Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Greenway Footpath - Good Work But ............
The recent work to extend the hard surface on the Greenway footpath from the A518 road bridge to the west of Haughton to Lowfield Lane on the outskirts of Gnosall will be welcomed by everyone who uses the route. As I live near to this path I know just how popular it is with horse riders, cyclists, joggers and walkers and this new extension will only add to everyone’s enjoyment.
However I was surprised when I stopped on the road bridge on Lowfield Lane and looked down on the end of the new path. Firstly for some reason perhaps only known to a few privileged people the new hard surface finishes a couple of hundred yards short of the bridge itself and secondly the only way to access the path from the lane is down a step set of new steps cuts into the embankment.
This lack of easy access is a real pity as I’m sure walkers from the centre of Gnosall will use Lowfield Lane to form a short circular walk back to the village. The steps however will make access difficult for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with small children in pushchairs. I’m also concerned that as the new hard surface finishes short of the bridge walkers to and from the Haughton direction will be forced to walk on the uneven and muddy old track bed.
Surely with a bit of thought the path could have been completed to the same standard all the way to the bridge and a gentle sloping access path could have been installed to make access at this point easy.
I will be writing to the County Council asking that when the next phase of the footpath upgrade to the centre of Gnosall is carried out that the access be remodelled so no one is prevented from getting to the path from Lowfield Lane
However I was surprised when I stopped on the road bridge on Lowfield Lane and looked down on the end of the new path. Firstly for some reason perhaps only known to a few privileged people the new hard surface finishes a couple of hundred yards short of the bridge itself and secondly the only way to access the path from the lane is down a step set of new steps cuts into the embankment.
This lack of easy access is a real pity as I’m sure walkers from the centre of Gnosall will use Lowfield Lane to form a short circular walk back to the village. The steps however will make access difficult for the disabled, the elderly and mothers with small children in pushchairs. I’m also concerned that as the new hard surface finishes short of the bridge walkers to and from the Haughton direction will be forced to walk on the uneven and muddy old track bed.
Surely with a bit of thought the path could have been completed to the same standard all the way to the bridge and a gentle sloping access path could have been installed to make access at this point easy.
I will be writing to the County Council asking that when the next phase of the footpath upgrade to the centre of Gnosall is carried out that the access be remodelled so no one is prevented from getting to the path from Lowfield Lane
# posted by Barry Stamp @ 3:50 PM
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
What a Performance - Seighford Village Panto
Over the weekend I had the good fortune to go and watch the Seighford Village Pantomime and what an excellent and enjoyable couple of hours it turned out to be! Over the years I’ve developed a real hatred of pantomimes, probable fuelled by the fact I was made to go to one as a child and the experience stuck in my mind. But Seighford’s production has certainly changed all that!
While the title of the show was “Jack and the Bean Stalk”, this children’s favourite had been rewritten to tell the story of the village of Sinford which was suffering under the oppression of the local landowner Lord Sinford. The story revolved around the fact that Lord Sinford wanted to turn the local WW2 airfield into an international airfield which would have devastating effects of the local village especially from excess noise. To make matters worse the cottage belonging to Jack and his mother was to be demolished to make way for the scheme.
Andrew Hetherington – Seighford’s vicar play the part of Lord Sinford to perfection and strutted around the stage in ridding habit and dark glasses hurling abuse at the residents of Sinford and the audience just for good measure.
As with all good pantomimes everything worked out well in the end which never really seems to happen in real life. As the audience left Great Bridgeford Village Hall there was much speculation as to whether or not the show had been modelled on any real village or events. I certainly wouldn’t want to enter this debate apart from saying I always thought pantomimes were just made-up stories, but then again I could be wrong !!!!!!
Congratulations to everyone who took part in bringing the whole community together for such a great afternoon of family entertainment. I'm really looking forward to the next production
While the title of the show was “Jack and the Bean Stalk”, this children’s favourite had been rewritten to tell the story of the village of Sinford which was suffering under the oppression of the local landowner Lord Sinford. The story revolved around the fact that Lord Sinford wanted to turn the local WW2 airfield into an international airfield which would have devastating effects of the local village especially from excess noise. To make matters worse the cottage belonging to Jack and his mother was to be demolished to make way for the scheme.
Andrew Hetherington – Seighford’s vicar play the part of Lord Sinford to perfection and strutted around the stage in ridding habit and dark glasses hurling abuse at the residents of Sinford and the audience just for good measure.
As with all good pantomimes everything worked out well in the end which never really seems to happen in real life. As the audience left Great Bridgeford Village Hall there was much speculation as to whether or not the show had been modelled on any real village or events. I certainly wouldn’t want to enter this debate apart from saying I always thought pantomimes were just made-up stories, but then again I could be wrong !!!!!!
Congratulations to everyone who took part in bringing the whole community together for such a great afternoon of family entertainment. I'm really looking forward to the next production
# posted by Barry Stamp @ 4:24 PM
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Wollaston Lane - The Road the County Council Forgot!
I do think that Woollaston Lane at Church Eaton must be in the running to be crowned the worse road in Staffordshire! I’m not surprised that I’ve had yet another telephone call about its poor state. The road is almost impassable through floods, mud, and deep pot-holes and this is despite the fact both me and Church Eaton Parish Council have reported it to County Highways on numerous occasions.
Its obvious that because this particular road is a narrow country lane in deepest Staffordshire which only serves a few farms and houses and has little through traffic the County Council are not interested in its upkeep! However this is certainly not good enough. The resident all pay their Council Tax to the Council, but get little in return. If I lived there I would certainly feel aggrieved and would want something done.
Once again I’ve written formally to the Council asking for immediate action, and I know the Parish Council are doing the same. However I’m not holding my breath. Lack of money and little political will or effort, will I fear mean nothing will get done and the residents will just be left to make the best of a worsening situation.
One has to ponder why a road in the middle of Stafford would not be allowed to get in this state, while a road in the rural area is?
Its obvious that because this particular road is a narrow country lane in deepest Staffordshire which only serves a few farms and houses and has little through traffic the County Council are not interested in its upkeep! However this is certainly not good enough. The resident all pay their Council Tax to the Council, but get little in return. If I lived there I would certainly feel aggrieved and would want something done.
Once again I’ve written formally to the Council asking for immediate action, and I know the Parish Council are doing the same. However I’m not holding my breath. Lack of money and little political will or effort, will I fear mean nothing will get done and the residents will just be left to make the best of a worsening situation.
One has to ponder why a road in the middle of Stafford would not be allowed to get in this state, while a road in the rural area is?
# posted by Barry Stamp @ 4:18 PM
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