2022 news roundup

The centre’s plans include:

• A mixed-use hall
• Kitchen
• Bar area
• Changing rooms to serve sports players using adjacent football pitches.

The communities in and around Witham will be able to use the hall to play sports, attend meetings or go to social clubs.

Volunteer of the Year award

Kenneth fits in so many volunteering roles including a Community Transport driver, school governor, trustee of Notley Green Community Association and Covid vaccine centre volunteer. He also stepped up to help with shopping, collecting prescriptions and generally checking on people who were vulnerable during the pandemic, and has carried on doing that since.

Inspirational role model award

Acacia has been volunteering for the Great Notley Parkrun since she was just seven years old! Now thirteen, she has volunteered on 109 separate occasions, juggling multiple roles that help keep the park runs going ahead smoothly, and not just participating in the running but the administration side of it too.

Winners and Highly Commended

Volunteer of the Year
Sponsored by Braintree Village
Winner: Ken Yap

Inspirational Role Model
Sponsored by KI Sound & Light
Adult Winner: Julie Adcock
Adult Highly commended: Nicholas Wood
Young Person Winner: Acacia Hawkins
Young Person Highly commended: Lillian Tighe

Going the Extra Mile
Sponsored by Beardwell Construction
Adult Winner: Ken Yap
Young Person Winner: Noah Baldwin
Adult Highly commended: Jane Delderfield

Long Service
Sponsored by ABS Solicitors
Adult Winner: Daniel Dedman
Young Person Winner: Jonathan Taylor
Adult Highly commended: Michelle Garrod

COVID response
Sponsored by Beardwell Construction
Adult Winner: Spike Townsend
Young Person Winner: Amy Edwards
Adult Highly commended: Harriet Carr-West
Young Person Highly commended: Matt Apps

Group
Sponsored by Nexus Infrastructure
Adult Winner: Braintree Community First Responders
Young Person Winner: The V team
Adult Highly commended: Friends of Hoppit Mead Nature Reserve

How you can become a volunteer:

• Braintree District Council volunteer opportunities
• Volunteer Essex
• Community360

Top tip: If you’re short on time, why not batch cook? You can portion up and freeze meals and have something ready when you need it. Batch cooking often works out cheaper too!

Did you know? Using a slow cooker to prepare meals uses around 90% less energy than an oven!

One person’s food waste, is another person’s treasure

There are multiple community fridges throughout the district where shops, restaurants and individuals can leave surplus food that somebody else can take for free. You can swap your item for something else, or simply take or leave something.

Useful apps

Too Good To Go: Businesses sign up and offer ‘magic bags’ that usually range from £2-£5 of food that is too good to waste such as sandwiches, pastries, salads and meals that would otherwise be thrown away.

Olio: Neighbours can give away food they won’t use such as leftovers, surplus fruit and veg or even items from Too Good To Go bags they don’t like.

Kitche: Add your shopping list and scan receipts to track what food you have at home, providing reminders and recommend recipes so that nothing goes to waste! You could save up to £60 a month by preventing food waste.

Did you know? If you want to get the most out of your food, the temperature in your fridge needs to be between 0°C and 5°C.

Local Community Fridges

Witham Community Hub, The Grove Shopping Centre, Witham, Essex CM8 2YT

Halstead Community Fridge, The Causeway, Halstead, CO9 1ET

First Stop 29 Bocking End, Braintree, Essex CM7 9AE

Great Bardfield Community Fridge, Town Hall, Dunmow Road, Great Bardfield, Essex CM7 4SA

Leave the car at home for short journeys

The cost of petrol and diesel is expensive. Active travel such as walking and cycling can help save you money and is great for your health. A brisk 10 minute walk a day can help count towards your NHS recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week.

Did you know? Cycling for 20 minutes a day can help you reach your weekly exercise target easily and is a great way to build up your cardiovascular and muscular endurance. https://www.essexhighways.org/safer-greener-healthier

Insulate your Home

There are some simple changes you can make to help insulate your home and prevent heat loss in winter.

• Draught proofing
• Radiator panels
• LED light bulbs
• Water saving shower heads
• Double or triple glazing
• Solar panels
• Hot water systems and lighting

The Sustainable Warmth Scheme issued by Essex County Council can help towards the cost of these improvements.

Make do and mend

Repair Cafés are run by volunteers who can fix anything from electricals, computers to bicycles that are no longer working. They are free and usually only ask for a small donation in return.

A Repair Café is available at Cornerstone Church in Black Notley, Braintree.

If you want to set up a Repair Cafe in your area, you could get funding to help set one up with a Councillor Community Grant.

Join the refill revolution

Use a refill shop to simply refill food and household supplies into your own containers to help cut down on plastic and waste. You pay by weight for your supplies which means cheaper prices and only paying for what you need.

Naturally Unwrapped Blake House Craft Centre CM77 6SH

Ecolnes Refillery 75 High St, Earls Colne CO6 2QX

The Natural Way 82 High St, Braintree CM7 1JP

Useful contacts

Braintree Area Foodbank
01376 330694

Witham Community Hub
01376 617998

Essex Essential Living Fund
0300 790 0124

Essex Wellbeing Service
0300 303 9988

DWP’s Debt Management
0800 916 0647

Community support and employment service
01376 552525

Citizens Advice
0344 499 4719

Stepchange debt charity
0800 138 1111

National Debt Line
0808 808 4000

Samaritans
116 123

Community360
01376 550507

When Jenny reflects, she believes the image had an immense effect on her and since then, she has very aware of how time is ticking away.

“We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. When I hear someone say, ‘Oh well, I can’t make a difference’, my answer is always, “Well, believe me you can. No one person can do everything, but we can all do something!”

As a child after WWll, one of Jenny’s memories was everything was saved to use again, from paper, toys, decorations and clothes. From that point on it became a part of Jenny’s DNA. When thinking about her great grandchildren, Jenny says to herself, ‘‘What if they ask what I did about the climate crisis? How would they feel if I replied, well nothing really”. So, she started her ‘mission’ to lessen her carbon footprint by taking really easy steps and saving money along the way too.

Jenny’s tips

Household cleaning: I use bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, and lemon juice to clean virtually everything. I make a solution or just sprinkle the bicarb over and use water to wipe over with a reusable cloth made from cut up old towels.

Personal: I’ve changed to shampoo bars and soap as they tend to last longer. From small producers I buy conditioners and toothpastes that do not contain harmful ingredients. For things like shower gel, refill shops are great. One family member makes our own deodorant.

Saving fuel: I’ve cut down on car journeys and turn my heating down. These small steps have helped me save money too!

TOAST, an independent British coffee chain with a café based in Braintree town centre, is making a difference to the environment in more ways than one.

The business sources high quality ingredients locally from independent suppliers to cut down on food miles. Any waste is either recycled or turned into ‘refuse derived fuel’ and is never sent to landfill. The used coffee grounds get another lease of life too, as fertiliser for plants.

TOAST strives to use 100% recycled materials for takeaway packaging and has recently introduced boxes made from recycled cardboard for its delicious toasties.

Together with a range of keep cups and traditional porcelain mugs for sipping and savouring coffee in store, TOAST is on target to reach a goal of only using reusable or recyclable items in their cafés. The next big milestone will be in 2023 when all the coffee lids used will be made from plants.

Robert Ely, one of the partners of TOAST said: “Sustainability is close to my heart and we are always striving to reduce our impact on the planet. We are continuously looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint - even if it means taking tough decisions.”

Maria said: “We try and go out once a week and now we are finding there’s very little litter for the children to pick. They have done so well.”

Grace and Jamie said they like to litter pick to help the animals and the environment, and used to hate seeing so much litter wherever they went.

Michelle Mayes and her children Logan and Summer are keen litter pickers in Braintree and after seeing others wearing Green Heart Champion high-vis jackets, they enquired about joining the scheme. They regularly share their efforts to inspire others via our dedicated Facebook group.

Michelle said: “I’m always surprised how much litter is about, you can come out for an hour and easily collect two bags full.”

She said they often receive compliments from the public and added: “Recently a lady came out and thanked us for what we were doing and offered us cold drinks. It’s lovely to know it is appreciated.”

For Michelle, the benefits of being a Green Heart Champion are far reaching. “It helps the community, gets the children out and away from the screens, and gives us something to do together, especially in the holidays."

Find out more about becoming a Green Heart Champion.

Even our green spaces are multifaceted with Braintree and Halstead public gardens offering bright floral displays each summer, while Witham Town Park has a popular play area with modern equipment to keep children entertained.

We have the vast Great Notley Country Park with an extensive adventure play trail and the long, flat Flitch Way that is popular with walkers and cyclists. There really is something for everyone.

More than ever residents want to shop locally and reduce food miles, and we have been working to enable this.

Our monthly Braintree Street Market gives local makers and producers a direct route to market and shoppers the chance to meet the people behind the products they are buying.

We have three market towns and are continuously working with businesses to create as many new opportunities as possible, bringing small and independent retailers to vacant units and offering support where needed.

For visitors, Braintree Village continues to be a huge draw to our district, with the centre recognised regionally for its high-end fashion stores and bargain prices.

Finchingfield Camping and Lavender farm offers bespoke overnight accommodation within the district, perfect for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors but without forgoing their little luxuries.

Heritage and culture is something we have in abundance here in the Braintree District and we want to further promote some of our landmark sites including Hedingham Castle, Cressing Temple Barns, the Warner Textile Archive and Braintree District Museum for the benefit of residents and tourists.

Did you know?

The Braintree district is made up of 52 villages and three towns, with Finchingfield being described as ‘Britain’s most photographed village’.

Hedingham Castle has 900 years worth of history and was built in the 12th century, being arguably the best preserved Norman Keep in England.

The manor of Witham was given to the Knights Templar in 1148 and the market has been there since 1215. Witham was also for many years the home of novelist and theologian Dorothy L. Sayers, and a centre has been dedicated to her.

The Warner Textile Archive in Braintree is the largest publicly-owned collection from a luxury textile manufacturer in the UK.

Cllr Tom Cunningham, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Growth, said "We are seeing significant investment from businesses outside the district who want to be part of something special and with that investment comes quality jobs and employment opportunities for people local to the area."

Several well-established firms will soon be moving to the future-proofed site, bringing jobs and opportunities with them into the district. People working at Horizon 120 will benefit from views over open countryside, paths and jogging trails linking to the Great Notley Country Park.

New business centre is open for business

The Plaza, our new enterprise and innovation centre, has opened for business. The three-storey complex includes:

• Private offices
• A co-working space with desks for individuals as well as businesses
• Shared meeting rooms and seminar rooms
• Conference and event spaces
• Café area.

The centre will help start-ups and small businesses innovate, develop and grow and also create jobs for locals. The £14.7 million business centre is funded in part by the Government’s Getting Building Fund through the South East Local Enterprise Partnership and Essex County Council.

More details can be found on The Plaza centre website.

The increase in footfall is generating trade for existing shops and businesses and is the beginning of a transformation which is hoped to pull in new businesses into the town centre too.

Over the past year, we have also encouraged residents to shop local, improved the look and feel of shop fronts and organised family events and activities in a bid to increase footfall in Braintree, Halstead and Witham.

Over £700,000 has also been invested to make improvements to the town centre environment in Witham and Halstead and the plans are continuing to move forward.

Our long-term plan is to create thriving centres where people can live, work, visit and play. The more people there are running errands around town, visiting the street markets and new amenities, the more local businesses and the local economy will benefit.

Find out more via the Locate Braintree District website.

Cycling strategy

Our vision is to make our district a leader in cycling provision, making it safer and encouraging more people from a range of backgrounds to cycle more frequently.

View our full Cycling Strategy.

Why I cycle for leisure

Stuart Everitt from Black Notley enjoys cycling for leisure, both alone and with his children across the district.

“Sometimes I like to get out on the bike on my own, everybody needs time to themselves mentally to think and other times it’s just great fun to get out with the kids. There are no distractions, no iPad, you actually get a chance to properly talk to each other. As soon as I sit on the saddle, I stop thinking about the day-to-day – it just allows my mind to wander and just escape and when the countryside’s as good as this, it doesn’t get any better. Don’t aim to enter the Tour De France next year, it’s about going out and enjoying yourself.”

Earlier this year we adopted our Local Plan which sets out the number of new homes needed, where they should be located and the supporting infrastructure that they need between now and 2033.

It also considers issues such as sustainable travel, community facilities, retail, leisure, access to green spaces and play spaces, all of which are critical to creating well designed and functioning places for residents. We also include planning policies we use to decide planning applications, and settlement boundaries for our towns and villages to protect green spaces.

Climate change and sustainability are considered for all developments to safeguard our environment including policies to protect trees and biodiversity, managing flood risk and making homes and buildings more energy and resource efficient.

Through our planning policies, we require at least 30% of all new built homes to be affordable homes to meet the needs of local people – a good mix of sizes, types and tenures.

Having a Local Plan in place means we have more control over what development is delivered and supports with protecting the district against inappropriate, unsustainable and poorly designed developments.

Section 106

Developers are often required to put new community facilities on their development and also contribute funds, under Section 106 (S106) agreements, to put towards the costs of providing extra community and social infrastructure as a result of the impact of a new development not on their site. These contributions are the responsibility of the relevant authority to spend (for example, highways is Essex County Council and health is the NHS). Whilst Braintree District Council can encourage these authorities to spend their financial contributions, we do not control precisely how or when these other authorities spend them.

Sign up to our planning e-newsletter.

Find out more on the Local Plan.

We always welcome feedback on how we can improve our planning services to you. Please do share your feedback via our customer satisfaction survey.

We did…

• Update our Community Safety Partnership Action Plan
• Applied and obtained a Safer Streets grant
• Continued the Councillor Community Grants
• Held Community Catch Up events with partners to signpost to local activities and support

We have loved getting out and meeting so many of you this year at events across the district such as our Community Catch Up events. They’ve provided an opportunity to give you information about local services, activities and support across the district, as well as our pop-up living rooms that invited people to join us for a chat and a cuppa for Loneliness Awareness Week.

Braintree Male Voice Choir benefits from Councillor Community Grant

Our community grant scheme gives funding to groups and organisations to support local projects and initiatives that benefit the people of Braintree District.

One community group that has benefitted is Braintree Male Voice Choir who are celebrating their 50th anniversary this year, and looking to recruit new members after receiving a Councillor Community Grant towards recruitment.

Ron Fosker, Secretary of Braintree Male Voice Choir, said: The choir has been going since 1971 and we hope to see it continue, but we need to recruit new members to make that possible. This funding will help us promote the choir and hopefully encourage people to join us. It’s a great way to make friends and there is good evidence that singing is beneficial for both physical and mental health.

Further information is available from Ron Fosker on 01376 512582 or rfosker@btinternet.com

Find out more and apply for a Councillor Community Grant.

Making Braintree district a safe place to live

Braintree District Council’s Street Scene Protection Officers have been working in collaboration with Essex Police to deal with issues of anti-social behaviour and nuisance throughout the Braintree District.

Essex Police and Braintree District Council are working together to provide a joined-up approach identifying any potential offenders and provide a service to the residents of the Braintree District.

Recently Braintree District Council and Essex Police Fire and Crime Commissioner, in partnership with Fusion Lifestyle, Eastlight Community Homes, CARA, Witham Town Council and Essex Police, have successfully secured over £297,000 of safer street funding to improve public safety in Witham town centre, match-funded by the Council. Activities will include installing new CCTV cameras and landscaping improvement to increase visibility along pathway, alleys and access routes.

Report anti-social behaviour to a housing association or landlord if you are a tenant:

Essex Police: 101 for non-emergencies

Victim Support: 08 08 16 89 111

Braintree District Council: communityservices@braintree.gov.uk or 01376 552525

Report a noise complaint via our website or call 01376 552525