Editorial
It might not seem it sometimes, but Bradway is fortunately
one of Sheffields quieter backwaters when it comes to night time disturbances.
Sadly this reputation has suffered in recent months with large groups
of teenagers gathering on Friday and Saturday evenings, firstly at the
Annex on Bradway Road and subsequently in front of the shops, pub and
petrol station on Bradway Road or in the playing fields behind them.
From their behaviour they would seem to have been drinking (not from purchases
in Bradway itself) or engaged in some other form of substance abuse. Local
businesses have complained to the police who have now instigated regular
evening patrols. On one occasion when police tried to move the group on,
bottles were thrown.
On a more positive note, it is good to see the muddy and overgrown footpaths
behind the golf range being cleared and surfaced. The view from here is
the best in Bradway and with the spring coming hopefully we will get some
dry weather and a chance to enjoy some local walks. Local walkers Dave
and Sue Ward have been reflecting on the need for genuine short walks
in the Peak District that start and finish at a cafe - you can see one
they suggest on page 10, the first of several that they might eventually
get to publish in a book.
Still on a positive note, new tenants are moving into empty shops on Bradway
Road - Bolger Interior Decorators and Wollaton Road - The Iron. Sadly
though, Best Wishes on Twentywell Lane is closing, leaving two empty shops
on that parade.
John Baker, Editor
The Bradway Seat
For nearly quarter of a century, "The Bradway Seat"
has stood proudly in position on the grassed area at the junction of Prospect
Road and Bradway Drive. The teak garden type seat was a gift to the community
at large from the Bradway Cub Scouts in 1977, and over the years has been
a welcome resting point for countless passers-by.
Unfortunately, the seat has also attracted more then enough attention
from thoughtless vandals, and a number of repair jobs have had to be carried
out. It is now in a sorry state, and literally on its last legs, and the
Scout Group has decided that it should be replaced.
Present fund raising is aimed principally at completing the loan repayment
on the extension to the Scout Centre building, and buying a replacement
mini-bus type vehicle, so the Scouts are now inviting local residents
to take part in helping to cover the cost of a replacement seat.
Contributions towards a new seat can be sent by cheque please, made out
to "Bradway Scout Group" and addressed to the Group Treasurer,
Mr Bob Parkinson, 66 Rosamund Avenue, Bradway.
Roger Davis
Say "ninety -nine"
Said the doctor, "Although it's not plain
What affliction is causing you pain,
Since you say you're quite sure
That you've had it before,
I can tell you - you've got it again!"
Watch this space !
Roger Davis presents some topical Bradway talking points.
Readers of the Bugle are known to have contracted severe withdrawal symptoms
when waiting for the magazine to be delivered, and especially if there
is no further news to be gleaned over such talking points as the disturbed
sleepers in the Wollaton Road area (see last issue), the survey on the
behaviour of supermarket type trolleys, the desperate need for school
crossing patrols, and the campaign to build a Bradway Ark that can be
launched to provide a floating shelter for the thousands of Totley flood
victims.
The source of the high pitched whining noise that keeps Gordon Sellars
and his wife, Margaret, awake around 4am in Wollaton Road still remains
a mystery, despite a promise made months ago that an inspector from the
Sheffield Environmental Health office would be making a very early morning
visit with specialised monitoring equipment. But action is still awaited
to track down the noise that often makes Margaret put earplugs in to go
to sleep.
"We know of at least four other families who suffer from a similar
noise problem", says Gordon. "It is nothing new, and we have
had to put up with it for a number of years"..
----
We are now well into February, but there could still be some nasty winter
surprises on our local roads. But what a lovely surprise it would be to
see white-coated road crossing patrol ladies (or gents) on duty again
at school opening and closing times on Prospect Road and Bradway Road/Twentywell
Lane. If you fancy the idea of doing a valuable part-time job for the
local community, contact Sir Harold Jackson School (Tel 236 3723).
In the course of a massive Bugle backed market research
survey into the temperaments of supermarket/airport type trolleys of one
design and another, I have survived more than enough bruising and embarrassing
encounters.
Many months have sped by since I first set out on the trail, determined
to live up to the highest traditions of British investigative journalism,
and I can now submit my findings, complete with photographic evidence
that I have located the gold star award winner.
The top trolley, without any doubt, is one that I promptly christened
Monty (after he of the famous black beret and El Alamein, who battled
on regardless).
Monty was standing discarded in an early morning snowstorm outside a most
select and enterprising garden centre. The owner, determined to have a
till bursting pre-Christmas weekend had arranged for a craft fair marquee
to be erected on a treacherous looking and very damp area of grass beside
an appallingly muddy car park.
The trolley looked a real champion from the start, as I trundled it off
through the squelching mud to load up with heavy boxes of craft fair goods
from the car.
Broad wheeled, with a magnificently wide wheel base, and a no-nonsense
steering bar that seemed to respond to instructions before they had been
thought out, it really was a Prince among the pawns as other light weight
models sank to wheel depth and more in the morass.
Long lengths of coconut matting eventually appeared to guide the struggling
supply parties trying desperately to be on time for the public opening,
while Monty gave of his very best. It was the programme as before at packing
up time, and when I finally took him back to the sheds, it was like saying
goodbye to an old and trusted friend.
Check now! The latest crime bulletin issued by Bradway and Totley Neighbourhood
Watch sounds alarm bells. There were 15 recorded burglaries or attempted
burglaries in Longford Crescent, Wollaton Road, Everard Drive and Avenue,
Rosamund Drive and Glade, Twentywell Lane, Queen Victoria Road, St Quentin
Close and Rise, Kenwell Drive, and Totley Brook Road.
In almost every case, raiders got in, or attempted to get in, through
ground floor rear windows or doors. Are your premises secure? Action this
day, please!.
Free Television licences
People aged 75 and over are now entitled to a free TV
licence from 1 November 2000, or from the month of their 75th birthday,
whichever is later.
The new rules do not mean that a TV licence is no longer needed. If someone
watches television, they still need a valid licence. The only difference
is that the Government will now pay for the licence.
Over 1.3 million senior citizens have already registered for the new concession.
TV Licensing is urging anyone who has not yet registered to do so by contacting
its Helpline on 0845 602 3334. Anyone with older relatives or friends
who may be eligible should encourage them to register for the new concession.
As with a normal television licence, an Over 75 Licence is valid for 12
months and has to be renewed annually. The licence covers the eligible
person and anyone who lives in the same household - even if they are younger
- as long as the address is their permanent home and the licence is in
the eligible person's name. If there are two eligible people within the
same household, only one need apply.
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet
Recent visitors to the Hamlet will have noticed that the
large waterwheels and machinery, such as in the tilt forge, have not been
in operation. Major repair and restoration work is needed to make them
safe to operate. Fortunately the campaign to raise funding for this project
has been successful and from mid?January to May a specialist firm based
in Glasgow, Heritage Engineering, will be carrying out these works.
The project is complex. The careful restoration of the wheels and machinery
will take 3?4 months and cost over £150,000. The Project is being
funded by English Heritage, Sheffield City Council and The Science Museum's
PRISM grant.
At the same time Sheffield City Council have undertaken to repair the
leak from the dam into the grinding hull at the Hamlet which is damaging
the buildings. £150,000 has been allocated towards this project.
During the work to repair the dam at the Hamlet the water levels will
be dropped, so a temporary home has been found for the fish. The swan
was moved to a swan sanctuary in Doncaster.
Work is also starting to restore the buildings, beginning with the repair
of the crucible forge chimney, and the roof of the Manager's house outside
toilet. ,
A new visitors gallery will be located downstairs for ease of access.
It will contain information about the site and what happened on the site
using up?to?date methods of interpretation. There will also be new signs
around the site to help orientation and interpretation and hand held audio
guides to assist your visit.
Public Opening dates for 2001 are: Sunday 15th April? Sunday 29th Oct
2001. Closed Fridays & Saturdays. Open all year round for Educational
Visits.
Couch potatoes - get walking!
A brisk 30-minute walk five times a week reduces the risk
of heart disease by half. That's a fact. So there's no excuse for languishing
on the upholstery.
Real life makes it hard to find the time, however, which is why the Countryside
Agency and the British Heart Foundation have launched the Walking Way
to Health Initiative.
The aim is to promote walking among people who lead sedentary lives and
in communities with poor health records. It is hoped that more than 200
schemes will receive £11.6 million in funding over the next five
years. Interested in setting up a scheme? Call 01242 533 258 or visit
their web site at: www.whi.org.uk
Help needed
The Leonard Cheshire home at Mickley Hall is on the lookout
for volunteers to help support residents, however little or however much
time you have to spare.
Drivers; escorts to accompany outings to the shops, countryside or entertainments;
help with crafts and activities; or just companionship and conversation
will all be much appreciated.
Come and visit us at Mickley Hall, Mickley Lane, Sheffield S 17 4HE Tel:
236 9952 or Email: mickley@ney.leonard-cheshire.org.uk
Bradway On-Line
The Bradway web site continues to expand and now most
crucially has its own search engine. This means you can search within
the site, for any local information you are interested in. As we input
more archive material this option will become even more useful.
We would also like to add more information on local organisations and
businesses, given the increasing recognition of the importance of having
a presence on the internet to promote activities.
This need not be expensive if you take space on an existing
site, which still allows you to have a separate address and to be found
by search engines. Details of services, and even pictures, do not take
up much computer space
We can help you get started by providing space and professional help with
design and production through local consultants Visual Creations. We can
even offer subsidised rates to local community organisations.
If you are interested in finding out more just call us on 0114 236 9025.
Finally, it would be interesting to know just how many people in Bradway
have access to and use the internet. (Nationally supposedly 30% of households).
We are always pleased to hear from local surfers young and old. Why not
give us a nudge via our e-mail address at: editor@villagepublications.co.uk
Post Box
Dear Sir,
Some time ago, in an issue of the Bugle, I read something which struck
a cord with me. Some residents in the Wollaton Road area, were experiencing
strange noises at night, which they could not explain.
For some time, before that, I had heard, at night, a persistent rather
high pitched noise. It would occur in the early hours, when everything
was quiet. I found it strange that I could only hear this noise from one
of the rooms in the house.
I am wondering if anyone has found a reason for this noise and whether
it is still being heard. I heard it last on January 30th. at 3am. If anyone
has any further comments I would be very interested.
I must say that our household has enjoyed reading this publication and
would like to thank our editor for his sterling work. I am one of his
distributors and I am sure he would be grateful if others would volunteer.
It is really no hardship to deliver in your area as you have your constitutional,
an occupation enjoyed by so many of my neighbours.
Personally I am delighted by all the interest shown in the birds and their
antics in our neighbourhood.
Di Newsome
Dear Sir,
A hundred years ago, song thrushes roughly equalled blackbirds in numbers,
but now the ratio is six to one in favour of the blackbird. Certainly
this looks true round Bradway, though I should say that the decline of
thrushes was finally arrested five years ago.
Why the National decline? As with sparrows and starlings, research is
being carried out by voluntary organisations such as the RSPB and BTO,
partly with government funding. The answers are still unclear, but will
probably have something to do with high-tech agriculture, reduced food
supply and a failure to raise young. The increased use of molluscicide
can't help, on farmland or in gardens. (Don't use any!)
The song thrush is smaller and slighter than its blackbird cousin, leggier,
more likely to take long runs. It is honey brown with rich buff speckles.
The sexes are identical.
If Bradway is any guide, part of the blame for the song
thrushes fate is the blackbird itself. We occasionally have thrushes visiting
our garden from Poynton Woods, and the blackbirds never let them rest
or feed. This badgering must affect thrush population numbers, denying
them winter food, preventing them from properly feeding their young, making
it impossible for the young birds to make their way in the world. Strangely,
none of the literature that I have seen makes any mention of blackbird
bullying.
Thrushes like to sing from high vantage points. Their
song is low, strident, quite harsh and repetitive, compared to the mellow
fluting of the blackbird. You will hear them, from March, at the top of
Prospect Place. In Poynton Woods, down Totley Lane towards the Shepley
Spitfire (two singing males in 2000), and on Bradway Road towards Tinkers'
Corner.
Put out cheese, meat and raisin scraps for them, but spread
the food widely to reduce the chances of blackbird dominance. Better still,
scatter some in hidden corners, in flower beds, under bushes. Leaving
leaf litter until spring, also helps, for invertebrates can then survive
better. You will see the thrush tossing it enthusiastically seeking food.
Bradway also plays host to the much larger mistle thrush,
scarcer than the song thrush but probably holding its numbers steady.
Mistles tower over blackbirds, stand upright with their chests thrust
out, and are much greyer and colder in colour. They are bold and confident.
There is no way a blackbird can kick sand in their faces.
During winter, they often defend a berry bush against
other fruit- eating birds. They take the task very seriously, calling
like football rattles all the while. All through November and December
a pair was doing this in a rowan on the grassy green where Rosamund joins
Everard. The calories expended are presumably worth the calories gained!
There are more at the foot of Queen Victoria Road, and have been for ten
years. They are much less likely to enter gardens, so just stroll the
district and rejoice in their vigour and liveliness!
John Kirkman
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