January

2018 began with the news that a Witham war veteran was accepted to join the iconic Chelsea Pensioners.

Fred Boomer-Hawkins is one of just 300 people to live at the Royal Hospital Chelsea home in London where residents wear the famous red uniforms and act as the visible faces of the UK’s veteran community.

He spent more than 20 years in the Royal Green Jackets and fought in Malaysia before moving to Witham, where he and late wife Lysbeth spent 22 years and became big parts of the town’s community.

January also saw a remarkable escape from a 149mph smash for James Winslow - a professional racing driver from Witham

The 34-year-old was racing in the Gulf 12 Hours at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi when his brakes failed and he hit a wall.

He climbed out the passenger side before losing consciousness and was rushed to hospital with a fractured spine in two places, a broken sternum, fractured wrist, internal bruising, concussion, vertigo from the head trauma and a bruised spleen.

He said: “At that moment I thought it was game over, the speeds were huge."

He's now back on the track.

Fresh proposals for the redevelopment of Braintree town centre were revealed by the district council in January.

Braintree Council had been working on the multi-million pound scheme to revamp part of the historic centre since 2012.

Proposals, if approved, would see a doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, hotel, a new bus park, car park, apartments and a cafe or restaurant built on land off Manor Street, Braintree.

Bosses hope the plans will turn Braintree town centre into a popular destination for visitors.

February

In February, a shocked shopper revealed how badly customer service “sucked” at Argos after he ordered a vacuum cleaner but received a box containing two bricks instead.

Tony Challis purchased the item online and picked it up from Argos, Bocking End, Braintree, before taking it home.

But at some point the Vax Blade had been replaced with the bricks.

When he tried to return it store staff refused the refund until The Times and Trading Standards got involved.

Mr Challis said: “I was livid when I first opened it to be honest, because you do not expect to pay £150 for two bricks.

Argos eventually agreed to refund Mr Challis the full amount.

Braintree was revealed as the worst town in the country for congestion, according to figures.

The town ranks fifth in the country for the longest amount of time spent in traffic, beaten only by the cities of London, Manchester, Birmingham and Lincoln.

According to figures from traffic analytics supplier Inrix drivers in Braintree wasted an average of 33 hours.

The delays cost motorists more than an estimated thousand pounds each, in wasted fuel and time, not including business costs.

Dr Graham Cookson, Inrix chief economist, said: "The cost of congestion is astonishing. It takes billions out of the economy and impacts businesses and individuals."

The family of a little boy who battled a rare form of cancer revealed a special tribute was to be installed at one of his favourite locations.

John Ray Infant School pupil Jacob Jones, five, died peacefully at Little Havens Children’s Hospice in December 2017 after fighting neuroblastoma.

Brave Jacob had been battling the aggressive form of the deadly disease since he was two years old.

Jacob’s story touched members of the public across the world and after his death many followers on social media suggested the idea of a memorial fund.

His family set an initial target of £900, which would pay for the bench which was installed at Marks Hall Gardens and Arboretum, Coggeshall - one of Jacob’s favourite places to visit.

March

An actor who befriended Hollywood star Gary Oldman at the start of his career spoke to The Times.

He reminisced after his old friend won Best Actor at this year’s Oscars for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in the Darkest Hour.

His achievement rekindled fond memories for David Slater, from Witham, who met him at the Mercury Theatre in Colchester back in 1981.

A driver was jailed after paralysing his girlfriend during a crash on the A12 while high on a cocktail of drugs.

On October 31,2017, Ashley Jackson, 30, was driving a stolen Mitsubishi Shogun near Kelvedon having taken heroin, methadone and cocaine.

His former girlfriend suffered serious spinal cord injuries, bleeding on the brain and fractures.

She is now beginning to move her legs again.

A charity was left facing a repair bill of more than £20,000 after brazen thieves stole the lead from a theatre roof, causing it to flood.

The volunteer-run Bocking Arts Theatre, Bocking End, Braintree, was targeted by the crooks during an early-morning raid.

Police are still investigating the theft and the theatre has been organising events in a bid to raise the shortfall of cash from the its insurance company.

A woman was tragically killed in a house fire in Kelvedon caused by a carelessly discarded cigarette.

Eva De Coverley was in bed at her home in Church Road, Kelvedon, when the fire began in the early hours of March 22.

An inquest later heard the 77-year-old died at the scene due to smoke inhalation despite the efforts of the emergency workers to save her.

Brave neighbours spoke about how they realised the woman’s house was alight when they heard smoke alarms ringing.

After calling the fire service, they tried to get inside the home to save Mrs De Coverely but nothing could be done.

One neighbour said: “We tried to get inside but we just couldn’t - the smoke was just too thick so we had to wait for the fire brigade.”