Latest news with #Rayleigh
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Enid Blyton book collector 'gobsmacked' to find notes by wife
A book collector was "completely gobsmacked" to find a charity shop novel contained a note written 50 years ago by his Mills was rearranging his Enid Blyton collection at home in Hockley, Essex, when he discovered the handwritten message by spouse book was given away by his mother-in-law in the 1970s and Mr Mills said it was a "mind-blowing" coincidence to unknowingly buy it."I kept rereading it and thought 'This cannot be, surely?'," said the 67-year-old. The note gave details of Mrs Mills' life as a child in Staffordshire - when she had not met Mr Mills - including details of family members and old Mills purchased The Naughtiest Girl Again book in Rayleigh, more than 160 miles (257km) away from where his mother-in-law handed it in at a local he only realised what it contained during a recent tidy-up of his bookshelf. "I opened the front cover and I was shocked to see my brother-in-law's name in it," he explained. "It included an address that I'd heard my wife mention and I just couldn't believe it."Mr Mills, who owns about 50 Enid Blyton novels, then showed his 60-year-old wife, who turned the page and found the note she penned."She was equally shocked," he continued. "It was actually quite a cute thing to look at." 'Extraordinary' The surprise did not end there for the couple, went on to discover two other novels on his bookshelf also featured annotations by his wife. "We both sat there really not quite sure how to handle it because this was just extraordinary," Mr Mills said."They look nice on the shelf and it gives me a nice warm feeling to know I've got them."The retired civil servant said realising he and Mrs Mills shared the same love of books as children "bridges the two of us even closer".He added: "There's probably more out there, so it's set me on another quest." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New owner of 37-year-old south Essex hair salon hopes to build on past success
THE new owner of a Rayleigh hair salon has vowed to maintain its welcoming atmosphere as she carries out a 'modernising' refurbishment. Morgan Fallon took over Hairpins salon in Rayleigh Lanes indoor market following the retirement of its previous owners after almost 40 years in business. On Tuesday, she'll throw open the doors to her renovated space and hopes she can carry on the salon's impressive legacy. We're now on WhatsApp! Join our new channel at to get all the latest breaking news and exclusive stories delivered straight to your phone. Excitement - Morgan is looking forward to launching her new salon (Image: Morgan Fallon) 'We're just trying to modernise the space while keeping what people have come to love after all of these years,' said Eastwood resident, Morgan, who's renamed the salon Flo. 'The ladies who use the salon have been coming in on a weekly basis for more than 30 years and I want to make sure they still feel welcomed and comfortable when they visit. 'At the same time, I hope we can start getting some new customers through the door.' Hairpins closed on Saturday after its mother-and-daughter owners Tina and Theresa Jackson retired after 37 years. Throughout their impressive stint at the salon, the pair built up a loyal customer base and it was especially popular with Rayleigh's older demographic. Unique - Rayleigh Lanes is one of south Essex's few indoor markets (Image: Rayleigh Lanes) 'They specialised in looking after the elderly clients, and it worked incredibly well,' said joint owner of Rayleigh Lanes, Frank Nash. 'We bought the building in 1994, but I believe they first opened in 1986 so it's definitely a sad thing to see them go. 'It's also an opportunity for someone new to come in and I think Morgan will do a great job.' Farewell - Tina and Theresa (front) recently retired after 37 years in business (Image: Rayleigh Lanes) Rayleigh Lanes is one of south Essex's last indoor markets and is home to a number of small stalls and businesses. For experienced hairdresser Morgan, the new salon will be her first solo venture. 'I'm really excited,' she said. 'Because I've worked in so many salons in the area, I feel like I have a really good sense of what people want.' The name of the new salon, Flo, also has a special meaning to Morgan – it has been named after her daughter who beat the odds after being born 13 weeks premature. Morgan hopes to be able to use the salon to fundraise for charities supporting premature babies and their families.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for thousands of homes in Rochford district 'insane'
An MP has said a leaked version of a council's local plan is "insane" and "cannot possibly be allowed to continue".Mark Francois said Rochford District Council's report, which is due to be made public in weeks, plans for 17,000 new homes in the authority said government policy required it to build "at least 689 new homes per year every year" and it was considering the "feasibility" of the numbers government has said it is committed to delivering 1.5 million new homes this Parliament. The BBC has seen part of the council's 'Local plan workshop: progress update' report of 22 April lists dozens of sites for new homes up to 2040 and beyond in the would be 1500 homes to the north of Southend as part of a new town development with 3500 built after report includes 24 locations in Rayleigh for 3,679 new homes to be built. The largest sites would be 730 homes at Wolsey Park and 600 at Lubards would be 1500 homes at Dollyman's Farm in Rawreth with a further 500 to be built after 2040. Hullbridge could have 1000 new homes built over the next decade, as could Great Wakering with 820 homes being considered at Tithe Park off Poynters Lane. "This draft plan, a copy of which I have now seen, is utterly unacceptable," said Rayleigh and Wickford Conservative MP Francois."With our local roads already maxed out, and hospitals full to bursting there is absolutely no way on earth our semi-rural district could possibly accommodate 17,000 new houses, including a new town on the Rochford-Southend border." Targets 'more than double' Rochford Council, which is Lib Dem-controlled, said: "Options are currently being tested for their impacts on the environment, transport network and other facilities and this evidence will be presented to councillors who will make a decision on the draft local plan in due course."The council did not comment on whether 17,000 new homes were being planned for the district. Local authorities are legally obliged to have a local plan for new housing and current local plan for Rochford dates back to 2011 and includes plans for 250 new homes a year in the government has reintroduced mandatory housing targets for local authorities and it has more than doubled for Rochford compared to its target a decade areas like Southend and Basildon need to build around 1,000 new homes every council said there would be two rounds of public consultation on new housing plans before they go to government to be approved. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Science quiz: Mars is more than just the red planet
Science quiz: Mars is more than just the red planet Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit YOUR SCORE 0 /6 RETAKE THE QUIZ 1 / 6 | Name this NASA mission (shown on the picture) that definitively recorded the first quakes on Mars as well as, recently, that found seismic waves slow down in a layer 5.4 km below Mars's surface. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : InSight SHOW ANSWER 2 / 6 | The earth has blue skies during the day and red-orange sunsets whereas Mars has red-orange skies during the day and blue sunsets. This is because Rayleigh scattering dominates on the earth whereas X dominates on Mars. Name X. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Mie scattering SHOW ANSWER 3 / 6 | Mars doesn't have a global magnetic field today but scientists believe it did in the past. The evidence is in the form of the imprint of an ancient magnetic field recorded in _______ __________ available to study on the earth, such as ALH84001. Fill in the blanks. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Martian meteorites SHOW ANSWER 4 / 6 | Because Mars has no water on its surface, it has no ___ _____. Scientists adjusted by adopting an imaginary surface called the areoid as the reference surface on the planet. Fill in the blanks. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Sea level SHOW ANSWER 5 / 6 | One of the features of the areoid (from Q3) is that the atmospheric pressure at this surface is only 610.5 pascal, which allows water to exist in its ______ _____: i.e. when its solid, liquid, and gas phases can coexist (depending on temperature). Fill in the blanks. DID YOU KNOW THE ANSWER? YES NO Answer : Triple point SHOW ANSWER
Business Mayor
05-05-2025
- Science
- Business Mayor
May's full 'Flower Moon' will be a micromoon. Here's how to watch it rise.
On Monday (May 12), May's full moon, known as the Flower Moon, will appear in the east during dusk, will shine all night, and will set in the west as dawn appears. The moon will also appear bright and full on Sunday (May 11) and Tuesday (May 13). However, the next full moon may look a tiny bit smaller than average. That's because it will be a 'micromoon,' the opposite of a 'supermoon.' The technical term for a 'micromoon' is an apogee full moon. Related: Full moons of 2025: When is the next full moon? An apogee full moon occurs because our planet's satellite orbits Earth along a slightly elliptical path, creating points when the moon is either closest to Earth ( perigee ) or farthest ( apogee ). The latter point this month almost coincides with a full moon. On Monday, our natural satellite will be 251,828 miles (405,278 kilometers) away instead of the average 238,855 miles (384,400 km), according to AstroPixels . The moon will officially be 100% full at 12:56 p.m. EDT, when the sun is still bright overheard, but will be best observed during dusk later that day. To best view our celestial companion, check the moonrise and moonset times for your location and be in a place with a low view of the eastern horizon. The full moon will appear large on the horizon thanks to the moon illusion — a trick of visual perception that scientists don't fully understand. As the moon rises or falls, it will also look orange because of Rayleigh scattering . Related: Best binoculars for stargazing May's full moon, named for the flowers that bloom in spring, has plenty of other names. The Anishinaabe, or Ojibwe, of the Great Lakes region call it the Sucker Moon, according to the Center for Native American Studies . Meanwhile, the Anglo-Saxon name, the Milk Moon, comes from the fact that people tend to milk cows three times a day in May, according to . Other names include Mothers' Moon, Bright Moon, Hare Moon and Grass Moon. The next full moon will be the Strawberry Moon, which appears on Wednesday, June 11, though it will be best seen as it rises during dusk on Tuesday, July 10. It will be the final full moon of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and fall in the Southern Hemisphere, occurring just 11 days before the summer solstice on Saturday, June 21. Moon quiz: What do you know about our nearest celestial neighbor?
