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Pic: left to right: Birstall’s Jan Everitt
Leicestershire Ladies Singles runner up, Kate Kyle (Shepshed)
Leicestershire Ladies Singles champion and Birstall’s Diane
Hurst who won the trophy for the highest score against the champion.
Trophy winning Birstall
THE OUTDOOR bowls season finished last
month and the highlight of the year at Birstall Bowls was Jan
Everitt reaching the National Finals of the Ladies Singles.
She made it through to the last 32 in the country and was the
runner up in the Leicestershire Ladies Singles final.
The club, sponsored by Bentleys Roses, were promoted to the Second
Division of the Leicester & District League after finishing
second in the Third Division. At the Leicester City & District
Parks finals, Birstall players were winners and runners up in
the Singles, won the Fours and were runners up in the Mixed Pairs.
The club competition winners for the season are listed below:
Ladies Winners
Championship: Diane Hurst, Runner Up: Sue Wilson
Handicap: Diane Hurst, Runner Up: Jan Everitt
Maiden: Velma Allen, Runner Up: Hazel Andrews
Three Wood: Betty Crowson, Runner Up: Vera Fielding
Two Wood: Diane Hurst, Runner Up : Pam Ratcliffe
Pairs: Val Hollis & Freda Jones, Runners Up: Angela Parkin
& Pam Ratcliffe
Two Wood Pairs: Val Hollis & Jean Markley, Runners Up: Velma
Allen & Hazel Andrews
Men’s Winners
Championship: Stuart Hartop, Runner Up : John Hurst
Handicap: John Hurst, Runner Up : Colin Wood
Maiden: Malcolm Wright, Runner Up : Rick Everitt
Three Wood: Tom Cowles, Runner Up: Stan Pratt
Two Wood: Tom Cowles, Runner Up: Dave Clarke
Pairs: Harry Poole & Dick Sharpe, Runners Up : Tony Williams
& Malcolm Wright
Club Night Cup: Tony France, Runner Up: John Boden
Mixed Competition Winners
Saunders Cup: Diane & John Hurst, Runners Up: Sue Wilson
& John Walker
Adnett Pairs: Diane Hurst & Rick Everitt, Runners Up: Velma
Allen & John Eaton
Club Open: John Hurst, Runner Up: Jan Hunt
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Dancers
LILIE SCOTT (10) and Daisy Liggins (9),
both from Birstall and pictured above, have successfully auditioned
for the Leicester Youth Ballet Company and will be appearing
in Sleeping Beauty at the De Montfort Hall in the New Year. Both
girls attend the Starlight Theatre School.
Village sign unveiled
BIRSTALL’S VILLAGE sign on the Triangle
Roundabout was given an official unveiling by the Deputy Mayor
of Charnwood Jack Moore in October.
The design features the Cedar of Lebanon tree on Roman Road.
Pictured left to right are Deputy Mayoress Caroline Orton, Chairman
of Birstall Parish Council Stuart Jones, designer of the sign
Norman Sims, Deputy Mayor Jack Moore, Veronica Jones and Tony
Stott.
Fun raising cash
Pic: Chris Tilford (retiring chairman)) presenting
the group cheque to Roy Davies, treasurer of Breathe Easy
THANKS TO the support, kindness and generosity
of the ladies at the Birstall Methodist Monday Women’s Group
another wonderful year of fundraising has given us lots of fun
and fellowship.
This year’s project for Breathe Easy, a support group based
at Glenfield Hospital for people living with lung disease and
their carers, has raised £2,750.
Events took place throughout the year starting with a concert
last autumn by the Sassenbach Players, followed by the first
of three Saturday Coffee Shops, a Christmas Stall & Raffle,
plus monthly thrift stalls and even an auction of talents. Plus
eating Smarties and then, filling the tubes with coins!
The group would like to say a very big thankyou to all their
loyal supporters.
Our new project elected on Sep 27 is Wishes-4-Kids, a local charity
granting wishes for very ill and emotionally needy children.
We look forward to seeing all our old and new friends at our
next event.
From Birstall Methodist Women’s Group.
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Andy’s invite to award ceremony
Pic Carl Gunns & Andy Corbett (right),
with his sons George and Tom
A LOCAL cricketer was invited to Lords
cricket ground in London for an awards ceremony organised by
the English Cricket Board to recognise outstanding service to
the sport.
Andy Corbett of Birstall Village cricket club had made it through
to the last three in his category ‘Get Involved’, for
volunteers who get involved with their club because their child
plays.
Andy said: “It was a great day out, a once in a lifetime
experience. I had a tour all around Lords including the museum
and media centre. Even though I did not win, it was a fantastic
occasion. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Carl
Gunns who nominated me and also to Ann Woods of Leicestershire
and Rutland Cricket Board, who has helped me from starting at
Birstall Village Cricket Club to being Manager of North East
Leicestershire District Under 12s.”
Andy and Carl Gunns will be interviewed on Saga Radio later this
month, about volunteering in the community. They will be guests
on John Shaw’s Sunday morning programme from 6-10am
Champion canoeists meet Olympic medallist
Pic: the winning team with Olympic medallist
Ian Wynne. Photo courtesy David Leathborough
A TEAM of eight young canoeists, including
three from Birstall and one from Mountsorrel, have won the under
14 national Bellboat Championships, which took place recently
as part of the British Canoe Unions’ Annual Youth Fest Event.
The team, who paddle at Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre, were
really pleased with their result having trained for the past
three months for the event, held at the National Watersports
Centre in Nottingham.
The winning team were: Mark Hampton, Michael Connelly, Matt Staley,
Matt Lunn, Robert Vincent, Mat Hampton, Bryn Bolton and George
Smith.
The success and strength of the club’s paddlers was further
highlighted with the younger boys and girls coming a much respected
second place in the U11s final which took place in windy conditions.
Their achievements were further rewarded with the opportunity
to meet two of Great Britains’ successful Olympic Canoe
Team, Ian Wynne and Stuart Bowman, who also started his paddling
career in Leicester. Ian was on hand to present the paddlers
with their trophies. Afterwards the young paddlers had the opportunity
to see Ian’s Bronze medal which he won competing in the
500km flat water kayak sprint. Speaking to the youngsters afterwards
Ian told them to train hard and they too could go to the Olympics
- hopefully 2012 in London.
If this achievement was not enough the paddlers went on to dominate
the ‘Youth Fest’ 1000m Double Open Canoe race, taking
1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th places. The wind and rain at this point
in the day was torrential, but the lads still performed well
and thoroughly enjoyed the race.
With energy and enthusiasm still flowing, the youngsters took
part in the British Canoe Union Slalom Award scheme. Whilst doing
this they canoed with Stu Bowman - silver medallist in slalom
at the Sydney Olympics.
A spokesman said: “All the youngsters from the racing group
at Leicester OPC plan to train hard through the winter and emerge
even stronger for racing next year. As well as congratulations
to all the paddlers for their achievements this year a big thank
you must go to the coaches, parents and guardians whose help
and support has been invaluable.”
If you would like to find out more about the Leicester Outdoor
Pursuits Racing Group and/or paddle sport in general you can
contact the Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre on 01162 681 426
or email: leicesteropc@btconnect.com
Parcels
THE LAND & LEWIS Charity Trust will
be bringing Christmas cheer parcels to the needy and older housebound
residents of Birstall again this year.
The Trustees would like to thank everyone who contributed towards
this Charity in the past. Contributions for this year, no matter
how small, will be gratefully received.
The trustees can be contacted care of Birstall Parish Council.
Each Christmas the charity delivers a parcel of seasonal groceries
to elderly and needy residents of Birstall.
Couple’s trip to help orphaned children
A BIRSTALL couple’s three week trip
to help out at an orphanage in the Philippines was cut short
by illness, but did include an unforgettable encounter with a
six year old boy the pair are now trying to adopt.
Len Baker and his wife Wendy, of Wanlip Lane, first visited the
Philippines in 1999. Len tells the story.
The trip this year was going to be a new adventure because we
were going to a new orphanage 50km outside of Manila in the Rizal
province up the mountains of Sampaloc. The old orphanage had
closed down in October 2002 due to the ill health of the owner
who had to return to the UK. Many of the remaining children had
been adopted or moved to other orphanages in the Philippines,
most of them happily but a number not so happily as we were to
find out.
Pic: Wendy Baker with children in the orphanage
After the usual long flight we had a further two hour journey
to the new orphanage. We were both excited and apprehensive because
we didn’t really know what to expect, and this time we were
without the support of other ex-pats. We were on our own.
Rehoboth, as the home is called, has been built by an Australian
couple called Bob and Barbara Morriss. the project has taken
eight years so far and has only been open for about one year.
It has been built on reclaimed swamp land in a small village,
the workers are drawn from the local community and there is a
‘birthing clinic’ and pre-school that also serves the
local community. Like the previous orphanage, the children are
either orphaned, abandoned, surrendered, or taken away by the
social services for many reasons such as poverty, illness, abuse
etc. Like one little boy who was the youngest of four and not
liked by his mother or stepfather. Because of this they tied
him to a chair were he remained all day, and of course he could
not go to the toilet so he ended up ‘messing’ himself.
When he did this he was then burnt with a lighted newspaper and
beaten. Another little girl of 18 months was the result of incest,
she will be classed as special needs and will be hard to adopt.
There are currently 12 children in Rehoboth.
But when you go out there you do not dwell on the situations
you just get stuck in and help...at least that was what we were
planning on doing for the three week stay that we had arranged.
However things were to take a turn for the worse and our trip
cut very short through illness. For two days we were both to
feel very ill and extremely low and vulnerable ... and even worse
totally useless and left wondering why on earth we were 7000
miles away from home. My wife eventually had to go on a drip
(not in hospital though) and it was at this point that we made
the decision to return home. But this article is not about us,
it’s about a little boy who we were visit the day we flew
back home.
A friend who we had met on a previous visit, and who had an involvement
with the same orphanage that we had previously worked at, invited
us to stay with her for the last night to help us recover before
flying home. As already mentioned, when the last orphanage closed
some children moved to ‘less desirable’ homes. One
of these homes was a mental institute and our friend regularly
visits a little boy who had been placed there, she offered to
take us on the morning before we flew home. We first met this
little boy on our first trip to the Philippines and when he was
10 months old. He was now six and has spent the last two years
in this mental institute, which was a long way from the ‘new
mummy and daddy’ he had been promised. 600 ‘inmates’
live in this place with 30 members of staff to look after then.
Our friend warned us before we went to expect unpleasant smells
and sights, but we really did want to see him.
Arriving at the institute we immediately got the impression of
a zoo, the buildings housing the inmates just looked like zoo
compounds by their size, shape and construction. The windows
and perimeter of each building were covered with wire which in
many cases were to keep the inmates in. We made our way to the
‘cottage’ (as they were called) where the little boy
now lived. He did not recognise us but certainly recognised our
friend, and eagerly accepted the bananas that we had taken, as
did the other children. Around us were children with many different
problems, mental disorders, physical disorders both major and
minor. One little boy had encephalitis and his head was swollen
to three times the normal size, one little boy was blind and
sang to you with the voice of an angel, another (who we also
knew from the previous orphanage) just stood there and looked
at us, probably autistic. Many others were so mentally disturbed
that they would bite their own bodies. Our little friend only
has the occasional fit, indeed his last was in January, but it
did put him in a coma for five days.
We took him and two little girls for a walk around the grounds,
the girls in pushchairs and our little friend running around
like any six-year old. He picked up a flower, pointed out a bird
and a car and clearly enjoyed the half hour of freedom. We then
had to take him back! A far cry from the new mummy and daddy
he expected!
I haven’t mentioned the human faeces all around, the other
inmates in other ‘cottages’, the ones laying naked
on concrete floors or the ones that have been there for 25+ years,
or that he still wears a nappy, or that he doesn’t need
to be there! I also haven’t mentioned that we had to untie
him! There are not enough workers so many children are restrained.
And I haven’t mentioned the really tight hug he gave my
wife!
But I will tell you this one last bit:
When he lived at Shalobata he saw many of his friends adopted
and each time an adoption took place there he was sitting on
the visitor’s knee saying “hello mummy and daddy”.
Only they hadn’t come for him. We took him back knowing
he would be tied up again. And then we flew home.
Since arriving home we have decided to tray and adopt this little
boy. If we don’t succeed then he is there for the rest of
his life.
Pic: Recruits Harry Board (left) with Simon
Thacker
Joining the TA was cherry on the cake
THE BIRSTALL engineer who thought he had
it all celebrated by ‘joining up’.
Harry Broad reckoned that getting married to the love of his
life in Las Vegas by ‘Elvis’, was just about as good
as things could get. But even after the world champion look-alike
‘King of Rock’ had finished officiating at the ceremony,
he felt there was still one cherry he had to have on top of the
cake.
Harry (33) said: “I believe that joining the Territorial
Army was something I had to do. I’m an unashamedly patriotic
man - I think everyone should give something to their community.
I’ve seen how our soldiers are doing their best to help
people caught up in conflicts overseas...well now I’m going
to do my bit.”
Recruit Board said it was his poor upbringing that led him to
delay enlisting until now. He said it had also prevented him
marrying earlier in his 11-year relationship with his new bride,
Annette (30)
He added: I’d always feared the poverty I grew up in. Business
and making sure I was financially secure always came first somehow.
Annette deserves a medal as big as a frying pan for sticking
with me. I’m going to need her support as much as ever now
as I go through my basic military training.”
Rct. Broad’s biggest fear in joining Ulverscroft Road-based
‘C’ Company The East of England Regiment was the age
gap between him and the other new entrants. But recruit Simon
Thacker (18), a web designer, from Highfields, said: “Harry’s
fantastic. It’s great to have someone a bit older you can
turn to for advice. I think the whole thing about the TA is the
huge mix of people who join.”
Anyone wanting more information should ring 0116 262 4552. Details
of all the Reserve Forces units in the region can be found at
www.reserve-forces-eastmidlands.org.
Planning
Mr & Mrs J Ward - erection of a single storey side extension
to side and detached garage to rear of semi-detached house. 221
Wanlip Lane
Dr B Rathbone - erection of conservatory extension to side of
dwelling. 20 Netherhall Lane
Mr M Seligmann & Miss C - erection of dormer extension to
north elevation and insertion of roof light to attic room. 19
Acorn Close
Mr Chauhan - erection of a two storey extension to side, pitched
roof to other side and single storey, conservatory and three
dormer windows to rear of detached house. 71 Roman Road
Mr G Shaw - erection of a single storey extension to rear of
semi-detached house. 32 Beechfield Ave
Mr & Mrs P Loach - erection of two storey extension to the
side and first floor extension to the rear of dwelling. 104 Wanlip
Lane
Garden waste
CHARNWOOD’S GREEN waste recycling
has increased by nearly 250 per cent since the introduction of
their new garden waste collection service in August.
Latest figures show that nearly 60 tonnes of recyclable green
waste was collected between September 2-20, compared to 17 tonnes
for the same period last year.
Cllr Jill Vincent the Cabinet lead member for Recycling said
“It’s really good news and I’d like to thank all
those residents who have signed up to the new service, their
efforts are making a real difference. I’d encourage other
residents who’ve been thinking about joining to give us
a call.”
The service enables residents to lease a brown wheelie bin from
the Council who then collect the bin every fortnight and send
the contents for composting at a local facility.
Peter Rook, Charnwood’s Recycling Chief said: “We had
a few teething problems with the service early on down to the
higher than expected demand for the bins, now that has been sorted
out it is really heartening to be able to report back to residents
that their efforts are contributing to the Borough’s recycling
figures.”
Anyone wishing to join the Garden Waste Collection Service should
call 01509 634 563.
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FIVE YEAR old Leah Scrimshaw made a hand puppet with her mum
Joanne at Longslade College's Family Learning Day. Parents and
children took part in craft activities, used the computer suite
and tried a kick boxing class at the free event in October.
Your Say...
Why cannot we see the complete plan for Hallam fields and
the associate changes connected to this plan? Leicestershire
County Council implies that Greengate Lane is a connecting road
while Leicester City Council plans to close Greengate Lane to
cars. It would seem that Loughborough is implementing their plans
with neither co-operation or cash from Leicester or Central government.
Will any land be taken from the schools for the Park & Ride?
Will any building material be taken along Saltersgate Avenue
and Harrowgate Drive through the alleyway? I still cannot find
any details of the balancing ponds.
Why is Loughborough trying to solve Leicester’s traffic
problems? What are the alterations to Greengate Lane? When shall
we see a bus route on Hallam fields?
Les Briers
I have today received a letter from Charnwood Council advising
me that the Rosetree Ave/Hill Rise Application P/04/1688/2 has
been refused.
I would like to extend my thanks through the Birstall Post to
all the residents who supported our petition against the building
of the flats and extension to the supermarket.
I would also like to thank the Parish Council for their support.
I am sure that Parish Council meetings will not be the same now
that the Hill Rise mob are not attending. Thank you all for putting
up with us.
We have no objections to the supermarket as it now stands, indeed
most of the residents welcomed the new owners, the store is well
kept and pleasant to shop in. But we do not need or want these
extensions.
We will be posting leaflets informing the residents of this news
and also advising them that we will continue to be vigilant and
oppose any further applications to build a second storey to accommodate
flats or extension to the supermarket. We will most certainly
be asking again for their support should it be necessary.
Laraine Eliot-Fox
I am a female amateur artist with an excess amount of paintings
which I would like to exhibit and I’m looking for a similar
person to help organise a small exhibition with our combined
paintings. If anyone is interested please phone me.
Elaine Green 0116 2207063
On behalf of the Royal Air Forces Association Birstall Branch,
I would like to thank all those who have donated generously to
our Battle of Britain Wings Appeal 2004.
May I also take this opportunity to thank our members who have
given their time to collect for this worthy cause.
The support we have received is much appreciated and has enabled
us to reach a total of £4500 to date.
Eve Cooper, Wings Appeal Organiser
Recently, whilst driving my car to the Birstall Medical Centre,
I turned from Wanlip Lane into Whiles Lane but was able to proceed
for only a few yards as the carriageway was blocked by a red
car positioned across Whiles Lane. The red car had its front
end pointed towards the Somerfield store and was making some
short, forward and reverse movements - it was similar to being
at a fairground on the dodgems with the car in front blocking
my car but making frantic manoeuvres to get out of the way. The
red car had certainly been driven into a peculiar position and
the male driver was looking a bit flushed and agitated - perhaps
he had consumed a few drinks at the Earl of Stamford which had
affected his driving ability? The car then went forward a little
way, then it reversed a few feet and finally went forward again
to pass in front of my car and then it turned sharply to its
left to exit While Lane on the wrong side of the road.
Many of the drivers leaving the Somerfield car park exit Whiles
Lane on the wrong side of the road. I cannot understand why the
Highways Department of the County Council and the Police, when
the Somerfield store was established, allowed the exit road from
the car park to come out onto Whiles Lane in the way that it
does. I suppose they assumed that all drivers would obey the
Highway Code by turning left into Whiles Lane and would then
go around the ‘Keep Left’ sign and so exit Whiles Lane
on the correct side, but most drivers don’t do that. It
must be very difficult for the huge delivery lorries on leaving
the Somerfield car park to carry out the correct procedure. Surely
it would have been more logical and much safer to have made the
present exit road the entry road into the Somerfield car park
and to have made the present entry road the exit road. I suppose
it would be difficult to suddenly change the entry/exit system
now that it is well established. Many cars seem to be using Whiles
Lane these days, several of them going to and from the Birstall
Medical Centre and the Whiles Lane/Wanlip Lane junction seems
to be a junction waiting for accidents to happen. One way of
making the junction safer would be to create a roundabout there,
or at least a mini-roundabout.
It will be interesting to hear what the manager of the local
Highways Department of the County Council at Mountsorrel and
the Police have to say about the present road pattern and the
potential for accidents to happen at this junction.
Perhaps they would also respond to my letter in the Birstall
Post several months ago when I stated that when the traffic lights
at the end of Sibson Road are on red, some people were taking
their vehicles past the lights and then turning right into the
little road outside the shops which face the A6 and thence onto
the A6 making a quicker but illegal entry onto that road. It
is still happening at times but nobody seems to care!
J Woods
Editor’s Note: My understanding, after consulting with Birstall
& District Local History Society, is that Whiles Lane starts
at the Roman Catholic Church and runs down towards the river.
The section of road between Wanlip Lane and Whiles Lane is Front
Street
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Nature Notes
There are holes in the sky
Where the rain comes in.
The holes are so small
That’s why the rain is so thin.
Thus wrote the late, great Spike Milligna (the well-known typing
error). He never lived to see this last summer, and no doubt
he would be glad of that if he is sitting on a cloud somewhere
playing a harp. For this summer there have been plenty of clouds
to sit on.
Someone else wrote ‘Rain, rain go away, come again another
day’ whilst Flanders and Swan’s April showers ‘go
on and on for hours and hours’.
It has become fashionable to blame all this bad weather on global
warming, just as it was fashionable in the 1950s to blame it
on nuclear testing. Just as in the 1950s we had the Lynton and
Lynmouth disaster, so this year we have Boscastle, but we do
not have nuclear tests. Things must be worse, think the media:
and along comes a washout on a road in Perthshire. Hurray, Global
Warming! Forget that the road in Perthshire is washed out EVERY
YEAR - things must have got worse. We were right.
So what do the prophets of doom predict? As the earth warms due
to the greenhouse effect, storms will become more frequent, yet
the south east of England will become a desert. We will have
long hot dry summers and mild winters. I am tempted to quote
yet another comedy recording from the 1960s: ‘the mountains
shall sink and the valleys shall rise, and great will be the
tumult thereof’. Sadly the tumult rests entirely in the
media as far as global warming is concerned. No-one has yet told
us where all the melt-water from the ice-caps will go - I suspect
it will be Skegness.
Every spring in the 1950s the tabloids of those days used to
print the words of various sages who had consulted their strips
of hanging seaweed and the tea leaves in their tea cups (it was
all the rage before computers) and guess what they predicted?
A glorious hot summer. Guess what happened? Do I have to spell
it out?
Anyone who makes any firm prediction about the weather in this
country over any length of time either has a very good computer
to hand or needs a head test. True we have had several hot dry
summers - I particularly remember 1947, 1949, 1959 and 1976/76,
before global warming was every a popular topic of hard-up journalists.
We have had wet and stormy summers - the other 1950 years come
to mind. True we have not had a really cold winter since 1963,
but the previous one was 1947. Let us not count our chickens,
as the saying goes.
Certainly let us not blame global warming for the ills of certain
bird populations; we are as generous with our farming chemicals
now as we were with organochlorine pesticides in the 1960s,
and we may be paying the same price.
By Finch
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Age Concern Info
Safe at Home
Working with the Help the Aged HandyVan to keep older people
safe at home.
The primary objective of the HandyVan is to make vulnerable older
people’s homes more safe and secure, thus reducing the risk
of loss through burglary and providing peace of mind.
Free Fitting of Home Security Products
If you are an older person and you are concerned about your home
safety or security, OR if you are aware of an older family member,
friend or neighbour, who may need the service, then contact the
HandyVan if you can answer “yes” to all these questions
• Aged over 60
• Less than £16,000 savings
• Living in the districts of Charnwood, Hinckley and Bosworth
or North West Leicestershire
Then telephone 01530 837097 (best between 9am and 12noon) or
write to Safe at Home, 2 Mantle Lane, Coalville, LE67 3DW to
ask for an application form.
Leicestershire Safe at Home is a partnership between: Age Concern
Hinckley and Burbage, Age Concern Leicestershire and Rutland,
Care & Repair (West Leicestershire) Ltd, Charnwood Community
Safety Partnership, Hinckley and Bosworth Community Safety Partnership,
North West Leicestershire Partnership in Safer Communities. The
partnership is administered by Care & Repair (West Leicestershire)
Ltd, registered as an Industrial and Provident Society with charitable
status, 24755R.
Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act
The Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act received the Royal Assent
on July 22 and will come into force on April 1, 2005. The Act
places duties on councils to inform carers of their entitlement
to an assessment and to take into account carers’ work,
study and leisure interests when carrying out such an assessment.
The Act also requires councils and the health service to co-operate
in planning services for carers. (Department of Health Press
Release, July 22, 2004)
Post Office Launches New Saving Stamp Scheme
The Post Office announced recently that it is launching a new
saving stamp initiative designed to help customers to budget.
The saving stamps can be used to pay for any products or services
that can be bought at a post office, ranging from insurance and
car tax to paying household bills over the post office counter.
The stamps will be available at all post offices for £5
each and should be saved on a ‘collector’ card which
has space for a maximum of 20 stamps. The maximum value of stamps
that can be used for a single transaction is £500. There
is no charge for using this service and there is no time limit
on using the stamps. (Post office Press Release, August 16, 2004)
Continuing NHS Healthcare : New Guide
The Alzheimer’s Society has issued a booklet explaining
what continuing NHS healthcare is, who might be eligible for
it, and how to make an effective complaint.
It gives some history of Government guidance, the Coughlan judgement
and the Health Service Ombudsman report; explains how continuing
NHS healthcare and ‘free’ nursing care fit together;
and discusses getting access to patients’ notes and some
commonly asked questions. Although written primarily for people
caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease, the booklet
states it may be relevant to people with other conditions. It
was supported by Age Concern, Help the Aged and the Royal College
of Nursing.
When Does the NHS pay for Care? Guidance on Eligibility for Continuing
NHS Health Care Funding in England and How to Appeal If It Is
Not Awarded. 40pp. Available free from Alzheimer’s Society,
Gordon House, 10 Greencoat Place, London SWlP 1PH. Tel: 0845
300 0336. Email: helpline@alzheimers.org.uk. Also available on
the Internet at www.alzheimers.org.uk/caring_for _someone_with_dementia/residential_and_nursing_care/index.htm
Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council
Tax Benefit : Changes to Rules
A number of changes to the rules for income-related benefits
are planned to come into effect in October 2004 and April 2005.
The ones most likely to affect older people are :
• If someone takes out an equity release scheme which provides
a regular income from an annuity under Pension Credit, this has
always been counted as ‘retirement income’, while a
scheme that provides regular payments not based on an annuity
has not been assessed as income. Changes to come into effect
from October 2004 will mean that any regular payments from equity
release schemes in any way will be assessed as retirement income
for income-related benefits. (Age Concern’s Information
Sheet 15/7 has been updated accordingly)
• As announced in the March 2004 Budget, Pension Credit
rules are being changed to enable people to continue to receive
up to 12 months backdated payments. From October 2004, similar
provision (without any need to establish good cause for a late
claim) will also apply to Housing Benefit (HB) and Council Tax
Benefit (CTB) for people who have reached the qualifying age
for Pension Credit.
• Currently there is a concession whereby in Pension Credit,
HB and CTB, if the pensioner is aged 65 or over and an existing
non-dependent’s income rises so that it would trigger a
higher deduction, the change will not come into effect for 26
weeks. New rules will mean that the 26 weeks concession will
in future apply to any change of circumstances that would increase
the non-dependent deduction (not just an increase in the non-dependent’s
income).
• Under the original rules a claim for Pension Credit can
be treated as being made on October 6, 2003, or the first date
that entitlement is satisfied, if notification of intention to
claim was made - regardless of whether the person notifying the
claim was the claimant or a third party. Changes are being made
to ensure that this position continues otherwise the date would
have only applied when the initial notification was from the
claimant, not a third party.
(The above item re all the changes is based on information supplied
to Age Concern from the Department for Work and Pensions. If
agreed by Parliament the changes will be set out in forthcoming
regulations.)
Pension Trough
The Pension Trough Group was set up in 2002 by ex-servicemen
and by some ex-servicemen widows to campaign for changes to assist
public sector workers who retired in the period from 1976 to
1978 and were affected by what is known as the ‘pension
trough’. Government pay restraint policies during this period
have had a permanent effect on pensions with some members of
the Armed Forces receiving a pension that is 30% lower than those
in a similar position who retired at earlier or later dates.
The group is keen to hear from other people affected who would
like to join the campaign. Anyone interested is invited to contact
; The Organiser, Pension Trough Group, 5 Swaynes Lane, Guildford,
Surrey GU1 2XX. Tel: 01483 504972. Email: pensiontrough@ntworld.com.Further
information is available on the Internet at : www.pensiontrough.org.uk
(Letter from the Pension Trough Group to Age Concern, August
5, 2004)
Tax on Bank and Building Society Interest
The Inland Revenue has revised its leaflet aimed at ensuring
people are not paying tax on their bank and building society
interest if they do not need to do so. The leaflet provides information
about receiving income without tax deducted and claiming back
any overpaid tax, and it includes a helpsheet to assist people
in working out whether they can register to receive their interest
paid gross. It also includes a form which people can give to
their bank or building society to receive interest gross, and
details of helplines if people need further information.
The Inland Revenue website gives information about an exercise
being carried out to try to identify pensioners who may be due
a tax repayment, using information supplied by banks and building
societies. By the end of August 2004 over 90,000 pensioners had
been contacted by letter and repayments of over £2.1 million
had been made.
Information on the Pensioner Tax Back Project is available on
the Internet at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/news/pens-tax-bank.htm
Bank and Building Society Interest : Are You Paying Tax When
You Don’t Need To? IR111.10pp. Available free from Inland
Revenue Orderline, PO Box 37, St Austell, Cornwall PL25 5YN.
Tel: 0845 077 6543. Fax: 0845 900 0604. Also available on the
Internet at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/pdfs/ir111.htm
Memories of Caribbean Migrants
‘Legacy’ is a compilation of memories gathered from
Caribbean families and individuals who emigrated to Britain after
the Second World War.
The stories describe the hardships and the prejudices the immigrants
had to contend with as they strove to adapt to their new home
and earn enough to bring their families over to join them. Some
also tell of the valuable contributions made to British society
by many Caribbeans and of successes achieved, but most recognise
that there is still a need today to go fighting for equality
for black and minority ethnic people.
Written in the contributors’ own words and style, the articles
highlight the importance of story telling in Caribbean culture.
The book aimed to help Caribbean elders create an archive about
their personal experiences, to break down barriers by sharing
their thoughts and feelings, and to teach their children and
grandchildren pride in their history and culture.
Legacy : Recaptured Treasures and Lasting Memories of Caribbean
Migrants in Britain After the Second World War, compiled by Claire
Andrews. 48pp. Price £10. ISBN: 0954695801. Available from
Thumbprint Creations, 36-38 Whitmore Road, London N1 5QA Tel:
020 7613 3331. Fax: 020 7729 9950. Email:thumbprint@btclick.com
Jex Woods
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