Annals for 2018
9th January 2018 AGM
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23rd January 2018 From Black to Green
Victoria Allen
Victoria Allen described how she came from a long line of Funeral Directors. Indeed she proudly showed us the silk black top hat worn by her grandfather, which still wears on special occasions. Normally she wears a black felt top hat. Before 1800 the designation “Funeral Director “did not exist. They were known as undertakers, because the family sat atop the funeral carriage, the coffin being placed underneath; hence the term undertaker. From 1800 the term Funeral Director was launched and apparently they were an unscrupulous lot. Charging high fees and working with grave robbers to sell corpses to the medical profession. These high prices meant the ordinary folk could not afford the services of the funeral director. Then along came the Co-op, which allowed these people to pay for the funeral through their dividends. In1832 the Anatomy Act stipulated that those that required corpses to study anatomy, i.e. professional medical people and students would receive corpses only under licence from the Home Secretary. These were typically the bodies of murderers, those that died in hospital, and those that died in prison or the workhouse. This effectively stopped the practice of body snatchers.
Victoria pointed out that it was not until 1946 that purpose built Funeral Parlours came into being.
The business of wearing black for funerals stemmed from Queen Victoria. The speaker informed us that the Victorians had a predilection for ostentation at funerals using highly decorated horse drawn carriages and hiring professional wailers. All attendees’ persons wore black. She told us that women went through three stages of mourning. Stage One, she wore black from head to toe, no jewellery and did not leave her house for one year, Stage Two, lasting 9 months she could to receive guests and can wear black lace, finally Stage Three lasting three, she is allowed to wear lavender. The whole process took two and half years. As for men, the mourning period lasted just three months.
We were told that from the 1980s the people began to consider that the funeral should be a celebration of the life of the deceased. Consequently wearing black is not de rigeur and nowadays it is not unusual for popular songs and jazz bands to be played at the funeral. Indeed, coffins are now supplied in cardboard, woven bamboo, woven willow, veneered oak or solid oak and can be colourfully decorated.
As the population grew, space for burials in churchyards became limited and the first cemetery was laid out in 1832. The first purpose-built crematorium was built in 1888. Apparently, 70% of funerals assured us now take place in crematoria. It was not till after 1963 that Catholics were allowed to be cremated. Victoria assured us that it is only the ashes received are from the deceased only. She said that crematoria are very rigorously controlled. Apparently, pace makers should be removed from the body to prevent an explosion occurring in the crematorium. Any metal precious or otherwise that is found in the ashes is donated to charity. The ashes can be supplied in small oaken or woven bamboo caskets or an ash scatter tube. Permission should be sought for scattering ashes say on a hill or some beauty spot for instance.
Lots of questions were asked, one in particular was how she dealt with ethnic burials. Victoria said that she tries as far as possible to fit in with the mourner’s requirements.
Victoria talk was very well presented and informative. It was well received by the members.
By Frank Baker
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
23rd January 2018 From Black to Green
Victoria Allen
Victoria Allen described how she came from a long line of Funeral Directors. Indeed she proudly showed us the silk black top hat worn by her grandfather, which still wears on special occasions. Normally she wears a black felt top hat. Before 1800 the designation “Funeral Director “did not exist. They were known as undertakers, because the family sat atop the funeral carriage, the coffin being placed underneath; hence the term undertaker. From 1800 the term Funeral Director was launched and apparently they were an unscrupulous lot. Charging high fees and working with grave robbers to sell corpses to the medical profession. These high prices meant the ordinary folk could not afford the services of the funeral director. Then along came the Co-op, which allowed these people to pay for the funeral through their dividends. In1832 the Anatomy Act stipulated that those that required corpses to study anatomy, i.e. professional medical people and students would receive corpses only under licence from the Home Secretary. These were typically the bodies of murderers, those that died in hospital, and those that died in prison or the workhouse. This effectively stopped the practice of body snatchers.
Victoria pointed out that it was not until 1946 that purpose built Funeral Parlours came into being.
The business of wearing black for funerals stemmed from Queen Victoria. The speaker informed us that the Victorians had a predilection for ostentation at funerals using highly decorated horse drawn carriages and hiring professional wailers. All attendees’ persons wore black. She told us that women went through three stages of mourning. Stage One, she wore black from head to toe, no jewellery and did not leave her house for one year, Stage Two, lasting 9 months she could to receive guests and can wear black lace, finally Stage Three lasting three, she is allowed to wear lavender. The whole process took two and half years. As for men, the mourning period lasted just three months.
We were told that from the 1980s the people began to consider that the funeral should be a celebration of the life of the deceased. Consequently wearing black is not de rigeur and nowadays it is not unusual for popular songs and jazz bands to be played at the funeral. Indeed, coffins are now supplied in cardboard, woven bamboo, woven willow, veneered oak or solid oak and can be colourfully decorated.
As the population grew, space for burials in churchyards became limited and the first cemetery was laid out in 1832. The first purpose-built crematorium was built in 1888. Apparently, 70% of funerals assured us now take place in crematoria. It was not till after 1963 that Catholics were allowed to be cremated. Victoria assured us that it is only the ashes received are from the deceased only. She said that crematoria are very rigorously controlled. Apparently, pace makers should be removed from the body to prevent an explosion occurring in the crematorium. Any metal precious or otherwise that is found in the ashes is donated to charity. The ashes can be supplied in small oaken or woven bamboo caskets or an ash scatter tube. Permission should be sought for scattering ashes say on a hill or some beauty spot for instance.
Lots of questions were asked, one in particular was how she dealt with ethnic burials. Victoria said that she tries as far as possible to fit in with the mourner’s requirements.
Victoria talk was very well presented and informative. It was well received by the members.
By Frank Baker
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6th February 2018 Blue Remembered Hills
Keith Pybus
A notable local historian and author of several books, Keith explained in his introduction that his talk related the tragic story of four children born in the Corvedale who were sent to America on the Mayflower in 1620. The event only came to light in 1959 when Sir Jasper More (then MP for Ludlow) discovered a document in a trunk at his home Linley Hall near Bishops Castle.
Katherine More lived at Larden Hall close to Shipton, where one branch of the More family owned 1000 acres. She had expected to marry Jacob Blakemore, an ordinary commoner from nearby Brockton. However, her father considered him unsuitable and arranged with the owner of Linley Hall that Katherine should marry her third cousin Samuel More. The marriage took place in 1611and Samuel was set up with a secretarial post in London by his father.
Katherine had four children over the next few years, but there was some doubt about who the father was. Samuel accordingly obtained custody of the children and removed them from Larden Hall to Linley Hall. Katherine did not contest the accusation of adultery with Jacob Blakemore.
The document found in 1959 revealed how the four children Elinor, Jasper, Richard and Mary, at the respective ages of eight, seven, six and four were put on the Mayflower to be sent to work on plantations in North Virginia (now Long Island)
However, after much delay the Mayflower finally arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in September 1620, many miles north of the children’s intended destination. No settlement was built in the cold winter, and by the spring of 1621half the crew and passengers had perished: only Richard of the children survived. He went on to live a long and colourful life, becoming a mariner and trading at sea. He married in 1696 and moved to Salem, dying in 1695 as the last surviving male passenger of the Mayflower. Larden Hall survived until demolition in 1967.
Keith delivered his talk with great clarity and the question session at the end provided much further thought and discussion.
Owen Elias gave an elegant vote of thanks, recalling that when he was mayor of Ludlow he had met and addressed members of the Massachusetts Society in the Feathers Hotel.
As a postscript this writer noticed just nine days after the meeting an article in the Shropshire Star describing preparation being made by a group called ‘Shropshire’s Mayflower Children’ for the event in 2020 to highlight the More children’s sailing and the circumstances leading up to it.
By Mike Haines
Keith Pybus
A notable local historian and author of several books, Keith explained in his introduction that his talk related the tragic story of four children born in the Corvedale who were sent to America on the Mayflower in 1620. The event only came to light in 1959 when Sir Jasper More (then MP for Ludlow) discovered a document in a trunk at his home Linley Hall near Bishops Castle.
Katherine More lived at Larden Hall close to Shipton, where one branch of the More family owned 1000 acres. She had expected to marry Jacob Blakemore, an ordinary commoner from nearby Brockton. However, her father considered him unsuitable and arranged with the owner of Linley Hall that Katherine should marry her third cousin Samuel More. The marriage took place in 1611and Samuel was set up with a secretarial post in London by his father.
Katherine had four children over the next few years, but there was some doubt about who the father was. Samuel accordingly obtained custody of the children and removed them from Larden Hall to Linley Hall. Katherine did not contest the accusation of adultery with Jacob Blakemore.
The document found in 1959 revealed how the four children Elinor, Jasper, Richard and Mary, at the respective ages of eight, seven, six and four were put on the Mayflower to be sent to work on plantations in North Virginia (now Long Island)
However, after much delay the Mayflower finally arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in September 1620, many miles north of the children’s intended destination. No settlement was built in the cold winter, and by the spring of 1621half the crew and passengers had perished: only Richard of the children survived. He went on to live a long and colourful life, becoming a mariner and trading at sea. He married in 1696 and moved to Salem, dying in 1695 as the last surviving male passenger of the Mayflower. Larden Hall survived until demolition in 1967.
Keith delivered his talk with great clarity and the question session at the end provided much further thought and discussion.
Owen Elias gave an elegant vote of thanks, recalling that when he was mayor of Ludlow he had met and addressed members of the Massachusetts Society in the Feathers Hotel.
As a postscript this writer noticed just nine days after the meeting an article in the Shropshire Star describing preparation being made by a group called ‘Shropshire’s Mayflower Children’ for the event in 2020 to highlight the More children’s sailing and the circumstances leading up to it.
By Mike Haines
20th February 2018
RAILWAY JOURNALISM—AN ENGINEER OFF THE RAILS
GRAHAM TAYLOR
Graham gave a very light-hearted presentation, but with a serious background, about his two careers: firstly, with the then British Rail and, secondly, as a freelance engineer/writer. He subsequently became editor of “The Rail Engineer” —a publication which is free to the trade/profession, and paid for by advertisements.
Graham first described his training/career, starting as a rail engineer apprentice, which initially involved visiting railway engineering structures such as the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait, moving on to the design of bridges etc, and gradually taking on more and more responsibilities. After about 35 years of increasingly frantic activity, he felt “burnt out”. But; luckily for him, in 1995, Rail Privatisation took place. It was then that Graham decided to go freelance, subsequently becoming editor of “The Rail Engineer” —a publication which is free to the trade/profession, but paid for by advertisements.
He commented on some of the more unfortunate results of privatisation. In his view, Rail Track, the private company set up to own the track etc. “didn’t know what it had” nor knew enough about how the former, publicly-owned company, had operated. In some cases this had tragic consequences such as in the Ladbrook Road disaster when a local train wrongly found itself in the path of a main line train. The driver, who was a new entrant, simply didn’t know where he was and “got lost”. Sadly this was probably the result of the lack of correct training.
As Editor, Graham found that he was really just the figurehead. The power resided with the Proprietor, and most of the work was done by the Production Editor and the Publicity and Design Manager. Care had to be taken that the number of errors was small and that authors of articles used recognised terms of the profession (e.g. concrete doesn’t “set”, it “cures”). If a company didn’t take any advertising space, then mention of it in articles was kept to the barest minimum. If the company wanted more publicity, it was persuaded to advertise, so this was a way of attracting more income. Each issue usually had a theme, e.g. tunnel aerodynamics. (I don’ think that this means that tunnels move!) He was lucky enough to visit many places of interest, from (unfortunately) accident sites and landslides, to (more fortunately) the Channel Tunnel, Trade shows, and photogenic places, such as the Forth Bridge.
As editor, over the years, Graham originally met much friction, then later, less friction, and finally, found he had no responsibility.
By Barry Trevers
RAILWAY JOURNALISM—AN ENGINEER OFF THE RAILS
GRAHAM TAYLOR
Graham gave a very light-hearted presentation, but with a serious background, about his two careers: firstly, with the then British Rail and, secondly, as a freelance engineer/writer. He subsequently became editor of “The Rail Engineer” —a publication which is free to the trade/profession, and paid for by advertisements.
Graham first described his training/career, starting as a rail engineer apprentice, which initially involved visiting railway engineering structures such as the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait, moving on to the design of bridges etc, and gradually taking on more and more responsibilities. After about 35 years of increasingly frantic activity, he felt “burnt out”. But; luckily for him, in 1995, Rail Privatisation took place. It was then that Graham decided to go freelance, subsequently becoming editor of “The Rail Engineer” —a publication which is free to the trade/profession, but paid for by advertisements.
He commented on some of the more unfortunate results of privatisation. In his view, Rail Track, the private company set up to own the track etc. “didn’t know what it had” nor knew enough about how the former, publicly-owned company, had operated. In some cases this had tragic consequences such as in the Ladbrook Road disaster when a local train wrongly found itself in the path of a main line train. The driver, who was a new entrant, simply didn’t know where he was and “got lost”. Sadly this was probably the result of the lack of correct training.
As Editor, Graham found that he was really just the figurehead. The power resided with the Proprietor, and most of the work was done by the Production Editor and the Publicity and Design Manager. Care had to be taken that the number of errors was small and that authors of articles used recognised terms of the profession (e.g. concrete doesn’t “set”, it “cures”). If a company didn’t take any advertising space, then mention of it in articles was kept to the barest minimum. If the company wanted more publicity, it was persuaded to advertise, so this was a way of attracting more income. Each issue usually had a theme, e.g. tunnel aerodynamics. (I don’ think that this means that tunnels move!) He was lucky enough to visit many places of interest, from (unfortunately) accident sites and landslides, to (more fortunately) the Channel Tunnel, Trade shows, and photogenic places, such as the Forth Bridge.
As editor, over the years, Graham originally met much friction, then later, less friction, and finally, found he had no responsibility.
By Barry Trevers
6th March 2018
Growing Innovation
Kit Smith
Kit’s father was an eminent zoologist and Kit studied agriculture at Wye College. His first job was as manager of a 3000 acre arable farm. Then for 27years he operated a vegetable packing operation for the supermarkets. After his contract with Sainsbury’s was cancelled he opened his own garden Centre. He also served on the parish, district and county councils.
Kit referred to the Rev. Thomas Malthus, a Fellow of the Royal Society, (1766 – 1834) who warned about over-population with insufficient food. He was unduly worried then, but since the 1950’s the world’s population has risen exponentially and the concerns are now real. He has been involved in innovations in the production of wheat, potatoes and other foods. Wheat stalks used to be long and frequently got mangled. Now short, firm-stalked wheat has been developed which is easier to harvest. Also yields have increased dramatically.
The yield of potatoes has increased from 8-10 tons /acre in 1980 to 12-20 tons/acre in 2000. There is potential for further improvement using photosynthesis and making optimum use of sunlight.
The age old method of plant grafting is being used to increase yields and genetically modified crops have a great future – politicians permitting!
Factory farming of chickens and salmon is now common place and there are 200 acres of glass in Kent growing 225 million tons of 30ft tall tomato plants every year.
Farmers are seeking to embrace global warming by growing wheat and other crops in the north of Europe (Kit grows apricots in his garden)
We will probably have to stop eating animal protein such as beef, lamb, pigs and fish since they are producing great quantities of greenhouse gases. They are also inefficient in their use of land, water and feed. One likely alternative protein provider will be crickets!
Kit hopes that in the future the Rev. Thomas Malthus will not be proved right.
By Bernard North
Growing Innovation
Kit Smith
Kit’s father was an eminent zoologist and Kit studied agriculture at Wye College. His first job was as manager of a 3000 acre arable farm. Then for 27years he operated a vegetable packing operation for the supermarkets. After his contract with Sainsbury’s was cancelled he opened his own garden Centre. He also served on the parish, district and county councils.
Kit referred to the Rev. Thomas Malthus, a Fellow of the Royal Society, (1766 – 1834) who warned about over-population with insufficient food. He was unduly worried then, but since the 1950’s the world’s population has risen exponentially and the concerns are now real. He has been involved in innovations in the production of wheat, potatoes and other foods. Wheat stalks used to be long and frequently got mangled. Now short, firm-stalked wheat has been developed which is easier to harvest. Also yields have increased dramatically.
The yield of potatoes has increased from 8-10 tons /acre in 1980 to 12-20 tons/acre in 2000. There is potential for further improvement using photosynthesis and making optimum use of sunlight.
The age old method of plant grafting is being used to increase yields and genetically modified crops have a great future – politicians permitting!
Factory farming of chickens and salmon is now common place and there are 200 acres of glass in Kent growing 225 million tons of 30ft tall tomato plants every year.
Farmers are seeking to embrace global warming by growing wheat and other crops in the north of Europe (Kit grows apricots in his garden)
We will probably have to stop eating animal protein such as beef, lamb, pigs and fish since they are producing great quantities of greenhouse gases. They are also inefficient in their use of land, water and feed. One likely alternative protein provider will be crickets!
Kit hopes that in the future the Rev. Thomas Malthus will not be proved right.
By Bernard North
20th March 2018 All the Worlds a Stage
Wayne Swann
We had been warned at the last meeting, that this would be a talk not to be missed and so it proved to be. Thank goodness the weekend snow had cleared sufficiently not to cause a problem!
By way of an introduction, the beginning of Jaques ‘All the world’s a stage’ ….. speech, from As You Like It, was on the screen as Wayne opened his talk by declaiming it in a clear, strong voice.
His first public performance had been as the Angel Gabriel in a school nativity play in the Derbyshire village where he grew up and from that day he had set his heart on a career on the stage. His first paid performance was with the Partington Players, at Glossop Theater, where he sang ‘All things Bright and Beautiful’ from a concealed position offstage. A memorable performance as his voice broke part way through!
When he left school he wanted to apply to RADA, but his family persuaded him to go to university to read law. After qualifying as a solicitor he was somehow able to find time to slip in some stage performances, though these became less frequent latterly when he was working mainly in criminal law for Telford Council.
We were shown an impressive selection of press cuttings relating to performances at a wide range of venues – Shrewsbury Castle, Attingham Park, and Ludlow Castle among others, as well as some from his work in local theaters where pantomime featured prominently.
After a great deal of effort Wayne succeeded in obtaining his Equity Card, just at the time they no longer were obligatory. In 1999 he had his first experience of TV with voiceovers and commercials. In the following year he appeared in his first film. There have been several successful ones since and his performance as the father in a Greek beer commercial has been international acclaimed.
Followed by questions from the members:
Do you have problems learning your words? – Yes it gets more difficult as you get older, this is one reason he prefers commercials or films. Also drama nowadays favours mumbling and my voice is too strong for that level of speech.
Did you have nerves before a new play on the first night? – Less so in younger days, but still very anxious before the first night of pantomime.
How do you get work? – through an agent or casting director who advise suitable opportunities for my age and style. For this they charge 20%.
A first class presentation that is difficult to do justice to in a summary such as this.
By Andrew Stedman
3 April 2018 Falconry from the Stuarts and Tudors to today
Chris Neale
Chris, living near Clee Hill, breeds and lectures on these birds of prey supplying them to customers all over the world. He had his first Hawk and Kestrel aged 14 gaining his experience from his grandfather. He even had a Golden Eagle called Ivan. A row of large black boxes contained the subjects of his talk and so it was clear from the outset that he had no need of the computer/projector etc., normally present. We had the real thing!
Falconry is a very old sport. It is pictured in the tomb of Tutankhamen and that ‘the King was out with his hawks’ is mentioned in Parliament in the 16th century – September 20th 1533.
The first bird displayed was a kestrel which is a small falcon. The male has a grey head and tail while the female is a dull brown. It hovers looking for urine trails left by its prey mice etc. which it can see in ultra-violet light. The kestrel has excellent sight from 15miles+. Compare this with the owl which is a dawn and dusk hunter and contrary to common belief cannot see in the dark. It detects its ground moving prey by the sounds they make. Hence the ears.
Certain words have come into English from falconry. The falcon was fed on a frame called a cadge which it reached across to take its meal. The frame was often carried by an older retainer. So we have ‘to cadge’ and ‘old codger’. Also for a penny the falcon’s hood would be briefly removed and replaced to show the falcon’s head. Thus to ‘hoodwink’.
The falcon has a lower notch in its beak and a corresponding upper notch with which it can crush the vertebrae of the smaller birds which it catches (blackbird etc.,) Hawks do not have these since they tear their prey with their talons and beaks. This is a major difference.
In captivity today, birds are kept in boxes or sit in a line of seats making a row about 5metres long rather like a row of toilets and which we know as a mews. They feed on mice and cockerels which are brought in. The Queen keeps falcons. The blue ring on our kestrel’s leg indicates a bird bred in captivity. Nowadays a bird can be fitted with an electronic tracker which means that if lost, can be located as a spot in the sky on a computer screen.
A peregrine falcon called Moss was our next bird and as with all falcons, very fast and with its long narrow, pointy wings able to dive at 150 mph. Together with his excellent vision of miles in his line of sight, Moss was well equipped to catch his food of rooks and blackbirds. This bird is still found wild on Clee Hill.
Hawks have shorter, broader wings than falcons and generally glide and so are slower. Chris’s example was the American Red Tailed Hawk which is very common in America where it nests even in Central Park. Hawks tend to hunt around trees where their short wings are an advantage. They have a full moult every year. The Goshawk (from goose which in the past and in the wild were this hawk’s prey) was the cook’s favourite bird - essence of the saying ‘catch, cook and eat’.
The Gyr falcon comes in colours from dull to white, the white being highly prized in Arabia and The Middle East fetching prices of up to £20,000. An efficient method of breeding , which is all down to careful timing, is to let the bird sit on its first clutch for awhile and then remove these to an incubator The bird rests for a day or two and will then produce a second one which it hatches.
There were many questions, mostly answered during the talk but included for example that the life span of the red tailed hawk was about 30+ years and breeding began at about 8 years old. The falcon or hawk was held by the left hand leaving the right sword hand free. DEFRA oversaw hawks and falcons in the wild which, of course can be a problem to farmers etc., Chris put on a tie which contained in it an invisible lens giving a panoramic view of what was happening in front of it. He had used it in his shorts to record what was happening to enable the authorities to catch tiger poachers abroad. Similarly with transgressions against birds in this country
Tom Froggatt in his vote of thanks described Chris’s talk as fascinating, an excellent history lesson, and a lot about birds. The warmth of the applause showed that members agreed.
By Graham Till
Chris Neale
Chris, living near Clee Hill, breeds and lectures on these birds of prey supplying them to customers all over the world. He had his first Hawk and Kestrel aged 14 gaining his experience from his grandfather. He even had a Golden Eagle called Ivan. A row of large black boxes contained the subjects of his talk and so it was clear from the outset that he had no need of the computer/projector etc., normally present. We had the real thing!
Falconry is a very old sport. It is pictured in the tomb of Tutankhamen and that ‘the King was out with his hawks’ is mentioned in Parliament in the 16th century – September 20th 1533.
The first bird displayed was a kestrel which is a small falcon. The male has a grey head and tail while the female is a dull brown. It hovers looking for urine trails left by its prey mice etc. which it can see in ultra-violet light. The kestrel has excellent sight from 15miles+. Compare this with the owl which is a dawn and dusk hunter and contrary to common belief cannot see in the dark. It detects its ground moving prey by the sounds they make. Hence the ears.
Certain words have come into English from falconry. The falcon was fed on a frame called a cadge which it reached across to take its meal. The frame was often carried by an older retainer. So we have ‘to cadge’ and ‘old codger’. Also for a penny the falcon’s hood would be briefly removed and replaced to show the falcon’s head. Thus to ‘hoodwink’.
The falcon has a lower notch in its beak and a corresponding upper notch with which it can crush the vertebrae of the smaller birds which it catches (blackbird etc.,) Hawks do not have these since they tear their prey with their talons and beaks. This is a major difference.
In captivity today, birds are kept in boxes or sit in a line of seats making a row about 5metres long rather like a row of toilets and which we know as a mews. They feed on mice and cockerels which are brought in. The Queen keeps falcons. The blue ring on our kestrel’s leg indicates a bird bred in captivity. Nowadays a bird can be fitted with an electronic tracker which means that if lost, can be located as a spot in the sky on a computer screen.
A peregrine falcon called Moss was our next bird and as with all falcons, very fast and with its long narrow, pointy wings able to dive at 150 mph. Together with his excellent vision of miles in his line of sight, Moss was well equipped to catch his food of rooks and blackbirds. This bird is still found wild on Clee Hill.
Hawks have shorter, broader wings than falcons and generally glide and so are slower. Chris’s example was the American Red Tailed Hawk which is very common in America where it nests even in Central Park. Hawks tend to hunt around trees where their short wings are an advantage. They have a full moult every year. The Goshawk (from goose which in the past and in the wild were this hawk’s prey) was the cook’s favourite bird - essence of the saying ‘catch, cook and eat’.
The Gyr falcon comes in colours from dull to white, the white being highly prized in Arabia and The Middle East fetching prices of up to £20,000. An efficient method of breeding , which is all down to careful timing, is to let the bird sit on its first clutch for awhile and then remove these to an incubator The bird rests for a day or two and will then produce a second one which it hatches.
There were many questions, mostly answered during the talk but included for example that the life span of the red tailed hawk was about 30+ years and breeding began at about 8 years old. The falcon or hawk was held by the left hand leaving the right sword hand free. DEFRA oversaw hawks and falcons in the wild which, of course can be a problem to farmers etc., Chris put on a tie which contained in it an invisible lens giving a panoramic view of what was happening in front of it. He had used it in his shorts to record what was happening to enable the authorities to catch tiger poachers abroad. Similarly with transgressions against birds in this country
Tom Froggatt in his vote of thanks described Chris’s talk as fascinating, an excellent history lesson, and a lot about birds. The warmth of the applause showed that members agreed.
By Graham Till
17th April 2018 Spring Lunch
The Riverside Aymestrey
The spring lunch was attended by 38 members and their guests,
The Riverside Aymestrey
The spring lunch was attended by 38 members and their guests,
1st May 2018 MARIE CURIE FOUNDATION
JULIE GRAY
Charity Fundraiser for Shropshire and South Staffordshire
The Marie Curie Foundation was set up in 1948, the same year that the NHS started. Money raised from a donated diamond ring raised £75 for the founding.
Today, it is the largest terminal illness charity in the UK. Its work supports 50,000 people annually and has running costs of £50 million p.a. It employs 4260 staff supported by 9000 volunteers. It covers 96% of the UK and has 190 high street shops. 9 hospices, 49 regional offices and 2000 hands-on nurses also need to be financed.
The aim of the Foundation is based on the principle that terminally ill patients deserve their care to be provided in a location of their own choice. Emotional and practical support is also provided to family and friends.
To achieve this, it provides services such as overnight nurses, helpers at home, and hospices. Additional areas provided are information about treatments, medication, legal and financial matters, trained advisors to consult, and a support line all of this is ‘trusted information’ from the Foundation. Research and campaigning programs in the media and with politicians are also supported by the funding.
Fundraising is achieved in a wide-ranging number of ways. The most important is the annual Yellow Daffodil Appeal, the biggest raiser of funds. This was badly disrupted in 2018 by the adverse weather conditions in early spring. Basically, ‘anything goes’ when it comes to raising funds.
Community Fundraisers work to raise awareness of the Foundation. They work closely with local volunteer groups, give talks, organise collections and support fundraisers with appropriate material.
Volunteers are vital to the fundraising activities as well as staffing high street shops.
This was an interesting talk which gave members a clear insight about the role of the Foundation.
Questions were asked from which it emerged that the MacMillan Nurses and the Marie Curie staff work in close harmony with patients. However, it is only the Foundation which works with terminally ill patients and their families.
A collection box was available for members to make voluntary contributions.
A Vote of Thanks proposed by Tony Martyr to Julie was warmly applauded by members.
Reporter: Martin Thomas
JULIE GRAY
Charity Fundraiser for Shropshire and South Staffordshire
The Marie Curie Foundation was set up in 1948, the same year that the NHS started. Money raised from a donated diamond ring raised £75 for the founding.
Today, it is the largest terminal illness charity in the UK. Its work supports 50,000 people annually and has running costs of £50 million p.a. It employs 4260 staff supported by 9000 volunteers. It covers 96% of the UK and has 190 high street shops. 9 hospices, 49 regional offices and 2000 hands-on nurses also need to be financed.
The aim of the Foundation is based on the principle that terminally ill patients deserve their care to be provided in a location of their own choice. Emotional and practical support is also provided to family and friends.
To achieve this, it provides services such as overnight nurses, helpers at home, and hospices. Additional areas provided are information about treatments, medication, legal and financial matters, trained advisors to consult, and a support line all of this is ‘trusted information’ from the Foundation. Research and campaigning programs in the media and with politicians are also supported by the funding.
Fundraising is achieved in a wide-ranging number of ways. The most important is the annual Yellow Daffodil Appeal, the biggest raiser of funds. This was badly disrupted in 2018 by the adverse weather conditions in early spring. Basically, ‘anything goes’ when it comes to raising funds.
Community Fundraisers work to raise awareness of the Foundation. They work closely with local volunteer groups, give talks, organise collections and support fundraisers with appropriate material.
Volunteers are vital to the fundraising activities as well as staffing high street shops.
This was an interesting talk which gave members a clear insight about the role of the Foundation.
Questions were asked from which it emerged that the MacMillan Nurses and the Marie Curie staff work in close harmony with patients. However, it is only the Foundation which works with terminally ill patients and their families.
A collection box was available for members to make voluntary contributions.
A Vote of Thanks proposed by Tony Martyr to Julie was warmly applauded by members.
Reporter: Martin Thomas
15th May 2018 Around the World in 60 days Part 2
Paul Hayward
Paul stated that he had finished Part 1 last August of his around the world journey in New Zealand. Here he returned his motor bike and had his last supper of green-lipped mussels and sauvignon blanc before flying back to Brisbane.
His plan was to fly to San Francisco stopping at Hawaii on the way.
We were treated to a fascinating description of the islands, which are of volcanic origin and extend to over two thousand miles.
He tested the members as to why the local flag has the Union Flag in its upper hoist corner.
Being volcanic the coasts end in steep cliffs allowing excellent opportunities for snorkeling, but originally made access very difficult with only mule tracks as the means of getting from one side to the other, now roads have been cut through the rock with tunnels where necessary.
Pearl Harbour is sited at the islands and Paul reported extensively about the background that led to the US fleet had been moved there from San Francisco. So as to be closer to the threat posed by Japan. This led to Japan, who had become worried about future oil supplies, to attack the fleet as it lay at anchor in the Harbour. Paul had pictures of the remaining sunken ships, including of the USS Missouri on which the eventual Japanese surrender document was signed. Dole pineapples featured extensively in the islands output!
On to San Francisco which has been built on the remains of some 500 ships abandoned by the crews and officer in the 49’ers gold rush. He visited Alcatraz and rode on the trolley which is operated by a gripper.
Across Oakland Bay Bridge to board a double decker train for a 3 day and night journey to Chicago. Very keen to talk about Rebecca the meal car attendant and her control of the seating arrangements (hints of a childhood nanny?) through the Rockies to Denver and onto Chicago where he was very taken with the Sears Building apparently now called the Wills Building. On the top floor there are glass boxes attached to the building in which you can stand and enjoy the sensation of being in midair with nothing between you and the ground 1500 feet below. He was also able to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright museum, he was the person who designed and built steel frame buildings which allowed windows to be placed where ever wanted.
The final slide showed the gigantic gargoyles that mark the exit to Gotham City.
By Iain Field
Paul Hayward
Paul stated that he had finished Part 1 last August of his around the world journey in New Zealand. Here he returned his motor bike and had his last supper of green-lipped mussels and sauvignon blanc before flying back to Brisbane.
His plan was to fly to San Francisco stopping at Hawaii on the way.
We were treated to a fascinating description of the islands, which are of volcanic origin and extend to over two thousand miles.
He tested the members as to why the local flag has the Union Flag in its upper hoist corner.
Being volcanic the coasts end in steep cliffs allowing excellent opportunities for snorkeling, but originally made access very difficult with only mule tracks as the means of getting from one side to the other, now roads have been cut through the rock with tunnels where necessary.
Pearl Harbour is sited at the islands and Paul reported extensively about the background that led to the US fleet had been moved there from San Francisco. So as to be closer to the threat posed by Japan. This led to Japan, who had become worried about future oil supplies, to attack the fleet as it lay at anchor in the Harbour. Paul had pictures of the remaining sunken ships, including of the USS Missouri on which the eventual Japanese surrender document was signed. Dole pineapples featured extensively in the islands output!
On to San Francisco which has been built on the remains of some 500 ships abandoned by the crews and officer in the 49’ers gold rush. He visited Alcatraz and rode on the trolley which is operated by a gripper.
Across Oakland Bay Bridge to board a double decker train for a 3 day and night journey to Chicago. Very keen to talk about Rebecca the meal car attendant and her control of the seating arrangements (hints of a childhood nanny?) through the Rockies to Denver and onto Chicago where he was very taken with the Sears Building apparently now called the Wills Building. On the top floor there are glass boxes attached to the building in which you can stand and enjoy the sensation of being in midair with nothing between you and the ground 1500 feet below. He was also able to visit the Frank Lloyd Wright museum, he was the person who designed and built steel frame buildings which allowed windows to be placed where ever wanted.
The final slide showed the gigantic gargoyles that mark the exit to Gotham City.
By Iain Field
13th June 2018 Lasting Powers of Attorney
Thomas Wardle
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the donor) choose trusted people (attorneys) to make decisions on your behalf. An LPA is mainly used if you don’t have the mental capacity to make decisions on yourself. The two types of LPAs are for Finances, Health and Welfare.
Over 750,000 people a year are now registering for an LPA – an increase of 180% over the last five years. The speaker explained that this huge increase was due to the efforts being made to publicise
the benefits, a greater understanding of its purpose and growing concerns regarding capacity in later life. The Office of Public Guardian, that oversees the administration of LPAs, considers that possession of an LPA is as important as making a will; there is no conflict between the two because once you die the LPA becomes invalid.
On the issue of attorneys, who will be empowered to make decisions on your behalf in relation to your finances and /or health and welfare, you can choose as many as you want, although no more than four at any one time is advisable. They must be over 18, most common choices are family members or close friends, but solicitors or other professional attorneys may be selected, the most important thing is to trust the people you have chosen to act for you. The obligations of attorneys include having a duty of care towards you, they cannot delegate their role and must always act in good faith and in your best interests.
If you have more than one attorney, you must decide whether you want them to make some or all decisions on their own or whether they should agree some or all decisions unanimously. The legal terms are ‘severally’ and ‘jointly’. Most people choose jointly and severally because it is the most flexible and practical way for attorneys to make decisions.
Appointing replacement attorneys is optional but is recommended.
You must also appoint a Certificate Provider, who will sign the document after you to confirm that you had the capacity to prepare an LPA. He or she can be a professional or non-relative who has known well for over two years.
Once the application has been completed it will be sent to the Office of the Public Guardian for scrutiny and registration. If using the Government website to download and complete the LPA document, the registration fee is currently £82 per document, if you choose to use a solicitor the same fee applies plus the solicitor’s charges. Forwarding the document can be done straight away or only when the documents are needed in the future. Attorneys cannot act until the documents have been registered.
Health and Welfare attorneys are responsible for looking after, or helping the donor make decisions relating to daily routines (e.g. washing, dressing, eating) medical care, where the donor lives, clothing and hairdressing and extra support. An additional option is available for decisions relating to life sustaining treatment. The Health and Welfare LPA application form above procedures are very similar to those used to those used for a Finances LPA
By Mike Wise
27thth June 2018 Outside Visits
The first of today’s two visits was to the Spaceguard Centre at Knighton. This is ‘The National near-Earth Objects Information Centre’ an astronomical observatory that specialises in studying the dangers of asteroid or comet impacts on the earth. The tour lasted just under 2 hours and the ten members with their guests were captivated and fascinated by the number of collisions with the earth
The second visit of the day was to Clayton Engineering, Knighton who specialise in the manufacturing of recovery systems for RNLI Lifeboats. The seven members were conducted on an informative tour of facilities. Followed by light refreshments.
10th July 2018 Renaissance of Ludlow Post War
Colin Richards, Conservation Officer
The history of Ludlow is clear that the town makes itself relevant to each generation. In Victorian times people would skate on the river Teme.
During in the inter-war years there was a huge transition to motorised vehicles. However, horse and carts were still used in Ludlow until the 1960s this was due to the agility needed to get into the narrow streets and yards.
Motor vehicles gave people access to places outside the town for the first time, unless they had been in the armed services.
Pre-war vehicles were still produced in the immediate post-war period as they hadn’t changed the design.
Lower Broad Street has undergone massive change in the last 30 years. Pre-war, Ludford Bridge was part of the main route from Bristol to Manchester, and today the A49 is a NATO Strategic Route.
Building rendering was very drab pre-war and the changes to what we see today show how the buildings are adaptable. Many are timber framed with Georgian façades added.
Timber framing is the essence of English architecture. Many rendered buildings have had the rendering removed post-war. In Lower Broad Street earth was moved to create the roadway to enable horses to get through the Gatehouse more easily. Shops have also changed as needs changed. The Silver Pear was previously the TSB Bank and McCartney’s used to be Hepworth’s Taylors.
In the 1950s and 1960s there were many rundown yards as Craft Industries had ceased, including slum areas in Old Street. Many streets were replaced by modern development. The road where the Unicorn is located was part of the main road joining Corve Street before Coronation Street was constructed.
In the 1970s and 1980s there was preservation by neglect and there wasn’t the will to erect new buildings. The Readers House was rundown, and the house next door was demolished. An emphasis on DIY was encouraged in the 1950s and 1960s.
Modernisation: the building around the town became less dense after the very high density of previous times. The Council removed ranges and Belfast sinks replacing them with modern equipment.
There were quite a few Pre-Fabs in Ludlow and two remain unclad on Temeside
As HGVs got larger it became clear that Ludlow needed a Bypass as buildings were getting damaged. Ludford Bridge was very heavily trafficked. The arrival of the Bypass gave the town back to the residents. In the 1980s it was recognised that Ludlow hadn’t been wrecked. The Bus route from Hereford, Leominster, and Ludlow to Birmingham was served by new Double Decker buses. Tower Street is not pedestrianized, but the paving suggests it is.
Orange bricks were specifically made to match the timber framing and were seen as being sympathetic to the town architecture. This is in evidence where the Spar now is and where Woolworths used to be.
New housing in Old Street won many Town Planning Awards using cobbles and references to sash windows. Open Green Areas were created.
The loss of the Town Hall was probably a huge benefit to Ludlow giving it a lovely Town Square by the entrance to the Castle. The demolition of it was a highly dangerous undertaking given the size of the plot.
The Assembly Rooms became a Picture House. It was a Milk Bar for bikers in the 1960s. A second cinema became a residential building.
The role of the Market Town has declined as the new role of a Tourist destination has become evident. This shows how the town changes as needs and demands change.
The Wine Bar in Quality Square had previously been an Abattoir and a bakery. It had a fine view from the Market Place. There were tensions with the Highways Department who wanted modern signage and yellow lines on the cobbles. They also wanted the cobbles replaced by slip resistant stone sets. However, by treating the cobbles with heat a change to the surface was achieved and allowed the cobbles to be retained.
Although the town sought to preserve and conserve its buildings this wasn’t always possible. Number 18 Castle Street couldn’t be saved. Drainage washed out the foundations and rendered the building highly dangerous. Following major architectural surveys, it was reluctantly demolished. The replacement building blends in well but it is a completely modern building.
In Ludlow you can see Buildings from Norman time’s right through to the present day. W H Smiths is an Edwardian Building.
Ludlow didn’t have a War Memorial. A common approach elsewhere led to a suggestion for an Obelisk outside the Castle, but this caused public consternation. The Drover’s Memorial was a solution that was eventually found.
Ludlow promotes local crafts and produce, and it is this that attracts visitors. Tourists continue to come and indeed grow in number and every effort is made to keep Ludlow an authentic town. Even the Burghage plots were built sympathetically.
The Environment Agency wanted to destroy the famous weirs to allow salmon access to the Upper Teme. The Town objected and won the argument as long as Rapid Hardening cement was used to replace/repair the weir to stop pollution of the river downstream. The Teme is the fastest flowing river in England in times of flood.
The relocation of the Livestock Market at Marston Mill led to the construction of Tesco with car parking.
Castle Square stopped being a confused car park in the 1980s and Lottery funding led to pavement repair and replacement. At the time the County Council wanted roads relayed in Red Paviours. Ludlow objected and held out for traditional and quality stone. To do this a brick kiln was built at Acton Scott. The products were used at 16 Lower Broad Street and elsewhere.
Children are involved in conservation to try to ensure care of the town passes from one generation to another.
Following Collins informative talk many questions relevant to the towns development today.
By Martyn Wray
25th July 2018 Short talks by Member’s
Owen Elias entitled his talk ‘Air under my feet’
Owen reminisced about his childhood life in Cardiff during the war describing the need to take to the shelters during the air raids with the wardens from the ARP ensuring that they take cover. Both Swansea and Cardiff were subject to severe raids. But bombing was not very precise with a landmine dropped on Llandaff Cathedral which was near to his home. He recalls collecting souvenirs such as bomb nose cones and even a live incendiary bomb. He would have liked to have been able to hit back by being a glamorous fighter pilot. So he joined the ATC where he flew gliders and became aware that air force live was divided into flying staff and ground crew who were chided to get “Air under their feet”.
From school he worked for the South Wales Electricity Board and the nearest he got to flying was attending air shows.
With the death of his wife he wanted something to do with his time so he decided to try gliding again – at the age of 89.
He contacted the club based on the Long Mynd and initially helped around the grounds doing such things as attending the recovery cable. His description of his first flight was alarming, a bumpy ride over the ground, then up into the air at an angle of 45°. Once up there you glide around to find thermals and then the tension of landing. He claimed that stress is good for us!
There is a lot of preparation before a flight can be made. In his attempt to get more flying experience he stayed at the club for a week, but this was thwarted by several days of bad weather such as rain.
In a glider the landing speed and stalling speed are critical, and there is only one landing chance.
Apparently there were only two serious accidents last year – one fatal! His ambition is to take off and land with the instructor relegated to the back seat. He still considers it worth renewing his club membership for another year!
David Hughes’s talk was on “Dry Stone Walling”
David showed a picture of a ploughed clay field, and then a picture of the garden to which he had transformed it. This carried a slight problem, the Council required him to control his hedge facing the highway. He naturally went on a course for hedge laying. He cut back his own hedge although in the opinion of one local farmer it was not in the style of the area. It looked good to most people. Subsequently he acquired a cottage on Anglesey, which was let out to holiday makers. This led to a regrettable incident when a gate was left open and sheep came into the garden and ate all the flowers, it also brought the need to maintain the surrounding stone walls. So he went on a course in Oswestry, which in some ways was a little lonely as his fellow students talked in Welsh. When he returned to Anglesey he noticed that a neighbouring farmer had a large pile of stone which he was prepared to sell for peanuts. David showed photographs illustrating his grading of stone from the foundations to packing copings, all under the watchful eye of his canine overseer. The quality of his work resulted in a commission from the farmer who had sold him the stone to do some repair work on his walls.
It would appear that there are a multitude of styles from different parts of the country, even one described as HS2. Worldwide competitions are held and we were shown a wide range of types of finishes.
We will all now look at stone walls with fresh eyes.
By Iain Field
7th August 2018 Transport Systems that Failed.
Bernard North
Bernard began his talk by reminding us that failure of a transport project was sometimes due to technical problems and sometimes commercial viability.
Early examples of an atmospheric railway using differential air pressure to propel a vehicle were introduced in the mid-19th century. The Croydon Atmospheric Railway was launched in 1844 as a third line alongside the existing steam railway to provide a frequent stopping service to London Bridge.
William Cubitt, a reputable engineer, sought to relieve the main line from Brighton by providing the atmospheric railway to cater for the frequent stops. Five-mile section towards London was constructed
And the first public runs passed successfully. However, the hot summer of 1846 followed by a very cold winter saw various mishaps and breakdowns and the directors of the London to Croydon railway abandoned the scheme in 1847,
In 1844 too the directors of the Great Western Railway were keen to extend the London-Exeter line to Plymouth, but Brunel doubted whether any existing locomotives would be able to cope with the terrain beyond Newton Abbot, so proposed the atmospheric system as better suited to the heavy gradients.
By March 1848 all trains along the section from Exeter to Newton Abbot were atmospheric, ostensibly providing a successful service. However, technical problems proved very expensive and the autumn of 1848 the shareholders voted to abandon the system.
In contrast the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway in 1848 covered only a short distance and lasted a few months. Whilst the Beach Pneumatic Railway developed by Alfred Beach in New York and the first attempt to construct an underground public transport system operated from 1870 to 1873.when it closed due to not being able to attract further funding. It was only 312 feet long but many people sampled the ride whilst it lasted.
Much more enduring was the Listowel to Ballbunion monorail developed by French engineer Charles Lartigue. Nine Miles long it operated from 1888 until 1924 carrying passengers, freight, cattle and sand. However, it was steam operated!
Industrial Exhibitions sometimes offered new forms of transport such as the “moving pavement” in the 1896 Paris Universal Exhibition (moving walk ways are now a familiar feature at airports)
Stern’s Duplex railway in the Coney Island Dreamland Complex in New York from 1905 offered a spectacle of railways passing over each other, sort of a ‘leap frog’ railway!
Louis Brennan’s Gyro Monorail using a single rail appeared in the Japan-British Exhibition at London’s White City in 1920. A working model exists in the National Railway Museum.
The “Never Stop” railway was constructed at Wembley for the British Empire Exhibition of 1925 and used the principle of slow continual movement in much the same way as the present-day London Eye.
Moving into modern times Bernard introduced several maglev systems and monorails in different parts of the world, which again aim to move people fairly short distances, such as between terminals at airports.
Finally we learnt about Hyperloop One, a Californian transportation company seeking to convey passengers and freight using a linear electric motor to drive an electromagnetically levitated tube or pod at a fraction of the cost of air travel and at least as fast. Those who require to make long haul journeys regularly await such a development with interest mixed perhaps with trepidation. In his usual cheery manner Bernard gave us food for thought as he has done so often.
By Mike Haines
21st August 2018 Outside Visit
Aston Hall a historic Grade1 listed building in Aston close to Birmingham City Centre is a fine example of Jacobean architecture. Designed by John Thorpe and built between 1618 and 1635
The twenty-five members and their guests, who visited, enjoyed the house and the splendid grounds
4th September 2018 Humanism
Dr. Simon Nightingale
Dr. Nightingale explained that Humanism is a way of having a good life and being a good person without religion. Recent polls show that 53% of the population and 70% of young people have no religion.
Humanism’s do not believe there is a god or an afterlife. They consider that we are born with an innate sense of morals such as fairness and a sense of what is right and wrong. He showed an experiment with two monkeys that show that even they have this sense of fairness.
Humanists base their sense of truth on mathematics, logics and scientific methods and discovered truths.
Their spirituality is feeling transcendental with a sense of joy and wonder at the world we live in.
Someone defined the meaning of life as ‘trying to be nice to people, avoid fat, get some walking and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations. Have compassion and respect for others’
The talk was brilliantly given in a non-controversial manner and gave his audience plenty to think about.
By Bernard North
Thomas Wardle
A lasting power of attorney (LPA) is a legal document that lets you (the donor) choose trusted people (attorneys) to make decisions on your behalf. An LPA is mainly used if you don’t have the mental capacity to make decisions on yourself. The two types of LPAs are for Finances, Health and Welfare.
Over 750,000 people a year are now registering for an LPA – an increase of 180% over the last five years. The speaker explained that this huge increase was due to the efforts being made to publicise
the benefits, a greater understanding of its purpose and growing concerns regarding capacity in later life. The Office of Public Guardian, that oversees the administration of LPAs, considers that possession of an LPA is as important as making a will; there is no conflict between the two because once you die the LPA becomes invalid.
On the issue of attorneys, who will be empowered to make decisions on your behalf in relation to your finances and /or health and welfare, you can choose as many as you want, although no more than four at any one time is advisable. They must be over 18, most common choices are family members or close friends, but solicitors or other professional attorneys may be selected, the most important thing is to trust the people you have chosen to act for you. The obligations of attorneys include having a duty of care towards you, they cannot delegate their role and must always act in good faith and in your best interests.
If you have more than one attorney, you must decide whether you want them to make some or all decisions on their own or whether they should agree some or all decisions unanimously. The legal terms are ‘severally’ and ‘jointly’. Most people choose jointly and severally because it is the most flexible and practical way for attorneys to make decisions.
Appointing replacement attorneys is optional but is recommended.
You must also appoint a Certificate Provider, who will sign the document after you to confirm that you had the capacity to prepare an LPA. He or she can be a professional or non-relative who has known well for over two years.
Once the application has been completed it will be sent to the Office of the Public Guardian for scrutiny and registration. If using the Government website to download and complete the LPA document, the registration fee is currently £82 per document, if you choose to use a solicitor the same fee applies plus the solicitor’s charges. Forwarding the document can be done straight away or only when the documents are needed in the future. Attorneys cannot act until the documents have been registered.
Health and Welfare attorneys are responsible for looking after, or helping the donor make decisions relating to daily routines (e.g. washing, dressing, eating) medical care, where the donor lives, clothing and hairdressing and extra support. An additional option is available for decisions relating to life sustaining treatment. The Health and Welfare LPA application form above procedures are very similar to those used to those used for a Finances LPA
By Mike Wise
27thth June 2018 Outside Visits
The first of today’s two visits was to the Spaceguard Centre at Knighton. This is ‘The National near-Earth Objects Information Centre’ an astronomical observatory that specialises in studying the dangers of asteroid or comet impacts on the earth. The tour lasted just under 2 hours and the ten members with their guests were captivated and fascinated by the number of collisions with the earth
The second visit of the day was to Clayton Engineering, Knighton who specialise in the manufacturing of recovery systems for RNLI Lifeboats. The seven members were conducted on an informative tour of facilities. Followed by light refreshments.
10th July 2018 Renaissance of Ludlow Post War
Colin Richards, Conservation Officer
The history of Ludlow is clear that the town makes itself relevant to each generation. In Victorian times people would skate on the river Teme.
During in the inter-war years there was a huge transition to motorised vehicles. However, horse and carts were still used in Ludlow until the 1960s this was due to the agility needed to get into the narrow streets and yards.
Motor vehicles gave people access to places outside the town for the first time, unless they had been in the armed services.
Pre-war vehicles were still produced in the immediate post-war period as they hadn’t changed the design.
Lower Broad Street has undergone massive change in the last 30 years. Pre-war, Ludford Bridge was part of the main route from Bristol to Manchester, and today the A49 is a NATO Strategic Route.
Building rendering was very drab pre-war and the changes to what we see today show how the buildings are adaptable. Many are timber framed with Georgian façades added.
Timber framing is the essence of English architecture. Many rendered buildings have had the rendering removed post-war. In Lower Broad Street earth was moved to create the roadway to enable horses to get through the Gatehouse more easily. Shops have also changed as needs changed. The Silver Pear was previously the TSB Bank and McCartney’s used to be Hepworth’s Taylors.
In the 1950s and 1960s there were many rundown yards as Craft Industries had ceased, including slum areas in Old Street. Many streets were replaced by modern development. The road where the Unicorn is located was part of the main road joining Corve Street before Coronation Street was constructed.
In the 1970s and 1980s there was preservation by neglect and there wasn’t the will to erect new buildings. The Readers House was rundown, and the house next door was demolished. An emphasis on DIY was encouraged in the 1950s and 1960s.
Modernisation: the building around the town became less dense after the very high density of previous times. The Council removed ranges and Belfast sinks replacing them with modern equipment.
There were quite a few Pre-Fabs in Ludlow and two remain unclad on Temeside
As HGVs got larger it became clear that Ludlow needed a Bypass as buildings were getting damaged. Ludford Bridge was very heavily trafficked. The arrival of the Bypass gave the town back to the residents. In the 1980s it was recognised that Ludlow hadn’t been wrecked. The Bus route from Hereford, Leominster, and Ludlow to Birmingham was served by new Double Decker buses. Tower Street is not pedestrianized, but the paving suggests it is.
Orange bricks were specifically made to match the timber framing and were seen as being sympathetic to the town architecture. This is in evidence where the Spar now is and where Woolworths used to be.
New housing in Old Street won many Town Planning Awards using cobbles and references to sash windows. Open Green Areas were created.
The loss of the Town Hall was probably a huge benefit to Ludlow giving it a lovely Town Square by the entrance to the Castle. The demolition of it was a highly dangerous undertaking given the size of the plot.
The Assembly Rooms became a Picture House. It was a Milk Bar for bikers in the 1960s. A second cinema became a residential building.
The role of the Market Town has declined as the new role of a Tourist destination has become evident. This shows how the town changes as needs and demands change.
The Wine Bar in Quality Square had previously been an Abattoir and a bakery. It had a fine view from the Market Place. There were tensions with the Highways Department who wanted modern signage and yellow lines on the cobbles. They also wanted the cobbles replaced by slip resistant stone sets. However, by treating the cobbles with heat a change to the surface was achieved and allowed the cobbles to be retained.
Although the town sought to preserve and conserve its buildings this wasn’t always possible. Number 18 Castle Street couldn’t be saved. Drainage washed out the foundations and rendered the building highly dangerous. Following major architectural surveys, it was reluctantly demolished. The replacement building blends in well but it is a completely modern building.
In Ludlow you can see Buildings from Norman time’s right through to the present day. W H Smiths is an Edwardian Building.
Ludlow didn’t have a War Memorial. A common approach elsewhere led to a suggestion for an Obelisk outside the Castle, but this caused public consternation. The Drover’s Memorial was a solution that was eventually found.
Ludlow promotes local crafts and produce, and it is this that attracts visitors. Tourists continue to come and indeed grow in number and every effort is made to keep Ludlow an authentic town. Even the Burghage plots were built sympathetically.
The Environment Agency wanted to destroy the famous weirs to allow salmon access to the Upper Teme. The Town objected and won the argument as long as Rapid Hardening cement was used to replace/repair the weir to stop pollution of the river downstream. The Teme is the fastest flowing river in England in times of flood.
The relocation of the Livestock Market at Marston Mill led to the construction of Tesco with car parking.
Castle Square stopped being a confused car park in the 1980s and Lottery funding led to pavement repair and replacement. At the time the County Council wanted roads relayed in Red Paviours. Ludlow objected and held out for traditional and quality stone. To do this a brick kiln was built at Acton Scott. The products were used at 16 Lower Broad Street and elsewhere.
Children are involved in conservation to try to ensure care of the town passes from one generation to another.
Following Collins informative talk many questions relevant to the towns development today.
By Martyn Wray
25th July 2018 Short talks by Member’s
Owen Elias entitled his talk ‘Air under my feet’
Owen reminisced about his childhood life in Cardiff during the war describing the need to take to the shelters during the air raids with the wardens from the ARP ensuring that they take cover. Both Swansea and Cardiff were subject to severe raids. But bombing was not very precise with a landmine dropped on Llandaff Cathedral which was near to his home. He recalls collecting souvenirs such as bomb nose cones and even a live incendiary bomb. He would have liked to have been able to hit back by being a glamorous fighter pilot. So he joined the ATC where he flew gliders and became aware that air force live was divided into flying staff and ground crew who were chided to get “Air under their feet”.
From school he worked for the South Wales Electricity Board and the nearest he got to flying was attending air shows.
With the death of his wife he wanted something to do with his time so he decided to try gliding again – at the age of 89.
He contacted the club based on the Long Mynd and initially helped around the grounds doing such things as attending the recovery cable. His description of his first flight was alarming, a bumpy ride over the ground, then up into the air at an angle of 45°. Once up there you glide around to find thermals and then the tension of landing. He claimed that stress is good for us!
There is a lot of preparation before a flight can be made. In his attempt to get more flying experience he stayed at the club for a week, but this was thwarted by several days of bad weather such as rain.
In a glider the landing speed and stalling speed are critical, and there is only one landing chance.
Apparently there were only two serious accidents last year – one fatal! His ambition is to take off and land with the instructor relegated to the back seat. He still considers it worth renewing his club membership for another year!
David Hughes’s talk was on “Dry Stone Walling”
David showed a picture of a ploughed clay field, and then a picture of the garden to which he had transformed it. This carried a slight problem, the Council required him to control his hedge facing the highway. He naturally went on a course for hedge laying. He cut back his own hedge although in the opinion of one local farmer it was not in the style of the area. It looked good to most people. Subsequently he acquired a cottage on Anglesey, which was let out to holiday makers. This led to a regrettable incident when a gate was left open and sheep came into the garden and ate all the flowers, it also brought the need to maintain the surrounding stone walls. So he went on a course in Oswestry, which in some ways was a little lonely as his fellow students talked in Welsh. When he returned to Anglesey he noticed that a neighbouring farmer had a large pile of stone which he was prepared to sell for peanuts. David showed photographs illustrating his grading of stone from the foundations to packing copings, all under the watchful eye of his canine overseer. The quality of his work resulted in a commission from the farmer who had sold him the stone to do some repair work on his walls.
It would appear that there are a multitude of styles from different parts of the country, even one described as HS2. Worldwide competitions are held and we were shown a wide range of types of finishes.
We will all now look at stone walls with fresh eyes.
By Iain Field
7th August 2018 Transport Systems that Failed.
Bernard North
Bernard began his talk by reminding us that failure of a transport project was sometimes due to technical problems and sometimes commercial viability.
Early examples of an atmospheric railway using differential air pressure to propel a vehicle were introduced in the mid-19th century. The Croydon Atmospheric Railway was launched in 1844 as a third line alongside the existing steam railway to provide a frequent stopping service to London Bridge.
William Cubitt, a reputable engineer, sought to relieve the main line from Brighton by providing the atmospheric railway to cater for the frequent stops. Five-mile section towards London was constructed
And the first public runs passed successfully. However, the hot summer of 1846 followed by a very cold winter saw various mishaps and breakdowns and the directors of the London to Croydon railway abandoned the scheme in 1847,
In 1844 too the directors of the Great Western Railway were keen to extend the London-Exeter line to Plymouth, but Brunel doubted whether any existing locomotives would be able to cope with the terrain beyond Newton Abbot, so proposed the atmospheric system as better suited to the heavy gradients.
By March 1848 all trains along the section from Exeter to Newton Abbot were atmospheric, ostensibly providing a successful service. However, technical problems proved very expensive and the autumn of 1848 the shareholders voted to abandon the system.
In contrast the Crystal Palace Pneumatic Railway in 1848 covered only a short distance and lasted a few months. Whilst the Beach Pneumatic Railway developed by Alfred Beach in New York and the first attempt to construct an underground public transport system operated from 1870 to 1873.when it closed due to not being able to attract further funding. It was only 312 feet long but many people sampled the ride whilst it lasted.
Much more enduring was the Listowel to Ballbunion monorail developed by French engineer Charles Lartigue. Nine Miles long it operated from 1888 until 1924 carrying passengers, freight, cattle and sand. However, it was steam operated!
Industrial Exhibitions sometimes offered new forms of transport such as the “moving pavement” in the 1896 Paris Universal Exhibition (moving walk ways are now a familiar feature at airports)
Stern’s Duplex railway in the Coney Island Dreamland Complex in New York from 1905 offered a spectacle of railways passing over each other, sort of a ‘leap frog’ railway!
Louis Brennan’s Gyro Monorail using a single rail appeared in the Japan-British Exhibition at London’s White City in 1920. A working model exists in the National Railway Museum.
The “Never Stop” railway was constructed at Wembley for the British Empire Exhibition of 1925 and used the principle of slow continual movement in much the same way as the present-day London Eye.
Moving into modern times Bernard introduced several maglev systems and monorails in different parts of the world, which again aim to move people fairly short distances, such as between terminals at airports.
Finally we learnt about Hyperloop One, a Californian transportation company seeking to convey passengers and freight using a linear electric motor to drive an electromagnetically levitated tube or pod at a fraction of the cost of air travel and at least as fast. Those who require to make long haul journeys regularly await such a development with interest mixed perhaps with trepidation. In his usual cheery manner Bernard gave us food for thought as he has done so often.
By Mike Haines
21st August 2018 Outside Visit
Aston Hall a historic Grade1 listed building in Aston close to Birmingham City Centre is a fine example of Jacobean architecture. Designed by John Thorpe and built between 1618 and 1635
The twenty-five members and their guests, who visited, enjoyed the house and the splendid grounds
4th September 2018 Humanism
Dr. Simon Nightingale
Dr. Nightingale explained that Humanism is a way of having a good life and being a good person without religion. Recent polls show that 53% of the population and 70% of young people have no religion.
Humanism’s do not believe there is a god or an afterlife. They consider that we are born with an innate sense of morals such as fairness and a sense of what is right and wrong. He showed an experiment with two monkeys that show that even they have this sense of fairness.
Humanists base their sense of truth on mathematics, logics and scientific methods and discovered truths.
Their spirituality is feeling transcendental with a sense of joy and wonder at the world we live in.
Someone defined the meaning of life as ‘trying to be nice to people, avoid fat, get some walking and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations. Have compassion and respect for others’
The talk was brilliantly given in a non-controversial manner and gave his audience plenty to think about.
By Bernard North
18th September 2018 Cars of the Future
Martin Thomas & James Halcro-Johnston
A good turnout to hear not one, but two, of our members enlighten us on a topic that is very much under the spotlight at present – Cars of the Future.
Martin Thomas opened his talk with the statement that – like it or not – cars will have to change for several reasons, pollution and congestion perhaps being the most obvious. The change to electric and hybrid cars presents many challenges that must be overcome but overcome they will be. We were shown a shot of a 1936 Singer Bantam that Martin had owned at one stage and, although there was a murmur of nostalgia around the room, most of us could appreciate the many advances and improvements in comfort and safety that there are in today's cars.
Statistics showing the many downsides of the current reliance on fossil fuels were quite frightening, but there are some benefits that will derive from the changes that are in the pipeline.
Huge sums have already been invested by several of the motor giants on developing much improved batteries for all electric and hybrid vehicles and others are concentrating on driverless cars. Tests of the latter have been carried out on public roads in Germany, and even as close to home as Coventry.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be applied in the future – though it is some way off at present. Before then, there will be connectivity with mobile phones and it will be possible to refuel the car and drive off without having to get out of the car. A huge improvement in signal strength (5G and future developments) will be needed and the problems associated with security and fraud will have to be considered and, as far as possible, overcome.
Our second speaker was James Halcro-Johnston (Jim) who has a Toyota Auris Hybrid and also a property in the Orkneys, whence he hails, so he was just the man to give us some first-hand experience.
He told us his reasons for having bought a hybrid: transition stage to a car with zero emissions; fuel economy; low CO2 emissions; no road fund tax (at that time). He explained regenerative braking and way the hybrid system works, in a Toyota at least, and then moved on to the alternative methods of producing electricity in the Orkneys. The islands are fairly flat and there are about 500 turbines that produce more than enough power for the local inhabitants, so the supply is suppressed.
A great deal of work is being done with tidal devices, including converting surplus electricity to hydrogen, and there is a car running on hydrogen (Toyota Mirai) being tested in Edinburgh at present.
Questions included: How to produce the basic supply of electricity for the grid?
Will the emissions from the greatly increased number of radio masts prove a health hazard?
Will silent electric vehicles prove a danger to pedestrians?
Bernard North gave the vote of thanks – throwing in the fact that a driverless car was being tested at the Road Research Laboratory in 1971.
By Andrew Stedman.
Martin Thomas & James Halcro-Johnston
A good turnout to hear not one, but two, of our members enlighten us on a topic that is very much under the spotlight at present – Cars of the Future.
Martin Thomas opened his talk with the statement that – like it or not – cars will have to change for several reasons, pollution and congestion perhaps being the most obvious. The change to electric and hybrid cars presents many challenges that must be overcome but overcome they will be. We were shown a shot of a 1936 Singer Bantam that Martin had owned at one stage and, although there was a murmur of nostalgia around the room, most of us could appreciate the many advances and improvements in comfort and safety that there are in today's cars.
Statistics showing the many downsides of the current reliance on fossil fuels were quite frightening, but there are some benefits that will derive from the changes that are in the pipeline.
Huge sums have already been invested by several of the motor giants on developing much improved batteries for all electric and hybrid vehicles and others are concentrating on driverless cars. Tests of the latter have been carried out on public roads in Germany, and even as close to home as Coventry.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be applied in the future – though it is some way off at present. Before then, there will be connectivity with mobile phones and it will be possible to refuel the car and drive off without having to get out of the car. A huge improvement in signal strength (5G and future developments) will be needed and the problems associated with security and fraud will have to be considered and, as far as possible, overcome.
Our second speaker was James Halcro-Johnston (Jim) who has a Toyota Auris Hybrid and also a property in the Orkneys, whence he hails, so he was just the man to give us some first-hand experience.
He told us his reasons for having bought a hybrid: transition stage to a car with zero emissions; fuel economy; low CO2 emissions; no road fund tax (at that time). He explained regenerative braking and way the hybrid system works, in a Toyota at least, and then moved on to the alternative methods of producing electricity in the Orkneys. The islands are fairly flat and there are about 500 turbines that produce more than enough power for the local inhabitants, so the supply is suppressed.
A great deal of work is being done with tidal devices, including converting surplus electricity to hydrogen, and there is a car running on hydrogen (Toyota Mirai) being tested in Edinburgh at present.
Questions included: How to produce the basic supply of electricity for the grid?
Will the emissions from the greatly increased number of radio masts prove a health hazard?
Will silent electric vehicles prove a danger to pedestrians?
Bernard North gave the vote of thanks – throwing in the fact that a driverless car was being tested at the Road Research Laboratory in 1971.
By Andrew Stedman.
16th October 2018 MY K9 FRIEND
RICHARD JOHNSON
Head of Dangerous Dog Unit at West Mercia/Warwickshire Police Alliance. Richard joined the Police Force in 1990 serving for 28 years, 21 of them in the Dog Section in various roles, working General Purpose dogs (German Shepherds) and Springer Spaniels which are used as Specialist Search Dogs. He became Head of the West Mercia Alliance Dangerous Dog Unit in 2011 and retired last year but was asked to return to Head the Unit in a civilian capacity in April of 2018. Richard was accompanied by two serving Police Officers from the Dog Section with their canine colleague Kolo. West Mercia/Warwickshire Police has in total thirty-six trained dog handlers to call upon. Richard introduced the Police Dog called Kolo, a 7-year-old Malinois, a Belgian Shepherd bitch. This breed is now the most popular for many UK Police Forces. Training can commence as early as twelve months old and once licensed can start work and continue for up to ten years, they have a very high drive and are very eager to work. They are purchased from recognised breeders or other Police Forces which have puppy breeding programmes costing up to £3000. All have excellent working bloodlines. Kolo lives at home with her handler Kevin, when not working, she spends much of her time outside in a large kennel with a sizeable run. The Malinois have a double coat and are quite happy to live outside in their kennel throughout the year, however Kolo is now getting older and Kevin brings her indoors on very cold nights and he hopes to keep her when she reaches retirement age.
Training a General-Purpose Police dog takes up to thirteen weeks, if the dog responds well to the standards required. The team (dog and handler) can become operational as a pair but only when tested and licensed by a Home Office Examiner. The Malinois is used for general police work but also can have a specialism. Specialist search dogs such as Springer Spaniels and Labradors can be trained and licensed in six weeks. They have an incredible sense of smell, far, far greater than a humans' and are used to search for drugs, cash and firearms.
The Malinois is agile and athletic and known to run at speeds of up to 30mph when pursuing a criminal or in training. They are smaller and quicker than a German Shepherd and are lower to the ground so anyone firing a weapon is likely to find them difficult to shoot. All dogs need to be multi-talented able to display an array of different skills, such dogs are difficult to find.
Police Dog Training Departments match the dog to its handler prior to training. Risk Management and Health & Safety are important parts of their training. The vital key to the training is their ability to work together as a team.
The 1991 Dangerous Dog Act was a hasty piece of legislation so required amendment in 1997. Specified dangerous breeds can only be owned by someone who is deemed to be a ‘fit and proper’ person approved by a Magistrate and the dog is proven to not be a danger to public safety having been assessed by people like Richard (Dog Legislation Officers). Some dangerous dogs are kept as a status symbol and others for use as a weapon. Richard attends the Magistrates Court most weeks. There is a reluctance to approve putting the dog down so taking a case to Court is avoided if possible. When attending an incident involving a dog, restraint using a special piece of equipment or darting subdual is the aim. To ensure evidence is gained, it is best to keep the dog alive if possible.
Throughout the meeting many issues were raised, and questions asked. These ranged from what to do if threatened by a dog, (stand still), be aware that dogs feed of your apprehension, recognise that dogs live in a world of smell and hearing, (highly developed) and sight (not as good). Most people do not know how to train and control dogs nor understand that all dogs are unpredictable.
Members now better understand value of the work that Police Dogs do which goes largely unrecognised and may well be ‘re-organised’ by cost saving pressures. They are the most effective and safe way to ensure crowd control. They save lives by their ability to search and their bravery to attack dangerous criminals.
Richard and his colleagues were warmly thanked and applauded for their very well received presentation and given a packet of dog treats for Kolo.
By Martin Thomas
30th October 2018 Anyone for Foster’s (other Architects are available)
Paul Haywood
Paul began by showing 10 photographs of modern buildings and asking members to write the countries or cities where they were located. He would provide answers at the end and a prize for 10 correct.
Always wanting to be an architect, he studied at what is now Cardiff University and trained for a further 2 years in an architects’ office there. Paul then moved to Richmond working for the County Council involved in designing many types of buildings and then after 2 years, came privatisation.
What is good architecture? Look upwards said Kevin Mcloud…. So, St Pauls is good and the average housing estate is not.
Norman Foster’s style was cool quiet and calm. Overall, he thought a building 1) look good 2) be practical
3) Connect with its surroundings - complement not copy. Foster was creative, and his designs were technically advanced, eco-friendly (including recycling), often in tune with what went on inside together with the needs of the people. Paul showed photographs and talked about each one.
The British Museum – The Great Court –a huge glass canopy covers the central area (once a garden) and thus connects all the museum buildings on the square.
Canary Warf surrounded with water below 5 storeys of living development and a station at the bottom. Bilbao Metro-station track has a Y shape as trains transit both sides of the Novion river before combining as a single line again. In the City, Bloomberg’s building cost 1 billion and won the Stirling Prize for design. City Hall, Southbank, London is high Tech. including, as it does, solar panels, controlled lighting switched on/off by movement sensors and is also a sphere to allow balanced heating from the Sun A slowly rising spiral links all floors.
Others are Stansted Airport – drainage system on top worked by vacuum, The Reichstag- all glass perhaps indicating democratic transparency, the Millau viaduct - 2460m long, is cable stayed and curves across the Tarn Gorge thus giving new landscape views for passengers. Apple i-Pad HQ, San Francisco - is a circle 1 mile in circumference and in which all operations take place. In Beijing - the entire layout of its airport. The Communications tower for the Barcelona Olympics ,
IN BRITAIN
Wembley Stadium – the sliding roof, Duxford Air force Museum – evokes wartime experience, Imperial War Museum, Maclaren’s (sports car) factory and HQ. Woking - Semi-circular building with lake at its entrance. Water is pumped through to cool the wind tunnels when in use. The building hints at its use with car part shapes included in its architecture. HSBC HQ - Boardroom at the top and glass floors. National Botanic Gardens in Wales, Glasgow Exhibition Centre—resembles Sydney Opera house, Fosters HQ resembles a truncated do-nut, The Shard with space and bar plus offices at the top, hydraulic lift and people moving between 2 layers of glass.
Finally, buildings in the Ludlow Area-Paul’s interest. Tesco’s curved roof - if the eye follows one curved edge to the top it leads to St Laurence’s church tower, the public toilets outside the library in Tenbury Wells like 2 Oast houses – 1) a square with a central cross for the Ladies and for the Gents the other which is round, A School for the handicapped a bench design, a care home for the Elderly –Milton Keynes, Marlow Library and finally Thames Valley Police station entrance door porch with a glass canopy directly against the brick wall.
Paul was asked what he thought of so much use of glass e.g. when buildings are demolished? Very simply it was easy to reuse steel but yes glass was a difficulty. Glass panels have been known to shatter. Possibility of using recyclable plastic bags instead. As to which came first when designing a building - the aesthetic or practical –his answer was neither, both worked together. Finally, the answers to the Quiz was that all the buildings are in Manchester. No-one could claim the prize and so lifting it up he was forced to take it home. The 4-can pack of Fosters Lager!
Jim Oakley in his vote of thanks said that Paul has taken members all over the world to see beautiful buildings and how and why they worked. A most interesting talk.
By Graham Till
RICHARD JOHNSON
Head of Dangerous Dog Unit at West Mercia/Warwickshire Police Alliance. Richard joined the Police Force in 1990 serving for 28 years, 21 of them in the Dog Section in various roles, working General Purpose dogs (German Shepherds) and Springer Spaniels which are used as Specialist Search Dogs. He became Head of the West Mercia Alliance Dangerous Dog Unit in 2011 and retired last year but was asked to return to Head the Unit in a civilian capacity in April of 2018. Richard was accompanied by two serving Police Officers from the Dog Section with their canine colleague Kolo. West Mercia/Warwickshire Police has in total thirty-six trained dog handlers to call upon. Richard introduced the Police Dog called Kolo, a 7-year-old Malinois, a Belgian Shepherd bitch. This breed is now the most popular for many UK Police Forces. Training can commence as early as twelve months old and once licensed can start work and continue for up to ten years, they have a very high drive and are very eager to work. They are purchased from recognised breeders or other Police Forces which have puppy breeding programmes costing up to £3000. All have excellent working bloodlines. Kolo lives at home with her handler Kevin, when not working, she spends much of her time outside in a large kennel with a sizeable run. The Malinois have a double coat and are quite happy to live outside in their kennel throughout the year, however Kolo is now getting older and Kevin brings her indoors on very cold nights and he hopes to keep her when she reaches retirement age.
Training a General-Purpose Police dog takes up to thirteen weeks, if the dog responds well to the standards required. The team (dog and handler) can become operational as a pair but only when tested and licensed by a Home Office Examiner. The Malinois is used for general police work but also can have a specialism. Specialist search dogs such as Springer Spaniels and Labradors can be trained and licensed in six weeks. They have an incredible sense of smell, far, far greater than a humans' and are used to search for drugs, cash and firearms.
The Malinois is agile and athletic and known to run at speeds of up to 30mph when pursuing a criminal or in training. They are smaller and quicker than a German Shepherd and are lower to the ground so anyone firing a weapon is likely to find them difficult to shoot. All dogs need to be multi-talented able to display an array of different skills, such dogs are difficult to find.
Police Dog Training Departments match the dog to its handler prior to training. Risk Management and Health & Safety are important parts of their training. The vital key to the training is their ability to work together as a team.
The 1991 Dangerous Dog Act was a hasty piece of legislation so required amendment in 1997. Specified dangerous breeds can only be owned by someone who is deemed to be a ‘fit and proper’ person approved by a Magistrate and the dog is proven to not be a danger to public safety having been assessed by people like Richard (Dog Legislation Officers). Some dangerous dogs are kept as a status symbol and others for use as a weapon. Richard attends the Magistrates Court most weeks. There is a reluctance to approve putting the dog down so taking a case to Court is avoided if possible. When attending an incident involving a dog, restraint using a special piece of equipment or darting subdual is the aim. To ensure evidence is gained, it is best to keep the dog alive if possible.
Throughout the meeting many issues were raised, and questions asked. These ranged from what to do if threatened by a dog, (stand still), be aware that dogs feed of your apprehension, recognise that dogs live in a world of smell and hearing, (highly developed) and sight (not as good). Most people do not know how to train and control dogs nor understand that all dogs are unpredictable.
Members now better understand value of the work that Police Dogs do which goes largely unrecognised and may well be ‘re-organised’ by cost saving pressures. They are the most effective and safe way to ensure crowd control. They save lives by their ability to search and their bravery to attack dangerous criminals.
Richard and his colleagues were warmly thanked and applauded for their very well received presentation and given a packet of dog treats for Kolo.
By Martin Thomas
30th October 2018 Anyone for Foster’s (other Architects are available)
Paul Haywood
Paul began by showing 10 photographs of modern buildings and asking members to write the countries or cities where they were located. He would provide answers at the end and a prize for 10 correct.
Always wanting to be an architect, he studied at what is now Cardiff University and trained for a further 2 years in an architects’ office there. Paul then moved to Richmond working for the County Council involved in designing many types of buildings and then after 2 years, came privatisation.
What is good architecture? Look upwards said Kevin Mcloud…. So, St Pauls is good and the average housing estate is not.
Norman Foster’s style was cool quiet and calm. Overall, he thought a building 1) look good 2) be practical
3) Connect with its surroundings - complement not copy. Foster was creative, and his designs were technically advanced, eco-friendly (including recycling), often in tune with what went on inside together with the needs of the people. Paul showed photographs and talked about each one.
The British Museum – The Great Court –a huge glass canopy covers the central area (once a garden) and thus connects all the museum buildings on the square.
Canary Warf surrounded with water below 5 storeys of living development and a station at the bottom. Bilbao Metro-station track has a Y shape as trains transit both sides of the Novion river before combining as a single line again. In the City, Bloomberg’s building cost 1 billion and won the Stirling Prize for design. City Hall, Southbank, London is high Tech. including, as it does, solar panels, controlled lighting switched on/off by movement sensors and is also a sphere to allow balanced heating from the Sun A slowly rising spiral links all floors.
Others are Stansted Airport – drainage system on top worked by vacuum, The Reichstag- all glass perhaps indicating democratic transparency, the Millau viaduct - 2460m long, is cable stayed and curves across the Tarn Gorge thus giving new landscape views for passengers. Apple i-Pad HQ, San Francisco - is a circle 1 mile in circumference and in which all operations take place. In Beijing - the entire layout of its airport. The Communications tower for the Barcelona Olympics ,
IN BRITAIN
Wembley Stadium – the sliding roof, Duxford Air force Museum – evokes wartime experience, Imperial War Museum, Maclaren’s (sports car) factory and HQ. Woking - Semi-circular building with lake at its entrance. Water is pumped through to cool the wind tunnels when in use. The building hints at its use with car part shapes included in its architecture. HSBC HQ - Boardroom at the top and glass floors. National Botanic Gardens in Wales, Glasgow Exhibition Centre—resembles Sydney Opera house, Fosters HQ resembles a truncated do-nut, The Shard with space and bar plus offices at the top, hydraulic lift and people moving between 2 layers of glass.
Finally, buildings in the Ludlow Area-Paul’s interest. Tesco’s curved roof - if the eye follows one curved edge to the top it leads to St Laurence’s church tower, the public toilets outside the library in Tenbury Wells like 2 Oast houses – 1) a square with a central cross for the Ladies and for the Gents the other which is round, A School for the handicapped a bench design, a care home for the Elderly –Milton Keynes, Marlow Library and finally Thames Valley Police station entrance door porch with a glass canopy directly against the brick wall.
Paul was asked what he thought of so much use of glass e.g. when buildings are demolished? Very simply it was easy to reuse steel but yes glass was a difficulty. Glass panels have been known to shatter. Possibility of using recyclable plastic bags instead. As to which came first when designing a building - the aesthetic or practical –his answer was neither, both worked together. Finally, the answers to the Quiz was that all the buildings are in Manchester. No-one could claim the prize and so lifting it up he was forced to take it home. The 4-can pack of Fosters Lager!
Jim Oakley in his vote of thanks said that Paul has taken members all over the world to see beautiful buildings and how and why they worked. A most interesting talk.
By Graham Till
13th November 2018 The Samaritans
Liz Dolloway/Cherry Sell
Liz Dolloway, a director of Herefordshire Samaritans, gave a very interesting talk. She was ably assisted by Cherry Sell our Chairman’s wife who is a volunteer listener with Samaritans in Hereford.
Liz started by stressing that Samaritans is a Charity run by volunteers entirely and is totally reliant on donations. She gave details of the cost of running the Hereford centre and the various methods of raising the money to keep the centre going. These include donations at talks, street collections, attending festivals and bag packing at Marks & Spencer’s, to name but a few.
Questions were welcomed from the audience members as Liz went along and these proved to be plentiful. Indeed, the talk could have gone on for another hour if time had allowed!
She then went on to explain how Samaritans was started by a clergyman in London by the name of Chad Varah in 1953. He had been totally shocked by the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who had just started her first period and was convinced that there was something wrong with her and that she was ill and dying. He set up a drop-in centre in the crypt of his church. There were no phones, just tables and chairs. Even from this very outset Samaritans has never been religion based unlike similar organisations in Countries like the USA, where it is very much geared towards religious recruitment.
In the UK there are well over 150 branches and in excess of 21,000 volunteers, with a constant intake of new recruits involving an extensive training program, including CRB checks and mentoring. This is to a certain extent due to the high burn-out rate of volunteers who have to cope with some very stressful calls. The service provided is entirely free to users who dial 116123 and also via SMS and emails. So far this year Samaritans UK has taken over 2,770,000 calls with the lines being manned 24 hours a day for 365 days a year. Shifts are normally 3.5 hrs during the day and 3 hrs through the night.
The calls received cover such things as people in the process of committing suicide, mental health issues, loneliness etc and unfortunately some sex calls. Liz herself in some 25 years has only had 2 suicides, whereas Cherry has already had 3 suicides in less than 2 years.
The Government appreciates the work that Samaritans do and has given £1m, but Liz stressed that this was a drop in the ocean.
As an example of additional work that Samaritans do, volunteers frequently go into prisons to assist and have done extensive training with Network Rail employees, enabling them to identify potential suicides where a simple question such as “are you alright Sir?” has been proven to be effective in prevention.
In conclusion, both presenters emphasized the importance of listening without judging, advising or telling troubled people what to do.
The session ended with a voluntary collection for Samaritans, which raised over £192.
By Peter Sell
Liz Dolloway/Cherry Sell
Liz Dolloway, a director of Herefordshire Samaritans, gave a very interesting talk. She was ably assisted by Cherry Sell our Chairman’s wife who is a volunteer listener with Samaritans in Hereford.
Liz started by stressing that Samaritans is a Charity run by volunteers entirely and is totally reliant on donations. She gave details of the cost of running the Hereford centre and the various methods of raising the money to keep the centre going. These include donations at talks, street collections, attending festivals and bag packing at Marks & Spencer’s, to name but a few.
Questions were welcomed from the audience members as Liz went along and these proved to be plentiful. Indeed, the talk could have gone on for another hour if time had allowed!
She then went on to explain how Samaritans was started by a clergyman in London by the name of Chad Varah in 1953. He had been totally shocked by the suicide of a 13-year-old girl who had just started her first period and was convinced that there was something wrong with her and that she was ill and dying. He set up a drop-in centre in the crypt of his church. There were no phones, just tables and chairs. Even from this very outset Samaritans has never been religion based unlike similar organisations in Countries like the USA, where it is very much geared towards religious recruitment.
In the UK there are well over 150 branches and in excess of 21,000 volunteers, with a constant intake of new recruits involving an extensive training program, including CRB checks and mentoring. This is to a certain extent due to the high burn-out rate of volunteers who have to cope with some very stressful calls. The service provided is entirely free to users who dial 116123 and also via SMS and emails. So far this year Samaritans UK has taken over 2,770,000 calls with the lines being manned 24 hours a day for 365 days a year. Shifts are normally 3.5 hrs during the day and 3 hrs through the night.
The calls received cover such things as people in the process of committing suicide, mental health issues, loneliness etc and unfortunately some sex calls. Liz herself in some 25 years has only had 2 suicides, whereas Cherry has already had 3 suicides in less than 2 years.
The Government appreciates the work that Samaritans do and has given £1m, but Liz stressed that this was a drop in the ocean.
As an example of additional work that Samaritans do, volunteers frequently go into prisons to assist and have done extensive training with Network Rail employees, enabling them to identify potential suicides where a simple question such as “are you alright Sir?” has been proven to be effective in prevention.
In conclusion, both presenters emphasized the importance of listening without judging, advising or telling troubled people what to do.
The session ended with a voluntary collection for Samaritans, which raised over £192.
By Peter Sell
27th November 2018 THE SS GREAT BRITAIN – FROM LAUNCH TO RELAUNCH
Ian Caskle
To set the historical context - In the 1830’s the steam engine was established in the railways and paddle steamers.
Samuel Cunard tendered for the contract to build four ships to run the mail from the UK to the USA. A Chief Engineer was needed, and Brunel got the job even though he had never built a ship before. The Great Western, a paddle ship, was built first and was followed by the Great Eastern which was later to lay the telegraph cable across the Atlantic. Upon its completion it was scrapped on the Mersey.
In the Great Britain, Brunel decided not to use timber in the hull construction. He had seen a small boat with a wrought iron hull. He decided to use this as the hull would be half the weight of a timber ship of that length.
Initially she was still going to be a paddle steamer but in the open sea they had a great tendency to roll and zig zag. Brunel saw a new boat called the Archimedes which had a screw propeller and he proposed to use it in the Great Britain.
These features made the Great Britain the Fastest, Biggest, Iron Hull, Propeller driven Ocean-going Liner. Clearly, she was the forefather of all modern ships.
She was launched on 19th July 1843. As was customary at the time, the wife of a company director would formally launch her using a bottle of Champagne. On this occasion the lady missed the ship and the bottle was picked up by the Prince Consort who then personally launched the ship.
The Great Britain could carry 250 first- and second-class passengers. However, only 45 booked on her maiden voyage between Liverpool and New York as there was some public concern that being made of iron, she might sink.
The new propeller has been shown to have been 92% efficient although it was subsequently replaced by a four bladed propeller.
The first four Atlantic crossings went well, but on the fifth a navigation error led to her being run aground onto a sandy beach in Northern Ireland.
Brunel went to see her and realised that he would not be able to re float her and until the Spring Tides. To protect her through the winter he designed and built a wooden structure. She was then successfully re floated but the costs of doing this unfortunately bankrupted the Company which then had to sell off both the Great Western and the Great Eastern.
By 1850 gold had been discovered in Australia. The Great Britain was as fast as the Cutty Sark being able to achieve 17 knots and in addition could carry 700 passengers and 140 crew.
At today’s costs the journey to Melbourne would be £5,000 and would take two months. A huge consignment of livestock was carried. In the 1960’s (150 years later), Cruise Liners took 6 weeks to get to Australia.
In the late 1850’s the Great Britain was requisitioned by the Army for use in transporting troops from Malta to the Crimea.
In 1861 the first Cricket Tour to Australia took place and the Great Britain conveyed the team and officials.
The ship had its own Newspaper called the Great Britain Times where the essence of life on board was clearly captured. Passengers were segregated both by class and gender. The quality of food was excellent, It is known that there were severe issues of seasickness. Conditions aboard ship were badly degraded by the intense heat in equatorial waters. However, the worst conditions were caused by rats attacking passengers and crew when asleep.
By the late 1870’s the journeys to Australia reduced and she was laid up on the Mersey.
In 1882 she was converted to a sailing ship with pine planking bolted to her sides and was used to carry coal to the USA, sailing via Cape Horn to San Francisco. On one such journey she became storm damaged and made for the Falklands. Being too expensive to refit a decision was made in 1937 to beach her at Sparrow Cove, (Falklands). Here, she became a Bunkering Station. During the war, HMS Exeter was damaged when engaging the German Battleship, The Graf Spee at the Battle of the River Plate. The Exeter used some metal plating from the Great Britain in her patching up.
While beached, huge mussels grew on her hull and were regarded as a local delicacy.
At one point in the post war era it was proposed that she be used for military target practice. However, in 1967 she was surveyed and found to be sufficiently sound to be transported to the UK. Billy Haywood, Chairman of Wolves FC, funded the construction of a special pontoon to enable her to be brought back home. It was then discovered that her hull had a split in it. An appeal for mattresses was put out and many were jammed into the crack and amazingly provided a watertight seal.
She was floated over the sunken pontoon then air was pumped into it and then she was made ready for the 8,000-mile journey via Montevideo. She arrived at Avonmouth and was floated off the pontoon. Then towed up stream, under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and onwards to the Bristol Dry Dock where she was built.
It is interesting that there were three key days and months pertinent to The Great Britain’s history.
19th July 1837 – Launched
19th July 1843 – First Voyage
19th July 1973 – returned to her Dry Dock on a Spring Tide clearing the sill of the Dry Dock by only 7 inches.
In recent times The Trust have rebuilt deck sections that reflect the changing uses over the 175-year history of the ship.
In the 1880’s she was clad in pine but while the iron plates on the topsides were in reasonable condition below the waterline she was rusting away. She became hydroscopic and the salt began to eat her away even when out of the water. The Trust didn’t know what to do and engaged Cardiff University to advise on how she could be preserved.
The answer lay in building an industrial quality air conditioning unit to keep the salts at bay. Additionally, the lower hull was protected by a glazed roof. This also had the benefit of providing a unique visitor experience.
Ian also provided a few other interesting facts: -
Brunel died at the young age of 53. He had a special belt that held 48 cigars. Today that belt, which is held by the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Museum, holds his last cigar.
This year The Great Britain was launched 175 years ago.
Brunel designed in as much natural light throughout the ship through the use of glass lights both on deck and in line on the lower interior decks. It did have to be supplemented with some oil lamps.
Like the Navy vessel HMS Warrior, both ships had lifting propeller cradles. Two helmsmen managed the wheel at the stern. They faced the Flying Bridge where “Nippers” boys were used to run communications between them. Hence the name for children being called “Nippers”.
By Martyn Wray
Ian Caskle
To set the historical context - In the 1830’s the steam engine was established in the railways and paddle steamers.
Samuel Cunard tendered for the contract to build four ships to run the mail from the UK to the USA. A Chief Engineer was needed, and Brunel got the job even though he had never built a ship before. The Great Western, a paddle ship, was built first and was followed by the Great Eastern which was later to lay the telegraph cable across the Atlantic. Upon its completion it was scrapped on the Mersey.
In the Great Britain, Brunel decided not to use timber in the hull construction. He had seen a small boat with a wrought iron hull. He decided to use this as the hull would be half the weight of a timber ship of that length.
Initially she was still going to be a paddle steamer but in the open sea they had a great tendency to roll and zig zag. Brunel saw a new boat called the Archimedes which had a screw propeller and he proposed to use it in the Great Britain.
These features made the Great Britain the Fastest, Biggest, Iron Hull, Propeller driven Ocean-going Liner. Clearly, she was the forefather of all modern ships.
She was launched on 19th July 1843. As was customary at the time, the wife of a company director would formally launch her using a bottle of Champagne. On this occasion the lady missed the ship and the bottle was picked up by the Prince Consort who then personally launched the ship.
The Great Britain could carry 250 first- and second-class passengers. However, only 45 booked on her maiden voyage between Liverpool and New York as there was some public concern that being made of iron, she might sink.
The new propeller has been shown to have been 92% efficient although it was subsequently replaced by a four bladed propeller.
The first four Atlantic crossings went well, but on the fifth a navigation error led to her being run aground onto a sandy beach in Northern Ireland.
Brunel went to see her and realised that he would not be able to re float her and until the Spring Tides. To protect her through the winter he designed and built a wooden structure. She was then successfully re floated but the costs of doing this unfortunately bankrupted the Company which then had to sell off both the Great Western and the Great Eastern.
By 1850 gold had been discovered in Australia. The Great Britain was as fast as the Cutty Sark being able to achieve 17 knots and in addition could carry 700 passengers and 140 crew.
At today’s costs the journey to Melbourne would be £5,000 and would take two months. A huge consignment of livestock was carried. In the 1960’s (150 years later), Cruise Liners took 6 weeks to get to Australia.
In the late 1850’s the Great Britain was requisitioned by the Army for use in transporting troops from Malta to the Crimea.
In 1861 the first Cricket Tour to Australia took place and the Great Britain conveyed the team and officials.
The ship had its own Newspaper called the Great Britain Times where the essence of life on board was clearly captured. Passengers were segregated both by class and gender. The quality of food was excellent, It is known that there were severe issues of seasickness. Conditions aboard ship were badly degraded by the intense heat in equatorial waters. However, the worst conditions were caused by rats attacking passengers and crew when asleep.
By the late 1870’s the journeys to Australia reduced and she was laid up on the Mersey.
In 1882 she was converted to a sailing ship with pine planking bolted to her sides and was used to carry coal to the USA, sailing via Cape Horn to San Francisco. On one such journey she became storm damaged and made for the Falklands. Being too expensive to refit a decision was made in 1937 to beach her at Sparrow Cove, (Falklands). Here, she became a Bunkering Station. During the war, HMS Exeter was damaged when engaging the German Battleship, The Graf Spee at the Battle of the River Plate. The Exeter used some metal plating from the Great Britain in her patching up.
While beached, huge mussels grew on her hull and were regarded as a local delicacy.
At one point in the post war era it was proposed that she be used for military target practice. However, in 1967 she was surveyed and found to be sufficiently sound to be transported to the UK. Billy Haywood, Chairman of Wolves FC, funded the construction of a special pontoon to enable her to be brought back home. It was then discovered that her hull had a split in it. An appeal for mattresses was put out and many were jammed into the crack and amazingly provided a watertight seal.
She was floated over the sunken pontoon then air was pumped into it and then she was made ready for the 8,000-mile journey via Montevideo. She arrived at Avonmouth and was floated off the pontoon. Then towed up stream, under the Clifton Suspension Bridge and onwards to the Bristol Dry Dock where she was built.
It is interesting that there were three key days and months pertinent to The Great Britain’s history.
19th July 1837 – Launched
19th July 1843 – First Voyage
19th July 1973 – returned to her Dry Dock on a Spring Tide clearing the sill of the Dry Dock by only 7 inches.
In recent times The Trust have rebuilt deck sections that reflect the changing uses over the 175-year history of the ship.
In the 1880’s she was clad in pine but while the iron plates on the topsides were in reasonable condition below the waterline she was rusting away. She became hydroscopic and the salt began to eat her away even when out of the water. The Trust didn’t know what to do and engaged Cardiff University to advise on how she could be preserved.
The answer lay in building an industrial quality air conditioning unit to keep the salts at bay. Additionally, the lower hull was protected by a glazed roof. This also had the benefit of providing a unique visitor experience.
Ian also provided a few other interesting facts: -
Brunel died at the young age of 53. He had a special belt that held 48 cigars. Today that belt, which is held by the Isambard Kingdom Brunel Museum, holds his last cigar.
This year The Great Britain was launched 175 years ago.
Brunel designed in as much natural light throughout the ship through the use of glass lights both on deck and in line on the lower interior decks. It did have to be supplemented with some oil lamps.
Like the Navy vessel HMS Warrior, both ships had lifting propeller cradles. Two helmsmen managed the wheel at the stern. They faced the Flying Bridge where “Nippers” boys were used to run communications between them. Hence the name for children being called “Nippers”.
By Martyn Wray
11th December 2018 Eight IN A BAR
I originally thought the title related to drinking, but I was mistaken. Why do words have more than one meaning? To create jokes based on puns I suppose.
The last meeting of the year and we were entertained by a barber shop group – EIGHT IN A BAR. In fact, they were nine plus the accompanist Christine.
They sang a range of songs including Alexanders Rag Time Band, Mary Lou, The Muck Spreader, Feeling Groovy and the Hippo Song. One of the Group is a member of the Magic Circle and while the rest of them got their respective breaths back we were mystified by some of his conjuring tricks.
All in all, a very entertaining finale to 2018 for the members.
Talking to one of the Group afterwards, I learnt that they never intended to be virtuosos, only gentle entertainers and they certainly succeeded. Just a group of friends enjoying each other’s company.
By Barry Treves
I originally thought the title related to drinking, but I was mistaken. Why do words have more than one meaning? To create jokes based on puns I suppose.
The last meeting of the year and we were entertained by a barber shop group – EIGHT IN A BAR. In fact, they were nine plus the accompanist Christine.
They sang a range of songs including Alexanders Rag Time Band, Mary Lou, The Muck Spreader, Feeling Groovy and the Hippo Song. One of the Group is a member of the Magic Circle and while the rest of them got their respective breaths back we were mystified by some of his conjuring tricks.
All in all, a very entertaining finale to 2018 for the members.
Talking to one of the Group afterwards, I learnt that they never intended to be virtuosos, only gentle entertainers and they certainly succeeded. Just a group of friends enjoying each other’s company.
By Barry Treves