next page)


Theydon Bois Pre-School Group The Theydon Bois Pre-School Group will be holding a Summer Fete on Saturday 10th June at 1-3.30p.m. It will be held at Scout Hut Headquarters, Loughton Lane, Theydon Bois, CM16 7JY. We would love it if you would come along and join in the fun for the day. There will be lots of entertainment for the kids (and adults!) including a raffle and bouncy castle, with the possibility of some surprises along the way. We have had a busy and exciting start to the new term at Theydon Bois Pre-School. The children are currently investigating into life cycles and have been lucky enough to watch their very own baby caterpillars grow into butterflies. The children will observe them and take care of them, and later they will set the butterflies free from the Pre-School garden area. As part of this topic, they are also looking at seasonal environmental change and learning all about “Spring”. This week, the children have been busy planting seeds and growing vegetables and herbs which will be placed outside in our vegetable patch. They also visited an allotment to see which other plants grow well and to see what can be grown in our garden. They have planted beans and enjoyed acting out the story of “Jack and the Beanstalk”. The topic that is going to play a big part at the Pre-School until the end of the summer term is “People Who Help Us”. The children will be learning about professionals who have jobs that help us in the community, for example police, doctors, dentists and firemen. Theydon Bois Pre-School Manager, Tammy Brandon, has been busy studying for her “Early Years Teaching Degree” and now this is coming to a close. She has thoroughly enjoyed her year and has achieved First’s in both semesters. Tammy says her highlight of the degree was “creating a Music Wall for the outdoor area of the Pre-School and watching the children play there. This has encouraged social interaction from both genders in the area and we will continue to use the area over the coming new term”. She will be looking forward to spending some quality time with her three daughters over the summer break once her degree has ended. At the end of May, we will be welcoming a new member of staff to our team. Interviews are currently taking place for the position and will continue for the next few weeks before we can share more details.

Most of Steph’s clients find her through referral and recommendation. She offers Monday to Friday support by doing a whole range of tasks, No week is the same, but the jobs are the same; just working with different client backgrounds. The beauty of being retained as a VA is that the client doesn’t have overheads, they are not paying for desk space and they don’t pay for holi-days –just the hours and work that she does. Steph said: “Networking is key. It’s all about ex-panding my little black book and I’m all for supporting local businesses too. I worked hard for 22 years, survived, and came out the other side and I’m now putting that experience, knowledge and skills into my own business. Appropriate insurance cover to run my business is absolutely essential too.” Steph’s final words were: “I love being a Busy Life PA and I love being a mum. I have proba-bly worked the hardest over the past 12 months. This is not an overnight success. Getting cli-ents is a slow burn. I was a co-chair on the Parents’ Association at the local primary school however I had to give it up – but all the skills, organisation and knowledge helped make the role a success.” For anyone looking for a Virtual PA, Steph can be contacted on 07956 284788 or visit www.busylifepa.co.uk

Focus on You - Stephanie Marco - Virtual PA (continued)


Theydon Bois Drama Society - Our Next Production

The “Third Week In August”, the March production by the Theydon Bois Drama Society was staged in the Village Hall on 16th to 18th March. From the pen of Playwright Peter Gordon, the plot could be a variation of “carry on” comedy productions popular in the 1950s. Sue (played by Kass Allen) decided to get away from everybody on a solo caravan holiday but little realised that she had booked into a remote and run down site from hell. She was taken under the wing of an expert but inadequate caravanner Neville (Bernie Pavely), often at odds with his wife Mary (Angie Becket - Franks) or else trying to cope with his recently separated sister-in-law Liz (Gill Newlynn). Complications then occurred with the arrival of the enthusiastic Tony (Paul Bloomfield) and his sceptical girlfriend Jenny (Rebecca Manning) who had joined him against her better judgment. A matrimonial row ensued with the pair throwing uncooked sausages at each other - and then matters really heated up! The production was directed by Suzie Correya backed by the usual ”army” of willing back stage workers and presented by special arrangement with Josef Weinberger Plays.

Annabel returns to the home she left 35 years previously to claim her father’s inheritance, there is little inkling of the dark deeds committed both in the recent and not-so-recent past. The comedy in the sparky, tetchy relationship between Annabel and her sister Miriam soon gives way to introspection and confession: Miriam’s revelation that she has neither loved nor been loved (or so it would seem in this play of shifting relationships) is one of the most touching scenes. The third woman in the intrigue – Alice Moody – is a former employee of the Chester family with apparently her own agenda.

YOU CAN NOW ORDER TICKETS ONLINE - Visit TicketSource via: www.theydon.drama.org & pay by debit or credit card, or call our 24-hour answer phone number: 01992 919038 & leave your contact details. We will call you back to reserve your tickets.

- Our Last Production


Theydon Bois Drama Society - Our Last Production


Cattle at Great Gregories Charlee Grieve recently captured this delightful shot of young Longhorn calves and their mothers grazing on the Corporation of London buffer land (part of the former Great Gregories Farm) to the rear of Dukes Avenue. This prompted Village News to find out more about cattle grazing in Epping Forest and the Corporation has provided the following information:

The cattle - There are two different types of cattle currently grazing the Forest - Longhorns and Red Poll. Longhorns are one of the rarer breeds of British cattle, known for their docile nature and ability to thrive on rough grazing. Despite their sometimes scary appearance, they are very friendly. The cattle presently grazing at Gregories are Longhorns. The cattle over-winter at Gregories and return to the forest over the summer months.

The benefits of cattle grazing - The Conservators have re-introduced the traditional management technique of cattle grazing to restore historical semi-natural wood pasture in some areas of the Forest and to ensure that the veteran trees and their associated flora and fauna survive for future generations to enjoy. As well as protecting the ancient tradition of grazing in the Forest, the introduction of a grazing programme has significant benefits to the Forest's ecosystem. Grazing allows more flowers to flourish than mowing would. Low-growing species such as Birds-foot Trefoil only thrive where the thatch of dead grass stems is regularly removed and hooves create bare ground.

Lousewort, which has benefitted hugely from the reintroduction of grazing. Before grazing was reintroduced, there was only a small patch in the Forest the size of a carpet tile. Now, these purple flowers carpet much more of the Forest floor.

Many insects rely on these flowers and several species of butterfly have become extinct as grazing has decreased. Grazing in the Forest helps to maintain the unique wood pasture that makes Epping Forest so unique and contributes to the rich diversity of the ecosystem.

The history of grazing in Epping Forest - Grazing by cattle has taken place continuously in Epping Forest for well over 1,000 years. Grazing by free-ranging commoners' cattle continued throughout the 20th century although numbers started to decline as farming practices changed. In 1996, the impact of the BSE crisis finally broke the tradition. Fortunately grazing continued on a small heathland area of the Forest where a commoner had entered into a partnership with the Conservators by introducing a limited number of English Longhorn cattle to rejuvenate the rare heathland flora. These Longhorns became the basis for a conservation herd that was re-established on the Forest at Fairmead and Chingford in 2002. A herdsman was employed to keep the cattle within this area where they have now grazed for several summers. The herd has now grown to around 100 cows which are grazed in smaller groups, largely thanks to the Heritage Lottery Funded Branching Out Project. They are a valuable conservation tool.

It is of course very important to remember the Country Code and to please keep dogs on the lead when near the cattle.

Reproduced by kind permission of the City of London Corporation www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/eppingforest Twitter @CoLEppingForest Facebook Epping Forest City of London and Instagram CoLEppingForest


Village Association

The Association’s Annual General Meeting was held on 26th April at which the Chairman, Martin Oliver, gave a report on the activities and achievements of 2016, the Association’s first year as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. He said that there were currently 63

individual members from the village, 21 member organisations and a number of other regular users of the Village Hall, which continued to be a popular venue for party bookings and charitable events. He commented that the Trustees had continued with the policy of investing in the hall and environment, in order to maintain its attraction, to benefit to all users, and that a large number of improvements had been made. These included the refurbishment of the kitchen and the rear hall toilets, modernising the CCTV and sound systems, installing a ceiling mounted projector, replacing the hall’s chairs with a lighter and more easily stackable model and building a further external storage facility to replace the dilapidated Drama Society construction. In addition, the scheduled redecoration and day-to-day maintenance of the hall had continued and plans were in hand, indeed some had already come to fruition, to improve the front and central aspects of the car park and the surface of the Montessori play area, and to replace the Oak room curtains. The Chairman took the opportunity to thank all the Trustees and staff for their commitment – in particular Secretary, Carol James, Treasurer, Tony Lloyd, general factotum, Graham James, and Hall Manager, Frank Bell.

The Treasurer, Tony Lloyd, then presented the accounts, outlining the not inconsiderable expenditure throughout the year necessary to continue the beneficial investment in the hall and confirming that the Association was in a healthy state financially. All the Trustees were re-elected and finally the members were given the opportunity to raise any issues or points of interest.


Tired of London….tired of life….? WEDFAS tests the adage ‘No, Sir, for there is in London all that life can afford,’ posited Samuel Johnson back in 1777 - an adage which members of the West Essex Decorative and Fine Arts Society (WEDFAS) had the opportunity to test over two days of study and exploration. One of the two WEDFAS “Arts in The City” study groups is pictured below. Under the tuition of Blue Badge Guide Alexandra Epps the March Day of Special Interest at Theydon Bois Village Hall was devoted to Arts in the City of London, one of the best attended “DOSI” days recently. Then in April members took the tube to the City, split into two groups, morning and afternoon, and put Alexandra Epps’ guiding skills to the test. Organiser Nicola Munday reports: “Alexandra Epps is a very enthusiastic and patient tour leader. The headsets enabled everyone to hear every word of her well-researched commentary. Thirty-six members took part in the exploration of outstanding examples of stained glass in the churches of St Michael's, Cornhill and St Lawrence Jewry. We walked down lots of the hidden alley ways and secret squares of the City and finished up with a tour around the side of St Paul's Cathedral and Thomas Heatherwick's winged ventilation screens.” Next days of special interest are Copped Hall in May led by Sylvia Keith and a study of opera in November. Upcoming speakers at first Wednesday of the month meetings at Theydon Bois Village Hall include an eclectic collection from Buried Treasures with Helen Rufus-Ward, Cultural Politics in Schubert's Vienna by Gavin Plumley and David Hockney by Douglas Skeggs. Chairman Lis Goodwin said: “We welcome prospective members to sample meetings and a variety of events. The framework the NADFAS (in May to be The Arts Society) headquarters provides of a rigorously reviewed and continually refreshed speaker panel gives us an edge in terms of speaker quality.”

WEDFAS will change its name to The Arts Society West Essex in the autumn.

Inquiries to Lis Goodwin 01992 812083 or email Audrey Carson at [email protected]

One of the two WEDFAS “Arts in the City” study groups


Epping Community Transport Bus Service

Not many people know about the Epping Community Transport Bus Service called ‘The Abridge Shopper’ that runs as a minibus from Theydon on Mondays and Wednesdays (except Bank Holidays) and offers more time in Epping than taking the often late and sometimes unreliable 418 service. The section that serves our village comes from Abridge and continues to Epping High Street and St Margaret’s Hospital- leaving at 10.05 am from the bus stop opposite Tesco & and returning from St Margaret’s at 12 noon, collecting from the stop outside Specsavers, Epping at 12.10pm arriving back at Theydon at 12.20 pm Apart from getting to Epping and back more quickly and straightforwardly and leaving more time there the minibus service offers courteous drivers who will help you in and out of the minibus and stow your shopping trolley away safely, whether full or empty and lift it down to the pavement when you get off. This is very helpful for those who find it difficult to get on and off the 418 bus with their shopping without help. The atmosphere on board is very pleasant, people greeting each other and our neighbours from Abridge and chats are usual on journeys. The minibuses seat 14 and on Mondays ( Market Day) usually has 3 or 4 people onboard from Abridge before reaching Theydon, only once have we seen it full and then the youngest person gave up their seat to an older lady, so there are usually spare seats. A single Journey is £3.50 and a return costs £5.00. Children aged 5 – 16 travel for half price and children under 5 free. Concessionary bus passes are also accepted for travel. There is a danger that the Wednesday bus could be withdrawn as at present it is underused as it has no one from Abridge aboard usually and presently just a few from here, but it's a great service and we don't want to lose it. It goes to St Margaret’s so one can not only go to an outpatients appointment, but to am appointment at the Limes too. We would love to get enough passengers for it to run on Fridays too! The full timetable and further details of the other Epping Community Transport Services can be found on their website: www.efcommunitytransport.co.uk


Theydon Bois Golf Club

G old Medal Wining Paralympian - On Thursday 6th April the Ladies of Theydon Bois Golf Club were delighted to welcome a distinguished visitor. Anne Dunham is the sister of last year’s Lady Captain, Judith Lunn. She is also a gold-medal winning Paralympian and was the oldest Paralympian competitor at Rio last year. Anne explained how she had become a Paralympian dressage champion. Although she started riding at the age of 8 and by 16 was running a yard of 80 horses she did not take part in competitions. At 27 she was diagnosed with MS (a diagnosis later revised to dystonia) and was in a wheelchair by the time she was 30. It wasn’t until she was 40 that she was able to buy a horse and begin to compete. Anne has competed in five Olympics starting with the 1996 Atlanta

Games and ending with last year’s Rio Games. She competes in grade 1a which is for the most severely disabled competitors and has won a total of 10 medals in all: 6 Gold, 3 Silver and 1 Bronze. As the result of her achievements she has been honoured by the Queen with an MBE in 2009 for services to disabled sport and an OBE in the 2017 New Years Honours for services to para-equestrianism. In 2011 she was named Disabled Sportswoman of the Year. She brought along a Gold and a Silver Medal from Rio together with her two Honours for us to see.

Anne entertained with an inspiring talk giving an insight into the challenges of riding her horse at Rio. The events were held at a new equestrian centre built for the games at the Deodoro Olympic Park in Rio where the horses and grooms were accommodated but the riders were many miles away and had to travel to practise and compete. Anne’s daughter, Amber is her groom and her sister, Gill travels with her as a carer. Judith, another sister, was lucky enough to be able to accompany Anne to Rio – the experience of a lifetime. Anne has just announced her retirement from competition – as she says “to give others a chance” and because she would have to get a new horse and then have to part with him. At the end of the talk Deborah Hall from the Chigwell Riding Trust showed a short film illustrating the work of the Trust. Chigwell Riding Trust was the first riding centre for people with special needs in the world and has been established in Chigwell for over fifty years. Riding instruction is given to people of all ages and abilities. The riding centre has approximately 160 riders each week. As one of the leading specialised riding centres in the country Chigwell Riding Trust not only benefits people with special needs but also the entire community, giving opportunities for volunteering, school participation and practical experience for children and adults working with people and animals.

Anne’s mother was one of the early volunteers at the Trust and riders from Chigwell and other similar Centres may go on to become Paralympians of the future. Finally, Judith presented the Trust with a cheque for £2,840 which the Ladies Section of Theydon Bois Golf Club had collected in 2016.

Judith Lunn, Anne Dunham & Deborah Hall


Theydon Bois Golf Club (continued)

C arter Cup Winner - John Marnoch rolled back the years of a lifetime playing professional sport to win Theydon Golf Club's Carter Cup held on 1st & 2nd of April. The former Essex tennis professional demonstrated his all round sporting ability by capturing the Club's first major competition of the season with a 36 hole bogey format score of plus 9. After being presented with the trophy by donor Roy Carter, Marnoch revealed how he tuned up his golf swing by recalling the days when he wielded a tennis racquet for a living. He explained: "It is the same principle and all natural ball players will know what I mean. Whether you are playing tennis or golf you make contact with the ball by coming from the inside and returning inside after impact. It is second nature to me and a technique I never forget. Chipping and putting are the same too." Marnoch, 67, was determined to carve out a tennis career as a youngster and played with and against some of the legends of the game including Evonne Goolagong and Roy Emerson. But the prize money was derisory in those days and he turned to coaching and senior management positions with David Lloyd Leisure and Next Generation.

J unior Section - Club Professional Kevin Delaney writes - Having started my new position in march at Theydon Bois Golf Club I have been pleasantly surprised with what a warm and welcoming golf club it is. From a personal point of view my first few months have been really enjoyable and very rewarding and I am hoping for a long and positive relationship with the golf club moving forward. One of the things that I am very keen to establish is a thriving junior section, and I am starting to lay the foundations for this now. We organised a junior golf camp during the Easter holidays (see Kevin left with juniors Alex, Joe & Jack) which was very successful. We had many local children attend and the feedback was very positive. Moving forward I have now put in place regular weekly lessons on Saturday and Wednesday. These are one hour lessons that are every week and are run on a six week course at a cost of £40. I am going to be doing more junior camps in the school six week Summer Holidays, I have not yet finalised the dates or costs for these days. But if you would like to be informed or register your interest for your children to be involved on these days then please feel free to contact the Professional Shop here on 01992813054 or by emailing me directly on [email protected] . If your children are currently playing golf and are looking to join or move golf clubs and would be interested in joining one of the best golf clubs in Essex again then please do not hesitate to contact me and we can discuss the options.

Roy Carter & John Marnoch


Focus on You - Homeward Hounds

“My sunshine doesn't come from the skies, it comes from the love in my dog's eyes.” For all those dog lovers amongst

us, what better way to introduce Homeward Hounds - a dog training business run by Theydon Bois villagers, David and Clare Drew. David and Clare run training classes and a dog walking service including day care for dogs in Theydon Bois, Loughton, Epping and surrounding areas. With vast experience of working with dogs, both are passionate about providing a top quality service for local dog owners. The husband and wife team are animal first aid qualified and one of the first questions we were keen to ask was “What gave you the idea to start a business like this?” David, a qualified dog trainer replied: “I was working on the Metro newspaper for many years and realised that the future of the newspaper industry was declining so I decided to take redundancy and do something very different. My days in Fleet Street no longer held the same appeal so this was the ideal chance to change direction.” David continued: “I was always doing training with our own dogs and was keen to get more involved in training classes, so I started studying at the same time. Getting experience and qualifications simultaneously seemed ideal.” He added: “My wife Clare was as keen as me on the idea so we decided to trade in the family car and buy a van! That was the first step on our dog training journey.“ David is recognised as a Master Trainer with The Guild of Dog Trainers. Also an associate member of the Canine and Feline Association, an elite organisation with only around 40 members across the country, it is renowned as a hard membership organisation to get into. David said: “As soon as I get full membership owners will be able to claim on their pet insurance for their dogs’ behaviour problems.” David explained: “These memberships have been a great boost for us as well as our clients. It proves we are doing a good job and we know what we’re doing. We have 6 dogs of our own so our passion and commitment are definitely there!” Keen to find out more about Homeward Hounds’ clients and the kind of services they offer, Clare told us: “David is fantastic at working with high energy, nervous or fearful dogs. He has a calm, positive attitude along with a wealth of experience and many techniques to get the best results from a dog.” With many of their clients based in the City, as well as locally, David and Clare focus on one-to-one behavioural training. “People get very emotional as they don’t understand why their dogs act like they do. We have just started a Kennel Club Good Citizen Scheme where we get assessed by the Kennel Club. Once we achieved ‘Listed’ status we set up a Kennel Club Puppy Foundation,” said David who is now working towards a BA (Hons) Degree with the Cambridge Institute of Dog Behaviour & Training.

(continued on next page)


Theydon Bois Tennis Club This summer has again been very busy at the Tennis Club. Our membership has grown to over 200 with more adults taking advantage of our ‘half-price for new joiners’ offer. Coaching has been popular, and we have been running various Adult coaching sessions for beginners, improvers and team players on Monday evenings, Friday mornings and Saturday mornings, along with supervised play every Tuesday and Thursday morning. The Tuesday (10-12), Thursday (10-12) and Saturday (12-1) sessions are ideal if you’re rusty or have never played, just drop in and join the group. Rackets are provided if you’ve not got one. Junior coaching continues to be well supported on both Friday nights and Saturday mornings.

Our fun Parent & Child tournament is being held on 23 June giving the youngsters a chance to show off their talents. As a community club, the Tennis Club is delighted to again be helping raise funds for the Scouts at the Donkey Derby. Come along for the ‘Speedgun Challenge’ and see if you can hit the fastest serve of the day.

Clare told us: “People come to puppy class and then tell other people about us. We run two Kennel Club Good Citizen classes each week aiming towards Bronze, Silver and Gold awards. We run two social classes (general pet dogs) for obedience as well as the Puppy Foundation Class.” She added: “We try to give the dogs social skills, life skills, educate on dog housekeep-ing such as encouraging dog poo pickup.” Clare continued: “Educating the owners is really important. We take some reactive specialist classes in Enfield and at some time we will be bringing the same into the village. If a dog is having social issues we will do a class just for that problem.” Clare mentioned: “Being dog lovers ourselves we have become associated with the Wild at Heart Foundation. David is their resident behaviourist and we give advice about rescue dogs coming from overseas. Some struggle to adjust to the UK. These may be 5th or 6th generation street dogs, so it’s a struggle to acclimatise to life within a home, particularly when they have lived on the street in countries like Romania, Bosnia and Cyprus. Wild at Heart Foundation is a great place to find a rescue dog and they offer support and advice. They work tirelessly to find each dog the right home.” To find out more about the work of Homeward Hounds, call David or Clare on 07951 098466 or visit their website: www.homewardhounds.co.uk

Focus on You - Homeward Hounds (continued)

One of the Adult and Junior coaching groups


Tippy’s Topics - All Things Theydon Bois - Facebook Group I am giving a small summary of just a few of the many discussions featured on the ATTB (All Things Theydon Bois) Facebook page - this idea sprung from the fact that a number of our villagers do not have internet access. I hope that you enjoy 'Tippy's Topics' as much as the villagers have enjoyed debating and discussing issues that are important to them.

D uck Pond Signage - A number of villagers have suggested an educational sign for the area around the duck pond (pictured below). I have contacted the Corporation of London several times regarding this and am waiting a response at time of writing. The sign has been acknowledged by several people as being helpful.

P arking - Over the last few months an array of topics have been discussed with 'parking issues' being one of the most prevalent. There have been arguments both for and against the proposals for parking permits in a small number of roads, including Green Glade, Woburn and Hornbeam. There have been questions raised as to cost, visitor permits and consultation. Some villagers have welcomed the move, after complaining that they are unable to park in their street during the day.

In a similar vein commuter parking has been fiercely debated, especially with regards to the Abridge Road, which, as we are aware, is heavily congested during the week and has laid witness to several serious accidents. Some people questioned the issue of being forced to drive over the other side of the road to avoid parked cars and wondered about the legality of driving over the lines in the road.

I have also discussed this issue at some length with both Eleanor Laing and John Philip who have advised me that the matter is being looked into as a 'whole' in relation to parking/traffic and commuter parking. Some individuals have offered their drives to commuters and have agreed that this offers them a sense of security by giving the appearance that someone is 'home' when said villager may be at work themselves. It also offers the commuter some peace of mind that their car will be relatively 'safe' when left for the day.

There has also been some discussion regarding building a car park, although, some have argued as to where it could be placed and questioned as to whether this would encourage more commuters.


Tippy’s Topics - All Things Theydon Bois - Facebook Group (continued)

E aster Bank Holiday Monday - An issue that evoked upset and was again, fiercely debated - was the appearance on Easter Bank Holiday Monday, of traffic wardens to the village, who ticketed many cars parked outside their homes, and their visiting families. The whole of Orchard Drive was targeted as well as several other streets. People argued that this was unprecedented and that the wardens had not visited prior to this and have not necessarily been seen since. Some villagers have informed me that they appealed the imposed fines but were rejected, I also received an email from Eleanor Laing MP regarding this and have been told that she will be investigating the matter.

O pen Gardens Day - A number of villagers have discussed the possible revival of the Open Gardens day, which saw members open their gardens to visitors - this used to be a very successful, well attended village event. Members would open their gardens for display, to visitors who would pay a small fee to witness the finery. Numbers willing to display their gardens had dwindled and the event was sadly, cancelled. However, some have suggested its possible reintroduction if there was enough interest and also some suggested holding it as a 'two yearly event' Please contact Thea Buisson at [email protected] for further details.

I vor - Ivor has become acquainted with many of you, he is a friendly chap, an ex-forest dweller, who can often be seen feeding the birds, or nattering away to villagers. He has become an almost permanent fixture to the village. He celebrated his birthday on the 29th April, many villagers signed his cards, some gave him money - which he wanted to give to charity! A villager bought him a lovely cake and some bunting, The Queen Victoria public house hosted the small event and a few villagers popped in to wish him a Happy Birthday - he was 70 years young, and relished every moment of his special day. He wanted to say a HUGE "thankyou' to everyone.

D ogs & Leads - There was some concern regarding restrictions to dog walkers in the fields behind Dukes Avenue. A large number of people have stressed that both they and their pets have 'enjoyed' this spot for many years, for walking and exercise. Following a reported incident, a villager was informed that an eighty pounds fine could be imposed if they walked their pet in the area. There was some question as to whether or not this could be imposed if the pet was on a lead. Following on from this a sign was erected in the field at the bottom of Green Glade, informing dog owners that their pets could be 'shot', as there was livestock present, and drew peoples attention to 'sheep worrying' and it being an offence. Most of the conversations’ participants agreed with the purpose of the sign.

P hotographs - Finally, a little note from me, I would like to thank the villagers for sharing so many beautiful photographs on the webpage. Sadly however, I realise that not everyone can benefit from seeing them, so hopefully, in our next issue, I will see if we could perhaps have one or two displayed. I hope you have enjoyed this little 'round-up' of topics.


Where Are They Now?

The above photos were taken in 2003/4 but there were many more years when Theydon Bois Primary School children helped plant hedging on the forest buffer land near Great Gregories. The children shown in these photos must be very grown up now. Do you recognise yourself? Have you ever been back to see how the hedge has grown? You might be pleasantly surprised. This year in February, a group of Conservation Hedge Layers have been up at Great Gregories and others were invited along to watch their work. Tim, Pete and Pat from the Hedge Layers showed us how stakes were driven in the ground about 2ft (60cm) apart and the stems of the hedge were nearly cut through at an angle about 6in (15cm) from the ground in order to bend the stem over. This encourages side buds to break and grow up, making a thicker hedge. "Binders" of hazel were then used to weave in and out of the stakes to hold everything in place. There are many styles of hedge laying dating from ancient times, but this is the 'South of England' method and it is only done between the months of October and 1st of March so that nesting birds are not disturbed.

If you had fun planting the hedges DO go and look at them now.

Conservation Hedge Layers,Theydon Tree Wardens & EFDC Countrycare


Donkey Derby Celebrates 30 Years on July 9th

This year the Donkey Derby will be celebrating its 30th year. The event was first set up by Peter Simmance in 1987 to raise money for the scout hut - and has continued ever since. Peter got the idea from the old donkey races which used to be held by Gerald Buxton at Birch Hall at the end of the 1890s. Although much has changed since those times, the art of donkey riding has not and the donkeys still have to be ridden without a saddle - though participants are not allowed to carry their donkeys over the line anymore! The event will be on Sunday July 9th on the Green starting at 12noon with the last race at 4.30pm. To celebrate our 30 years, Phil Hughes who kindly compiles all the music for the event will be throwing in a few numbers from 1987 - so keep an ear out for those. There will be a host of other stalls and attractions, including the ferris wheel and swing boats and inflatables. The event raises money for the Scouts and Guides groups locally but lots of other village charities will have stalls at the event too including the Playground At Theydon, Theydon Bois Horticultural Society, Loughton Astronomical Society, St Mary's Church, Rural Preservation and the Amateur Radio society so it really is a "village" event. However, it takes a colossal amount of volunteers and many of the same faces help out year after year and the 1st Theydon Bois Scout Group would like to say a huge thank you to those who do. Your help is always appreciated.

.

Nik O'Flynn, joint chair of the Donkey Derby committee said: "We are thrilled to be celebrating 30 years of this event - it is an established part of the Theydon Bois calendar. To any newcomers who have not been before please come along, or better still, help out on the day. "We hope everyone enjoys it and I would like to say a big thank you in advance to all those who help us make this event happen."

If anyone has any that needs collecting, please contact Bob Penman on 07873 873732. If anyone has larger items, such as old bicycles, we can do them up before the event for sale on the day. Please call Pat Gill on 07970 551360

To any newcomers to the village, it is a great way to get to know people, so if anyone can spare some time setting up on the Saturday, manning a stall on the Sunday or packing away afterwards, please contact Stephen Rochester on 07825 270832. We are also looking for bric-a-brac and old plates etc for the Smash The Crocs stall - a fantastic way to get rid of a bit of pent-up energy!


News, Comments & Notices

Public Participation Session at end of every Full Monthly Meeting:

At the April Full Parish Council Meeting it was agreed that there will now be a Public Participation Session at the end of all Full Monthly Parish Council Meetings. This will allow villagers to speak on any matters of concern and it is hoped will encourage greater attendance and participation by villagers at these meetings. The Parish Councillors always wish to listen to the widest number of villagers’ opinions when making decisions that may af

Documents

Village News Issue 98 June 2017 Page 2 The Village that ... › Downloads › 17 V News June.pdfVillage News Issue 98 June 2017 Page 6 News from County Hall It was an honour to be