Dust; Arthur Scargill’s Dream Reality, Britain 1984 – 2011
Arthur Scargill has been in the news recently, and it seems like a good time to recirculate information regarding DUST, which has its national premiere at The Civic in March.
DUST has been written to mark the 30th anniversary of Arthur Scargill’s election as President of the National Union of Mineworkers. Producer Ralph Bernard’s and writer Ade Morris have created a new stage play which deals with a national community suffering the cost of the miners’ strike of 1984/85; the impact of what happened then still resonating today.
Ralph is a former radio journalist and award-winning radio producer who established his career in the 1970s making documentaries including an acclaimed, landmark radio documentary series on coal miners and their industry, called Down to Earth. He spent many hours interviewing Arthur Scargill and was struck by the remarkable similarities between Arthur Scargill and AJ Cook the miners’ leader at the time of the 1926 General Strike and always wanted to produce a play, which featured them both.
Penistone to Hazelhead Trans Pennine Trail Temporary Closure
NOTICE is hereby given that Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council intends to make an Order to close a section of Penistone Public Bridleway No. 103, 104, 105, 106, 102, 110, 112, and Dunford Public Bridleway No. 25, from Green Road to Hazelhead Bridge at Whams Road on the 25TH February 2012 for an estimated duration of 8 weeks, with a maximum duration of 20 weeks.
REASON: Utility inspections and bridge repairs.
The initial closure from Green Road to Bull House Lane is on a rolling programme, so there will still be access along the trail
The alternative for the bridge repair works (Bull House Lane to Hazelhead) is available via the Trans Pennine Trail to Whams Road, then using the Parallel bridleway to Manchester
Road before getting back onto the Trail at Bull House Lane (Using Bridleways 7 and 8 Dunford, and Bridleway 27 Penistone).
PROMOTER: Sarah Ford, Public Rights of Way, telephone 01226 772142.
Royal Reception for Peak District’s Outstanding Volunteers
Volunteers who have given many years outstanding service to the Peak District National Park will be treated to a royal reception with HRH the Prince of Wales today (Fri Feb 24). Ten Peak District National Park Authority volunteer rangers whose combined service to the national park would stretch back 430 years to the reign of Elizabeth I are among those to be presented to the Prince at medieval Haddon Hall, near Bakewell.
Alongside them will be volunteers who regularly record wildlife or archaeological sites, do conservation work, or support activities such as climbing, Duke of Edinburgh award schemes or access for black and minority ethnic communities.
Other volunteers have led community building and restoration projects, or food and farming initiatives will also meet the Prince, along with staff from Haddon Hall.
Ian Milne, who celebrates 50 years voluntary service with the Peak District National Park Authority this year, is one of the longest-serving volunteer rangers in the country. Ian, a 71-year-old retired engineer from Marple, started ranger-training in 1962 when he moved down from his native Dundee.
“I was already an experienced mountaineer, and I’d been involved in mountain rescues in Scotland,” said Ian. “Although I loved being an engineer, rangering at weekends took me out of the grime and oil and smoke.”
One of his earliest memories is of a tragedy in 1964 when three young Rover Scouts on the Four Inns Walk died in a blizzard on Bleaklow.
“I was on the team that found one of them in the snow, it was very sad,” said Ian. “But good came out of it – it led to the formation of mountain rescue teams in the Peak District. I and other rangers became heavily involved in that and I became a team leader in Edale, though now they are run entirely separately from the rangers.”
His mountain rescue training included expeditions to the Arctic from 1975 to 1988.
Among Ian’s other outstanding memories are of moorland firefighting – “I remember one blaze in the 1970s when we lived up on Bleaklow for three days, trying to control the flames. Nowadays the fire services and rangers run the Fire Operations Group with moorland owners to co-ordinate firefighting, but in those days we didn’t have the specialist equipment they have now.”
Ian also worked during foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks in 1967 and 2001 when movements were restricted across the countryside. Lately he has been involved in moorland conservation work with the Moors for the Future Partnership, guiding helicopters where to drop their bulk loads of heather cuttings, seeds and fertiliser.
“The comradeship is tremendous and I enjoy the work,” said Ian, who does all this while coping with diabetes and coeliac disease. “I do a lot of fitness training in order to do it and I’ll carry on as long as I’m physically able.”
Apart from rangering, Ian does voluntary work with the British Red Cross as a wheelchair mechanic, and for the Anson Engine Museum in Poynton.
His nine colleagues with more than 40 years service who will also line up to meet the Prince are: Austin Plant from Stanton-in-the-Peak; Dave Tryner, from Matlock; Margaret Anderson, Peter Draycott, Jack Elmore and Derek Styring, all from Sheffield; Peter Jackson, from Glossop; Gavin Fay, from Haydock, Merseyside and Doug Kirwen, of Leeds.
Two more rangers who have completed 40 years service could not attend – John Peaker and Don Wilson.
Penistone Youth Club
Penistone Youth Club meet in St John’s Church on Friday evenings between 6.30pm and 8.00pm. Entry is free, Tea and Coffee available.
Wire Operatives Required
Duties will include wire drawing, rolling, cutting, cleaning, warehousing and other general tasks within our multi-skilled workplace.
Applicants will ideally have experience of handling wire and must be able to work on their own initiative to produce a high quality product.
A valid FLT licence is essential. We currently work a 39 hour week Monday – Wednesday 06.00 – 16.00, Thursday 06.00 – 15.00. Shift work may be a requirement after training.Benefits include:- contributory pension scheme and free laundered workwear.
To apply, please write or email with full C V to:
Wintwire Ltd Unit 3 Oxspring Wiremills Oxspring, Sheffield S36 8YW sales@wintwire.co.uk
Delph House Farm Withdraws Planning Application for Slurry Store
Mr Jeremy Holmes has announced that he has withdrawn a planning application for a slurry store in Upper Denby.
He said: “We have had a very strong reaction from local people to the planning application including some very threatening emails. The situation has been very distressing for myself and my family and we have been taken aback by the strength of feeling.
“As someone who has lived here all my life I have found this very difficult to deal with and don’t feel I can continue with the proposed plans. I never set out to find myself at odds with the local community but was simply trying to find a solution to new regulations being imposed on farms by the EU.
“I don’t currently know how we are going to proceed but we are working closely with the National Farmer’s Union (NFU) and the Environment Agency to find a solution that is agreeable to all.”
Commenting on the farm’s decision, a spokesman for the National farmers’ Union (NFU) said:
“It is obviously very regrettable that Mr Holmes and his family have found themselves in a situation where by law they need to increase their slurry storage capacity, but finding a site that is acceptable both to environmental regulators and local residents has proved so difficult.
“Complying with NVZ regulations is something dairy farmers up and down the country are struggling with – especially as it requires huge investment at a time when the industry is facing real difficulties. I hope the Environment Agency can now work with Mr Holmes to help resolve the situation.”
