Message from BJ's Gedling Councillor

Hi Everyone 

Here is a friendly message from BJ's Gedling Councillor

"There is also another event that you may like to mention on your website. This is a new initiative by GBC called the Gedling Conversation where Cabinet members and senior managers will be travelling to all areas of the borough so that people can have their say in person. They will be visiting Burton Joyce on Thursday 4 oct between 2pm-4pm in the village center. So everyone please go along if you can.  Regards S J Poole

Help to reduce domestic violence. Sign up to the "man enough to say no" campaign at www.man-enough.org "

We hope and trust, that many within our community will use this unique opportunity/initiative to chat, discuss and give their opinions and preferencesduring this  face to face - opportunity .

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"Out oft Box" - Digital Vertical Engagement

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"Out oft Box" - Vertical Engagement

WHY IS IT  that many of those individuals who gain or aspire to a position of significance in a major organisation or charity actually ignore, or fail to recognise, the importance of VERTICAL ENGAGEMENT with their staff and volunteers ?.

I have worked within industry in the UK and abroad with various sized companies and of late with volunteer organisations in the UK – primarily the NHW ( recognised as probably one of the largest UK Charities with up to 10 million volunteers.)

Surely this cannot be the way to communicate today 

NHW Volunteers generally work tirelessly to achieve the aims of themselves, colleague and neighbours to assist in preventing and solving crime in their areas , in addition to creating , improving the lot of each and everyone in their particular community

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YET  the salaried management of the NHW national organisation somehow misunderstands the importance of continuous stimulation, individual recognition, material assistance, face to face contact, ongoing moral stimulation & assisting the generation of ideas which can result from a genuine and purposeful vertical engagement with the “foot soldiers” 

It is easy to finance and create mundane websites, establish and equip a salaried HQ Office and management structure, however, personal contact and communication will most definitely be more effective and  appreciated. Sending out messages enquiring what the volunteers think about the website is pointless and wasteful, hasn’t anyone heard of website statistics !.. Websites and content statistics are constantly available, analysing the smallest detail of interactivity, and visitor interest and the number of page/article visits even to the smallest detail of which page they exit the site from. Yet it appears to me that the attitude and finesse used in the successful commercial is not embraced nor considered useful .

The Neighbourhood Alert system by VisaV is a fantastic example of the use of the internet and digital contact in vertical engagement. However,  personal individual engagement still an important element also.

 Here is an example of what I mean with the illustration of a personal engagement with NOTTSWATCH the Nottinghamshire NHW Association - some 12 months ago..  .. 

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Three years ago my wife and I became  IT Champions with a local concern – regretfully for several reasons after 6 months  this association came to an end. 

Following our experiences in re-establishing the village NHW, it quickly became evident that the majority of NHW volunteers were NOT computer literate – resulting in an ongoing communication problem. We therefore decided to begin coaching our volunteers – many in their 60.70/80’s in the use of library computers ( high successful with many buying their own laptops )

Mary -  "Going Solo"

As a result of this experience and honing our "computer training" down to the absolute basics via our "One to One" tutorial,s we developed our own “ABC” in Basic Computer instruction. This was just prior to the launch of the Governments Guru Marth Lane Fox’s “Get on Line” initiative.

Regretfully about this time Notts CC, as many other council authorities in the UK,  found it necessary to begin cutting the number of libraries in the County and reducing the hours of many others to meet financial requirements.

 After several meets with Notts CC Library staff  and our local County Councillor, our initiative to develop “Computer Training” in libraries did not progress any further. 

A  little time later we broached developing the subject with a National NHW representative – “nothing in this years budget to cover that” was the response

A couple of months after this, in our role as NHW Co-ordinators, we introduced our initiative to NOTTSWATCH-after dekivering a small presentation at one of the monthly meetings, immediately our ABC initiative became a live topic again.

The Chairman and members ( including the Police ) saw the immense potential in introducing, improved andr sharper community engagement with existing and new NHW volunteers ( the majority of NHW volunteers are 50 plus and not computer savvy).  OK it has taken some 9 months to reach the  position todate  ( with a launch in a months time), however it should be understood that NOTTSWATCH is also a volunteer organisation with NO full time salaried members and. the committee representatives from each Council district of the county have to travel considerable distances for meets each month and  they are not computer e mail gurus either.

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I am confident that now is the time to roll up our sleeves and really make an effort to beat this digital/computer divide "ONCE and FOR ALL"  for that is what it will be 

 "ONCE and for ALL time" - for following generations are already computer savvy thro their schooling and employment activities.

 In Nottinghamshire we need to -

Bring together all those organisations involved, in their own way, in introducing computer /digital use to the county’s uninitiated   - NottsWatch, NottsCC. Notts libraries, Age Concern, RCan, District Councils plus the Broad Band providers, Major Stores and Computer/Digital  Sales outlets and of course Media organisations etc.

 We should and need to interest and establish direct and meaningful relationships with the many community interest groups  - WI.s, Senior Citizens, Residential Homes etc, who  for all these and their members will  naturally benefit from an initiative such as this

The scope is tremendous, for  if only we can establish a contact and meaningful relationships with organisations across the county, there is little doubt that a genuine co-operation can be generated  thro-out the wide range of the county’s  Administrators  and by integrating existing resources and a purpose of intent , we can collectively and successfully develop the genuine

“Intent to resolve this problem  - ONCE and for ALL”  

   

I could go on all day with listing the benefits  to the Police, Social Services, the National Health services etc., etc., but most of all, it will benefit each and every individual and family who at present is left outside and devoid of the numerous benefits and social advantages available to them by being computer familiar and involved in the UK's digital revolution

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"TYKE TALK" - "art oft box" part 2

"TYKE TALK" - "art oft box" part 2

There is a saying in Yorkshire  

"Ifs thas nowt to seh -  seh't to thisen"  -       

" Av got a lot to seh" :-) especially now I have found my ancestral roots   

Part 2

Not the earliest image of me , but probably the least embarrassing 

Our “Queen of Villages” could NOT boast as having an Airport or Bus Station. In fact, throughout the full 20+ years I lived in the “Queen of Villages” I NEVER once saw an aircraft pass overhead -

 I did once hear the Luftwaffe though, I think it was 1942 - flying over us at night, to drop their load of bombs on the numerous Steel Works in the Sheffield/Rotherham area. It was during some dark, dismal and dank night, that I recall scrambling under our lounge table for protection, in case the bombs dropped on our house - none of the families nearby ever retreated to/used the brick built Anderson Air-Raid Shelters built for our communal protection, for they were damp, filthy and smelly. 

Oh! I should add that the local bus service did pass by our front garden (a 10ft x 10foot patch of grass described as lawn when the need to impress occurred). The “Yorkshire Traction” bus passed by twice each hour - every hour - in both directions, from 6.00am in the mornings to 10.00pm at night.  (20 minutes to, and 10 minutes passed, the hour, in one direction to Thurscoe and 10 minutes to and 20 minutes passed the hour, the other way, towards Wath centre/West Melton/Brampton/Wombwell and BARNSLEY - the nearest large town). The regular bus service was six days a week - on Sundays it was a reduced service, which did not start until mid-day and finished early at about 6.00pm.

I should have added that we did in fact have a 2 Bus Stops within 20 paces ( crafty measurement … yes? ) -that’s 20 child’s paces of our front door. No cars, or taxis service though. Shanks Pony was the only alternative - very few pushbikes also ( War effort  - I guess !! )

The “Queen of Villages” could boast an Infants and Junior School - Victoria School - (5 Bus Stops away) This was my school where I had my early education. I walked there and back most days - 30 to 45 minutes in each direction ( all weathers). I also had my own “personal coat hook” in the School Cloak Room- designated with a dangling coloured cardboard cut out, of a “Grey Elephant “- this was my own personal coat hook and I was very proud of it ( as the retention in my memory obviously substantiates).

 

                                       

There were separate Girls and Boys outside Loo s - the Boys Loos were really "Bogs !!" and were open aired and exposed to the elements, I doubt if this was true for the girls though. We also were allocated a camp bed put up each afternoon in the School Hall/Class Room - one itchy blanket. All the "infants" class were supposed to have a sleep - don't know why, probably because the school administrators considered that the possibility of nightly bombing raids would keep us awake and deprive us of rest we needed - hug ! No one of my friends appreciated the concern

I went to church every Sunday - to St James’ ( cant remember from what age). In later years I did play the Church Organ there, and occasionally (less than discretely I should add) during practice “pepped” up the music with jazz and boogie. That was until “Skip" - the Scoutmaster heard me one time, and suggested it was not the best way to air my talent, and that if I was not careful he may consider demoting me from the Patrol Leader of the my beloved “Peewits“ Patrol

(Only recently I learned that both Billy Connelly and Bernard Cribbens were also Peewit Patrol Leaders - such exalted company!) What a disgrace this would have been, it would be too great to handle, I guess I would have left the 12^th Don and Dearne St James Scout Troop - with Sherwood Green trimmed with Yellow edge Neckerchief, held in place with a woggle - in such a personal demise that life would have ended for me there and then ( is that where an anxiety complex took root ? ;-) )

Part 3 to follow

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A New Look for a New Era

Today is the first day in a new era for our Burton Joyce Blog.

We have now decided that the time is ripe to broaden our subject material and develop a wider appeal by Blogging on matters directly related to "Community Engagement" and the county and spearheaded with the digital and social media technologies.

We will continue to add a good share of local news and interest and as usual supplement with local digital images . Today we begin where we left off with the image we used in the old and previous style of layout

Burton Joyce is located in quite a unique location - some 6 miles east of the Nottingham City on the North side of the meandering River Trent, and partially situated on/within the south side of a geographic fault line stretching eastward from the renowned and historic Nottingham Castle into the beginnings of the flat lands of Lincolnshire.

This partially sheltered and unique location creates some most exquisite and beautiful sunrise and sunset scenes, with Belvior Castle to the south/eastern horizon and other undulating horizons  southwards into Leicestershire

Hopefully the following images will help in my explanation and description of a village and area which share the roots of my family's ancestors traced back to the mid 1500's (and highly probably much earlier). A village in which my wife and I came to live some 40+ years ago - by pure coincidence and  not aware of the family connections thro-out the area

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12/09 BJ Weather Pic

Burton Joyce Blogger

     

• It appears a strange visual of the landsape with the heavy cloud cover falling short and above the horizon. This is just one of the many unique views our unique location provides  

OUTSIDE the BOX

“ Outside the Box”

What a fabulous example of a nation coming together and in the process illustrating the latent Great British nationalism within most of us showing  our appreciation and pride generated by the fantastic achievements of both our Olympic and Paraplegic athletes?. Fantastic virtually everyone will say

Yes! We  should also remember and be proud of the many thousands  of volunteers of every colour class and creed who freely gave of their time to become “Team makers”, “Ambassadors” and members of the contingent of Entertaining Performers who added the visual impact to the overall presentation.

We also admired the many skilled UK craftsmens  and their teams who actually built the Olympic Park and Specialist Venues, the designers and administrators who created our GB Olympic bid and administered  and  materialised the dream into what we can proudly proclaim, without doubt, nor challenged as the “Greatest Show On Earth”  - 6 weeks of breath-taking human endeavour and achievement.

2012 will be remembered for generations to come as an example of a nation which can rise above adverse world economics, politics and religions, uniting and welcoming all nations and peoples of varying physical capabilities, bringing them together,  integration irrespective of colour class or creed  to participate in such a friendly competition over the 6 weeks of a splendid UK Summer

Yes the spectacle materialised into a classic illustration of what can be peacefully achieved by harnessing  individual, personal  human endeavour.  

The solution is that we should never underestimate the collective and individual, group or team  can contribute to such a wide variety of causes. However it does require the “administrators and governing committees” to realise, appreciate, understand  that  each individual volunteer’s contribution and assets should not be treated simply as “fodder” for the cause.

It requires  a spec ial personal and group empathy within any organisation to harness this great personal volunteer potential which exists in everyone – the skill is recognising , utilising and appreciating the latent skills within everyone ( yes everyone)

The message is simple – Community Engagement can solve, provide and accomplish virtually any goal - given the opportunity, respect, empathy, appreciation and leadership 

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"TYKE TALK" - "art oft box"

There is a saying in Yorkshire  "Ifs thas nowt to seh -  seh't to thisen"  -   

" Av got a lot to seh"  :-)  ..  .. especially now I have found my ancestral roots  ..  ..   



Part 1

I guess I was 8,9 or10 here 

I was born within a working class family, living and working in the South Yorkshire coal fields, in a small village/town by the name of Wath-upon-Dearne (pronounced as Waf on Dern ) and referred to locally as the“Queen of Villages!” !!. First of all I should explain…. It was not a village, nor indeed could it legitimately be justified in a boasting and calling  of itself as the “Queen of Villages “ but it did?????.”.
However, it could boast as having TWO major coal mines ( Manvers Main and Wath Main) - both complete with majestic Pit Head Winding Gear. The largest - Manvers Main also had the added facility of huge Coke Ovens, which continuously spelched out, acrid smoke and toxic fumes all over the “Queen of Villages”….. it also had numerous slag heaps. Slag heaps of such stature they obliterated the mid-day sun (on the occasion it managed to break thro the smoggy atmosphere) these slag heaps spread far and wide over miles - honestly ! Actually they probably rivalled the ski slopes of the Cairngorms and Glencoe put together. So intimidating were these Coal Mines, slag heaps and smouldering Coke Ovens that, and even until the age of 11 , I assumed and really believed we were actually living alongside HELLS BOILERHOUSE ( I have typed this is upper case so that it shouts out at you in the same way as it shouted out at me.. .. .. .. for all of 14 years.)  Yes for all of 14 years I constantly saw both of the two Pit Heads, only a few hundred yards away (sorry it was the pre-metric” era ). They were always there, both of them, - always. When I looked out of our back lounge window it was “Manvers Main” I could see, then when I looked out from the front room window (a room which we only used on "high" days and special occasions) it was “Wath Main“ on view. It was when I was 11 and started going to the school in the next village - Brampton (“10 Bus Stops” away) - sorry but this is a much easier way to describe distance than quoting a metric measurement) it was then that I accepted that it could not be HELLS BOILERHOUSE - It was my nightmare, it really was how my imagination had decided it would be - looking and smelling as I imagined it would.

Our “Queen of villages” could boast as having, not just one, but TWO railways - complete with stations and tracks - the old LNER and its rival the LMS lines. The LMS was our own personal operation (our home was an LMS owned terraced cottage) and it could be seen from both our lounge and front room windows. The rail track was constructed on the crest of a 25 foot (Sorry! Cannot convert English feet to New World Metric)embankment only 400M away (about 1 Bus Stop) away - (See! I can occasionally use metric as a measurement). It ran in a direction which was across our vision ,which meant it remained visible for quite a time. To a small child as I was at the time the trains were magical, immense, noisy yet spectacular. As a result I became an avid Train Spotter and I even saw the "Flying Scotsman" once - I swear. .. 
Our “ Queen of Villages” could also boast as having the largest Rail Marshalling Yards - devoted to coal distribution - in the whole of Great Britain. Yes they were huge and took up a great area of land for years on years, until coal went out of fashion and the land became the home of huge and modern Distribution Centres and Warehousing ( not too far and convenient for the M1 Motorway you see)
Wath-upon-Dearne could also boast of having it own Gas Works and Storage Tanks - I couldn’t see these from our lounge or front room windows ( and it was only 4 Bus Stops away), although frequently I am sure I could smell them, particularly as I had to walk by them each day, to and from my Infants and Junior schools - "no school-runs in those days ;-)"

My village could boast of having a Canal System also (The Don and Dove), a Brewery (Whitbreads), 2 Cinemas ( the Majestic and the Grand), A purpose built Swimming and Slipper Baths  ( I never did understand what “Slipper” meant ), an Athletics and Sports Ground, which occasionally hosted Yorkshire Crickets second team. I occasionally operated one of the large rotating ratchet counters in the Score Board, poking my head thro the small purpose made sight holes to watch for Umpires decisions  (by the way all of these facilities were only 4 Bus Stops away from my home , except the Grand Cinema which was 6 Bus stops - we also referred to Cinemas as “Picture Houses” in those days)

Are you following me ? .........


Part 2 to follow .. ..  

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