It boasts many listed buildings including a 16th-century town hall an ancient custom held every four years - the next in 2020 - in which married couples seek to persuade a jury of bachelors and maidens that in "twelvemonth and a day" they have "not wisht themselves unmarried again" Winning couples are presented with flitches of bacon and parade through the streets Dunmow is about six miles from Stansted Airport and the M11 motorway Three miles from the town is the village of Little Dunmow one of our tourists from Billericay has kindly written a report of Saturday's event Event 268 at Great Dunmow Parkrun bought together 92 runners and 20 volunteers on a glorious sunny spring morning This included 22 first timers to Great Dunow with tourists from Billericay Hockley and as far as Glasgow amongst other areas running around the trail course including through a wooded section and along the brook – on a mix of grass and trail paths so nice and easy but with some uneven roots in places – so be careful if you’re clumsy like me There was a total of 19 PB’s this week over 20% of participants There is plenty of parking available in the car park so is easy to get a spot but there is a 10-minute walk to the start so make sure you’re on time The fastest male went to Mac Herd with a time of 17:32 and fastest female went to Gail Gibson with a time of 21:30 – a new PB Great Dunmow is a lovely local small parkrun with all the volunteers and marshals being very enthusiastic and encouraging A big thank you to everyone who volunteered and helped this week This week’s highest age categories went to Mac Herd – 80.89% and Elizabeth Bellinger 73.04% Thank you to everyone for a lovely morning in the sun © parkrun Limited (Company Number: 07289574) No part of this site may be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the permission of the copyright owner The excavator has been something of a tourist attraction in Great Dunmow About 12,000 fish were safely removed from the Doctors Pond when the desilting project began in October But fears of a digger becoming a permanent feature were allayed on Thursday afternoon when a lorry and another excavator successfully pulled it to solid ground Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X ShareSaveWatch: World War Two bomb explodes on beachHM Coastguard says it was a "loud detonation". 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CloseA digger that was left stuck in the mud of a town's pond has been rescued after a heavy-duty salvage mission Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRead descriptionEditor's recommendationsWatch: Stranded digger rescued from drained pond 00:00:30Watch: Stranded digger rescued from drained pond 0:30 Up Next Watch: BBC reports from pier 33 - the gateway to Alcatraz 00:01:40Watch: BBC reports from pier 33 - the gateway to Alcatraz 1:40 Watch: Prince Louis steals the show as royals mark VE Day 00:01:25Watch: Prince Louis steals the show as royals mark VE Day 1:25 Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster Video 00:01:21Watch: How Lady Gaga's record-breaking concert almost ended in disaster 1:21 'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 00:01:20'Trump was the game-changer': Three things to know about the Australian election result 1:20 Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 00:02:54Prince Harry 'can't see a world' where his family will visit the UK 2:54 Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 00:01:32Watch: Key moments from the local elections.. 1:32 Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 00:01:11Watch: Reform by-election win raises questions for Labour and Tories 1:11 Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 00:00:50Russell Brand's court appearance explained.. 0:50 Ros Atkins on.. 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charging points The proposed opening hours are 8am to 10pm Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 6pm on Sundays and 8am to 10pm bank holidays The site is currently occupied by Dunmow Fencing Supplies which plans to relocate irrespective of Lidl’s planning application claiming they were likely to have a “significant adverse impact on the vitality and viability of Great Dunmow town centre” A UDC planning officer identified concerns about “less than substantial harm” to nearby heritage assets and objections from the town council The officer’s report states: “The principle of retail use is deemed acceptable to both local and national policies and guidance It will deliver a high-quality scheme at a gateway location “The design has been carefully considered to mitigate the impacts of the proposal on the heritage and nature designations through the siting of the proposed building and increased tree planting within the site “Notwithstanding the proposed less than substantial harm to nearby heritage assets and objections from Great Dunmow Town Council it is considered that the benefits of the proposed development – including redevelopment of an employment site increased shopping choice to meet the needs of local residents enhancement to landscaping along Stortford Road and provision of enhancements to bus stop infrastructure – outweigh the harm and that the proposed development complies with the tests outlined in the National Planning Policy Framework the proposals are in conformity with relevant local and national planning policies and the scheme results in a positive and sustainable form of development that is of planning merit.” Gardens of Easton Lodge has announced snowdrop open days on February 9 By NOTICEBOARD · 13 January 2025 SNOWDROP SEASON: Visitors will be able to enjoy the snowdrops at Gardens of Easton Lodge during four open days in February February is snowdrop season at the Gardens of Easton Lodge and the gardens will be open for visitors for two 'Snowdrop Sundays,' on February 9 and 16 and two 'Snowdrop Thursdays' on February 13 and 20 Snowdrops were planted in the gardens in Victorian times and they have spread and been added to over the years since There are now carpets of snowdrops everywhere including under the trees at the front of the gardens and in the glade running down to the views onto the fishing lake There is a good path for visitors to take from the gate through to the kitchen garden but children also enjoy visiting the elephant statue climbing up into the treehouse and finding the snowdrops in other areas in the gardens The Trust has brought the snowdrop open days forward by a week this year as the snowdrops are routinely opening earlier due to the warmer winters and strong sunshine experienced in the UK the Trust’s volunteers have enjoyed the blue skies and cold weather It has been good for keeping the snowdrops from flowering too early and perfect for tidying up forgotten corners and edges of the gardens It's also great for winter maintenance jobs so the Gardens can look their best for snowdrop visitors Adults cost £6 and there is free entry for children under 16 years old Unsold tickets will be available on the gate for £7 Adults cost £5 and there is free entry for children under 16 years old Unsold tickets will be available on the gate at £5.50 The open days may be cancelled due to the weather and in this case Cancellation notices will be posted on the garden's website and social media LoadingDaily Email Updates {{contentTitle}} Students face another year in temporary classrooms because of further delays in the completion of Dunmow’s new Helena Romanes School was originally set to open in 2021 – but now it is not due to be fully up and running until summer 2027 The secondary is relocating from Parsonage Downs but neither the school nor the Government was able to comment on the further year-long delay or the reasons behind it The Department for Education (DfE) is working on the new school which currently operates from temporary classrooms The latest planning application submitted to Uttlesford District Council is for changes and additional sports pitches Documents reveal that the opening of the two schools will be delayed They state: “With regards to the construction phase it is envisaged that the construction of the primary school and associated infrastructure will take 10 months with the two-form-entry [2FE / 60 pupils per year group] primary school opening in autumn 2026 “The construction of the secondary school and sixth form is expected to take 19 months with the nine-form-entry [9FE / 270 pupils per year group] secondary school and 350-place sixth form opening in summer 2027 “The assessment of the operational phase will begin from the first year of occupation with relevant considerations taken into account for later dates.” The changes being proposed include relocating the sub-station separating the primary school from the secondary school and sixth form increasing the primary and secondary school floor area to meet teaching accommodation standards and relocating the sports centre to accommodate cycle storage There are also initial plans for a full planning application for three additional football pitches said: “Saffron Academy Trust have no control over the timing and delivery of this project but is working closely with Essex local authority and the DfE to assist in delivering an all-through school on the Buttleys Lane site the school and trust have participated in various meetings with the DfE and their appointed construction contractor with a view to improving and optimising the internal building layout vehicle flows and use of outside spaces and facilities “The school/trust are confident that the amended optimised design will deliver a more impactful and improved learning experience for the young people of Great Dunmow.”