RUSSELL Clark is relishing getting a chance to finally fish the Penn Sea League final this weekend. The Rochford angler has twice been a spectator watching his son Lewis compete in the annual event. But on Sunday the pair of them will go head
KARATE stars in the making are looking for generous donors to help fund a trip to the World Championships. Fox, River and Star Perry, of Goldings Crescent, Vange, are desperately seeking sponsors so they can fund the £4,000 trip to Cyprus and Switzerland
Ned Eckersley took full advantage of a friendly pitch to collect his second century of the season as Leicestershire made 328 for four on the opening day of their LV= County Championship Division Two match against Essex at Chelmsford. The right-hander
COMPLAINTS have been received by Leigh Town Council about pub tables and chairs put out in Victoria Wharf. The 3rd Chalkwell Bay Sea Scouts and St John Ambulance personnel, who are both based at the wharf, in Old Leigh, have raised issue with four
THREE tiny kittens and a cat were abandoned in the heat. The cats were left in a box outside Crofters Kennels and Cattery, on Beke Hall Chase South, Rayleigh, on Friday. Staff at the cattery are desperately trying to get the owner to visit
THERE is now less than a week to register your views about the future of Thundersley’s Deanes School. Essex County Council’s sixweek consultation on proposals to close the Daws Heath Road school because of reducing pupil numbers, ends at midnight
ENGLAND beware — another two Agars could soon be out to get you! Alastair Cook’s side struggled to contain Ashton during the First Test at Trent Bridge. But his two younger brothers — who both play for Richmond in South Australia — are also
A NEW £20million business park could be built on Canvey, creating up to 500 jobs. The Canvey Regeneration Partnership is in talks with the Homes and Communities Agency to try and sell off land at Northwick Road, Canvey, to a private developer in
A CRASH in Purfleet has been confirmed as fatal. The collision, between a lorry and a van that happened near Watt's Wood in Purfleet shortly after 2pm on Wednesday, caused part of the A1306 to close. Police are appealing for witnesses and advising
THE FATHER of Australian’s latest cricketing superstar Ashton Agar was once an impressive all rounder for Hadleigh & Thundersley Cricket Club. John Agar spent three seasons playing at the John Burrows Ground during the 1970s and 80s. And
A WILDLIFE conservation programme is being launched to help schoolchildren on Canvey get in touch with nature. Energy giant Oikos, which runs a fuel storage facility in Haven Road, Canvey, has pledged to spend £14,000 to help pupils at eight primary
A POPULAR live political debate show is coming to a Southend school. Radio 4’s Any Questions?, hosted by Jonathan Dimbleby, will be broadcast from Southend High School for Girls at the start of the new term. Simon Cooke, head of politics, applied
A LEADING councillor has been challenged to take a 99 second trolley dash around Basildon’s newest bargain store after criticising the rise of shops selling cheap goods. Malcolm Buckley, Basildon councillor for regeneration, has been given the
THAT opening Ashes match really was something special, right up to the last action on the last day. I actually got the chance to sit down and watch the last day, which is a rare opportunity for me, and it was so exciting. When Australia needed
THE head of Essex’s ambulance service has told his staff to find an extra £20million to fund a better service for patients. Andrew Morgan, interim chief executive of the East of England Ambulance Service, said he needed more money for improvements
THREE people have been arrested as a crackdown on drug dealing in Basildon continues. Earlier this month 11 people were arrested in Basildon and London for drug-related offences Today three more people wree arrested. They were: a 25-year-old
TYRON Smith said he was persuaded to come to the Canvey after new manager Danny Heale told him they are determined to win some silverware this season. The 26-year-old, who has joined the Gulls from Ryman Premier rivals Met Police, made an instant
A HEALTH watchdog found a care home is still failing to meet standards, five months after being told to improve. The Care Quality Commission has published another critical report on Queens Park Court care home in Goldington Crescent, Billericay
MORE than 400 people have signed a petition against plans to build an “iconic” two-storey coffee shop next to Adventure Island. About 25 seafront businesses teamed up to collect signatures against the yellow, glass-fronted cafe, Adventure Island
SOCIAL workers, occupational therapists, carers and people delivering meals on wheels have been asked to check in on the elderly and vulnerable after a heatwave was declared. Southend Council also issued warnings and advice to residents via its
COUNTDOWN and Gadget Show co-host Rachel Riley lent her support toapop-up exhibition at Prittlewell Priory. The presenter, who grew up in Southend and went to Southend High School for Girls, was among 100 guests at the Priory Park venue for an
ROBBERS threatened a man with a machete during a terrifying raid. The 45-year-old man had been fishing and was walking home when the attack happened in Pitsea. He was approached by two men in a van who asked him for money. They then pulled
FIREFIGHTERS rescued an injured horse which was stuck in a ditch at a Rochford farm this morning. Crews from Southend, Chelmsford, South Woodham and Great Baddow attended the incident at Stewards Elm Farm Road. The injured male horse had got
SOUTHEND’S Dial-a-Ride service could be saved, but may still face a cut in its hours to slash costs. A cross-party group of councillors voted to keep Dial-a-Ride, which offers a minibus service for elderly people across Southend. However, changes
TRIALIST striker Don Cowan could head out to Madrid with Southend United after impressing boss Phil Brown in Monday night’s pre-season friendly at Chelmsford City. The former Stevanage and Braintree Town forward started the 1-1 draw at Melbourne
TWO city brokers from south Essex have been charged by the Serious Fraud Office in connection with the Libor rate-rigging scandal. Terry Farr, 41, from Southend and James Gilmour, 48, from Benfleet – both of whom worked at RP Martin Holdings–were
RAVI Bopara has been ruled out with injury as Essex resume their Championship campaign at home to Leicestershire today. Although the England all-rounder is able to play as a specialist batsman in the Twenty20, his side injury has ruled him out
TEENAGE athletics star Jessica Judd won’t be collecting her A-Level results in a month’s time as she’ll be doing something a lot more nerve-wracking – standing on the start line of her first senior World Championships. The 18-year-old, from Canvey
I'M LUCKY TO BE ALIVE Lee Thompson was more than aware that when a deadly viper sunk its fangs into his thumb, the one thing he needed to do was to keep calm. The 30-year-old dad-of-two knew that if he could keep from panicking, he could slow
MICHAEL Timlin will today resume training with Southend United after being released from prison. The 28-year-old midfielder has spent the last 42 days behind bars after supplying false details to police to avoid speeding fines. But he will
RESPECTED headteacher Cheryl Woolf has an impressive record. Her school, West Leigh Junior, in Leigh, is rated outstanding by Ofsted inspectors. She turned around the fortunes of Eastwood Primary School, helping to take it out of special measures
TWO Southend beaches would fail strict new rules on water quality set to come into force within two years. Water at every beach in Southend except Bell Wharf, Leigh, meets the Environment Agency’s highest standards of bathing cleanliness. Despite
A BRITISH Olympic legend will be visiting a school in Eastwood today hoping to inspire its pupils as part of a primary sports programme. Five-times gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, who shot to fame at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles after winning
A TROUBLED Rochford school will start with a new set of teachers in September after the announcement that all but two of its staff will leave following months of upheaval. Earlier this month, Holt Farm Junior School, in Ashingdon Road, appointed
TWO choirs join together to perform perfect music for a summer’s evening this weekend in Hadleigh. The Leigh Orpheus Male Voice Choir will team up with visiting Stevenage Ladies Choir for the joint concert on Saturday. It’s being held at the
A FIFTY-YEAR-OLD lobster avoided becoming a meal by seconds when the man who found it had a pang of conscience. The lobster, valued at £80 and weighing 5lbs 3oz, was found by Peter Thompson, 41, on the beach near Thorpe Bay Yacht Club on Saturday
A FATHER and son will drive a giraffe print car across Europe to raise money in memory of a leukaemia victim. Owen and William Evans will clock up 2,453 miles as they make their way through nine countries across the continent in a £350 L-reg Suzuki
A MAN needed 15 stitches to his head and had his little finger severed after an attack at a care home. The victim, who works at the Catherine Miller House care home, in Old Leigh Road, Leigh, was said to have been hit with china mugs after a discussion
