WE’VE BEEN CLEANING UP Communities, groups and schools have been coming together to fight the blight of dumped waste and litter across the borough of Basildon. We’re CLEANING UP OUR LITTLE HELPERS Schools across the borough got involved with litter picks Litter picks organised with Abacus Primary School, Wickford and Greensted Junior School, Basildon Greensted Junior School litter pick Basildon’s Arts Week, St Martin’s Square. Local artist Maxine Newell, worked with waste collected from around the borough each day to throw the spotlight on the sort of household items We’re that make up more than 80% of the borough’s flytipping. CLEANING UP 2 Help is at hand for Christmas Everything you need to know about your borough winter 2019 basildon.gov.uk togetherat Christmas Fun-filled festivities at Basildon at 70 Together a year to remember We can help to reduce that, by taking Inside... HOUSINGNEWS Reducing loneliness and social isolation Goi We can help to reduce that, by taking time to get together this Christmas. at The council’s ‘Unseen, Unheard’ campaign has been launched in support of the Mayor of Basildon’s charitable trust to reduce loneliness and social isolation in the borough. The campaign aims to raise Together awareness and funds over the Christmas period, for local charities to support local people, and bring the At least 6,000 households in Basildon each year are community together. likely to be lonely, or at high risk of isolation. Loneliness amongst older people is higher than the These charities provide activity centre services to help national average – in the worst affected areas by people create new social connections, through things up to 30%. like befriending and carers assistance. Social isolation and loneliness can have major health Mayor of Basildon, Councillor Burton-Sampson said: impacts, with research showing that: “We want to bring local social support networks to social isolation is as damaging to health as local people who need them; highlighting that these smoking 15 cigarettes a day people could be of different ages (not just older), of different abilities, with mental health issues, lonely people are more likely to suffer from economically disadvantaged, or culturally isolated.” dementia, heart disease and depression loneliness is likely to increase your risk of death by 29% Peter Doris Peter lost his mum, dad, two brothers and his best friend all in a short space of time. He is well educated and well-travelled and had a Married for 53 years before her husband passed high-pressure career as a project engineer in away. They never had children and she now London and was married with two young children. lives alone in the home she purchased with her partner. Doris doesn’t see or speak to anyone all However, the trauma Peter suffered from so much week; her husband was her best friend. She now grief, understandably became too much and left books a minicab every Sunday afternoon to drive him with mental health issues including around the area for 30 minutes so she can talk to anxiety and agoraphobia. He was unable to leave the driver before heading home for dinner. his home for years and his world became According to Age UK, nearly half of older people smaller and smaller. (49% of 65+ UK) say that television or pets are Peter found help and support with their main form of company. Sociability and he now volunteers with Charities like Age UK and Silver Line offer the charity, supporting other people befriending services for many people just like who need help. Doris who just need some human interaction. Lucy As a child, Lucy had no friends and was bullied at A variety of activities home and at school until she moved in with her have been organised to grandmother in her teens. Things improved until support this campaign. her grandmother passed away. Find out how you can help Now 21, Lucy’s sense of isolation returned. She by visiting www.basildon. stayed at a bed and breakfast for homeless people gov.uk/unheard and rarely left her room in order to avoid aggressive neighbours. After moving into sheltered accommodation, she started talking to people at Action for Children. She was finally able to discuss her emotional wellbeing and get help to develop effective coping strategies. Research from the ONS suggests that nearly 10% of people aged 16 to 24 are “always or often” lonely - the highest proportion of any age group. 24 Goi Contents Making green energy 18 more affordable 02 Together at Christmas Town Centre State-of-the-art campus development 05 moves into town centre 18 Basildon at 70 Training the future 06 what a year! 20 radio presenters Basildon at Christmas 08 gets explosive start Lottery is just the 20 ticket for local charities Giving back to Wickford at Christmas 09 Keep Well This Winter Streetlights back on 21 10 in the borough 23 Events 11 Valuing Our Place Crunch times Bringing the West End 24 11 to Basildon Committee meetings & Bringing confidence and Christmas opening hours 12 friendships on the court 25 13 Housing News 26 Councillor contacts Celebrating the 17 borough’s volunteers Welcome... It is once again the time of year ahead to the near future, for heavy coats, mulled wine, hear about the Our Place’ reflecting on the year’s work we’ve been doing with achievements and lessons residents and stakeholders, to help learned whilst making plans for the us make plans for the future of the new year ahead. borough. As ever, we hope that This year has been full of events there is something for everyone and activities to celebrate the 70th to read and enjoy in this edition of birthday of Basildon and in this issue Together. we will take a look at some of the We would like to take this highlights. opportunity to wish all of our Read on to find details of local readers a merry Christmas and events taking place this festive a prosperous 2020. season along with stories from local If you have an idea for a story for charities and groups. And, looking a future edition of together please email [email protected] Contact us Together is produced by visit www.basildon.gov.uk/ the Communications Team together at Basildon Council. It is Not received your copy of published three times a year Together? Please fill out the and delivered free to almost missed delivery form on www. 80,000 homes across the basildon.gov.uk/together borough. Basildon Council accepts no responsibility If you have a story for a future for the content of any advertisement published in Together and the inclusion edition, want to listen to the of any advertisement does not imply spoken word version or are approval or recommendation by the interested in advertising, council of either the terms of any offer or service of the advertiser. together 3 State-of-the art campus Angela moves into town centre South Essex College’s new state-of-the-art campus is taking shape in Basildon town centre. This new campus will become a centre for digital technologies, which will offer courses in areas such as IT, networking, computer games design and key priority sectors for Basildon. animation. What makes the digital technologies sector We met Angela O’Donoghue, College Principal and special? Chief Executive, who told us about the project. The UK’s digital tech sector continues to accelerate Why is the new campus only offering part of the faster than the rest of the economy, according to Tech college’s wide curriculum offer? Nation 2018. Turnover of digital tech companies grew by 4.5% between 2016-17 compared to UK GDP which Our vision is to create centres of excellence across grew by 1.7% over the same period. south Essex which specialise in certain areas rather than attempting to deliver our entire curriculum at What makes Basildon ideal for this sector? every campus. This approach makes better use of The cost to businesses located in London are facilities and allows staff expertise and industry increasing, so many companies in the digital standard equipment to be focused in certain areas. technologies sector are moving to sites along the How did you decide what to offer at the new Thames Estuary, including Basildon. London and the campus? surrounding areas are the second most connected tech ecosystems globally, behind only Silicon Valley. During the planning of the new site, we liaised with regional and local government, South Essex Local How can someone find out more about the new Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) and employers. They campus? identified the digital technology sector as a growth They can visit our website at www.southessex.ac.uk/ area in the Thames Estuary region and is one of the newcampus or call on 0345 52 12345. WE ARE MAKING A SAFER BASILDON @SaferBasildon @SaferBasildon www.basildon.gov.uk/saferbasildon SAFERBASILDON Working together for a safer borough Basildon at 70 what a year! Music, art, culture, sport, plenty of nostalgia and Basildon and Pitsea Carnival. Of course the theme community have been the main themes running was Basildon at 70 and the children made their own through the year of commemorating the 70th t shirts, headdresses, banners and bunting all anniversary of Basildon New Town. centered around Basildon’s iconic buildings, businesses and people. Ford generously provided us Thank you to everyone who has shared their favourite with an artic lorry and driver for the day. And their Basildon memories, taken part in an event or float won first prize! supported a community project – we couldn’t have done it without you.