July 2015
Consett Magazine For the people, By the People
Repairing Hownsgill Viaduct Picture courtesy of Brian Harrison
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Consett Magazine
Contributors Brian Harrison Barry Kirkham Marco Elsy Neil Sullivan Lorraine Weightman Barrie Davison Malcolm Clarke Jim Callan
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Consett is a very exciting month this July, there are some great events going on around the town. Just some of events to look forward to include: Past Times and Bygone Days - A FREE photographic exhibition of Consett on Saturday 4th July between 10am - 4pm at Citizens House Mitch Laddie Band at the The Turf on Saturday 4th July Consett Junior School presents Aladdin Wednesday 8th July at 1.30pm at the Empire Theatre Spotlight Theatre present The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe at the Empire Theatre from Tuesday 14th - Saturday 18th July Medomsley Hoedown - Saturday 18th July at Bishop Ian Ramsey School from 7pm Shotley Bridge Summer Eisteddfod at Shotley Cricket Club on Sunday 26th July FREE Summer Crafts for Children - 10am - 11am on Tuesday 21st and 28th July at Consett Library ANTMUSIC - Tribute to Adam and the Ants at Steph’s The Club That Rocks on Friday 31st July
Do you have an event, story, photograph, or even a poem you want to share?
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We’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the magazine this month keep those great stories coming in!
And as always, we want to hear from YOU!
editor@consettmagazine.com
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welcome to JULY 2015 Hello and Welcome to the 31st edition of the Consett Magazine,
Get in touch via email: editor@consettmagazine OR message Consett Magazine on Facebook From all of the Consett Magazine team, we hope you have a very jubilant July
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Phone: 0800 955 1266 Email: editor@consettmagazine.com sales@consettmagazine.com Website: Consettmagazine.com
Disclaimer: Consett Magazine and consettmagazine.com make sure to only use reliable sources and we try to verify all content as much as possible. We cannot accept any responsibility for any errors or omissions. All details are believed to be correct at the time of printing. We recommend that readers check information with any venue about times and dates of events in advance. Readers are welcome to send photographs, letters and other content to Consett Magazine and Firefly New Media UK but we cannot guarantee they will be featured in the publication. Firefly New Media UK reserves the right to neither use submitted material in print and online publications nor return it. The views and opinions expressed in advertisements and content do not reflect that of Consett Magazine and Firefly New Media UK. No part of this publication/website may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission from Firefly New Media UK. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. To reduce environmental impact, once finished with please recycle this magazine or pass it on to friends and family. Firefly New Media UK - All Rights Reserved
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Signs will be placed in and around each play area
Event Listings
July
Smoke Free Play areas
Visitors to a County Durham park are asked not to smoke when in or near the children’s play area from early March 2015.
The outdoor play area at Riverside Park, in Chester-le-Street, is the first of 178 owned by Durham County Council to become a smoke-free zone. The authority is introducing the voluntary no-smoking code as part of its work as a member of the Smoke-free County Durham Tobacco Control Alliance to reduce the harm caused by tobacco.
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Signs will be placed in and around each play area asking adults to abide by the code. Evidence suggests that by reducing children’s exposure RUBY & THE MYSTERY CATS 1950s Rock & Roll - £3 OTD to3rd smoking and making it less socially acceptable, children are lessLIZZY likely toThin takeLizzy up the habit themselves. 4th THYN Tribute - FREE “Although Almost 500 people took part in &a Funk public&consultation 10th SOUL CENTRAL Soul Groove Music - £3 OTD the code is voluntary, the consultation showed significant support for a ban on smoking at on the initiative last year, with 81 per cent saying they outdoor play areas so we hope the public will support strongly DIXON agreed with idea ofCovers smoke-free play areas. 11th DIDthe IT Rock - FREE it and help to protect the health of our children.” 17th PEDANTICS of Pop & RockCabinet Covers - FREE Cllr LucyTHE Hovvels, Durham Mix County Council’s Smoke-free play areas are among a range of measures member for safer and healthier communities, said:“One 18th Rock Covers - FREE children from being promoted by the County Durham Tobacco of our AVATAR key priorities is preventing becoming smokers and forming a habit that could Control Alliance in an effort to protect children from 24th ELIZA SMILES Pop / Rock FREE smoke-related harm. ultimately kill them. “Children are most at risk of becoming smokers if they grow up in communities 25th TBA Probably Amazing - FOLLOW US FACEBOOK TO FIND TheON voluntary smoke-free code OUT coversMORE areas which are where smoking is the Something norm. Making our play areas fenced off and which contain children’s play smoke-free is one wayTribute of reducing the &opportunities 31st ANTMUSIC to Adam The Ants - £3 OTD for children to see adults smoking around them.
equipment. It does not cover general parks and open spaces
The Theatre Royal closed shortly after WW1
Consett Theatres
The men and women of the area may have been humble working class people but we have also always been a cultured area. Almost as soon as the small Hamlet of Consett began to expand into the town it is today we have had a theatre, or three. The Theatre Royal was the first situated in Trafalgar street, below the Derwent Iron Company school, later to become the reading rooms and then more recently the Steel Club. It was a grand theatre having the ability to house over 1000 people. It was held in high esteem throughout the North East and boasted all the biggest travelling acts. Sir Dale, one of the Directors of the Consett Iron Company was a major player in its initial creation, determined that the workers of the town had something special. The next was the Town Hall, later known to all as the original “Flea Pit”. A Ltd Company was formed to
create the Town Hall buildings in 1882 selling 5000 x £1 shares. Within a few years the building was built. The next was the New Theatre Consett in 1896 later to become The Royal Picture House then eventually the Globe in about 1918. This was probably our most famous theatre, ran by Lloyd Clarence who's notoriety attracted some of the biggest names in show business at the time, Laurel & Hardy, George Formby and Gracie Fields to name a few. But as the theatre audiences began to wane and moving pictures took over the last Theatre emerged. Initially known as the Empire Palace it opened its doors to the public in 1913 but initially not being able to compete it started life as a Cinema. The Empire had a rocky start with brief closures throughout the 1940's and 50's as well has having a brief spell doubling up as a bingo hall in
By Brian Harrison
the 1960's when it was known as The Empire Marina. However it outlasted all it forebears and is still a beacon of entertainment and culture today. The Theatre Royal closed shortly after WW1 followed closely by The Globe in the 1926. The Town Hall held out a little longer to sometime in the1960's after it burned down.
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You were lucky to get a matching size
SportsDay
by Lorraine Weightman
Like it or loathe it, It's something we all enjoyed or endured in our school life. The annual sports day held in July was a time when the house points you'd accumulated over the year for neat handwriting, keeping the playground tidy and not running in the corridor could be wiped out by a couple of good sprinters. I have to admit, that I was one of those who loved it and looked forward to the running races. I had been trained by my brother since the age of five as he was 9 years older than me and a member of Gateshead Harriers. He took me for runs around Knitsley, Hurbuck Cottages and Boggle Hole to help build up my stamina; encouraging me to fight past the pain barrier and ignore any muscle burn. While I was pumped up for the event there were many others to which the day brought on feelings of despair and panic. I always had sympathy for them because, if they weren't the best runners they were cajoled into events that were a lot harder. Goodness knows why teachers were expected to ask children to enjoy jumping 25 yards with two feet in a potato sack for the delight of the spectators. Even more brutal was the three legged race. Skinny ankles tied together with white skipping ropes is a recipe
for disaster, especially if your partner is five inches taller than you.
And in the days before weight training how was anyone expected to support their whole body on two scrawny arms and hands while their partner held their legs behind the knees, in the attempt to impersonate a wheelbarrow. Still, everyone pretended to enjoy the event and participated for the invited parents who shouted encouragement from the sidelines. The secretary sat on the school field close to the scoring blackboard with the accident book open ready to record any mishaps, but for the most part all the scraped knees and elbows were part of the fun. My recollection of any practice sessions for the big day are few and far between. Usually in PE the week before the event, the fastest runners were picked for the relay. Unfortunately there was only one practice with the batons as they were hidden away in a box at the back of the PE cupboard and only discovered during morning break the day before. Which brings me to the sand-shoe cages which hovered in the corridor outside each classroom.
By Lorraine Weightman
Those who weren't lucky enough to have their own were kitted out with damp, faded, musky black sand-shoes that had been worn in decades before. You were lucky to get a matching size, never mind a pair the same shade. In the days before Velcro there were futile attempts to mend broken knotted laces which wouldn't go through the holes so they could be fastened properly. Inevitably they were discarded among the short grass as it was preferable to finish the race in bare feet. However the egg and spoon race was popular, especially if you managed to get one of the deep spoons that served the potato in the dining hall, as the egg never budged; so it was just a case of running as fast as you could with one arm behind your back. After the last race we sat on PE benches or crossed legged on the newly mown spiky short grass and waited for the final score. Four houses battling it out for the trophy. As the squeaky chalk added on the final points to the blackboard. A cheer went up for the winning team There were plenty of 'never minds' and 'there's always next year!' Unfortunately, for some, that was the trouble; there WAS always next year, where it happened all over again.
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Because of these alarming figures it is a legal requirement that any person working in building or the allied trades; plumbing, electrician, IT installation, telephone installation, demolition, surveying‌ the list is pretty comprehensive. It is a legal requirement that all persons have annual asbestos training appropriate to their work, this could range from basic awareness training to training on working with/in the vicinity of and the removal of asbestos. As such we would like to extend our offer of a free awareness training course to anyone in the building or allied trades. This short awareness session takes approximately 3 hours. So why not start the year as you intend to go on. I would like to state that this is FREE, simply email info@adscs.co.uk and we will be back in touch with dates
for the course. We understand that time out of work can be difficult so there is the potential to hold this session on a Saturday or Sunday. Remember this is FREE and will keep you and your company compliant for a whole year, it could also save your life or that of a loved one. If you really do find the time difficult we also have online accredited training facilities where you can simply login on the internet – these cover asbestos, fire and legionella just go to www.adscs.co.uk/ health-safety-e-learning/asbestos/ If you have any questions or would simply like some advice, please feel free to call or email us via our web sites www.adscs.co.uk or www.thinkasbestos.co.uk Or Freephone 0800 121 47 43 from a landline or 01207 438 313 from a mobile. Thanks and see you next Month !
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5 out of 31 attempts successful consett Watch By Malcolm Clarke Driving a friend back to Moorside after a meeting in Consett, I noticed how dark it was on the A692 between the McDonald’s Roundabout and The Grove now that the street lights have been removed. Residents frequently use this road in the evenings to either return to Consett or head back down the hill to the Grove and Moorside. They too will have noticed that it is now far darker than before. It is well-known that Durham County Council must make difficult decisions with less central government funding available to them in a range of areas. This has effected street lighting with dimmer light bulbs being fitted across the county and in some areas, like the A692, lighting removed completely. It is this decision to remove the lights that has given cause for concern. Whether lit or not, the road is well-used. If you drive in this area you will always see a number of people either walking, jogging or
cycling up or down the road. You will rarely see the road empty, even in the early hours of the morning. A number of alternative measures have been suggested like installing solar powered beacons that charge during the day and illuminate the area at night. Users of this area hope something can be done to avoid this road being completely pitch black at night. A better alternative than to walk home is to catch a lift from a friend or hail a taxi to get home safely. However, demand is high for taxis in Consett and local taxi firms are reporting difficulties in getting drivers through the required examinations. This follows a December 2014 change to the make-up of the exams drivers must pass to be approved as a licensed taxi driver in County Durham. Durham County Council must ensure their examinations are compliant with legislation. As a license permits the driver to carry passengers anywhere within
County Durham, the local authority requires that the exam adequately tests the driver’s extensive knowledge of the whole of County Durham, rather than the immediate locality covered by the taxi business they hope to work for. Obviously this presents a difficult challenge for the driver, as County Durham is a wide area with many landmarks and roads to learn. A Freedom of Information request by one applicant, who found passing the test almost impossible, found that only 5 out of 31 attempts were successful in 2015. One local taxi firm commented that such is the difficulty of the test they are unable to expand as getting drivers through the test is so difficult. They hope that a practical solution can be found that ensures drivers have a good knowledge of the area that customers expect, but not a challenge so tough only a very small proportion of applicants successfully pass the test. Malcolm Clarke blogs at http://malcolmclarke.blogspot.com
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Ollie & Nina by Neil Sullivan
Poet Pets I over heard Ollie and Nina chatting the other day as they were resting in their doggie beds. Nina asked Ollie what breed of dog he was. Ollie thought for a little while then jumped to his paws and in a very theatrical way he explained. Strutting round the room he recited this little poem to Nina:
“I may not be a pedigree, I am but half a collie, Though I think you must agree, I’m 100% an Ollie!” Proud of his poem and of his heritage Ollie flumped back into his doggie bed. Then I heard Nina say to Ollie “Oh I see, so you’re a mongrel then!” Ollie didn’t like that one little bit so he said to Nina, “Okay, what breed of dog are you then?” It was Nina’s turn to tell her story. She struck a bold stance in the middle of the room and declared: “I’m glad you asked Ollie, so glad you asked,”
“I’m an interesting dog you see, Something of a mystery, My enigmatic genealogy, Is a riddle wrapped in secrecy.” Ollie, quick as a flash was back on his paws with his reply: Hmmm.. “An interesting dog indeed Obviously of a dubious breed Though you really must concede… … You’re just a MUTT Nina!”. At this point I thought it best to intervene incase this battle of the poet-pets got out of hand. “Hey you two sillies, you are both ‘RESCUE’ dogs. They seemed happy with that definition of their identity and returned to their beds huffing and ignoring each other.
Ollie and Nina ARE rescue dogs: they rescued me from the sofa!
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We will be making dinosaurs, minibeasts, and much more
ODE TO THE TURF Summer Crafts THE BEST PUB for Children AT IN COUNTY DURHAM Consett Library CONSETT'S FINEST
By Barrie Davison Your modern pub is shiny plastic It's atmosphere is something drastic
Production line, all alike Substance there will take a hike Well I know a place not too far With warmer people behind the bar
Characters there by the spadefull Their wit and craic will make you grateful
What is this place that earns its worth? It goes by the name of the mighty Turf
Every human there you’ll find Are examples of REAL humankind Music, laughter and real good ale The kind of thing where plastic pubs fail
Tired? Weary? Feeling down? The Turf is the jewel in Consett's crown Risen from the ashes with Juliette and Ste
You’ll always be in top company So if you’re down and craving mirth
Get yourself to the Turf In an age where reality is unclear
Get yourself there for a beer
Now im rambling I’ve got to go
The Mighty Turf I love you so...
Consett Library will be holding craft sessions for children throughout the summer holidays. All sessions will be on Tuesday mornings and are free to attend. We will be making dinosaurs, minibeasts, crazy masks and much more so come along and join in the fun. The craft sessions will be held on: Tuesday 21st July
10 - 11am
Tuesday28th July
10 - 11am
Tuesday 4th August
10 - 11am
Tuesday 11th August
10 - 11am
Tuesday18th August
10 - 11am
Tuesday 25th August
10 - 11am
CHILDREN UNDER 8 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT.
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