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PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
OCTOBER 2003
HERE ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING 0CTOBER
2003 AND WHICH HAVE BEEN RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE LOCAL HISTORY
RECORDER FOR THE VILLAGE.
A new bylaw came into effect, which stipulated that all horse riders
in Epping Forest had to be licensed with the Epping Forest Conservators.
The fees for adults were £5-weekly, and £40-yearly, under
sixteens-half fee; annual fees for riding schools were £50 a horse.
Licensed riders/horses would carry a numbered disc on the bridle to signify
registration; the riders of horse not doing so would be reported to the
Forest Superintendent and face possible prosecution. Christine Cohen,
Chairman of the Epping Forest and Open Spaces Committee said ” The
Corporation of London had invested £1m to create specialised routes
and spends about £100,000 annually to maintain them; we are committed
to preserve these facilities for the use of considerate horse riders”.
A Beauty Room was opened by Emma Ellis, 26, from Epping, in the Harry
George hair stylists in Forest Drive. Emma was trained in beauty therapy
at Harlow College before working at The Sanctuary in Covent Garden, one
of London’s top day spas. Customers at the Beauty Room on Monday
evenings were offered a glass of wine, and a 15% discount on all treatments
costing more than £10.
The problem of rubbish dumping or “fly tipping” which was
now plaguing the area, took a more serious turn for the village when some
60 bags of clinical waste were found in a field off the Abridge Road near
the Village Cemetery. Off duty police officer Sergeant Ian Carter from
Loughton spotted the bags, and the special bins which contained surgical
blades and clinical syringes. The Epping Forest District Council (EFDC)
environmental health department praised him for contacting them immediately
on the "out of hours" phone line, which enabled the authority
to deal promptly with the problem; the dumping of such waste was dangerous
and it was essential for the police or the authority to be contacted immediately
and the area secured. The incident revealed that farmers and land owners
were now required to deal with any rubbish dumped on their land; this
appeared to be grossly unfair and personally expensive considering the
amount of dumping which was now taking place which included car tyres
and building rubble.
The lack of use of the youth centre building in Loughton Lane was
criticised by person or persons unknown through a letter to the local
press. It was claimed that some of the problems due to youth misbehaviour
in the village stemmed from the lack of suitable social amenities, such
as the now closed youth club, which had used the building. It was also
pointed out that the adjacent scout building was used frequently for classes,
parties and functions and that the centre could be put to similar use,
if not used as a youth amenity. The writers could therefore only assume
that the current neglected state of the building and lack of use meant
that the Essex County Council (ECC), the owners of the property, intended
to demolish the building for profit (housing development?).
The current national concern regarding the reducing value of retirement
pensions and the small levels of pension increases was commented on by
Rob Jones of the Epping Forest Green Party. He advised that the recent
Green Party conference in Lancaster voted overwhelmingly to extend the
state pension to ensure that every pensioner received sufficient income.
A decent state pension should be available as a right and not linked to
a person’s ability to make high contributions (to a pension scheme)
during their working lives. Crucially, the policy adopted by the Green
Party offered an extended and universal state pension funded by the proceeds
generated by abolishing tax relief on private pensions. This progressive
pension policy hinged on the idea that primary responsibility for pension
provision rested with the State.
Four young and attractive young ladies who comprised the Quattro group
of string instrumentalists were the performers at the October meeting
of the Theydon Bois Music Society. Their programme included Mozart's Divertimento
in F, Bach’s Air on a G String, Borodin’s Nocturne, Hayden’s
Quartet “The Lark” and a selection of musical hits by George
Gershwin. The two violins, viola and cellist were all highly professional
musicians and graduates of London’s top musical colleges, who played
regularly with major English orchestras, and also with the Bergen Philharmonic
Orchestra in Norway. This evening's recital helped to maintain the high
standard of musical recitals as presented by the Society, membership of
which was not confined to the village.
Leslie Jerman of Coppice Row warned of another threat to the village
involving the movements of large quantities of soil similar to that on
land once part of Blunts Farm in Coopersale Lane. An application was now
being considered for the construction of a soil bund, or small hill, at
Theydon Hall to minimise the noise from the adjacent M11 motorway. Some
60,000 cubic metres of soil would be delivered by lorries at a rate of
50 loads per day (100 lorry movements) along a route not specified. The
Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society had already objected to the proposal
and estimated that the frequency of lorry movements would be one every
six minutes for a period of six months. The Society had also expressed
concern regarding lorry access to the site and/or through the village
An illustrated talk on Swan Upping was given in the village hall by
David Reed, Barge Master to the Worshipful Company of Dyers. This event
was arranged by the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society and was supported
by a large audience. The Society was founded on 26 February 1944 and so
would be celebrating its diamond jubilee in 2004. It is affiliated to
the Essex Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (formerly CPREssex)
Campaign which was launching a major campaign “communities not concrete”
against a number of proposals for substantial housing, industrial and
road developments in rural Essex.
The Stansted/M11 Corridor Option Study had just been published and
was of particular concern to the village because, as with other plans,
it referred to the construction of houses in "Loughton", 500
dwellings in this instance. The clear implication was to build on the
only undeveloped land adequate to accommodate such development
ie. the Green Belt between Theydon Bois and Debden. The residents of this
new “concrete jungle” might appreciate the idea of being “Theydon
Bois South”; but would villagers appreciate becoming “Debden
North” with through road traffic hurtling along the quiet village
residential areas of Poplar Road and Theydon Park Road?
Eleanor Laing, MP for Epping Forest, attended the TB Baptist Church
Men’s Forum to talk about the life of an MP (and a mother!). She
took that very day as a typical example and explained how she had first
spent the breakfast period with her young son Matthew in London and then
drove through heavy and delaying traffic to speak at the meeting. As Shadow
Minister for Children, she was then travelling on to Brighton to address
a national conference on childcare and then would have parliamentary and
constituency matters to deal with on her return.
At the October meeting of the Theydon Bois WI, its President Peggy
Cooke presented a donation of £616.60 to the Playground At Theydon
(PAT) Charity. This was the amount raised annually by the WI for charitable
purposes and was gratefully received by PAT committee members Elizabeth
Emmett and Clare Tunks, together with her son Dominic. The Playground
had been used by children up to 11 years since its foundation the early
1990s and was popular both in the village and surrounding area. PAT is
organised by a band of volunteers who had worked hard to provide and administer
the Playground and maintain its play equipment. It depended entirely on
voluntary financial support and had recently installed a new centre activity
frame, which included access for disabled children.,
The tenth anniversary of the Local Churches Representatives Scheme
was held recently in the Theydon Bois Baptist Church. This scheme was
set up to ensure that all residents were welcomed to the village in the
name of its churches. The anniversary was celebrated with a service of
thanksgiving led by Angela Walling, with the sermon being given by David
Walling. John Eaton, the TBPC Chairman, and Father James, the Pastor for
the village catholic community, read the lessons. A recommissioning of
the members of the management committee and church representatives, was
led by the Rev. Canon Colin Travers of St Mary’s TB. David Penegar,
the Baptist Minister, thanked all who had established the scheme and were
currently working as representatives of the churches.
Theydon Bois remains a compact village with two churches, a fine village
hall, a railway service, limited bus links and a good range of shops,
which catered for most household needs. It also has a substantial retired
and ageing population, and a cemetery. This must have been readily apparent
to a particular business whose sign now appeared over the premises recently
vacated by the Fairytale Flowers florists and next door to an Indian Restaurant;
it read “Chris Poulton, Fourth Generation Funeral Directors”.
Many villagers, particularly the elderly, blinked more than once at this
portent of impending doom and wondered if they should rush home and put
their affairs in order. However, the Poulton Funeral Directors based in
Epping, with which the new business was connected, were no strangers to
the village and already dealt with local bereavements
John Peck, 58, of Dukes Avenue TB, who with his rowing partner Fraser
Dodds, 43, intend to row 2,000 miles in a rowing race across the Atlantic,
announced that the bulk of the £28,000 required to fund the their
entry had been raised. They therefore now planned to set off from Tenerife
in January 2004 for the finishing line in Barbados. Sponsored support
had been received from a number of businesses including Trailfinders,
Tropical Shipping of North Weald and Epping based Whyziwig who had produced
logos and other signs for their entry. John and Fraser have already competed
in the 22 mile Great River Race along the Thames and finished 34th out
of 225 entrants in their heavy sea going boat which was matched against
professional racing craft; this has more than proved their fitness for
their almost non-stop Atlantic row.
The Saturday night performance of the current production by the Theydon
Bois Drama Society was the usual complete sell out. One of their best
productions to date, the Ken Ludwig comedy Over The Moon was presented
at a rate which had the audience almost gasping for breath as well as
convulsed with laughter. The plot (?) revolved around an ageing couple
George Benson, played by Martin Oliver, and his wife Charlotte, played
by Tee Greener, who had one last chance of achieving starring roles in
their acting careers. The “backstage” antics of the players
were fast, exuberant and yet well timed. The principals were well supported
by Janet Doe as a hard of hearing mother in law, Frazer Freeman as the
weather man, Rebecca Heather playing a confused Roz, Karen Burns as a
young lady with ambitions, Frank Holzman as the wife stealer and, last
but not least, Simon Gilbert. Once again, the set was well designed and
made a good background for the colourful costumes worn by the cast.
Passengers on a Central Line train arriving at the station from London
were surprised to be quickly ushered out of the station by rail staff
who had been supplemented by a number of police officers. Outside, other
police officers arrived and the police helicopter appeared overhead and
hovered in the vicinity of the fields behind Dukes Avenue. Apparently,
a car had been stopped on the M11 motorway and the occupant had taken
to the fields and then fled across the railway line down which a number
of officers were running, the train remaining in the station. The criminal
(?) had a good head start but the arrival of the helicopter with its sensing
equipment soon ensured a quick capture. The police officers, helicopter
and train then moved off and rural peace returned to the village.
During the month, the following were recorded in the registers of
St Mary’s Church, Theydon Bois:
Funerals: Vera Trueman Burial of Ashes: Sydney Arthur Glozier
THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
SEPTEMBER 2003
HERE ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING SEPTEMBER
2003 AND WHICH HAVE BEEN RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE LOCAL HISTORY
RECORDER FOR THE VILLAGE.
The Victorians Petanque Club (the Vics), based at the Queen Victoria
Pub in Coppice Row, moved to the top of the Division Two of the British
Petanque Association after wining the match against their closet rivals
from the Plough and Chequers in Gillingham Kent. This 5 –3 games
win qualified the Club to represent the Association in the European Clubs
competition to be held in March 2004. The team members were Patrick Dennis,
Dean Little, Phil McCrostie, Dinesh Seetahul, Dave Tarring, Leckrat Tupsy,
Andy Wilmot and Bob Wilmot. During 2003 the Club, which was founded in
1990, had also won the Herts and Essex League and the McMullen Leaque.
A reminder that winter was coming, despite the continuing hot and
summery weather, was indicated by the presence of Essex County Council
trading standard officers at the village hall who provided a “while
you wait” testing service for electric blankets.
Sarah Hannibal, 18, of the Weind in the village returned home after
spending the summer in Uganda helping to establish an African Branch of
the Guide Association as part of Project Gold. She had travelled with
a group of five other guide leaders from across Britain and had to raise
£2,000 by sponsorship to cover her costs. The group visited four
districts of Uganda where they endeavoured to set up training programmes
dealing with first aid, guiding law, brownie aims and the terrible problems
of AIDs and HIV. Sarah said that her participation in the project had
changed her and that she had gained much in experience. She was now preparing
to go to Oxford to study for a maths degree.
The concern of residents in the Epping Forest District continued regarding
proposals (now five!) for new housing and other development in the area,
and the resulting controversy continued unabated. Each would affect Theydon
Bois in some way, if only indirectly (at this time!), and Epping Forest
appeared particularly vulnerable. In an article in the Epping Guardian,
Richard Morris, a well known and outspoken Verderer of the Forest, asked
if today’s elected representatives on the Epping Forest District
Council and the Essex County Council would have the same resolve as our
forbears to save the interests of the Forest, as in 1878 when the Epping
Forest Act was passed.
Captain Grubwatch, a correspondent reporting on restaurants in a local
newspaper, appeared to have developed a liking for Indian Restaurants
in the village. Having only recently visited the Theydon Bois Balti House
in Station Approach, he now decided to eat at the Indian Ocean establishment
in Coppice Row. He found the restaurant to be both comfortable, private
and yet sited in an attractive area opposite the village green; and his
meal was excellent.
Bob Jones, the Epping Forest Green Party Co ordinator and a village
resident claimed that the recent record high temperatures, atmospheric
smog, overheated railway lines and brown lawns demonstrated the current
impact of global warming. He also claimed that the Department of the Environment
and Rural Affairs, and the Meteorological Office, confirmed that the current
extreme temperatures were due to human activity. He pointed out that 1998,
2001 and 2002 were the previous warmest years on record but the authorities
had done little to curb green house gas emissions, a major cause of which
was transport. Planning permissions were still being granted for new developments,
which included car parking. Little was being done to restrict town centre
parking to encourage the greater use of public transport.
Following the decision of the Epping Forest Conservators to licence
horse riding in Epping Forest, Ginny White of Fyfield complained about
the number of mountain bicycles using the horse riding tracks in the Forest.
She also pointed out that bridle ways and by ways in the area were also
being rendered impassable to walkers and horse riders because of damage
caused by motor cycles and four wheel drive vehicles. She therefore contended
that these categories of users should also be charged to help maintain
the Forest Rides, and even repair the bridle ways.
The Epping Forest Council for Voluntary Services held its tenth AGM
in the village hall. The speaker was Bill Rammel, MP for Nazeing, Roydon
and Sheering, and he talked about the value of voluntary services in the
Epping Forest District. Local voluntary organisations displayed information
about their work and a celebratory lunch was held after the meeting.
Following recent criticism of the dumping of spoil and rubble at Blunt’s
Farm, Coopersale Lane, and the action taken by the local authorities to
stop the practice, Joan Axon wrote to the Guardian Newspaper to clarify
a particular aspect. She pointed out that the site in question was no
longer Blunt’s Farm but Parsonage Golf Ltd, to which it had been
sold some considerable time ago.
The Karrilon Trio gave an evening performance at the September meeting
of the Theydon Bois Music Society. Susan FitzGerald, - flute, Clare Welfare
– oboe and Marcus Andrews – piano played a variety of classical
music by composers including Sergei Rachmaninov, Benjamin Britten, Madeline
Dring and Ethyl Smyth. The recital was of the high standard with which
the Society is associated, and was well received.
This year’s annual show of the Theydon Bois Horticultural Society
was held in the late summer so that a different range of fruit and vegetables
could be displayed. Pot plants and cacti were popular entries and compensated
for the adverse affect on the flower entries due to the exceptionally
hot weather. Handicraft entries were of a high standard as was the children’s
section which included sunflower heads which been grown from seeds donated
by the Society. The nine winners of the
various competitive sections of the show were as follows:
A. Hollingbery – Banksian Medal, Ted Lock Memorial Cup and the
Gazette Challenge Bowl: B. Turner – Rose Medal, Frank and Josie Way
Memorial Cup, Gerald Buxton Cup, John Monkhouse Cup, Jubilee Trophy and
the Committee Cup: G. Haslehurst – William Way Cup and the Secretary’s
Cup : S. Barnes – Elcee Cup : P Haslehurst - Keswick Cup : A. Witts
– Buxton Cup : Emma Hollis – Garden News Shield : James Hollis
– Mini Shield.
Fire crews from Loughton, Epping and Harlow were called in the early
hours to the junction of Loughton Lane and the Green in Theydon Bois where
a Toyota Celica car had left the road and struck a tree. The occupants
were two men, one of whom had to be freed by the fire crews, and both
were taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow for medical attention.
A particular "accident black spot”, this junction has been the
scene of several accidents especially at night.
Syd Glozier, a prominent member of the village community was cremated
at Parndon Wood crematorium in Harlow. He had died on 9th September after
stoically and cheerfully enduring 12 years of illness. He and his wife
Mary lived in Orchard Drive. They first met at the “Dreamland “dance
hall in Margate, were married within three months and Syd then departed
to help fight the war in Europe where he was severely wounded; a bullet
remained lodged near his heart throughout his subsequent life and caused
much interest whenever he had a medical examination. They spent all their
married life in their Orchard Drive bungalow where they brought up their
children Susan and Trevor. Both Syd and Mary were leading members of the
Theydon Bois and the Epping Bowling Clubs, the Theydon Bois Branch of
the Royal British Legion and the Theydon Bois Horticultural Society. Their
gardens were always a source of bright colour, whatever the time of year
and their horticultural efforts often appeared in many other local gardens.
Syd was a leader in many respects and was an outspoken speaker on local
matters, particularly during the public sessions at Parish Council meetings.
Syd was 79 when he died; he lived respected and died regretted.
Jim and Kate Conway of Thrifts Mead in the village criticised the
state of the pavements and the road surface in the Mead. They held “the
council” responsible and suggested that an element of neglect was
apparent. Moreover, they contended that the failure of the village to
win this year's Best Kept Village Competition was not surprising because
of this. They did consider the village to be a nice place in which to
live; however, it would only remain so if the council was prepared to
invest in the way it looked.
John Eaton, Chairman of the Theydon Bois Parish Council, responded
by saying that, if they were referring to the Parish Council, then ample
documentary evidence existed to show that the Council was pro-actively
pursuing an environmental agenda in the village with Epping Forest District
Council administration. However, a lack of Government funding meant that
basic highway and maintenance functions were seriously underfunded. Nevertheless,
the District Council employed a street cleaning company and the Parish
Council was committed to ensuring that the village remained a desirable
place to live. He
Concluded by suggesting that Mr and Mrs Conway joined in the next
village ”litter pick” where parish councillors and villagers
alike regularly demonstrated their care for the villager by helping maintain
its open spaces.
Mother’s Union members Margaret Pattison and Carole Risdon from
the village were among a group of eleven members from the Epping Forest
Deanery who received certificates acknowledging their work in connection
with child contact centres. These were places where divorced or separated
parents, usually fathers, could meet their children in safe and pleasant
surroundings. The members are all involved with the Loughton Centre, which
was established some eleven years ago and opened on Saturday mornings.
The continuing heatwave and drought came to sudden end with the arrival
of heavy showers and strong winds from the northwest. The temperature
plummeted from 23 degrees to 13 degrees C. and a ground frost was forecast.
Autumn had arrived.
The mobile police safety cameras, also known as a "speed traps",
were operating in the village to discourage motorists from exceeding the
30 mph speed limit and apprehend those who did.
During September, the following were recorded in the registers of
St Mary’s Church, Theydon Bois:
Holy Baptisms
14 09 03: Anita May Shannon Hyde
21 09 03: Aimee Louise Best
Marriages
06 09 03: David Baker and Mandy Woods
Funerals
28 08 03: Maud Stone
01 09 03 : Ronald Whiffen
02 09 03: Edie King
17 09 03: Kathleen Hendley
17 09 03: Sydney Glozier
Burial of Ashes
29 08 03: Ken Nicholson
23 09 03: Elsie Brewer
THE PAST MONTH IN THEYDON BOIS
AUGUST 2003
HERE ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL
ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING AUGUST 2003
AND WHICH HAVE BEEN RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER
FOR THE VILLAGE.
During the mid summer, a new business was established in Loughton
Lane in a premises which was formerly The Gallery soft furnishings. The
earlier businesses there had been a newsagents and general store and,
before that, Manning’s Taxi and Car Repair Service. Vincent Nafi
and Deborah Hayes opened The Flower Yard garden centre with an impressive
variety of stock intended to meet the requirements of most people. Vincent
came from a family which had also traded as florists some years ago in
Walthamstow and so was well experienced in this business. This garden
centre would fill the gap caused by the closure earlier this year of Fairytale
Flowers in Coppice Row and, as a garden centre, would help maintain a
good balance of retail businesses in the village
The Touring Arts Club, a section of Epping Forest Arts, held a two
day arts activity at the Theydon Bois Youth Club for children aged from
6 to 11 years. The youngsters were in two groups and spent their time
creating figures from clay and then painting them. Most of the boys produced
gargoyles and the girls made angels !!!
The remarkably fine weather experienced during the last seven days
was declared a heatwave by the meteorological authorities, and then a
drought for the South East of England. The heat became “torrid”
and, on the 10th August, the temperature climbed to 38.1 degrees C. (100.6
degrees F.) at Gravesend in Kent. This level was the highest recorded
in this country since records began, exceeding the previous national record
of 37 degrees C. recorded at Cheltenham in 1990. Although temperatures
subsequently fell, the hot weather continued for at least another seven
days during which living conditions were unpleasant and resulted in health
problems for some villagers.
Although a comprehensive review of vehicle parking in Theydon Bois
was planned for the future, it was revealed that an earlier measure would
possibly be introduced this autumn. Yellow “limited parking”
lines would control parking in Forest Drive, Buxton Road, Elizabeth Drive,
Orchard Drive, Barn Mead, Poplar Road and Thrift’s Mead. This measure
was intended to discourage commuter parking in these thoroughfares, particularly
by those using Theydon Bois station. The Parish Council Chairman, John
Eaton, said “There’s no debate that commuter parking has a retrograde
effect on the infrastructure of the village. It would be difficult to
get a fire appliance down Elizabeth Drive when it is full. I acknowledge
that there may be some benefit to the village through the commuter use
of shops, but it’s probably a limited contribution”.
A complaint was made in the local press last month, regarding the
general deterioration of standards (to the writer) in the village and
particularly the bad behaviour of youths outside the Bull public house
where benches were now placed on the pavement. David Norman, the landlord
of the Bull responded with his own letter in which he said that, having
been landlord there for some three years, he was surprised to hear of
the complaints. The benches outside have been very popular with everyone,
especially walkers and the older generation who like to sit outside when
it’s sunny. The Bull has always been a very popular family pub and
I will ensure that it stays that way." The Bull is a listed building
and one of the oldest in the village. In the past it had been noted for
the excellence of its restaurant, particularly the French cuisine, such
that it was once a popular venue for wedding breakfasts.
Pharmacists in the Epping Forest District warned that proper funding
was needed for government proposals that they provide services usually
found at doctors surgeries. These would include advice on smoking, healthy
eating and sexual health. Longer opening hours were also proposed. Theydon
Bois Pharmacist Silesh Dowda said, “The majority of pharmacies already
provide these services without remuneration. It’s haphazard, it happens
but it’s not organised. Funding would have to be realistic and the
current figure being bandied about for repeat prescriptions was £100
a month, which was not compatible with extra staffing costs”.
Handyman Peter Russ, 55, was attacked at 1 pm. on 14th August as he
was proceeding to the Frank Foster Residential Care Home in Loughton Lane
with medication for the residents. Two youths aged about 20, one black
and one white distracted him with a mobile phone and knocked the parcel
of medication from his hand; they then demanded money. However, staff
from the home came to the rescue and the youths then drove off toward
Loughton in a white E registration Ford Fiesta car.
Thieves awoke the landlady of the Queen Victoria Pub in Coppice Row
during the early hours when they raided the fruit machines in the bars.
The incident took place at 4.40 am. when the intruders forced a front
window. It was not known how much money was stolen.
The drought finally broke on the 18th August when a weak cold front
moved across the district to give an hour of heavy rain. But due to the
high temperature of the ground, by nightfall, most of the moisture had
returned to whence it came. However the dry conditions returned and gardeners
once again have to reach for their watering cans.
Theydon Bois Balti House Tandoori Restaurant
in Station Approach was assessed by “Grubwatch”, the gastronomic
reporter for a local newspaper. This restaurant has served the village
for some years and stands on the site once occupied by a branch of Barclays
Bank The reporter took along his wife and three-year-old son and found
that families were particularly catered for. The young man enjoyed munching
his way through the “big crisps” (poppodums) before consuming
chicken and rice; mum opted for chicken tikka while dad enjoyed a king
prawn bhuna. The family was much impressed with the food and service and
also the complimentary drinks which concluded the meal. The total cost
of this came to just under £30, which was considered as excellent
value.
The concern and debate over several proposals for housing development
in the Epping Forest area continued unabated. Major issues being raised
were the safeguarding of the district's green belt areas and the protection
of North Weald Airfield from development. Eleanor Laing MP had written
to Paul White, the planning and landscapes director with the Atkins consultancy
responsible for the Harlow Options Study (a major proposal) complaining
about the haste with which the project had been pursued. She was not opposed
to housing development as new homes were needed, especially for key workers,
but this did not necessitate the massive development proposed. She was
also not satisfied that there had been adequate co-ordination between
the various bodies responsible for these development plans for the local
area. The resulting population explosion would require new medical facilities,
(possibly a new hospital), more school places (a new school?) and better
transport facilities. Although not directly affected by these proposals,
Theydon Bois would suffer indirectly through loss of the green belt and
the overloading of the local infrastructure.
During the last week of the month the orbit of the planet Mars brought
it in close proximity to that of Earth. Known to the ancients as the red
planet and the symbol of war, it could be seen low on the southern horizon
and had led some observers into thinking that it was a UFO (unidentified
flying object). However, astronomers, both professional and amateur, took
the opportunity to study this heavenly body towards which at least two
remote controlled space exploration expeditions were heading at this time.
Even the casual observer could study Mars with a low power telescope or
binoculars; the Loughton Astronomical Society invited the general public
to the Scout Hut in Loughton Lane to be given a briefing on this event
and make their own observations using the Society’s optical equipment.
John Travers, 21, of Piercing Hill and his friend Charlie Blair were
spending the summer in a unique charity fund raising activity, which supported
the World Wildlife Fund. Both are experienced rowers and were attempting
to row the entire length of the River Danube to raise £20,000 for
the charity. Their journey had begun in Ulm in Germany and then on into
Austria, Croatia, mainland Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and the
Ukraine, a distance of some 2,582 miles. The Danube is a fast flowing
and often wide river being a major economic route with large ships, and
therefore hazardous to small craft; both John and Charlie had thoroughly
practised their capsize drills. The river was also heavily polluted in
places through 80 million people dumping their waste in it and 20 million
using it for drinking water; hence the reason for their support for the
charity which is working to deal with this problem. Both men are experienced
rowers and had decided on the project during a rafting trip to the source
of the Nile in Northern Uganda.
The disposal of waste material from homes is well organised in the
village. Paper, card, tins and garden rubbish are collected private residences
on a regular basis. Collection points for glass and plastics are located
prominently and many homes possessed a garden compost bin, for producing
fertiliser from kitchen waste. Larger items could be taken by car to local
authority collection point at Luxborough Lane in nearby Chigwell. The
disposal of waste generally had now become a problem on a national scale
with land fill sites (eg. gravel pits), which also handled industrial
waste, becoming fewer so a Government landfill tax had been imposed to
limit the unjustified use of these sites. Therefore, pressure increased
on the local authority amenities where a tax or charge was not always
incurred and so the Epping Forest District Council instituted measures
to ensure that only residents of the Epping Forest District had free use
of the Luxborough Lane site. Villagers were therefore surprised to be
asked for proof of residency in the form of a Community Tax Bill, Driving
licence Utilities, otherwise a charge of £3 was imposed; but this
was more than justified if only to help offset the cost of rubbish disposal
generally.
Caroline Law, the Theydon Bois Neighbourhood Watch Co ordinator spoke
about villagers who were worried about unsolicited telephone calls from
businesses dealing with fire/crime prevention. They had told the villagers
concerned that their representatives would shortly be in the village and
had offered to call and give “advice” accordingly. Caroline
advised that neither the police nor the fire service “touted"
for business and said that the police at Epping (Crime Prevention Officer
Tony Ellis) should be contacted for advice if necessary. She also advised
villagers that, generally:
1. Avoid telling unknown telephone callers anything about yourself.
2. If the person claimed to have misdialled and requested your phone
number, do not give it.
3. If you had any reason to be worried about a phone call, contact
the police.
4. NEVER, NEVER, tell a caller about your daily movements, (it had
been done!).
It was also possible to stop unsolicited phone calls especially from
firms selling commodities or services from windows to insurance. The Telephone
Preference Service could block these calls, and details could be obtained
by dialling 0845 070 0707. There was no charge for this service.
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