ESSEX County Council has hit back at campaigners fighting to save the Roding Centre, Buckhurst Hill. Asked about the council's decision to shut the Loughton Way venue in July, county councillor Tracey Chapman, the cabinet member with responsibility
FAMOUS authors will be visiting Epping and Loughton as part of the Essex Book Festival in March. Tim Lott, author of the Scent of Dried Roses and a regular columnist in the Evening Standard, will be at Epping Library, St John's Road, from 7.30pm until
THREATS to the Green Belt were highlighted when the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England's Essex branch chairman Lady Suzanne Walker addressed the annual meeting of the Friends of Swaines Green. She spoke of the dangers threatening the Green
STANSTED Airport's popularity continues to soar, according to latest passenger figures. More than 1.3m passengers used the west Essex airport in January 2004, an increase of 14.8 per cent over the same month last year. In the 12 months ending January
A WALTHAMSTOW man as been jailed for three years for gun offences following a feud between rival drugs gangs. Joseph Pitkin, aged 32, of Verulam Ave was found guilty of possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition. He was found not guilty
SCHOOL uniform has always been a battleground between teachers and their pupils, whether it's a grumble over wearing trainers instead of school shoes, skirt hem lines hitched up to the waist or ties tied too small. But the question of how a school
THE real key to great-tasting Italian is a chef's excellent knowledge and use of ingredients, and I'm pleased to say that is exactly what you will find at the Adriatico Restaurant in Woodford Green High Road. I and my partner headed to this fairly
RESIDENTS are putting their money where their mouths are and have set aside £10,000 to fund an injunction against anti-social drunks. Local people and community leaders at the Leytonstone Community Council meeting on Monday agreed to put aside the
MUGGERS armed with guns and knives have been targeting passengers travelling on a number of bus routes in Waltham Forest over the last few weeks. There has been a rise in bus attacks reported to police as muggers have threatened passengers with various
AFTER a damning report reveals that a growing number of people in Britain are becoming obese, the Guardian contacted the borough's schools to find out what measures they are taking to contribute to the healthy living of our teenagers. The report
A 12-POINT action plan to improve the way post offices consult on proposed closures was announced by Communications Minister Stephen Timms last week. The improvements follow a review by the Post Office and official watchdog Postwatch after hundreds
THE GOVERNMENT'S reclassification of cannabis at the end of last month from a class B to a class C drug means more relaxed penalities for users. From now on those found in possession of the illegal drug will face a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment
CRIME is rising in Redbridge because criminals from neighbouring areas believe the borough is a soft touch, according to police. Bucking the London-wide trend, Redbridge has seen figures for street crime and burglaries rise because, according to the
SITING a large supermarket on residential land could turn residents lives upside down and mean a terminal decline for small traders. These fears were reiterated by members of the Bramley Crescent/part Perth Road Residents Association, Gants Hill, when
AFTER THREE years of meting out justice at the helm of Redbridge Magistrates Court, Richard Hoskins is stepping down as chairman of the bench. Mr Hoskins, of Mornington Road, Woodford Green, has come to the end of his three-year appointment as chairman
A SPRING Fayre to raise money for a charity which helps children with cancer and leukaemia is being held in Woodford Green on Saturday, February 19. The fayre is being staged by HhSTAMPS (Helping hands St Thomas' and St Anthony's Making People Smile
HIGH profile policing is on its way to Wanstead and Woodford in the shape of six new community support officers (CSOs) and there could be more to come. The initiative follows the successful deployment of 15 CSOs at Barkingside and Ilford and borough
BILL Oliver is doing his best to keep the memory of Buckhurst Hill's 20th century war heroes alive. Mr Oliver, 62, of Hornbeam Close, has been researching the careers of Buckhurst Hill men who died during the First World War for seven years, and has
I'VE often walked past this restaurant and looked into what seemed like a vibrant, warm and welcoming atmosphere. We were certainly made to feel welcome when we arrived on one of the busiest nights. The waiting staff came straight to us when we entered
THE former London Underground Central Line branch line between Epping and Ongar has now lain dormant for a decade and still its future remains unclear. London Underground decommissioned the six-mile track along with Ongar and North Weald stations
THIS is the third instalment of the blood sucking, soul-taking saga from the Legacy of Kain series and it's better than ever. This time Kain and Raziel must team up to take on what threatens to destroy them and their world. And for the first time
ENTER the wacky world of Gotcha Force on Gamecube and as long as you are under the age of seven with the attention span of a goldfish, happiness is guaranteed. For an insight into the game just think Pokemon with robots and blast away to your
EVER wondered what you look like when you strut your stuff on the dance floor, especially if you do not have access to a good sized mirror in the house? (Oh come on don't tell me you have never posed in front of one), well now you have the chance
THERE was a time when most computer games basically involved doing the same thing over and over again. In some cases this was fun; in others it wasn't. Thankfully, things have moved on and game manufacturers can create entire worlds in which
THIS one really is an old classic. I remember the original on my Nintendo. That version was a side-viewed 2D affair and very addictive. This game has been given a complete revamp and converted into a 3D action epic. In its gameplay it is very
IN THIS business, you usually reckon it takes around 10 hours of gameplay to be able to do justice to a review, but in some cases it's obvious within 10 minutes that a game is a turkey. In the case of X2, having a name that's short to type
