Zumba At Baddow Club

December 2012

Zumba instructor Michelle Harkes runs classes at the Great Baddow Community Centre on a Wednesday evening.

Michelle has two classes. Zumbatomic is for children - great fun with all modern dance moves and games and a great way to make new friends!!! This is from 6.15pm to 7pm and costs £4. Adult zumba is from 7.30pm to 8.30pm - a good workout for all fitness levels - and costs £5. All classes are pay as you go.

For further information call Michelle on 07845 494644.

Kings Head Pub Set To Re-Open

November 2012

After undergoing a refurbishment the Kings Head pub in Maldon Road is set to re-open on December 1st.

Local businessman Gary Jackson and partner - who run the security company Precreate Security from premises in the High Street, Great Baddow - have taken over the pub.

When asked about his plans for the Kings Head, Gary said, "The ultimate aim is a clean and relaxing pub that's popular with the younger crowd and fast and affordable working lunches, with a great atmosphere for the sports events and reasonably priced classic pub food such as burgers, nachos and salads. We will also have free WI-FI in case the customers want to work with their pint of beer.

We will introduce a 30 minute menu which will be designed and trained into our staff by a well known and very popular local chef who has played a massive part in the success of restaurants and golf courses across Essex.  This will be canvassed and advertised into all local businesses and homes.

  

The first area of the bar will include 3 x screens for the sport action. We will be showing premier league matches and big boxing fights.  This will also include a large modern jukebox which we have found is a big hit and draw for a younger crowd. This is a must to build the atmosphere we want to maintain and simply plays on repeat if no songs are requested. We will be installing a pool table and a modern £70.00 jackpot fruit machine.

The second area will be a comfortable seating area with sofas and padded chairs and tables to ensure the customers are made to feel welcome and relaxed while inside the venue.

The next step will be the installation of a bottle bar in the garden...... but that’s next year!"

Good luck to Gary and the Kings Head!

Great Baddow's Master Tailor

November 2012

 (Terrence Hill Bespoke Tailors in Maldon Road)

There are now very few places where you can have a handmade suit, cut, fitted and tailored by a Master Tailor. A Master Tailor with over 40 years experience and a Saville Row apprentice - but you can in Great Baddow. Look no further than Terrence Hill Bespoke Tailors in Maldon Road.

Terry runs his business with son Matt and provides a wide range of services including handmade bespoke suits, made to measure custom tailored suits, made to measure shirts, and evening wear and traditional wedding attire for hire.

Contact details: Terrence Hill, 63 Maldon Road, Great Baddow CM2 7DN  tel: 01245  471193

Christmas Re-Open For Great Baddow Pub?

November 2012

(Workmen repaint the Kings Head pub)

The Kings Head pub in Maldon Road, Great Baddow is currently being re-decorated and could be re-opened before Christmas. It is owned by Enterprise Inns who have stated that the pub is 'Under Offer'.

The once popular Kings Head closed down earlier this summer when previous tenants were unable to attract enough customers to keep their business afloat - a problem that is widespread for pubs throughout the UK.

LATEST UPDATE: The Kings Head pub will re-open on Saturday, December 1st. 
(Watch this space for further details)

Strong Start To Season For Great Baddow F.C.

November 2012

 (Great Baddow F.C. - 1st Team and Reserves 2012/13)

The new football season is now well underway and both the 1st team and the Reserves have started brightly. The 1st team play in the Premier Division of the Mid-Essex League and are hoping to retain the league title they won last season.

The Reserves play in Division 4 and are also looking to challenge for honours. They are so far unbeaten this season. To follow Great Baddow F.C. go to www.facebook.com/BaddowClub.

Autumn Scenes In Great Baddow

November 2012

The tree lined scene in Chelmerton Avenue, Great Baddow takes on a entirely different look when the branches have been cut.

A foggy morning in November on the footpath in the Recreation Ground (behind the gardens of Chelmerton Avenue).

Football Season Kicks Off At The Rec

October 2012

The football season finally kicked off at the Great Baddow Recreation Ground on Saturday October 6th, 2012. (Great Baddow Football Club share the sports field with Great Baddow Cricket Club and the goal posts go up on October 1st each year).

Great Baddow Reserves (pictured above at the rec) have started the 2012/2013 season in fine form, unbeaten in their first four games and third place in the league (Mid-Essex League - Division 4).

Further details at www.facebook.com/BaddowClub.

Co-op Buys Baddow Road Garage

October 2012

Brothers Chris and Peter Jones have sold their garage in Baddow Road to Chelmsford Star Co-op for £2 million. The garage has been in the Jones family since 1958 when it was started up by their father Bill.

Bill Jones came from Caterham, Surrey where he ran a milk distribution company but wanted to use his Royal Navy marine engineering skills so bought the garage in Baddow Road, near the junction with Beehive Lane. He expanded the business to run the Opel (later Vauxhall) dealership with his sons in Gloucester Avenue, Moulsham Lodge which was later sold to John Pease.

The Co-op will continue to run Texaco petrol  and expand the produce on offer in the convenience store.

Chris Jones, aged 65, has moved to Cumbria and is buying a village store and post office to run with his wife Jane.

Maldon Road Shop Re-Opens

September 2012

The off-licence and convenience store in Maldon Road, Great Baddow has now re-opened. The shop is open from 7.00am - 10.00pm Sunday to Thursday and from 7.00am - 11.00pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

New Great Baddow Book Published

August 2012

 

Great Baddow Village Green
 (To see more old photographs from around Great Baddow click here)

A former Great Baddow student has finally seen her book about the village published  - 50 years after it was written. Christine Goldstone, nee Steele, (pictured below) wrote 'The Study of Great Baddow' back in the 1960's but her work remained unpublished until local historian Allen Buckroyd became involved.

Allen typed up the handwritten study for the Great Baddow archives and the book is now published and on sale for £10. The book is also available at the library. For further information on how to buy a copy of the book please contact Christine at: christine.goldstone@blueyonder.co.uk.

 

 (Christine Goldstone, nee Steele originally wrote her study in 1962)

Great Baddow Beer Festival

August 2012

Landlords Dave and Anne Heelis will be hosting their ever popular beer festival at the Blue Lion pub during the August bank holiday weekend. The festival starts on Friday 24th and runs until Monday 27th. There will be a hog roast on Sunday 26th.

There will be numerous real ales and ciders on sale. For further details call 01245 476632.

Helen Rollason Cancer Charity

July 2012

Great Baddow resident Angela Lodge is the Head of Fundraising for Helen Rollason Cancer Charity which supports people living with cancer. 

The charity runs an award-winning support centre in nearby Springfield where cancer patients and their carers can go for counselling and support. Patients can also benefit from therapies that complement their medical treatment and help them to manage stress, including massage and reflexology. 

 

The charity makes no charge for these services and so Angela is always on the lookout for new supporters and fundraising ideas! Please contact her if you would like to help – angela.lodge@helenrollason.org.uk

New Indian Restaurant For Great Baddow

July 2012

The former Italian restaurant in Church Street, Great Baddow has now become an Indian restaurant - Baddow Tandoori, Indian Restaurant and Takeway. It is open 7 days a week. Tel: 01245 478884 or 471100. Details at www.baddowtandoori.co.uk

Great Baddow Cricket Club Aiming For Success

July 2012

The 2012 cricket season is now well underway (despite the poor weather) and Great Baddow Cricket Club have five senior teams and four junior teams playing competitively in the local leagues. The club are based at the Recreation Ground, Great Baddow - www.facebook.com/BaddowClub. The 1st XI (pictured above) were promoted to the T-Rippon Mid Essex Premier Division last season.

The 2nd XI (below) were also successful in 2011 winning the T-Rippon Mid Essex Division 6. This season they play in Division 5.

Great Baddow Pub Seeks New Tenants

July 2012

The Kings Head pub in Maldon Road has closed down again and is seeking new tenants to take over this once popular establishment.

Long time landlords Dave and Sally Trigg ran the pub for 17 years before leaving in September 2009 to move to Fuerteventura in The Canary Islands. Since then there have been several tenants and the pub is once again available to lease from owners, Enterprise Inns.

The Kings Head is advertised as ".... an attractive, traditionally decorated 16th Century pub located in the heart of the village of Great Baddow. It has great facilities internally and externally and attracts both locals to the pub and trade from surrounding villages. Enterprise seeks an experienced Publican to ensure its full potential is reached."

The introductory rent is £5,200 per year (£100 per week) - but Enterprise are aiming for the business to be able to sustain a rent of £19,500 per annum. The estimated cost of fixture and fittings is £15,850 (ex VAT) and the ingoing funds required are £8,750 (ex VAT) for stock and glassware.

For further details visit  www.enterpriseinns.com

Great Baddow Chef For England Team

June 2012

Great Baddow resident Tim De'Ath is playing a bigger part than most football fans in the England team's bid for glory in Euro 2012.

He is the England team's head chef and has taken over the kitchen at the team's five star hotel in Krakow, Poland. With the help of eight polish chefs, he is in charge of creating a huge selection of nutritional meals for the England players. Tim was originally appointed heaf chef of the England team prior to the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

After the Euro 2012 tournament he will return to his post as head chef at West Ham, a position he has held for 12 years.

Tim is no stranger to the rich and famous. He previously worked in the film industry and has served meals for an array of Hollywood stars including Sylvester Stallone, Leonardo Di Caprio, Wesley Snipes, Pierce Brosnan, Richard Dreyfuss, Sigourney Weaver and many more.

Olympic Champion At Great Baddow Charity Races

May 2012

(Fatima Whitbread at Great Baddow Charity Races)

Former Olympic Javelin Champion and 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here' TV contestant, Fatima Whitbread was the star attraction at the Great Baddow Charity Races held in Great Baddow Recreation Ground on Sunday, May 20th 2012.

The races (now in their 28th year) consist of a 10 mile race for serious competitors and a 2 mile fun run around Great Baddow. The weather was cool and overcast, considered to be perfect conditions for the runners.

Congratulations to Shaun Pickering of Braintree & District AC who won the 10 mile race in a time of 53 minutes 15 seconds.

(Start of the 10 mile race)

Great Baddow's New Season In Premier Division

May 2012

Despite the weather, the cricket season is now underway. Great Baddow 1st XI were promoted last season and now play in the T. Rippon Premier Division.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Celebration At Baddow Club

May 2012

(Singer Saul Watts was very popular with the audience)

The Great Baddow Community Centre held a fantastic afternoon of entertainment in celebration of the forthcoming Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Singer Saul Watts performed a variety of songs from swing, Rock 'n' Roll, theatre songs and ended with a cockney sing-a-long to guests who packed the members bar.

For more photos please visit Baddow Club's facebook page at www.facebook.com/BaddowClub

 (Members dance to 'The Lambeth Walk')

Great Baddow Win Cup Final

April 2012

Great Baddow F.C. won the Mid Essex Premier Division Cup on Good Friday beating United Chelmsford Churches 5 - 3 (after extra time) in the final held at Maldon Town F.C.

A crowd in excess of 300 watched the Great Baddow team triumph - with the match finishing 2 - 2 at 90 minutes before going into extra time. The Baddow side had to pull back being a goal down on three separate occasions before running out 5 - 3 winners in a highly entertaining game.

Great Baddow Teacher To Carry Olympic Flame

April 2012

Great Baddow High School Deputy Head Teacher Andy Green has been selected to be an Olympic Torchbearer for Essex this summer.

Andy, a lifelong sports fan, was nominated for the honour by his fellow teachers and is now looking forward to the event. He has been a teacher for 39 years, beginning his career as a PE teacher at the Great Baddow School in 1973.


He said: "I am very fortunate and very lucky to have been given this honour.Unbeknown to me I was nominated and accepted, and it was announced in front of everyone at an assembly at school. I am very excited about the Olympics coming up, it is a big deal for me.You do end up thinking, 'what have I done? I do not deserve this incredible privilege'."

Andy has decided to donate the Olympic Torch he carries to Great Baddow High School after the ceremony on July 6.

Great Baddow Reach Cup Final

April 2012

(The Great Baddow team - in their changed 'Barcelona' strip - playing at Baddow Rec.)

Great Baddow 1st team, who play in the Mid Essex Premier Division, have reached the Cup Final. They play United Chelmsford Churches at Maldon Town F.C. on April 6th (Good Friday) Kick Off 11.00.a.m. 

In the league, Great Baddow are challenging for the title with their close rivals Braintree and Bocking United.

For further information visit www.facebook.com/BaddowClub

Blue Lion Beer Festival

March 2012

Following the success of last year's event the Blue Lion Pub will be holding a beer festival from Thursday March 29th - Sunday April 1st.  Tel: 01245 476632.

High Street Land Development?

March 2012

(Reading Room building in Bell Street)

The piece of land directly behind the Reading Room building in Bell Street, Great Baddow was bought at auction for £40,000.

The land has now been partially cleared of trees. It adjoins the High Street directly opposite Foxholes Road.

(vacant land in the High Street, Great Baddow)

Great Baddow Village Sign Missing?

March 2012

(The location of the village sign at the junction of High Street/Church Street between St Mary's Church and the White Horse pub - photo kindly provided by Richard Beck)

The Great Baddow village sign is, in fact, not missing. It has been removed for health and safety reasons as the post on which it stands had become rotten causing it to list badly.

The village sign will return once repaired.

Olympic Champion At Great Baddow Fun Run

March 2012

Fatima Whitbread, the former Olympic and world champion javelin thrower has agreed to start this year's Great Baddow Fun Run. Fatima is also well known for recently appearing in the popular 'I'm A Celebrity' TV show.

The Great Baddow Charity Race is now in its 28th year and consists of two events - a two mile fun run around the village and a ten mile road race for more serious competitors (chosen as the official Essex AAA ten mile championship for 2012). Both events start and finish in Great Baddow Recreation Ground.

Organisers are keeping their fingers crossed that they can persuade Fatima to don her running shoes and take part in one of the runs. The event takes place on Sunday, May 20th.

For further details go to http://www.baddowraces.org.uk/

(Runners line up to take part in the Great Baddow Charity Races)

Great Baddow Enjoys A Winter Warm Spell

February 2012

(St Mary's Church)

Just weeks after the snow in January the temperature in Great Baddow hit 17 degrees centigrade on 23rd February 2012.

(Village sign in front of White Horse pub)

So what is the price of property in Great Baddow in February 2012? 

Estate agents are asking £165,000 for the grade II listed cottage (pictured below) in the High Street, Great Baddow.

The cottage is situated opposite the Essex Carpet Centre (pictured below).

New Entertainment At Baddow Club

February 2012

The Great Baddow Club has planned a new programme of entertainment for 2012. Pictured above is singer Debbie Ray who performed on 18th February.

Throughout 2012 there will be a variety of acts performing in the members bar on a Saturday night at least every month. There will be something for all tastes, so it is definitely worth a visit. Forthcoming events will be advertised in the bar area. New members welcome.

Baddow Club are now on facebook. Visit at www.facebook.com/BaddowClub

What's Happening At The Great Baddow CA?

January 2012

The Great Baddow Club has a wide range of events taking place in the coming months. Next up is Wolfie's 'Fun' Quiz Night on January 28th - one not to be missed!

In fact, there is 'live' entertainment in the members bar on a Saturday night every other week - watch this space for some great new acts that will be appearing this year! - and a very popular Bingo night on a Sunday (again fortnightly) with some great prizes. 

Throughout the year there are snooker, darts and a crib team who play in the local leagues as well as, of course, football and cricket.

There are three TV screens in the members bar with Sky Sports and ESPN with full football coverage so you will never miss the big match! 

The club also runs regular theatre trips and sightseeing visits. New members are welcome, so why not come and take a look at what's happening at your local community association. 

For more information visit the club's website  http://www.greatbaddowca.co.uk/ 

 Baddow Club are also on facebook. www.facebook.com/BaddowClub

Forthcoming Home Fixtures

Crib (Thursday Nights)

Feb 23rd V RBL Great Baddow

Mar 1st V Writtle Bowls

Mar 15th V White Roding

Mar 29th V Little Waltham

Apr 19th V Springfield Cricket

Darts (Wednesday Nights)

Jan 25th V Wheatsheaf (Cup 1st Leg)

Feb 22nd V Star B

Apr 18th V Star A