A podcast celebrating all that's good about Brentwood, Essex
Graphic designer and Brentwood mum, Jill Busby, of Hive Art Studios is bringing her artistic skills to the King George’s Playing Fields Pavilion on 14th May with a “Sip and Paint” evening.
Wineglasses are some of the smaller items Jill paints, as The Brentwood Buzz discovered when visiting Jill’s studio.
The Chicken and Frog Bookshop on Crown Street, run by Natasha Radford, is a good friend to The Brentwood Buzz – there’s always something interesting going on and there’s a quiet space for podcasts to be recorded too.
But Chicken and Frog is not just a bookshop; it’s a safe space which encourages writers, illustrators and content creators to come together to talk about their work and share their experiences.
One of those writers is Amanda Claire from Doddinghurst, a foot health practitioner, mum, bad allotmenteer and self-published author of stories for children. Amanda is joining Natasha and others to talk about writing, publishing and illustrating books on 23rd April, so The Brentwood Buzz has been to meet her to find out why her writing takes precedence over weeding.
Sir Douglas Mole and Allot of Antics is available from the Chicken and Frog Bookshop on Crown Street in Brentwood.
If you would like to take part in any of the events taking place at the Chicken and Frog, you can see what’s going on and book tickets here: https://chickenandfrog.com/events/
In another of The Brentwood Buzz’s series of podcasts featuring businesses within the Brentwood Connected Business Improvement District, we’re back in Ingatestone to meet Julie Bell, one of the family directors of The Lounge in Ingatestone.
The Lounge has been offering tea, coffee, cake and wine to the good people of Ingatestone since 2023. It’s also a safe space for anyone dealing with domestic abuse, trauma or illness. Business is booming but it’s not been a smooth ride for Julie, as this week’s podcast tells.
https://theloungeingatestone.co.uk/
https://www.brentwoodconnected.co.uk/
Having had an overview of the activities on offer at King George’s Playing Fields in the last episode of The Brentwood Buzz, this week we’ve returned to focus in on one of the groups which meets at the Pavilion.
Create Yourself Calm is a Community Interest Company which runs sessions in the Borough of Brentwood combining creativity with mindfulness. They are run by three Brentwood women with backgrounds in primary school teaching, HR and counselling who, like so many women we’ve heard from on The Brentwood Buzz, needed to find something to do which fitted in with their personal and caring responsibilities, so they set up their own company.
The Brentwood Buzz has been along to one of the sessions to meet the team and those taking part in the art.
The Brentwood Buzz heads to Press Night at Sophisticated Entertainment’s Beauty and The Beast at the Brentwood Centre
There is nothing like a dame, especially one who’s singing Nessun Dorma while dressed in a glorious froth of hoops and ruffles and wearing a teapot on her head.
And that’s what you get in this year’s Beauty and The Beast Panto at the Brentwood Centre, together with some fabulous performances from a close team of young actors and a troupe of sassy and talented dancers who – in the main – are still at school.
Local production company Sophisticated Entertainment is putting on the show until 4th January 2026 (https://www.everyoneactive.com/news/the-brentwood-centre-activity-brochure/) at the Brentwood Centre, and invited The Brentwood Buzz along to press night for an all singing, all dancing night of entertainment.
Spending time with a dog is many people’s idea of the best time ever. The absolute adoration and love a dog can give is so special, and the charity Essex Therapy Dogs recognises this.
They have 288 dogs across Essex who, with their owners and entirely voluntarily, spend time in schools, care homes, hospitals, airports and workplaces, just being dogs. And this means people who are sad, stressed, anxious or ill get the chance to stroke, play with and enjoy all a dog can offer.
The Brentwood Buzz has been to meet Maple and Jessie, two of the Essex Therapy Dogs for this week’s podcast.
If you want to find out more about Essex Therapy Dogs you can contact them via their website: https://essextherapydogs.co.uk/
The Brentwood Buzz