The Months in Theydon Bois for 2018

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING MAY 2018 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.

The Conservatives made some gains across the country in the Local County Council elections as did the Labour Party with both acquiring seats lost by the Liberal and UKIP parties resulting, in a general status quo in gains between Conservative and Labour .In the Epping Forest District the seat for Theydon Bois was contested by the three main party candidates and won by Conservative Sue Jones.

The Annual Luncheon of the Theydon Bois Short Mat Bowls Club was held in the TBVH with thirty five members and guests present. After an excellent light luncheon prepared by the Ladies, following awards were made to successful members : FIXED JACK Sylvia Thomson, MIXED PAIRS (winners) Peter Peli & Pat Whaymand (runners up) Braham Dombrant & Doreen Markham, MENS PAIRS (winners) Alan Drake & Frank Sparks (runners up) John Davies and David Stone, LADIES PAIRS (winners) Sylvia Thomson & Ivy Parker (runners up) Marie Hammond & Christine Baker, MIXED SINGLES (winner) Braham Dombrant (runner up) Barbara Langford, MENS SINGLES (winner) Peter Peli (runner up) Mathew Furlong, LADIES SINGLES (winner) Marie Hammond (runner up) Barbara Langford, MOST IMPROVED BOWLER Sarah Smith.

The sun rose in a cloudless blue sky on 19th May to provide a day long magnificent backcloth to the Wedding in Windsor of Prince Harry the youngest son of the Prince of Wales and Princess Diana, to Meghan Markle a young American divorcee of mixed race origin. The couple was attuned to current times and to the charitable needs of modern society; the Prince in particular had founded the Invictus charity to encourage sport among handicapped young people as a means of recovery. He also had had a strong following among the young and was endeared to the British public by his adventurous image, and his service with the British Army in Afghanistan.

The wedding was covered worldwide by the press and the electronic media especially in America so many viewing areas were reserved for the press and TV, but thousands still lined the streets of the town: many local TB residents remained glued to their TV sets despite it being a Saturday shopping morning. The bride’s father in America could not attend due to illness but her mother Doria Ragland did. She appeared as a lonely figure in St George's Chapel but Prince Charles escorted her up the aisle.

Prince Harry and his Best Man Prince William, attired in the morning dress uniforms of the Blues and Royals, cut dashing figures when walking up to the Chapel and received resounding cheers. But the arrival of the bride, a lone figure, in a white simple wedding dress with a long train held by two pages received the greatest ovation and the service was conventional. Finally the couple appeared at the Chapel entrance as the State Ascot Landau hauled by four Windsor Grey Horses and escorted by outriders from the Household Cavalry arrived to convey them on their royal processional tour around Windsor. This took them along back roads, one of which was “Sheet Street” the residents of which were unlikely to have seen anything like this before, but had festooned the area with flags and decorations. The procession finally circled back along the “Long Drive“in Windsor Great Park, and the entire route continued to be lined by thousands of cheering well wishers.

The day effectively ended when the happy couple, now the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, were seen departing for their second wedding reception in the Duke’s E Type Jaguar sports car which had been converted for electric drive - a further example of British enterprise. The general impression was that the wedding had brought the Royal Family much nearer to the younger generation in this 21st century and had further improved Anglo American relations at a time of increasing political instability in the world.

Before the re - organisation of Britain’s rail services in the late 1940s, the four rail Groups, GWR, LMS, LNER and SR operated in fierce competition, but still integrated certain facilities eg. ticket bookings for the convenience of rail travellers. This especially applied to cheap fares, holiday excursions and through - tickets across the Groups. For many reasons including nationalisation and the introduction of rail operating franchises, train fares increased disproportionately and through connections became uncommon. Consequently, the government through National Rail (NR) decided to overhaul national time tables as a first step to improve matters. Early problems were expected but on the first day (Sunday) services were cancelled and passenger - carrying capacities re diced resulting in long waiting times for travellers.

The hot weather on the first day (Friday) of the Spring Bank Holiday promised a fine weekend with many holidaying at home or abroad. However thundery outbreaks soon caused chaos for air travellers especially at London Stansted when a lightning strike immobilized the aircraft refueling facility resulting in the cancellation of all flights and the stranding of many passengers, which continued for most of the weekend. On Saturday, a massive electrical storm swept across London and the South East. The London Fire Brigade took more than 500 weather related calls, and twelve flood warnings were issued for the Thames Valley; there were many Lighting strikes in Central London, the most “noticeable being on the 400 ft Shard building in the City. In many cases the violence of the strikes gave rise to false reports of bomb explosions.

On the Sunday, the storms had passed to leave a balmy day especially at Copped Hall where the car parks were comfortably full for the Spring Open Day. The event was supported by the Guild of Essex Craftsmen with stalls representing cottage industries and home skills including a blacksmith whose demonstration attracted many much attention especially from the children present.

A 25 year old woman travelling in a car between Buckhurst Hill and Debden received burns to her head when the batteries of her e - cigarette exploded in her handbag. Her male companion stopped the car and they both jumped out of the vehicle; he sustained minor burns when removing the bag from the car. These devices are quite popular with smokers as an alternative to conventional tobacco which can have a harmful long term affect on the health of the individual.

The speaker at the May meeting of the TBWI was Mrs Brenda Ballard who spoke about Nursing in the Sixties.

Keith Lovell made a welcome return to the TBBC Men’s Forum to give an interesting talk about the History of Smuggling in Essex.

The Theydon Art Group held its 57th Exhibition in the TBVH. One hundred and forty one paintings in various mediums from water colour to ceramics were much admired by the some 100 who were present. The large attendance was undoubtedly due to the Group’s regular shop window display in the soft furnishing premises in Coppice Row.

The M11 motorway in the vicinity of Epping was closed in the late evening due to a number of horses running free along its route. After some hours they were escorted back to their adjacent field and the stranded traffic was then able to proceed again

.It was revealed that trials to track and identify “rogue drones” in the vicinity of an Essex Airport had now been successfully completed. These airborne devices were becoming a safety issue in addition to being a source of annoyance and a hazard especially in London air space. The drones can now be detected over a considerable distance and, more important, their operators located and identified.

The TBDRPS held a Spring Walk from the TBVH to a New Wood to view Earth Sculptures. Their route took the party via the Theydon Sheep and Goat Farm, hopefully to see new born lambs, and those with binoculars were able to enjoy the extensive scenic views of “high - rise London".

During March 2018 the following entry was made in the registers of St Mary’s Church

At the beginning of May, Sue Jones, Conservative, won the Theydo Bois seat on the EFDC, a woman travelling in a car received burns when he batteries for her E Cigarette exploded and the Theydon Art Group held its 57th exhibition in the TBVH. The M11 motorway was closed due to stray horses running loose and the Theydon Bois Short Mat bowls club held its awards lunch. But the highlight of the month was the wedding of Prince Harry to Megan Markle at Windsor Castle. The weather was glorious, the pageantry marvellous and the crowds enormous. The only downside was the absence of Megan’s father due to illness. Those who could, watched the entire occasion on TV. At the end of the month cloudy skies developed and a series of violent thunder storms crossed the country particularly during the Spring Bank Holiday weekend to disrupt holiday travel and bring down temperatures. Once again summer had really arrived!!

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING APRIL 2018 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.

“Winter Returns” could be a national headline for the Easter Weekend with a return to cold winds and rain, but not snow, fortunately, in the south. But the north of the UK saw “snow on snow” weather with floods which extended down to Cambridge with the city partly cut off for a time. However the weather moderated on Easter Day (Sunday) to a relatively calm chilly and foggy day which did not deter congregations attending the Easter services in the Village at St Mary's and the Baptist Church, and also the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Epping.

An interesting item in the national press highlighted the current cost of rail travel and the durability of the modern car. A member of the public was surprised at being charged more than £200 for a return rail ticket from London to Bristol. He therefore purchased a an elderly car, licensed, insured and fuelled it all for less than the rail fare and drove to his destination. On his return he was still in pocket and, as a bonus, retained the car.

At 02.00 on 14 o4 18, following a recent suspected chemical attack on the Syrian town of Douma in which many civilians were killed, United States, United Kingdom and French forces bombed multi government targets in Syria which included alleged chemical weapon sites. The UK government stated that four RAF Tornado aircraft had been deployed in a limited and targeted strike against Syria. The US and France has also coordinated strikes against Syria in response to the chemical attacks.

Russia, which supported the Syrian regime, said that the attack on their ally would not be left without consequences. The Syrian State media called the attacks a violation of international law. The Prime Minster said that there was no practical alternative to using force to deter the use of chemical weapons in Syria. “We could not allow the use of chemical weapons to become normalized.” The Secretary General of the United Nations said the “cold war” had returned, but supported the action which had been taken. At the end of the day there had been considerable rhetoric between the Americans and Russians, but it was apparent that neither were prepared to enter into a conflict which would almost certainly involve nuclear weapons and there was much relief internationally.

In a welcome incident of light relief, television viewers complained that the hand on the face of “Big Ben” clock was missing in the view regularly transmitted as the background to a TV news programme; some viewers thought that the hand had “dropped off” and was a bad omen for the future of the country, similar to the possible departure of the ravens from the Tower of London should that ever happen. But viewers were assured that the hand had been removed for refurbishment during renovation of the clock; and it was also revealed that the wings of the ravens at the Tower were clipped to prevent any “unauthorised” departure.

On the 22 Apr many Villagers watched on TV the forty thousand runners take part in the 2018 London Marathon held in the highest temperature of 24 degrees C (75 degrees F) recorded for this event. The 26.2 mile race was started at 10.00 from the grounds of Windsor Castle by the Queen who pressed a remote signal button. The four time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya crossed the line first in a time of two hours, six minutes and twenty one seconds to win for the third time. Britain’s Mo Farah finished third to make a new British Record.

Gun salutes were fired across London, including the Tower of London and Hyde Park, to mark the arrival of the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Their second son and fifth in line to the throne, was born at 11.00 on the 23 04 18 in St Mary’s Hospital London. Within hours of his arrival, the child was briefly seen with his parents, sister and brother, by the waiting crowds outside the hospital before the family returned to their London home in Kensington Palace. This modern approach to family life, helped by the advances in photography and media communication, meant that the TV and press were able to provide almost immediate coverage of similar royal events.

There were several days of speculation regarding the possible name of the new Royal Prince, the third child of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Among the names envisaged was "Albert “which had not featured in the royal lineage for many years. So to some surprise "Louis" was chosen – Louis Arthur Charles – partly as a token of remembrance for Lord Louis Mountbatten who was murdered by the IRA in the Northern Island troubles of the late twentieth century.

John Powell, who teaches music at Davenant School Loughton, was the speaker at the TBBMF meeting with the title “From Bach to Beethoven – Musical Styles of the Baroque and Romantic Periods”. This quite in - depth presentation included musical recordings, and examples he played on the piano, which were surprisingly entertaining and informative partly due to his exuberant personality.

The Theydon Bois Horticultural Society heard David Lockwood talk about “Bulbs for Summer Colours”.

The Theydon Bois Singers, in conjunction with the Epping Forest Singers and the New Essex Choir, gave a performance of Haydon’s Creation in St John’s Church Buckhurst Hill.

During February 2018 the following entry was made in the registers of St Mary’s Church

Winter returned on the first 0f April (All Fool’s Day) with the now familiar strong winds and biting cold, a rail traveller from London to Cornwall found it cheaper to buy and use a second hand car for the journey, and the use of chemical weapons in Syria caused alarm and international repercussions bordering on another cold war. In contrast TV viewers noticed with concern that one hand of the Westminster Big Ben clock was missing due to a major overhaul of the clock, and had not “dropped off”,

Some forty thousand entrants ran the 2018 London marathon despite unusually high temperatures and the event was started by the Queen at Windsor Castle who pressed a "remote button". The Duchess of Cambridge gave birth to a second son, Louis Arthur Charles, the fifth in line to the throne, and music was the theme of a lively talk “From Bach to Beethoven “given by music teacher John Powell at the TBBMF meeting.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING MARCH 2018 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.

The “Winter in Control” was the headline of one national newspaper as dawn broke on the first meteorological spring day of 2018. The “collision” of the Storm Beast from the East with Storm Gamma produced the severest conditions nationwide for many years - as forecast. The Village like Central London was the victim of biting winds and driven snow. Transport was badly hit with local roads almost impassable in hilly areas and the major motorways were closed in places. The Central Line remained closed down to Leytonstone and local commuters “slithered” their way to work where possible. 0on the southern region passengers in a train held for several hours finally overrode the door systems and walked along the line to the nearest station, causing further serious delays. The lowest temperature recorded was minus 11 degrees C in Hampshire and a unique weather twist was the closure of a ski and snow board centre in Kent due to adverse snow conditions.

It was revealed that, during the last three years, parents across England and Wales had been fined some £24M for failing to send their children to school and that some councils were issuing fines at rates, five times higher than average. Many of the absences were due to parents taking children away on holiday at off - peak times when costs were low; but certain holidays were claimed to be educational.

The international rumblings continued over the presumed poisoning by the Russians of two Russian dissidents in the UK at Salisbury. The Russian government denied responsibility and so Russian diplomats were expelled from the UK. In response the Russians expelled British diplomats and alleged that the poison used was of military origin and could have originated from the MOD chemical warfare establishment at nearby Portion Down. Several eminent authorities warned that this incident could be the start of another cold war.

The TBVH car park was cleared of snow for the last night Saturday performance of Quartet, the current production staged by the TBDS. However the wintry weather undoubtedly affected the attendance for this three day production.

The “old fashioned” Blue British passport had for many years been recognized as the symbol of British prestige and an unofficial bond for the holder. Its replacement by the European Union document of another colour had been a sore point with many British nationals. Therefore the government announcement that blue passport would return with Brexit was greeted with much general approval and elation. However it was now revealed that this new blue passport would still retain EU links by being printed by a Franco Dutch consortium and not by the British Del la Roche company, the original passport printers for many years: worse still, this action would deprive many British workers of employment. The Prime Minister claimed that this would be a much cheaper arrangement, but many MPs and other national organizations joined in the great outcry against this change.

The TBVH was the venue for a Spring Lunch in support of the Epping Forest Unit of St Margaret’s Hospital at Epping. The Unit provides care for those over 18 who have suffered from stroke, mental health problems and also provides rehabilitation for those recovering from acute illness. The Unit particularly raises funds for the purchase of faculties and items not covered by the National Health Service.

The Holy Grail of cricket was severely dented when the Australian cricket team playing in a 3 day test match in South Africa was accused of premeditated “tampering with the ball”. Consequently, the Team Captain Vice Captain were given lengthy banns from test cricket. In addition to the political implications, questions were raised about the, legality or illegality of this practice. and it appeared that there was a fine line between the two. The aerodynamics of the ball could be unbalanced by altering the surface of one side so that the ball "swings" during delivery. An accepted and legal method is to remove the shine on one side, by rubbing the ball against a trouser leg. An illegality is to physically damage the ball by excessive bouncing during play or, as in this case, by the surreptitious use of sandpaper - which was definitely “not cricket”.

Good Friday was celebrated in the Village with morning family service In the TBBC followed by a “Walk of Witness" from the Church along the
Avenue across the Green and finishing at the Village shopping precinct where a short open air service was held. Lunch for all was then served at the Church and in the afternoon, a Meditation on the Passion of Christ was held at All Saints Theydon Garnon. In the evening, the Epping Church Choirs Association performed a Requiem by Malcolm Arnold in St John’s Church, Epping.

In an abstract from his Easter Message, John Fry, the Vicar of the Theydon Parishes wrote “Easter is the Oldest and Greatest Festival in the Christian Calendar. It is a festival of new life celebrating that nothing, not even the grave, could contain Jesus Christ”. The date of Easter varies, taking place on the first Sunday after the full moon following the vernal equinox. Some may say Christians are fools to believe such stories as found in the Bible but, for the best part of the last two thousand years, there have been people who have found belief in the Easter story to be life changing.

Although not of any particular religious significance, many eyes could have been turned skywards this Easter weekend to possibly see an unusual sight. The Chinese Tiangong 1 space station was leaving its orbit and re-entering the earth's atmosphere having reached to end of its useful life. This 40 ft by 10 ft craft was free falling and had been detected by radar as being only 120 miles away from the earth's surface. It was expected to burn up in a spectacular display with only a few fragments reaching the earth or sea. The precise location for this “landing” was not apparently known but the Station’s demise caused some concern.
he Women’s World Day of Prayer was celebrated in the Theydon Bois Baptist Church.

The Theydon Art Group (TAG) held an evening open meeting for an illustrated lecture given by Keith West entitled “Artists’ Bloomers”.

The TBWI held their March meeting in the TBVH when Hilary Hedderick gave a demonstration of spinning yarn from a variety of wools using a basic old fashioned spinning wheel.

The month began with “winter in control” with severe weather which badly affected local road and rail links, There was an increasing tendency for parents to remove their children from school during term time to avoid the high expense of peak time holidays, the population was concerned about the poisoning of two Russian defectors in Salisbury which could result of another cold war, the Government announced the return of the blue British passport and then angered many by announcing that they would be printed in the EEC and the Holy Grail of cricket was dented by the Australians tampering with the ball during a test match. The month ended with a Chinese space lab about to return to earth “somewhere on the planet” in an uncontrolled descent, and Spring advanced progressively with cold wet weather and bright flowers - just in time for Easter.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING February 2018 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.

The increase in local crime which appeared to be related to the reduction in the number of police officers and the closure of police stations was causing concern. Consequently a freelance security organization, Theydon Security Ltd, apparently based in Thornwood Epping and comprising ex police officers and ex military personnel, was advertising its services. This organization offered a 24 hour 7 day a week physical presence in Theydon Bois for a fee of 70p per dwelling per day; this function would be backed by a 24 hour 365 days help desk. This service would apply to Theydon Bois only and the personnel employed would use liveried and nondescript vehicles. If a crime was witnessed, a citizen’s arrest would be made and the police called. Similar private security organizations were appearing elsewhere in the country.

Another sad sign of the times was the need for people to be taught to knit, once a common activity. Consequently, knitting classes were being held on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month in the St Mary’s Church Hall with the dual aim of teaching this skill and making coloured knitted squares to help the bonding of mothers and their babies in the St Thomas’s Neonatal Intensive care Unit.

A ”Sink Hole” appeared in the road at Heath Drive near to its junction with Duke’s Avenue. For several days motor traffic had negotiated the hazard with difficulty but the Drive was eventually closed and diversionary routes established so causing problems for the Primary school and other traffic. High water tables and unstable ground conditions were not unknown in the Village and recent winter rains may have created this unusual road hazard which had become known as "the mother of all potholes”.

To the dismay of some residents, the BT telephone call facility outside the chemists in the Village shopping area was removed, apparently without due notice being given. This facility had been in the Village for many years, and, even in this era of mobile telephones, was important to some e.g. when their phone batteries had not been charged. Someone must have thought that its removal was “progress” in this day and age, but the facility was still useful and important in emergencies.

At the end of February, the UK was affected by extreme arctic - type storms from the continent titled the “Beast from the East” and, later, “Storm Emma” from the south which had already created havoc in Spain and Portugal; Metrological Red Alerts had been issued for this severe weather which could result in fatalities. The eastern areas of the UK were mainly affected with sub zero temperatures of minus five degrees C. (night time) which were low enough to close schools, affect local road traffic and dislocate public transport. To its credit the Village School remained open but local commuters were affected by the temporary closure of the Central Line and traffic restrictions on the M25 and M11 motorways. and also some minor roads. Local food stores experienced increased demands for basic goods, and the wise and weather - experienced had shopped early or pre ordered house deliveries.

Horrendous conditions developed in the Midlands and northwards into
Scotland where motorway traffic was blocked by snow - blocked vehicles and their occupants marooned for long periods; in one incident these unfortunates received food and clothing lowered by rope from a motorway bridge. A cynical reporter commented that these “storms” were the extreme elements of typical British winter weather which current generations have never experienced because of the mild winters of previous years. By evening the snow - laden clouds darkened as EMMA progressed eastwards; and this was the first day of metrological spring!

The Theydon Bois Art Group held a mini exhibition in the TBVH where a number of members each displayed a single painting.

The coming Easter (and better weather hopefully) was indicated by the first of six Lent Soup Church Lunches organized by St Mary’s Church and held in the Church Hall. These meals comprised soup, roll & butter, sweet and tea/coffee for the modest sum of £5.00. The proceeds of each Lunch were donated to a particular charity and so raise a substantial amount for worthy causes.

During November and December 2017 the following entries were made in the registers of St Mary’s Church:

Burial of Ashes
01 11 17                    Sheila Gymer
Funerals
08 11 17                    Pat Jean Pleasant - Funeral in Church followed by                                  Cremation at Parndon Wood
20 12 17                    Elsie Hooper - Service at Parndon Wood
Funerals (cont)
21 12 17                    Thelma May Read – Funeral in Church followed by    Burial at Theydon Bois Cemetery

February began quietly with a quiz night at Theydon Garnon Church, a freelance Theydon Security organization appeared in response to increasing criminal activity locally, a sad sign of the times was the need for knitting classes at St Mary’s Church, the start of the Church Lent Lunches showed that Easter was on its way, the Theydon Art Group held a mini exhibition and a Sink Hole appeared in Heath Drive. Finally, the end of month saw the most severe winter weather for years as two arctic - type storms “collided” over the UK with their affect continuing into to March. But the Daffodils were flowering, a sure sign of Spring.

THE FOLLOWING ARE SOME OF THE EVENTS, NOT NECESSARILY IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER, WHICH TOOK PLACE IN THE VILLAGE OF THEYDON BOIS DURING JANUARY 2018 AND WHICH WERE RECORDED BY TREVOR ROBERTS, THE THEYDON BOIS LOCAL HISTORY RECORDER.

PRINCIPAL EVENTS
Villagers who were watching on TV saw the New Year celebrated well before midnight in other parts of the world where the New Year arrived earlier. In London, Big Ben and its tower were being refurbished so the centre piece of the 15,000 firework display from moored barges was moved to the London Eye. But the clock was temporarily reactivated to strike midnight as usual and the surrounding scaffolding had been illuminated to blend in with the surrounds. As the midnight chimes rang out the magnificent fireworks display exploded into the sky before an audience of some one hundred thousand ticket holders along the Thames. But many stayed on to view the London illuminations or watch the annual London New Year’s Day Parade. This event comprised some 8,000 participants and included trade floats, vintage cars and marching bands.

In her New Year Message, the Prime Minister Theresa May, said Britons could feel renewed confidence and pride in the future for 2018. While Britext will be crucial, it is not the limit of the government's ambitions. These will focus on schools, the police and the NHS to change people’s lives for the better.

The increasing use of plastic material, and the problems relating to its disposal, was causing concern worldwide. Much UK plastic waste was shipped abroad for disposal, especially to China. However this vast country with extensive disposal/recycling facilities was no longer prepared to accept plastic waste from abroad and so the UK authorities were seeking alternative methods of disposal The Parliamentary Environmental Committee had called for the UK recycling and reprocessing facilities to be improved but, in the short term, MPs were considering a 25p “latte levy" on each of the millions of disposal coffee cups in daily use, and a total ban on cups by 2023 unless recycling improved. Fine plastic granules used daily eg. in facial makeup was another problem as these are being ingested by fish and animals and can eventually reach the human food chain.

To round off the Village Christmas/New Year Festivities, the Theydon Bois Drama Society presented the pantomime Cinderella in the TBVH. This was a good old-fashioned production in the true tradition of the theatre with music, colour, drama, romance and slapstick which encouraged audience participation. There were some slight variations from the original story. Cinderella’s slipper was not of glass but possibly pliable plastic which could have allowed another lady (an ugly Sister perhaps!!!) to win the hand of Prince Charming, and Cinderella’s coach was of simple modern construction (from B & Q?) but this was no criticism of the staging and production. The cast were excellent especially Jack Chambers (a love - lorne Buttons) and Georgina Anstee in her first leading role as a demure yet strong Cinderella. Nicola Gilbert directed this entertaining production and a hard working back/front stage team helped the production to run smoothly.

Thirty six members and two visitors attended the TBWI January meeting in the TBVH on a very cold day. It was agreed that the resolution “Stop Female Genital Mutilation” should be proposed for adoption at the National Federation Meeting in June 2018. The pending resignation of Janet Slater due to a move away from the area was reported, as also was the death of Pat Philpot and her forthcoming funeral on 30th January next.

It was announced that the UK was in the grip of the worst influenza (flu) outbreak since 2010. Parts of the country had experienced a sharp increase in general illness since the start of winter. In Wales there had been a 40% increase in GP visits at 65 per 1000 cases. Hospitals were seeing a high rate of patient admissions with ambulances held waiting to transfer patients into casualty departments, who when admitted were deposited in corridors to await attention and possibly a hospital bed.

Stormy conditions to all parts of the country caused storm damage to buildings and especially to trees and overhead power cables. In Essex, winds in excess of 80 mph were reported with 1,300 storm incidents including the loss of a pub roof! Consequently some 9,700 homes in Eastern England were without power and the lack of heating could increase the incidence of flu especially among the elderly. Fortunately the Village was relatively unaffected by these wintry conditions.

The snow finally arrived in the Village on a Sunday morning with a steady fall which quickly produced “snow people” from anyone outdoors and not on the move. As usual the slippery surfaces on the hilly routes away from the Village created problems for motorists, but traffic was fortunately light, it being a Sunday. However a rise in temperature followed by a frost did not help matters and spring seemed to be far away, despite the slow emergence of crocuses from the snow in some sheltered places.

The problems with overhead rail passenger rail services continued on from 2017, augmented by the rail unions strike over the Christmas season. To add insult to injury, train operators announced fare increases from the beginning of 2018 of 3.4% the largest for five years. There were complaints that rail users were being priced out of the market and would have to resort to road travel which would increase traffic congestion generally

The former nearby WW2 airfield at North Weald has an extensive aviation facility for light aircraft and helicopters incliding the base for the important Essex and Herts helicopter ambulance service which operates throughout the area and has on occasions served Theydon Bois. The EFDC had now approved plans for the building of a National Police Air Service (NPAS) base for two helicopters at the airfield. When completed, the existing NPAS unit at Lippetts Hill, High Beach, would move to the new North Weald location.

Dentists accused the Government of a short sighted approach to the problem of tooth decay in England following NHS reports that hospital operations to remove children’s teeth had increased to nearly 43,000. Critics claimed that the UK dental monitoring service was second rate but others pointed the finger at the high sugar content in children’s diets especially those containing fruit drinks and sweet snacks.

SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH
January saw the New Year welcomed, as usual, in the Village and in London where Big Ben was roused from its overhaul slumbers to see the New Year in. There was less celebration in Liverpool where a car park fire destroyed some 1500 cars. Rail services remained affected by continuing track work and the annual fare increases pleased few passengers. The perils to the world population of the excessive use of plastic were finally recognised and restrictions on plastic food wrappings, coffee cups etc. were proposed. The dangers from diesel fumes and oil were now also recognised and so diesel vehicles were becoming unpopular and possibly unsellable. Law and order issues relating to the lack of police presence were causing concern and the Metropolitan police helicopter unit was now moving to the local North Weald airfield. But the Village scene was changing with the demolition of the Sixteen String Jack Pub and the partial demolition of the Old Village School plus the threat of housing development as proposed in the published EFDC Local Plan. The most serious flu outbreak for eight years resulted in local doctors being in high demand and hospitals cancelling minor operations due to bed shortages. The weather remained very cold but spring flowers were starting to appear and birds preparing to nest.

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