Village News and Events
In Boxted & Langham
Welcome to the latest newsletter.
If you wish to have an item included in this newsletter, please email us at newsandevents@boxted.org.uk by Thursday 5pm at the latest. Thank you.
Langham Classic Car Show
Saturday 9 May
Church Services
Sunday 10 May
9.30 am Holy Communion, St Mary’s Langham
.
Boxted Parish Council AGM
Wednesday 13 May, 7pm
Boxted Village Hall
Parishes hold an Annual Meeting each year for residents to raise questions or make views known.
This year the Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled for 7pm on Wednesday 13th May in the Village Hall. This is your meeting so please come along and talk about the village.
Boxted Bridge Update
PRESS RELEASE
May 1st 2026
£12,300 raised by Crowdfunder is ready to pay for the Mann Williams Dynamic Load test as soon as the necessary go ahead from ECC has been received.
What possible reason can there be for NOT carrying out a test that is very widely supported, not a burden on ratepayers, would provide much needed objective evidence, that Cabinet Member Cllr Tom Cunningham committed Essex Highways (EH) to progress in October 2024, that EH set a date for in May 2025 (before it was unaccountably cancelled), which is being explicitly requested by MP, Borough and Parish Councils, and which would demonstrate compliance by ECC with the CROW Act?
We are aware of a further assessment of the bridge by EH for a full week to begin May 11th. We are currently seeking clarity from ECC on the scope and reasons for this assessment to be made public and how this fits in with dynamic load testing. Are EH testing the bridge for vehicle loading and feasibility of repair if so why the lack of communication and transparency?
Suffolk Portfolio Holder for Highways, Cllr Paul West, has written to his Essex counterpart asking for constructive action to secure the early reopening of the bridge, emphasising how important the bridge is to the local rural road network, and that ECC conducts dynamic load testing and analysis.
EH circulated a letter to local residents (20 January 2026) asserting: “The load test carried out on the bridge in September found that the bridge’s structural condition made it unsafe for vehicles to cross”.
SOB challenged this statement and asked EH to highlight “where in your report or in Accolade’s report it advises ‘the bridge is unsafe for vehicles’. A Compliance and Complaints officer responded on EH’s behalf and shared their apologies that the wording in the letter was unclear and that it had now updated the wording on their webpage accordingly, the officer added, “To confirm, the load test carried out last September was undertaken solely to assess whether the bridge could safely carry pedestrians and cyclists. Following an analysis of the results, it was determined that the bridge could be re‑opened for this limited, non‑vehicular use”.
We ask therefore, since it has not been confirmed that the bridge’s structural condition is unsafe for vehicles, why the Traffic Regulation Order Notice TRAF8771- proposing permanent closure of the bridge to vehicles – was issued (January 2026) and why no load test for vehicles had been carried out to support the TRO? Likely the apparently ‘high volume of responses’ received from the ongoing public consultation have asked the same question.
After 2.5 years of closure of the bridge to thousands of walkers and cyclists and the closure of the Navigation to canoeists, EH commissioned a load test for pedestrians and cyclists (September 2025). 16 TONNES of water were placed on the deck and the subsequent report confirmed that the bridge unsurprisingly was safe to reopen for them. EH’s irrational decision to close the bridge quite unnecessarily is further evidence of their lack of balanced judgement (see Haydn Evans Appraisal of Previous Engineering Reports) yet, even after this fiasco, an FOI confirms that ‘ECC does not plan on reviewing the process that resulted in the initial bridge closure’.
The total spent by Essex Highways from 2016 to December 2025 on plans for Boxted bridge is £756,640.57. Enough money to have repaired the bridge by now. An FOI has confirmed all costs are to be borne by ECC (Essex tax payers) and none by their contractor Ringway Jacobs.
Authorised Quotes:
“Essex Highways please carry out the tests that you agreed to do. Boxted needs this beautiful bridge to be open to low weight vehicles”. (Boxted Parish Council Crowdfunder comment)
“Thank you for your hard work and organisation. The bridge is a very direct route to Stoke by Nayland and saves a lot of time and fuel. This would help the highways dept with their green agenda.” (Crowdfunder supporter)
Lucinda de Jasay Save our Bridge campaign 07932 626284
Langham Film Nights
Saturday 30 May
Breaking hearts and mending them in one fell swoop, Hamnet speculates on the inspiration behind Shakespeare’s masterpiece with palpable emotional force thanks to Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal’s astonishing performances.
A haunting journey through deep sorrow beautifully captured by Chloé Zhao, Hamnet will utterly crush you.
Dates for your diary …
Langham Artisan and Farmers Market
Saturday 13 June, 10am – 1pm
Langham Community Centre
Langham Scarecrow Trail
Saturday 13 June
Sunday 14 June
Regulars in Boxted
Did you know there is an events calendar for Boxted Village Hall on the Boxted Village Website. Click here to view the calendar .
Pylons in Boxted
For all the latest information regarding the National Grid pylon project, please go to https://pylonseastanglia.co.uk/news/
Sing to beat Parkinsons
Fortnightly Wednesdays 10.30 – noon (term time). £5.00. Contact Emma Bishton at colchester.singtobeat@gmail.com for more information and check session dates at www.ejbmusic.co.uk/colchester
Boxted Royal British Legion
Check out the latest events on the RBL Facebook page.
All are welcome to all events
Email boxted.legion@gmail.com for further information
Forest Church
Fourth Saturday every month, 3pm, St Peter’s Churchyard
Boxted Bingo!
Contact Dot for more details on 01206 272676
Boxted History Group
3rd Wednesday of each month
Boxted Village Hall – 7.30 pm
For further information call 01206 272774 or contact Scott on 07904 887000.
- 18 February: Edwardian Colchester
- 18 March: Seven Wonders of the Waterways
- 15 April: £10 Poms. We Chose New Zealand
- 20 May: Roman Findings
- 15 July: Tudor Costumes and Food
- 16 September: Suffragettes
- 21 October: London Docklands
- 18 November Colchester’s Jumbo
- 16 December Christmas Special
Membership £15 for the year or £5 per evening.
Other events include:
Wednesday 19 August: Trip to Hadleigh Guildhall £10
Saturday 28 February: Quiz Night £5 per person
Thursday 18 June: Trip to Stow Maries £20 entry and cream tea
2nd Tuesday of the month 7.30pm @ Boxted Village Hall
Contact:
Geraldine Russell 07840 746953
Email Essex HQ @ admin@essexwi.org.uk
Find us on Facebook
Art and Craft Club
3rd Wednesday of each month 2 – 4 pm
Boxted Village Hall
Bowls club
Every Friday 2 – 4 pm
Boxted Village Hall
Our club meets in the village hall every fourth Thursday of the month from 2.00pm to 3.30pm. The age of our members varies but the club would suit anyone over 60, so please come along and you would be given a warm welcome. Our members are always asked for their suggestions before our yearly entertainment programme is arranged and we do try our best to cater for everyone. If you would like more information about our club please call Linda on 01206 272710 or Elaine on 01206 273183.
Mobile library
10.10am – 10.40am, Boxted Village Hall car park
You can call our Contact Centre on 0345 603 7628 Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm, to speak to an advisor, or use the 24-hour automated service (option 1) to renew your items (also at weekends).
2026 dates:
15 January
05 February
26 February
19 March
09 April
30 April
21 May
11 June
02 July
23 July
13 August
03 September
24 September
15 October
05 November
26 November
17 December
The Edge & The Zone
The Zone for 6-11 year olds 5.30pm-7pm and the Edge for 12-18 year olds 7.30pm-9.00pm. Fortnightly during term time at St Peter’s Church. Contact Linda Sheil 01206 273324
Regulars in Langham
The Langham Community Centre hosts a wide range of regular clubs and unique activities. Many of these groups would welcome new members, so don’t hesitate to browse the ‘Activities’ page on the website or see the Facebook page to find out more.
If you have an idea for a new club or event, please contact Sue Armstrong by calling 07741 284132 or emailing LanghamCC@gmail.com to further discuss your idea.
Langham Ladies meets on the 2nd Thursday of each month, 7:30pm – 10:00pm at Langham Community Centre. Contact Gill Brown on 01206 273286 or Tricia Gooding on 01206 230510.
Langham Community Cafe
Main Hall of the Community Centre on the last Friday of each month, from 10:30am until midday. All are welcome to join us for coffee/tea and cakes.
Beer and the Bible
Mobile Library
Moor Road, Langham, 9.35am – 10.05am
You can call our Contact Centre on 0345 603 7628 Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm, to speak to an advisor, or use the 24-hour automated service (option 1) to renew your items (also at weekends).
2026 dates:
15 January
05 February
26 February
19 March
09 April
30 April
21 May
11 June
02 July
23 July
13 August
03 September
24 September
15 October
05 November
26 November
17 December
In the Community
East Anglia GREEN project update
Following the name change we have also updated our project contact details which you can now use to get in touch with us here:
– contact@n-t.nationalgrid.com
– FREEPOST N TO T
– www.nationalgrid.com/norwich-to-tilbury
Langham Community Shop now has leaflets regarding National Grid’s Norwich to Tilbury pylon/cables plan. If you would like to object to their proposals, please pick up and complete the forms, which can be left at the Shop to be sent to the Secretary of State.
You can also find the petition online at: https://pylonseastanglia.co.uk/
or join the Facebook group at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/718238339216424/
North Colchester Men’s Shed
Contact Roger Newnham 07988 736571 for more details.
Food bank donations
Food bank collection points are at Boxted British Legion Club, St Peter’s Church, Boxted, St Mary’s Church Langham and Langham Community Shop
Find out what’s needed and how you can help. Go to: https://colchester.foodbank.org.uk/
Good Neighbours
For help with transport to an important appointment (hospital, dentist, flu/covid booster, collection of prescriptions or a visit for some company. Call so we can help, Monday to Friday, 8am – 7pm:
- Monday……….230525 or 272773
- Tuesday……….271813 or 273195
- Wednesday….272755 or 272013
- Thursday……..07842 034489 or 323007 or 07765 037892
- Friday………… 07510 504026
Please phone for the day on which you make your call, not the day of your appointment.
Boxted Village Website 