Village Market November 14

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Take time to remember on the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI, page 241

NOVEMBER 2014

A festive cornucopia of fun and first class showswill beawaiting‘VM’-area folk at the TamworthAssembly Roomsthis Christmas. And there will bean early start tothe seasonalentertainmentwhen the Ballet Theatre UK brings Tchaikovsky’s stunningSwan Lake to the stage on November 13. On the festive table will also be a rib tickling treat with

Boogie Williams Rock ‘n’ RollRoadshow.

Folk can also wallow

in a sentimental hot tub of heart

warming songs with ‘Remember When at Xmas’. Ring 01827 709618 for details.

Farmers aresittingon a crop ofpure gold

But some don’t know it and others don’t believe itwhen you tr y telling them, planning exper ts claim

SEE PAGE 5

Visuallystunning

Beauty and grace

To BOOK an advert just ring 01543 432341 Or email [email protected]

Media reports in the USA have raised questions about a

company believed to be in-volved in a proposed ‘VM’-area school ‘academy’.

Parents are being consult-ed about Whittington Primary School (WPC) becoming part of the Coventry-based ‘non-profit’ company, Erudition Schools Trust (EST).

On-screen educationThe aim appears to be to

introduce online learning pro-grammes to the classroom.

The company’s website says its ‘partner’ is K12.

“K12” is thought to be the ‘for-profit’ subsidiary of Virgin-ia-based, K12 Inc., which has reportedly been the subject of a number US court cases.

K12 Inc. was founded, in 2000, by former Goldman Sachs executive, Ronald J Packard.

In a 2013 EST report, a “Mr. R J Packard”, is listed as a “trus-tee” and a, “senior management team”, member.

A section entitled, “related party transactions”, says: “K12 Education (UK) Limited (is) a subsidiary of K12 Inc, a com-pany incorporated in the United States of America, in which R Packard, a trustee, has a major-ity interest.

Cash flows“Transactions totalling

£267,317 (2012 - £nil) relat-ing to the purchase of special-ist equipment, consultancy ser-vices and educational resources from K12 Education (UK) Lim-ited took place in the year.”

When the ‘VM’ asked EST managing director, Karen Mac-kay, about media reports ap-parently criticising Packard’s company, K12 Inc., her spokes-person, said: “Ronald J Packard does not work in any capacity for, or have any connection with, Erudition Schools Trust.”

Packard reportedly resigned from Herndon-based K12 Inc. earlier this year to become chief executive of the newly formed, Pansophic Learning.

Bloomberg Businessweek, said: “As of June 13, 2014, K12 Education (UK) Ltd. operates as a subsidiary of Pansophic Learn-ing LLC.”

Pansophic’s website confirms that Ronald J Packard is its chief executive.

His company’s “mission” was said to be, “to provide access to a high quality education for every student worldwide”.

The ‘VM’ asked EST for clarifi-cation about its links with Pack-ard but did not get a response.

There is no suggestion of any impropriety on the part of K12 Education (UK) Limited, or EST.

Nor should any comparison be drawn between the use of online learning programmes in the UK and US.

In America the involvement of private companies in delivering online education is big business.

Packard claims K12 is one of the largest education companies in the world.

Large corporate interestsIn 2013, it was reported to be

running 53 online schools in 33 states and Washington DC.

Much of its money comes from the taxpayer.

The Wall Street Journal report-ed that a large part of Packard’s job was lobbying politicians.

He is reportedly a member of the Digital Learning Council.

That is a project involving former US president George W Bush’s brother, Jeb.

Jeb Bush is reported as say-ing that promoting digital learn-ing is at the top of his education reform list because of its capac-ity, “to disrupt the public educa-tion system”.

In America, ‘public’, refers to state schools, like WPC.

The drive to make ‘profit’ an objective of children’s education might be less welcome in the UK.

Private profitsAnd there are concerns about

it in America where billions of taxpayer dollars are flowing into large corporate coffers.

K12 Inc. was called in one publication a, “cash cow of Wall Street”.

But there has been disquiet in Lower Manhattan too.

In September, 2103, US hedge fund manager, Whitney Tilson, was quoted as alleging: “K12’s aggressive student re-cruitment has led to dismal aca-demic results by students and sky-high dropout rates, in some cases more than 50% annually.”

He also reportedly alleged: “There have been so many regu-latory issues and accusations of malfeasance that I’m convinced the problems are endemic.”

A media report from May this year alleged that K12 faced mul-tiple lawsuits filed by shareholders angry after being misled by the company about its academic per-formance, teacher/student ratios and student enrolment numbers.

On July 25, 2013, a US district court approved a settlement in a stockholder class action against K12 Inc.

Strong denialWhile denying the allegations,

the company reportedly agreed to pay the plaintiffs $6.2 million in settlement.

A second stockholder class action was reportedly filed against K12 Inc. in the same Virginian district court.

The lawsuit reportedly alleged that the company had misled in-vestors through overly positive statements and had then gone on to miss key operational and financial targets.

Turn to page 6

VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk 3

Is big business going to be good for ‘VM’-area school children?

Academy - questions unanswered

Parents consulted: it is believed that the school will become part of a ‘direc-tor’-led company that will be beyond the control of the local authority.

A group of men be-lieved to be illegal immigrants were

seen leaping from a lorry, in Fradley.

A witness said four police vehicles rushed to the scene to apprehend them.

It was alleged that the in-cident took place at the Hell-mann Worldwide Logistics de-pot, on Lancaster Way.

It was also claimed that the incident took place on Septem-ber 18.

No responseThe company has not re-

sponded to the ‘VM’s inquiries.But Staffordshire Police has

confirmed that, on September 18, people were arrested on suspicion of immigration of-fences following the report of an incident, “in the Lichfield area”.

A spokesperson, said: “Those arrested were taken into custody at Staffordshire Police stations whilst immigra-tion officers investigated the circumstances.”

A Home Office Immigration and Borders (HOIB) spokes-person later told the ‘VM’ that the incident had taken place in Fradley.

He said ten people from Eri-trea had been handed to immi-gration officers.

He added: “Following inter-

views, six women, aged from 19 to 29 years old, and two men, aged 26 and 29, were granted temporary release while their cases are progressed.

“Two females, believed to be under 18, were transferred into the care of social services.

Removal orders“Where someone is found to

have no legal right to remain in the UK, we will take action to remove them.”

Hellmann Worldwide Logis-tics’ publicity material says its services link 341 cities in 134 countries.

The Home Office can fine hauliers £2,000 per illegal im-migrant whether the driver knew they had stowed away on his wagon or not.

The Fradley incident was fol-lowed by another, on the M6, on October 8.

This time a man travelling in the back of a northbound re-frigerated lorry sent out a dis-tress call.

Desperate callHe was pleading for urgent

assistance for himself and his companions.

Officers from the Central Mo-torway Police Group and Staf-fordshire Police caught up with the vehicle between the Hilton Services and junction 10A.

The incident caused jams as both carriageways had to be closed to traffic.

An HOIB spokesman told the ‘VM’: “Twelve suspected illegal immigrants were arrested by police and taken into custody pending Home Office inter-views.

“There were eight adults and four individuals who claimed to be under 18.”

He added that the adults were taken to an immigration detention centre while an as-


‘VM’micronewspaper

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Delivering DOOR to DOOR in: Whittington, Fisherwick, DMS Whit-tington, Elford, Comberford, Wigginton, Hopwas, Hints, Weeford, Packington, Boley Park, Shenstone, Edingale, Harlaston, Haun-ton, Clifton Campville, Alrewas, Fradley, Streethay, Elmhurst, Curborough, Kings Bromley, Yoxall, Barton-under-Needwood.

For all enquiriest: 01543 432341e: [email protected]

Editorial DirectorGareth Griffiths

AdvertisingOffice t: 01543 432341Mobile t: Karl Smith 07588 865265

Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of dates, event information and advertisements, appearing in ‘The Village Market’. However, events may be cancelled, or dates may be altered by the organisers. Village Market Micronewspapers Ltd. therefore cannot accept responsibility for the accuracy of any claims made by advertisers within the micronewspaper or upon any literature it may deliver on their behalf.

VIEW ‘VM’ ONLINEYour monthly micronewspaper can now be viewed online at:

www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

The new page-by-page facility brings a great new service for our rapidly growing number of readers outside our current circulation area. It also creates massive new opportuni-ties for our advertisers. Look online to find out more, or ring 01543 432341.

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‘Illegals’ in lorry found at Fradley depot, claimEye-witness report says four police cars descended on logistics company after people were spotted jumping from lorry

Pressure growing: recent incidents point to a massive and increasing influx of illegal im-migrants coming into the country. Many are prepared to risk every-thing to gain entry in search of a better life, or to escape war and poverty in their homelands.

sessment of their cases was car-ried out.

The lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal im-migration and later bailed.

Estimates of the number of peo-ple living in Britain illegally have ranged from 417,000 to 863,000.

But in fact there is no way of knowing what the true figure is.

Nor can anyone say how many offspring have been born in this country to illegal immigrants.

The Immigration Act 2014, which came into force last May, should make it harder for people to live in the UK illegally.

It should also make it tougher for people living in Britain without the right to do so to abuse the benefits system and public ser-vices.

Easier to controlOne of the Act’s key features

makes it easier for officials to de-port them by reducing the number of appeals they are able to make against court decisions.

Illegal immigration is now a major concern across the country with political leaders on all sides

blaming each other for doing too little to tackle it.

Staffordshire Police would not say how many incidents its offic-ers had dealt with involving illegal immigration.

The ‘VM’ has now requested the information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

To BOOK an advert just ring 01543 432341 Or email [email protected] 5

“Stupid, offensive, nasty”: Tory Prime Minister David Cameron was slammed for a crass poster campaign aimed at threatening illegal immi-grants. UKIP leader Nigel Farage said it was a, “nasty” attempt persuade people not to vote for his party by making it appear as though the Con-servatives were doing something to tackle the problem.

Crop of pure gold‘VM’- a r e a

farmers area sit-

ting on a gold mine and do not even know it.

A planning consultant told the micronewspaper he could not believe it when he realised what the Tory government had done.

A leading property barrister told the ‘VM’: “This is without precedent.

Amazing opportunity“It creates an opportunity for

both for landowners and people seeking homes in the countryside.”

A planning officer said some farmers who had been told what the change in legislation meant to them did not believe it.

When David Cameron heaved nine-tenths of planning law into the bin to create the National

Planning Policy Framework he declared open season on devel-oping farm buildings.

Landowners have always been able to go through the costly business of applying for planning permission to turn agricultural structures into swish homes for the comfortably off.

No consent neededWell, now they no longer have

to ask for consent.Once upon a time a farmer

would only have obtained per-mission to convert substantial structures into homes.

But now they can turn open sided ‘portal’ barns with nothing but a tin roof into plush homes for discerning buyers seeking that exclusive dwelling in the heart of the countryside.

Continued on page 6

From front page

Once again K12 Inc. was al-leged to have misled investors with overly optimistic projections.

A report in ‘Education Week’ alleged that Packard “reaped the rewards” of these “bullish” pro-jections by selling millions of dol-lars of stock before disappointing news broke, in October, 2013, sending its price plummeting.

Class action lawsuit plaintiffs alleged the stock had been arti-ficially inflated.

Mr. Packard and K12 Inc. strongly denied the allegations.

In this countryUK schools leave local authority

control if they become academies.They are funded by the tax-

payer via central government. The National Union of Teach-

ers (NUT) is strongly opposed to them, saying they are not demo-cratically accountable to their lo-cal communities.

Once a school becomes an academy the decision is irrevers-ible, it claims.

Parents’ complaintsThe union adds that parents

who are unhappy about an acad-emy can complain to the school.

But it warns that if they do not like the outcome there is no-where locally they can take their complaint.

The NUT says there is no evidence to show that becoming an academy raises a school’s standards.

The union claims that some schools that become academies perform less well than before.

It also claims that parents have less influence on academies than on state-run schools be-cause they tend to have fewer governors.

Unqualified teachersAnother reason the NUT cites

for opposing academies is their ability to hire unqualified teachers.

It adds that an academy’s con-trol over pay and conditions un-dermines the national pay and

conditions framework and local collective agreements.

The union also worries about them controlling their own ad-missions policies.

This, it says, undermines the local authority’s ability to plan and manage school places.

The NUT alleges this is leading to an increasing number of unfair admissions procedures which are fuelling social segregation.

It also complains that the academies programme is costly and has undermined the fair funding of schools.

The ‘VM’ asked EST how the use of K12 Education (UK) Ltd.’s online teaching programmes would differ from that used by K12 Inc., in the US.

No commentThe company declined to com-

ment.EST was also asked: (1) how

many hours children would be ex-pected to spend at school and at home sitting in front of computer screens; (2) whether the seden-tary nature of extended learning online could affect a child’s health or physical development; (3) if there was any concern that ex-tended learning from a screen set at a fixed reading distance could have any effect on the develop-ment of a child’s binocular vision, spatial awareness, or hand-eye co-ordination.

Question of costThe ‘VM’ also asked EST: (4)

how much it would cost to install and commission the online learn-ing equipment required to deliver their education programmes in Whittington; (5) if it would be its policy to recruit unqualified teachers; (6) if newly recruited teachers’ pay would be linked to national agreements.

In an EST promotional video, head teacher Mark Smith, said: “We have an example of a year six class where they have used

the (computer) game to learn their times tables.

“We tried before and found difficulties using the traditional method.”

EST was asked why Mr. Smith had experienced difficulties us-ing a traditional teaching method that appeared to work perfectly well elsewhere.

WPC head teacherThe ‘VM’ also put questions to

WPC head teacher, Sally Wilmot.She said: “A response is cur-

rently being put together regard-ing the questions that you have sent to myself and the Erudition Schools Trust.

“I note your deadline and therefore, on Monday, you will receive a reply from Sandie Reed, Project Manager, Erudition Schools Trust, to all the questions that you have raised.

“Next week is half term and so I will be away from school and may not be able to respond im-mediately to queries.

“If you have a query that is ur-gent please contact Sandie Reed on [email protected].”

No answersEST in fact declined to answer

any of the ‘VM’s questions.Administration manager, Sha-

ron Rammell, said: “The Govern-ing Body of Whittington Primary School is currently undertaking a formal consultation as part of the conversion process with Erudi-tion Schools Trust as the named sponsor.

Questions in by 28th“All questions from parents and

the community are being pro-cessed via Sandie Reed, Senior Project & Programme Manager of Erudition Schools Trust and re-sponses are being published and updated regularly on Whittington Primary School’s website.”

The consultation period ends on November 28.


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From page 3

Academy - questions unanswered And still they do not need lo-cal authority permission.

But there are limits. Whatev-er structure a farmer wants to convert, it must have been an “established agricultural unit”, on or before March 20, 2013.

Listed buildings are ruled out as well as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. And, not surprisingly, so too are safety hazard and military explosive storage areas.

Substantial homesThe proposed change of use

from agriculture to domestic use is also limited to a total of 450 square metres of floor space on any one agricultural holding.

But that area can be divided up into three individual dwellings.

That could mean three homes each with a total floor space of 150 square metres.

A two storey home would therefore have a ‘footprint’ of 75 square metres.

Bigger than averageBut with the average three-

bed house in the UK being less than 100 square metres, it is unlikely people will complain.

With many farmers strug-gling as the supermarket tyr-anny tightens around their throats, the new legislation could be a godsend.

And putting an old barn to good use is not as likely as some developments to put them at odds with their neighbours.

The new rules do not permit the dwellings to extend beyond the footprint of the original farm building.

Some limitationsNor can a motorway be driv-

en through to the front door to create access.

But it seems the farmer can build anything he or she wants that is in keeping with the area and within the shell of the old structure.

Gardens have to remain within the old curtilage too.

The impact they have on the local infrastructure and servic-es is unlikely to cause a prob-lem for local residents.

From page 5Crop of pure gold


8 To BOOK an advert just ring 01543 432341 Or email [email protected]

Renowned veteran na-tional environmental campaigner, Angela Kel-

ly, has taken a keen interest in big business’ assault on the ‘VM’-area landscape.

Now she has spoken out on be-half of those fearful of the harm being done to the landscape and people driven into poverty by mas-sive ‘green energy’ subsidies forced on them by the Tories in order to enrich wealthy turbine operators.

Speaking for us allShe sent the ‘VM’ a message

welcoming a short video produced by a well known journalist, author and broadcaster.

Ms. Kelly, said: “Thank you, James Delingpole, on behalf of the many, many thousands who share your outrage at the wanton de-struction that has been wrought by our political masters on that most finite resource of all – our iconic, unspoilt and unrenewable land-scapes.”

Anti-windfarm campaigner, Mr. Delingpole, did not pull his punches in attacking a landowner in Wales who had installed a huge turbine on his farm.

Valley ruinedThe writer had been regularly

visiting a pub in the rural idyll for more than a decade when the ma-chine appeared on the skyline.

Pointing at the turbine, Mr. De-lingpole, said to the audience: “I want to show you the definition of a complete and utter ******.

“Whenever I see these hills caught by the evening light, I think of Winston Churchill’s ‘sunlit up-lands’ - the thing we fought in the Second World War for.

“Can you see that?” He asked the viewer, pointing again at the turbine: “Right on top of the hill, which catches the light, some utter ****** of a farmer has gone and put a bat chomping, bird slicing eco crucifix!

Landscape destroyed“And below he has installed a

bank of solar panels, thus destroy-ing the look of a valley which has been pretty much unchanged in two or three thousand years.

“Now look at it! It’s been turned

into an industrial toilet.“What kind of a person would

you need to be to do that?Industrial toilet

“Everyone who lives in this val-ley now has to put up with that ******’s wind farm, which is bring-ing him maybe £20,000 or £30,000 a year - at our expense!

“Thanks a lot ****** farmer. Thanks for ruining this little spot of heaven.”

@*?%&£ wind farmerFirebrand writer fires off at landowner who ruined anidyll and stands to make thousands from energy consumers

Enemy on the horizon: Delingpole’s attack on the wind turbine industry is relentless. But as ever more com-munities become locked in combat with landowners over them the more public opinion is swinging in his direction. David Cameron’s claim that ‘localism’ would protect communities from inap-propriate development was a sham. ‘VM’ readers say they can no longer trust him not to lie to them.

Secrecy: Delingpole helped promote the story about the National Grid spending millions of pounds on building up diesel-generated power as a back up. He said the machines were needed to prevent the lights going out in the event of the crises that will occur in wind-powered Britain when the ‘wind’ does not blow. Delingpole estimated that buying the dirty-power back up system for the ‘green option’ put another five per cent on people’s energy bills. He condemns turbines for each killing on aver-age between 110 and 330 birds a year.

Feeding people trumps making the rich richerSun farmers out to get

rich on subsidies from ‘VM’-area taxpayers face

a government back lash.Large solar schemes have been

condemned as a, “blight on the landscape”, by environment sec-retary, Liz Truss.

She also revealed plans to cut a taxpayer subsidy the wealthy scoop up from ordinary people by putting rows of ‘green energy’ panels on their land.

Cash harvestAt the moment, farmers can

claim a £100 grant for every acre they bury under black panels.

But the minister felt farmers could do something better with their fields - grow food on them.

Truss reportedly said: “I want Britain to lead the world in food and farming and to do that we need enough productive agricul-tural land.”

She said the solar farms in the planning pipeline could cover 10,000 football pitches.

She felt that jeopardised the food and farming industry, which was the nation’s largest manufac-turing industry.

Balance of paymentsThe entire business covering

the process from field to plate generates around £100bn a year.

Taking ever more land out of production worsens the nation’s balance of payments by increas-ing the need for food imports.

The growth of large-scale solar schemes surprised government.

The Department for Energy and Climate Change said it meant the budget for taxpayer subsidies would be exceeded by £40 million over the next two years.

Vested interests in the indus-try say the move will harm con-fidence in the renewables sector.

Friends of the Earth said gov-ernment ministers were sending mixed messages to the media that would cost jobs, investment and energy security.

Sun powerprofits tobe slashed

Waste of space: farmers should be growing food instead, says Truss.



A new generation will be seeing Tamworth Castle in a new light.

Hundreds of candles will light the visitors’ way as they go on a guided tour of the Grade I listed Norman fortress.

Popular demandIt is almost five years since the

last ‘Castle by Candlelight’ event.Last time around 800 people

turned out to enjoy exploring what is one of the country’s best pre-served motte and bailey strong-holds lit as it might have been be-fore gas and electric lighting.

The annual event’s return has been brought about by public de-mand.

The 2014 tours will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Novem-ber 22 and 23.

The 15-minute ‘explorations’

will begin at 5.30pm and continue until 8pm on both evenings.

Simply seeing the building bathed in a waxen glow will make a magnificent spectacle young and old will enjoy.

But it will also throw a light on the way things used to be.

Guides will be on hand to explain the techniques home illuminations experts once used to create a nice glint on the owners’ armour and en-sure he did not go clanking polyns over visor down the turret steps.

Don’t miss out!Numbers are limited to 22 peo-

ple per tour - so pre-booking is es-sential. For ticket prices and full event de-tails, visit Tamworth Information Centre, Corporation Street, call 01827 709618 or email [email protected].

Tamworth takes the candle

Fort for the day


A Solihull-based quarry firm pulled its plans to destroy a ‘VM’-area

ancient woodlands as fury erupted across the country.

Lafarge Tarmac claims to be the UK’s leading sustainable building materials group.

Attack on natureBut our readers said there was

nothing remotely sustainable about its plan to tear down Hop-was Woods to get at the gravel lying beneath the soil.

The company claimed the woodland could no longer be called ‘ancient’ because of a fire, in 1976’s oven-like summer that burned down many trees.

Firefighters and soldiers were on standby for weeks ready to damp down new outbreaks as the fire continued to smoulder unseen underground through the tinder-dry earth.

Lafarge pledged to restore the 76-hectare site’s natural habitat

once it had taken out the miner-als it was after.

But forestry experts said the 1976 fire made no difference at all to the area’s scientific status as an ancient woodland.

And they said Lafarge could not possibly have artificially rec-reated the habitat after quarry-ing.

The whole woodland is an ir-replaceable piece of England’s natural heritage.

Catastrophic lossIts loss would have been a dis-

aster of national importance.It is a priceless fragment of

the ‘ancient woodland’ that once covered the land.

Now the habitat is hanging on by a fingernail with only two per cent of the original cover still re-maining across Britain.

‘Ancient woodlands’ are sites on which there has been continu-ous tree cover for more than four centuries.

But it is not just the trees that mark them out as special, price-less and irreplaceable.

Interconnected system‘Ancient woodland’ refers to an

entire eco-system.It includes the mycorrhiza

(soil-dwelling fungi), the trees’ genetic material and indigenous wildlife.

These woods appeared at the end of the last Ice Age.

Nature designed them to sur-vive what might appear to be catastrophic fires.

They have never been ploughed up, sprayed with agri-cultural poisons, or fertilizers.

An ancient woodland eco-sys-tem takes centuries to develop and cannot be artificially recre-ated.

Lafarge had applied to have its Hopwas holding included in the new, ‘Local Minerals Plan’.

The plan’s purpose is to list suitable sites for quarrying.

After it comes into force, it will guide minerals extraction right up to 2030.

People who wanted to block the quarry firms plans were only given until December 5 to submit their objections.

Tory-made loopholeThe Woodland Trust’s head of

conservation, Austin Brady, said Lafarge’s plan was the, ”largest threat to a single ancient wood-land site in England that the charity has seen in its 42-year history”.

He also warned that Hopwas Woods was in peril because of a loophole created in David Cam-eron’s landscape-crucifying Na-tional Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

The legislation saw the whole-sale scrapping of laws that once protected the natural environ-ment and communities from ir-responsible development.

Turn to page 30


Lafarge backs down Woodland watch-dog: Austin Brady confirmed that Hop-was Woods was an irreplaceable, ‘ancient woodland’.He believed Lafarge Tarmac’s plan to destroy it was the largest threat to such a site in his charity’s 42-year history.

Quarry firm stirred upa hornet’s nest with plans to destroy wood



15VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

Lichfield Cathedral is a gi-gantic edifice of colour and wonderment.

Its three soaring spires make its design unique among medieval ca-thedrals.

For more than 1,300 years Christians have gathered there to contemplate the great mysteries of creation and offer up prayers to their god.

But never was there a church more down to earth and inextrica-bly linked to the lives of all who live in its shadow.

Its ‘three spires’ motif has been adopted by everyone from coffee shop owners, doctors and consult-ants, to photographers, wedding car operators and pest controllers.

Universal appealYou cannot move far in any di-

rection without seeing some secu-lar reference to the religious Anglo-Saxon masterpiece.

Lichfield’s iconic cathedral has be-come shorthand for what the city and its surrounding communities are all about.

Little wonder then that so many people beat a path to its massive door to find out why.

And as the fes-tive season ap-proaches it is easy to understand the attraction.

Music lovers will be flooding in on November 12 to hear Liverpool Cathedral’s Ian Tracey in concert playing pieces by Bach, Franck and Peeters.

ExcellenceLichfield’s own

Martyn Rawles will be bringing people back for more on December 2 with a selection from such as Berlioz, Elgar and Schmidt.

A star on the night will be the cathedral’s own mighty organ, which is reckoned to be among the finest in the country.

The church also plays host to many fine exhibitions.

There was much excitement when pieces from the Staffordshire Horde went on display.

And more than 5,000 visitors

were amazed by an exhibition of Islamic, Jewish and Christian cal-ligraphy that went on show, in May.

Once visitors walk into the ca-thedral it is impossible for them not to be drawn ever deeper in by the

very building itself, which was built in 1249.

BreathtakingOne of its treas-

ures is the cathe-dral library, a spi-ral staircase climb above the Chapter House.

Its flooring is a late 13th Century tiled pavement.

The exquisite book collection spans a wide range of subjects includ-ing the classics, history, and geog-raphy.

The collection’s foundation was based on 1,000 books left the church by Frances, Duchess of Somer-set and Marchion-ess of Hertford.

New friendsMarvellous

things do not just flow into the ca-thedral.

In July it export-ed a very precious cargo to Italy. The cathedral’s girl choristers de-lighted audiences during their tour of Rome.

It was a life-enhancing trip for the youngsters. And it forged new links between Lichfield Cathedral and its new friends overseas.


Three spires inspireLichfield Cathedral helps define the city and forge friendships world-wide

Herkenrode Glass: the magnifi-cently restored Renaissance painted glass treasure will be reinstalled in the cathedral next year.


18 VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

Christmas for Foodies... Christmas for Foodies... Christmas for Foodies... ChCh

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Talking turkey...FOR SOME FAMIlIES, Christ-mas food and drink is all about tradition.

Woe betide anyone who sug-gests that their clan’s time-honoured serving up of turkey with all the trimmings followed by pudding and brandy sauce should be changed.

And it has to be a glass of sherry and a mince pie for Santa - and a carrot for Rudolf (what about the other reindeer - aren’t they working hard de-livering presents too? Goodness, how many are there pulling that sleigh?).

But some of the supermarket turkeys bear little resemblance to the flavour our parents or grandparents enjoyed when they were growing up.

Thankfully, there is again a wide range of suppliers offering traditional breeds of turkey, reared free-range with great care, to provide a truly tasty

meat for Christmas.Local butchers, such as Rus-

sels of Shenstone, or Coates, at Alrewas (and Tamworth), have birds from specialist farmers such as Copas Turkeys and Packington Poultry.

For some, other birds like goose or pheasant, form the centrepiece of their Christ-

mas meal, while tradition in other household means roast beef or pork.

Time was the days leading up to Christmas Day itself were

filled with the preparation of stuffings, sauces and mince pies. Now many of these are available freshly made to buy alongside your bird or joint.

Whatever your family’s choice, this is a time of year to choose the best you can afford.

Visit our VM-area butchers and see what festive treats they can tempt you to crown your Christmas table.

(other meats are available)


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Boxing Day ideasThE AlREWAS BUTChERS OFFER A ClASSIC WAy TO FEEd A ChRISTMAS CROWd.

INGREdIENTS: (serves 8 - 10)2.7kg (6lb) boneless unsmoked Packington free range gammon joint2 sticks celery1 large carrot1 onion6 peppercorns500ml Cider2 tbsp Dijon mustard2 tbsp soft brown muscavado sugar4 tbsp thin cut orange marmalade2 tbsp honey1 jar cloves

METhOd:Pre-heat the oven to

200˚C/180˚CFan/Gas mark 6. Place the gammon joint in

a large stockpot or saucepan and pour over enough water to cover. Roughly chop the celery, carrot, onion and peppercorns,

add to the pan, and bring to the boil over a moderate heat. Skim the surface if needed. Turn down the heat and simmer for 90 minutes. Take pan off the heat and allow to cool for about an hour then drain.

Cut the rind off the gammon with a sharp knife. Score the fat into a diamond pattern then place into a strong roasting tin.

Pour the cider over the gam-mon and into the base of the tin. Mix together the mustard, sugar, marmalade and honey in a separate bowl to form a sticky paste. Spread this over the scored fat, and then stud each diamond point with a clove.

Put the gammon into the oven and cook for approx 30 – 40 minutes, basting with pan juices two or three times, until the fat is crisp and golden.

Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes before carving or serve cold.

The juices that are left make a lovely sauce to pour over.

Coates’ Glazed Ham

RUSSEll EdWARdS (OF ShENSTONE) SUGGESTS ThIS AS A PERFECT EASy lIGhT lUNCh (it’s from the Copas Turkeys website - www.copasturkeys.co.uk)

INGREdIENTS: 300g cubed cooked turkey2 celery stalks chopped100g dried cranberries100g walnut or pecan pieces30g dried sultanas1 tsp dried thyme1/2 tsp dried sage2 finely chopped cloves of garlicsalt and pepperdash of lemon juice

mayonnaise to tastebag of fresh baby herb or salad leaves1 grated carrot1 grated beetroot

METhOd:Mix all of the ingredients to-

gether, except the salad leaves, carrot and beetroot, adding as much mayonnaise as you prefer.

Chill for at least one hour to allow the flavours to mingle.

Mix the grated carrot and beetroot together, pile onto the leaves, and then top with the turkey salad mixture.

Turkey & Cranberry Salad


ThE PEEl AldERGATE hAS lONG BEEN ONE OF TAMWORTh’S BEST-KEPT SECRETS.

The family-run hotel used to be well-disguised from the street by a shabby old pizza parlour.

Now, after nearly a year of extensive renovation work, its re-nowned ‘Christopher’s’ bistro has expanded and moved to pride of place at the front of the building and boasts a beautifully redesigned ground floor frontage.

The changes also mean the hotel now has a dedicated reception area for staying guests, plus a meeting/conference room and a private dining room.

The hotel and bistro is a family business, owned by the Gills - father (Christopher), son (Christopher) and daughter (Sarah) - who head a dedicated team that has now been working together for twenty years.

The family is passionate about provid-ing its guests with the best experience and service possible.

Christopher’s new lookbut the excellent food and great service stay the same

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Warm welcome: (top right) Sarah Gill at the bar in Christopher’s.

Bigger and better: (right) the bistro’s new larger interior.

Facelift: (below) Sarah and her brother, Christo-pher, in front of the hotel and bistro’s smart new facade.

22

Mark Lewis: even after

he had been exposed in the ‘VM’ , arrested

and put on police bail, the man who

once lived in Barlow Drive still went after

new victims.

Judges kick outcrook’s appeal

Fradley criminal Mark William lewis (51) has failed to have his jail

sentence reduced.At Stafford Crown Court, last

May, he was ordered to serve two consecutive terms of imprison-ment that made a total term of

six years and five months.Lewis claimed the sentence,

which included three years for frauds he committed while on police bail, was excessive.

But, on October 31, judges at the Court of Appeal, in London, disagreed.

DelightedVictims to whom Lewis had

sold worthless property and so-lar panel investments said they were delighted.

But they are also angry at what has happened, claiming his trial was a travesty of justice.

Complaints have been made both to the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

There appeared to have been

confusion between police forces in Warwickshire, the West Mid-lands and Staffordshire, all of whom had been involved.

There were also repeated court adjournments that saw the trial delayed.

When the case went back into court for a third plea hearing, on August 16, last year, the trial date had been set for November 11, 2013.

But it was to be May, 2014, before the case was concluded.

Totalling £2.4 millionIn August, 2013, Lewis faced

fraud charges amounting to more than £2.4 million.

At last May’s sentencing hearing the total sum was only £992,606.

And yet Lewis was allowed to admit guilt to defrauding just eight of the victims of a total of £478,000.

That meant the cases of the other 11 people, who say they lost a total £515,606, went un-tested.

At the August 16, hearing, Lewis pleaded not guilty to all 30 charges against him.

Then his defence barrister told the court he had only just received from the prosecution a computer disc containing 8,000 un-sorted documents.

Judge Eaves complained that he had only received an eight-line account from the CPS as to what it was claimed the defend-ant had done wrong.

Information missingThen the court was told that

an administrative oversight by the police meant that some in-formation had not been handed to the CPS.

When the judge asked after the analysis of the bank accounts through which the victims’ money had passed it was revealed that no forensic expert had been ap-pointed to investigate.

Judge Eaves said it had not been, “a very promising start.”

When the prosecution sug-gested adjourning the plea hear-ing yet again, the judge pointed out that this was already the third such hearing.

And when the prosecutor

said he would therefore present the case himself, Judge Eaves, asked: “Is that sensible?”

The defence barrister was con-cerned that the 8,000 pages on the disc he had been given were un-indexed and un-numbered.

And he said he still did not know what evidence the pros-ecution intended to rely on.

He added that in the mate-rial that had been served on the court there was very little in the way of bank statements.

Judge Eaves directed that the CPS should put forward the name of a forensic accountant within seven days.

He pointed out that most of the evidence had been in the prosecution’s hands for a year and some of it for three years.

Attractive . . . butThe CPS barrister agreed the

seven-day deadline seemed, “at-tractive”, but asked for 14 days.

Judge Eaves, said, “no”, add-ing that the prosecution had been sitting on their hands for too long.

He said: “This case is in the most shambolic state and does not even achieve the standards of a committal hearing.

Where fault lies“I am quite shocked. Fault lies

firmly with the CPS and police.“I am astounded that counsel

has not been properly briefed and no forensic accountant has been instructed.”

He hoped the case could be, “rescued from the abyss”.

He then instructed that with-in seven days the prosecution should let the defence have a paginated bundle and index for the 8,000 documents on the computer disc.

They were also told to provide by the same date a full list of all the exhibits and references to the witness statements.

A clear indication also had to be given to the court about what evidence was to be relied on.

During sentencing, on May 28, 2014, Recorder Sally Hancox said that in August, 2013, the CPS’s case had been a, “horror show”, that was not sorted out until the following December.

Mark William Lewis’ victims jubilant at the Fradley fraudster having to serve his full sentence




Whittington business-man Stuart Clarke wrote his history

of the Great War’s ‘Unknown Warrior’, in 2011.

Even in the short time since then the world has become an in-finitely more dangerous place.

Britain may have just withdrawn after 13 bloody years of fighting a dubious war in Afghanistan.

But now conflagrations are breaking out across the globe born of rabid fundamentalism and territorial struggles between East and West.

War and pestilenceMeanwhile, the threat of inter-

national pestilence fermenting in West Africa goes unanswered by rich nations distracted by war.

Now Mr. Clarke tells his story again as the bells toll out to mark 100 years since the outbreak of World War I.

His story carries a lesson the world has yet to learn.

He writes: The Unknown War-rior, to whose memorial we still look in remembrance of those dark days, is surely more relevant to our lives now than ever before.

His death sums up the horror and futility of that murderous in-dustrialised conflict.

Our future foretoldHe points us to what lies ahead

should we ignore our past.I reflect again on that iconic

lone soldier’s story and elevation into our national psyche, lest we forget, now we have need of his remembrance.

At the stroke of 11am, on No-vember 11, we pupils and our teachers stood, heads bowed.

We proudly observed two min-utes silence for those who had died for us.

The years passed. It became easier for us to forget.

A growing debtYet the conflicts that are again

ravaging our world remind us of our debt to the armed forces, who ensure our security.

As ‘Poppy Day’ approaches and our soldiers return from foreign battlefields it is now surely more important than ever to under-stand why we still bow our heads in remembrance.

Forty million people were killed

or injured during World War I (1914 - 1918).

On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, on July 1, 1916, Britain suffered 67,470 casualties, including 19,240 dead.

Begins in the aftermathMy story of the Unknown War-

rior begins one evening in France, in 1916, following a bloody battle.

Army padre Reverend David Railton was returning to his billet from the trenches at Armentieres.

Wading through the blood and mud to his tent he stumbled across a simple wooden cross.

Two pieces of wood bound to-gether marking the remains of a British soldier.

On that cross was a simple in-scription that changed history.

In Railton’s memoirs he wrote: “I came back from the line at dusk.

Fallen warrior“We had just laid to rest the

mortal remains of a comrade. I went to a billet in front of Erking-ham, near Armentieres.

“At the back of the billet was a small garden.

“In the garden, only six pac-es from the house, there was a grave.

“At the head of the grave there stood a rough cross of white wood.

“On it was written in deep black-pencilled letters: ‘An Unknown British Soldier’, and in brackets beneath, ‘of the Black Watch’.

“It was dusk and no one was near, except some officers in the billet playing cards.

A stillness fell“I remember how still it was.

Even the guns seemed to be rest-ing.”

Two million British lives were lost in World War I.

Every family in our country was affected as husbands, fathers, brothers and cousins perished.

At the war’s end, Rev. Railton believed the nation needed some kind of comfort - an explanation of why a whole generation had died in a foreign land.

Inspiration came to him and he sent a letter to Dr. Herbert Ryle, Dean of Westminster.

Railton felt Britons needed a symbol of their huge sacrifice be-fore which to lay their grief.

It is a time for reflectionStuart Clarke revisits his remembrance of the ‘Unknown Warrior’ as the world awaits the 11th hour silence a century on

August 4, 1914 - Great Britain de-clares war on Ger-

many.It later fell to Winston

Churchill to describe the scene in London in the hours preceding that dec-laration.

He wrote: “It was eleven o’clock at night – twelve by German time – when the ulti-matum expired.

“The windows of the Admiralty were thrown wide open in the warm night air.

“Under the roof from which Nelson had received his or-ders were gathered a small group of admirals and cap-tains and a cluster of clerks, pencils in hand, waiting.

“Along the Mall from the direction of the Palace the sound of an immense con-course singing ‘God save the King’ floated in.

“On this deep wave there broke the chimes of Big Ben; and, as the first stroke of the hour boomed out, a rustle of movement swept across the room.

The war telegram, which meant, “commence hostili-ties against Germany”, was flashed to the ships and

establishments under the White Ensign all over the world.”

No one knew how much these four simple words would

change the world forever.Today we look back a

century on knowing that this war would cost more than 17 million lives, with many millions more wound-ed and debilitated.

Our ancestors dreamed it was, ‘the war to end all wars’ - a dream crushed in the conflicts to follow.

Stuart Clarke


Then, on May 8, 1919, Austral-ian soldier and journalist Edward G. Honey, wrote to the London Evening News under the pen name, Warren Foster.

His call was for a commemo-ration of the first anniversary of The Armistice Treaty.

We must rememberHe wrote: “Five little minutes

only. Five silent minutes of na-tional remembrance - a very sa-cred intercession.

“Communion with the Glori-ous Dead who won us peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow.

“Church services, too, if you will, but in the street, the home, the theatre, anywhere indeed, where Englishmen and their women chance to be.

“Surely in this five minutes of bitter-sweet silence there will be service enough.”

That idea was sparked by his sadness at the way people had celebrated the day of the Armi-stice with dancing in the streets.

It was then growing public demand that led Prime Minister, David Lloyd George, and King George V, to appoint a Memorial Service Committee.

Royal proclamationAnd on November 17, 1919,

The King proclaimed, “that at the hour when the Armistice came into force, the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, there may be for the brief space of two minutes a complete suspension of all our normal activities so that in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead.”

Solemn remembrance per-haps. But to which fallen soldier would the country bow its head?

A solemn selectionOn November 7, 1920, Briga-

dier General L. J. Wyatt, marched into the Chapel St. Pol, northern France.

Before him were the exhumed remains of four British service-men.

The unidentified men had fallen at the four bloody corners of the Western Front - Aisne, Somme, Arras and Ypres.

Each now lay on a stretcher covered by the Union Flag.

Wyatt closed his eyes. At ran-dom he rested his hand on one of the bodies.

And so he chose the soldier who was to receive an Empire’s homage - the ‘Unknown Warrior’.

The most remarkable prepara-tions were undertaken to return this hero to England.

A great English oak from Hampton Court provided the wood for a magnificent coffin, hand made by the British Under-takers Association.

On its plaque was inscribed: “A British Warrior who fell in the

Great War 1914-1918 for King and Country”.

Red white and blueThe Union Flag army padre

Rev. David Railton used as an al-tar cloth in France was wrapped around it.

A 16th Century crusader’s sword presented by The King was brought from the Tower of Lon-don and tucked into the wrought iron bands around the coffin.

Six barrels of soil from the bat-tlefields of Ypres accompanied the coffin so it might at last rest on the earth upon which so many British lives were lost.

The funeral procession was the grandest event ever recorded in our history.

The body was carried on a wagon drawn by six horses which headed a cortege more than a mile long.

Leaving foreign shoresOn November 9, the coffin ar-

rived in Boulogne under a full French military escort led by Mar-shall Foch.

HMS Verdun then bore the body to Dover in company with six other destroyers.

HMS Vendetta, met them half-way, her White Ensign astern at half-mast.

Landfall in England came at 1pm. A Field Marshall’s 19-gun salute roared out from the ram-parts of Dover Castle.

Then a specially commissioned train took the coffin on to Lon-don‘s Victoria Station.

On November 11, 1920, the Daily Mail vividly described the scene: “The train thundered through the dark, wet, moonless night.

At the platforms by which it rushed could be seen groups

of women watching and silent, many dressed in deep mourning.

“Many an upper window was open and against the golden square of light was silhouetted clear cut and black the head and shoulders of some faithful watcher.

Faces looked out“In the London suburbs were

scores of homes with back doors flung wide, light flooding out and in the garden figures of men women and children gazing at the great lighted train rushing past.”

Later that day his body was placed on a gun carriage of the

Royal Horse Artillery.Six black horses shied in their

jingling traces.Accoutrements of war

A Union Flag, steel helmet, side arms and belt all lay on the coffin.

At 9.40am, the ‘Unknown Warrior’ began his final journey through the crowd-lined streets of London to Whitehall.

At the newly-built Cenotaph, King George V set down upon the coffin a wreath of red roses and bay leaves.

After a two-minute silence, he and members of his family fol-lowed the soldier’s body on foot to Westminster Abbey.

The coffin entered through the north door and was borne to the west end of the Nave between a guard of honour of 100 Victoria Cross holders.

Behind them were the widows and children of the fallen.

The hymn ‘Lead Kindly Light’ was sung. And to its sombre ca-dences bearers removed their helmets and side arms, and low-ered the coffin into the tomb.

Upon it The King scattered

earth brought from the battle-fields.

‘Reveille’ and ‘Last Post’ sound-ed - a silk funeral pall covered the grave.

Brought from the FrontOn top lay the flag Rev. Da-

vid Railton had used as an altar cloth, near Armentieres.

The Victoria Cross holders filed past. And over the following week thousands of mourners came to pay their respects while service-men stood vigil. The grave was closed on November 18, 1920.

A stone temporarily lay over it, inscribed: “A British warrior who fell in the Great War 1914-1918 for King and country. Greater love hath no man than this.”

Dean of Westminster Dr. Her-bert Ryle composed the final in-scription, of which part reads: “Beneath this stone rests the body of a British warrior, un-known by name or rank, brought from France to lie among the most illustrious of the land . . .

“. . . thus are commemorated the many multitudes who during the Great War gave the most that man can give, life itself . . .

“They buried him among the kings because he had done good toward God and toward His House.”

News was reportedThat first ‘two minute silence’

was reported in the Manchester Guardian the following day.

It said: “The first stroke of eleven produced a magical effect.

“The tram cars glided into still-ness, motors ceased to cough and fume, the mighty-limbed dray horses hunched back upon their loads and stopped also.

“Someone took off his hat. With a nervous hesitancy the rest of the men bowed their heads also.

“Here and there an old soldier could be detected slipping uncon-sciously into ‘attention’.

“An elderly woman wiped her eyes, and the man beside her looked white and stern. Everyone stood very still.

The silence spoke“The hush deepened. It had

spread over the whole city and be-come so pronounced as to impress one with a sense of audibility.

“It was a silence which was almost pain. And the spirit of memory brooded over it all.”

Please remember all those who have died for us and those who are still fighting for us.

Be proud to be British. Re-member our heroes.

World War I lit a spark that fuelled World War II, in which up to 80 million people died.

Should another global conflict erupt it is likely billions would die.

Humanity has twice shown its willingness to use nuclear bombs to bring death down on civilians on a biblical scale.

Those who forget the past are condemned to relive it.

Whittington’s fallen soldiers

from two world wars:A. EadeC. EadeG. Yates

F. G. FisherJ. Pailing

G. A. RyanF. Ryan

H. G. MenceK. M. DyottW. RyderJ. Hinton

S. MarplesW. H. H. Paget

S. R. WebbW. E. WebbA. V. WellerW. C. PerryF. Wilkinson

G. BettsJ. Bridgen

J. EdgingtonJ. P. DanielsT. W. Dollin

T. BrittP.J. SmithC. P. Smith

E. G. BallingerF. C. BallingerW. Burrows

P. ClewsJ. A. Eades

S. B. GoddardC. B. Hodges

VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk26

‘Dare To Recall’ by Martin Ryan Part 18Pragmatism was the shield mothers held up against outrageous fortune in Martin Ryan’s schoolday Irish hometown. There was little else they could turn to as The Grim Reaper stalked nursery and schoolroom. Oblivious to the tenuous nature of life, young Martinand his gang sought danger and fast profits for which they seemed ready to kill, ‘And yet!’ME MAMMy was awash with sympathy for Mrs Flynn at her loss of young Finbar, my friend.

“Isn’t it an awful shame,” she’d say, “ that the poor woman has lost another one?

“But sure, with the brood she has she’ll hardly miss him!

“At least it’ll free up a bed. Sure two of them have to sleep on the floor in that house.”

Big was bestWe weren’t such a small fam-

ily ourselves.There would have been three

boys and six girls. But one boy and two girls went and died.

That was probably a good job or else I might have been sleep-ing on the floor!

So now I had one brother and four sisters, plus me Mammy and me Da, when he wasn’t away in England, working.

You’ll remember the ‘Wailing Wall’ - that high structure on our way home from school that roared out its challenge: “Come climb me kids and walk my para-pet, if ya dare, ya feckers!”

You can add to the, ‘if ya dare’, bit the threat of a thump-ing from the proto-sociopath and hoodlum John Brown and his gang if we didn’t.

By the day of poor Finbar’s fu-neral, he’d died of the whooping cough, I was healing nicely from my latest badly navigated flight off the wall from which I landed in more than just hot water.

But my grievous impact inju-ries were a blessing in disguise.

My older sister, Biddy, told the tale of my crash landing among the rocks and weeds to all who would listen.

Harken unto me“Jayzus!” She’d begin, in a

booming voice: “You should have seen the little bastard! Sure, he was in bits, so he was!”

That led to another of my sis-ters, Barbara, getting the job of riding shotgun over me and stopping me getting on that wall again.

And so long as my big sister stood guard, John Brown and his thugs lived in fear, restrict-ing their punishment of me and my gang for refusing to walk the wall to cat calls: “Sissy! . . . Mammy’s boy! . . . Yella belly!”

They could call me what they

liked, so long as I got a rest from that feckin’ wall of death.

I was banned from it for life. But the truth is, boys be-ing boys, I went on to do it loads more times.

It usually hap-pened when Bar-bara forgot to meet me coming home from school.

But we kids had other entertain-ments too. Making money was one of them.

Cats!!!! There were

millions of mog-gies, all over.

No one owned them. Well, no one owned-up to owning them.

And if you found a heavily pregnant feline on your doorstep you had a problem.

People would invariably do the honourable and humane thing.

Murder Inc.And that was to offer us kids

the standard fee of six pence to get rid of them.

It was a firmly established commercial tradition.

So firmly established in fact that no matter how you tried to bargain up the fee, it never changed - it was the same all over town.

And it was always best if there were two of you when it came to doing the murder bit.

Many people had deep water butts in which to catch the rain.

It turned out the need for all this rainwater had something to do with making girls’ hair soft, or so we were told.

The method for cat dispatch-ing was as traditional as the fee structure.

It worked like this, the first assassin would distract the mammy cat while the second one dumped her kittens into a coal sack.

Mammy cat would then be shown the open sack with her little ones in the

bottom.Answering some deep pri-

meval call, mammy cat would immediately dive into the sack and, hey presto, you had the lot.

Now came the tricky bit. You then had to dump the sack of writhing moggies into the water butt and quickly push it as far down as you could.

It was also a tradition in our town that kids were not to be trusted.

And six pence was six pence, after all.

So hired cat killers like us al-ways knew the ‘client’ would be watching to see the job done properly.

Cats, as is well known the world over, hate water.

So the mammy cat would go berserk as the cold seeped in through the sacking.

Hell broke looseA frantic struggle for life

would break out as she fought like a tigress to break free of the watery grave.

You’d never believe how those cats could scratch and send fangs stabbing through the hessian.

The executioner would be thrashing madly at the water

now splashing up his shirt and all over the fence as he fought to keep his doomed victims under.

Then, gradually, bit by bit, the struggle would cease.

As it did, there would be a flick of the eyes over the shoul-der to make sure the client was happy.

That was followed by much panting and brow mopping.

Briefly leaning on the water butt to get your breath back was a nice touch.

Silence fellThen all would be satisfied the

deadly deed was done.No doubt the fella who was

now six pence lighter wondered if God would ever forgive the cruel little tinkers who’d turn to murder for money.

Then the second assassin would gently lift the warm bag of wriggling cats from its hiding place behind the butt.

Two streets away they’d be set free near some convenient hiding place where mammy cat could rear her young in peace.

Before long, cats being cats, another pregnant moggie would turn up on someone’s else’s doorstep.

Then we could go to the Sat-urday morning pictures again, our pockets jingling.

When Irish cats are snarling: the bounty on a fat cat and her kittens bought the kids tickets to the Saturday morning picture show. The tradition went back to when they invented schoolboys . A cold heart and sleight of hand were key.


Boley Park campaigners have rejected a call to carry out dIy investi-

gations if their homes come under attack.

A police message to Neigh-bourhood Watch members, said: “If you are disturbed by a noise at night, we suggest you inves-tigate thoroughly and, if neces-sary, call the police.”

Criminal attackThe advice came after crimi-

nals tried to steal lead flashing from a home in Manor Rise.

Residents were told that it was the first such attack in the area and they were warned to expect more.

But campaigners who have been fighting for action to be taken over scrap metal dealers operating illegally in their streets warned people against going out in the dead of night to ‘investi-gate thoroughly’ the activities of suspected lead thieves.

They feared one of their neighbours coming face to face with the criminals and being in-jured.

Neighbourhood Watch co-or-dinator, Les Bache, said: “Home owners must be careful as to what actions they take in case they void their house insurance.”

A media spokesperson for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Con-stabulary also felt Staffordshire Police’s advice had been inap-propriate.

Wrong adviceShe believed advice issued by

a force control room call handler in October last year was inap-propriate too.

A Fradley couple worried about an elderly neighbour who had been missing for several weeks were turned down when they asked for police assistance.

They told the call handler there was post piled up against the front door of the pensioner’s home, half a dozen wine bottles were scattered over the floor in the living room, a ground floor window was wide open and a propane gas cylinder was stood dangerously near to a gas fire.

Missing pensionerWhen they rang the police

control room for a second time they was staggered when they were told that the frail old man could be on holiday, or asleep in a back room.

Then they were told the win-dow would have been left open to let the cat out.

To their astonishment, they were instructed to continue making their own door-to-door inquiries in the area.

When a Fradley South resi-dent joined into to help he tried to get their community police of-ficer and Police Community Sup-port Officer to assist them. But neither was available.

These events echo a worrying trend revealed by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC).

DecriminalisationInspector of Constabulary,

Roger Baker, reportedly said: “Effectively what’s happened is a number of crimes are on the verge of being decriminalised.

“It’s not the fault of individual staff. It’s a mindset thing that’s crept in to say, ‘we’ve almost given up’.”

He added: “When a crime has been committed, it’s the job of the police service to go and find out who’s done it and bring them to justice.

“They’re the cops and we ex-pect the cops to catch people.”

Tory austerity cuts are widely blamed for the creeping trend towards DIY investigations.

Although Mr. Baker denied that was so.

But Staffordshire’s temporary Chief Constable Jane Sawyers has faced criticism.

Words of adviceInspector of Constabulary

Drusilla Sharpling CBE, wrote to her, in September.

She said: “During observa-tions in the force’s call-handling centre, the inspection team identified that the force does not consistently identify vulnerable and repeat victims.

“HMIC reviewed a number of crime investigations, including reports of crimes that were not attended.

“For offences, such as theft from a motor vehicle, many of which were not attended, there was limited evidence of mean-ingful investigation or supervi-sion.

“The force was unable to pro-vide HMIC with the number of

named suspects that are yet to be arrested, or interviewed.”

Without this information, Ms. Sharpling said, the force could not ensure it had effective ar-rangements to manage out-standing suspects and offenders.

Limited evidenceShe told Ms. Sawyers that the

force could tell who had skipped bail. But she said there was only limited evidence showing that efforts to work on the problem had been documented properly or, in a number of cases, prop-erly supervised.

Had no informationIn HMIC’s report in September

it said that out of England and Wales’ 43 forces, 19 of them

were unable to provide informa-tion showing how many times they attended crimes and inci-dents.

Year-long studyThe survey covered the 12

months up to November 30, 2013.

Out of the 24 forces that could provide the data, Cleveland po-lice came top with an attendance rate of 100 per cent.

At the bottom of the league was Warwickshire Police, who only attended 39 per cent.

The average rate was 79 per cent.

Staffordshire Police came 15th out of the 24 forces with a 75 per cent attendance rate.

Below parThe force’s attendance rate

for burglaries was 57 per cent, against an average of 83 per cent.

HMIC said all police forces should be able to provide accu-rate attendance data by March 31, 2015.

Boley Park rejects DIY investigationsPolice non-attendance ‘trend’

Inspector: (left) Drusilla Sharpling highlighted shortcomings in the coun-ty police’s performance.

Temporary Chief Con-stable: Jane Sawyers is pledged to keep commu-nities safe and reassured.

VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk28

Dear Editor,

I have recently been reading the September edition of your mi-cronewspaper and am appalled at Reverend Fiona Haskett’s response to Thelma Larkin’s protest regard-ing this year’s Easter Egg Hunt, held in Whittington churchyard.

I was attending my late hus-band’s grave in the newer section of the graveyard on the day in question.

I was extremely upset by the participants’ loud and intrusive behaviour and so were several other people who were attend-ing the graves of their loved ones that day.

Some of the children raced up to me as I was kneeling down to cut some fresh flowers, stand-ing on top of my late husband’s final resting place to peer over my shoulder in their search for Easter eggs.

I was appalled by this behav-iour and asked them to move away because they were being intrusive and disrespectful.

Letters to the Editor Cemetery is not for games

In September 90 people called for children’s treasure hunts to be barred from St. Giles church cemetery.

Their protest came after grieving mother Thelma Larkins was disturbed as she tended her hero son Matthew’s grave.

The church welcomes children into the cemetery but seeks to pre-vent them playing near the newer graves still visited by relatives.

Needless to say, this did not deter them as they raced off across several other graves shouting to other children, also in the newer section, who were be-ing equally loud, boisterous and intrusive.

Clearly, Rev Haskett is being inaccurate when she states that ‘...We would never allow young-sters to hunt Easter eggs in the new part of the cemetery’, per-haps she was not present on this occasion.

The behaviour of these children is completely unacceptable in a churchyard and, whilst Reverend Haskett points out that one child ‘...was frightened to go into the churchyard’ I do not feel that this event was an appropriate means to ‘demystify’ the child’s fears.

Running amok amongst griev-ing relatives as they tend their loved ones graves does not ‘de-mystify’ a churchyard, it merely demonstrates that inconsiderate behaviour towards others is com-pletely acceptable, which it is not and nor should it ever become so.Yours faithfully,Mrs Chris Kelly,Spring Lane.

Dear Editor,

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Mrs Kelly’s letter con-cerning the Easter Egg Hunt that took place in our Churchyard in April this year.

As you will be aware, my re-sponse to the matter that was published in the September is-sue (of the ‘Village Market’) was heavily summarised and although I did give permission for this ver-sion, I am sorry that it did not represent a full picture of my own and the church communities’ view on the matter.

We are all extremely sorry for the upset that this annual event caused to those who were visiting the graves of loved ones at the time.

Although I could not be at the event this year, I can confirm that all children and parents were told before it started that the to-kens were only hidden in the old-er parts of the churchyard, they were also asked not to enter the newer parts, to run or to walk on

graves, but to show due respect for the area they were in.

Any children seen looking for tokens in the wrong area were called back.

Had anyone voiced any con-cerns or problems at the time we would most certainly have dealt with them then and there.

The Church Council has now discussed this at length and while no definite decision has been made about its future, we view the Easter Egg Hunt as a very legitimate Church activity and re-serve the right to continue to hold them in the Churchyard.

We will of course ensure that if this is the case, the hunts will not only be extremely well ad-vertised, but also that the area in question will be physically cor-doned off and with access only via the main gate.

We will also ensure that there are more people present to “po-lice” the situation.Yours,Reverend Fiona Haskett,St. Giles Church.


The ‘Village Market’ serves as a public platform from which all well-intentioned

people may express their views.The issue concerning the East-

er egg hunts in St. Giles Church graveyard has produced particularly strong views on all sides.

It was raised by the mother of Matthew Larkins, who felt it wrong that she should be disturbed while tending her son’s grave.

Sacrifice without hesitationAnd it cannot be forgotten that

this young man lost his life in the supremely selfless and courageous act of saving the life of a child.

It is hard to imagine anyone be-ing more deserving of respect than his grieving mother, who feels his loss now as keenly as when he died in a churning sea 24 years ago.

Nor can it be forgotten that Whit-tington’s vicar has had extraordi-nary success in bringing young-sters into the church and making it a place of fun and joyous celebra-tion as well as solemn prayer.

In view of the sensitivities in-volved, the ‘VM’ ensured all parties concerned could view and approve the text of the story covering the Easter egg hunt before publication.

Letters to the Editor Cordoned hunt to continue

Platform for all . . .

The existence of the ‘loophole’ was denied by a government spokesman, who claimed the NPPF made it clear the destruc-tion of ancient woodlands should be avoided.

What he did not point out were the weasel words written into the

legislation.It safeguards ancient woodlands

only if, “the need for, and benefits of, the development in that loca-tion clearly outweigh the loss.”

The lack of any definition as to what the “needs” and “benefits” might be means the law can be read in whatever way is conveni-ent to those in control.

The Tamworth MP who claimed credit for standing against Lafarge has been branded a hypocrite.

Why this one?Christopher Pincher is reported

as saying the woodland must be saved because it, “is irreplaceable”.

So too, the ‘VM’ has been told, are the estimated 43 ancient woodlands that the Tories aim to sacrifice on the altar of high-speed rail, including a site at Hints.

Pincher, an arch-advocate of slashing welfare benefits, recent-ly voted against HS2 in what was seen as a calculated attempt to hang on to his seat.

It was viewed as lip service that came far too late to have any effect on the struggle to stop the rail project, which some analysts now predict will cost the country as much as £100 billion.

Tory duo as oneIn 2010, Pincher and Michael

Fabricant were staunch support-ers of high-speed rail.

Pincher even told the House of Commons that his constituents

would accept HS2.When the Lichfield MP, Fab-

ricant, told protesters in Boley Park they were, “mugs”, if they thought they could stop the rail project, Pincher added that, “a cigarette paper could not be slipped”, between him and his Tory chum on the issue.

On the boardPincher is also reportedly

a non-executive director of JT Leavesley Ltd., of Rykneild House, Alrewas.

He advises senior manage-ment of the Leavesley Group about agriculture and property.

JW Leavesley, of Ryknield House, is the planning applicant behind a controversial scheme to put around 150 homes on farm-land north of Dark Lane.

Villagers are up in arms over the project, which they say has already seen the destruction of habitats and wildlife.

Protected habitat lostIt is alleged that a protected

bat and owl roost was torn down as clearance work began.

Dead birds and voles were found left in plough furrows.

Terrified foxes were seen run-ning along Dark Lane, unable to return to their den.

People fear the impact the pro-posed new estate would have on the village road network, schools and medical facilities.


Tamworth’s anti-countryside MP: Christopher Pincher’s record on the environment was revealed through his support for a high-speed rail project that will see the wholesale destruc-tion of the countryside with dozens of irresplaceable ancient woodlands torn down. His 11th-hour objection to HS2 lacks all credibility, his political opponents have told the ‘VM’.

From page 12

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‘The Village Market’, 9 - 11 Main Street, Whittington, Lichfield Staffordshire, WS14 9JU. Editor: GL Griffiths.t: 01543 432341. e: [email protected]. Published by Village Market Micronewspapers Ltd.

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Village Market November 14