 HMS Beagle’s first commission took her to South America under the command of Captain Pringle Stokes on a hydrographic survey of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Alas the rigours of the journey took their toll on Stokes who fell into a deep depression and eventually shot himself on 2 August 1828 at the ominously named Port Famine on the Strait of Magellan. He died an agonizing 10 days later. HMS Beagle sailed to Montevideo for repairs where she was put under the command of the enigmatic Robert FitzRoy. The 23-year-old aristocrat FitzRoy commanded Beagle through the remainder of her commission until her return to England on 14 October 1830.
 Community projects in the Rochford district have been boosted by £100,000 of vital funding over the past four years.
Since 2016, Sanctuary Housing has supported more than 125 initiatives across the district as part of its community investment programme.
 Today in the first – low carbon, virtual – meeting of the Essex Climate Action Commission, it was agreed that there was an urgency to proceed at pace and to be bold in tackling the climate challenge.
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