Howzat?
(4th February 2004)
The parlous state of grass roots cricket in England was once again
highlighted last week with the demise of Winchester Cricket Club.
The final act was the club admitting that it had little option as
it would be unable to fulfil its fixture list during the holiday
periods in mid summer.
This was not one of the smaller clubs fighting for existence in
the lower reaches of the leagues but a full-blown Southern League
side with a proud and successful past
Indeed the record since its inception in 1980’s is enviable,
twice Southern League champion’s almost unbroken record of
success indoors culminating in being both national and European
championships.
Urban cricket is in total decline and with schools no longer having
the time or inclination to foster its growth the future looks bleak.
Under increasing pressure of performance based indexes, one can
hardly blame the teachers, anyone with personal experience can testify
that it is no longer a soft option. When one examines the Winchester
scenario it is not just one club that is disappearing but over the
years it has been a mother to many ‘foster children’ since
its amalgamation with Southampton Cavaliers in the 1980’s.
The strange initials k.s. after its name bears testament to this.
Botley/Simmarians (itself an amalgamation), Krakatoa etc all fell
by the wayside and were picked up by an avaricious, expanding and
ambitious outfit. It was ironic therefore that when it looked for
salvation itself with other local clubs the door was firmly closed.
When I arrived in Hampshire in the 1970’s the number of top
sides playing on council owned facilities amazed me. In the north-east
a town like Newcastle-upon-Tyne could support four major sides all
playing on privately owned grounds with pavilions that doubled as
local bars and helped the side both financially and in a real community
appeal. One chairman angry at the noise of the fruit machine in
the bar had it removed to the corridor outside, it was not a popular
move with us players as the next season our subscriptions doubled.
Without a home base all sides have great difficulty in fostering
the team spirit but Winchester came as close as any with their support
of the local public house. One reason I regret their passing is
that they were a raffish and hospitable group who always enjoyed
themselves hugely. A trip to the recreation ground was always an
experience in more ways than one, and the local landlords will sorely
miss them.
Their luminaries featured some good players who played at top level
including Rob Savage and, Mark ‘shots’ O’Connor both
ex-contracted players at County level to be joined this year by
Billy Taylor on his recent transfer from Sussex.
The side will be sorely missed!
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Drugs Haul Coke Oh Nuts (4th February 2004)
Four men have gone on trial in Southampton on
charges relating to the discovery of millions of pounds worth of
cocaine.
The drug was discovered last May at the Winchester services on the
M3. All four men deny the charges against them. The Crown alleges
that two brothers, Stuart and Ian Thornhill, started importing cashew
nuts from Ghana and Brazil. This was to camouflage the cocaine,
said Peter Clarke QC, prosecuting. The drugs came to Southampton
in four pallets out of a consignment of 113 pallets of cashew nuts.
They arrived on May 8th last year.
The jury then heard that the pallets were taken to a depot in Eastleigh
where Ian Thornhill was waiting. Mr Clarke said that the gang then
ran into a problem. The lorry driver, Andrew Hunter, a Londoner
living in Spain, could not get his lorry started, the prosecution
said. This meant that the drugs could not be picked up until the
following morning. Customs officers were staking the warehouse out
by then. After the drugs were loaded the lorry stopped at the M3
service station. Customs officers arrested Andrew Hunter and another
man, Patrick Fitzgerald, of Manor Park London. Stuart Thornhill
left the depot at the same time, and was stopped by police on the
B4000 near Newbury. Ian Thornhill gave himself up at Winchester
police station, where he was arrested.
Patrick Fitzgerald, Andrew Hunter and Stuart and Ian Thornhill are
accused of importing a Class A controlled drug. The Thornhills are
also charged with conspiracy to import the drug. All four deny the
charge. The case is expected to last six to eight weeks.
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Up The Junction (5th February 2004)
In an article last week, Max Jones questioned
the negative attitudes of some Andover residents towards a proposal
to turn two houses in Junction Road into temporary accommodation
for the homeless. Junction Road resident, Tricia Robins, felt that
Max had been impartial and invited him to go and knock doors in
Junction Road to ask the residents why they feel so strongly.
With a feeling of trepidation, I headed down to Junction Road, near
the station, to see if I could find any residents to have a chat
with.
First off I met James Atkinson, who was strolling home after visiting
the convenience store at the end of the residential part of the
road. “ I do not really care one way or the other,” said
James. “ I work nights, so I would be unhappy with anyone who
is noisy during the day, but I don’t see why these people should
be any worse than anyone else. I lived next to some students in
Southampton once and they were pretty bad.”
His sentiments were echoed by Steve Collins, who told me “I
honestly could not care less.” When I asked him if he thought
there would be the same kind of reaction to a house of students
moving in, he said “I doubt it to be honest. People do seem
to have a thing against the homeless, but I’ve never lived
next to any so I can’t really say.”
Another resident, who did not wish to be named, was rather more
irked by the proposal. “I have lived here for years,”
he said, “and I do not want the area becoming more of a dumping
ground for the homeless [there are already similar homeless projects
operating in the area]. I do not want the noise and the petty crime
that they will bring, and that is that!”
The last person I spoke to was positively upbeat about the whole
thing though. “People have to live somewhere,” said the
resident, who also did not want to be named. “If a house is
empty I would rather it was used to give someone a chance in life.”
When I asked him if he thought homeless families would bring noise
and crime with them, he said that residents would have to wait and
see. “Obviously I hope not,” he told me, “but we
cannot condemn people out of hand, so fingers crossed!”
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The Meaning of Spliff (5th February 2004)
With the current media attention directed at
the declassification of cannabis to a class C drug it is interesting
to note the different attitudes towards the drug. Andrew Streat
talks to George Young
Labour MPs who intend to toe the party line naturally wish to defend
the change. Although MPs are at pains to point out that this by
no means gives the drug legal status, it would appear that the message
given out by the reclassification is that the drug is not harmful
(or at least not as harmful as previously believed). However, no
Labour MP is currently allowed to give a straight answer to the
question: ‘Have you ever tried cannabis?’. They have been
told that no answer, whether a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’,
should be given. The excuse for not giving a direct answer is that
apparently Labour MPs do not answer to surveys.
It may seem inconsequential, even irrelevant to some, whether their
MP has him or herself tried the drug. But then surely one’s
willingness or unwillingness to sample any narcotic, at whatever
stage of one’s life, must in some way reflect one’s core
attitude to the issue.
The typically evasive, coy Blairite approach in side-stepping the
question was reflected by the main man himself. When posed the question
by a reporter the other day, the prime minister merely managed a
faux-baffled, feeble ‘What?’, before sidling off to go
about his day.
Perhaps he is, somewhat wisely, trying to avoid an embarrassing
Clinton-esque answer that, in trying to satisfy both camps, would
simply make him look ridiculous and weak. And yet ignoring the question
outright, as he did with the MMR issue, seems equally, if not more,
cowardly.
We spoke to Andover MP, Sir George Young about the issue. He told
The Observer that he has never tried cannabis.
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Yew should have thought of that! (10th February
2004)
The vicar of the Fair Oak and Horton Heath Parish Church, Revd David
Snuggs, has apologised for having a yew tree felled.
The tree was in front of the church, and was hundreds of years old.
Parishioners were very unhappy about the felling of the tree as
at no point were they involved in the decision making process.
“We should have sought permission through a faculty for the
tree to be felled,” admitted Mr Snuggs. “We were unaware
of this and I apologise for our corporate ignorance. I also apologise
for not mentioning the removal of the tree on the Sunday before
it was felled.”
The vicar also called upon his parish to continue to focus on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of their faith. “As we remain close
to him we will by definition be remaining close to each other,”
he remarked.
Some of his parishioners are not convinced, however. They question
the integrity of the tree surgeon who chopped the tree down, and
why there has still not been a public meeting about it all. They
also suggested that, with children present in the hall next door
at the time, the felling must have constituted a danger.
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Incidentally (10th February 2004)
The bush telegraph in Winchester was all go last weekend after Jewry
Street was shut down for four hours. Max Jones reports.
The main story doing the rounds was that someone had been stabbed
in the head outside Savannah’s Bar. Some reports maintained
that the victim then died immediately, while others claimed that
he crawled round to O’Neill’s Irish bar before breathing
his last.
There was even a break away rumour mill that said the plucky victim
had made it up to the grounds of Peter Symonds before giving up
the ghost.
However, what really happened was that a drunk 17 year old fell
over and hit his head. This happened on the Andover Road, but he
managed to make it up to the Hatherley Road entrance of Peter Symonds
before he collapsed. He was found there before being taken to the
Royal Hampshire County Hospital. He regained consciousness and is
said to be doing very well. The problem is that the youth and his
friends were so drunk that none of them could quite remember what
happened, so they all gave conflicting reports! One of the first
things the police heard is that the teenager was assaulted.
Detective Sergeant David Smithes of Winchester CID said “initial
information said that he had been the victim of an assault and hence
the area was cordoned off. We treat it at the highest level or you
lose evidence.”
Some of the mix ups may have been caused by the fact that on Saturday
night a man did collapse after being attacked outside O’Neill’s
Irish bar.
Nine men, thought to be part of a stag night, were involved in a
fight outside when they attacked a man on his own, The lone victim
received a minor stab wound, but a 27 year old ‘good samaritan
who stopped to help him was not so lucky. He got beaten up and was
left unconscious on the ground. He was taken to hospital. He has
now been released, but will need to go back for more treatment.
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Howards Way (11th
February 2004)
The leader of the Conservative Party, Michael Howard, visited Romsey
last week.
Max Jones met him at the Romsey Golf Club.
The pearls and twinset brigade were out in force to see their glorious
leader, and the place erupted as he walked in.
I suppose this is fair enough. After years of being in the political
hinterland with leaders like Ian Duncan Smith and William Hague,
it now looks as if the Tories, with Howard at the helm, may actually
be in with a chance.
After Michael Howard was effusively greeted by Caroline Noakes,
prospective Tory MP for Romsey, he came up to the rostrum and delivered
a cracker of a speech. Mark Oaten and Sandra Gidley’s ears
must have been burning, as the crux of the speech was a rail against
the ‘old enemy,’ the Liberal Democrats.
Apparently none of the local Liberal Democrats are inspiring, and
all of their policies are unpopular with everyone. So, could this
next election be the turn of the Conservatives? We will have to
see. The audience certainly seemed to think so, and they were visibly
preening themselves when Michael Howard thanked the ‘seasoned
campaigners’ for all their efforts. Then it was question time.
Geoffrey West asked Michael Howard if the greatest successes occur
when the party has committed, not concessionary policies. Howard
replied that he did not think the two were mutually exclusive. Then
Geoffrey told Mr Howard that he thought the Scots having votes in
an English parliament was neither right nor decent, and asked if
the Tories have a policy on this.
Mr Howard did not seem to agree with him, and told him that his
party did indeed have a policy on the ‘Scottish problem.’
I met Mr. Howard after his speech. He seemed like a very affable
individual, and I could not detect the ‘something of the night
to him’ that Anne Widdicombe once famously described him as
having.
I asked him about the chances of the Conservatives in the area,
and he seemed to think they were fairly good.
He spoke very highly of Sir George Young, Andover MP, and agreed
that the having an old campaigner such as him on board is good for
local Conservatives. “Sir George is a very popular politician
cross party, and a great friend of mine,” said Michael Howard.
He also spoke about the weapons of mass destruction (WMD) debacle.
“As the member of a cabinet that went to war,” Michael
said, alluding to the Falklands war, “I know how much though
we put into it, and if Tony Blair went to war without having bothered
to find out the full facts he should resign.”
Then that was that, and Michael and his entourage headed off to
Eastleigh, and then back to London in a helicopter!
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Cries of Protest (11th
February 2004)
The Andover town crier, Allan Travell, joined journalists from the
Andover Advertiser as they protested about low pay at Newsquest
Media Group newspaper titles. He rang his bell and shouted out about
the predicament of the Newsquest journalists. Max Jones Reports.
The eight reporters, all of whom are members of the National Union
of Journalists, (the NUJ) joined him and handed out leaflets to
members of the public during their lunch hour. The good people of
Andover filled out almost two pages of a petition calling for higher
wages for the beleaguered workers. Newsquest owns the Andover Advertiser,
as well as the Romsey Advertiser, the Hampshire Chronicle and the
Southern Daily Echo papers. Newsquest in turn are owned by an American
company called Gannett. Gannett announced profits of $1.1 billion
last year. This included a whopping £70 million profit in
the UK.
In spite of this, journalists for the group are still working for
salaries as low as £12,000. Newsquest are also pushing to
cut sick pay entitlement for their journalists. In spite of this
the executives’ pay rose by up to 43%. One of the journalists
at the Andover Advertiser, said: “We were delighted with the
response from members of the public.” He went on to point out
that the protest was not aimed at middle management, but was part
of a national Day of Action aimed at Newsquest titles throughout
the country.
Last Christmas the General Secretary of the NUJ, Jeremy Dear, awarded
Newsquest the new NUJ annual Scrooge Award. He delivered a bag of
chocolate coins, a copy of the Charles Dickens novel, ‘A Christmas
Carol’, and a ‘Scrooge Award’ certificate to the
offices of Newsquest in Surrey.
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Domain Field (18th February 2004)
Artist Antony Gormley, creator of the Angel of the North is coming
to Winchester on March 6 to talk about his latest work, Domain Field,
which is on display at the Great Hall.
His visit to the Theatre Royal is the climax to the first ever Winchester
Festival of Art and the Mind, which takes place from March 5 - 7.
Domain Field is a free exhibition, which runs until March 23 and
features almost 50 indiscriminate sculptures, a matrix of steel
bars to create a weightless vision of the human form.
Each figure has been placed in such a way that not a single one
is next to another as the 1994 Turner-prize winner attempts to delve
into the realms of human nature. The exhibition was created when
240 volunteers aged two-85 stripped naked before being wrapped in
clingfilm and plaster to create the lifelike moulded outlines.
Stainless steel rods were added to form a three-dimensional depiction
of each individual that has their own character, which produces
a "vast energy field" when you see them all together.
Gormley expects the structures to take on new, hidden meaning in
Winchester’s unfamiliar surroundings.
He said: "In Winchester the Domains will not be recognised
and therefore somewhat free of their origins in a place full of
its own stories."
The exhibition wonderfully embraces new and old with the juxtaposition
of modern art facing King Arthur’s legendary Round Table.
It has been on display at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art
in Gateshead since May last year and comes to the South for the
first time.
Eloise Appleby, head of tourism at Winchester City Council said:
"We are absolutely delighted to have such a renowned artist
opt to host his first Southern exhibition of this work in Winchester.
She added: "This is not Antony Gormley’s first link with
the city as he gifted his Sound II sculpture, which sits in Winchester
Cathedral’s crypt."
For tickets to Antony Gormley’s talk on March 6 telephone the
Theatre Royal box office on 01962 840440.
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War
Stories (18th February 2004)
Winchester war veteran Charlie Hayward is looking forward to a trip
to Arnhem, in Holland, this year. He is not entirely sure if he
is going to take the Lotto up on the travel money they are offering.
The Lotto, in conjunction with a veterans organisation, are funding
war veterans to go back and see where they fought. The travel expenses
are being offered in commemoration of D Day’s sixtieth anniversary.
“We go over on our own, and do our thing,” says Charlie.
“I am not sure if the Lotto thing is only for people who want
to go on an organised trip for D Day.” If that is the case,
Charlie and his cohorts will go over under their own steam.
Charlie and his friends have been making a yearly pilgrimage to
the town for a number of years now, and it sounds like a great laugh.
“We head over in mate’s minibus,” says Charlie “see
a load of friends over there and go out for a few beers. We have
a little tour of Holland, and a great time is had by all!”
On a more sober note,, the reason Charlie and his compatriots make
the annual visit is because Charlie was a paratrooper who took part
in the battle of Arnhem.
Immortalised in the film ‘A Bridge Too Far,’ The battle
of Arnhem, also known as ‘Operation Market Garden,’ was
when an attack by Allied forces went awry, and many of the soldiers
were killed or captured.
Charlie himself was caught by a German Tiger Tank Division. he laughs
about it now, but it sounds terrifying.
“What was s I to do when I confronted by a sodding great Tiger
Tank,” asks Charlie. “I surrendered as quickly as I could!”
That is not strictly true, though. Charlie and his colleagues had
put up a good fight for a few hours.
For the sake of stealth, they were dropped into the battle zone
in gliders. Unfortunately the Germans had been tipped off about
them coming, and a Tiger Tank Division was ordered to engage Charlie
and his comrades in battle. I personally would have thrown my gun
down and put my hands up at that point, but Charlie et al ran to
a farm house where they put up a spirited resistance for a good
few hours.
It was only when the muzzle of a gun poked into the farm house,
and they were told to either give up or be blown away, that they
surrendered.
They were sent to a P.O.W camp, which had been converted from an
old cafe/restaurant. The food does not sound up to much. There was
one ladle of pretend coffee twice a day, one piece of black bread
per week, a small piece of butter each week, and then, for dinner
a nettle soup with a couple of small potatoes.
Work consisted of tunnelling for clay, and in their spare time they
had to fill in craters from the bombs that were dropped near the
camp by the Americans.
The P.O.Ws had a lot for adventures in the camp, and a Christmas
treat. This was a bowl of water which a sow had been cooked in,
to make a bizarre kind of soup. The sow had been taken out, but
a few bones were left in. The prisoners had to pas the bowl round,
take out the bones, have a suck and then put them back in! “That
was our Christmas meal, but it was certainly different,” remembers
Charlie.
Eventually the P.O.Ws were moved to another camp, where they woke
up one morning to find their guards gone. After gleefully raiding
the food sheds, they were picked up by the Americans.
Dakotas were commandeered to take them back to England, and Charlie
was eventually demobbed in 1947.
Charlie will never forget his time in the war, and some of the friends
he made he says are friends for life. We would all like to wish
Charlie, and any other veterans who are returning to their fields
of battle on this 60th anniversary of D Day the very best, and remember
everything they did.
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Tunnel Vision (19th February 2004)
This week, the Public Enquiry into the proposed sinking of the A303
Andover to Salisbury Road under Stonehenge began at Salisbury Guildhall.
The 2.1km ‘bored tunnel’, described by the Government
as an ‘exceptional environmental scheme’, would see the
A303 widened and driven under the ancient stone circle.
Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling MP said “The
World Heritage Site at Stonehenge will be enhanced and protected
by putting the existing road in a bored tunnel, which will improve
safety and ease congestionl.”
Although most parties concerned seem to welcome the idea of a tunnel,
some feel that the proposed length of 2.1km is not enough.
“The Public Inquiry needs to consider whether the proposed
tunnel is long enough to conserve and enhance the spirit of place,
landscape and archeological interest of Stonehenge,” said Martyn
Heighton, Territory Director for the National Trust.
“The National Trust does not believe that The Highways Agency’s
present proposals amount to a solution that is fit for the unique
quality of this World Heritage Site.” The tunnel is set to
cost £183 million, with the long term effect of returning
Salisbury Plain to unspoilt downlands. A new visitors centre is
also proposed, at a further cost of £57 million.
Supporters of a longer tunnel argue that the current proposal would
mean long approach entrances that would scar the landscape and be
a constant source of light pollution. It is also believed by some
that the 2.1km tunnel is nothing but a ‘short term fix’,
whereas a £400 million, 4.5km tunnel would prove to be the
only viable long-term solution.
The enquiry continues next week.
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Eastern Promise
(19th February 2004)
The proprietors of Orchid in Stockbridge, Hampshire, Jemma Page
and Mimmi Waugh have just returned from a busy buying trip to the
Far East to replenish their stock of teak furniture and Chinese
antiques.
They visited manufacturers of reclaimed teak furniture in Jakarta
and Bali, Indonesia and restorers of antique furniture in southern
China. As a result, new stock of beds, dining furniture and occasional
furniture will be in their 3,500 sq. ft. showroom near Stockbridge
in late March.
“The trip was pretty gruelling,” comments Mimmi, who recovered
from chickenpox only the day before departure. “We love going
on our buying trips, but they’re exhausting because of the
jet-lag, long hours of road travel within the different countries
and also the huge volume of furniture which we spend 9 or more hours
a day looking at and assessing. This time we covered 3 countries
in 10 days; many of which were spent travelling, including 9 flights,
2 boat trips and many hours by road.”
In addition to choosing pieces for their showroom, Jemma & Mimmi
were armed with an extensive ‘shopping list’ from customers
wanting particular pieces. “It’s always an amazing experience”
said Jemma. “Seeing all the stunning furniture and accessories,
we have to be very disciplined because there is so much choice.
Our priority is to find the pieces which our customers have requested
and then to fill the rest of the container with general stock. Travel
in China never fails to amaze us with the speed of work to the roads
and new buildings, but most of the countryside is still paddy fields
being farmed by time-honoured methods: workers in traditional clothing
and headwear with buffalo pulling the machinery is a wonderful sight.”
Once the shipments are in the UK, the pieces will be added to the
Orchid web-site www.orchidfurniture.co.uk showing photographs, prices,
and dimensions.
Meanwhile, if you are interested in finding out what is expected
in the next container, visit the beautiful Orchid showroom at The
Old Barn, Sandydown, Stockbridge to see photographs and descriptions.
Orchid is open Tuesday – Saturday 10-5.30 and Sundays 12-4.
Telephone 01264 811111.
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Big
Trouble In Little Chinese
(25th February 2004)
Diners at a Chinese restaurant in Winchester were terrified after
a man pulled out what they thought was a gun in a dispute over an
unpaid bill. DANIEL SANDERSON reports.
Allegedly, a Winchester man pointed the gun (which was later discovered
to be a replica) at staff as he tried to leave the Cellar Peking
Restaurant in Jewry Street without paying.
Two staff and a diner pounced on the man on Wednesday night (18th
February) as he tried to leave the restaurant after his credit card
had been rejected.
The man was held on the stairs for 15 minutes, but as he was released,
onlookers say they saw him reach into his left-hand jacket pocket
and pull out the replica weapon.
Gary Davies, 34, manager of Bar Iguana, across Jewry St, ran over
to the restaurant when he saw three people – including diner,
Raffaele Garofalo – struggling with the man near the exit:
“I got there to find two men holding him to the floor and another
stood by the door,” explained Mr Davies. “He said he was
uncomfortable and people gave him space, but no sooner was he free
than he pulled out the gun.”
Mr Davies said he initially thought the man was fumbling for a packet
of cigarettes. That thought turned to horror, though, as he saw
the man produce the replica and point it at another man’s face.
He said “I just went into auto-pilot and shouted ‘he’s
got a gun, get him down!’”
Mister Davies said: “We quickly rugby tackled him to the ground.
It was lucky it turned out the way it did, it could have been very
different.”
The group of six teenagers are said to have spent an hour in the
restaurant to celebrate a friend’s birthday and ran up a £96
bill.
Cellar Peking manager Billy Lee explained that four of the teenagers
left the restaurant before the oldest went to the bar with a younger
friend to pay the bill.
Mr Lee says he swiped an Electron card, but it was rejected three
times, so the man sent out his friend to find the others and help
pay.
After 30 minutes with no sign of the group or the money, Mr Lee
threatened to call the police.
“When we realised he couldn’t pay, he ran up the stairs,
so we grabbed him. He put up a fight as we were trying to hold him
down, but I didn’t call police until after he pulled out the
gun,” he said.
Eyewitnesses say that during a struggle, the toy fell on to the
floor and broke into two parts. They claim one of the group then
picked up the main part of the replica and fled the scene.
Detective Constable Nick Henshaw, of Hampshire police, warned that
the men’s brave actions should not be repeated.
He told reporters: “They reacted swiftly and fortunately no
one was injured. It’s difficult to speak in terms of bravery.
I’m sure they would be the first to say they were not thinking
of that at the time.”
The man was remanded in custody to appear next at Basingstoke on
27/02/04 for a video link plea.
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Masty Business (25th February
2004)
Monday 1 March sees the next round in the long-running Byron Avenue
campaign against phone giant Orange when parents ask the High Court
to quash last August’s controversial decision by Planning Inspector,
Martin Pike. Mr.Pike’ s ruling which allowed Orange’s
Appeal against Winchester City Council’s refusal of the 39-foot
mast, close to homes and Western Primary School, caused uproar in
the community and prompted the legal challenge.
Last Friday, however, Byron Avenue campaigners sat down with Orange
when they attended a meeting, organised by local MP Mark Oaten to
discuss phone mast issues in the area. They welcomed the chance
to meet representatives from all the phone mast companies, including
Airwave O2 who are installing the controversial TETRA police communications
system. Campaigners left the meeting, optimistic that local communities
may soon be involved in the telecom planning process at a much earlier
stage. Robin Cooper, who recently took over as Director of Development
Services in Winchester promised to introduce new procedures, which
would see meetings between the council and operators to identify
the roll-out requirements before individual applications were submitted.
Follow-up meetings with local communities would be organised.
Campaigner, Karen Barratt who attended the meeting says that if
consultation with the community had been in place three years ago,
the Byron Avenue situation would never have arisen. “ Unfortunately
masts were put up all over the place without people being told anything.
That’s why we have masts on schools, hospitals and blocks of
flats all over the country.” She said campaigners were grateful
to Mr. Oaten for arranging the meeting and welcomed his support
for Norfolk MP Richard Spring’s private member’s bill,
which seeks to tighten up planning controls on the telecom companies.
The Byron Avenue battle may not finish in the High Court. The judgement
may not be issued immediately but even if the Planning Inspector’s
decision is quashed Orange may appeal again. If that happens, campaigners
have made it clear that they will carry on the fight until the threat
to their community is removed once and for all. this week.
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On Me Head My Liege (25th
February 2004)
It looks as if King Henry the Eighth could have been a bit of a
football lad on the quiet. Max Jones Reports.
Although he is famous for lopping the heads of wives, drinking and
jousting, researchers at the Winchester School of Art have discovered
that the corpulent king put in an order for some football boots.
The order was lumped in with a request for 10 pairs of boots, 10
Spanish leather buckskins and 38 pairs of velvet shoes.
Maria Hayward, from the textiles centre, said “football in
Tudor times was a very vicious game with no teams and no rules.
It was not a game for gentlemen.” No change there then! Maria
is backed up by a writer from the time, Sir Thomas Elyot. He described
football as a game of beastly fury and extreme violence. In Tudor
times football was often played on Shrove Tuesday. The boots were
made of leather and cost the king a mighty four shillings from the
royal cordwainer, Cornelius Johnson.
Although we always think of him as a big fat womaniser, when Henry
was younger he was actually quite the sportsman. He was quite a
keen jouster, tennis player, and he liked a wrestle. As he had a
tendency to behead those who disagreed with him, I would imagine
that he won most of his football matches!
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Friends Reunited (26th
February 2004)
Sir George
Young, MP for North West Hampshire, has rejoined ‘Friends of
the Earth’ after a gap of a decade.
Sir George was a member of the charity throughout the 80s and 90s,
but left while he was Secretary of State for Transport after his
department sanctioned the building of the Newbury Bypass.
This particular move did not go down well with environmentalists.
Newbury was marred by violent clashes between protesters and security
guards, and was the first stomping ground of the famous eco-warrior,
Swampy.
Sir George has now decided that, although he does not agree with
everything Friends of the Earth do, he admires their campaigning
zeal. As a keen cyclist, Sir George loves their stance on bikes.
Friends of the Earth and Sir George also share interests in responsible
agricultural practice, the promotion of walking, marine conservation,
and sustainability in general.
In their turn, Friends of the Earth were very keen to welcome Sir
George back into the fold. They said “Our success in the past
has been down to the efforts of people like Sir George. Without
their invaluable support we would not be able to achieve such broad
ranging victories for the planet, and for people.”
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