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Twenty members attended the August meeting which was held at
the presidents home
The evening included tea and scones, an accessory sale and a quiz.
The September 4th meeting will be held in the Methodist Chapel, Main Street
Blidworth and new members will be most welcome.
Don’t forget the Blidworth and District Art Club re-start weekly meetings on
Tuesday, September 2nd, 7.00 - 9.00pm at Blidworth Methodist Chapel, Main
Street.
We look Forward to seeing all our friends then and also will welcome anyone
interested in joining us. You don’t have to be a Rembrandt or Constable, we just
enjoy having a go. Come and join us.
For any further details contact Tel No. 795403
I am John Dennis Grant, born 20.12.1933.
At the outbreak of World War II my reservist father returned to his unit,
leaving my mother, brother and myself living in Littlehampton, down on the coast
in Sussex
- later a place beloved of "tip and run" Luftwaffe raiders. I was evacuated to
Blidworth, and placed, along with my cousin Reggie Cook, with Mr. and Mrs.
Pitchford. I could once trot the address out like a parrot, but it's gone now.
I'm now in my 75th year, and trying to write up a family history for my children
and grandchildren, and wonder whether Blidworth still has any records of the
evacuation - which kids were placed where, and so on. My stay was brief - I was
physically ill with homesickness, and was soon sent packing, although I vaguely
remember that Reggie stayed on for some long time.
Mr. and Mrs. Pitchford, and their son Vernon, lived in the end cottage of a
terrace of mining company (later N.C.B?) cottages. Downstairs consisted of a
front room, a kitchen and scullery, and the back windows looked out straight at
the spoil tip. There were similar houses on the opposite side of the road.
I have looked at both Multimap and Google Earth, but can't spot the location of
the tip, and so cannot identify the road the Pitchfords lived in. Questions and
memories.
Attached picture was taken around the time of the evacuation. My little brother
Brian stayed at Littlehampton.
* Teachers at Blidworth infants' school teachers trying to rid me of my soppy
Southern pronunciations - "blud", "roight" and so on.
* Looking out of the back windows and watching the tubs at work on the spoil
tip, which ran along the back of that road. Would that information locate the
road?
* Mr. Pitchford's miner's tea - a piece of fruit cake between two slices of
bread.
* Porridge.
* Mrs. Pitchford's house-pride: the "front room" was perfumed with Ronuk and
Brasso, and only ever used for "company".
* Visiting a male relative, who had been injured in roof fall at the pit. He was
in plaster from neck to ankle, although I think his left leg was uninjured.
* Visiting relatives at Rainworth (same visit perhaps) and told to go and play -
hunting among the trees for arrow-heads and other traces of Robin Hood's passing
- at "six nearly seven" you tend to be impressionable.
*Does Blidworth's glorious N.U.M. branch banner still exist? It featured in a
book of Trades Union banners I read a few years back.
Thanks for your patience.
John Grant.
john.grant207@ntlworld.com
Blidworth has representation through
1 county councillor (Nottingham County Council)
2 district councillors (Newark & Sherwood District Council) these positions attract allowances and expenses.
Each position holder has a varying sum of money that can be awarded to local organisations at the discretion of the position holder.
The village has a Parish Council, made up of 10 councillors, either by election of said members or, if no opposition is put forward, automatic membership by default. These positions do not attract allowances, and only out of pocket expenses are paid.
The cost of running the parish council is set at a precept for the year.
This covers admin, salaries and services covered within the remit of a parish council.
As all monies involved are raised by taxation of the people of Blidworth active participation is and surely should be welcome.
(The Monday Club)
Our club is ticking over as usual a few things to talk about. A few members'
birthdays have gone by
A couple of special birthdays for our members Ken Cooper and Flora Meakin were
celebrated with a party for each of them
The garden party on the 5th of July held at the home of Margaret Richards went
extremely well although there are two raffle prizes still to be claimed (green
ticket 806 and yellow ticket 566)
Mavis Wood reported back on her visit to see the queen at Buckingham palace,
obviously having a wonderful day, also saying a big thanks to all concerned in
her nomination.
We would also like to congratulate our member Joyce Marklew who has recently
been awarded a medal and a citation from the Prime Minister Mr Gordon Brown for
services to the land army during the Second World War(Better late than never).
More recent we held a social evening for members at our HQ the usual bingo and
quiz followed by an enjoyable pie and pea supper for all our members.
Monthly Police SurgeryBlidworth Library New Lane Blidworth |
GirlsBlidworth Welfare Football Club of the Supreme Division in the Central Midlands League are offering the free use of one of their full sized football pitches for a girls team. A kit will also be available. The only cost involved would be Club Membership which is currently £2.50 per person. The Club are also seeking to appoint a Fund Raising Secretary (Commercial Manager),Programme Editor and Press Officer. Please contact Helen Willford on 07825928223 or Alan Whitworth on 07793750946 for further details.
September Fixtures: |
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It is with regret that I have to inform you that Peter and Teresa
Tudbury have decided to leave Blidworth Welfare FC. Peter was our
Secretary and Teresa ran the tea bar. They will both be sorely missed
and difficult to replace. In the meantime I will be covering the
Secretary's role at Blidworth. Alan Whitworth
Under 11s
New players are now being recruited for the successful Blidworth Welfare
football team under 11's |
Competitive
carriage driving remains one of the few sports that is completely amateur.
Despite the fact that the Duke of Edinburgh is keen on the sport, the sport
is relatively unknown, receiving no commercial sponsorship for events and no
money from TV.
Competition is very keen at events held over the country. The events consist
of dressage, showing control of your horse even at the end of the reins and
no bodily contact. The marathon is similar to the cross-country, event in
three-day eventing as at Burghley and Badminton. A course of some 20 K has
to be covered, with great skill hazards have to be negotiated at speed; this
is a great test for driver and horse.
The third part of the competition is equivalent to the show jumping when a
twisting series of cones have to be negotiated without knocking small balls
off the cones. There are no financial prizes only rosettes'
During the past two years the British Horse Driving Association have held
competitions to chose a team to represent Great Britain in the World Driving
Championships in Poland in August. Caroline Weiss of Blidworth has won a
place as one of three members of the British team. She is the youngest
member of the team and the only female. Caroline is a trainee accountant and
has worked extremely hard to train herself and her horse Bluey. She may
often be seen practising through Blidworth woods with her mother as groom.
She has received no financial support and has accomplished everything on a
shoestring. She deserves her achievement and we wish her well in Poland.
 V.Leach www.lakehead@aol.com |
What Is The Value Of A Life? |
When the NHS was set up in 1948 the overriding principle was
that all treatment would be available to all and free at the time of need.
Payments would be met out of general taxation. The founders had no idea of the
rising population, the rising number of elderly people. The expensive
technological advances in medical and surgical treatments were not envisaged.
Heart and kidney transplants were the stuff of science fiction. Antibiotics,
treatments for mental conditions and treatments for cancers and arthritis were
in their infancy. The free for all principle was broken with the introduction of
prescription charges in 1951 leading to the resignation of Aneurin Bevan the
prime instigator of the NHS. There were dental charges and free spectacles were
not universally available. Much health care for the elderly is now in private
nursing homes.
The costs of treatment have escalated beyond all reasonable thought. Many
hospitals could not afford the high costs of many treatments. Consequently
treatments were available in some areas and not others leading to the term “post
code lottery”.
To attempt to reduce the effect of the postcode lottery and to decide what
treatments should be available on the NHS the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence (NICE) was set up.
Treatments considered by NICE have already been shown to have a beneficial
effect but NICE has to evaluate the treatment's cost effectiveness. Many cancer
drugs are very expensive and may only prolong a poor quality of life for a few
months. That money could well be spent on treating other conditions.
Some of the decisions have caused great controversy. Some patients have been
denied treatments that they and their doctors would wish to use. Recent
controversies have centred on treatments for cancer of the breast, Alzheimer's
disease, kidney cancer and many others. One of the problems is the length of
time NICE takes to make a decision. This means that some times a patient may
have died before the treatment is made available by NICE.
Some patients have obtained the treatment after pleading a “special case”.
Different health authorities have different criteria for deciding what
constitutes a “special case”. This means the post code lottery has not entirely
gone away.
The most recent debate is whether or not patients should be allowed to buy
treatments not available under the NHS, so called co-payments. The rules of the
NHS do not allow for this. If a patient opts for private drugs then all
treatment for that condition should be in the private sector. The drugs are very
expensive but their very nature means there has to be very careful, and
expensive, checking and monitoring during treatment. Allowing co-payment seems
to undermine the equality principle of the NHS. There may be patients in
adjoining beds, one receiving treatment denied to the other because of the cost
of the treatment. On the other hand, why should not some one spend their own
money as they wish? A patient buying their own medication saves the NHS money
and gives doctors experience in using these treatments.
A new drug, sutent, for the treatment of kidney cancer is said to cost about
£28,000 per year. Sutent has been reported as giving an extra two year's life in
some cases. However, the quality of that life may be poor. The new drug has not
been sanctioned by NICE. The results for treatment of kidney cancer are lower in
this country than in Europe. Not many patients can afford this cost. Many other
drugs for cancer of the breast, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's disease
come into the same cost category.
If these treatments are to be available to all then cuts will have to be made
elsewhere in the NHS. Alternatively, there will have to be an increase in
general taxation
What do you prefer?
"The Health Issue Group of the Newark and Sherwood Local Strategic
Partnership would like to invite organisations to contribute to the delivery
of a programme of work aimed at improving health, and reducing health
inequalities in the Newark and Sherwood District."
In 2005, the Government published its White Paper 'Choosing Health - Making
healthier choices easier' identified themes where local communities and
services could have a part to play in promoting health. These themes are
outlined below:
Reduce the numbers of people who smoke.
Reduce obesity (Increase activity levels and improve diet and nutrition)
Encourage sensible drinking
mprove sexual health
Improve mental health
Reduce health inequalities
The PCT and its partner organisations, within the LSP are working to promote
positive health change in all these areas and want to encourage and support
community and voluntary sector groups and partner organisations to
contribute to this health improvement-work. One of the ways in which they
are supporting this, is through a specific funding stream to local
communities. The Choosing Health Commissioning Group has been set up to
coordinate this, and review local initiatives and projects that apply in
this task across the Newark & Sherwood area.
For more information and an application pack please contact.
Kate Russell, Health Improvement Practitioner Specialist
Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT, Balderton Primary Care Centre, Lowfield
Lane, Balderton, Newark, Notts, NG24 3HJ
Tel 01636 594829
Please note my new e-mail address E mail: kate.russell@nottspct.nhs.uk
Web: www.nottinghamshirecountyteachinapct.nhs.uk
Pensioner poverty in 2008 remains at around the same level as it was in 2007.
More than one in five pensioners still lives below the poverty line, and deep
poverty afflicts 1.2 million older people.
Help the Aged is calling on the government to commit to three steps which, if
taken, would substantially cut the numbers facing retirement in poverty. These
are the immediate introduction of an earnings link for the basic state pension;
the payment of a full basic state pension to all pensioners; and, most
importantly, the automatic payment of all means-tested benefits.
The gulf between the haves and have-nots is becoming ever wider among the older
population. Companies and the media are becoming more and more aware of the
spending power of the 'baby boomer' generation, as indeed they should be: the
richest 10 per cent of pensioners have an average income of over £600 per week.
But this is in sharp contrast to the bottom 10 per cent, who have an average of
less than £150 a week and absolutely no private income.
Lack of money bars a large minority of the population from enjoying many of
life's pleasures. Nearly one in seven pensioners in the UK have not had a meal
out for over a year, while 32 per cent have not taken a holiday in over five
years. A staggering 53 per cent believe that £5 a week could make a difference
to their lives.
Hope in darkness
We all need Hope, particularly in times of difficulty and darkness. We all
experience such times. And at these times we need to know that we are not alone,
that others have survived this path we are walking and, above all, that there is
Hope.
|
On the 24th September Newark and Sherwood Funding Issues Group will be
travelling around the district with funding representatives from the Big
Lottery Fund, Lloyds TSB, Boots Charitable Trust, Coalfields Regeneration
Trust, ACLS, Train to Gain, Notts County Council and Newark and Sherwood
District Council.
The funding experts will be visiting four locations starting at Hawtonville
Community Centre and ending at Lowdham Village Hall.
This is a real chance for groups to talk to the funders themselves about
their project and ideas on their own doorstep! Appointments will be on the
funding bus or in the various locations along the way.
Times and locations are as follows:
•Hawtonville Community Centre: 9-10.30am
•Bilsthorpe Village Hall: 11.30 – 1.00pm
•Southwell Leisure Centre: 2.15 – 3.30pm
•Lowdham Village Hall: 4.30 – 6.00pm
Appointments will be on a first come, first served basis and you are welcome
to attend the most convenient location. Refreshments will be available
throughout the day.
Further details from Jo Butler, Newark and Sherwood CVS 01636 705447
Lynda Milner, Volunteer warden of Kirton Wood on behalf of Nottinghamshire
Wildlife Trust, is planning a series of autumn / winter working parties at
the wood. Dates have yet to be finalised, but anyone is welcome to come
along and join in these events which are good exercise in the fresh air,
good fun in good company and invaluable for the wood and its the wildlife.
You do not need to come as a group, just meet up at the wood – usually on
Sunday mornings – and join in the task of the day.
To put your name on the list of people to be advised of the dates as soon as
they are published, please email Lynda at: lyndamilner@hotmail.com or
telephone 01623 862025.
It was the year
1942, I worked in a shop in Nottingham. The Government announced that all
girls in Nottingham shops were being called up, 18 years old and over. I was
Eighteen and only a week after I got a letter to report to the recruitment
office, London Road, Nottingham. I had a medical etc. I was told I had a
choice of ammunition factory or the Women's Land Army, I chose the Land Army
and a week later two large parcels arrived with full uniform and all the
work clothes, boots and Wellingtons, overalls etc. I had to report to
Hoveringham Sunday night at 8pm to catch the Lincoln train, to get off at
Thurgaton Station and walk down the lanes to the Hostel. I had four years
hard work but made some good friends and many, many happy times. I left the
land army in 1947 to get married. Joyce Marklew (Nee Bailey)
Other local Land Army girls we know of were:
Joan Lawson (Nee Butler), Margaret ? (Nee Thorpe), Doris Calahan (Nee Peach)
and Joan Darricot (Nee West). Are there any others
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