Celebrating Lancashire

Today, as reported in the Lancashire Evening Post, is Lancashire Day. See LEP stories here, here and here.

November 27th, 1295 is the date in history when participation in the government of the country was first granted to representatives (two knights) of Lancashire by the then king, Edward I.

This is also the date adopted by The Friends of Real Lancashire to point out that by some quirk and blur of history and government there are many more people invited, on this day, to celebrate Lancashire than those purely based on the 'administrative' boundaries of Lancashire.

But why stop at the 'historic' boundaries of Lancashire. Let everyone celebrate this:

"He wanted to know what gradely meant, an' I towd him at that were nobbut one meaning for it an' that were 'gradely'. It were a gradely word I said an' if he couldno find it in th' dictionary it wern't a gradely dictionary" - Sam Fitton, popular Lancashire dialect writer, comic entertainer and cartoonist, 1868-1923.

He must also surely be appreciated for his innovative approach, well ahead of his time, to alternative energy:

"We'n every convenience; hot an' cowd wayter -well we'n nobbut cowd really, but yo' con soon get it warm wi' swearin' at it an' knockin' it abeawt wi' bein' vexed".

Football: players for donkeys..

Adrian Chiles, football pundit and presenter of BBC's 'The One Show', reflects in Sunday's Observer on his disappointment and dual loyalty as he supports both England and Croatia (his mum is from Zagreb) and wonders what went wrong....

"It's not like we're Hungary or Austria or some such who've not had any decent players for donkey's years."

Never mind, there's still the World Cup in 2010 to look forward to. In an ironic twist yesterday at the World Cup draw in Durban, England were drawn in the same group as Croatia.

There's a couple of years yet to practise for the re-match.

Reasonably Priced Christmas Present Idea #2

Instead of buying a book or book token perhaps some bookplates would make a nice economical but thoughtful gift.

For £2.75 the decorative envelope contains 20 gummed bookplates which can be stuck inside the cover of favourite books to denote who they belong to or more importantly where they should be returned to. They also make your books look very important.

They are made in the UK by Right Note Stationery & C. There is a wide range of themes to choose from and are currently available from Waterstone's bookshop in Preston.

Also see Reasonably Priced Christmas Present Idea #1.

Let them eat cake

On Tuesday last week the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Diamond Wedding Anniversary. Congratulations on 60 years of marriage.

To mark the occasion Buckingham Palace released 60 facts about the wedding.

As well as the official wedding cake which was nine feet high in four tiers the couple received eleven other cakes as wedding presents.

With post-war food rationing still in place ingredients were sent as wedding presents from overseas, for example the official cake was made using ingredients given as a wedding gift by Australian Girl Guides. Pieces of cake and food parcels were later distributed to schoolchildren and institutions.

One local resident's relative was part of a group of workers at W and R Jacob and Company's Aintree factory who despatched a cake to the couple. J V Swinburn, whose descendants eventually moved to Preston, made the moulds in which the cake was baked. The cake weighed about 135lbs and was mounted on a base of solid silver.

Emperor's New Clothes?

On Friday the Lancashire Evening Post reported on the embarrassment felt by the Mayor of South Ribble at not having official robes.

It seems that five years ago it was none other than the great sage Prince Philip who, while on a visit to Preston, laid the foundation of this embarrassment by asking the then Mayor of South Ribble David Pownall "Why are you not wearing robes? Are you a pauper?"

Of course, as a commenter on the story at the LEP website suggested, the Mayor could have "proudly told the Prince that the council prefers to spend its money on actual services for ordinary people."

Given the notoriously gaffe-prone Prince Philip's other pearls of wisdom some of which are listed in the LEP article it is difficult to understand why the Conservatives have paid such heed to his words. Perhaps this kind of advisor is a sign of things to come.

More Prince Philip quotations can be seen here. A particular favourite must be this one:

"Everybody was saying we must have more leisure. Now they are complaining they are unemployed." -Prince Philip during the 1981 recession.

Nice one Phil! That was pretty much as sympathetic as the Conservative government at the time.

As it is the Diamond Wedding Anniversary of the Queen and her husband this week Ma'am really must be congratulated for 60 years!

However, on a more serious note, the spending priorities of the Conservatives at South Ribble are becoming all too apparent.

A £35,000 pledge just before the local elections for the Farington waste site Judicial Review which was unlikely to succeed, money for fancy new robes but a pittance for Home-Start who serve the disadvantaged in the local community.

That is something to be embarrassed about.

Is it too early to mention christmas?

For some people with busy lives or little cash planning ahead and spreading the cost means starting a little bit earlier.

The Every Disabled Child Matters charity and HM Treasury had to start early as they have been running a competition for disabled children and young people to design the Treasury's christmas cards in aid of the EDCM charity.

The winning entry chosen by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling, was by 17 year old Matthew from Greenwich.

You can see all twelve finalists' designs from which the winner was chosen here

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister Gordon Brown commissioned one of children's favourite authors and book illustrators, Shirley Hughes, to design Number 10's Christmas card.

As education and reading is close to the PM's heart the Christmas cards will support the charity Booktrust which encourages people of all ages and cultures to discover and enjoy reading.

Closer to home this book was discovered recently in Borders the book and stationery store at Deepdale Retail Park, Preston. Published by Dalesman and edited by Alan Crosby, each page contains quotations modern and historic.

(click to enlarge)

The backcover blurb explains why it warrants a mention here as a meaningful Christmas gift.

"This may be the smallest book about the greatest county, but inside you'll find all sorts of Lancashire treasures, quotations and anecdotes, from past and present, to entertain and delight. This is just the book for locals, visitors and exiles across the world - indeed for anyone and everyone who loves Lancashire."

At only £1.99 it was worth starting Christmas shopping early.

Children in Need

This evening the BBC will once again be hosting the star-studded fundraising extravaganza, Children in Need.

This year's highlights include Lee Mead leading an amazing technicolor nationwide singalong, the cast of Hollyoaks glamming up for a Marc Bolan tribute and TV hosts Sam and Mark performing a soul classic. Plus, The Spice Girls perform the official Children in Need single.

Children in Need's mission is to "positively change the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK. Our vision is a society where each and every child and young person is supported to realise their potential."

For every penny donated to the charity, a penny goes towards projects helping disadvantaged children in the UK. This is possible because the charity uses its investment income to cover all operational costs.

The Children in Need fund gives grants to organisations working with children in the UK aged 18 and under who may have experienced mental, physical or sensory disabilities; behavioural or psychological disorders; are living in poverty or situations of deprivation; or suffering through distress, abuse or neglect.

Last year the BBC Children in Need Appeal raised over £33million.

Since 1997 the Labour government has lifted 600,000 children out of poverty, has implemented a range of policies such as the minimum wage and flexible working and this year pledged £280m over three years for short breaks for disabled children and their families.

Together, state and voluntary action helps to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged children in society.

It is always a hugely entertaining evening. From Children in Need 2005 - The Newsreaders do Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody...

Click here for details of how to donate.

UPDATE:The total raised so far, and beating last year's total at this stage, is £19,089,771. Of course the donations continue to pour in for some time to come.

David Ramsden, Chief Executive of BBC Children in Need said:

"We are overwhelmed by the response of the British public tonight and want to say a big thank you to all those who donated or Did Something Different for Pudsey. Even more money will pour in over the weeks and months ahead and we will now be looking for great projects around the UK that can make a real difference to young lives."

Read more about the night here and watch clips here

Kept in the dark but enlightened

This was the scene on a stretch of Croston Road, Farington Moss, at around midnight November 14th. Also plunged into darkness were Flensburg Way, part of Penwortham Way and part of Church Lane.

The power outage set off a symphony of burglar alarms in the area and revealed many stars not usually visible due to light pollution so it was really quite romantic.

Suddenly the lights came back on and the stars went out. Other disadvantages will be that some people will be late for work as their alarm clocks fail to go off and those who haven't installed back-up batteries in their answerphone machines will lose important messages.

Just Remember

All across the nation, at memorials in towns, villages and cities, wreaths will be laid and a proper pride paraded in Remembrance of those who were the living, and dying, embodiment of the epitaph inscribed on the Leyland War Memorial, dedicated to those who gave their lives for others in the First and Second World Wars...

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS

These local people did...

Archer, O. Arrowsmith, W. Bamber, H. Banks, W. Barr, P. Barrett, M. Barritt, F.S. Billing, G. Bilsborrow, J. Bradley, W. Brennan, F. Burns, W. Carter-McGrath, T. Cookson, D. Dawber, T. Dickinson, I. Fielding, J. Fishwick, J. Gallagher, D. Gold, D. Gregson, W.V. Griffiths, G. Grimshaw, H. Harrop, W.C. Heyes, T. Hinchcliffe, J.W. Holding, E. Horrocks, J.W. Hotchkiss, T. Hoyle, H. Kellett, O. Knight, J. Latham, F. Lewis, T. Lyons, T. Mann, W. Marsden, A.	Almond, T. Anson, H.H. Appleby, F. Ashton, J. Aspinall, R. Baldwin, F. Baldwin, T.G. Ball, G. Banister, F. Banister, H. Banister, T. Barker, E. Barnes, T. Barnes, J. Barron, R. Beardwood, J.A. Beardsworth, H. Beardsworth, R. Bennett, J. Bennett, H. Bennett, H. Berry, J.T. Berry, O.W. Berry, W. Berry, W.J. Bibby, c. Blackhurst, C. Blackhurst, J.M. Blundell, F. Blundell, V. Bolton, S. Bowling, A. Bowling, F. Boydell, P. Bradley, J. Braithwaite, R. Bretherton, J. Bretherton, S. Brindle, A. Brown, R. Brown, B. Brown, G. Burke, J.T. Butcher, F.G. Cameron, R.M.M. Cameron, N.M. Campbell, J. Campbell, T. Campbell, Jos. Campbell, W.	Cardwell, H. Carline, E. Carr, J. Carr, T. Catterall, J.H. Chamberlain, A. Chapman, J. Collinge, G. Collinge, W. Cook, C. Cook, W. Cottam, R. Croft, T.R. Crook, T. Crook, E. Cross, E. Cuncannon, J.E. Dawber, H.W. Dawber, W. Dewhurst, H. Ditchfield, R. Eaves, W. Fairclough, T. Fairclough, F. Fazackerley, J. Fidler, W. Finch, T. Fletcher, H. France, J. Glover, G. Glover, T. Glover, T.F. Gray, J.B. Gray, R. Hampson, W. Harrison, G. Harrison, N. Hatton, A. Hankin, G. Hawkins, C. Hewitson, G. Heyes, H. Higham, J. Higham, W.J. Higham. T. Hill, E. Hill, J. Hilton, J. Holding, R. Holmes, A.
Holmes, R. Holmes, W. Hornby, B. Hornby, H. Hornby, R. Jackson, H.B. Jackson, R. Jackson, W. Joyce, J. Kelly, J. Kenyon, T.W. King, J.T. Knight, J. Lazenby, R. Lindley, T. Marsden, F. Marsden, J. Marsden, W. Marsh, A. Marston, G. Marston, S. McCall, J. McDade, H. Middleton, A.C. Miller, B. Miller, M. Moore, J.E. Morrell, R.D.A. Morris, H. Morris, T. Moss, E. Nelson, R. Norris, T. Norris, S.A. Page, A. Parker, A. Parker, T.M. Pearce, F.E. Pemberton, T. Pendreigh, T. Pickup, H. Pickup, T. Porter, H. Porter, J.W. Potter, T. Preston, W.C.N. Pye, J.E. Riding, P. Rose, C.L. Sharples, J.	Sharples, J.C. Simspon, J.W. Smalley, H. Smalley, P. Southworth, H. Spiby, T. Starkie, J. Stephenson, L. Stringfellow, J. Swarbrick, J.B. Tattersall, W. Taylor, M. Thornley, G. Thornley, S. Thornton, S. Tinsley, R. Towers, G, Towers, R. Trafford, J. Turner, R. Valentine, R. Wallbank, H. Walmsley, C. Wane, J. Wareing, C. Wareing, J. Waring, T. Watkinson, W. Watson, J. Whatley, G. Wignall, T. Wildman, J. Wilson, H. Wilson, T. Wilson, R. Wood, W.L. Woods, J. Woods, R. Woodacre, F. Woodhall, W. Woodhouse, C.J. Wrennall, F. Wrennall, R. Yates, S. Tyrer, A. Fairclough, J.	Mayo, V.J. McDougall, H. McIver, C. Miller, F. Morley, R.G. Neale, J. O'Conner, R. Ogden, J. Parker, G. Parker, J. Parkinson, P. Parr, J. Peters, J. Seddon, H.L. Sefton, J.F. Shaw, H. Shepherd, F.W. Shires, F.S. Smith, F. Snape, W. Squires, A. Strangeway, R.W. Swift, T. Taylor, W. Thacker, W.L. Thomas, J.F. Todd, J.T. Tuffin, C. Valentine, F. Ward, H. Ward, M. Watson, T. Whitney, E. Williams, J.E.H. Williams, R.J. Willmott, G.H.E. Wright, R.J.

This year an additional memorial will be officially unveiled in memory of local people who have lost their lives in conflicts since 1945...
Gordon Yates, Korea 1951
Michael David Love, Falklands 1982
Stephen Robert Wright, Iraq 2006

One local family will be remembering Jackie Trafford, the little boy who perished in October 1940 aged just 11 years old when a German bomb thought to be aimed at the Leyland Motors Factory fell on Ward Street, Lostock Hall.

Isabella Trafford, Jackie's mother campaigned for years for a memorial to the 25 people killed in the tragedy to be erected and finally saw it unveiled in 1991 when she was 87 years old.

...is also being remembered

Other war memorials in the area can be found at: Brownedge Road, Bamber Bridge -Duddle Lane Junction Tardy Gate, Lostock Hall -Hope Terrace St. Ambrose Church, Leyland -Bow Lane St. Andrews Church, Leyland -Church Road

You can also locate other memorials from familiar community crosses and statues to less common memorials like bus shelters, sundials, park benches and even an island at UK National Inventory of War Memorials. Research military history and find records of your ancestors in the military at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Remember Leyland Festival?

Over at the popular social networking site 'Facebook' there is a 'bring back Leyland Festival!!!!' group. They are asking for photos of Leyland Festival. Here are some to get them started... ...see anyone you know?








..who are these naughty little boys ..very much 'in character'!

Cosmopolitan Leyland

A new delicatessen is to open soon on Hough Lane in Leyland called...

The store's website is still under construction ..but you can still get a flavour of what's on the menu by visiting their site at
www.thelancashiredeli.co.uk

Wonder what will be in the Lancashire Hamper??

Young people tell Hazel Blears what to do

Jack Straw, Hazel Blears, Andy Burnham (Hazel and Andy pictured below) and Beverley Hughes were amongst leading political figures attending and addressing Labour's North West Regional Conference earlier in the week. They were joined by North West MEPs Gary Titley, Arlene McCarthy and Brian Simpson. Arlene described how they had successfully challenged the mobile phone companies who were ripping off customers with expensive tariffs abroad. There is now a more fairly priced Euro Tariff when traveling in Europe.

There were question and answer sessions and group discussions led by the MPs.

Hazel Blears MP for Salford and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government was warm, listening and genuine in facilitating the 'Building Stronger Communities' group discussion.

Here she is being given some advice by two young Labour members from South Ribble and Chorley...

If you look closely you will be able to see that Hazel seems to have a halo above her head....

A colourful and explosive evening

Leyland Round Table Bonfire & Fireworks Display was as awesome as usual...
Oooo..

ahhh...


wow...
pretty...
WOW!
A big thanks to Leyland Round Table from all at Labour in Leyland.

Sparks flying and fireworks...

..it must be Bonfire Night!

The only heated debate this evening will be which one of the fantastic organised bonfires and firework displays to enjoy.

The spectacular Leyland Round Table Annual Bonfire & Fireworks Display at Worden Park, Leyland is said to be the largest bonfire and fireworks display in the North of England. Listen to the crowd enjoying the fireworks last year.

The safe and well organised event takes place on Monday 5th November. The bonfire will be lit at 6.30pm and the fireworks countdown starts at 7.30pm.

Also for your enjoyment at the park will be the Stanley Cubbins Fun Fair and ample catering outlets.

At £3.00 per person when purchased on the evening and £2.00 per person if purchased prior to the event and children under 5 admitted free this is a truly enjoyable experience at an affordable price.

Tickets are available from all local schools (both primary and secondary) and numerous local shops in Leyland and the surrounding areas.

All profits generated from this event are distributed to local charities and good causes.

For Penwortham folk there is the Penwortham Town Council Annual Fireworks Display at Middleforth Park, the largest FREE display in Lancashire. You can show your appreciation by contributing to a collection to be held on the evening in aid of local charities including Galloway's.

It takes place on Monday 5th November at 7.00pm at Pear Tree Park on Middleforth Green, off Leyland Road, Penwortham

A fun fair and catering outlets will also be on site.

Enjoy your evening, stay safe and consider others.