Jamie Davies

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BBC News •

Tony Blair waxwork in soldier uniform gives ex-secretary a tickle

Sir Tony Blair has been no stranger to public appearances since resigning as prime minister in 2007.Few appearances, however, are as unusual as his permanent residence in Essex.Since 2000, Chelmsford Museum has owned a waxwork model of the New Labour leader, but dressed in the uniform of an Essex Regiment soldier from 1959.The model came as news to John McTernan, Sir Tony's former political secretary, who when contacted by the BBC said: "This had me chuckling over my morning coffee." Sir Tony B...
BBC News •

Colchester to mark third anniversary of invasion of Ukraine

A city that has sheltered hundreds of Ukranian refugees is holding a ceremony to mark the third anniversary of the Russian invasion.Monday's event in Colchester will honour those affected by the conflict and will include Ukrainian songs, guest speakers and a silence.Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, people in Essex have welcomed over 3,000 refugees. It is thought about 320 came to Colchester."[This is] a great opportunity to show how Colchester values th...
BBC News •

NCP apologises for Billericay Station parking fine mistake

Car park operator NCP has apologised for incorrectly serving parking fines during a Christmas market.Visitors parking in Billericay Station during the annual event were charged despite a one-day free parking agreement between NCP and the Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower. The car park operator acknowledged the mistake and said that it was "cancelling and refunding" any fine issued on that day. "We sincerely apologise for the concern this must have caused," an NCP spokesperson added. Car park...
BBC News •

Clacton new-build drainage grates unfinished four years on

People living on a new estate are still waiting for the finishing touches to the road surface outside their homes, four years since their houses were built.Residents in Oakview Crescent, in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, said they risked damaging their vehicles or tripping over the surface around the drainage grates.The exposed iron covers have not yet been levelled with the road.The estate's building firm said it understood the "frustration and inconvenience caused by the delays". People living on a n...
BBC News •

Hutton couple donate Christmas dinners for charity

A couple who donate Christmas dinners to families in need have said this is their biggest year yet.Hannah and Steven Haggerty, from Hutton, Essex, run a Facebook group called Give a Christmas Essex, and provide turkeys, vegetables and all the trimmings to people who cannot afford them.This is the fifth consecutive year of donations from the pair."We have 17 families confirmed this year so far and a few more to come, I think... that's over 50 people," Ms Haggerty said. A couple who donate Christ...
BBC News •

Clacton-on Sea child sex offender jailed for 15 years

A man from Clacton-on-Sea has been jailed for 15 years for sex offences against children.Darren Hornsby, 36, was found guilty of 12 offences, including sexual assault with penetration and taking an indecent image of a child.He also received an extended licence period of four years on top of his jail sentence.Essex Police first charged Hornsby in 2021, but he was not put on trial until December 2024, following separate charges by Suffolk Police. A man from Clacton-on-Sea has been jailed for 15 y...
BBC News •

Essex angler wins gold at street fishing world championships

Essex angler Ben Sharp has picked up a gold medal at an international street fishing competition.He won the prize alongside his competition partner Nick Wilson, with the pair scoring more points than any other duo.Sharp and Wilson also joined four other anglers representing England at the third Street Fishing World Championships in Peschiera del Garda, northern Italy, and the team came second.Street fishing is a fast-paced, urban alternative to regular angling, in which competitors carry all of...
BBC News •

Dutch brothers want to honour Essex WW2 gunner at crash site

People adopting a grave will visit to leave flowers and pay respects, despite typically having no personal connection to the person it commemorates.“To honour them is the only thing you can do now, because they’re not around anymore, [all you can do] is to honour their graves and everything they did,” Kevin said.Knowing only his name, hometown and immediate family connections, the trio appealed to The Billericay Page Facebook group, seeking photos of Webber, personal information or details of li...
Artefact •

Vinegar Syndrome: fighting to keep lowbrow cinema in the history books —

Vinegar Syndrome is the leading name in archiving weird, wild, and under-appreciated cinema from yesteryear. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. It’s not uncommon for groups to reclaim words or phrases, bestowing them with new, empowering sets of connotations. ‘Vinegar syndrome’ is one such phrase for film buffs, referring to the unmistakable waft of vinegar given off by decaying cellulose acetate film stock. In other words, vinegar syndrome is the smell of dying film. Where it used
Artefact •

Could Sentia be the alcohol-free holy grail? —

The next generation of non-alcoholic drinks are here, and they promise to end hangovers, revolutionise drinking culture and save lives. Head pounding, skin clammy, thoughts cloudy: if any experience could emulate the feeling of being stuffed with steel wool, a hangover would be it. It’s not a surprise that hangovers are so uniquely unpleasant. Alcohol is literally a poison, one that, according to the World Health Organisation, is behind three million deaths each year. Pick an organ and you ca

The Squeegee of Champions – The Eyes and Ears

There’s an electricity that courses through a man before he’s put to the test. It’s the look of a sprinter waiting for the starting gun, a warrior before his final stand, a skydiver ready to leap at 30,000 feet. Intensely focused, it represents a lifetime of preparation converging on a single moment. Of all the places I’d expect to see that look, a cleaning convention at London’s ExCeL Centre was not it. Yet from a far corner of The Cleaning Show 2023 conference hall, I could see Terry ‘Turbo’

How are tabletop games thriving in the age of the short attention span? – The Eyes and Ears

Attention spans have never been shorter, so why is the slow and patient world of tabletop gaming more popular than ever? Everyone likes comparing themselves to animals. Some think of themselves as a ruthless shark; others prefer embodying the excitable labrador. I know what I am: a goldfish. Between algorithmically addicting apps like TikTok, the burden of a constantly updating email inbox and the everpresent temptation of the multi-screen entertainment setup, my attention span has hit such low

Battersea Power Station: Come for the history, stay because you can’t afford the bus fare home – The Eyes and Ears

Got enough cash to smother a whale and the ability to ignore merciless gentrification? Battersea Power Station could be your new go-to retail therapy spot. Battersea Power Station. It’s an icon, a brick cathedral beast. If it was a music genre, it’d be gothic metal, or whatever genre Darth Vader’s theme counts as. Even after closing in 1983, the station has stood firm in the public consciousness, largely thanks to continued failed attempts to revive it—most interestingly as a theme park and lat

The Volunteers Wading Through Sewage to Challenge Corporate Negligence – The Eyes and Ears

With councils failing to tackle the UK’s sewage crisis, dedicated volunteers are pulling on waders and picking up the slack. Vicky walks along the bank of the Pymmes Brook with a box full of clinking glass vials. Stopping briefly, she stares into the water before crouching low and filling one with murky brown water. Making a note in her log, she places it back amongst its clinking companions. Vicky isn’t a scientist, nor is she crazy: she’s a Pymmes Brooker, a sworn guardian of London’s natura