PHOTOSHOOT ON FRIDAY AT ANISHA GRANGE, BILLERICAY WITH SOME OF OUR FUN WALK TEAM

We are welcoming lots of interest in our annual Fun Walk coming up in September. Do learn more about our amazing group of keen fund-raisers who, this year, are celebrating our 21st anniversary in Billericay. 

OUR 2023 ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL IS HALF WAY THROUGH - STILL GREAT AUTHORS AHEAD!

Sandra Lawrence in conversation with Chris Penhall

It's our annual Essex Book Festival time again and, as always, a great pleasure when Essex Book Festival Director Ros Green and her team provided us with a selection of super authors, many of them well known; others appearing at events in debut author mode. Ros found time to talk to our listeners on PhoenixFM earlier in the month and other radio channels.

As a patron, I have managed to attend some of the events and it's great to see familiar faces and meet so many talented writers and entertainers at various events around our county. 

We launched on 2 June with Polly Toynbee talking about her memoir An Uneasy Inheritance, which followed on 1 June 'In conversation between the lovely Syd Moore and Seema Anand (Syd wrote Essex Liberation Front). Since then, of course, as our programme catalogue (from all libraries) outlines, more than around 100 events at 40 venues with 200 contributing writers and artists taking part.

One especially enjoyable event was meeting Essex author Sandra Lawrence at the beautiful Hylands House in Chelmsford last Sunday. Sandra has written numerous books,the latest being Miss Willmott's Ghosts, a memoir I've already read and enjoyed. I bumped into several good pals from the past and the day was glorious. More to come, so do check out www.essexbookfestival.org.uk and if possible, treat yourself to some wonderful reading. 

EBF Trustee Pat Gaudin and wonderful author Eleanor Shearer 

MEMBERS OF OUR SOCIETY OF WOMEN WRITERS & JOURNALISTS CELEBRATE OUR SUMMER EVENT

 

A Sparkling Summer Tea with an opportunity to view some super films made by our talented Benita and Anne. 

Members and guests gathered today in the Trafalgar Room at the Victory Services Club in Central London, for the society’s first face-to-face event of 2023. We enjoyed a delicious buffet tea, with a selection of sandwiches, beautifully decorated cakes, cream scones and a celebratory glass of bubbly. We were then entertained by Benita Cullingford and Anne Murray, part of the highly successful JABS film production team made up entirely of SWWJ members. Benita explained how their venture into film-making began and showed two of their short award-winning films. It was good to welcome new members, coming along to an event for the first time, and to catch up with many of our regular attendees. Here’s to the next event, our Christmas party, which will see us back at the National Liberal Club, on 7 December, when our speaker will be novelist Clare Fuller.

MOMENTUM IS BUILDING FOR OUR SEPTEMBER FUN WALK - COME JOIN US?

The organisers of the annual Fun Walk are delighted to report that over 65 local charities and community groups and an expected 1,500 supporters are now signed up for this year’s Fun Walk.

Our Fun Walk Trust helps charities, local schools and churches, grass roots sports teams and other community groups raise funds for their projects and initiatives through an annual sponsored walk, and tops up the money raised in sponsorship by each participating organisation, over and above the amount they raise themselves.

Last year with the help of local businesses, our Bonus Pot was able to provide a 40% bonus (meaning £40 was added for every £100 raised in sponsorship), and nearly £95,000 was raised in total by participating organisations.

John Baron MP and Chair of the Fun Walk Trustees said:

“We would like to thank the local business who have so far generously agreed to support this year’s Bonus Pot. These include Swan Housing, IFE Global Logistics, Greater Anglia, Anisha Grange Care Home, Butyl Products Group, Tunnelcraft, RIS Group, Mr Barrie Stone and others. So far over £25,000 has been donated to the pot, which acts as a real incentive for participants to raise money for their good causes.”

Charities and local community groups are encouraged to register at www.thefunwalktrust.co.uk

A little history about our Fun Walk:

John Baron MP and his team started the Fun Walk in 2002 to commemorate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and raised £6,000 for six charities and projects. The event became an annual one and continues to grow.

To assist with its growth, in 2013 the Fun Walk became a registered Charity and it is now officially known as The Fun Walk Trust (Registered Charity number: 1151626). In 2019 Basildon Billericay and Wickford CVS was appointed to administer the event on behalf of the Trustees.

John continues his role with the charity as Chair of the Trustees and by soliciting support and sponsorship from local businesses. The BONUS POT is a unique feature of the event, into which local businesses and individuals kindly donate and which is then distributed to participating organisations on a pro rata basis in addition to the monies they themselves raise in sponsorship.

With the generous support of our Bonus Pot sponsors, in 2022 the Fun Walk Trust was able to provide a 40% bonus over and above the amount raised by participating organisations through their own sponsorship efforts, with the event raising a total of £94,437 for local charities and community groups. The amount raised in 2022 brings the total raised to £1,450,000 since the Fun Walk’s inception.

The Fun Walk Trust organises the walk and takes care of the paperwork, leaving the projects free to focus on raising sponsorship money and enjoying the event. The event is not confined to charities: any good cause or project may join us once approved by the Trust. For example, many pre-schools and schools, churches and community groups now regularly participate.

In 2020, given the challenges presented by COVID-19 and the recognition that our local charities and good causes needed our help more than ever, the decision was made to switch to a virtual format, allowing supporters to walk the distance anytime during the selected month. This proved to be very successful and so will be continued for 2023. 

CONGRATULATIONS TO TRACY KINTON - RECEIVING HER AWARD AS TOP ' NHW CO-ORDINATOR' BILLERICAY ESSEX

Crime news featuring in local press is always depressing and it's hard to keep up with the horrid incidents taking place around our own neighbourhood.  Fortunately, there are some great residents who work hard at keeping us safe and it's great when they are recognised by us as people who, as well as holding down jobs, also manage to help in the community.  Just recently, the super Tracy Kinton was presented with an award for the work she carried out on our behalf. 

 Essex Police Assistant Chief Constable Andy Marriner and Tracy Kinton at Conference

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WE'RE ALL LIMBERING UP FOR OUR FORTHCOMING 'FUN WALK' TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL CHARITIES

 

BBC RADIO 4 PLAY LOOKING AT THE PAST - SIR GEOFFREY HOWE

Just finished listening to the afternoon play set in 1990 - at a rather special  time in British history. The topic was the late Sir Geoffrey Howe (later Lord Howe) and his wife Elspeth and their relationship with Margaret Thatcher. The play Wasps in a Jam jar starring Penelope Wilton, Harriet Walker and James Fleet, created by Jonathan Maitland. 

It was well acted and reminded me of an important time in Westminster in which I played just a tiny part and enjoyed this peep into the past. The photograph taken that evening in 2014 reminded me of a fascinating evening in the old place (I worked there for more than 26 years) and it was also an added bonus of meeting Maureen Duffy (also pictured) our ALCS President.

THE ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL IS WELL AND TRULY LAUNCHED - CHECK US OUT AT www.essexbookfestival2023

 

GREAT BEGINNINGS

We don't know about you but we had a fabulous opening weekend. It was a joy to listen to Guardian journalist Polly Toynbee talk about her memoir An Uneasy Inheritance at Anglia Ruskin University - don't forget to book your tickets for Robin Ince's event at ARU on Thursday 15th June - followed by a fascinating programme of events at Harwich including the inspirational Lady Unchained and broadcasting legend James Naughtie.

We're now limbering up for next weekend's events including Tim Burrows talking about his new book The Invention of Essex at Hedingham Castle on Saturday 10th June (our partnership event with EA Festival). Then The History Books at Layer Marney Tower, which opens with historian Leo McKinstry talking about Cinderella Boys, the remarkable story of the unsung RAF wing who rescued Britain from Hitler's U-Boats and made Allied victory possible.

Then it will be time for us to shake the cobwebs off the walking boots and join artist/writer Lora Aziz for our Radical Pilgrimage along The Saffron Trail from Southend to Saffron Walden - you might want to join us for that.www.essexbookfestival2023

REMEMBERING A GREAT WRITER, THE WONDERFUL FRANCES CLAMP

It's with great sadness, that we learn of the passing, last week. of our good friend and former President of Brentwood Writers' Circle, Frances Clamp. Frances was a wonderful writer who produced at least fourteen books with leading publishers.  She wrote about all aspects of life and her children's books were delightful. She also loved history and was a discerning teacher and inspired adults and children to enter writing competitions, winning many trophies in our often difficult industry. Frances wrote and saw hundreds of short stories published in women's magazines. 

As far back as 2000, Frances was part of the Essex Book Festival and appeared on Phoenix FM giving interviews and publicising her own and our members' books, always attending our individual book signing events in the town. Frances also wrote short stories for popular magazines and won many literary prizes. As a member of the international writers' association, The Society of Women Writers and Journalists, she won several awards and, in 2008, she and I both won SWWJ scholarships (she for children's fiction - and me for journalism) We were presented with our silver trophies at Chester University in 2010. 

Frances was also a favourite personality on local and regional radio and for three years regularly broadcast her beautifully prepared local history programmes.  She will be sadly missed.

ANOTHER 'LOVE YOUR LIBRARY' DAY - THIS TIME AT BILLERICAY

Twin topics of reading and books were the order of the day on Saturday when Billericay Library invited residents for another popular Love Your Library Day which was a successful all-day event. Here we have some of our super local police force who spent time meeting many library visitors.

The firefighters also came along with one of their famous old engines and it was great to meet some of them who look after the Essex Fire Museum at Rayleigh where former Grays Firefighter Roger Pickett - having collected a large personal collection of artefacts -  provides a fascinating look back in to the history of the fire service.