NEWS

PCSO Natalie Smith will be hosting a new beat surgery at The Wood Cottage Tearoom, Felsted, CM6 3DJ.

These drop in sessions are an opportunity for residents to:

• speak with the local community policing team about any concerns that they may have;
• obtain crime prevention advice;
• stop by for a chat.

Surgeries dates / times are as follows

Thursday 22nd September 22   10:00 am – midday

Thursday 20th October 22         10:00 am – midday

Thursday 24th November 22     10:00 am – midday

Please feel free to stop by, everyone is welcome, no appointment is necessary.

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Residents can enjoy days out for half price this summer using Essex’s new on-demand electric minibus, DigiGo.  

Throughout August, passengers can travel for half price using DigiGo, a new form of shared public transport.  
 
The fully electric, on-demand minibus service is run by Essex County Council (ECC) and operates in south Braintree and north-west Chelmsford.  
 
It offers pre-bookable travel with no fixed route or timetable. This puts residents in control of their journey. DigiGo can be booked through the TravelEssex journey planning app or by visiting www.digigo.uk. 
 
It is now also possible to arrange group bookings for up to six people, meaning family and friends can not only travel together but can do so in an environmentally friendly way. 

Passengers can select a variety of ticket types: adult, young adult, and concessionary, giving flexibility to people travelling as a group.  
 
Areas served by DigiGo include popular destinations like Great Notley Discovery Centre and Park and Chelmsford City Racecourse. 
  
Cllr Lee Scott, ECC’s Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said “DigiGo is one of the first of its kind in the country and enhances our current public transport offer. Not only does it offer convenient and flexible travel by putting residents in control of their journeys, it is a sustainable alternative to other modes of transport. I would encourage anyone travelling in those areas to take advantage of the half price offer this summer and see the benefits for themselves.” 
 
Each of the six accessible minibuses in the DigiGo fleet can divert on and off most roads within their operating area for passenger collection and drop off. 

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Due to the women’s tour cycle event coming through Felsted on 7th June at around 12.00 midday, there will be a “rolling road closure” (of around 10 – 15 minutes).

Full details of the event are here.

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Please note that, as a result of the disruption and road closures being put in place for the Ride London cycling event, there will be no green waste collection this Sunday 29th May.

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The latest edition of Felsted Focus is available to download here.

In this edition you will find full details of the special activities being staged by the Felsted Events Committee in celebration of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

The celebrations start on Thursday 2nd June with the lighting of the beacon, and finish on Friday evening with fireworks. In between there is a stage with musical entertainment, food, a Viking Village, stalls and a bar.

Full details are on pages 10 to 15 of Felsted Focus. It takes 5 whole double spread pages to explain everything that is being put on to entertain the whole family.

The Felsted Events Committee have, and continue, to work tirelessly to put on an event to remember. Please support them in the best way possible by coming along, enjoying yourself and perhaps even volunteering a bit of time to help out.

It is truly going to be a Jubilee Celebration to create memories  to share down the generations. After all, there will likely never be another.

See you all there…

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Uttlesford Community Policing Team are launching a new initiative called ‘Policing our Parishes’.

As a part of this, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are visiting Parishes to meet with Parish Councils and residents to discuss community needs and concerns.

PCSO Natalie Smith will be in Felsted on 6th June.

Any residents wishing to meet with her on that day should contact the Parish Clerk in the first instance.

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Residents in Felsted can now access an exciting on-demand, fully electric minibus service called DigiGo.

One of the first of its kind in the country, the service responds to demand rather than having set routes, with minibuses able to divert on and off journeys for passenger collection and drop off.

DigiGo connects rural communities in north Chelmsford, including Felsted, Little Dunmow, Barnston, Leaden Roding, Good Easter, Pleshey, Great Waltham, Little Waltham and Great Leighs to popular locations such as Chelmer Valley Park and Ride, Broomfield Hospital, and Writtle University College.

Meanwhile, the service in south Braintree connects villages, including Great Notley, Black Notley and Rayne, to Braintree Bus Interchange, Braintree Railway Station, Braintree Community Hospital, Springwood Industrial Estate, Great Notley Country Park and many other locations.

The new service operates seven days a week, from 7am to 10pm and caters for everyone; students, families, the elderly, and people travelling to work, with accessible minibuses available for people with disabilities, providing a flexible and environmentally friendly service for people who do not live close to public transport routes.

To book an on-demand journey, residents can download the TravelEssex planning app via their phone’s app store or visit www.digigo.uk. After ordering, passengers can pay for their journey via the app and track the location of their minibus in real time. Tickets for the service can also be pre-booked up to seven days in advance.

Councillor Lee Scott, Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport at Essex County Council, said: “The DigiGo service is the first of its kind in the area, offering a new type of responsive shared public transport which enables people to simply book a journey to when and where they need to go.

“The aim through this trial is to create a service which really becomes embedded in local communities, attracting users of all ages and creating a platform to be rolled out in other parts of the county.”

You can also follow DigiGo on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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