A review of 2017 in Halstead - part one

January

2017 began with a man from Sible Hedingham completing the epic Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge.

Toby Fenwicke-Clennell joined four friends in rowing from England to Antingua to raise money for charity.

The Row for James team took 39 days, four hours and 14 minutes to complete the journey and raised a staggering £550, 000.

Money went towards raising awareness about anxiety and depression after the team’s captain, Harry Wentworth-Stanley, lost his brother James to suicide aged 21.

Elsewhere, tributes poured in for former Halstead firefighter and Second World War veteran Dick Finch.

Mr Finch had lived in the town for the entirety of his life and was heavily involved with the community.

Along with being president of the Conservative club, he was also a founding member of the Halstead Walkers, as well as being part of the Halstead Cage Birds and the Sea Angling Club.

A fire engine fittingly led his funeral procession as more than 100 friends and family came out on the day to pay their respects to one of the most popular figures in Halstead.

February

February saw the Co-op store along Abels Road targeted by robbers for the second time in two months.

Staff at the supermarket were threatened by four men armed with screwdrivers and crowbars.

The men left the store with an unknown quantity of cash.

It followed another robbery at the same store just a month before when four men, again armed with crowbars, made off with thousands of pounds.

A baby who defied serious health problems sadly died.

George Jones was born with his bowel, liver and stomach outside his body back in August 2016.

His parents, Victoria and Ashley, were advised to terminate the pregnancy and that their son would not live for more than four weeks. However, young George defied all expectations after being born and spent five months with his mum and dad before dying in early February.

Mr Jones would later pay tribute to his son, saying: “George was the biggest flirt going, he was cheeky, stubborn and a fighter.

March

In March, the roads around Halstead became gridlocked as one of the main routes out of town was shut due to a burst water main.

Anglia Water worked hard to get Colchester Road open again but with the road closed for well over a week, drivers were forced to sit in traffic along Colne Road and Fenn Road.

Residents raised concerns about the regularity of road closures in Halstead after the same road closure caused havoc in the town in 2016.

In one of the year’s more bizarre tales, eight abandoned kittens and their mother were rescued from a suitcase along a disused railway line.

The cats were discovered stuffed inside a navy blue case with a Polo logo by a passing dog walker in a remote spot between Great Yeldham and Castle Hedingham.

The RSPCA stepped in to help nurse the malnourished cats back to health.

The eight kittens were named after characters from the classic Disney film The Aristocats. The kittens and their mum were later put up for adoption.

April

In April, it was revealed that the new owner of the Townsford Mill had plans to turn one of the town’s most iconic buildings into a hotel.

John de Bruyne purchased Townsford Mill after Halstead Town Council had put it up for sale in December 2015.

The sale meant the town council were forced to find a new home, which would controversially be the Queens Hall.

Despite his proposals for Townsford Mill, Mr de Bruyne would later downgrade his plans for a hotel and instead set his sights on opening up a bed and breakfast.

The move would also save the historic antiques centre, which had feared it would be forced to close if the hotel plans went ahead.

THE Empire Theatre brought cinema back to Halstead.

Volunteers at the theatre spent three years working hard to bring the big screen back to the town, and with everything set up, April saw its grand opening as Girl on a Train was shown to audiences.

The cinema shows films every Friday night, as well as a matinee performance on Wednesdays.

May

May saw more East of England Co-op stores targeted by criminals.

A JCB was used to ram raid a store in Swan Street in Sible Hedingham as thieves snatched a cash machine from inside the store.

Cars used in the raid were later discovered burnt out in Finchingfield several days after, along with the cash machine.

A few days later, a masked gang then smashed windows and broke into the Co-op store on Earls Colne High Street and stole a large quantity of cigarettes.

The East of England said security was being enhanced at the store, however they had to remain sympathetic to the character of the building.

Residents were outraged as a high profile bank announced it would close its branch in the town.

Barclays, which was based on High Street, revealed it was closing down due to a drop in usage and the growth of online banking.

The closure of the branch meant that the closest Barclays bank was six miles away in Braintree.

The closure would also leave Lloyds as the only remaining bank in Halstead.

June

A general election at the beginning of June saw the Conservative candidate James Cleverly re-elected as MP for Halstead and Braintree.

Mr Cleverly enjoyed another convincing majority in the district and won a total of 32,873 votes.

He promised he would continue fighting for improvements in infrastructure and development.

The town council came in for heavy criticism after it was revealed the authority had turned down the opportunity to move into the former police station, off Trinity Street, for free.

John de Bruyne, owner of Townsford Mill, had offered to purchase the disused police station for the council, however the offer was turned down.

Plans to refurbish and then relocate to Queens Hall had already upset many residents in the town.

The town council defended their decision to decline the offer of the police station, stating they could not commit to a long term move due to hopes they will move into a proposed community centre when it is built.