Archive
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Circle of light, all in the name of modern art
A CIRCLE of light is set to beam out across Southend on Saturday night - and it's all in the name of art. Sean Berry, 41, Paul Manners, 46, and Anna Heim, 46, are the visionary team behind the Pi Project. The trio of artists, who specialise in large-scale
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Robins get revenge as Lakeside lose two in a row
LAKESIDE suffered their second Elite League defeat in two nights when they went down 53-40 at Swindon last night as the Robins exacted revenge for their defeat last Friday at the Arena-Essex Raceway. Adam Shields held the visitors together with 13 points
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Our wake-up call for the truants
TRUANTS beware: You could be set for a rude awakening if you decide to bunk off school. Shoeburyness High School has launched a pioneering new scheme targeting persistent truants by visiting their homes and even getting them out of bed. The four-strong
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Change of opening hours to restaurant in old loos
A CHANGE to the opening hours of a proposed bistro-style restaurant and bar in former public toilets on Westcliff seafront come before councillors next week. Colin Thorne's plans to open Toulouse in the former toilets in The Leas have already been approved
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Don't forget your free lesson at Hockley
ENTHUSIASTS are reminded that NIGOLF are offering free taster lessons on Saturday and Sunday at Hockley Golf Range. Sessions can be booked by phoning 01702 207218.
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Essex squad to face Cambridge students
ESSEX have named a 13-man squad for their three-day friendly against Cambridge University at Fenner's, starting on Saturday. Essex: (from) Chopra, Gallian, Westley, Pettini (capt), ten Doeschate, Middlebrook, Phillips, Wheater (wkt), Tudor, Masters,
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Bopara has day to forget
RAVI Bopara had a day to forget as his MCC side took on county champions Sussex at Lords. Bopara, whose county team-mate James Foster is also in the MCC team, bowled eight wicketless overs as Sussex were bowled out for 171 before scoring just seven with
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Ali ton leads to Essex loss
ESSEX plunged to their second home pre-season defeat in the space of a week as Kabir Ali's unbeaten 100 led Worcester-shire to victory at the Ford County Ground today. The visitors passed Essex's first-day total of 179 in the 51st over of their innings
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Fullerton becomes world champion
BASILDON-born Faye Fullerton achieved the greatest result in her athletics career when she won individual gold at the World University Cross Country Championships held in Mauquenchy, near Rouen in northern France. Her win also led the British team to
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Essex Olympian League founding father dies
CHARLES Rand MBE, the Essex Olympian League's patron and one of the founding fathers of the league, has died at the age of 76. Rand passed away yesterday after a long illness. During his time Charles had been chairman, vice- chairman, secretary, fixtures
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Stokes on target for Hammers reserves
CANVEY-based midfielder Tony Stokes scored as West Ham's second-string secured a 2-1 win over Derby County in their penultimate FA Premier Reserve League South fixture of the season at Bishop's Stortford. The game also saw French winger Julien Faubert
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Golf club battle goes to High Court
A HIGH court judge has ordered a review into the controversial decision to allow thousands of tonnes of rubble to be brought on to Basildon Golf Course. Mr Justice Sir Andrew Collins delighted an army of campaigners, who have raised more than £14,000
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Hockey results
EAST HOCKEY MEN'S LEAGUE Division 2 South: Chelmsford III 2 Letchworth 6, Letchworth II 2 Wapping II 1, Upminster 3 Broxbourne II 2, Southend 1 Blueharts II 4, Old de Ferrians v Bishops Stortford II - void, Braintree 3 Berkhamsted 1. Division 3 SE:
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‘Under siege’ residents lose fight
A NEW block of 30 flats, restaurants and an office will be built in Hadleigh town centre after councillors approved the plans. The proposals, by RJ Hill, involve redeveloping 325-329 London Road, near the junction with Oak Road North. Residents fear
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E-mail threats nurse is struck off
A NURSE who told a hospital consultant "you are going to die" in an abusive e-mail campaign has been struck off. John Adams-Hughes, 49, a nurse at Basildon Hospital, left Dr Michael Imana feeling "embarrassed and humiliated" after sending malicious e-mails
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Speedway: Rossiter confident of avenging Lakeside win
LAKESIDE are in Elite League action at Swindon this evening where the Robins will be looking to avenge a 45-50 defeat at the Arena-Essex Raceway last Friday. Despite the reverse, Swindon team manager Alun Rossiter remained upbeat. "I wasn't disappointed
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Councillors consider fewer meetings to raise progress
AREA committees in the Rochford district could meet less often to allow more progress to be made between meetings. Rochford district councillors are proposing changes to the meeting system, introduced after last year's local elections. The three committees
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Woman hit boy and stole phone
POLICE are hunting for a woman who punched a schoolboy in the face and threatened to stab him before stealing his mobile phone. The boy, his younger brother and a friend were approached by a couple in Maple Way, Canvey, at about 11pm on Saturday. The
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Three arrests in graffiti crackdown
YOBS painting the town with their graffiti run the risk of arrest as police have launched a crackdown. Officers have already arrested three teenagers in a bid to stop youngsters causing havoc with their spray cans. Walls, garages, phoneboxes, shop shutters
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Girl's mum confronted abuse accused
A MUM told a court she confronted a man she suspected of indecently assaulting her daughter. The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, took to the witness box at Basildon Crown Court yesterday to recount the conversation she had with Wayne Bruce
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Our work to tidy up memorial garden
VOLUNTEERS ventured beside the seaside to continue their work on a memorial garden. Members of the Greengrid Taskforce spent about five hours on Saturday tidying up the Labworth memorial garden, on Canvey seafront. Jackie Humberstone, of Groundwork
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Anger at £500k housing demand
A DEVELOPER has accused Castle Point Council of reneging on a planning deal made five years ago by demanding £500,000 more than originally agreed. Homestead was granted permission to build 50 flats in Long Road, Canvey, in 2003, with a proviso that £100,000
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How I escaped kidnap gang
A NIGHTCLUB manager was kidnapped at knifepoint and only escaped by throwing himself out of a moving car. The 37-year-old man, who runs May-hem in Southend, was threatened with a knife as he arrived at work and forced to lay on the ground while his
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Jon top of class with 65
BELFAIRS Golf Club members could seldom witnessed contrasting weather conditions as they played their April medals over the weekend. It was like a summer's day on Friday and still quite pleasant Saturday, but the hardy golfers had to retire to the clubhouse
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Lords beats the weather
DESPITE the weather conditions the Lords Golf and Country Club (Rayleigh) managed to play two prestigious games in their annual golfing calendar The first was the seniors' medal which was won on the back nine by Colin Cordingley when he and John O'Connell
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Phoenix Club saved after rent bill cut
A CHARITY threatened with closure after being handed a £3,000 rent bill has won a reprieve. In February, Castle Point Council told the Phoenix Club it owed the cash for the use of the Paddocks community centre in Long Road, Canvey. Trustees said the
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Bye-bye Nobby
NOBBY the monkey, rescued after 20 years pent up in a one-bedroom Southend flat, is heading for a new, outdoor life in an 11-acre monkey sanctuary. The sanctuary is in Ascot, one of Britain's most upmarket locations. It's good to know that at least
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Women worth their pay
ESSEX local authorities come in for their fair share of stick, not least in these pages, so when they get something right, it is only proper that they should be given due credit for the achievement. Equal opportunities is one success story in which our
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Centenary Salver delayed
DUE to last weekend's poor weather, the outcome of Thorpe Hall's Centenary Salver - the first of last year's centenary competitions to be played - will not be announced until the second day is completed. The event was snowed off on Sunday and officials
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'Players are still motivated' - Curbishley
ALAN Curbishley insists his West Ham players are still motivated, despite their recent run of poor results and indifferent performances. The Irons have collected just four points from their last seven matches, but still sit comfortably in the middle
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Southend airport's roots in war
SOUTHEND Airport's future is a hot topic at present, but it is worth remembering that, unlike other airports, it has a long past, dating back to the dawn of aviation. Heathrow was just an undeveloped bog until 1946 (how little some things change) but
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Darts: Maish qualifies for finals
SOUTHEND darts professional Steve Maish has qualified for the live televised finals of the Blue Square UK Open. The 44-year-old, nicknamed "Mr Magic" will be given a bye into the second round after finishing joint 63rd in the order of merit following
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Fun day in Shoebury Park
BORED youngsters can make the most of the last day of the school holidays tomorrow (April 11) with a fun day at Shoebury Park. Between 10am and 4pm, there will be a whole host of activities to entertain kids of all ages, from an easter egg hunt, to a
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Faubert set for Derby date
INJURY-plagued West Ham winger Julien Faubert is set to return to first team action in the Irons Premier League clash with Derby County on April 19. The £6.2million summer signing from Bordeaux has made just two starts and four substitute appearances
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Updated: Boy, 12, hurt in hit-and-run
A SCHOOLBOY was thrown 100 yards after his bike collided with a car in a hit-and-run crash. The driver of the blue sports car involved in the crash did not stop at the scene, where the 12-year-old Canvey boy lay on the ground with severe head injuries
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Bootboy Gower shining bright
p>BLUES winger Mark Gower insists his side are pushing for automatic promotion and hopes his new scoring boots can help narrow the gap on second placed Carlisle United. Gower won his new footwear after being crowned the fastest player at the club in
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Mystery of mixed-up picture
A PENSIONER was pleased to receive her new free bus pass until she realised the photograph on the card was not of herself. Rita White, of Steyning Avenue, Southend, opened the envelope from Southend Council to find the name on her pass was right, but
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Collison in line for full debut?
JACK Collison could be in line to make his full West Ham debut at Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. The Wales Under-21 international and Irons reserve team captain is set to play at the Reebok Stadium after being rested for Wednesday's second-string fixture
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Ballards Gore don't break the betterball mould
BETTERBALL competitions usually produce high scores, even off three-quarters handicap, and Ballards Gore's silver award was no exception. Pride of place went to Peter Walsh, who was receiving 11 shots and continued his good form which had seen him already
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I contracted a superbug after routine back op
A FORMER lorry driver has won a £70,000 payout from Southend Hospital after he contracted MRSA while being treated there. John Lynch, 62, said his life was ruined after he was infected following a back operation in 2003, and has since become addicted
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Runwell Old Boys claim penalty triumph in cup final
Essex Veterans League Premier Division League Cup Final Runwell Old Boys 3 Old Parmiterians 3 (AET) 3-1 Pens THIS was billed as the Premier Cup Final and it lived up to its billing with boths sides playing good football with no quarter being given
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Kris is guest for Southend
KRIS Chesney is the star guest at Southend Rugby Club's latest fun day this weekend. The Saracens forward, who can play at flanker, number eight or lock, will be at Warners Bridge on Sunday to coach the club's youngsters before the Seasiders' home match
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Hazledine and Wilcock are the top at Rochford
ROCHFORD Ladies Coronation Foursomes saw Janice Hazledine and Wendy Wilcock reign supreme. They won with Jackie Mitchell and Elaine Tucker runners-up. Rochford's qualifier for the Essex Windfall Trophy competition is Karen Playle, who beat off the challenge
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Concord title hopes dented
CONCORD Rangers' Essex Senior League title hopes have faded badly following their 1-0 defeat, courtesy of a Sherwin Stanley goal, by fellow contenders Enfield 1893 at Ware. For the third team battling for the crown, Barkingside, had a 3-0 win at Clapton
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Teenager Tom unveils international dreams
IF nice guys really do finish first, then Tom Westley will become the best batsman in the world. Still just 19, the Essex all-rounder is maturing into a fine young cricketer, while also retaining an alluring modesty and down-to-earth personality that
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Cancer hero Keith’s big run
RAYLEIGH cancer survivor Keith Passingham is this week in the running to receive an award from a prestigious running magazine for his inspirational recovery. Passingham, pictured right, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2000. Having been a runner for
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Essex out for 179 on first day
ESSEX were shot out for a modest 179 on the opening day of their two-day friendly against Worcestershire, who had reached 30-1 in reply by the close. Grant Flower showed his resilience scoring a watchful 36 in an innings spanning two hours and 18 minutes
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Junior football results
CHELMSFORD YOUTH LEAGUE U16 Division 1: Corringham Cosmos A 7 Intersports 1. U17 Division 3: Barnston Youth 2 Cougars 2; Intersports 4 Singh Sabha Barking 1. U18 Division 2: Basildon Town 1 Ongar Juniors 1. All other matches postponed. SOUTHEND &
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Veterans football results
SOUTHEND BOR COMB VETS LEAGUE ECFA Sunday Vets Cup Final: Rochford Sports & Social 0 Old Southendian 3. Premier Division: Castle Rangers P Great Wakering Rovers P. Division 1: Chalkwell 4 (Kasparian, Murray, Muller, Bush) Ford Basildon 4 (Williams
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Racing Brown brothers battle for pole position
SIBLING rivalry can stretch families to breaking point at the best of times. But when that competition takes place on the racing track it takes on a whole new level! And that could be the case this Sunday when brothers Daniel and Robert Brown of Billericay
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Skate haul for boat sale crew
SOME of the team from Essex Boatyard took a day off from selling boats and enjoyed a good days fishing aboard charter vessel Predator out of Essex Marina at Wallasea. The main species of the day was skate being taken on fresh herring, with codling and
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Peters and glee after final win
SOUTH Essex players faired well in the first junior tournament to be held at Great Baddow tennis club in April for some years. Thorpe Bay's Anna Peters defeated Gemma Vango 6-2 6-2 to claim the girls' 18 and under final. And Westcliff Hardcourts' Virunee
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Bowers move up
BOWERS and Pitsea climbed two places to seventh spot in the table with last night's 2-1 win over local rivals Basildon United at the Len Salmon Stadium. Basildon remain second from bottom and host Clapton on Saturday. Bowers visit the team immediately
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No bonuses for Irons if they drop to eleventh
WEST Ham's players and management will not receive a penny in bonuses if they slip into the bottom half of the Premier League table. The Irons have lost five of their last seven matches, allowing 11th-placed Tottenham to close to within four points of
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Sunday finals for quartet
TWO Sceptre Sunday League finals are being staged at Great Wakering Rovers' Burroughs Park ground on Sunday. At 10.30am Thundersley Rovers take on Canvey Orient for the Mick Wiggett Cup and the Mike Hayward Cup final starts at 2.30pm. Admission is £4
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12 calls to elder abuse helpline
A HELPLINE for people to report abuse in care homes has an uncertain future, after its trial received just 12 calls. In October, Essex County Council joined forces with groups including Action on Elder Abuse and the Essex Vulnerable Adult Protection
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Edinburgh returns to football with Woking post
FORMER Spurs star Justin Edinburgh is back in the Blue Square Premier. Since parting company with Grays Athletic in February, Edinburgh has been helping out scouting for old pal Colin Calderwood at Nottingham Forest. But now he has joined Woking as
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Colombia test for McEvoy
THORPE Hall's Richard McEvoy began his European Challenge Tour Colombia Masters challenge in Bogota today. Last week in Argentina, former Walker Cup amateur international McEvoy, 28, was joint 29th in the Challenge Tour event in Argentina at Beunos Aires
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Thorpe Hall’s Blake comes home in front
SCORES of 70 and 73 for a 143 total saw Thorpe Hall's Martin Blake top the qualifiers in the weekend's Essex Keating Trophy at Colne Valley. He will now meet James Jones (Five Lakes) in Saturday's opening matchplay stages. A total of 84 hopefuls started
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Holders cop a loss to Rovers
GREAT Wakering Rovers have won through to the final of the Isthmian Veterans Cup. In a home semi-final with holders Met Police they won 2-1 thanks to a brace from Steve Warner. They will now meet Bromley in the final on April 22 at a venue to be decided
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Speedway: Heavy defeat for Lakeside
LAKESIDE slumped to defeat at Poole last night when they were beaten 54-38 in an Elite League match at Wimborne Road. The Pirates easily accounted for their fellow title favourites with the two Poole reserves amassing 19 points between in contrast to
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Wickford beat snow showers
Sunday's snow hit Wickford tennis club's finals day - but the sporting finalists ensured five of the seven events planned beat the weather. Craig George beat his brother Neil 7-6 6-3 to claim the men's singles title, while Andre Lubb saw off club captain
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Junior football: Estate of the art for Frankie
FRANKIE Banks is about to start yet another soccer scheme in the local area. The former Southend United defender, who also spent 16 years running the club's community and educational trust, is about to launch a Blues estates programme in association
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Table tennis: Taylor sews up win but Rawreth prevail
LENTERN B suffered an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Rawreth B in the Premier Division of the Southend and District Table Tennis League. But Lentern's Les Tayler had a surprise win over Eric Green. Tayler lost the first leg, but wore his opponent down and
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Ciggie bins are waste of cash
The very suggestion of Southend Council putting bins all around the town to stop smokers dropping their dog-ends outside pubs and clubs (April 3), would be a complete and utter waste of money. I am afraid smokers and people who chew gum would
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Colour up for a Moonlight walk
It was great to see the front page of the Echo with the headline "Funding Crisis Over" with regard to the fantastic work that has been undertaken in raising £253,000 for the cash strapped Fair Havens Hospice. However, it was reported the bosses at Fair
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Developers get off very lightly
Another lucky developer is in for a bargain as Southend continues to sell off its assets cheaply. The Maybrook training centre, extensively used by Southend residents, was closed down some years ago. Had the council proposed housing development then
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Thieves hit six vehicles in two days
THIEVES broke into six vehicles in the space of two nights in the Rochford district. In a series of thefts police believe could be linked, crooks targeted three vans between 6pm on Sunday and 5am on Monday, before another two vans and a car were broken
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We're living life to the full
What a heart-warming story from Gloria Dyer (Echo Woman, March 31). Like her, I fell in love all over again aged 62, although in our case he was the one who was divorced and facing a second divorce. Like her I had felt life had nothing else to offer
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Why cut down our maple tree?
It seems strange a 40-year-old maple tree has been cut down on Canvey. After all the years councillor Ray Howard has served Canvey, is he now starting to lose the plot? I agree with John Potter and Richard Smith, there was nothing wrong with this tree
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Swimming pools are too hot and too small
An issue many people seem to have missed in the Southend swimming pool debate is that yes, size matters! Contrary to many patrons' belief, the main pool at Warrior Square is not Olympic size. An Olympic size pool is 50 meters long, whereas Warrior Square
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Uproar as more trees felled beside rail line
MORE tree felling by Network Rail has angered neighbours living by a railway line. The clearance last week of hundreds of trees and bushes on the southern embankment near South-end East railway station infuriated residents in Ambleside Drive, South-end
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Where are our free bus passes?
MANY elderly and disabled bus users in south Essex are still without their new free travel bus passes, more than a week after the intended start date. Problems with delivering and making the cards left many over-60s and disabled travellers without the
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Vision of the A12 mandarin
SIR David Rowlands is either the best or the worst person to chair a public inquiry into the state of the A12. As the former number one civil servant at the Department for Transport, he is well-connected and certainly ought to know his stuff. On the
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Our PCTs fall behind in cleanliness stakes
PRIMARY care trusts in south Essex have fallen below the national average for providing soap and other hand cleaning material, a poll has found. The results come from the Healthcare Commission's staff survey. It showed South East Essex Primary Care
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All tooled up for gruelling event
A MAN who had major heart surgery as a child is now running the London Marathon for a charity researching heart problems. Ben Green had to have a valve and four holes in his heart repaired when he was just four and without the operationhe wouldn't be
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Jogging up funds for trust
BIG-HEARTED Christine Perry is running the London Marathon to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. Mrs Perry, 53, from Shoebury, said she wants to help the charity after she met cystic fibrosis sufferer, Sam Richardson. She said: "Sam is only
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Firemen’s crafty bluff got them ready
TWO firefighters will be pounding the pavements on Sunday to help raise money for St Luke's Hospice. Matt Pattison, 38, and Gary Baker, 35, are both based at Hadleigh fire station and will be taking part in their first marathon on Sunday. Mr Pattison
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For Little Havens
THE death of a baby from a rare condition prompted Mark Taylor to run the London Marathon for Little Haven Children's hospice. Mark, 30, of Long Lane, Grays, aims to cover the 26.2 miles in memory tot Febe Allison, from of Stifford Clays, who was born
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Cancer-fight PC’s 26-mile challenge
KIRSTE Snellgrove will show her determination to beat cancer when she runs the London Marathon. First diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2005, the 39-year-old Benfleet policewoman has refused to let the disease halt her athletics career. Only last
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Giraffe appeal supporter
THE Echo-backed Giraffe Appeal has prompted Tony Cooper to run the London marathon. The Basildon Hospital appeal aims to raise £30,000 to buy two Giraffe omnibed incubators. Tony, 32, of Coronation Avenue, East Tilbury, hopes to raise £2,000 for the
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Robyn spurred me into action
RUNNER Mark Schlitz has always dreamed of running the London Marathon. But it was the suffering of his friend's ten-year-old daughter that finally spurred him into action. Robyn Harrison has suffered problems breathing since she was a baby and was diagnosed
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In memory of grandad
RUNNING one gruelling marathon in a year would be enough for most people. But for Joe Elliott, 21, of Hillway, Westcliff, Sunday is the first part of a double-bill. Joe, who works for Southend Council, can look forward to preparing for the New York
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Inspired by a sad loss
DENNIS Dudley, 49, of Kenwood Road, Corringham, has raised more than £18,000 for St Luke's Hospice in Basildon over six years by running the marathon. However, this year's run has taken on a new significance for Dennis and his family after the hospice
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Running to make a difference
ONE hundred and thirty runners have signed up to support Havens Hospices in this year's London Marathon on Sunday, April 13. The runners will aim to raise as much cash as possible to swell the coffers of Fair Havens, Westcliff, and Little Havens, Thundersley
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Updated: Basildon restaurant ratings
FIVE-STAR staff at Basildon's cleanest restaurants and canteens are celebrating after getting full marks in a two-year survey. Only 18 food outlets out of 787 across the district achieved five out of five from Basildon Council's environmental health
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Just go online to find your council house
TENANTS will soon be able to choose council houses in Southend on the internet and over the phone, it has been revealed. Southend Council is set to launch a new scheme, called choice-based lettings, which will give people the chance to select their own
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Mother killed getting mattress off motorway
A WOMAN was struck and killed by a lorry as she tried to retrieve a mattress which had fallen out of her car, an inquest was told. Laveen Stanley, 53, died on the London-bound carriageway slip- road of the A13, between the Lakeside turn-off and junction
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Young scientists get smart new lab
BUDDING scientists will return after the Easter holidays to a £16,000 refurbished laboratory at St Hilda's School, Westcliff. Teachers hope the upgrade of facilities and equipment in both science laboratories at the independent school will further bolster
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Heaths celebrate 60th anniversary
A HAPPY couple on Canvey have celebrated 60 years of marriage. Norman Heath, known as Les, and his wife Jean were both born in London and married in St Dunstan's Church in Stepney, East London. After they married, the couple lived with Mrs Heath's
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Spicy fundraiser raises £1,100 for drugs awareness
A CHARITY curry night has raised £1,100. The evening at the Tandoori Parlour in Hart Road, Thundersley, was organised by MP Bob Spink to raise money for a drugs awareness project. The project is run by Ian Miles and Richard Keeler, of the Thundersley
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Boost to front-line policing
ESSEX Police will be given more than £100,000 to boost front-line policing. The funding is being given out by the Home Office, and comes from money seized from criminals. Under the asset recovery incentive scheme, the Government department pays back
