Newsletter No. 60 – May 2024
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Working together to support West Mersea Beach Hut owners and to safeguard our environment.
WEST MERSEA BEACH HUT WATCH
Newsletter No. 60 – May 2024
We hope you have all managed to enjoy the winter despite the constant rain which I know will have impacted some of your efforts to undertake repairs and enhancements to your huts over the past couple of months. Let’s hope the spring will bring some dry and sunny weather to enjoy beach hut time.
Thank you to everyone who braved the elements to undertake the weekly patrols throughout the winter; it is much appreciated and I know our Patrol Officers, Adam and Leah Scott-Hays have valued your support in keeping our beach huts safe.
We will look to develop our Website further and we would welcome your feedback. We would also like to hear from you if you have a little time and a passion for website development; please let us know as we are keen to make this more vibrant and helpful to our members. We are particularly keen to add details on the What’s On page so please send through any contributions.
We are keen to identify and appoint a Marketing and Publicity Officer onto our Committee to focus on all forms of media and communication to build, maintain and manage the profile of WMBHW. We are looking for someone to help communicate key messages across West Mersea to establish and maintain goodwill and understanding between WMBHW and its members, the WMBHW membership and the wider public.
The Marketing / Publicity Officer will monitor publicity and conduct research to find out the concerns and expectations of the WMBHW members and then report and highlight the findings to the WMBHW Committee. If you would like to find out more please contact me.
The matter of the Bathing Rafts was raised at the AGM last year and we have been working on identifying a route to resolve the absence of the rafts. The rafts will not be replaced this year but we and several other parties are campaigning for their return in 2025. We will keep you updated on progress.
COLCHESTER COUNCIL
Beach Hut Members Day: 2024
Following the success of our first open day we would like to repeat this next year and have decided on Sunday 19th May so please add this to your diaries if you would like to join in.
As yet we have not decided if there should be a theme, last year coincided with the King’s Coronation perfectly, so we are very open to ideas and suggestions or have no theme at all! We would love your thoughts on this before March 2024 to give us time to plan and organise but would be on the same lines as this year meeting your fellow WMBHW members and drinks and nibbles afterwards.
COLCHESTER CITY COUNCIL
I am delighted to provide an update from Colchester CC as follows:-
“The new season is with us, and we have started mowing for the year, Council owned grass is cut eight times a year and the obstacles cut on four occasions. With regards to the strimming around beach huts and balconies, we don’t strim right up to the structures, for we don’t want to damage them.
We start grass cutting late March go through to the end of October, cutting can be hampered by wet weather, this slows the process down and, in some places, we have to miss for we are unable to get the mowers onto the site.
Since the beginning of the New Year, a lot of time and resource has been spent on repairing the groynes along the Victoria Esplanade beach. This work is ongoing, and we have regular sessions, throughout the year undertaking running repairs.
The next period of work will likely be late summer / early Autumn to undertake further works. In one location the beach has moved, and the bottom rail is not deep enough for the beach has washed away from under it.
We are looking to take the top row of planks off this groyne, and make a new bottom row, so this will stop further erosion.
During the next twelve months we will be starting a review of the Beach Hut Agreement (BHA), on all aspects. One of the first areas we will be looking at is the front row deckings.” Currently the only restriction stated in the BHA is Section A4 – “For front row huts, nothing shall extend more than 1.2 metres in front of the hut.” No restrictions currently in place for other huts.
This input from Colchester City Council is much appreciated and we will look to obtain regular updates from the team in the future. Any questions for CCC can be directed to Parks@colchester.gov.uk for any beach hut enquiries WMBHW members might have.
BEACH HUT PATROLS
Summer patrols are now in full swing and it’s great to have such amazing support from our members in covering the 52 patrol periods we have between April and September. Some of those patrolling in April so far have experienced some weather that has been nowhere near spring-like (let alone summer-like!) as well as a couple of very high tides. Despite these, there have been no serious issues to deal with. We’d like to highlight how beneficial membership can be when things do go wrong - we had one situation where the wind had blown open the doors on a hut and despite best efforts, the patroller was unable to fully secure them. He called us but the owner of that hut was not a member so we were not able to immediately contact them. Thankfully on this occasion we were able to advise them via Colchester City Council and the owner was most grateful (and we hope that since they may have become a member as a result!). So please spread the word as to the benefits of membership – if it had been the weekend then it would have been highly unlikely that owner could have been contacted straight away.
Those patrolling this summer may have realised that we’ve tweaked the patrol periods a little – they are now Monday to Friday and Saturday to Sunday. We’ll gather some feedback from patrollers after the end of the summer to see how this worked for them.
Looking back at the winter period, we’re very happy to report that there was nothing of any criminal nature reported and no serious damage either. Please see below for a summary of patrols and reports up to the end of March.
As a result of the above, members were contacted as follows:
28 x notifications to CCC
34 x emails to members
3 x SMSs to members
1 x phone call to member
Finally, we’d like to remind all members that you don’t need to be on patrol in order to spot and report something that needs attention – we’re very happy to take ad hoc reports by email, phone or text message. Wishing you all a great summer season and we hope you manage to find plenty of opportunities to enjoy time at your huts – we certainly intend to.
Adam & Leah Scott-Hays, Patrol Officers
MEMBERSHIP NEWS
Thank you to all 303 of you that have already renewed your membership for this year and for those that have offered to patrol. It was apparent this time that more of you have found the membership form word document difficult to fill in online and this is something we would like to address. If anyone is IT savvy and has any knowledge as how we can improve this then please do get in touch.
We will continue to post out the membership form and newsletters to those that have requested it, please do get in contact if you would like to be added to the list:
If you rent out your hut you need a commercial licence from Colchester City Council, cost dependent on row and size of hut, please see CCC website for more details.
Your WMBHW membership gives you access to discounts in local businesses, have a look at the list as we have added some new ones.
We have already had reports of anti social behaviour from some Jet Ski owners close to the beach. Any issues can be reported to the Marine Police on 101 and the number on the side of the Jet Ski is helpful.
If you claim certain benefits you may be able to receive a 25% discount on your yearly site rental, please look at https://www.colchester.gov.uk/info/cbc-article/?id=KA-02108 for more information.
Please be aware that ownership of beach huts is subject to National Non Domestic Rate (NNDR), particularly if you are a small business owner. However, you can claim up to 100% relief for NNDR for first beach hut owned. For further information and to check if you are eligible to claim a discount, please visit www.colchester.gov.uk/SBRR
If you patrol please sign the sheet in the Spar so you can be then offered complimentary membership next year.
Could you please save our email address as a ‘contact’ in your email address book - wmbhwmembership@btinternet.com, we are hearing that a lot of emails are getting lost in your Spam folders. Contact Lorraine (Membership Secretary) on 01206 386085 for any membership and general queries.
Lorraine Carter, Membership Secretary
OPEN DAY 2024
Sadly we have decided to postpone the planned open day on May 19th, hopefully we will have more interest next year.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I am sure many of you will have seen posts we have made on Facebook on the ‘West Mersea Hutters' page. We will continue to use this page to contact our members with Beach Hut Watch news regarding membership, when our AGM will be taking place etc and to share news we find on other Facebook Beach Hut pages.
We also have our own Instagram account ‘westmerseabeachhutwatch’ so give us a follow. Please tag us with your brilliant Beach Hut ideas and share photos of you spending time at your beach huts. Our members would love to see how you enjoy your time at your huts.
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS
We continue to progress our work to develop wider and more far reaching benefits for our members. We are pleased to confirm the following benefits to our members in the 2024/25 year as follows:
DISCOUNTED CAR PARKING IN VICTORIA ESPLANADE, SEAVIEW AVENUE AND WILLOUGHBY PARK CAR PARKS
Members of WMBHW can purchase a Season Ticket at a reduced rate. The price for 2024 will be £85 which includes up to two vehicles from a single household. You are also able to register two separate vehicles from two separate households. However, in both cases, only one vehicle may be parked in the car park at any given time. If both vehicles are found parked at the same time, North Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP) will issue a Penalty Charge Notice.
o The WMBHW Member Parking permit is valid from 1st April each year and provides access to Willoughby Park and Victoria Esplanade car parks from 1st April to 30th September. The permit also provides access to Seaview Car Park for the full 12 months
o You will need to notify NEPP if you change your car after submitting the application. NEPP can be contacted on 01206 282316
o For further information and to renew / apply for car parking from 1st April 2024 apply through NEPP: https://secure.mipermit.com/northessex/application/home.aspx You can also use the MIPermit App https://secure.mipermit.com/northessex
SUPPLIERS
o Kent & Blaxill – minimum of 5% off all purchases
* Discount may be higher on certain products
INSURANCE
Benefits are available to all WMBHW members through the following Insurance companies. Just mention you are a member of WMBHW and, if required, your membership number is your hut number.
o Insure Homes: http://www.insurehomesdirect.co.uk/ - 10% discount; please quote Reference: WMB-22
Is your Beach Hut insurance due for renewal? Now Towergate have pulled out of the market Insure Homes Limited are handling many of the ex Towergate customers. They have offered additional support to see if they can help. Their telephone number is 0800 783 7187 or 01242 678 678 or email insure@insurehomesdirect.co.uk. They pride themselves on the high level of service they offer and competitive premiums. Remember to mention WMBHW when asking for a quote.
o James Hallam: https://www.jameshallam.co.uk/ 10% discount
o Love Your Hut / CETA: https://loveyourhut.co.uk/ 10% discount
o Howden Insurance: https://www.howdengroup.com/uk-en - WMBHW
members will have a Zero excess applied to their policy for claims if they arrange a policy with Howdens
LOCAL BUSINESSES
o John Fowlers Solicitors LLP – Free Tide Tables and 5% off all Conveyancing and Wills services upon the production of WMBHW membership card
o Two Sugars - 10% off all purchases upon the production of WMBHW membership card (excluding ice creams)
o Mansion House Florists - 10% off all purchases of flowers and plants (minimum spend £25) upon the production of WMBHW membership card (excluding Relay Service transactions)
o The Little Kitchen Cakery - 10% off all purchases upon the production of WMBHW membership card
o Blackwater Pearl - 10% off all purchases (minimum spend £10) upon the production of WMBHW membership card
o The Trove - 10% off all purchases (minimum spend £25) upon the production of WMBHW membership card.
o Mersea Island Watersports - 20% discount across all lessons and hires except kids club
o Mersea Mudcakes - 10% off all purchases when you order online. Just
o 10% off all purchases valued at £25 or over upon the production of WMBHW membership card
o Seaview Cafe – Free tea or coffee with all main meals priced £8 and over from 1st January until 31st March 2024 upon the production of WMBHW membership card
o Little Thatch Bakes - 10% off all purchases upon the production of WMBHW membership card plus free delivery on Mersea Island including the Beach Huts
o FrostFire MoonWrap coats - 20% off all purchases when you order online
We will continue to engage with other organisations to extend the list of member benefits and we will keep you informed as they are agreed.
John Fowlers Solicitors – new sponsors for Tide Tables
All our members are eligible to receive a copy of the 2024 Mersea Tide Tables – if you require a copy please contact Lorraine (Membership Secretary) on 01206 386085 or send a request to wmbhwmembership@btinternet.com
RENOVATIONS, REPAIRS AND CLEANING
We continue to receive a number of enquiries from Hut Owners asking for contact details for local individuals and firms providing support for maintenance, renovations and repairs to beach huts. Whilst not a definitive list, here are some useful contact details:-
David Young, bridgewatercarpentry@gmail.com - 07854 578309
Gavin Butler, Beach Hut Services, Hardie Plank cladding, decking, repairs, new builds etc, with good feedback. Mersea based. 07889 093314 gav020181@hotmail.co.uk
Matthew, a Mersea based local carpenter who has worked on beach huts ranging from basic repairs to new builds using various materials. “I am always happy to discuss various options from repairs through to new builds for members of WMBHW.” Please call- 07811 267065.
Patrick Dawson, “Mersea’s Maintenance Man” “I do most jobs around the home and more recently have started repairing, refelting, re-cladding and painting beach huts. I’m always happy to come out to a job and give free advice on your hut as I live on the island. My mobile is 07743 489357 and my email is patrickdawson66@hotmail.co.uk “
Roger Newton - 07770 845 287 Wayne Tapner – “I am a qualified Carpenter with over forty years’ experience in the building industry, domestic and commercial. Currently I am refurbishing Beach huts on Park Holidays UK site, I also build garden rooms, loft conversation and property refurbishment. Free advice anytime, including if you want advice before you purchase a beach hut, please call me on 07711201093. “
Sol’s Decorating – “My name is Sol and my company, Sol’s Decorating has been providing professional interior and exterior painting and decorating services in Mersea Island and surrounding areas for many years.” My mobile is 07795213444 and you can contact me at info@solsdecorating.co.uk www.solsdecorating.co.uk
Larger companies who supply and install new huts, standard or bespoke: -
Maydays of Mersea, Richard, East Mersea based. 01206 386528
Tom’s Farm of Tiptree, Maldon Road, 01621 891081
Poultons of Danbury, 01206 222550
“Beach Hut Cleans”
Sam - Email Sami.mole@yahoo.com Phone number 07447419395
Sue - 07968 023735
Heather - 07799 357903
These details are provided for your information but WMBHW cannot be held responsible if any work undertaken does not marry up with your expectations surrounding the quality expected.
Please let us know if you have any further recommendations.
WMBHW Community Initiative for 2024
In 2023 we were delighted to support the following organisations:-
Mersea Lifeguards
Mersea Community Support
The Porch Pantry
Mid and North East Essex MIND (see photo with Wendy Bixby)
This year we are delighted to confirm we are providing support to:-
Refresh Mersea
Camp Jo Jo
Mersea Lifeguards
Strood Cam
West Mersea Town Regatta
Little Beach Hut Company Toy Library
A step back in time – an article from our member, Angela Kenny
Angela has kindly shared with us some history about her wonderful beach hut in The Spinney.
“During a course at Mersea Museum on the island’s history, we discovered amazing provenance about our much loved hut, and often contrary to what we had been told. Our hut is in The Spinney and this is its story and the land where it stands. The Tea Garden Cafe and Beach Tea Gardens were built in 1896 including 10 huts for rent paid to the cafe. This was built by the owner of Five Gables, a large house at the bottom of Willoughby Avenue at this time. During WW2 the cafe building became part of a gun emplacement restricted area. In 1953 during the great flood, the huts in front were damaged. The cafe, known as The Spinney Cafe due to its location amongst trees, was fine. In 1947 WMUDC (as it was) started an unsuccessful compulsory purchase of the area. The cafe still stood but the Beach Tea Gardens were neglected. Another compulsory purchase order was taken out in 1973 to be purchased from Mussett & Co. The order states ‘Tenants are allowed to sell their huts without restriction. Sleeping is permitted’. The plots were sold off as freehold plots. The cafe was demolished in late 1970s to allow more freehold plots to be purchased on this site. We purchased our hut 20 years ago and we know it was built in Woodford, Essex in 1952 and brought down in a lorry and lifted into position in the second row of The Spinney. We assume that the original owner was able to place this hut on the leased plot that he had used, and then later on purchase the land. We have met members of the family whose father built it and called it High Elms. Maybe these were the trees in the Spinney? He built it purposely to be lived in for the summer holidays, which they did. The Spinney is mainly the area squashed between the path down to the standpipe at Broomfields Road end, and along the Esplanade to the concrete steps down opposite Willoughby Road. It is recognisable by its less formal, somewhat haphazard layout, compared to the straight grass avenues between the leased huts either side. This arrangement of huts is probably due to trees in the area and pieces of concrete that appear to have been left from the Beach Tea Gardens. We have used and loved our 1950’s time capsule and visitors to our island have loved it too. We are now in the enviable position of only a ten minute walk to the hut. Fantastic. Our very own Museum on the island has an extensive archive of this, and much more on their website. If you are interested in researching further, then I recommend you visit or go online, but be aware, time flies when you do.”
Angela Kenny
Final thoughts
We always welcome your feedback and please feel free to let us know if you have any ideas and suggestions to make your membership even more valuable. We will continue to develop the website and we would love to hear from anyone with knowledge and experience to help up develop the site and keep it up to date and relevant to your needs. We look forward to seeing you enjoying your huts in 2024.
Bob Winnington, Chair, West Mersea Beach Hut Watch May 2024