Clerk's Remarks
l As I write this in mid January, most of the snow has melted but unfortunately more is forecast and likely to delay the wonderful display of daffodils on Hillyfields open space, which says spring is on its way. We have had to cancel football on several occasions this season on the Roding Valley and Willingale Road pitches due to either snow or waterlogging.
l The severe winter weather, particular the heavy rain in the autumn, also showed up drainage problems at the site of the newly installed play area in Westall Road. The council is working with the contractors to resolve these issues so that the exciting equipment can be enjoyed whatever the weather.
l A big thank you to all those who responded to articles in the winter edition of 'Think Loughton' about tea dances and a possible new film club at the Murray Hall. We were delighted by this response and a report and photograph of the inaugural dance appears below. Plans are also progressing well for the first film show, but don’t buy the popcorn yet as this will take longer to achieve; specialised equipment needs to be purchased and licenses obtained.
l Another thank you goes to those residents (and councillors) who took part in the “Make a difference day” event last October at the Willingale Road open space and helped clear much of the overgrown vegetation. Andy Vaughan, from Epping Forest Countrycare, who led the volunteers reports that there is evidence that the site is inhabited by slow worms and common lizards, both protected species. A second clearance date occured on Saturday 20th February and more detailed plans for the site will be drawn up this year.
l If you would like to help make Loughton an even lovelier place to live there is also an opportunity to join us at the litter awareness event on 13 March.
l Have you visited the ‘Street Museum’ in the Staples Road conservation area recently? As previously reported, the town council has installed four heritage lamp posts to help recreate the Edwardian ambience of the road. There is now a new interpretation board sited in the grounds of Staples Road Junior School but also visible from the road. This details the road’s history with several photographs showing how the area looked in bygone times. We are grateful to the school’s headteacher, Mr Cardy, for giving permission for this board.
l Finally, I hope you will join us at the Annual Town Meeting on 24 March in the Murray Hall from 7.30pm, as this is your opportunity to hear about the work of your council and its plans for the coming year.
Enid Walsh

Think Loughton 48
The Spring edition of the Town Council newsletter Think Loughton is scheduled for delivery to all homes and businesses in Loughton during the week commencing 1st March 2010.
If you do not receive a copy, you can collect one from the Town Council office, or from Loughton or Debden library. If you let us know your address and post code, we can take up the non-delivery with Royal Mail.
You can download a copy of the current Think Loughton community newsletter, and recent back issues, from our website.
We welcome contributions to Think Loughton but do not guarantee their inclusion and reserve the right to edit them. We will not accept unattributed articles for publication.
The newsletter includes a diary section of local events and meetings.
Copy date for the Summer issue of Think Loughton : 19th April 2010.
Next issue covers mid June to early September 2010.
Think Loughton is also available on audio tape. If you or someone you know in the Loughton area would like to receive a recording on a regular basis please contact the Town Council.

4 Recent Press Releases
3 Litter Awareness Event 2010
3 Loughton Citizenship Awards
3 Make a Difference Day - Part 2
3 Precept 2010/11
3 Light up a Life Ceremony
3 Design a Christmas Card 2009 Winners
3 Christmas Best Dressed Window 2009 Winners

Mayor’s Charity launch
This year the town council is holding what we hope will become an annual event to raise funds for a local ‘Mayor’s Charity’. This is something many other larger councils already do but, starting from scratch, we had to decide on the charity and, more importantly, what event to organise.
Fitting in with the healthy lifestyles agenda now being followed by councils across the country, a fun run seemed appropriate as this could appeal to all ages (as long as it was for fun and not competitive) and at the same time give us all a chance to raise money for a worthy cause. This year we have chosen The Dream Factory, a locally based charity that raises money to provide treats and outings for terminally ill or seriously handicapped children.
The event, part of the Loughton Festival, will take place on the Roding Valley Recreation Ground, starting near the South Loughton Cricket Pavilion between 10.30am and 12 noon on Sunday 18 April. It is also supported by local clubs including the Loughton Athletic Club, Buckhurst Hill ATC and the South Loughton Cricket Club. It will be no longer than 5kms so well within the capabilities of young and old as long as they go at their own pace, and all participants will receive a medal!
Details are still being finalised but the cricket club hopes to put on a parallel event for non-runners and we are inviting a celebrity to lead some warm-up exercises beforehand on the tennis courts. Come and join us for a fun morning, give yourself a health boost and raise some money for a good cause at the same time! A booking form is available here or from the council office.

Annual Town Meeting
Local residents are invited to learn more about the council’s activities over the last year and its forthcoming plans/projects at the Annual Town Meeting in the Murray Hall on Wednesday 24 March. Doors will open at 7.30pm to allow residents time to view displays by local organisations. The formal meeting will commence at 8pm and following the Town Mayor’s short presentation, with overviews from the committee chairmen, there will then be a public question and answer session.
This year’s guest speaker is Quentin Buller, Head of Partnership Services at Epping Forest College, who will talk about the progress the college has made. After the formal meeting finishes, residents have an opportunity to speak to the town councillors about Loughton matters over refreshments.

Loughton Festival 2010
The theme of this year’s festival is Creativity and Epping Forest and will include all of the talks, walks, concerts and other events that Loughton’s residents have now come to expect from this annual celebration, running from March to May. With the main programme of events organised for April, as in past years events will help show how famous artists and authors were inspired by Epping Forest. There will be readings, an art exhibition and a drop-in workshop facilitated by the Loughton Art Group in association with the City of London Corporation for anyone wanting to have a go at writing or sketching themselves.
Last year the Festival successfully raised around £2,000 for local charities. In 2010, the recipients will be the pupils of Oak View Special School and Dream Factory, a charity that makes dreams come true for children who are seriously ill.
The festival organisers are now appealing to local non-political groups, businesses and individuals to help raise funds for the festival’s ‘good causes’. Anyone interested in organising a fundraising event should contact organiser Sue Taylor: 020 8508 2512 or loughtonfestival@aol.com
As part of the Loughton Festival, the Town Council in partnership with Essex on Tour is pleased to present 'De-lovely' – A Tribute to Cole Porter. The Claire Harper Jazz Trio will perform at the Murray Hall on 30 April 2010 at 8pm providing an evening of live music, enchanting melodies and the ingenious lyrics of Cole Porter. Tickets will be available in the New Year at a cost of £7.50 (£5 for concessions).
Please note this in your diary for an evening of great professional entertainment taking place at your local community centre.

Tea Dances
Just before Christmas, over 60 residents braved the snowy weather to attend the town council’s first tea dance in the Murray Hall and hailed it a success. The council is delighted that a local couple have come forward to run regular monthly dances at the hall. For more details contact Terry on 020 8508 4200.

Litter Awareness Day
This year’s event will be on Saturday 13 March 2010. Volunteers are invited to join councillors in tidying up some of those neglected areas of the town. All equipment and refreshments will be provided. If you would like to take part, please contact the council 020 8508 4200.

Salt & Grit Bins
In the snowy and icy weather in December and January, the town council’s grit bins in some of the hilly parts of the town were much used and appreciated. The council does not have to provide salt and grit bins (you will find few or none in most adjacent towns!) but has done so because we know life is made much easier on hills when they are there. The bins are refilled by Essex County Council, the Highway Authority, who had two teams constantly replenishing them during the freezes.

Councillor Allowances
The annual Parish Basic Allowance, which councillors can claim to help offset some of the costs of office, will remain unchanged at £108 per annum for the coming fi nancial year.

Green Routes
Look out for new signage in the town following the town council’s successful partnership with Essex County Council and the City of London. These signs will show pedestrian routes from the stations to the Roding Valley Recreation Ground and a new cycle by pass route from the High Road to Goldings Hill, skirting the Forest and avoiding the congested town centre.

Light up a Life
The Town Council, in conjunction with St. Clare Hospice, again held a successful Light up a life ceremony at Kings Green on Saturday 28th November 2009. It was the tenth year the ceremony had been held and the event went smoothly and was well attended.
We would like to thank the Police Community Support Officers who attended to direct traffic as they followed the torchlit procession from the Loughton Methodist Church to Kings Green with the Davenant Community Choir leading the singing of carols.
At Kings Green the Town Mayor, Councillor Ken Angold-Stephens, gave an address and switched on the lights. Revd Gill Anderson on behalf of Churches Together in Loughton led the prayers and Michael Chapman, Chairman of the Trustees at St Clare Hospice also addressed the gathering. After the ceremony everyone was invited back to the Methodist Church for coffee and mince pies. The mince pies were kindly donated by Morrisons Supermarket.
The Town Council is delighted once again to be partnering St. Clare in this event, the tenth annual “Light up a Life” in Loughton. The scheme is run at Christmas time by hospices all over the country. Donations are made to the hospice to dedicate a symbolic light in memory of a loved one, a friend or relative or someone who is special to you. All the names are recorded in a Book of Remembrance kept at the hospice.
St Clare Hospice sends a huge thank you to everyone for their efforts that made last November’s Light Up A Life appeal such a great success raising over £22,500 for the hospice. If you are interested in taking part in other fundraising events there’s a 10k charity run in Hastingwood, where St Clare Hospice is based, on 28 March (01279 773750) and a China trek in September 2010 (01303 862996 / stclarechinatrek@googlemail.com).
The Town Council looks after Kings Green and the lights on the tree and is pleased to be able to provide the focal point of the illuminated tree as a contribution to “Light up a Life” in Loughton during the Christmas period.

Christmas Best Dressed Window Competition 2009 Winners
Loughton Town Council’s Christmas Best Dressed Window Competition 2009 for shops and businesses has now been judged. The judging panel, consisting of the Town Mayor Cllr Ken Angold-Stephens and the Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Environment and Heritage Committee, Cllrs Caroline and Chris Pond had the difficult task of deciding the winners from an impressive line up of artistically designed windows.
This competition has three categories – local/independent, multiple/chain and charity and the winners were :
Ches Boutique, 185 High Rd; MacKays, 213/215 High Road; St Clare Hospice, 72 The Broadway
Each winner received an engraved cup to keep for 11 months and a framed certificate presented by the Town Mayor, Cllr Ken Angold-Stephens, presented together with the cups on Tuesday 22nd December. A cheque for £100 will be sent to their nominated charities.
Congratulations to all the winners and a big thank you to all participants who entered the competition this year and for adding to the festive atmosphere in the town for Christmas.

Christmas Card Competition 2009 Winners
The Council had an enthusiast response from entrants of all ages designing a wide variety of artistic entries for its Christmas card competition this year. The judging panel consisted of the Town Mayor Ken Angold-Stephens and the Deputy Town Mayor David Wixley. The overall winner, whose entry will be made into the Town Council's official Christmas card, was Ben Ketteridge.
The winners each received a £25 gift token and a certificate which was presented to them by Town Mayor Ken Angold-Stephens at the Resources and General Services Committee meeting on Wednesday 25th November at the Town Council offices. Each runner-up has been awarded a certificate.
A display of the entries will be exhibited in Loughton Library from 30th November to 15th December, followed by Debden Library from 15th December to 5th January 2010. Congratulations to all the winners and special thanks to all who submitted an entry.