Archive
-
Date
From bank worker to nurse ...now I’m becoming a nun
FOR most, January 7, 2011 would have been an uneventful winter’s day. But for Lynn Del Bianco, it will always be unforgettable – because it was the day she received her calling from God. Lynn, 57, admits there was no “bolt of thunder” telling her
-
Date
A127 crash horse bolted from traveller site
A HORSE that ran into the path of a car on the A127, injuring twopeople and causing traffic chaos, escaped from a traveller site just hours earlier, the Echo can reveal. The animal was killed instantly when it was hit by a Renault Megane on the
-
Date
125 cases of food poisoning in Basildon
SOME 125 confirmed cases of food poisoning were reported to Basildon Council last year. The figure was revealed as the council’s environmental health team backed a campaign by the Food Standards Agency to cut the number of people getting ill from
-
Date
92 hoax calls to fire service
ESSEX firefighters attended 92 hoax calls across the county in the first six months of this year. There were another 62 hoax calls which crews didn’t go out to. Last year, the fire and rescue service received 384 hoax calls, attending 250 of
-
Date
Shopping staff aim to give hospice £10k
RETAIL workers are taking on an intense fitness challenge to raise thousands of pounds for charity, and are asking shoppers to do the same. Six staff from Eastgate Shopping Centre will cycle from London to Paris for Basildon’s St Luke’s Hospice
-
Date
Female archdeacon is appointed
A FEMALE reverend has been appointed as the new Archdeacon of Southend. The Rev Mina Smallman was installed into her new role in a special service at Chelmsford Cathedral last night. Before being ordained, Rev Smallman trained as a drama teacher
-
Date
Empty Leigh shop put to use by charity
AN EMPTY shop in Leigh is to be turned into a charity pop-up shop. Long-standing business Holmes Furnishers in Broadway West closed suddenly in January. It left customers who had paid deposits for new sofas without their orders and out of pocket
-
Date
Headteachers claim move to axe free school bus services will price some children out of best education
HEADTEACHERS across south Essex have hit out at plans to scrap free school transport, claiming it will stop children from low-income families attending the best schools. The comments came after Essex County Council announced plans to stop giving
-
Date
Liam Holden death: Murder trial begins
A MARTIAL arts expert was punched, kicked and stamped to death in a “brutal and sustained attack”, a court has heard. The first day of Owen and Ryan Wood’s murder trial at Chelmsford Crown Court was told Liam Holden, 35, was killed after sustaining
-
Date
Meet your MP at McDonalds
RESIDENTS can meet their MP– while picking up a burger. James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, will be holding an informal advice surgery on Friday, September 27, at McDonald’s at the bottom end of Southend High Street between 11am
-
Date
Eldery woman assaulted and burgled in her Wickford home
A DETECTIVE has voiced his disgust after a woman in her nineties was assaulted in her own home and burgled. The break-in happened when three young men forced their way into the victim's home in Alderney Gardens, Wickford, through a first-floor
-
Date
Hospital slammed over teenage girl's death
THE parents of schoolgirl who died after a catalogue of errors at a failing hospital have described how their daughter was treated as "collateral damage". Amie Miller, 15, was taken to Basildon Hospital A&E in November 2008 after suffering
-
Date
Man threatened with a knife and beaten in own home in Rayleigh
A MAN was threatened with a knife in his own home after burglars broke in. Two masked men went into the house in Bull Lane, Rayleigh, and beat up the resident - a man in his twenties. They hit him with an extendable baton and the pair were
-
Date
MPs' claimed £167,000 expenses over last year
SOUTH Essex MPs continue to claim thousands of pounds in parliamentary expenses, figures show. He now commutes to Parliament every day and has not claimed accommodation costs for seven months. Mr Amess also employs wife, Julie, as a secretary
-
Date
Rogue landlord's portfolio to be investigated
HOUSING bosses are investigating more than ten properties across Southend rented by one landlord, in the wake of an Echo investigation. Last week we revealed the shocking conditions at a former hotel, in Station Road, Westcliff, split into four
-
Date
Mark Wellington's book turns clock back to that famous day when Southend United clinched promotion with win at Bury
SOUTHEND United’s visit to Bury this weekend will bring back memories of one of the club’s greatest ever triumphs. For back in 1991, the Shrimpers triumphed 1-0 at Gigg Lane, thanks to a late, legendary goal from Ian Benjamin, to secure promotion
-
Date
Lawrence Brown to reach new heights with Essex Leopards
SEVEN-FOOT-TALL Lawrence Brown is looking to make a big impression with the Essex Leopards this term. Brown has agreed to stay with the Big Cats for a second season. And he cannot wait to get back on court. “It is great to have re-signed
-
Date
Canvey running star Jessica Judd backs campaign to restore running track
A CAMPAIGN has been launched to restore a dilapidated running track. The rundown track behind Waterside Farm Leisure Centre, in Somnes Avenue, Canvey, has been officially out of action for years due to its poor condition. Now, former Canvey
-
Date
Prom dress found in graveyard
A PROM dress has been found in a graveyard in Benfleet. The brand new floor-length blue sequined gown was discovered in St Mary’s graveyard, off High Road, Benfleet, and handed in to the police. Anyone looking to retrieve the lost item should
-
Date
Point ace Tom Ashton pleased with Rochford Hundred reward
TOM Ashton was thrilled to start his second spell at Rochford Hundred with a 27-point haul against Enfield Ignatians. Ashton returned to Rochford from Southend in the summer. And he was delighted to help Rochford kick off their London Two North
-
Date
Gomis Bedsente's future is in the balance due to Southend United's transfer embargo
SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown admits the future of transfer target Gomis Bedsente remains uncertain, due to the club’s transfer embargo. The Senegalise midfielder was again in action for the Shrimpers in yesterday’s behind-closed-doors friendly
-
Date
Southend United skipper John White should be fit for Bury trip
SOUTHEND United manager Phil Brown expects skipper John White to be fit for Saturday’s game at Bury. The defender missed Friday night’s 1-0 defeat to Scunthorpe United with a thigh problem he suffered during the match against Morecambe. But
-
Date
College memorial for apprentice Bradley
A COLLEGE has commemorated the life of a former student who was killed alongside his girlfriend in a motorbike crash. Students, workmates, family and staff came together at Prospects College, in Crompton Close, Basildon, on Monday to remember Brad
-
Date
Bail for teenagers suspected of bike theft
THREE teenagers arrested on suspicion of stealing a bike from Benfleet station have been rebailed. The three were reported to have been acting suspiciously at the railway station at about 2.30pm on July 3. Essex Police used the force helicopter
-
Date
Could doctors have saved Amie?
DOCTORS have been accused of failing to carry out simple checks which could have spotted a 15-year-old girl was suffering life-threatening brain damage. Basildon Hospital doctors admitted not carrying out important tests on Amie Miller at a three
-
Date
Our House is just Madness
THE smash hit musical Our House is at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. Inspired by the music of Madness, the Olivier award-winning musical has just started a three-week run at the Wolsey. Written by Tim Firth, the man behind Calendar Girls
-
Date
Free school meals for infant pupils
EVERY infant school pupil in Essex will be entitled to free school meals from next September, the Government announced. The £600million policy will mean that pupils in reception, Year One and Year Two will be entitled to the meals, at an estimated
-
Date
Road wins a garden prize
GLORIOUS gardens have been awarded first prize in a national competition. Striking plots in Leigh Hill, Leigh, scooped the accolade in Cultivation Street which aims to “bring streets of Britain back to life through people, plants and pride”.
-
Date
Master of Mischief Mark Thomas is back at arts centre
MARK Thomas is back at the Colchester Arts Centre, doing what he does best... causing mischief. Already a firm favourite here, Mark’s previous shows have included the Manifesto, where he came up with a plan to steer the country out of the recession
-
Date
Day out with difference? It’s got to be Basildon for that odd experience
PEOPLE looking for an odd day out have been told to head for Basildon. A poll put the town in the same bracket as Cumbria’s pencil museum. Basildon’s Heritage Trail came fifth in the poll of the oddest days out in the country. The 12km
-
Date
Brothers' murder trial due to start
TWO brothers are due to go on trial today over the murder of a man outside a Grays nightclub. Owen and Ryan Wood deny murdering Liam Holden after he left the Euro Lounge in the town centre in March. The brothers, Owen, 23, and Ryan, 21, of
-
Date
Schoolgirl donates 10ins of her hair to charity for sick children needing wigs
CARING Mollie Hilson has sacrificed 10ins of her hair to donate to a charity which makes wigs for children with cancer. Mollie, eight, from Southend, sent her long locks to the Little Princess Trust, after a haircut at Toni and Guy, in Southend
-
Date
Troubled family scheme not working
IT was launched by David Cameron in 2011, hailed as a solution to stop troubled families ruining communities and had millions of pounds thrown at it. But the Government’s turning around troubled families project, launched after the London riots
-
Date
Cuts loom for free school buses
THOUSANDS of pupils across Essex could have their free bus passes taken away by Essex County Council. County Hall bosses are proposing major changes to the way it funds transport for children from home to school, which costs the authority £25million
-
Date
Council's neglect is killing off our trade
TOWN centre traders are demanding action is taken in their street, which is regularly plagued by beggars, drunks and drug-users. Queens Road, off Southend High Street, is home to a variety of businesses, shops and cafes who say they are being badly
-
Date
Family of tragic New Zealand climbing death man speak of their grief
THE proud family of Robert Buckley, who tragically died while climbing in New Zealand, told how the fun-loving son and brother had been living his dream. Mum Gill Ray, 58, said her eldest son was helping to rebuild the infrastructure of Christchurch
