February 2011

Campaign to repair ravaged roads

Scunthorpe Telegraph 22nd February 2011

ROADS across the region have already been targeted for pothole repairs.

Permanent repairs have begun in Bristol Road, Scunthorpe, and have also been undertaken on a stretch of the town's Scotter Road.

Most of the repairs done so far have been temporary ones, with roads targeted last week including Ermine Street, Appleby, Thorne Road, Belton and Grammar School Road, Brigg.

Also on the list to have repairs last week were Midland Road, West Common Lane, Herrick Road, Grange Lane North and Ferry Road, all in Scunthorpe, while Winterton Road, Winteringham, was also set to be repaired.

The Big Society's alive and thriving in villages

Scunthorpe Telegraph 18th February 2011

I DON'T know why people are struggling to understand what "The Big Society" is all about, because it has been very evident in Messingham and many other small towns and villages for at least 30 years and more.

In Messingham we have more than 20 separate organisations that cater for everyone, from those aged under five to those who are over 65, and they are enjoyed and well supported by many people.

To give you an example of how the big society operates in Messingham and other villages, I remember my son coming home from the junior school in the mid-80s and saying that the school didn't play football against other schools because there were no teachers to organise the boys, and they hadn't got any kit.

A group of like-minded fathers got together and decided to try to arrange football matches for the boys after school, but they didn't have a kit, so I talked to friends at Intersport and I ended up buying the school its first full football kit.

We needed to arrange games with other schools so contacted the teachers from various schools and eventually I got talking to a chap called Bob Pitchford who lived on the Berkeley estate in Scunthorpe.

We arranged games between Messingham and Gunness on a regular basis and were then being asked by parents from other schools in and around Scunthorpe if we could play against them as well, but on a Saturday morning rather than after school.

Before we knew where we were, we had formed a villages league, with about eight sides in it from Scotter, Gunness, Hibaldstow, Scawby, Broughton, Winteringham and Burton.

I for my sins became chairman and sponsor of the league with Bob as secretary and we ran what became known as the Aysgarth Services Village League for four or five years.

When the numbers became so large that the two of us were struggling to run what had grown into two divisions and we had now grown to include teams from Barton, Brigg, Parkwood and Wrawby, we needed help which was plentiful at that time, and while it was getting very expensive for me to continue as the sole sponsor, we sought and found a new sponsor in Caparo.

More than 100 teams now enjoy playing in the league we started, every Saturday morning, and all because a group of dedicated fathers wanted their sons to do something constructive with their time rather than hanging around on street corners.

Thankfully it was before the days of computers, games consoles, iPods and the like. What impressed me at that time was the number of people who were genuinely interested, the camaraderie between the teams and their parents and the respect and appreciation that everyone had for what was being done.

The boys who still live in Messingham haven't forgotten those times and they often remind my wife and I about how good it used to be, when we see them in the village, now that they are in their early 30s with children of their own.

There is a lot that can be done and continues to be done by a lot of dedicated parents, particularly in the villages, so to those who don't appreciate that "The Big Society" is alive and thriving, I would say stop moaning about it and see what you can do to make it even more effective

 

Embark on an historic journey

Scunthorpe Telegraph 12th February 2011

BIKE enthusiasts are invited to embark upon a journey through the history of the Elswick- Hopper bike at a special book signing.

On Wednesday, author Nigel Land will be signing copies of his book, Elwick-Hopper Of Barton On Humber, on the history of the bike company at Baysgarth House Museum, Barton-Upon-Humber from 7.30pm.

Nigel started researching this Barton-based bicycle maker almost ten years ago and his book was finished towards the end of last year when the final draft was taken to Fathom Press at The Ropewalk for publishing.

The need for a history of the company was initially raised with Nigel by Geoff Bryant, a local historian and author, who has done much over the years to make Barton one of the best researched Lincolnshire towns.

Nigel said: "It was after a civil society meeting and I was chatting to Geoff about bikes because I had an interest in cycling – that's how it started really.

"It's taken me nine-and-a-half years to complete because I've been getting on with other projects.

"The book covers the period from 1880, when Fred Hopper set up in Brigg Road as a whitesmith and machinist. It covers the history of cycling and how the penny farthing evolved.

"It's 284 pages, so there's a lot of material in there. It's a full history of the Elswick-Hopper from the early days. It was a family orientated business – if your dad or mum worked there then there would be three generations working at the same time."

Cycling is still very much part of Mr Land's life. He still goes to a veteran cycling club and edits a magazine produced three times a year.

But he is a fan of the original steel framed bikes.

Mr Land said: "I'm not a big fan of these carbon fibre bikes – steel is the best. You can still get hand-built bikes in Britain, but people tend to buy on price.

"In Taiwan or China there's a lot of exotic material now available so the bike manufacturing has changed a lot, but it's still the same machine."

Mr Land regularly bikes across Lincolnshire including along the bank of the river Humber, Normanby Hall and the back roads to Alkborough and Winteringham and on to Worlaby.

"It's a bit brutal for cyclists on the A1077 with the cars and lorries, but there are some fantastic cycling spots in North Lincolnshire.

"A good road without the fear of traffic is through the Wold villages and also out to Messingham" he said.
 

More roads targeted for repairs

Scunthorpe Telegraph 12th February 2011

MORE roads throughout the region are set to be targeted for pothole repairs next week, North Lincolnshire Council has announced.

As reported, the authority is publishing weekly updates of where its crews will be making repairs to surfaces damaged as a result of the severe winter.

Among the areas to be targeted from Monday are:

Ermine Street, Appleby

Thorne Road, Belton

Grammar School Road, Brigg

Main Street, Cadney

Eastfield Road, North Killingholme

Scotter Road South, Scunthorpe

Midland Road, Scunthorpe

West Common Lane, Scunthorpe

Herrick Road, Scunthorpe

Grange Lane North, Scunthorpe

Ferry Road, Scunthorpe

Winterton Road, Winteringham