Tuesday, 22 April 2014
THACKLEY TRUMPIT APRIL 2014
The Thackley Trumpit
( Incorporating ‘The Idle Chatterer’ & ‘The Closing Times’ )
Tel. 07944969335 Email: billco@blueyonder.co.uk
Protest to Save Fields
Thackley residents showed their anger and resolution on Saturday March 17th when 150 held a “walk in” to protest at Bradford Council’s support of the development at Cote Farm along with a national developer to build up to 250 houses on this greenfield site. Complete with banners, children, dogs etc, they walked from the Cricket Club along Leeds Road to the old Shoulder of Mutton building and round the proposed site, supported by their local MP , Councillors and a support group from Simpson Green (who face a similar fate in the future).
There is little doubt as to the depth of feeling in the area against these plans and it seems this is the only way of showing the Council and developers just how deep it goes. Thackley will not be moved on this and the “walk” is only the start of a prolonged protest against these ill thought out plans and the disruption they are likely to course.
Below is a letter from one irate member of the public who supported the walk:
On behalf of the Thackley Action Group may I shout a very loud" Thank You!!" to all those who supported our "Walk In" held on Saturday 17th. March. There was about 150 local people of all ages walking with their banners and it was nice to see family groups with prams, students with banners and the more senior of us with sticks, all chatting together as we made our way along the route. We even had a pony in support and a truly magnificent banner made by Katie and Paul(?) to compliment the official Save our Fields (mark 2) one. A special thanks also to the members of the Simpson Green Action group who came along to help out. I am sure we will return the favour when they need it. We should all remember that the traffic and school places problems we fear if Cote Farm is built on, are exactly the same as theirs and are only just down the road. Last but not least, yet another special thanks to all those members of the public who sounded their horns, patted our backs and generally wished us well. Your support, even when we blocked the zebra crossing, helped convince us our cause is your cause and is a just one.
There is no guarantee we will win this battle. Nor indeed that we will win the next one. But for those of you who walked at least have the comfort of knowing that you tried. For those of you who couldn't come, hope to see you next time. For those who couldn't be bothered, don't ever moan about the traffic, the lack of school places or the loss of greenfield spaces. Once they are gone -they are gone forever.
Jeff Thelwell.
THACKLEY TRUMPIT APRIL 2014 NEWS
Another ‘Trumeteer’ Bites The Dust
It looks as if we are going to be a little short on copy this month, again, this time it is Mick Craven in the wars. As many of you will know Mick is an enthusiastic motorcyclist and reports on our many motor sports, well he is likely to be out of action for some time following an accident last Friday afternoon in King’s Road. He is now in the BRI with a smashed left knee, a broken toe and bad bruising to his right leg, a broken right arm and broken fingers in his left hand, not in good shape at the moment.
The accident was reported in the T & A last weekend (March 22nd) along with a photograph of his bike badly mauled by the car. He was indeed fortunate in that two, off duty, paramedics and two nurses were at the scene within minutes to attend to him and an ambulance summoned very quickly soon had him in hospital.
He insists he will be able to produce some copy this month, but we don’t see how, unless he can type with his mouth, as it about the only thing working at the moment. No doubt he will find a way next month so we wish him the best and a speedy recovery.
THACKLEY TRUMPIT APRIL 2014 THE IDLE LORD
The Idle Lord Brings his Blog to ‘Trumpit’ Readers,
(With no apologies to sensitive ears)
I am a Bradfordian, born and bred, still living
in this tired old place although long since able to admit to being proud to do
so.
It’s my home and yet admitting to this
has, for many years now, opened me and countless others up to much lampooning
and the occasional dose of pity.
The city is like a fallen beauty
queen, it’s best features ravaged by time, neglect and sometimes sheer bad
fortune. The belle of the ball stands fallen cowering under pitiful glances
from cocky nearby upstarts.
And yet, whisper it quietly, the old
girl may be stirring back to life with a facelift and an injection of fresh
confidence; could she swagger again?
Bulldozers and
Concrete
For as long as I have been alive the city
has been in some state of decline.
From the madness of the Sixties, when
much of it’s heritage was bulldozed and replaced with an ugly concrete
Legoland, through to the slow death of it’s once world famous textile industry.
Wool generated much of the wealth that
built Bradford and many surrounding
areas for that matter, but we gave away our skills in exchange for cheap
tat from the Far East .
When M&S finally gave up the ghost
of supporting UK textiles in
the early 1990s the end was in sight for most major producers in Bradford .
The mills had also been a major factor
behind mass immigration post World War Two, although this was not a new concept
to Bradford . With those jobs now disappearing,
Bradford had its very own issues to confront.
Politicians, choked on political
correctness, ran for cover and any sensible debate on multi-culturalism was
impossible.
Nadir– Racial
Tensions
The pot simmered…and simmered.
The nadir surely had to be the riots
of 2001 when anyone who still refused to acknowledge that there were
racial tensions in the city had to
face reality, however unpalatable.
And yet these strains have existed
since the beginning of mankind; this is not
Bradford ’s dilemma to solve nor is the
city unique but burying the issue simply stoked up the fires.
As the city burned, confidence
vanished, investors fled and we hung our heads like a pariah in the shadow of
our brassy neighbour Leeds, gleefully sucking in new cash, desperate to become
the London
False Promises
Years of false promises and some
plainly daft schemes followed; the city seemed doomed to remain a laughing
stock, an image perpetuated by a hopeless Council seemingly in awe of anything
offered, however appalling.
We had numerous agencies foisted on us
and plans from a deranged Southern architect to turn the city centre into a Thunderbirds set.
The city lumbered from one bad news
day to another culminating with the farce of the hole in the ground when plans
for a new shopping centre simply came
to a stop, sadly after the demolishing of what was to be replaced.
At last though, the Westfield
The only plan the think tank in City
Hall appear to have with regard to the current shopping core is to put down new
paving flags. With the vision of a canary in a coal mine they stick their heads
in thick, wet sand again.
Bradford needs bold and achievable
vision and whilst Westfield
Odeon Plans
The iconic, dare I say it,
indestructible Odeon building lives on following news last week that two
organisations remain to battle it out to win the right to redevelop this almost
fifteen years since the doors shut.
Plans, led by people not councillors
or MPs, to save the Odeon have
seemingly overcome the Council’s bungled attempts to bulldoze it so they
could build Toy Town
Bradford One and Bradford Live’s separate
bids broadly centre around creating a live music venue; One offers a multi-purpose, cultural venue
whilst Live’s offer is that of a commercially-run, live performance venue.
As both applicants know though, these
are very early days and Bradford has a recent history littered with grand plans that came to
nothing leaving a population somewhat cynical.
Those that remain sceptical may
require a leap of faith but, should this come off, Bradford
will have an entertainments corner to be proud of and with architecture of
stand out quality.
It really is worth clinging to this
dream and this time Leeds – snazzy new Arena
et al – will have little to match this. Hell, we may even get a sushi bar!
The single biggest threat here could
well be that both groups fail to see that a combined bid,harnessing the best of both ideas,
would have the best chance of becoming
a reality.
This is, after all, about Bradford and not the singular dreams of individuals,
however noble their efforts so far. That two groups have achieved so much more
than our elected lame brains says it all.
Collaboration and co-operation would
ensure this wonderful building can
finally come back to life at the heart of the city and without doubt, quality retail and entertainments suck in people and spending
power.
Cash Strapped
Meanwhile, the Council that has no
cash, is rumoured to be planning to build a brand new swimming pool in the city
centre on a scale to get Lord Coe and his Olympic minions slavering.
However, in these cash-strapped times
surely we already have one in front of City Hall?
Not only is Bradford at last in danger
of getting some shops above ground, there is an incredible scheme being
considered to create an underground market
featuring a Victorian-style complex of shops, bars and restaurants.
A £1m price tag is being privately
funded with the aim of attracting young entrepreneurs.
The Tunnel is the working name for the
development and received a visit from Cllr Green, Leader of the Overground
recently, doubtless keen to see why there was more activity under than above ground.
Inspecting the access he declared that
Bradford would develop this link with the Channel Tunnel to make the onward
journeys from Eastern Europe and beyond that
much quicker.
He also declined to comment on plans
for an escape hatch with access for local councillors should the Westfield
New Idle &
District
The Central Office of Command –
T’Council – have also announced that further to their plans to concrete the
remaining green fields of North Bradford they are now to build even more
houses…on the roads.
Cars will become a thing of the past
and the air will be sweet and pure, like the space between the ears of most
councillors on the planning committee.
Furthermore, Idle, Thackley and Wrose
will be merged into a new Utopia named
after the spiritual leader of T’Council and renamed Greenland .
There will be no more need for the
Green Party and all their votes will automatically count towards the re-election of the spiritual leader in
the spirit of fairness.
And finally, all middle aged men in Greenland will be forced to wear silly earrings as a mark
of devotion to the great Leader.
Taken in the age of free love, the
Swinging Sixties, this is a great picture; note that for £12 you could also have a “Quickie”. It’s never
been that cheap at my local.
Take a look at the marvellous All
About Bradford Facebook page for more pictures of a once great city.
Anybody unfamiliar with Bradford ’s recent troubled history may get some sense of
where it all started to go wrong from pictures like the above.
Contrast the ugly concrete block –
long since gone – that dominates all around. One can only conclude that the
architects drew this one up blindfold.
If Bradford
has anything worth crowing about still it has to be some of the finest
Victorian architecture around and, whilst you cannot save everything, what went
on in the Sixties was unforgivable.
What we don’t need is London
based “modernism” (Yorkshire interpretation =
overpriced, poncy s***) dreamt up by architects up their own fat
a****…there…that feels much better!
The Idle Lord
Sorry you can’t read the boards in the background, lack of space will just not allow us to make the pics any larger. Still it is as well, it’s just possible you could be one of the contestants, now that would be embarrassing. Ed
THACKLEY TRUMPIT APRIL 2014 Idle & Thackley Theatre Group
Idle
& Thackley Theatre Group
When I wrote in last months Trumpit
are production of The Odd Couple (Female version) was forthcoming, well it is
still forthcoming. Due to quite a few problems, not the least being a member of
the cast having a car accident (she is fit and well again) we decided to
postpone the production until later. It is now taking place in our Little
Theatre on Westfield Lane
In June, it is the turn of our men to
take the stage as we mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of
World War 1 by presenting by kind permission of Richard Curtis, and the BBC,
Blackadder Goes Forth. The Original script by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton has been
adapted for our stage by Alyson Hunter and Bob Cochrane. A donation will be
made to Comic Relief.
Our junior section ITKids will also be
taking to the stage with their own show in August.
We
are very proud of our very talented group of young people, two of them Lauren
Baxter and Joe Cross both pupils of Immanuel College Three Peaks
THACKLEY TRUMPIT APRIL 2014 HEALTH MATTERS - BLADDER PROBLEMS?
Health Matters - Bladder Problems?
By Consultant Pharmacist - Nick Parmar
Urinary incontinence is a common problem, affecting women more commonly than men. Many people are embarrassed by the problem but, importantly, incontinence is often treatable through life style changes and, if necessary, medication which can be prescribed by your doctor.
So what is urinary incontinence?
If you have urinary incontinence it means that you pass urine when you do not mean to. Incontinence may cause you distress as well as being a hygiene problem. It is not clear exactly how many people are affected, but it is estimated that between three and six million people in the UK have some degree of urinary incontinence. Stress incontinence and urge incontinence are the most common types of incontinence.
stress incontinence – when the pelvic floor muscles are too weak to prevent urination, causing urine to leak when your bladder is under pressure, for example when you cough or laugh
urge incontinence – when urine leaks as you feel an intense urge to pass urine, or soon afterwards.
What causes urinary incontinence?
In urge incontinence, the urgent and frequent need to pass urine can be caused by a problem with the detrusor muscles in the walls of the bladder. The detrusor muscles relax to allow the bladder to fill with urine, then contract when you go to the toilet to let the urine out.
Stress incontinence happens when the pressure inside your bladder as it fills with urine becomes greater than the strength of your urethra to stay closed (the urethra is the tube through which urine passes out of your body).
How can you manage your urinary incontinence?
Urinary incontinence can usually be diagnosed after a consultation with your GP, who will ask about your symptoms and may carry out a pelvic examination.
Your GP may suggest you keep a diary in which you note how much fluid you drink and how often you have to urinate.
If your GP thinks a urinary infection might be the underlying cause, they will test a sample of your urine.
Treatments of urinary incontinence include:
lifestyle changes, such as losing weight
pelvic floor muscle training (exercising your pelvic floor muscles by squeezing them)
bladder training, so you can wait longer between needing to urinate and passing urine
If these measures are not effective, medication may be used to treat stress and urge incontinence.
Other lifestyle changes include:
Changing how much you drink. If you drink large volumes, it follows that you will pass more urine. If you suffer with incontinence, you should not restrict your fluid intake too much, as you risk having a lack of body fluid (dehydration).
Changing what you drink. Drinks containing caffeine (for example, tea, coffee, hot chocolate and cola) make urge incontinence worse.
Avoiding constipation. Try to maintain a healthy balanced diet that contains plenty of fruit, vegetables and soluble fibre. Severe long-term (chronic) constipation can stop the bladder emptying properly and cause overflow urinary incontinence.
Preventing urinary incontinence
It is not always possible to prevent urinary incontinence, but there are some steps you can take to reduce the chance of the condition developing, such as:
controlling your weight
reducing or stopping your alcohol consumption
keeping fit
If you feel that urinary incontinence is something that interferes with your daily life do not hesitate to speak to your GP about it. It is a common problem that shouldn't be ignored - don't be embarrassed to talk about it!
Monday, 21 April 2014
THACKLEY TRUMPIT APRIL 2014 ELEPHANT NOT IN THE ROOM
Joe is unable to
produce any gardening notes this month due to some unexpected circumstances,
but has produced the following little tale, which he hopes will help to make up
for his absence.
ELEPHANT
NOT IN THE ROOM
Whilst walking down
to the pub on Friday night, the rain pounding against my face, coming down like
stair rods and at an angle of forty five degrees, the oncoming headlights
nearly blinding me, reflecting off the
black wet surface of the road, I stepped into the gutter to avoid an
approaching large woman pushing a pram. There are certain sensations I don’t
particularly like, one is the slow creep of water onto the crotch whilst riding
the motorcycle in inclement weather
and the other is provided by leaky boots on same said motorcycle. As I stepped
into the gutter sudden rush of freezing cold swept down my feet to my toes. The
torrent running down the street had overcome the loafers and was now pooling in
my shoes. Needless to say this was not a good start to a Friday night. After
emptying out the shoes and wringing out the socks I made it to the pub with
feet like blocks of ice.
Cursing my situation
I told Ken who promptly started to extract the urine. He then pointed out how
all the gully’s seem to be blocked up these days. Every time it rains, even
lightly, the roads are awash with water of biblical proportions. The water just
rolls over the grates and on down the street. We decided the reason the gullies don’t seem to take the
water anymore is because they are
never cleaned out. When was the last time you saw an “Elephant” and a couple of
guys cleaning the grates. “When I were a lad and all this were fields,” I can
remember the road sweeping machine coming past at least twice a year the gullies would be emptied and the water
would flow.
The oft used cliché “It’s not rocket science”
applies to this problem. It’s not. Let’s start with the gulley pot (grate to
you) It’s main function in life is to trap the small amounts of grit which
accumulate in its catchments,
(usually half the area of road measured between pots, as roads tend to have a crown) It rains, the water
washes the grit and dust into the gully pot. The water in the pot tends to be
still so the grit and dirt settle out of the water to the bottom of the pot.
The water then overflows into the sewer/drain and off to the nearest
watercourse or treatment works. Eventually the grit and muck build up in the
pot until it is full. At this point any debris being flushed down the grate
flows directly over the full pot and straight into the drain. The gully pot is
then effectively useless. The grit and
debris then start to silt up the drains and sewers further down the system,
causing further flow restrictions.
The end result is popped up manhole
covers, spilling raw sewage everywhere, small lakes appearing at the sides of
the road (great for soaking pedestrians)
and flooding of low lying property. There is a simple solution to this problem!
Regular maintenance! If you notice any non-functioning grates let us know and
we will bug the council. Better still ring the council yourself and let the
useless cretins know we are aware.
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