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Not in My Neighbourhood
This event, organised by Essex Police, presented many of the organisations established to help the public access some of the law and order services available.

Neighbourhood Watch, the Drugs & Alcohol team and local police officers offered information and free goodies to help people help themselves. Also present was Vinspired who are looking to organise events for young people in the Braintree area.

Our photo shows local officers PS Janette Davies, the Partnership & Youth Sergeant with PC Tina Smith the Youth Coordinator for Braintree.

Mid Essex Business Awards
Announcing the Mid Essex Business Awards winners at a glittering event at Unex Towerlands last Friday night... Amongst the winners Braintree picked up a particularly good haul.

Clarks Braintree won one of the three awards in the retail category, so Kevin and Lorraine once again deserve our congratulations. They also recently won the Derek Salmon Award for Customer Service Outlet of the Year 2008.

Another winner was Feathers Hair Salon Group, represented in Braintree in George Yard Shopping Centre. Not only did they win that award but Jeff Letter, owner of the business won the Business Man of the Year Award 2008. Again congratulations to them all. In our photograph, you can see Kevin and Lorraine with a "congratulations" bear sent to them by their colleagues in the centre.

Apple Draw
Saturday 11th October
Our Apple Draw was a combination of Big Draw (when we join with other venues all over the country encouraging people to draw in public places) and Apple Day (when we celebrate the diversity of British apples.)

Our Braintree Seedling trees cannot arrive until December and now that the University of Reading have taken over the National fruit tree collection, we cannot get any Braintree Seedling apples. So we decided to just draw apples instead. And indeed, you all came and drew lots of apples. Here are some of the pictures from the day.

Thanks to Lisa Temple-Cox who led the days' activities, we will be seeing her again next year.

Olympic Flag Handover
George Yard Shopping Centre was pleased to host the handover of an Olympic flag from Kim Mann, a resident of Braintree to Lady Patricia Newton, chair of Braintree District Council to mark the end of the Beijing Olympics and the beginning of the run up to the London 2012.

Also in the picture are the young athletes sponsored by Braintree Supporting Sport Partnership. BSSP were able to announce that they are able to sponsor more young people.

F7 report
Well, we had a fantastic F7 despite the weather really not being that wonderful! Here’s a selection of pictures taken during the summer.

Chinese entertainers
Pictures of the fun day we had here in George Yard Shopping Centre.

Artistic endeavours
Braintree District Arts are going to be organising an Art Trail next summer as a part of F7. Elaine Tribley is the Co-ordinator has been appointed. She is already collecting the names of artists who would like to be considered for inclusion. Contact her through George Yard Shopping Centre.

If you have an “arty” idea, please discuss this with Elaine Tribley or Brenda Baker as soon as possible.

Music on Sundays
Live music makes such a difference… Bocking Brass and Back in Time joined us to liven up some Sunday afternoons in the summer.

Derek Salmon Retailer of the Year Awards 2008
We are pleased to announce that nominations for the title of Retailer of the Year have been received for 20 Braintree retailers and 18 individuals who work in the town.

Derek Salmon was the Centre Manager of George Yard for some years but died in 2001.  It was decided that a Memorial in his name should take the form of an award for an individual in retail in Braintree Town Centre.  The first award was made in 2004, and in 2006 a second award for a shop (rather than an individual) was instituted.

The winners of both prizes will be announced at the Braintree Chamber of Trade & Commerce Annual Dinner 18th September 2008.  Tickets are available from Chamber (through the website www.braintree chamber) or from George Yard Shopping Centre Management Suite 01376 550373.

Shops nominated
Adams,  Ashdown Mobility, quadrant, Bakers Oven,  Boots,  Brambles, Clarks,  Eatons,  Finale Shoes,  Hannay Books,  Herb Garden,  Independent Therapy Solutions,  M&S,  Printability,  QS,  Somerfield,  Specsavers,  Tchibo,  Tourist Information Centre, Yours,  Zavvi.

Individuals nominated
Bev Stubbs -M&S Simply Food .............Carol Croft - Dorothy Perkins
Claire Beardon - Tchibo ...................... Colin Holgate - Joscelyne Chase
Dan Robinson - M&S Simply Food ........Dave Hanson - Carphone Warehouse
Emma Byatt - Boots............................. June Keeble - F Hinds
Kevin Bambridge - Clarks.....................Lorraine Lodge - Clarks
Martin & Lisa - Herb Garden.................. Matthew Shepherd - MPC
Mike Bromidge - Specsavers................ Sara Leigh - Townrow
Sarah Cranfield - Tourist Info Centre...... Tina Wade - Boots
Tony Durrant - Ashdown Mobility........... Tracy Hopkins - Eatons

Scarecrow workshop Saturday 19th July 2008
Scarecrows lined the Bandstand in George Yard Shopping Centre on Saturday when lots of families helped Georgie Roy assemble troops for the Gosfield Scarecrow trail.

27 scarecrows have joined the enormous crew, which will be in Gosfield for the weekend of the 6th September.

Despite the wind everybody had a great time!
See also www.gosfield.org.uk

Congratulations to F7 Music Sector Team
A lovely evening of relaxed good music and fun was enjoyed by a crowd of over 200 people on Saturday night in Christ Church, Braintree.

Organised very successfully by the F7 Arts Festival Music Sector Team team, led by Betty Beale, eight local musical groups came together to offer a varied programme to the happy and amused audience.

Ranging from WOW! performing selections from their hit version of West End Musical, through Braintree Male Voice Choir to a beautifully dressed group of Witham operatic singers the interesting programme culminated in a rousing audience participation version of Land of Hope & Glory.

Well done to all!

Fine Artistes visit George Yard Shopping Centre
On a blowsy wet in day in July, crowds were amused by the visit of the “Fine Artistes”in George Yard Shopping Centre who produced an artwork of Braintree minutiae as a memory of their visit.

Appearing as a part of the F7 Festival, the Fine Artistes were a pair of visual performance artists who encouraged all and sundry to have a go in their interactive art school.

	Kimberleyann Brown enjoying the creative day.

Take a new bag shopping...
As part of the Environment Week event, George Yard Shopping Centre has launched its' new reusable bag to help shoppers and tenants alike...

...not to mention the planet.

"We all are aware that we need to reduce the toll we are taking on the planets resources," said Brenda Baker, Centre Manager of George Yard Shopping Centre, announcing the launch of the new George Yard Shopping Centre bag. "But it is sometimes difficult to understand how to help and how to make a difference. But we know that we need to stop using things wastefully; so cutting back on how much plastic we put into the environment is a difference we can individually make."

"Our event offered information about the many small things that we can all do to make a contribution to cutting."

Betty, the cleaning lady, was on hand to add her comments on the many opportunities on offer.
"When all is said and done, most of things we can do actually save us money anyway, so they are worth doing for the sake of our pockets, quite as much as the planet."
Cllr Roger Walton attended the event to represent Braintree District Council, who had arranged for a number of exhibitors to visit George Yard.

Essex Wildlife Trust was represented by Michelle Farrant as well as a number of volunteers who sold Trust goods.  George Yard was pleased to announce that it is to become a corporate member of the Wild Life Trust.

The stylish dark brown bag carries the new George Yard Shopping Centre eco-logo and the phrase "I'm saving my energy...for shopping".

The bag will be available for sale in Finale Bags, Eatons Coffee House and the quadrant, as well as from the Management Suite.

Animal Day 10th May 2008

We all had a wonderful day..

A touchy feely session with a frog, a snake, a lizard, weasels and best of all a skunk..

Sheep from Threadgolds Farm at Wethersfield and beautiful owls from the Rescuers Wildlife Centre.

London Marathon

Congratulations to Clair Gordon who ran in this years London Marathon. Clair ran to raise funds for a charity that helps children with leukaemia. Clair ran the marathon in 4 hours and 18 minutes and raised £2250.00 with the support of George Yard Shopping Centre.

BSSP Sponsors
Braintree Supporting Sport Partnership are very pleased to announce that these three companies have agreed to sponsor more young local sportspeople.

VSG Security, Colchester Skip Hire and MicroMech have all added their names to the list of companies working together to promote Braintree’s hopes of going for gold.

“Fostering young peoples ambitions in this way helps everybody,” said Chair Brenda Baker.

Last year we announced that we were supporting five athletes and I am very pleased to be in the middle of choosing another group who will receive sponsorship for this coming year.

Not only have they financially supported the athletes and swimmers, BSSP have been able to organise a free session with the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Essex for each one as well. When final feedback from the laboratory is received, BSSP will be able to decide how to take their recommendations forward.

BSSP is also going to be offering a free training session on the production of personal portfolios for all the athletes and coaches who have applied to BSSP this year. Any other young athlete who lives in Braintree may also apply for a place at the seminar in July.

For further information please contact Brenda Baker 01376 550373.

"We think that people appreciate tree planting more than Christmas cards" said Brenda Baker, Centre Manager. "We had a lovely trip to Abberton, where not only did we see the vast swathe of new trees which have already been planted but also saw the hedge planting which is almost the last job to do before the next phase in major new works at the Reserve."

The amazing variety of birds, which you can see from only feet away - at the same time as drinking coffee in the Visitor centre - was astonishing and fascinating. "It is the best time of year because there are so many birds over wintering" said Sam Jamieson, the senior warden.

For further information about the nature reserve call the Visitor Centre 01206 738172.

Where is the original Braintree Seedling?
The Braintree Seedling is a delicious apple which was first cultivated in Braintree in the early 20th century.

George Yard Shopping Centre is assisting the Apples and Orchards Project in trying to identify the original tree and the person who cultivated it – a lady called Mrs Humphreys. This lady first registered the type of apple in 1930. The apple is described as a red eating apple with a bright orange flush with scarlet streaks. It may also have some “russeting”. It has aromatic flesh, is picked in September and keeps until Christmas – an all round great British apple, in fact.

“George Yard Shopping Centre is planning to plant a Braintree Seedling in the centre later in the year and I would be interested in talking to anybody who has any further information about our local apple”, said Brenda Baker, Centre Manager.