Radio DJ's Buntathon Success

Listeners of a BBC Essex show have displayed huge generosity in creating over a mile of bunting flags.

Host Dave Monk was initially inspired to put together 100m of bunting for a special Olympic torch event in a borough of South Essex.

The ‘Bunathon’ campaign soon accelerated and just 3 days after asking listeners for help, Dave already had his 100m, so decided to stretch it to a mile.

The radio presenter has been overwhelmed and said: “It had brought out the best in people. There is a strong spirit of togetherness.”

With help from groups, individuals and even some residential homes, the collective effort has now producer over 3000 flags. The actual length is still to be measured.

On 25^th May, a group of listeners joined Dave and his radio team to sew the flags together, including Mary from Burnham, a former professional machinist who has produced hundreds of flags. Another lady wished to dedicate her contribution to her late mother who taught her to sew.

Dave said “It was so nice. It sums up the feeling behind it all.”

The future of the bunting is still a little hazy, but will spend its time travelling around the county for charity events. Dave said: “The Scouts are interested. I’d like it to raise as much as possible for charities.”

Dave Monk's radio show can be heard on BBC Essex, weekdays between 9am and 12pm.

Dave Monk

Farm-promoter Jack's award winning business

After spending many years working on his father's farm in Willingale, Essex, Jack Bosworth has spent the past few months developing a business of his own, leading him to win the 'Innovation Award' at this week's British Pig & Poultry Fair in Warwickshire.

Jack Bosworth: Award-winning business at the age of 17

Jack, 17, developed the idea of promoting the pig industry after it had proved to be very successful for his father. Spains Hall Farm, just outside of Ongar, is home to thousands of pigs under the watchful eye of Stuart Bosworth, Farmer's Weekly Pig Farmer of the Year 2011.

Following on from Stuart's success, Jack created a Facebook and Twitter page for the farm in order to raise awareness. After just a week, national suppliers did not hesitate to get in touch to find out more about Spains Hall. In order for information to spread even further, Jack went on to create a website where all those interested could be forwarded to.

After realising the full potential of the social networking world, Jack began his 'Hog in the Limelight' business, offering the production of farming promotion videos for supermarket and trader pitches, website management and the overall support and promotion of farms up and down the country.

At the British Pig and Poultry Fair where Jack was one of three nominees in his category, it was his business pitch that secured his award and a £1000 prize. Presenter of the award, Nigel Lee, was exciting to see the enthusiasm of such a young individual.

“The judges liked that not only were the videos aiming to counter negative publicity but also promoted farmers generally in terms of quality and the Red Tractor standard."

"We hope he will succeed."

Jack Bosworth (right): collecting his award

Jack has a lot of confidence in the business and trusts the years of experience he has developed from working on his father's farm.

"As a farmer's son, I know farming. I am confident my business will help to get the farming industry the good publicity it deserves as well as trying to create more demand for assured produce, which could then save many of the farmers that would have been going out of business otherwise."

Jack is a keen supporter of the British Red Tractor, which seeks to 'maintain, develop and promote standards throughout the whole food industry'. Their logo is commonly found on many supermarket products which seek for the same goal.

Jack is passionate about the industry that he has grown up into and it stands solid that he will continue to develop the family business and even further into the modern world of technology.

As he begins a Business Management degree at the Harper Adams University College in September, Jack shall continue to run Hog in the Limelight, hoping to establish even more experience to improve the business in the coming years.

Jessie J jumps into the record books

One of Essex's finest stars has this week become a historic figure of British music.

Following the release of her album 'Who You Are' last February, Jessie J has been topping the charts with singles from the album. Jessie's second single, Price Tag, as well as one of her most recent singles from the album, Domino, both reached the #1 position. Her latest single, 'Laserlight' featuring French DJ David Guetta, released from the Platinum Edition of the album, is now Jessie's 6th single to secure a top ten position.

The position of having 6 top ten singles from one album in the UK chart is one that has only been held by the elite: Take That, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry and Michael Jackson. As the first UK female to achieve such a feat, Jessie J is moving one step closer to becoming one of the UK's greatest musical success stories.

Jessica Cornish, as she may be known, has progressed a long way from her Essex childhood. Having held the #1 spot in 19 countries world-wide, totalling a staggering 11 million single sales, it is certain that the UK public aren't the only ones going crazy for this songstress. Her album has also sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide, with over 1 million in the UK.

Jessie J

Jessie's success stretches much further than many would expect. Having starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber's West-End production of Whistle Down The Wind as a child, before graduating from the BRITs school in the same class as Adele and Leona Lewis, Jessie has always been surrounded by success, which she has been to keen to share with others. Having written songs for US stars Chris Brown and Miley Cyrus, including Miley's hit single 'Party in the USA', it is clear that she has been keen to pass on her talent and success.

Her desire to continue finding new talent has become more public in recent weeks after beginning her coaching role on BBC's new talent show The Voice. The format, which has been very successful across the world, has now reached the UK and has been proving popular in the weekly ratings. Sitting alongside Will.I.Am, Tom Jones and Irish rock-band The Script's Danny O'Donoghue, Jessie J holds her own as the only female judge. This Saturday will be the first of the live shows, as Jessie J continues to mentor and coach a group of artists she selected in the blind auditions. Having whittled her acts down to five in this weekend's battle rounds, Jessie is left with a range of talent, style and ages with her performers Becky, Cassius, Ruth, Toni and Vince.

Having begun work on a second album, I cannot imagine that the typical myth of a 'difficult second album' will be a term placed against Jessie J's name. Making Essex proud, we can expect and hope that Jessie's success can only continue to grow and strive.

Essex superstar spinning on The Voice

Brand new hit BBC One show, The Voice, whereby the four coaches sit with their back facing the performers, is proving to be a huge success.

After much popularity in the US, the UK version with coaches Will.I.Am, Tom Jones, The Script's Danny O'Donoghue and Essex's very own Jessie J, has been topping viewer ratings for the past three Saturday nights.

The Voice judges: Jessie J, Danny O'Donoghue, Will.I.Am and Tom Jones

If one of the four coaches wish to mentor the artist that they are listening to, they must hit the button in front of them to spin their chair around. If more than one coach turns around, they must fight it out with one another to make themselves seem more desirable and appealing to the performer, who will then select the coach they wish to work with. With just 10 places in their category, the coaches must be certain when listening to the artists that they wish to turn around and potentially work with them.

With just three weeks in to the brand new BBC show, Jessie has filled up 8 of her 10 available coaching places. With 18 number one singles across the world, two million album sales and a staggering 16 million single sales, Romford's Jessica Cornish definitely knows a thing or two about the music industry.

Although some might believe she is quite a newcomer to the music scene, Jessie has been writing her own music for many years, as well as writing chart-topping songs for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys. When it comes to fighting for the acts that she wishes to work with, Jessie certainly throws all of this success and experience into her case to prove to the artists that she can help them to be just as successful.

One of the acts that was unfortunately passed by in the audition process was Essex's Shansel Huseyin. All four judges teased at the prospect of pushing their button for the 16-year-old operatic singer, who, unbeknown to the judges, had discovered her singing talent whilst imitating a Katherine Jenkins performance! Shansel, who reached the Grand Finals of Essex's Got Talent, has had no vocal training, yet managed to spark the attention of the four The Voice coaches.

Essex's Got Talent: Shansel Huseyin

It has been rumoured, since Shansel's audition was shown two weeks ago, that Will.I.Am has offered her a record label. Whilst nothing has been confirmed, it is certain that Essex holds a bundle of talent and shows like The Voice and The X Factor are a prime example of how people of all ages from the county are achieving such massive success.

TOWIE stars are ready, set and go for the London Marathon!

The annual London Marathon is fast approaching and three of the county's reality TV stars will be taking part to raise as much money as they can for their chosen charities.

On the 22nd of April, 'The Only Way is Essex' favourite James Argent, or Arg as he is better known, will be running the 26.2 mile course to raise money for Cancer Research UK. James will be joined by Billi Mucklow and Cara Kilbey, who will be running the marathon for Samaritans.

Cara and Billi training for the 26.2 mile run

Arg, who has famously battled with his weight on the hit ITV2 reality show, has promised his followers on Twitter that he has been cutting down on the junk food and focusing more on his training for the marathon. It has become a regular occurrence that James has tweeted about his latest run or bootcamp session.

On the other hand, his TOWIE competitiors Billi and Cara appear to have an alternative motive. In an interview with the Daily Star, Kilbey said that their training entails a run to the coffee shop, followed by a run to Billi's sunbed salon. Cara continued to say 'then [we] go back and treat ourselves with a nice wine'. Arg even tweeted just last week to say "@BilliMucklow @carakilbey have pulled out of a run 4 sunbathing! Shock!".

Let's hope that the girls will get some thoroughly-needed training in before next Sunday, when they will join Arg, hopefully crossing the finish line at the Mall. Good luck!

The Life of an A Level Student

It has been too long since I've last written a blog. This isn't due to a lack of motivation or desire but instead a lack of time. Due to the sheer volume of work and revision I have from Sixth Form, I have struggled to find time to fit writing on Essex in the Media into my busy working schedule.

Despite this, I still find myself being puzzled by one of the news stories that has occurred since I wrote my last post. The 'A Levels are too easy' saga has continued this week with Education Secretary, Michael Gove, declaring that the exams do not prepare students for university.

Every year when both the GCSE and A Level results are revealed, journalists and various members of the public decide that they believe the exams are getting easier. To the irritation and anger of the students who have slaved away revising for their exams, these people have no idea of the amount of work that goes into the exams and having not sat the test themselves, it seems beyond me as to how they can possibly come to this conclusion.

As a 17 year old student, currently in the midst of revising for my first set of A Level exams, I am well aware that A Levels require hard-work, dedication and are definitely a huge stretch from the GCSE specification. Everybody talks about the jump from Key Stage 4 to Key Stage 5 as you begin your AS Levels in Year 12, however until you are in the position of working for the exams yourself, you cannot fully comprehend it.

In his report, Michael Gove shared his worries that the A Level specification is "falling short of commanding the level of confidence we would want to see". I would happily offer Gove the opportunity to take the step from Year 11 to Year 12 at any school across the country so that he can see the necessity of a development in maturity that all students seem to take on. Having chosen to stay on at a sixth form or college, the students doing their A Levels are well aware of the need to grow in confidence and maturity in order to achieve the grades they so desire. There is no point in sitting back allow teachers to "spoon-feed" you, as Gove reports, as the need to achieve is for the student's benefit and not that of the staff.

Gove's report also stated, how in the UK, "we are the only country who ask kids, very, very, very early on, at 16, to concentrate on just three subjects". At most sixth forms and colleges, students are encouraged to choose four subjects at the age of 16, which they will study in the first half of their A Level course as part of their AS exams, moving on to take just three as they do their A2 exams. By the time students finish their GCSEs, it can be very difficult to choose any more than four subjects which they are still passionate about and still enjoy to learn about. Taking any more than this amount would lead to a lack of interest and therefore a lack of motivation and success. I do not believe it is too early or that it leads to any less success by taking fewer subjects at A Level.

Furthermore, I couldn't possibly imagine taking on another A Level on top of the four that I already study. I put my absolute all into the subjects I take: English, German, ICT and Philosophy & Ethics. These are four very challenging and also rather varied subjects and provide me with the balance that I need and that I desire. I know, just like many other students, that if I were to take any more subjects, my success in each individual subject would most likely suffer.

The graph below shows the rise of the number of students receiving an A grade at A Level (please note that the A* grade only came into effect in 2010).

From this graph, many would assume, just like Michael Gove, that the rise would insinuate a progression of ease in the exams. However, could it not show a progression of intelligence across the country? With the use of the internet, for example, students have a much larger accessibility to information and to resources which can aid the studying process, allowing the percentage of A grades to increase over a period of time.

Teenagers are dealt with negative opinions of their generation by many citizens of the UK and it is too quick and simple to say that the increase of success of A Level grades could be a result of the exams becoming easier. It should be considered that perhaps teenagers aren't all 'chavs' and most of us are hard-working individuals who should be seen positively and praised for our success in exams, instead of dealt with the blow of the media suggesting that the results we have strived for are not as valuable as they may have been in years prior.

As results day looms in August, students are nervous enough for their results, without having to worry about what the media might choose to negate about them next.

Chelmsford granted city status

In her Diamond Jubilee year, the Queen has granted Chelmsford as a city. Along with Perth in Scotland and St Asaph in North Wales, Her Royal Majesty granted three cities on three corners of the country a new city status in order to help mark the celebration of her 60th year as our monarch.

As the county town of Essex and with a population stretching to around 160,000, many people would say that this news has been a long time coming. Most importantly due to the cathedral, which is often a defining aspect of a city, many people have argued the case of Chelmsford's city status for quite some time.

Chelmsford Cathedral

After 24 towns across the UK placed a bid to win a competition to be officially granted as a city, Chelmsford fought off some strong competitors, including Middlesbrough, Bolton and even Reading, the bookies favourite due to being the largest town in the country. With just 18/1 odds, the outlook did not seem particularly promising, so the news came as a shock to the council and to those who helped to place the bid.

Chelmsford even beat Colchester and Southend to claim the title, becoming the first ever city in Essex. It seems only just that the county town should become a city before any others.

With so many assets that would be expected from a city, it only seems about time that Chelmsford should be upgraded from a town to a city. Anglia Ruskin University has, in recent years, been expanded using a £81 million investment and is one of the largest universities in Eastern England.

Chelmsford also boasts multiple top-class high schools, each varying greatly in specialities; these include Moulsham High School specialising in Humanities, Boswells School in Performing Arts, Great Baddow High School in Sport, as well as the two grammar schools, Chelmsford County High School and King Edward Grammar School, which are within the top schools in the country.

The former town also provides various superb amenities that you would expect from a fantastic city.

With a fantastic high street and two shopping precincts, The Meadows and High Chelmer, Chelmsford is packed full of retail opportunities. With John Lewis on its way for 2013, Chelmsford will be complete with virtually every popular high street store that the country is offered.

Chelmsford's Broomfield Hospital is the largest in Essex and with a substantial re-development in recent years, various new facilities have been added. The St Andrew's Centre within the hospital is worldly renowned for its specialist work for people suffering with burns and a cleft lip or palate.

Substantial development: Broomfield Hospital's new building

The sporting successes within Chelmsford have been awaited this news for quite some time, with Chelmsford's football club being called Chelmsford City! Chelmsford is also home to Essex County Cricket Ground, as well as ice hockey team Chelmsford Chieftans. It will also welcome the Olympic Torch as part of the Olympic Festival celebrations in July.

Chelmsford receives media attention through the V Festival, held in Hylands Park, every year. With some of the UK's and the world's biggest musical artists coming to Chelmsford every year, it seems only right that the likes of Eminem and Rihanna, who performed at the festival in 2011, should be welcomed into the City of Chelmsford, as opposed to the town.

Crowds pack out at the annual V Festival in Hylands Park

Having been specifically chosen by the Queen to be one of the three places representing her within her Diamond Jubilee year, Chelmsford should hopefully receive the appropriate positive publicity that it deserves, as a place packed full to the brim of exceptional facilities and figures. The news should attract business and investment into what is a bustling and successful city of the UK.