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Contents: |
July
- September 2005 News
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Newsletters
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September: The pdf version of the September 2005 issue of Village News (No. 51) is now available to download. Click Here. The Month in Theydon (July): Trevor Roberts latest report is on line Click Here. Parish Council Minutes: The minutes of the July Parish Council Meeting are now on line Click Here. The Editor apologises for the lack of recent site up dates. We are still looking for a "reporter" for the Web Site and Village News and also one of the younger members of our village who would like to contribute a "youth" page. No experience required, just a wiliness to look for and contribute stories. Best Kept Village Competition: We did not do quite as well as last year in the Calor Best Kept Essex Village Award but we did at least notch up a merit award. The winners were Earls Colgne. However, we are not totally out of the race as we have been selected by the Rural Community Council of Essex (who run the Calor Best Kept Village Award), to represent Essex in the ICT (information communication technology), category of the Calor Village of the Year competition 2005. Details are scarce at the moment but it seems we will be judged on our village web site and the way we utilise it to involve and inform the community on village affairs and to make information about the village and its affairs available to others. Theydon Bois will be one of more than 40 villages from England competing for the honours. Judging will take place between 30 September and 19 November 2005. Cricket Club Crowned Champions! : Our local Cricket Club have emulated the success of our national team this season by winning the 1st Division of the Herts & Essex Observer Cricket League. In an amazing run of consistency Theydon won 15 out of their 18 league games to finish comfortably ahead of their nearest rivals. The success has been based on the strength of their batting line led bySouth African Jaco Storm (pictured) who scored over 1,000 runs in the league this season. He was well supported by 1st Xl Captain Paul Sartoretti, Peter Gooch and Franz and Jaques Pieters who were all century makers during the season. On the bowling front, spin bowler Brett Sanders was Theydon's leading wicket taker. The 2nd Xl had a satisfactory season maintaining their status in the 4th Division of the Herts & Essex League. The opportunity was taken to introduce several promising younger players into the team which can only bode well for the future. Steve Jones with his bowling and Adam Marnoch with his batting looked particularly impressive. Success on the field has also been mirrored off it with the completion the of Club's new roof project for the Clubhouse. The new roof greatly enhances the appearance of the Clubhouse and adds to the already impressive facilities on offer at the Loughton Lane ground. If you are interested in cricket and would like to become a member, either as a player or as a social member, then the Club is always interested to hear from you. Further information on Theydon Bois Cricket Club can be found on their web site at www.tbcc.co.uk or contact Club Secretary Peter Gooch on 812908. The Colts Section of the Club also goes from strength to strength and provides professional coaching and organized matches for boys and girls from eight years old upwards. Anyone requiring further information on the Colts should contact Ameet Sharma on 01992 813274. Vacancy - Clerical
Assistant
Theydon Bois Parish Council Theydon Bois Parish Council requires a part-time clerical assistant to support the Parish Council and its Clerk. Applicants will be required to have proficient administrative skills and knowledge of IT, including word processing and the use of e-mail. In addition, they need to demonstrate good communication skills. Hours will be 8 hours per week, plus attendance at occasional evening meetings. Salary by arrangement. If you are interested in applying please send your CV to John Eaton, Chairman, Theydon Bois Parish Council, Parish Office, Village Hall, Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, Essex CM16 7ER. (E-mail: [email protected] or if you require further information please contact the Parish Clerk on 01992 813442. GREEN BELT SUPPORTERS
AT THE THEYDON BOIS VILLAGE HALL:
This year is the 50th Anniversary of government establishment of the Green Belts and the CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England) celebrated the occasion by organising a series of walks throughout the country. These also served to remind the population of the threat to the Belts from extensive housing development plans, proposed by the Government, and to demonstrate the opposition of many people to those plans.
An associated local walk, organised by the Friends of Epping Forest and led by Harry Bitten of the Epping Forest Branch of CPRE, took place in fine weather on Sunday 21st August, starting at Chingford Station and finishing at Theydon Bois. The Chairman of the Theydon Bois Parish Council, John Eaton, and the Chairman of the Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society, Peter Newton, arranged for the facilities of the Village Hall to be made available for the walkers, and for transport to return them to their starting point.
After a long hot trek, some seventy walkers arrived at the Hall to be greeted by members of the Theydon Bois Parish Council, the chairman of the CPRE Epping Forest Branch, Terry Callaghan, and a large number of supporters.
In a brief address Terry thanked the walkers for their participation and reminded them of the importance of the Green Belt to the Epping Forest District and particularly Theydon Bois. He warned of the threat to this stretch of open countryside and forest through proposed housing development; he therefore asked them to protest against these proposals to the relevant authorities, preferably in writing, wherever possible. Harry Bitten also thanked the walkers and reminded everybody of further walks, which were being held locally, to continue the protests.
At the end of the proceedings, attended by more than one hundred, the walkers were conveyed back to Chingford in minibuses kindly provided by the Epping Forest Conservators, the Rogers Foundation and the Theydon Bois Baptist Church. Parsonage Golf Course: (which is now referred to as Blunts Farm Estate) continues to challenge this Village and many people, especially the residents of the Abridge Road who have to endure up to 300 lorries a day trundling up to the site. The further development of the site was sought by the developers for a 300 space Commuter Car Park and massive Tennis Academy but this was withdrawn after it was vehemently opposed by the Parish council, Preservation Society and a group of residents who organised a petition against any building in the Green Belt other than normal permitted development. The Theydon Bois and District Rural Preservation Society and the Parish Council's position on any proposed development in the Metropolitan Green Belt is crystal clear. We oppose it totally and will fight each and every application. The Green Belt was established 50 years ago to protect the countryside and prevent conurbations occurring and we both enthusiastically support the original concept. There has now been a further planing application from Blunts Farm Estate to further extended the Golf Course and alter the layout and recontour. The planning application EPF/1363/05 would seem to indicate that no further spoil would be imported in connection with the extension, but the wording is very ambiguous and open to misinterpretation. The original application EPF/765/99 was clearly not scrutinised closely enough by EFDC planners and has allowed the site to become a dumping ground for massive amounts of spoil with subsequent traffic, noise and environmental damage to our village and Abridge. There still seems to be no limit under this still current application (EPF/765/99) on the spoil that can be imported. Although the Preservation Society and the Parish Council want to see this site finished and the golf course properly landscaped, rather than left they have both strongly informed EFDC they are opposed to any applications that will allow an extension of the dumping or further building on this site. Trafalgar Weekend: A date for your diaries.  On
Saturday, 22 October, we will be celebrating 200 years since the Battle
of Trafalgar which was the scene in 1805 of the naval battle in which
the French were defeated by the English under Lord Nelson, who was
killed in the action. The day is to celebrate the life of Lord Nelson
and his outstanding leadership and victory.
The event details are not yet finalised but the Saturday is designed to be a fun day especially for the children. It is envisaged that the day will commence at about 11am with a treasure hunt round the village designed to specifically for the children but to involve all the families. This will be followed by a barbeque in the grounds of the Queen Victoria Public House. In the afternoon there will be events for the children and a tug of war competition, subject to the weather and of course volunteers for the tug of war.
To finish the day's celebrations, there will be the lighting of the beacon which will be on the Village Green at about 8pm. The village pubs are being encouraged to join in the events by putting on special food with a nautical flavour. On Sunday 23 October, there will be a service at St Mary's Parish Church to celebrate the life of Lord Nelson. The service will be targeted specifically as a family service for the children. A Future for Fingerposts: We are pleased to have succeeded in erecting a  new
traditional traffic direction sign or “fingerpost” on the
crossroads at the junction of Piercing Hill and Coppice Row, after
encountering many obstacles from EFDC and Essex Highways.
It is similar in construction as to the one erected last November at the junction of Coopersale Lane and the Abridge Road and is made from a solid oak post, and built by Mathew Cable from Rye Hill who holds the “grandfather rights” from Highways to install these type of signs.. There had always been a fingerpost at this junction up until twenty years ago when after an accident it was removed and replaced with metal signs which for the past years were left in a dilapidated condition. We are most pleased with the support given by the Corporation of London, the Church and the Rural Preservation Society. The fingerpost is now an “asset” of the Parish although it was paid for by kind donations from New World Builders of Cheshunt, Tesco and the Rural Preservation Society.
By coincidence the call to save fingerposts is contained in a new traffic advisory leaflet entitled Traditional Directional Signs, launched on the 2nd August 2005 by DfT in partnership with English Heritage, ,the countryside Agency and CPRE(the Campaign to protect Rural England). It calls for fingerposts to be regularly maintained by local authorities Highway Departments and where appropriate, reintroduced as part of Village Design Statements,Parish Plans and the Quiet Lanes initiative.
As Paul Hamblin, CPRE’s Head of Transport Policy said “Although individual road signs may appear unobtrusive on their own, the cumulative impact of inappropriately designed road signs on the character of the countryside can be immense. Locally distinctive signs, such as Fingerposts can play an important role in helping to reduce the number of signposts needed and preserving local character. Local authorities should do all they can to ensure these valued features are retained, restored and reintroduced where possible”.
In addition we have been actively engaged with Essex Highways Burton Road office, Debden who are now responsible for the installation of street name signs and their maintenance, .disabled parking and litter bins .This newly created function is run very efficiently by Michael Jezzard and Lynne Linton, and has been separated from the Essex Highways “signs and lines” department. As a result the majority of Theydons street name signs have been replaced or reset after years of neglect. We are continuing discussions with Paul Hardy , the newly appointed head of Essex Highways Area (West) about the poor condition of many of our roads and pavements, and to date it has been agreed to re-furbish the crossroads area and zebra crossing in the centre of the Village by early October. We are also looking to have some input as to what roads are refurbished in and around the Village (if any) in the next financial year.
A.Purkiss 24/08/05 Royal British Legion: My thanks to everyone who attended the Service of Commemoration on 10th July at St. Mary's Church and to our curate, Anthea, for conducting the Service. It was a pleasant evening. A cheque from the offertory in the amount of £182.68 has been sent to The Royal British Legion.
In 1922 poppies were found growing in abundance amid the crosses and burial grounds in the fields in Flanders and become the symbol of The Royal British Legion. Some Interesting Facts Our poppy factory in Richmond employs many disabled
service people who produce 35 million poppies, plus wreaths and
crosses each year. Remembrance Day Our annual Service of Remembrance will take place
on Sunday 13th November, 2005. Starting at the War Memorial St.
Mary's Church, Coppice Row at 10.45 a.m. and continuing in the Church
for the main part of the service. In the event of inclement weather
the entire service will take place in the Church. It is hoped that all of us will pause for 2 minutes at 11.00 a.m. on Friday 11th November. Just to Remember. Theydon Bois Music Society: The Society's 2005/6 season starts on 8th September, 2005 at the Village Hall at 8.00 p.m. We have booked excellent artists for our late autumn programmes. 8th
Sept Lucille Burns (Flute) 13th Oct Carl Murray (Baritone) 10th Nov Marcus Andrews (Piano) The Society has vacancies for new members and if you have an appreciation of good music then why not join us or come as a visitor - you will be welcome. We meet on 2nd Thursday of every month September to June. For further information look here or send for a copy of our 2005/6 programme please contact our membership secretary, Harry Memory (tel: 01992 812696), who will be pleased to tell you more about us PAT News:The Playground at Theydon Organisation (PAT) was formed in 1990 when the members of the local community led by Cllr Joy Wainwright and local village constable David Simms sought to make better use of the derelict land at the corner of Poplar Row and Green Glade and provide the children of the village and surrounding areas with their own playground. Following three years of Jumble Sales at the Church Hall, Quizzes and Coffee mornings and with financial support from the District Council, local people and businesses as well as the Parish Council and Grange Farm Trust, the Playground was opened on 13th March 1993 by television presenter Andi Peters and has now become as much a part of the village as the Village green and sign!
The playground is established as a registered charity and managed by a committee of unpaid volunteers who have raised in excess of £50,000.00 over the past 15 years to keep the playground open. Over the years the playground has received continued financial support from the Theydon Bois Parish Council to help with annual running costs as well as other organisations from within the village including The Theydon Singers, Women's institute and Theydon Masonic lodge as well as the villagers themselves who have often attended the playground's fund raising events such as the Easter Egg Hunt, Santa's Grotto and most recent Teddy Bears picnic. In 2002, the committee raised over £20,000.00 to replace the park centre piece and is at present engaged in trying to raise money for a complete re-surfacing of the play area. Re-surfacing project Having discussed various options open to them, the committee have decided to replace the existing soil and bark surface with a surface known as the wet pour rubber solution. Liquid rubber is poured onto the play surface, which quickly sets to provide a soft, safe and hard wearing surface which should last up to 15 years. There are a number of benefits to this surfacing including better access for disabled users, a cleaner and more hard wearing surface as well as a huge reduction in annual maintenance as the Scouts and Guides who have always helped in the past, will no longer need to help rake over the bark and soil on an annual basis, as well as no longer needing to pay for the annual cost of replenishing the bark which currently stands at £3000.00 per year. Unfortunately with the cost of raw materials rising all the time the current cost at time of going to press for the new surface is approximately £35,000.00, however depending on the time taken to raise the funds this could rise to as much as £37,500.00 by the time the funds have been raised or even more. The committee have approached various funding organisations including the National Lottery Fund, Epping Forest District Council and the Essex environment trust and are currently awaiting several funding decisions. PAT is intending to entirely fund the surface replacement by means of grant-aid applications. With a generous grant of £5000 recently approved by the Parish Council at their meeting on 28th July and a gift of £2000.00 from the open gardens the committee has so far raised £ 7000.00 towards the cost of the project we have also been given a further grant of £1000.00 from the Charles S French Charitable trust which now takes our total to £8000.00. However there is a facility for businesses and individuals to make direct donations to the fund should they wish to and the committee has recently applied for the facility to accept Gift aid donations as it is a registered charity. Should readers wish to help with the fundraising or make a donation to the re-surfacing fund please contact PAT chairman - Mrs Joy Wainwright, Wain, Coppice Row. Tel: 01992 813219. Horticultural Show, July 30th: A typical English day and thanks to the effort of the exhibitors we were able to keep alive the tradition of the 'village show'.
Over 130 children and 50 adults entered nearly 500 exhibits in classes for flowers, vegetables, craft, wine, photos and cookery. The standard was high, showing a superb variety of flowers, from orchids, fuchsias and gladioli, to a huge marrow which Jamie Oliver could have fed the whole school on.
A variety of handicraft showed the skills which are still flourishing in the village. The cookery section proved there are many who enjoy baking, and as usual the standard of wine was exemplary. The photo section showed a range of interpretation for the subjects, and next years classes were available so you can plan ahead.
Sutton seeds donated broad beans, which were distributed earlier this year to all Theydon Bois Primary pupils. Well done to the 10 children who managed to tend, water and enjoy the experience of growing something for themselves. It was an effort to bring the pots to the show, so well done to the parents who took the time and struggled to help their offspring bring in an exhibit.
The Horticultural Society also gave each class at school a tomato plant, compost, fertilizer and pot earlier in the year. Congratulations on a magnificent range of plants, which were exhibited at the show, in various stages of growth, with ripening tomatoes. What a shame no one came to collect them from the school so they could enjoy the fruits of their labours.
Some 'new comers' to the village may not know about the horticultural society, which has been established in the village for over a hundred years. Please contact with any committee member to find out more about the society, the talks and outings which are held throughout the year and to get involved with the next show.
It is the committee and volunteers who worked so hard to make this show a success, thank you all.
It's your village..........it's your village show.
Carole said that from our point of view see was greatly releived that everything went smoothly . Some £3,500 was raised for the Playground at theydon and the Village association. The next Open Gardens Day will be held on 25th June 2006. Book the date in your diaries now! Parish Council Dates:
The next Parish Council Public meeting is
on 29th September 2005 at 8.00pm. Volunteer distributors still needed for the quarterly editions of the Village News. If you would like to help please call Madeleine at the Parish Office on 01992 813442. Protests Grow Over Development Proposals:There is mounting protests from Theydon Bois residents over the proposals to develop the Ex. Foresters Club Site (see below). At a specially arranged meeting with Theydon Bois Parish Councillors and officers of Theydon Bois Rural Preservation Society on Thursday night (23rd June) Theydon residents strongly expressed the view that both the proposed Tennis & Leisure Centre and Commuter Car Park for 300 cars were not needed or wanted. They said scale of this development, in total, over 15 acres in all would destroy irrevocably the open aspect and tranquility of the rural scene many generation of people from Theydon have striven to maintain. The results if planning permission were granted would be to set a precedent for further building in Green Belt Land around Theydon Bois and create noise and light pollution problems for the residents of Slade End, Forest Drive and Dukes Avenue. The large increase in the number of vehicles on unsuitable country roads would bring further traffic chaos to the village and not solve our present parking problems. Residents were also annoyed that only 8 homes in Forest Drive had received notice of the planning applications, when clearly all of Forest Drive and the surrounding area would be seriously affected by the proposals. They had already started a petition against the development which in a few days already had over twohundred signatures. Peter Newton & Jim Watts of the Rural Preservation Society said the Society was totally opposed to both these planning applications and circulated the drafts of their Society's letters to be sent to EFDC's Head of Planning. They hoped that as many people as possible would also write. Copies of the Society's final letters that have been sent are available in Word here: EPF/790/05 Car Park -Word -24k EPF/791/05 Tennis Centre - Word -24k John Eaton for the Parish Council said that they had only just received notice of the applications themselves and on viewing the plans the Parish Council, as a whole, were equally appalled at the proposals for large scale building on Metropolitan Green Belt Land. He promised that the Parish Council would fully oppose this application. At this meeting the councillors also agreed that as much as possible should be done to make our villagers aware of these applications as they would have implication for all. It was suggested that a special newsletter would be produced and circulated around the village, with details of the plans and that residents would be encouraged to write to the Head of Planning at EFDC before the closing date for objections on 4th July.
People can also help by signing the petition against these planning proposals or better still by offering to take it around their own or a neighbouring road to get more signatures. To sign or help please contact: Lee Bray Tel: 01992 814839. The Month in Theydon (May): Trevor Roberts latest report is on line Click Here. Chris Catens Beat Mobile Newsletter: for 20th June to the 1st July is now online Click Here. Major Development Proposed for Ex. Foresters Club Site: News has just reached us of proposals to develop the Ex. Forester Club Site. Blunts Farm Estates Limited who are developing the Golf Club which many people already think is an inappropriate and unneeded development near our village are proposing to build a Tennis Centre with ancillary leisure facilities and car parking (EPF/791/05). This Centre would cover over 9 acres of what is at present Green Belt land. At the Centre itself parking is proposed for 150 cars but in another application (EPF/790/05) the developers also propose a Commuter Car Park that would link with the one at the Tennis Centre but would have space for 300 Cars this would be immediately behind Theydon Bois Station and the developers hope to persuade London Underground to reopen an entrance on the Abridge side of the station. A spokesman for Theydon Bois & District Rural Preservation Society said that they were very disturbed by these proposals. It would make a nonsense of the rights protecting the Green Belt and bring traffic chaos to our village. This proposal together with the already extensive Golf Club proposals would have an even greater negative impact on the quality of life in Theydon Bois than the Football Academy that was proposed and luckily rejected a couple of years ago. They will be looking carefully at this very detailed application and formulating their objections. They urge any villagers who feel that this development will also have a negative impact on our village life to do likewise. Anyone who wants to view the plans can do so at the Civic Offices in Epping by quoting the above application numbers. Theydon Bois Primary School Family Funday: Our Primary School PTA is holding a Special Family Funday on Saturday 25th June from 12.00 M/D to 4.00pm. This year they have really gone overboard and have an amazing "transport" theme with many unusual attractions. There will be Hot Air Balloon Rides, a Train Simulator, a Stretch Limo and much more. The Essex Air Ambulance will kick proceedings off with a landing at 11.30am. Entrance for Adults is £2.00 with Children 50p. Further queries contact Lisa Kenneally Tel: 01992-814537. Village News June: The pdf version on the June 2005 issue of Village News is now available to download. Click Here. St. Mary's May Fayre: St. Mary's held their May Fayre and Funday on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May. There were many stall and sideshows and a great time was had by all those who attended.
We have many more photographs of the day by Tony Ames & Jim Watts in our Photo Galleries. Theydon Bois & District Rural Preservation Society Award: At the Parish Council Meeting of May 26th, Peter Newton Chairman of the Society was given the award of Villager of the Year. The Society has been very active this year in on a number of fronts, not least in making submissions to the East of England Plan and Peter has made major contributions on this and has always been a defender of the rural setting of our village. On Friday 1st July at 8.00pm in the Village Hall the Society is holding its AGM and there will be an illustrated talk by Jim Collins of Ashlyns Organic Farm, Bobbingworth, on Organic Farming. This will be followed by refreshments and the Annual General Meeting of the Society which will start at approximately 9.00pm. The talk is free and all are invited to attend. The AGM Agenda is on the back of the society's latest Newsletter which is being distributed around the village. The Society this year is very short of distributors for the Newsletter and for the collection of the annual subscription. If you are able to help even by distributing and collecting from even a part of a road in our village please contact the society's Vice Chairman, Martin Boyle. Telephone number 01992 813132. On Friday 21st October the society will host another free illustrated talk in the Village Hall starting at 8.00pm. This will be on the History of Hainault Forest by Georgina Green.
Street Cleaning in Theydon Bois: Epping Forest District Council, in consultation with the Parish Council, has instigated a new street cleaning scheme for Theydon Bois. We now have our own dedicated road sweeper, Sean Watson, who you may already have seen around the Village. Sean is here daily from Monday to Friday and covers the entire Village on a two week rota basis, with the Epping motorised crew collecting the sweeper bags every day. As well as covering the Village Centre, Sean sweeps up as far as Coopersale Lane on the Abridge Road, the junction of Ivy Chimneys Road and Theydon Road, Ripley View at Debden Green, and the Wake Arms roundabout. A Forest Keepers View: 'Oak before the Ash you're in for a splash, Ash before the Oak you're in for a soak.' Well if you believe in adages then be prepared for a long dry summer as the Oak trees definitely won this years race to foliate first.
Birds too have been quite prolific again this spring, with Cuckoos, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs all adding their tune to the forest. While we're on the subject of trees it now seems likely that essential work on the avenue of trees at Loughton Lane will commence on the 4th week in June or beginning of July. The work will be carried out by contractors employed by The Corporation of London and although disruption will be kept to a minimum it will be necessary to temporarily restrict traffic along that stretch of road. Rats have been a constant source of anguish to a lot of people, especially around the pond. These are definitely not wanted and we are currently trying to find a pest control company to keep their numbers down. However it should be said that the attraction for the rats on the pond is of course food and although not the only solution the feeding of the ducks has reached such proportions that the ducks simply cannot eat it all leaving plenty left for the rats. Bread in large quantities does not help the ducks it isn't a natural food and can lead to ducklings dying from it as they cannot digest it. It won't be long now until the annual Donkey Derby on the Plain. All being well we should have a stand at the event which I hope to be present at for at least part of the day and I look forward to meeting you there. Nick Baker - Forest Keeper THEYDON BOIS STATION: Over the past six months we have used the  opportunity
of the monthly litter pick to ask volunteers to help plant the ten
brick enclosed flower beds on the Station. Last November daffodils
and tulips were planted and we are now in the process of re-planting
with summer bedding plants. In conjunction with the goodwill of all
the LTU station staff we are trying to enhance the appearance of the
Station as well as the standard of service – however we have
just heard news that the staff at Theydon Station are to be re-rostered
in November thereby reducing the number of staff in the booking office.
This at the moment is only a LTU “proposal” . We are concerned
that under current proposed plans this will effect the level of service
hard pressed commuters will receive as well as the implications regarding
anti-social behaviour on the Station.
Please note the British Transport Police have now re-opened there office at Debden Station which should give them a greater presence at the end of the line. Should you need to contact them regarding issues of safety or
antisocial behaviour please contact 0207 918 8210. Latest May & June Neighbourhood Watch/Beat Mobile Newsletters: are now on site Click Here to keep informed about the latest security issues in our village. Re-generation of Public Footpath along the perimeter fence of the westbound platform Theydon Bois Station:
The public footpath leading from the steps off the footbridge at Theydon Bois Station to Theydon Garnon Church had over the years fallen into a derelict condition, overgrown with brambles, long grass and nettles with low hanging branches blocking the route. In addition there had been a build up of litter and junk that made most users walk the private roadway to the first stile along the route rather than “risk”the public footpath. This footpath used to be the start of the cross country route past the old clinker beds to Theydon Garnon Church until the “Old Foresters” pavilion and the new road was built in the mid seventies.Nevertheless it is clearly marked and documented on the Definitive Footpath map of the Parish produced two years ago by Essex County Council which in itself constitutes a legal document. (A copy of which is held and can be seen in the Parish Office.) In order to encourage the public to use the route more we formed a working party of volunteers who over the course of three Saturday afternoons in March and April began to clear the rubbish. Both members of the public and Parish Council helped, which included a local farmer who without his tractor and trailer the task would have been far more difficult and costly to achieve through the normal EFDC channels. In the end the trailer was full seven times and after the clearance one can still see the old boundary fence first erected by the Great Eastern Railway to delineate the path from what was the site of the old Allotments. As a bonus we also uncovered a concrete path which we believe was laid when the line was electrified to facilitate passengers exiting from the London bound platform to Station Hill and the Abridge Road. The other problem we encountered was that a few years ago London Transport fenced off the old Allotment site to discourage travelers using the redundant ground, their contractors brought the fence mesh round to return onto the railway perimeter fence and thereby closing the footpath off. This had been subsequently broken down by virtue of antisocial behaviour but nevertheless remained a threat to the continued existence of the path. However after discussions with LTU this last section was removed and the old steps along the path dug out, and with the help of Chris Camp at Countrycare erected new way-marker posts and re-instated the broken concrete public footpath sign at the edge of the footbridge. We now hope this encourages more people to use
this delightful,definitive footpath across the fields through Parsonage
Golf to Theydon Garnon Church as well as trying to reduce all aspects
of antisocial behaviour behind the Station. Youth Initiatives: Following advice from the Corporation of London that it is unable to support the proposed hard play area on the Green, the Parish Council has withdrawn its planning application to Epping Forest District Council. The Youth Committee will now concentrate on trying to combat antisocial behaviour in the Village, pending the outcome of the proposed sale by Essex County Council of the Youth Centre site. A Public Enquiry is to be held on 5th and 6th October and villagers are urged to contact the Parish Office if they have any relevant information regarding use by the community of the building itself or the land on which it stands from the past up until the building's closure. Information should be forwarded in writing to the Parish Clerk by 30th June Theydon Bois Veterans Football
Team: We play from September through to the end
of April at the Cricket Ground. The minimum age limit is over
35 years except for cup competitions which are over 40 years,
we are not in a league and all games other than cup matches are
friendlies.
We are always
looking for new players. To join or for more information please
contact James Dodman
Parish Council Dates:
Parish Council Public meetings 28th July, 29th
September 2005 at 8.00pm. Volunteer distributors needed for the quarterly editions of the Village News. If you would like to help please call Madeleine at the Parish Office on 01992 813442.
Stop Stansted Expansion will be giving a presentation prior to the Parish Council Open Meeting on 28th July at 8.00 p.m. at the Village Hall. Theydon Bois Youth Club Reunion: On
March 18, over fifty original members and spouses reassembled,
forty Classic Bus Day at Village
Hall:
Transport Enthusiasts and Bus
Fans from all over the South East flocked to the Transport Bazaar
held at the Village Hall on Saturday 21st May to see a magnificent
display of vintage buses. The event was arranged by the North London
Transport Society and included free Routemaster Bus tours. The Month in Theydon (April): Trevor Roberts latest report is on line Click Here. Parish Council:Chairman John Eaton's report for the last year is now online Click Here. East of England Plan Response: The date for submissions on  the
East of England Plan closed on the 16th March and both the Rural Preservation
Society and the Parish Council made detailed responses to the proposals
in the plan. The East of England Regional
Assembly (EERA) had a huge response and had received more than 26,000
replies by the closing date. They commented that "All responses
will be studied and form part of the Assembly's final analysis of
the public consultation." Well we hope they REALLY take onboard
what people are saying. We spoke to many village residents who took
time to comment on the proposals in the plan and none could find good
words to say for the proposals to build 478,000 houses in the East
of England and the 11,000 in Epping Forest District. The destruction
of the Green Belt and the affects on our Quality of Life were major
concerns for our villagers. The body text of the Theydon Bois &
District Rural Preservation Society's
Response is now on the Society's East of England Plan page. This
was entered under the Plan's various chapter headings with summaries
and conclusions added.
Dog Mess: Reminder Dog Mess It is an offense to let your dog foul in public places. Please clear it up or you could be fined! Please contact us with your Latest News. E-Mail: Web Manager or send copy to the Village Office. Preferably on floppy disk.
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During
the afternoon, Wendy Mitchell will be organising a Hornpipe Dance
demonstration with the pupils of Theydon Bois Primary School. She
will be inviting, or perhaps more appropriately, press ganging members
of the male fraternity into joining in.
About
The Royal British Legion : Founded in 1921 as a voice for the ex-service
community it has become the UK's leading charity providing financial,
social and emotional support to millions who have served and are
currently serving in the British Armed Forces and their dependants.
The Legion has a membership of some 500,000 members. Anyone can
be a member regardless of whether they have served in the armed
forces of not (contact Kevin Toole, Epping Branch, Tel: 01992 571442
for an application form).
Open
Gardens Day Success: What a great day with 22
Gardens Open this year. After years of organising Open Gardens
Day Joy Wainwright is took a well earned rest and the task fell
to Carole James. But with the support of over 50 helpers from the
village and the sun shining everybody really enjoyed themselves.
People came to visit our village from as far away as Hampshire and
some people told of how its a high spot in their diaries and they
come to see us every year.
Spring
has 'sprung' and the leaves have erupted on the forest trees It
is only now that we can appreciate again the vast number of greens
there are. Many of you will have noticed little black spots on your
cars as they are left for any length of time under the oaks; this
is the dropping of the Oak Tortrix moth, of which the caterpillar
is the staple food of Blue Tit fledglings. Nature has ensured that
the 2 hatches coincide. The caterpillars are responsible for the
defoliation of the oaks of which we get many concerned phone calls
each year. Although these can look hugely damaging, nature has an
answer in that the trees have developed a 'lammas' or secondary
growth of leaves.
