News in Maldon

The following article by the Executive Principal of Plume Academy, Carl Wakefield, announces the fabulous news that three members of staff have received nominations in this year's Essex Teaching Awards.

Here, Mr Wakefield gives full details of the nominations and tells of his pride in his three colleagues - and in all the teaching and support staff at Plume Academy for their work in the past very challenging year:

A new campaign has been launched to raise awareness of the heroic work of the local hospice through the challenging months of the pandemic.

Called Farleigh Hospice Heroes, the campaign aims to highlight hospice workers who have touched the lives of people in the area - and of their loved ones - and raise funds for the charity as restrictions lift.

The Beacon Hill Rovers Football Club is 100 years old tomorrow (Friday, 26 March) and is making an appeal for former players, their friends and relatives and anyone with recollections or history about the club to get in touch.

In the following article, Beacon Hill Chairman Merf Roberts tells the moving tale of how the club came about a century ago and how it grew, giving a fascinating glimpse into past times.

The county's director of public health has urged residents to stick to Covid safety guidelines as restrictions start to ease - with the infection rate in Maldon district and across the county now levelling off, rather than continuing to drop.

Maldon district continues to have the lowest case rate in Essex, with 11 cases per 100,000 population in the week leading up to Saturday, 20 March. However, on 11 March that figure had fallen to 9.2, showing that - in line with the rest of the county - Covid infection levels are now standing rather still.

Essex Police have warned residents to exercise caution when visiting a nature reserve and the surrounding area close to the Maldon district boundary.

The warning comes after a man exposed himself to two teenage girls in Whetmead Nature Reserve in Blackwater Lane, Witham, in the latest of a series of similar incidents in the area which police are now linking.

Maldon's Mayor and Mayoress and the Deputy Mayor and his wife gathered quietly yesterday (Tuesday, 23 March) at the Moot Hall at 8pm to mark the anniversary of the first national lockdown.

The group of four held lit candles as the clock struck 8pm on the nationwide 'day of reflection'.

Maldon, Burnham-on-Crouch and the villages of the Dengie Peninsula will all be included in a new six-month 'virtual ward' pilot scheme aimed at minimising hospital stays.

The use of virtual wards - where patients are treated at home with remote access to doctors, nurses and other specialists - was used at the height of the pandemic in Essex to make sure the most critically ill patients were prioritised in hospitals.

As the day began and the mist lifted at Maldon's Hythe Quay this morning (Wednesday, 24 March) the scene was set for a brief return to past times - and filming for The Essex Serpent.

Strewn with barrels, barrows, salt, coal, sawdust and even fake fish, the quay and the Thames Sailing barges it is so famous for have been dressed for the filming of the TV drama series, set in Victorian times and based on author Sarah Perry's award-winning novel.

If you've spotted some interesting banners appearing at locations around Maldon in the past few days, then the aim of a small and anonymous groups of 'craftivists' has been met – especially if you have stopped to see what the crafted posters are all about.

Led by a Maldon 15-year-old and her mum – who shall, of course, remain anonymous – the 15 residents from Maldon and Heybridge who were involved have been busy highlighting a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) campaign asking that on Saturday, 27 March, everyone switches off their lights for an hour.

Maldon MP John Whittingdale has told of his delight at receiving his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination - joining the 149,411 people in the Mid Essex area who have had the jab so far.

Mr Whittingdale, who received the vaccine yesterday, said: "I was delighted to visit the Lodge Vaccination Centre at Runwell, Wickford, to receive my first injection of the AstraZeneca Vaccine and to meet staff and volunteers.