A man goes to see his doctor feeling very unwell and is immediately rushed to the hospital to undergo a barrage of extensive tests.
He wakes up after the tests in a private room at the hospital. Then the phone by his bed rings, he answers it.
"This is your doctor. We've had the results back from your tests and we've found you have an extremely nasty virus, which is extremely contagious!"
"Oh my God," cries the man."What are you going to do doctor?"
"Well, for now we are going to put you on a diet of pizzas, pancakes and pita bread."
"So that will cure then, doctor?" asked the man hopefully.
The doctor replied,"Well no...... but its the only food we can get under the door."
31 October 2009
30 October 2009
Wastage this weekend
For those of you who will buy pumpkins just for the ability to carve them and put candles in them on Saturday, please consider using the flesh rather than wasting it..
I don't celebrate Halloween though if the neighbours children want to tuck into some sweets that's fine by me though I don't like the idea of playing tricks as these can get out of hand with eggs being thrown and as a result being banned from sale at this time.. I know bit of a killjoy really...lol
Instead I see 31st October as Samhain (pronounced so wain) as Summers End, a time when we formally suspend the sun and warmth of Summer together with their harvests and head into the chills of wintertime brrrh.
I have been busy trying to come up with some useful ways of utilising the flesh and seeds..
Seeds, you can bake them in the oven for a tasty snack, try sprinkling on some spices to pep them up a bit. To see how to do this go to this site and prepare for some ooey-gooeyness from Ginny Larsen
Steam the flesh of the pumpkin and blitz in a food processor along with some stock (either vegetable or chicken) and then serve with crispy bread rolls - you can spice it up with chilli or with curry spice to give more depth.
Or you could do an Asian Chicken recipe or my personal favourite and one to try is these gorgeously moist Chocolate Brownies
I don't celebrate Halloween though if the neighbours children want to tuck into some sweets that's fine by me though I don't like the idea of playing tricks as these can get out of hand with eggs being thrown and as a result being banned from sale at this time.. I know bit of a killjoy really...lol
Instead I see 31st October as Samhain (pronounced so wain) as Summers End, a time when we formally suspend the sun and warmth of Summer together with their harvests and head into the chills of wintertime brrrh.
I have been busy trying to come up with some useful ways of utilising the flesh and seeds..
Seeds, you can bake them in the oven for a tasty snack, try sprinkling on some spices to pep them up a bit. To see how to do this go to this site and prepare for some ooey-gooeyness from Ginny Larsen
Steam the flesh of the pumpkin and blitz in a food processor along with some stock (either vegetable or chicken) and then serve with crispy bread rolls - you can spice it up with chilli or with curry spice to give more depth.
Or you could do an Asian Chicken recipe or my personal favourite and one to try is these gorgeously moist Chocolate Brownies
29 October 2009
YoTs - Updated with new information
What makes a YoT 'Youf of Today' believe that it was cool to stamp on a puppy's head and kill it?
April had only put Sandy down for a minute and curiosity made the pup run over to the group of teenage boys who stamped on her with such force that her tiny skull was fractured. I can't think of a more callous act against a helpless creature, or the pain it would have inflicted on her young owner.
I hope that the local police catch up with them, but nothing will erase that memory from April's mind though I hope she takes solace with her family and get a new pup soon to fill the aching gap of Sandy's death.
Update :
An inquiry into the "kicking to death" of a 10-week-old puppy has ended after police found the animal had died from a virus and showed no sign of injury.
The Jack Russell was being walked by its owner, a 15-year-old girl, in Priory Park, St Neots, on Monday, when the RSPCA said it was attacked.
An RSPCA spokeswoman had called the attack "shocking and sickening".
But Cambridgeshire Police have now ended their investigation after veterinary tests.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said the charity had been informed of the ending of the investigation.
She said the first vet consulted had told the RSPCA that the dog's condition was consistent with the account given by the puppy's owners of the attack.
She said anyone with more information or any witnesses should contact the RSPCA.
I can remember thinking that a 10 week old puppy really shouldn't be walked in the park, before its innoculations had been done, but I would hope that they didn't make up the story of the attack to cover their actions.
April had only put Sandy down for a minute and curiosity made the pup run over to the group of teenage boys who stamped on her with such force that her tiny skull was fractured. I can't think of a more callous act against a helpless creature, or the pain it would have inflicted on her young owner.
I hope that the local police catch up with them, but nothing will erase that memory from April's mind though I hope she takes solace with her family and get a new pup soon to fill the aching gap of Sandy's death.
Update :
An inquiry into the "kicking to death" of a 10-week-old puppy has ended after police found the animal had died from a virus and showed no sign of injury.
The Jack Russell was being walked by its owner, a 15-year-old girl, in Priory Park, St Neots, on Monday, when the RSPCA said it was attacked.
An RSPCA spokeswoman had called the attack "shocking and sickening".
But Cambridgeshire Police have now ended their investigation after veterinary tests.
An RSPCA spokeswoman said the charity had been informed of the ending of the investigation.
She said the first vet consulted had told the RSPCA that the dog's condition was consistent with the account given by the puppy's owners of the attack.
She said anyone with more information or any witnesses should contact the RSPCA.
I can remember thinking that a 10 week old puppy really shouldn't be walked in the park, before its innoculations had been done, but I would hope that they didn't make up the story of the attack to cover their actions.
28 October 2009
Happy Birthday
To a special person... there for me when I have needed you most... thanks xx
Have a great day, and most of all enjoy it
Have a great day, and most of all enjoy it
27 October 2009
Sugar
The hidden truth... I watched (loose description of my tv viewing last night) the Channel 4 programme about the amount of sugar and salt in cereals and my flabber was well and truly ghasted..
They got a group of adults to place well known brands of breakfast cereals on a grid which went from low salt, low sugar to high salt, high sugar and every variety inbetween. Needless to say, two well known brands of corn flakes and rice crispies were placed in the low salt low sugar range and actually fell into one of the highest brackets. Now I love my cornflakes, and while I don't tend to now buy the premium well known brands (preferring the supermarket own) I was horrified to think that these were adding sugar and salt to my diet that I hadn't considered.
I don't add extra sugar to my cereals, finding them palatable enough, but even so I might have to reconsider what breakfast cereal to buy, and just to confuse you more, the little nutrition boxes on the sides of the cereal boxes can be really confusing. I prefer the traffic light system that Sainsbug uses on the majority of goods as that is really helpful.
One experiment they did do with a family was to remove all the high sugar cereals from one family with children, and replace it with porridge, fresh fruit and eggs.. in a week they went down from having 300g of sugar from breakfast alone to just 30g under the new diet.
Going back to have another look in my cupboard tonight... guess my shopping list in future is going to be up for discussion..
They got a group of adults to place well known brands of breakfast cereals on a grid which went from low salt, low sugar to high salt, high sugar and every variety inbetween. Needless to say, two well known brands of corn flakes and rice crispies were placed in the low salt low sugar range and actually fell into one of the highest brackets. Now I love my cornflakes, and while I don't tend to now buy the premium well known brands (preferring the supermarket own) I was horrified to think that these were adding sugar and salt to my diet that I hadn't considered.
I don't add extra sugar to my cereals, finding them palatable enough, but even so I might have to reconsider what breakfast cereal to buy, and just to confuse you more, the little nutrition boxes on the sides of the cereal boxes can be really confusing. I prefer the traffic light system that Sainsbug uses on the majority of goods as that is really helpful.
One experiment they did do with a family was to remove all the high sugar cereals from one family with children, and replace it with porridge, fresh fruit and eggs.. in a week they went down from having 300g of sugar from breakfast alone to just 30g under the new diet.
Going back to have another look in my cupboard tonight... guess my shopping list in future is going to be up for discussion..
26 October 2009
It's an Official Rant
I don't have many, rants that is, but it really gets my goat up when the powers that be start talking we should fall into line with Europe on the clocks front.. why?
I am british, born british, educated across the world, lived in Europe for 3 years and loved it, travel in-frequently to world-wide destinations and done business with both the European Sector and Americans/Canadians during my time here at the University of the Back of Beyond.
First and Foremost : London, England is the home of Greenwich Mean Time which started when British sailors kept at least one chronometer on GMT in order to calculate their longitude from the Greenwich meridian, which was by convention considered to have longitude zero degrees
Shipboard time itself was still solar time. But this practice, combined with mariners from other nations eventually led to GMT being used worldwide as a reference time independent of location.
Most time zones were based upon this reference as a number of hours and half-hours "ahead of GMT" or "behind GMT". So when they talk about us joining the same European time as Spain, which is many degrees further South than London, or even Italy it makes no sense to me as their days will be different to that of London, in terms of daylight.
Secondly : On a business level, I have managed successfully the 12 hour differences between UK and Australia when talking to a firm providing software to us, likewise the 5, 7 or 8 hour differences between zones in the US and Canada so I can find no good reason to align us to Europe for the one hour that exists.
Not only that but our friends in Scotland would be heavily penalised by the time differences involved and yet another wave of power would be held in European hands..
There seems to be no pride in keeping Britain British, instead we weakly surrender ourselves to our European Neighbours and while their interpretation of the rules can be somewhat elastic, we Brits follow it to the letter of the law.
I want to keep Greenwich Mean Time, for the history of what it means to our country, for what it means to us as a people and not just surrender it meekly because of a weak excuse of business needs... What say you?
I am british, born british, educated across the world, lived in Europe for 3 years and loved it, travel in-frequently to world-wide destinations and done business with both the European Sector and Americans/Canadians during my time here at the University of the Back of Beyond.
First and Foremost : London, England is the home of Greenwich Mean Time which started when British sailors kept at least one chronometer on GMT in order to calculate their longitude from the Greenwich meridian, which was by convention considered to have longitude zero degrees
Shipboard time itself was still solar time. But this practice, combined with mariners from other nations eventually led to GMT being used worldwide as a reference time independent of location.
Most time zones were based upon this reference as a number of hours and half-hours "ahead of GMT" or "behind GMT". So when they talk about us joining the same European time as Spain, which is many degrees further South than London, or even Italy it makes no sense to me as their days will be different to that of London, in terms of daylight.
Secondly : On a business level, I have managed successfully the 12 hour differences between UK and Australia when talking to a firm providing software to us, likewise the 5, 7 or 8 hour differences between zones in the US and Canada so I can find no good reason to align us to Europe for the one hour that exists.
Not only that but our friends in Scotland would be heavily penalised by the time differences involved and yet another wave of power would be held in European hands..
There seems to be no pride in keeping Britain British, instead we weakly surrender ourselves to our European Neighbours and while their interpretation of the rules can be somewhat elastic, we Brits follow it to the letter of the law.
I want to keep Greenwich Mean Time, for the history of what it means to our country, for what it means to us as a people and not just surrender it meekly because of a weak excuse of business needs... What say you?
25 October 2009
Fictional Fear
I used to be absolutely scared stiff of watching Doctor Who, I remember peering out from behind the sofa in sheer terror at hearing the music yet drawn to the tv to ensure that the Doctor made it through the episode, particularly if the Daleks were involved (please note that I was only about 5 or 6 at the time).
I used to be an avid fan of Hammer House of Horror films, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee specialists in conferring fear into their watchers... but it was still good fun to watch as it wasn't so realistics as today's horror films such as Saw etc.
Nothing on television has been quite as terrifying as the above that is until the advent of Harper's Island which was shown recently on BBC3 and I watched it on the BBC Iplayer for which thank you very much BBC as I watched it with the same sort of fear as I had during my childhood.
The story is based on the wedding of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington, which takes place in Harper's Island. Abby Mills, one of the guests is still haunted about the murders on the island that happened seven years before, caused by John Wakefield.
The murders are particularly shocking and horrific, and starts from the very beginning of the first episode until the last moment... and holds you enthralled as to who was the murderer and what are the connections between the victims.
If you like a good murder mystery, being scared witless and great scenery (it was filmed on Bowen Island - Canada) then do try and catch this series if it is repeated near you... and enjoy the fear.. just remember it is fictional and don't have nightmares..
I used to be an avid fan of Hammer House of Horror films, Vincent Price, Christopher Lee specialists in conferring fear into their watchers... but it was still good fun to watch as it wasn't so realistics as today's horror films such as Saw etc.
Nothing on television has been quite as terrifying as the above that is until the advent of Harper's Island which was shown recently on BBC3 and I watched it on the BBC Iplayer for which thank you very much BBC as I watched it with the same sort of fear as I had during my childhood.
The story is based on the wedding of Henry Dunn and Trish Wellington, which takes place in Harper's Island. Abby Mills, one of the guests is still haunted about the murders on the island that happened seven years before, caused by John Wakefield.
The murders are particularly shocking and horrific, and starts from the very beginning of the first episode until the last moment... and holds you enthralled as to who was the murderer and what are the connections between the victims.
If you like a good murder mystery, being scared witless and great scenery (it was filmed on Bowen Island - Canada) then do try and catch this series if it is repeated near you... and enjoy the fear.. just remember it is fictional and don't have nightmares..
24 October 2009
Saturday Satire - Marriage
On their way to get married, a young Catholic couple is involved in a fatal car accident. The couple find themselves sitting outside the Pearly Gates waiting for St. Peter to process them into Heaven.
While waiting, they begin to wonder: Could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter showed up, they asked him. St. Peter says, “I don’t know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out”, and he leaves.
The couple sat and waited, and waited. Two months passed and the couple is still waiting. As they waited, they discussed that IF they were allowed to get married in Heaven, what was the eternal aspect of it all. What if it doesn’t work?” they wondered, “Are we stuck together FOREVER?”
After yet another month, St. Peter finally returns, looking somewhat bedraggled. “Yes,” he informs the couple, “You CAN get married in Heaven.”
“Great!” said the couple, “But we were just wondering, what if things don’t workout? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?”
St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slams his clipboard onto the ground.
“What’s wrong?” asked the frightened couple.
“OH, COME ON!” shouts St. Peter. “It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have ANY idea how long it’ll take me to find a LAWYER?”
While waiting, they begin to wonder: Could they possibly get married in Heaven? When St. Peter showed up, they asked him. St. Peter says, “I don’t know. This is the first time anyone has asked. Let me go find out”, and he leaves.
The couple sat and waited, and waited. Two months passed and the couple is still waiting. As they waited, they discussed that IF they were allowed to get married in Heaven, what was the eternal aspect of it all. What if it doesn’t work?” they wondered, “Are we stuck together FOREVER?”
After yet another month, St. Peter finally returns, looking somewhat bedraggled. “Yes,” he informs the couple, “You CAN get married in Heaven.”
“Great!” said the couple, “But we were just wondering, what if things don’t workout? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?”
St. Peter, red-faced with anger, slams his clipboard onto the ground.
“What’s wrong?” asked the frightened couple.
“OH, COME ON!” shouts St. Peter. “It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have ANY idea how long it’ll take me to find a LAWYER?”
23 October 2009
A Heavy Heart Remembers
Today, two years ago, my heart was heavy as I made the last journey to the vets with Sam my beloved Jack Russell Terrier who was 17 years old but had reached the end of his days.
He was struggling to manage, and working all day meant I couldn't watch over him to ensure that he was comfortable and coping with the day to day living. If he went out into the garden, he couldn't remember how to get back into the house, life became bewildering to him with the little sight that he had and I can remember crying when I came home to find him cold and in the garden not knowing how long he had been out there..
He didn't want his favourite treat of cheese, something he was always guaranteed to do. He just wanted to be held by me, and when I phoned the vets to book him in, he just turned to look at me as if to say I had done the right thing as it was his time to leave.
Sam was a dog who was always a people dog, but took no notice of the vets that day, and they agreed that the time had come.
I am in tears as I write this, just remembering that day, yet the pictures I have of him show his character, and one day I will again have a dog when I have time to give him the lifestyle he will deserve, it won't be Sam being replaced for how do you replace something so unique?
He was struggling to manage, and working all day meant I couldn't watch over him to ensure that he was comfortable and coping with the day to day living. If he went out into the garden, he couldn't remember how to get back into the house, life became bewildering to him with the little sight that he had and I can remember crying when I came home to find him cold and in the garden not knowing how long he had been out there..He didn't want his favourite treat of cheese, something he was always guaranteed to do. He just wanted to be held by me, and when I phoned the vets to book him in, he just turned to look at me as if to say I had done the right thing as it was his time to leave.
Sam was a dog who was always a people dog, but took no notice of the vets that day, and they agreed that the time had come.I am in tears as I write this, just remembering that day, yet the pictures I have of him show his character, and one day I will again have a dog when I have time to give him the lifestyle he will deserve, it won't be Sam being replaced for how do you replace something so unique?
22 October 2009
Last Night
I had the pleasure of attending one of the Open University's 40th Anniversary Lectures.. this one was given by Philip Pullman who is an honarary graduate of the OU.
Philip was to discuss the relationship between the story and the illustration, I have tried to read the Dark Materials Trilogy without success, nor manage to listen to the audiobooks, and as for the film...well the less said about that the better.
Philip discussed the borderland of a story, that's the bits that aren't written down to you and me. In other words, the story sets a scene, it may describe a place, a tavern, dark and warm with a nice fire and beer flowing. Your vision of the inn will be different to mine, drawing on our own experiences of life... I have always said that to me reading a book is like making my own film, I read the words and convert it to my own personal film show; I am caught up in my own imagination sometimes and it is hard to come back to the real world.
An excellent evening, I might even have another attempt at his books :-)
So otherwise why go, well it is a free evening out, includes tea and coffee, a chance to meet fellow OU students and Alumni and well I think that's enough to go on for now and yes as an Alumni of the Open University, I can recommend it to anyone interested in non-standard education and by that I mean going to University, yes you might miss out on the social life at many Universities.
Hmm that student that got so drunk that he peed all over a war memorial was at a freshers week and this was an organised piss-up... not something to be proud of in times to come.
Living in student accommodation, halls of residence away from the comforts of home and friends... can be depressing for some students trying to cope with the dramatic changes of being alone and stressed over course work.
The negatives of studying with the OU are many as well, sometimes lack of tutor support, distance learning can be isolating, particularly if you are in the higher level courses, ambiguous course materials, never ending assignment lists etc...
It is one heck of an achievement and one I am proud of being a member of this University with my BSc Open
Philip was to discuss the relationship between the story and the illustration, I have tried to read the Dark Materials Trilogy without success, nor manage to listen to the audiobooks, and as for the film...well the less said about that the better.
Philip discussed the borderland of a story, that's the bits that aren't written down to you and me. In other words, the story sets a scene, it may describe a place, a tavern, dark and warm with a nice fire and beer flowing. Your vision of the inn will be different to mine, drawing on our own experiences of life... I have always said that to me reading a book is like making my own film, I read the words and convert it to my own personal film show; I am caught up in my own imagination sometimes and it is hard to come back to the real world.
An excellent evening, I might even have another attempt at his books :-)
So otherwise why go, well it is a free evening out, includes tea and coffee, a chance to meet fellow OU students and Alumni and well I think that's enough to go on for now and yes as an Alumni of the Open University, I can recommend it to anyone interested in non-standard education and by that I mean going to University, yes you might miss out on the social life at many Universities.
Hmm that student that got so drunk that he peed all over a war memorial was at a freshers week and this was an organised piss-up... not something to be proud of in times to come.
Living in student accommodation, halls of residence away from the comforts of home and friends... can be depressing for some students trying to cope with the dramatic changes of being alone and stressed over course work.
The negatives of studying with the OU are many as well, sometimes lack of tutor support, distance learning can be isolating, particularly if you are in the higher level courses, ambiguous course materials, never ending assignment lists etc...
It is one heck of an achievement and one I am proud of being a member of this University with my BSc Open
21 October 2009
Update on the ratz
Thought I would catch you up on the news of the ratz..
Gus and Barnie have really settled in, rarely now do you get a nip (or even a bite) from them now, though I am still more cautious with Barnie as her eyesight is so poor that with her it is more of a retaliation than vicious.
They both usually wait at the doorway to their cage first thing in the morning for their breakfast treat which might be anything from a cracker, a dog biscuit or even piece of pasta... in the evening we usually spend time playing while Gus chatters to me asking (pleading even) for her yoghurt drop which is usually forthcoming...
Gus is happy to come out and sit on my shoulders while I clean the shelves and the rest of the cage, Barnie on the other hand is more reserved and will sit quite happily in her hammock while I do this.. I don't mind at all as it is hard enough to control one rat without two running around.
Their favourite treat of all time is cheese, they don't get this very often.. as it is full of fat and bad calories... but they have come to know and love their yoghurt drops, with dried coconut as their other favourite..
Most of my visitors, viewing the house, have been very positive about the ratz even going so far as to praise them.... which is opposite to most peoples views when you tell them you have pet rats..
Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures, but I have to be a bit careful.. don't want to scare them..
Gus and Barnie have really settled in, rarely now do you get a nip (or even a bite) from them now, though I am still more cautious with Barnie as her eyesight is so poor that with her it is more of a retaliation than vicious.
They both usually wait at the doorway to their cage first thing in the morning for their breakfast treat which might be anything from a cracker, a dog biscuit or even piece of pasta... in the evening we usually spend time playing while Gus chatters to me asking (pleading even) for her yoghurt drop which is usually forthcoming...
Gus is happy to come out and sit on my shoulders while I clean the shelves and the rest of the cage, Barnie on the other hand is more reserved and will sit quite happily in her hammock while I do this.. I don't mind at all as it is hard enough to control one rat without two running around.
Their favourite treat of all time is cheese, they don't get this very often.. as it is full of fat and bad calories... but they have come to know and love their yoghurt drops, with dried coconut as their other favourite..
Most of my visitors, viewing the house, have been very positive about the ratz even going so far as to praise them.... which is opposite to most peoples views when you tell them you have pet rats..
Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures, but I have to be a bit careful.. don't want to scare them..
20 October 2009
How Stupid and Bureaucratic Can You Get - updated
British Legion to be charged for Remembrance Day service road closures
I have just read on our local, regionalscandal rag newsheet that the whitless wonders who govern Back of Beyondshire are about to implement what can only be considered stupid and Bureaucratic nonsense.
Honouring the war dead will cost The Royal British Legion in Back of Beyondshire £150 for every Remembrance Sunday service where a road is closed.
Towns and villages within the Back of Beyondshire Council area will be charged to cover the cost of advertising road closure public notices for the November 8 events.
Margaret Roberts, regional manager for The Royal British Legion, said: “The Royal British Legion would be extremely disappointed if charges were to be levied against the charity for Remembrance events.
“The Government fully recognises and wholly supports the importance of Remembrance ceremonies and parades to local communities, and the Legion wants people of all ages to understand the importance of remembering those from the British armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending the freedoms we enjoy.” Among those needing to close roads for their Remembrance events will be Flitwick and Shefford, which will need to close the High Street in order to hold the service next to its war memorial.
Shefford town mayor Paul Mackin said: “Shefford Town Council is pretty disgusted with the fact that someone is going to have to cough up £150 so we can hold a service to mark our heroes’ Remembrance Sunday Service.
“For them to come up with having to pay for the road closure notices is absolutely disgraceful.
“It’s unreasonable to be hitting charities for this sort of money.” Cllr David McVicar, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at Back of Beyondshire Council, said: “We will always offer help and assistance to any group requesting a road closure.
“Although there are road closure charges to all profit making organisations, under the Special Events Order, if the event is run purely for charity, there is no charge other than the advertising cost of £150.
“Back of Beyondshire Council classes Remembrance Day as a charitable event.”
For the Love of God, can we not just deem this something special rather than just another charitable cause.. the one time in the year to remember the fallen, not only of the first and second world wars, but the ones who are currently serving now...
Well something worked as this was the response I got to an email I sent to the twit in question
A further press release has been issued correcting the misinterpretation by Back of Beyondshire on Sunday regarding Remembrance Day Services. We will NOT be charging for any advertising relating to road closures on Nov. 8th. The misunderstanding arose from an explanation on how we intend to treat charity applications and our process for future years with regard to Remembrance Day. Rest assured no charges will be levied on the Legion for future years as we will post one advertisement covering all of Central Back of Beyondshire and the Council will absorb the cost. I trust this clarifies the situation.
With regards Councillor David McVicar
Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities
Member for Icknield Ward, Dunstable
Hmmm I don't particularly like the phrase "our process for future years with regard to Remembrance Day" it smacks of trying to slide this one through under the wire in future years... not if I can help it..
I have just read on our local, regional
Honouring the war dead will cost The Royal British Legion in Back of Beyondshire £150 for every Remembrance Sunday service where a road is closed.
Towns and villages within the Back of Beyondshire Council area will be charged to cover the cost of advertising road closure public notices for the November 8 events.
Margaret Roberts, regional manager for The Royal British Legion, said: “The Royal British Legion would be extremely disappointed if charges were to be levied against the charity for Remembrance events.
“The Government fully recognises and wholly supports the importance of Remembrance ceremonies and parades to local communities, and the Legion wants people of all ages to understand the importance of remembering those from the British armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice defending the freedoms we enjoy.” Among those needing to close roads for their Remembrance events will be Flitwick and Shefford, which will need to close the High Street in order to hold the service next to its war memorial.
Shefford town mayor Paul Mackin said: “Shefford Town Council is pretty disgusted with the fact that someone is going to have to cough up £150 so we can hold a service to mark our heroes’ Remembrance Sunday Service.
“For them to come up with having to pay for the road closure notices is absolutely disgraceful.
“It’s unreasonable to be hitting charities for this sort of money.” Cllr David McVicar, portfolio holder for safer and stronger communities at Back of Beyondshire Council, said: “We will always offer help and assistance to any group requesting a road closure.
“Although there are road closure charges to all profit making organisations, under the Special Events Order, if the event is run purely for charity, there is no charge other than the advertising cost of £150.
“Back of Beyondshire Council classes Remembrance Day as a charitable event.”
For the Love of God, can we not just deem this something special rather than just another charitable cause.. the one time in the year to remember the fallen, not only of the first and second world wars, but the ones who are currently serving now...
Well something worked as this was the response I got to an email I sent to the twit in question
A further press release has been issued correcting the misinterpretation by Back of Beyondshire on Sunday regarding Remembrance Day Services. We will NOT be charging for any advertising relating to road closures on Nov. 8th. The misunderstanding arose from an explanation on how we intend to treat charity applications and our process for future years with regard to Remembrance Day. Rest assured no charges will be levied on the Legion for future years as we will post one advertisement covering all of Central Back of Beyondshire and the Council will absorb the cost. I trust this clarifies the situation.
With regards Councillor David McVicar
Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities
Member for Icknield Ward, Dunstable
Hmmm I don't particularly like the phrase "our process for future years with regard to Remembrance Day" it smacks of trying to slide this one through under the wire in future years... not if I can help it..
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