Explore Essex Summer of Culture Guide - 2021 by ExploreEssex

The Infinity Forest Kinetika’s Beach of Dreams The Essex Book Festival Recommended Reads

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Summer of Culture 2021 Welcome... Explore Essex is delighted to welcome you to the official guide for our ‘Summer of Culture 2021’ – a broad series of activities, talks and events for 2021. We’re pleased to confirm that our theme this year will be ‘the world around us’ – a topic which has become increasingly important to us all during the last year of restrictions, brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Partnering with a series of exciting arts and cultural organisations, the ‘Summer of Culture’ programme will be delivered through events and activities taking place throughout the county. The programme centres around three key strands; nature, climate, and people – and aims to highlight the importance of our connection with green spaces for both mental and physical wellbeing. Read on to find out more about ‘Summer of Culture 2021’ – celebrate our environment and reconnect with the world around you.

Contents Latest News

Champion our Coastline with Beach of Dreams

INSTAR: Visit an Essex Infinity Forest

Climate Action for Essex

Read more on pages 18 and 19.

Other News Reconnecting Historic Landscapes Explore Essex have been working with the Land of the Fanns on a heritage project at Weald and Thorndon Country Parks to help reconnect, and bring to life, the story of the landscape for visitors today. We are developing a series of interpretation boards and an accompanying walking trail which will launch this summer at both sites. We hope to enrich the experience for our visitors and uncover the history of the parks as well as highlighting some of the important wildlife the parks provide habitat for today.

Keep connected with all our news on: Facebook @exploressex Instagram @exploressex Twitter @exploreessex

An Art Installation for Danbury Country Park Explore Essex commissioned arts partnership INSTAR to create an artwork to celebrate the Essex Forest Initiative (which aims to support the planting of 375,000 trees (minimum) in Essex over five years to offset carbon emissions. The ‘Infinity Forest’ artwork is now free for people to visit at Danbury Country Park, and you can download Tree Art activity packs to help create a virtual Infinity Forest online. Read more on page 8 and 9. www.explore-essex.com/culture/infinity-forest

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Champion our Coastline A collaborative 500-mile walk from Lowestoft to Tilbury. 500 miles, 500 people, 500 dreams, 500 silks.

he ‘Beach of Dreams’ is an epic journey to discover the hidden gems of the East Coast of England, including a selection of coastal Explore Essex Country Parks and Heritage Places such as Jaywick Martello Tower, Marsh Farm, Hadleigh and Cudmore Grove Country Parks. The journey begins at sunrise in Lowestoft on Monday 26 June, Summer Solstice, and finishes in Tilbury on Sunday 1 August 2021.

“ The beach is always the place where human life is exposed, with all its frailties, ambitions and dreams.’’ - Kevin Rushby 6

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The idea is for members of the public to choose a mile on the route that means something significant – whether you have fond childhood memories, enjoy spending time by the sea in the salty breeze, live locally or visit regularly for exercise – and become a champion of our precious Essex landscape. People are invited to submit photographs of their chosen mile and a short explanation of its personal meaning. Photographs sent in before the deadline of Friday 9 April, are being used as inspiration for 500 silk pennants, representing the dreams of the people who submitted them. The pennants will be hand painted using natural dyes by the Kinetika Design Studio and form spectacular installations which will be on display during the 500-mile coastal walk.

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In addition to the silk pennants, all photographs and descriptions received will contribute towards a new digital story map of the coastal path, reflecting and recording the narrative of the walk as it unfolds. A series of engaging events are also planned to take place along the way – making the most of the stunning scenery, wild landscapes and quaint seaside towns that grace our shores.

Unlock more special memories at the Explore Essex parks and places that form part of the ‘Beach of Dreams’ walking route. Jaywick Martello Tower - A renovated Martello Tower, Jaywick is a thriving arts, heritage, and community venue on the beautiful Jaywick Sands coastline near Clacton-on-Sea. Cudmore Grove Country Park – An important nature reserve with over 102 acres of a unique coastal landscape, habitat and heritage overlooking the Colne and Blackwater Estuaries. Marsh Farm Country Park - A 300-acre country park adjacent to the River Crouch, offering scenic walks with fantastic views through Site of Special Scientific Interest land, home to a vast array of wetland wildlife.

‘Beach of Dreams’, alongside their environmental partner the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), will explore specific themes that pose a threat to our beautiful coastal landscapes - coastal erosion, climate change, renewable energy, the impact of international shipping - and will help us identify the challenges we face in trying to protect these areas for future generations. It’s hoped that the project will get people thinking and considering how they can creatively reimagine these important environmental areas and preserve them for our children and grandchildren to make new memories in.

The ‘Beach of Dreams’ is a unique opportunity to be part of something truly special and reconnect with the 350-miles of natural coastal landscapes that surround Essex. The Coronavirus pandemic has helped many people fall back in love with nature and appreciate and enjoy the stunning scenery that surrounds us. The mental and physical health benefits of walking are also huge. Research has proven that humans think more clearly, and more creatively when walking, therefore the beauty, value and meaning of landscapes can be truly understood when taking a stroll. Walking gives people the time to connect with each other and foster the development of hope and inspiration in uncertain times.

Hadleigh Country Park - As one of the country’s top mountain bike courses, a legacy from the London 2012 Summer Olympics, Hadleigh Country Park offers something for everyone – idyllic countryside, magnificent estuary views, and important historical sites.

Find out more about Beach of Dreams Discover each mile of the journey Find out more about the Explore Essex parks and places

Join us for this 500-mile adventure and carry your hopes and dreams for each mile of this epic journey across our coastal landscape. SU MME R

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An Infinity Forest for Essex Celebrating tree planting in Essex through art

n 2020, Explore Essex was pleased to award an arts commission to INSTAR – a partnership featuring artists Trish Evans and Nick Humphreys who have previously worked with The National Forests and The National Trust. Their winning concept is an immersive experience using mirrored surfaces to create the ‘Infinity Forest’.

The artist commission is also part of the wider Essex Forest Initiative, which is Essex County Council’s commitment to planting 375,000 trees, covering approximately 150 hectares, throughout the county’s parks and green spaces over the next five years to capture 60,000 tonnes of carbon.

The ‘Infinity Forest’ artwork aims to explore themes of our natural environment, engage with members of the public and provide a positive legacy, you can find and visit the artwork at Danbury Country Park, near Chelmsford, following its installation at the end of April.

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The tree planting season runs from October to March, and Essex Forest Initiative were proud to have worked in partnership with the Woodland Trust to plant nearly 37,000 trees this season. The planting has taken place in Essex Country Parks, at the Chelmer Valley nature reserve among other sites, and will continue this autumn.

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INSTAR said: “Trees play a profound role in our lives. Consider for a moment how many purposes we have for trees in our lives from chairs we have sat upon, beams we have sat beneath, the instruments we’ve played, the fuel that has propelled our adventures, the woods in which we have walked and found rejuvenation. “Not only this, but trees are vital in creating biodiversity and helping with flood relief. In short, trees are nothing short of miraculous. Perhaps most importantly of all, trees lock-up damaging carbon which contributes to climate change, and they help to create and sustain a clean, breathable atmosphere that is crucial for the health of us, as well as our planet.”

Summer of ‘Tree Art’ – make it yourself Inspired by the wonder of trees, INSTAR have created a series of downloadable art packs suitable for all ages and abilities. We invite you to take time out to wander beneath the branches, look a little closer at the leaves and indulge in the magnitude trees grant us. From Tree-tracing, Collage and Capturing Canopies to Tree Lines, take a look and get creative!

Competition Win an Explore Essex summer garden goody bag worth over £100! Help us create a #virtualinfinityforest. Download the first INSTAR pack and choose one of the activities. Once you’ve created your artwork, we invite you to share your tree inspired art online. Simply post your artwork on social media using our hashtag #infinityforest on Facebook @exploressex, Twitter @exploreessex or email a photo to Marketing.ExploreEssex@essex.gov.uk. We would love to see what you have created.

One winner will receive an Explore Essex summer hamper. Find out more here: www.explore-essex.com/culture/infinity-forest

www.explore-essex.com/culture/ infinity-forest

Read more: Visit the Infinity Forest at Danbury Country Park Read more about the Infinity Forest Read more about the Essex Forest Initiative Find out more about arts partnership INSTAR #infinityforest@exploressex FACEBOOK

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Climate Action for Essex What is The Essex Climate Action Commission, and how can you get involved?

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he UK’s climate has already changed, the sea level is rising, and more change by 2050 is inevitable. Climate change is starting to affect us all. Essex, together with other parts of East Anglia, is now facing a real challenge and will see hotter summers, water shortages and the deterioration of agricultural land in coming years unless we take drastic action immediately and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

In 2020 the Essex Climate Action Commission, an independent body, was set up by Essex County Council to advise the county on how best to tackle the climate challenge and become a net zero emissions county as soon as possible. The Commission consists of over 30 commissioners, each with varying backgrounds across the public, private and third sectors, as well as academia. Lord Randall of Uxbridge is the Commission’s chair. Lord Randall was MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip from 1997 to 2015, before becoming the then Prime Minister’s Environment special adviser in 2017. Two members of the Young Essex Assembly both vice-chair the Commission.

By looking at five particular areas of focus, Transport, the Built Environment, Energy and Waste, Land Use and Green Infrastructure and Community Engagement, the Commission is developing a set recommendations which will help us all get our county to net-zero by 2050. We can all play our part in making this happen. The Commission is currently developing a Final Report which is due to be published in the summer of 2021. It will pull together all the recommendations provided by the Commission. A launch event is also currently being planned, which will coincide with the release of the Final Report.

For more information about the Commission, and its Interim Report, visit essex.gov.uk/climate-action or sign up to the monthly newsletter to keep up to date.

Lord Randall

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Recommended Reading

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The Good Ancestor

Excellent Essex

This Luminous Coast

by Roman Krznaric

by Gillian Darley

by Jules Pretty

Today, in an age driven by the tyranny of the now, with 24/7 news, the latest tweet, and the buy-now button commanding our attention, we rarely stop to consider how our actions will affect future generations. With such frenetic short-termism at the root of contemporary crises, the call for long-term thinking grows every day – but what is it, has it ever worked, and can we even do it? In The Good Ancestor, leading public philosopher Roman Krznaric argues that there is still hope. From the pyramids to the NHS, humankind has always had the innate ability to plan for posterity and take action that will resonate for decades, centuries, even millennia to come. If we want to become good ancestors, now is the time to recover and enrich this imaginative skill.

Gillian Darley takes us on a vivid, personal tour, from the seaside piers to the empty marshes and the New Town tower blocks, revealing a landscape and a story like no other Alongside Essex Man and TOWIE, there’s the Essex that nurtured the first Puritan settlers in America, welcomed refugees from Europe, fugitives from the underworld and bombed-out East Enders. Where dreamers and makers, punk poets, anarchist sects and inventors all found inspiration. The paperback contains a new ‘walkers and wanders’ section. Buy from Waterstones.com or your local independent bookseller.

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Over the course of a year, Jules Pretty walked along the shoreline of East Anglia in south-eastern England, eventually exploring four hundred miles on foot (and another hundred miles by boat). It is a coast and a culture that is about to be lost–not yet, perhaps, but soon–to rising tides and industrial sprawl. This Luminous Coast takes the reader with him on his journey over land and water; over sea walls of dried grass, beside stretched fields of golden crops, alongside white sails gliding across the intricate lacework of invisible creeks and estuaries, under vast skies that are home to curlews and redshanks and the outpourings of skylarks. Buy from Waterstones.com or your local independent bookseller.

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Curated by Kinetika, to inspire, educate and provoke action

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Radical Essex

Time Song

Walking in Essex

by Focal Point

by Julia Blackburn

by Peter Aylmer

Radical ESSEX accompanies an ongoing project that re-examines the county in relation to radicalism in thought, lifestyle, politics and architecture. It sheds light on the vibrant, pioneering thinking of the late 19th and 20th centuries, celebrating the crucial role Essex has played in the history of British Modernism and its utopian ideologies.

**Shortlisted for the Wainwright Golden Beer Book Prize 2019**

This book features a new suite of specially commissioned images by British photographer, Catherine Hyland. She has been shortlisted for numerous photography awards, and her work is featured in magazines such as Creative Review, and ICON.

Time Song brings many such stories together as it tells of the creation, the existence and the loss of a country now called Doggerland, a huge and fertile area that once connected the entire east coast of England with mainland Europe, until it was finally submerged by rising sea levels around 5000 BC.

Buy from Waterstones.com or your local independent bookseller.

**Shortlisted for the Hessell-Tiltman Prize For History 2020** Julia Blackburn has always collected things that hold stories about the past, especially the very distant past: mammoth bones, little shells that happen to be two million years old, a flint shaped as a weapon long ago.

It’s all too easy to start with the negatives. No hills. No drama. Agriculture: no sheep dotted around, or not many anyway. Just one big field after another. In truth, that is perhaps the most common response to the offer of a walk, in eastern England, and like so many easy prejudices, it’s a clumsy stereotype and simply wrong. Precisely because eastern England is often overlooked by the tourist in general and the walker, it’s a remarkably quiet patch for the traveller. Discover Peter Aylmer’s Walking guides and explore the beauty of Essex by foot. East - Trailman

Buy from Waterstones.com or your local independent bookseller.

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The Essex Book Festival Returns Discover more about this year’s Festival and Flash Fiction competition – and look for inspiration in our picturesque parks and places

100 Events | 40 Venues | 200 Writers and Artists This year’s festival is very much a voyage of discovery. Whether that means exploring the Great Essex Outdoors by joining one of our In My Steps: Radical Walks in Essex, an evening with historian Alison Weir at Layer Marney Tower, or perhaps another with James Canton, author of The Oak Papers, this year’s The Essex Read, at Colchester Library.

Please join us for what promises to be a cracking summer of books. Take good care, Ros Green, Director (Essex Book Festival) For information and bookings call: 01206 573948

With most of our June events taking place online, we suggest you get yourself comfortable for our explosively entertaining digital launch event: We Need To Talk About Essex Girls, featuring Sarah Perry, Syd Moore and Sadie Hasler. Miss this at your peril. July marks the return to physical in-person events. Mark the diary now for Costa Book of the Year Winner Monique Roffey at Chelmsford Library, and debut novelist, Naomi Ishiguru at Maldon Library. Then, we also have bestselling author and barrister Alexandra Wilson who will be talking about her book In Black and White as part of our Criminally Good Day. Ben Okri, Gavin Esler, Craig Brown, Mat Osman, Clare Fuller, Liz Trenow, Dr Hilary Jones ... the list goes on and on!

The Story Hunters Flash Fiction Competition As the story goes, Ernest Hemingway won a bet by writing a short story that was only six words long: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” Essex Book Festival and Explore Essex challenge you to do the same.

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You are invited to write a piece of fiction or a poem between 50-250 words based on a visit to one of 20 designated Essex heritage sites or green spaces. Once you have submitted your story, it will be posted on our Story Hunter Digital Map and entered into our Story Hunters Flash Fiction competition. Winning entries will be announced at our Festival Finale at Cressing Temple Barns on Sunday 29 August.

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For more information about the twenty destinations, and how to enter the competition, go to essexbookfestival.org.uk/thestory-hunters/

The Story Hunters Project Creative Writing Workshops In tandem with the Story Hunters Flash Fiction competition, we are hosting a series of four writing workshops in four of the designated Story Hunter sites: Jaywick Martello Tower, Cressing Temple Barns, Danbury, and Hadleigh County Parks. Each writing workshop will include a guided tour of the site. There are limited spaces so get booking!

Sunday 27 June

Saturday 3 July

2:00pm Danbury Country Park

11:00am Cressing Temple Barns

Jonathan Crane Workshop Leader

Agnieszka Dale Workshop Leader

Join novelist and lecturer Jonathan Crane, author of We Need To Talk, on a tour of Danbury Country Park, followed by a two-hour Flash Fiction writing workshop. Suitable 14+

Join UK-based polish writer Agnieszka Dale, author of The Fox Season, on a tour of Cressing Temple Barns, followed by a two-hour Writing Short Fiction workshop. Suitable 14+

Venue: Danbury Country Park

Venue: Cressing Temple Barns

Tickets: £20 / £15 concession

Box office: www.essexbookfestival.org.uk

Sunday 18 July Sunday 11 July 2:00pm Jaywick Martello Tower

2:00pm Hadleigh Country Park Majid Adin and Glenys Newton Workshop Leaders

Join novelist A.K. Blakemore, author of The Manningtree Witches, on a tour of Jaywick Martello Tower, followed by a two-hour Writing the Place workshop. Suitable 14+

Join Iranian artist/animator/writer Majid Adin, creator of the official music video for Elton John’s Rocket Man, and award-winning storyteller/writer, Glenys Newton, on a tour of Hadleigh Country Park, followed by a two-hour animation/writing workshop. Suitable 14+

Venue: Jaywick Martello Tower

Venue: Hadleigh Country Park

Tickets: £20 / £15 concession

Box office: www.essexbookfestival.org.uk

A.K. Blakemore Workshop Leader

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The devastating North Sea Flood of 1953

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“ With its miles of saltmarsh, mud filled creeks and shingle beaches, Essex has always had a close relationship with the sea. From oyster fishermen at Burnham to barge skippers at Maldon, from boat builders at Wivenhoe to leisure boat captains at Southend, many Essex people have drawn a living from it, while countless others have drawn pleasure. “ Yet the relationship has not always been a benign one, for during the night of Saturday 31 January 1953, Essex witnessed another side to the sea’s presence. With a power which was irresistible, and a speed that was startling, it overtook sea defences that had been built over centuries. Some people woke to find the water advancing with icy stealth towards their homes, leaving them barely the time to save themselves and a few possessions. Others found even this last-minute flight impossible; the sea was upon them. For them there was to be no escape from this tide ...” Extract taken from ‘Headline History: One hundred years of Essex history from the pages of the Essex Chronicle newspaper’, by Steve Hussey.

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A severe storm coupled with a high spring tide, led many to describe The Great Flood of 1953 as the worst natural disaster in Great Britain in the 20th century. In fact, the scale was unprecedented. On the night of Saturday 31 January, a huge tidal surge caused devastation along the east coast of Britain by washing away sea walls and leaving coastal defences battered and broken. Over 300 lives were lost, and 40,0000 people were left homeless. In the Netherlands, the government announced that 1,835 people had perished due to the floods, while another 28 people died in Belgium after sea defences suffered heavy damage. A combination of wind, high tide, and low pressure, caused the sea to flood land up to almost six metres above sea level. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, which led to the extensive flooding. As a low-lying county, Essex was particularly affected, with flooding from Harwich to Tilbury. During that fateful night, over 300 sea defences were breached, and 30,000

Fighting flooding in the st 21 century With responsibility for reducing the risk of flooding from surface water run-off, groundwater and ordinary watercourses throughout the county, Essex County Council’s Flood team is a Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA). Working proactively, the team records, investigates and publishes reports of flooding in Essex, while the Project Delivery team works on flood alleviation schemes which are designed to protect identified high-risk properties from surface water flooding. In fact, a Property Flood Resilience grant of up to £8000 per property for homes which have been flooded or are at a high-risk of flooding is available. Both traditional flood alleviation and innovative Natural Flood Management schemes are installed, while critical flood assets are identified, logged, and regularly inspected to ensure they are both working effectively and being maintained.

acres – many of which was valuable farmland – were flooded with salt water. Overnight, communities along the coastline were submerged. While the whole county suffered, the areas hit hardest were Canvey Island, which despite being evacuated saw the tidal surge claim the lives of 58 people and left 11,000 out of the islands 11,500 people unable to return to their homes. Along the coast, Jaywick was also devasted. Over 35 people perished and 600 of Jaywick’s remaining 700 population were left homeless. In the aftermath, the government of the day invested heavily in new sea defences and further flood defence measures were instigated along the country’s coastline, many of which are still in use along the Essex coast today. To commemorate the fateful night and the lives lost, a service attended by Princess Anne was held at Chelmsford City Cathedral in 2013 to mark the 60th anniversary of the Great Flood.

Through ongoing education and advice, the team is helping the county’s residents become more flood resilient, but they respond to reports of watercourse maintenance issues. With enforcement powers at their disposal, the team can ensure that landowners maintain their watercourses, as a lack of maintenance can cause property flooding. The Floods Team - which play a lead role in emergency planning and recovery after a flood event - work closely with the Environment Agency, which has lead responsibility for main rivers and coastal flooding, and with other partners such as highways, borough and district councils and water companies. Finally, the team checks all major planning applications for their drainage strategy, so that new developments do not increase the risk of surface water flooding through increased run-off. To find out more about the work of Essex County Council’s Flood team, please visit their website, flood.essex.gov.uk, or Facebook: www.facebook. com/essexFWM

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Bring communities together As part of the Summer of Culture, a programme of events to bring communities together and connect with their local green spaces is being launched by the Essex Cultural Diversity Project (EDCP) in the Essex Country Parks. Read on to find out more.

QUESTION: What does the Essex Cultural Diversity Project stand for? As a registered charity, The Essex Cultural Diversity Project (EDCP) aims to raise awareness of race equality and cultural diversity via a programme of arts, culture and heritage projects throughout the county and beyond. With many years of experience of developing engagement programmes, the EDCP - an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation - works with a wide and expansive range of partners to stage accessible and vibrant events in public spaces for all generations and age groups to enjoy. Working with local artists, heritage professionals, diverse communities, and the voluntary sector throughout the county, the EDCP is dedicated and committed to building networks, providing skills development opportunities and creating stronger communities across Essex. QUESTION: What activities and events are taking place this summer in the Essex Country Parks? Throughout the last year, many people have lacked physical activity and have felt isolated due to the global pandemic. That’s why this summer an EDCP programme of events and activities will be held to raise awareness amongst diverse communities of the wonderful country parks and green spaces we have throughout Essex which are there for everyone to enjoy. 18

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These events will offer people an opportunity to reconnect with their local communities and enjoy activities which support social and community wellbeing. A series of FREE outdoor taster sessions will be held from late June to August at Essex Country Parks, which will see park rangers provide tours and there will also be a variety of workshops and performances, all led by professional Essex-based cultural organisations. There is a lot to look forward to, as activities will include: Hadleigh Country Park – Not only will there be a rangerled park tour but there will also be workshops and demonstrations of martial arts, dance and music from BrazilArte Academy. This event is open to all, including local Brazilian and Portuguese communities. Saturday 3 July 2021. Belhus Woods Country Park – Featuring workshops and performances from Efua Sey Cultural Academy as well as a ranger-led park tour this event is open to all, including local Afro Caribbean communities. Sunday 4 July 2021. Cudmore Grove Country Park – The Colchester Chinese Community are offering workshops and performances for the local community, including the local Chinese community, and also includes a ranger-led park tour. Saturday 17 July 2021. Danbury Country Park – Come and join a ranger-led park tour and then take part in activities led by the Essex Multi Cultural Activities Network (EMAN), this is aimed at the local Muslim Pakistani and Indian Hindu communities, but is open to all. Sunday 18 July 2021.

ECDP Trustee and Chairperson for the Colchester Chinese Cultural Society, Simone Xue, is an ambassador for the Snapping the Stiletto: Campaigning for Equality project. Snapping the Stiletto is a National Lottery Heritage funded project which aims to seek equality and challenge stereotypes by sharing and celebrating the stories of Essex women. Last year the project called for the people of Essex to nominate the women that inspired them to be the faces and voices of the campaign and they received over 100 nominations from all walks of life and Simone was one of them. The artist, Marcie Mintrose, was commissioned to create portraits of the winners. For more information about Snapping the Stiletto, forthcoming events and how you can get involved, please visit Snapping the Stiletto (volunteermakers.org).

Cressing Temple Barns – Come along and enjoy the festivities of a Global Village at the historic Cressing Temple Barns near Braintree. Occurring alongside the fantastic Essex Book Festival finale event, the Global Village will be a colourful, interactive event for the whole family, including free workshops, performances and food. Sunday 29 August 2021. QUESTION: How does working with Active Essex help the EDCP? By working in partnership with Active Essex means we can provide taster events at Essex Country Parks as well as set up a series of wellbeing activities. These 10 FREE weekly physical activities are open and accessible to all and will take place at Belhus Woods, Cudmore Grove, Danbury and Hadleigh Country Parks. For more information about the events please visit www.exploreessex.com/events. For more inforamtion about EDCP visit www.essexcdp. com. You can sign up for the Essex Cultural Diversity Project newsletter as well as follow them on social media to get all the latest updates on events and activities taking place local to you.

The EDCP has been working with Chelmsford City Council on a project called ‘Current’ by digital artist Sian Fan. The project - which will focus on Chelmsford and its waterways - will see Sian work with local communities to gather stories. ‘Current’ will be an interactive website which digitises key sites along the paths of the rivers Chelmer and Cann. For more information visit: www.essex2020.com/chelmsford-essex-2020commission-sian-fan/

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Five ways to help save the world with Love Essex Helping look after the environment can feel like a huge and difficult task. But there are small things we can all do that make a big difference. Get started with some of these ideas and visit www.loveessex.org or follow @LoveEssexUK on social media for more ideas. Plant a tree

Say no to plastic

Save energy

Trees are amazing! They store carbon, help prevent flooding, cut down air pollution, and provide a home for wildlife. Follow @EssexForest on Facebook for information on tree planting sessions as well as fun facts about wonderful trees.

Making plastic uses up a lot of energy as well as natural resources like oil. A lot of plastic doesn’t get thrown away properly and can end up getting eaten by animals or polluting the natural environment. Why not swap out “single use” plastic bottles and food packaging for a reusable bottle and coffee cup. Encourage your family and friends to do this too! Find out more at www.loveessex. org/news-and-ideas/ideas-tohelp-reduce-your-plastic

Leaving switches turned on at home can waste a lot of electricity. Why not make a checklist for each room in your house to remind everyone to turn things off at the wall? Remember to include everything from the TV to lights and phone chargers.

Get composting Compost is like rocket fuel for plants. You can make your own out of waste from your garden and uncooked foods. A great excuse to get muddy! Visit www.loveessex.org/ composting to find out about how to turbo charge your garden and buy a subsidised compost bin from only £10 (excluding delivery cost).

Get involved Do you want to do more to help the environment? The Love Essex Champions take part in monthly challenges to help local communities waste less stuff. Visit www. loveessex.org/ volunteering to find out more. If you want to start your own community group to look after the

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environment, the @EIGChangemakers Facebook group is a great place to find out how to get started.

Competition We have five copies of ‘The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide’ by Jen Gale to give away. Are you doing something to help look after the environment? No matter how big or small, tell us about it! Use #LoveEssexUK on Facebook or Instagram, or email your picture to love.essex@essex.gov.uk by Wednesday 1 September 2021. We will pick five winners to receive a free copy of ‘The Sustainable(ish) Living Guide’. Full T&Cs can be found on the Love Essex website

Tower Talks: Discover more this summer A range of events and exhibitions are to be held at Jaywick Martello Tower this summer. The Art Fund Respond and Reimagine programme awarded the funding in the autumn of 2020 to establish a programme of digital talks and exhibitions that engages with the community. Four talks will be made available online during the spring and summer of 2021, including the last flight of the B-17 bomber which crashed into the River Stour, the wildlife around the Tower and along the Tendring coast, the 1953 Great Flood and the ‘Beach of Dreams’ project. Volunteers will also work with Signals Media Arts to record and upload content to ensure that Jaywick Martello Tower can continue to provide digital content far into the future. Coming this spring and summer the talks programme will include: The B17’s Last Mission: Join Bill Smith, volunteer for the East Essex Aviation Museum, who talks about a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress which crashed into the River Stour during World War Two. You can view it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeljnblVUyg

Listen to Jaywick Nature Warden, Bob Seago, talk about the fascinating wildlife which exists in and around Jaywick Martello Tower and along the Tendring Coast. Discover more about the 1953 Great Flood, an event caused by a heavy storm and a high spring tide, which cost the lives of many people across the counties of Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex. Join Ali Pretty, Artistic Director of Kinetika, as she discusses the ‘Beach of Dreams’ project and walking the Essex coastline this June and July. You can view the Jaywick Virtual Talks on the Explore Essex YouTube channel and to find out more about forthcoming events please visit the Explore Essex website: Jaywick Martello Tower | Explore Essex.

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What’s on in Essex this Summer? “Emerging from lockdown, [the] idea of art in the open for everyone feels alive and newly relevant.” Chris Snow, Chair, Harlow Art Trust Summer 2021 Explore 101 sculptures and counting in Harlow Town Harlow Art Trust www.sculpturetown.uk Open air event, new sculpture launch, tours and small group walks. Visitors to Harlow can enjoy the collection at any time by exploring our digital map.

Photo credit: Two-Fold by Nick Hornby, Photo by Brian Thomas

April onwards

22 May - 13 June 2021

22 May - 29 August

Historic Harbour Tours

Estuary Festival 2021

Brightlingsea Harbour

Presented by Metal Southend and Cement Fields for Creative Estuary

Practice Makes Perfect – an exhibition by Rosa-Johan Uddoh

Price: £6.00 per person www.brightlingseaharbour.org Discover a different perspective – from the Anzac soldiers based here in 1916 to the wildlife settled on the local salt marsh and Cindery Island. Call our office to book on 01206 302200 or email on mail@ brightlingseaharbour.org

www.estuaryfestival.com/

www.fpg.org.uk/exhibition/ practice-makes-perfect/

22 May to 13 June

Saturday 29th May

Vanishing Point – artist project as part of Estuary 2021 by Mary Mattingly

Braintree District Virtual Street Market

Focal Point Gallery and Metal as part of Estuary Festival Mercury Theatre Mercury Theatre will re-open its newly refurbished building at the end of June. See the website for all their latest news and events:

www.fpg.org.uk/project/ vanishing-point/

www.mercurytheatre.co.uk/

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Focal Point Gallery

2021

Braintree District Council www.visitbraintreedistrict.co.uk / access market via Virtual Street Market Facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/ virtualstreetmarket

2 - 6 June 2021

25 – 27 June

Maldon Maritime History week and half term activities

Hyde Hall live

Museum of Power Events for June 2 – June 6 – Museum of Power tickets Celebrate our maritime history and bring your little ones along to have fun decorating Viking Ships, make a Viking Clay statue and design your own treasure chest. Please book no admittance to workshops on the day.

27 July, 10 August, 24 August

RHS Garden Hyde Hall www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hydehall/whats-on Join us for three nights of live music in an enchanting garden setting. Pre-book tickets.

Bucket and Spade Train from Colchester Station to Walton on the Naze. Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership Cost £5 per adult and £3 per child esscrp.org.uk/events/

www.museumofpower.org.uk/

26 June – 4 July David Millidge ceramics exhibition RHS Garden Hyde Hall

Fri 18 June Theatre evening – Pride and Prejudice RHS Garden Hyde Hall https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/ hyde-hall/whats-on Join The Pantaloons for Jane Austen’s witty and romantic masterpiece, great for the whole family. Pre-booking essential.

www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hydehall/whats-on Join local artist, David Millidge, for his first exhibition at the garden. David produces ceramic sculptures by assembling slip-cast earthenware forms into figurative and abstract creations. Inspired by sci-fi films, fashion and contemporary art.

Look out for 18 – 26 September 2021 Great Big Green Week at Markshall Estate www.markshall.org.uk Communities across the country are joining together as part of the biggest event for climate and nature ever in the UK, and everyone’s invited! Markshall Estate is a hub venue for a week of events showcasing how local people, groups and businesses are taking action on Climate Change, and how you can take part.

Friday 16 July 24 – 27 June Craft and design show RHS Garden Hyde Hall www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hydehall/whats-on Woodland Craft Event Management brings you a new show featuring a range of carefully selected exhibitors, showcasing their work in a series of marquees.

Theatre evening – The Tempest RHS Garden Hyde Hall www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hydehall/whats-on Join open-air Shakespeare specialists The Pantaloons on a voyage to an enchanted island full of adventure, romance, magic and… monsters!

* Listings provided by Visit Essex Members Find out more about Visit Essex and sign up to become a member: www.visitessex.com/industry-andpress/become-a-member

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