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Saturday 1st December 2007
Bourne Town Council
will be loudly applauded this week for articulating what the population
has been saying for many years, that we need to see more policemen out on the
streets.
The authority met on Tuesday and
condemned an appeal from the county force seeking additional funding and warning
that staff numbers would be cut unless several million pounds could be found to
plug its budget deficit, but the message from councillors was clear: more police
on the beat or no more taxes. Their ruling provides the headline for the latest
issue of The Local newspaper which rightly gives front page coverage to
the debate (November 30th), the clearest indication for many years that the
public is totally dissatisfied with the current level of policing and
councillors voicing the fears and dissatisfaction of the people they represent,
a perfect example of the democratic process.
The mayor, Councillor Jane Kingman Pauley, summed up the feelings of colleagues
and the entire town when she said: “We pay our council tax and we are not
getting what we pay for. We have not got enough police in Bourne.” Other members
highlighted Bourne’s problems, particularly during the evenings at weekends, and
one even suggested petitioning the government to intervene. Councillor Trevor
Holmes was equally scathing when he referred to the public relations exercise
mounted by the police to get more cash: “They seem to spend an awful lot of
money telling us how skint they are.”
The reaction from Lincolnshire Police is not encouraging, with Chief
Superintendent Terry Hackett, who is based at Grantham more than 20 miles away,
insisting that crime levels are falling yet he adds: “We are the lowest funded
police force in the country and if we received an extra £11 million, it would
mean more resources and staff to fight and detect crime and reduce anti-social
behaviour.” He also said that there had been an 8% decrease in recorded crime in
the Bourne sector and that may be true but as most people know that it because
the police are now more preoccupied with targets than solving cases with the
result that many crimes are not logged with the intention of keeping the figures
down.
In 1913, the permanent police strength in Bourne based at the county police
station in North Street was one superintendent, one inspector, two sergeants and
17 constables, all available for regular beat duty, for a population of 4,343
(1911). The budget of the county force in those days was infinitesimal when
compared with the £108.6 million today, yet apart from the odd Community Support
Officer pottering through the Burghley Arcade on market day, the police presence
has all but disappeared even when frequent outbreaks of vandalism and
anti-social conduct are reported.
There is one other factor we should not forget, reported by BBC Online on
Tuesday 9th October 2007. Lincolnshire has one of the worst performing police
forces in England and Wales, according to Home Office figures just published.
Assessments rated 43 forces excellent, good, fair or poor in seven different
categories, tackling crime, resources and efficiency, serious crime and public
protection, protecting vulnerable people, satisfaction and fairness,
implementation of neighbourhood policing and local priorities. Lincolnshire was
among the bottom six with just seven points out of a maximum of 21.
What the local newspapers are also saying: Lincolnshire County Council
has at last discovered what this column has been saying for the past five years,
that its free sheet, County News, sent out each month to 320,000 homes,
is too expensive to produce. The Lincolnshire Free Press reports that it
is costing £5,000 a week and that a working group of councillors has been
appointed to consider its future (November 27th), the various options including
re-naming and re-launching and reducing the number of issues to six or four a
year because the original objective of providing a profit from advertising has
not materialised.
This is a most curious revelation because the issue for March 2006 gave the
projected cost of production for 2007 as £381,380 and that much of this figure
would be offset by advertising and the publication of its own public notices
that would otherwise have to appear in commercial newspapers, and as a result
“this means that the County News pays not only for itself entirely but
also covers the cost of every other Lincolnshire County Council publication".
Councils are not in the business of publishing newspapers which are fairly thick
on the ground throughout the county and although few are perfect, they are
produced by people who know their job. Instead, we have this second rate
newspaper full of self-adulatory editorial published twelve times a year at a
total cost of £270,000 which could be better spent elsewhere. The newspaper
quotes the council’s head of communications, Janet Marshall, saying that it was
important to keep the content “fresh and interesting” which it clearly is not
because the July issue carried an apology for a gross inaccuracy about public
support for a council tax increase published on the front page four months
before and which obviously misled many people. A far better solution therefore
would be to curtail publication altogether because most people I know dump it
straight into their silver wheelie bin or use it to line the bottom of the
birdcage.
A few weeks ago I discussed the popular trend in politics to use the
diminutive first name when referring to leading figures in government, Andy, Ed,
Des, Jacqui and Debby, for instance, all of whom are leading figures in central
government rather than pop music or perhaps children’s television as might be
thought.
Those brought up in an age where every senior figure in their life, be it
schoolmaster, magistrate or member of parliament, was always referred to as Mr,
find it hard to take anything seriously when uttered by the Bobs, Daves, Jims,
Tims and Toms, because nicknames do not command the same respect as the
formality of past times but as the hare of popularity is running and has become
unstoppable, I suggested that it may not be long before we have a Kev in Number
Ten. Not quite yet though, because we have a dour Gordon firmly ensconced in
Downing Street but not so in the antipodes where a Kevin has emerged as the next
Prime Minister of Australia.
Although a recent addition to the lexicon of boys’ names in England, Kevin does
have ancient roots, originating in Ireland where its use is widespread and
meaning handsome by birth. St Kevin, to whom its popularity is due, was Abbot of
Glendalough in the 6th century and the ruins of his settlement in the valley of
the two lakes remain a favourite day’s outing from Dublin. In later years, the
song Kevin Barry refers to a young student rebel who was hanged by the British
in 1920 after the abortive ambush of an army truck to obtain weapons.
It is therefore well known in America and the former colonies, populated in
years past by many Irish immigrants, but the name was unknown in my boyhood
seventy years ago yet has not been in such popular use in England as it is
today. It has also been one of the most frequent names to be registered annually
in the United States since 1880, peaking in 1960 when there were 271,263, but the number has since dropped to under 60,000. The name,
however, fails to find a place in the list of 100 boys' names in this country,
Jack being the most popular in 2006 with Mohammed in 22nd place, perhaps a sign
of the changing times in which we live.
This week’s general election results from down under means that John Howard
loses the premiership after eleven years in favour of Kevin Rudd and
international relations being what they are, he is quite likely to visit Gordy
in the near future and so as I suggested, we may soon have a Kev at No 10
although only passing through and not a permanent fixture for a while yet.
If you can build a better mousetrap then the world will beat a path to
your door and that old saying might well be applied to the lavatory seat. It is
not exactly a fitting topic for polite conversation yet they are an important
part of our daily life but maddening to replace for as with so many of the
simple household artefacts on sale today, the instructions are brief and usually
incomprehensible.
The problem is that the design has hardly changed since the water closet we know
today was introduced in the 19th century with all of its maddening
characteristics. Not being a practical person, I have battled for a week trying
to fit our new replacement seat but despite repeated adjustments, it constantly
failed the final test, that of standing up for cleaning and, of course, for use
by us men, the constant reminder from my mother in my boyhood forever ringing in
my ears whenever using the toilet: “Don’t forget to lift the seat.”
After the fifth or sixth unsuccessful attempt at fitting, I contemplated calling
in outside help but decided that a £50 call-out fee from a plumber was too high
a price to pay and although seeking assistance from my neighbour, a trained
engineer, did cross my mind, I decided that it would test our friendship to the
limit if I asked him to look into our lavatory. So it was back to the
practicalities and then I awoke in the middle of the night, my mind uncluttered
with the minutiae of other annoying matters, and the solution became clear:
unscrew the back brass fitting and turn it round to give a greater clearance at
the front of the seat.
It worked first time and my lavatory seat is now in situ and working perfectly
while I am busy writing a new set of fitting instructions which I plan to send
off to the makers in the hope of sparing others from such a troublesome and
exasperating spell of do-it-yourself.
On Saturday night, anxious to find some suitable television viewing, we
replayed a favourite programme about the composer Franz Schubert recorded some
twenty-five years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it, not least because the tape
also included an additional item in the John Betjeman series from 1968 showing a
peaceful England that is now a mere memory. The sequence was captured from
Channel 4, complete with advertisements which we also watched with some wonder
because the entire output demonstrated the way in which television has
deteriorated in almost four decades since it was made.
Today, with innumerable channels available on Freeview, we are at a loss to find
an hour’s decent viewing most evenings and even then we are assaulted with
frenetic advertising and trailers with programmes cut short by a reduced screen,
inserted announcements and bimbo voices designed to keep you watching the same
channel but have the opposite effects because they prompt an immediate switch
off. By contrast, the taped excerpt from the schedules we did watch with such
enjoyment was a model of civilised programming and even the advertisements were
sensibly produced without the cacophonous music and strident voices that accompany
them today.
Where has television gone wrong? The pursuit of ratings appears to be
responsible for an overall dumbing down of subject matter with sex the
overriding ingredient, even in period costume dramas where the work of our
traditional authors has been dressed up with a veneer of voyeurism in an attempt
to attract new audiences to the classics, while the majority of the drama, both
soaps and plays and usually about doctors, hospitals or the police, are merely a
litany of unsavoury characters squabbling and falling out with each other. But
the experiment has failed because the inferior and often vulgar output from all
channels is a constant source of complaint whenever television is discussed and
far from increasing viewing figures now prompts more people than ever to turn
elsewhere for their entertainment.
The Betjeman programme I mentioned showed Sidmouth in Devon and Sherborne in
Dorset, two beautiful West Country towns as they were before the motor car
ruined our streets and, as with the entire two hours of this vintage television,
were perfect examples of an England long gone.
Thought for the week: I find television very educating. Every time
somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.
- Julius
Henry "Groucho" Marx (1890-1977), American comedian, film star and famed as a
master of wit.
Saturday 8th December 2007
The display of meat for public consumption has been sanitised in recent
years to compensate for a reluctance among customers associating what they are buying
for the table with the animals to be seen in the countryside. The very thought
of slaughtering cows named Daisy and lambs called Larry is not good for business
and so the prime cuts are swaddled in polythene packets with as little blood as
possible and no pictures of the living beings they once were.
In years past, butchers’ shops had large charts on the walls with diagrams of
livestock showing which parts of the body the best cuts came from while
carcasses hung from large hooks, often outside in the street where they
attracted flies, especially in the summer, but then this was in the days before
Health and Safety when few were offended by the thought of eating animals.
Meat was particularly popular during the Victorian era and Christmas was a
period when most families gorged themselves, gargantuan meals graphically
described by Charles Dickens. In the late 19th century, when the population of
Bourne was only 3,760, there were ten butchers in Bourne and for the festive
season in 1887, they provided large quantities of meat for local families,
George Mays, of Eastgate, for instance, killing 300 sheep, two of which had been
recently exhibited at the Smithfield Show, one weighing 211 lb., the other 187
lb., and nine beef cattle, while others made similar preparations.
The small and delicately packaged offerings from the supermarket today have
little similarity to the huge lumps of red meat on sale in past times. You will
never see the picture of a cow in McDonald’s and modern joints of meat bear
little resemblance to the animals found frolicking on the farm and so they are
bought, cooked and eaten without a twinge of conscience about the killing
involved while a recent survey revealed that few children actually know the
origins of their beef burgers or the contents of their sausages which would
certainly not be eaten with such relish if they did.
Not everyone in past times had the good fortune to eat well over
Christmas for these were the days of the soup kitchens for the poor and needy.
However, you may discount any notion of opening a can of Heinz cream of tomato
to ease the hunger pangs because reality was very different. Bread was the
staple diet for most ordinary or labouring families and a survey of 1860
discovered that many adults consumed around 12 lbs. every week. It was often
made more palatable by being covered with dripping or, very occasionally, a
little butter. Small quantities of bacon, salt pork, beef, cheese and porridge
also formed part of many poorer people’s weekly diets although such nourishing
foodstuffs were more frequently reserved for the man of the house who needed to
keep up his strength to maintain the family’s income.
Pea soups or weak broths were other standbys for impoverished families and
surprisingly, milk was in short supply, even in country areas, as many farmers
chose to feed butter or skimmed milk to their pigs and calves. Even late in the
19th century, many women, and often their children, had to survive on a
monotonous diet of bread, lard, vegetables and very weak tea. Some of our
ancestors who fell on really hard times and ended up in the workhouse often ate
better than the poorer workers in their own homes, with a regular and more
balanced diet, although it may have been dull and boring by today’s culinary
standards.
Potato soup for mass consumption was an example of the food provided by some
workhouses and a menu was published in an 18th century pamphlet, Information for
Overseers, and quoted by the Stamford Mercury on Friday, 31st January
1800 after being recommended by a Mr Turnor at the Bourne Sessions held at the
Town Hall. It was prepared as follows:
Put an ox’s head, well washed, into 13
gallons of water, add a peck and a half of pared potatoes, half a quartern of
onions, a few carrots and a handful of pot herbs, thicken it with two quarts of
oatmeal (or barley meal) and add pepper and salt to your taste. Set it to stew
with a gentle fire early in the afternoon, allowing as little evaporation as may
be, and not skimming off the fat, but leaving the whole to stew gently over the
fire, which should be renewed and made up at night. Make a small fire under the
boiler at seven o’clock in the morning, and keep adding as much water as will
make up the loss by evaporation, keeping it gently stewing until noon, when it
will be ready to serve for dinner. The whole may be divided into 52 messes, each
containing (by a previous division of meat and fat), a piece of meat and fat and
a quart of savoury nourishing soup. The expenses of the meals are: ox’s head 2
shillings and sixpence; potatoes, onions etc 1 shilling and 1 penny; 2 quarters
of oatmeal 11 pence; cost exclusive of fire and cooking: 4 shillings and 6
pence.
No doubt every drop was eaten with relish because the old adage that beggars
could not be choosers was never more true than for those who were unfortunate
enough to have ended up living in the workhouse.
What the local newspapers are saying: The annual Christmas shopping event
organised by the Chamber of Trade and Commerce was switched to daytime on Sunday
last weekend rather than Friday evening as in past years but the jury is still
out over whether it will remain that way. A photo feature of the proceedings is
carried by The Local and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves but
the consensus seemed to be that the important missing feature was the Christmas
illuminations which only shine at their best after dark (December 7th).
There is certainly something seasonal about being out and about and in jolly
company after sundown when the shops and streets are ablaze with coloured lights
and so providing a mood of bonhomie and good cheer and it is difficult to create
such an atmosphere in the middle of the day. Traders are aware of this and will
be debating the issue in the New Year when they will decide whether to continue
with the new format or return to late night shopping. In the meantime, comments
are invited by the newspaper to test public reaction.
A discussion has been underway in the Bourne Forum over short-changing in
the shops and retail outlets and although the mere suggestion of such dishonesty
is likely to provoke an angry protest from the Chamber of Trade and Commerce,
the evidence is that it does happen but whether it is deliberate is a matter of
conjecture. Indeed, we speak from personal experience and there are others out
there who have similar tales to tell.
This is particularly galling because most checkouts are now equipped with
machines that calculate the cost of purchases and flag up the amount of change
due and so all the sales assistant has to do is to hand the customer the correct
amount. On several occasions we have found ourselves short, usually by one
pound, sometimes more, but this has always been handed over once the error has
been pointed out.
The mistake is never in our favour and we have the distinct impressions that it
is often done deliberately, perhaps someone seeking to supplement low wages or
merely attracted by the prospect of easy money, but no matter what the cause,
the act is still theft by deception. Age also appears to be no barrier and in
the most recent incident, the culprit was a man of mature years who must have
learned to add up at school, an asset that has escaped many of the younger
generation.
Some customers are reluctant to point out the mistake, flustered by a busy shop
and an impatient queue behind, and so pay more for their goods than they should
but we have decided that every case, whether deliberate of accidental, will be
challenged. This can be done by mentally calculating the change required while
the transaction is in progress and by the time it is handed over, you are in a
position to say exactly how much it should be and then leave the money offered
in your open hand or on the counter until it has been agreed. A shortfall of £1
on a transaction soon adds up and can be a costly exercise for old age
pensioners and those on benefit while the same amount must be an attractive
proposition for a dishonest sales assistant who may be poorly paid and in need
of extra cash and can soon tot up an extra £20 a day. It is an attractive
proposition and one fairly easy to perpetrate for anyone who can keep their
nerve.
The majority of those employed in our shops, pubs, restaurants and elsewhere,
are honest and hard working and would not dream of trying to swindle customers
in this way but it is impossible for employers to vouch for the honesty of every
employee and as this category of workers is subject to the same averages as
every other sphere of human activity, there will be some with criminal
tendencies. With the advent of Christmas and the busiest shopping time of the
year, you have been warned.
News is a misleading word in that it actually means bad news and not good
news which is evident by its absence from the print publications and the various
television bulletins. Death and disaster are the main ingredients and any ray of
sunshine likely to intrude is extinguished before it sees the light of day. I
speak with some experience having reported the news for the past half a century
from many parts of the world and no matter what excesses were described, the
news desk invariably came back with a demand to increase the anguish with the
excuse that the public wanted more. It is not for nothing that “Not many dead”
has earned its place in the folklore of journalism as a laughable, and therefore
inadmissible, headline.
The prominence given to catastrophic events has now reached epidemic proportions
with the result that one of the most depressing programmes on television is BBC
News 24, a round the clock litany of the worst excesses of the human race,
presented as entertainment by a duo usually comprising a badly dressed male with
a ridiculous hair piece and a simpering girl partner with a squeaky voice, both
totally lacking gravitas yet valiantly trying to tell us about what has been
going on around the globe. The news items are also boringly repetitive,
concerning political squabbles, government inefficiencies, international
tensions, the sexual peccadilloes of celebrities and the usual diet of death and
disaster, earthquake, storm and fire. Few tales to gladden the heart are
included and after twenty minutes of this stuff, the world seems a hopelessly
depressing place indeed.
What is needed is a good news bulletin, a series of stories about real people
getting along with each other and doing heart warming things, tales to demonstrate
that the old fashioned values are not yet dead. Ten minutes of this every
morning would put a smile on your face and a spring in the step as we prepared
to face the day while proving that life really does have an upside instead of
being filled with the doom and gloom the BBC would have us believe.
Thought for the week: If you have knowledge, let others light their
candles at it. - Margaret Fuller, American journalist, critic and women's
rights activist (1810-1850).
Saturday 15th December 2007
The Chamber of Trade
asked for comments about its decision to swap late night Christmas shopping on
Friday to a daytime event on a Sunday and it appears that most prefer to see the
illuminations twinkling and the lights on in the shop windows which are totally
ineffective in daylight.
Town councillor Guy Cudmore (Bourne East) has summed up the situation perfectly
in a contribution to the Bourne Forum which asked for public reaction. He wrote:
Sunday is not a regular shopping day in
Bourne. Normally, many shops are shut and the streets deserted. It is therefore
not clever to suddenly expect a difference, especially a fortnight before
Christmas, when all of the people who habitually drive into other places to shop
on a Sunday will be keener than average to do so. The lights that shineth in
darkness are traditionally turned on a Friday evening, when families are all at
home and not otherwise occupied. It is not wise to fly in the face of tradition,
many voices have been saying this over the past year. Added to which, the
regular weekly needs of the churches on Sunday were ignored, including the
Salvation Army concert, causing much disgruntlement. There is much call to do
the thing properly again on Friday evening next year.
There has been no discussion as to why the Friday night shopping event was
shelved but chatting to traders around the town, especially in the immediate
area of North Street, there is an apparent concern about the unruly conduct of
young people with one report of teenage girls fighting outside a shop in the
Burghley Arcade. This is no reflection on the event itself but a sign of the
times, when parental control recedes and illiberal attitudes reign. There might
also be a reluctance on the part of some traders to remain open after their
usual hours.
Councillor Cudmore’s remarks will certainly find favour with the majority and
should be an important consideration for the chamber when it meets in the New
Year to decide on the future format of the shopping event.
This is also the time for the town council to consider changing the venue
for switching on the Christmas lights, held for the past 40 years on the steps
of the Town Hall. This was an acceptable arrangement when the ceremony began in 1967 but
is now unsafe for onlookers, mainly children, because the main roads
through the town centre remain open to heavy traffic which has increased
considerably since then.
The danger this year was highlighted in a letter to The Local newspaper
in which Mr J Crofts asked why the roads were not closed off (December 7th). “I
was outside the NatWest Bank with my four-year-old daughter who could not see
anything”, he wrote. “If you wanted to move then you had to walk on to the road
which was madness because there was traffic coming from all directions,
including articulated lorries, and as the pavements were bulging with eager
children and their parents it would only have taken one little push or fall for
someone to have been seriously injured.”
Perhaps the time has come for the two events to be held at the same time and in
the same place and in the unlikely event of permission being obtained to close
two trunk roads for several hours on a Friday evening, the new paved market place behind the Corn Exchange
would appear to be the most suitable venue. There is plenty of space for stalls and amusements which could
even extend into the adjoining car park if necessary and a double event, switching on the Christmas lights
and the start of late
night shopping, would be sure to attract more people who could gather in a safer
environment without the road hazards that are currently present when a large
crowd congregates in the town centre.
The market place has already been used for stalls and amusements during the late
night shopping in 2004 and it was a tremendous success. There was a wonderful
air of enjoyment as the crowds gathered and gossiped without the necessity of
keeping open a weather eye for passing traffic. Unfortunately, the experiment
did not meet with the approval of traders who complained that it kept customers
away from their shops and so it was not repeated.
Late night shopping is merely a glorified excuse for retailers to take more
money. The amusements and charity stalls are included in order to make it a
festive event. It is therefore the duty of the Chamber of Trade and the town
council to make safety of paramount importance and until our main streets are
pedestrianised, then it is a matter of common sense that events such as this
that attract large crowds are held elsewhere. Let us hope that discussions
between the two during the coming year will come up with a sensible solution to
ensure that the event continues with a more acceptable format and in a safer
environment while at the same time proving of benefit to all who participate,
both shopkeepers and the public.
The most disturbing news story of the week described how waiting police
boarded a 767 jet airliner at Manchester International Airport to arrest Mrs
Anne Darwin who was returning to this country from the United States voluntarily
to face charges of deception. She is 55 years old and no matter what may have
happened in the past, is defenceless and vulnerable at this time and certainly
does not deserve a reception of six officers turning up, some armed with
sub-machine guns and wearing protective vests, and with the press in tow, when
she was on her way to give herself up. A waiting car with a woman constable to
take her to Hartlepool police station where the investigation into her case is
being conducted would have sufficed instead of the staged event that took place
for the benefit of the media.
The assumption is that the police must seize every possible opportunity to give
themselves a high profile because their reputation in most areas of England is
at such a low ebb. Television pictures of them arresting a defenceless woman are
perceived to be evidence that they are doing their job whereas most of us know
that generally, they are not fulfilling the role the public expects.
Two weeks ago, Bourne Town Council made it quite clear that it would not support
any increase in the budget of the Lincolnshire county force until more policemen
were back on the beat and this is at the heart of the present dissatisfaction.
The only uniformed presence we see in the town is an occasional community
support officer, young and innocent and looking as though they would be more at
home in the classrooms of the Robert Manning College than patrolling our
streets, totally lacking in experience and authority, yet they are presented as
the public face of the police force while hard-bitten, experienced officers are
back at headquarters supping tea and shuffling papers.
The town council’s criticism is the tip of the iceberg, a sign that the people
want a change in the present situation, a return of the beat constables that
once provided security and assurances of safety to the populace as it was in
years past. Vandalism, petty crime and anti-social behaviour may not be high on
the list of priorities or match the arrest of a lady involved in a case that has
attracted the attention of the international media, but they are factors which
affect the quality of life in a small market town where the people pay their
council tax for adequate protection which they are not getting. The situation
must change if the police are to win back the respect they had in years gone by.
What the local newspapers are saying: Lincolnshire Police has been back
to Bourne Town Council in an attempt to drum up support for more cash, this time
with a presentation outlining their case for a further £7 million to plug the
hole in its budget. The Stamford Mercury reports (December 14th) that
Tuesday’s meeting was attended by a senior police officer accompanied by John
Atter, a new and independent member of the Lincolnshire Police Authority (from
this year), who is reported as saying: “The only way to gain sufficient funding
to make the county as safe as it should be is by coming to you” which is hardly
likely to inspire confidence because if the police force cannot guarantee our
security with the £108.6 million a year it gets at present, then another £7
million is hardly likely to make much difference. Fortunately, councillors stuck
to their guns and told the visitors to go back and seek financial help from the
government rather than the council tax payer and stressed once again that the
priority should be more policemen on the streets.
South Kesteven District Council continually stresses how anxious it is to
increase its rate of recycling waste and so it comes as a surprise to hear that
the community banks for accepting glass, plastic and clothes outside the Tesco
supermarket in Market Deeping, near Bourne, are being closed down, the reason
being that an assortment of unwanted items have been left there in breach of the
regulations. The Local says that the discarded rubbish includes old
toilets, televisions and mattresses and as a result, the council has taken the
draconian step of shutting the site altogether from next week (December 14th).
Once again, this is an example of the council acting before it thinks because if
the rubbish is not left there then it will be dumped in the countryside and as
the authority has a duty to collect it from any location, then costs will soar.
It is also an indication of what will happen when restrictions are placed on
domestic refuse collections which is already the case with the landfill wheelie
bin because householders are not allowed to supplement their fortnightly load
with black plastic bags. Once again, targets are seen to be more important than
actually providing an efficient public service and if the council continues
along the same unthinking path, then fly-tipping will become a problem far more
costly and difficult to solve than sorting out the present difficulties with the
community waste banks and indeed the anomalies of the collection system as a
whole.
This has been an eventful and very successful year for Bourne Abbey
Primary School, Lincolnshire's flagship educational establishment for children.
Not only is it celebrating 130 years of history, but in September it raised its
own flag and is currently negotiating for Church of England status. Now comes
the bonus news that the school has been rated as outstanding following a report
in November by Ofsted, the official government body for inspecting schools.
For a large primary school with 620 pupils to achieve such a glowing report for
all departments is an incredible achievement and a reflection not only on the
tremendous job by school staff, but also on the stars of the report, the boys
and girls who attend as well as the governors who were also singled out for
similar praise.
Their chairman, John Kirkman, is suitably jubilant. "We are absolutely delighted
that the inspection has resulted in a report that publicly recognises the
outstanding ethos and education provided at the school", he said. "It bears out
the confidence we have in the leadership and vision of the head teacher, Mrs
Cherry Edwards, and the hard work, skills and passionate commitment of the whole
leadership team, teachers, support staff, parents and governors who have brought
us to the stage where Ofsted describes us as an outstanding school that gives
excellent value for money.”
This is a very welcome development, not only for the school but also for Bourne,
a reflection on our quality of life and another very good reason why so many
couples with young families would wish to come here and live in such large
numbers.
Thought for the week: The most precious, elegant object in a free society
is a quiet life with small joys. - A A Gill, writing in The Sunday Times
Magazine, Sunday 2nd December 2007.
Saturday 22nd December 2007
Midnight mass has for long been one of the attractions of
Christmas in years past but is under increasing threat from drunken behaviour
inside and outside the church.
The service, often known as late night communion, usually begins at 11.30 pm,
thus embracing the beginning of Christmas Day with carols, rejoicing and
fellowship among friends, attracting packed congregations throughout the land
including many who do not believe but retain their contact with Christianity
through this one attendance of the year. Sadly, many churches have now either
cancelled or re-arranged it for earlier in the evening which loses the impact of
a service held at the very point of Christmas which has such a deeply religious
meaning for so many.
The latest issue of the Roman Catholic weekly magazine The Tablet
suggests that this is a direct result of the consumption of alcohol which has
led to drunks arriving in the church during the service and causing a
disturbance while many peace loving citizens are afraid to attend because it
means walking home after dark when the public houses have emptied and perhaps
encountering raucous and drunken behaviour in the streets or even unsafe driving
on the roads.
Anglican churches are not obliged to hold any services on Christmas Eve and
although many do offer a midnight mass, some do not although the tradition is
still observed at the Abbey Church here in Bourne where there has been little
trouble in recent years. This was not always the case.
Drink has been responsible for a great deal of rowdyism in the past and it
became a particular problem forty years ago. In 1968, the vicar, Canon H P
Laurence, said that excessive drinking before going to the service was not to be
encouraged and that year, several people were asked to leave early as a result.
"There was no disturbance", he said, "but there was an incident on one side of
the aisle and it was dealt with very capably by a sidesman. You cannot select
which people can and cannot come into the church and even if you could, you
should not. This was just an occupational hazard."
The trouble was far more serious in later years, especially in 1975, when the
service was disrupted by young hooligans creating a commotion outside the church
while the service was in progress, and the Rev Gordon Lanham, who was then
vicar, decided that enough was enough and the following year he issued this
warning in the December issue of his parish magazine:
With the object of preventing a repetition
of such barbarous behaviour, the Christmas Eve service will start at 11 p m. It
is still, I believe, one of the laws of the land that churchwardens have the
power of arrest and prosecution against persons causing disturbances at the time
of divine worship. Those of you who were present at the Christmas service last
year will know what I am talking about. This is why, this year, the time for the
first Communion of the festival is moved forward to 11 p m on December 24th.
Nobody begrudges anybody extra drinking time on Christmas Eve, if that is their
way of celebrating. There are, however, young hooligans who cannot accept it
without making fools of themselves. This causes police officers unnecessary and
distasteful trouble and interferes with other people's freedom to worship God in
peace. The churchwardens and sidesmen have tried in the past to deal with this
problem kindly and firmly. But I do not see why they should come to Communion
and have to act as "bouncers". This intolerable nuisance may be mitigated by the
earlier hour. Last year the church door had to be locked and this should never
happen. No one should be debarred from worship.
We have, therefore, the age old problem of anti-social
behaviour, manifest today in many forms but particularly abhorrent at the season
of goodwill. Such conduct prevails because we allow it to. We can no longer
blame the free and liberal society in which we live because the evidence is that
it was always the case and until we have a government prepared to impose
stricter controls over unruly and rebellious behaviour then we must put up with
it and the majority will continue to be inconvenienced by the few.
A glimpse of Christmas past from 120 years ago, as
reported by the Stamford Mercury on Friday 30th December 1887:
Christmas was ushered in at Bourne with
merry peals of the bells of the old Abbey Church and the musical strains of the
Bourne brass band who played carols and other appropriate pieces in an
exceedingly creditable manner. The Guardians of Bourne Union gave their annual
treat to the inmates of the union-house [the workhouse] on Boxing Day. The
seasonable additions to the usual plain fare were apparently highly appreciated.
A thoroughly enjoyable day was suitably concluded with a merry evening
entertainment.
There is abundant energy being manifested in the seasonable decorations of the
various business establishments at Bourne. The grocers' windows are tastefully
adorned with appetising wares; and the milliners' and drapers' establishments
also present an artistic appearance. At the National Schoolroom in North Street,
the vicar and churchwardens and members of various local charities made their
annual distribution among the deserving poor, the gifts including 700 yards of
flannel, 50 blankets, 700 yards of calico and 170 tons of coal.
Mr Thomas Rosbottom, the celebrated Lancashire lecturer, addressed crowded
meetings in the Victoria Hall [now demolished] in advocacy of temperance. The
lectures were a great success, the audience being apparently entirely in
sympathy with the lecturer, who interspersed anecdotes, humorous and pathetic,
with his moving exhortations, in a manner quite irresistible. He claims that
during his career as a lecturer he has induced thousands to sign the pledge.
Bourne Abbey was throughout adorned with seasonable decorations for Christmas.
Though not so elaborately ornamental as in some previous years, the general
effect was exceedingly pleasing. Over the communion table in white letters on a
scarlet ground was the text "Emmanuel, God with us". The centre was occupied
with a beautiful white cross. The miniature arches were filled with a pretty
arrangement of evergreens interspersed with flowers. The reading desk was
decorated with ivy and holly, the panels in front being ornamented with
chrysanthemum crosses, the centre one of the St Cuthbert type. The pedestal of
the lectern was gay with a choice selection of flowers and evergreens, a fine
bunch of pampas grass being especially noticeable.
Holly berries and ivy embellished the handsome pulpit. The sills of the windows
in the north and south aisles were beatified with texts worked in white on a
scarlet ground, and encircled with wreaths and evergreens. The font was
decorated with exquisite taste; the cover was surmounted with a fine cross and
chrysanthemums; the pedestal was encircled with ivy and a variety of evergreens
prettily frosted. Great praise is due to the ladies who so admirably executed
the decorations. The services were well attended. The sermons, morning and
evening, were preached by the Rev H M Mansfield, Vicar, his texts being Isaiah
ix.6, and the words "Thy holy child Jesus". The musical portion of the service
was executed with precision and taste, reflecting great credit on both organist
and choir.
A grand fancy fair [similar to our modern pantomimes] was held in the Corn
Exchange in aid of the funds of the Congregational Church. The room was fitted
up as a street of nations or grand international bazaar. The scene was laid in
Canton. The peculiar conglomeration of Oriental and European architecture was
depicted with realistic effect. Proceeding down the left side of the street, the
enterprising traveller passed in succession a Persian residence, an Indian
cottage, a Chinese house, a delightful Japanese village, a Tyrolese chalet, a
snug mountain home covered with snow and having icicles pendent from the roof, a
magnificent Buddhist temple having its elaborate exterior embellished with
representatives of the Oriental deity and dragons; the Japanese villa, "the
Golden Lily"; a pretty view on the Yang-tse-Kiang. The last abode in the curious
street was an Australian log hut.
The entire series of buildings presented a charming appearance, and attested the
well-known skill of Mr A Stubley [Alfred Stubley, painter, paperhanger,
sign-writer and art decorator of 28 West Street]. The articles exhibited on the
various stalls were both useful and ornamental. Various entertainments were
given in the evenings. Vocal and instrumental music was performed at intervals.
Amongst the amusements were The House that Jack Built and Æsop's fables
personified, which were very popular. The promoters of the enterprise are to be
congratulated on the success which has deservedly crowned their efforts.
Shop watch: Don’t they know it’s Christmas - well
Sainsburys certainly does. The price of my favourite Rheinhessen which has been
static for the past 12 months has suddenly been hiked by 15p a bottle, so adding
another 90p to the half dozen I bought this week to see me over the festive
season and no doubt other wine lovers have a similar sorry tale to tell. Shame
on you, Sainsburys!
What the local newspapers are saying: The Mayor, Councillor Jane Kingman
Pauley, gives due acknowledgement to the many volunteers in Bourne working for
the good of the community in her Christmas message on this web site and you only
need read this week’s issue of The Local newspaper to discover how
widespread that effort is (December 21st). Column after column is filled with
reports of the people and organisations devoted to helping others, an activity
that is particularly noticeable during the season of goodwill.
Even the front page carries a remarkable tale of Christmas charity in
which the people of Bourne have rallied to send parcels to our troops serving in
Iraq, a campaign that is proving to be one of their most dangerous conflicts of
recent years. The appeal was sparked off by Mrs Cherry Cliffe whose son Alan is
a major in the Royal Engineers and as a result, fifty boxes packed with
hard-to-come-by items were handed in to the newspaper’s offices in West Street
and despatched to Basra in time for Christmas. “The men have enjoyed and really
appreciated the many surprises sent by your readers, friends and families”, said
Major Cliffe. “Everything will be put to good use.”
Other reports deal with similar voluntary effort that deserve our heartfelt
thanks for the devotion of those involved and although I am reluctant to single
out anyone above the others, Alison Pettitt and her husband Philip justify a
special mention at this time because once again they are giving up their
Christmas Day to bring joy and cheer to others, particularly those who would
otherwise be alone, by cooking them Christmas lunch in the Church Hall.
The event began as an experiment last year but was such a success that it is
likely to become permanent and the newspaper reports that sixty people have
already reserved a place but Alison has vowed that no one will be turned away
for the festive fun which will include the traditional meal with gifts, carols
and games and a packed tea to see them on their way. A team of helpers including
chefs, waiters and eight volunteers will be on hand to assist while donations
have been made to help meet the cost and one resident has even given all of the
fresh vegetables. This is indeed the true spirit of Christmas.
Thought for the week: I have always thought of Christmas time, when it
has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only
time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one
consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them
as if they really were fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of
creatures bound on other journeys. - Charles Dickens, foremost novelist of
the Victorian era and vigorous social campaigner, considered to be one of the
greatest writers in the English language (1812-1870).
We are taking a break over Christmas and this column will not be
appearing again until the New Year. The web site will however be operative and
so please keep logging on when you find time and even make a contribution to the
Forum if you have something to say. In the meantime, we wish everyone out there
who visits us from around the world a happy and contented festive season and a
healthy and prosperous 2008.
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