the village market may 2014

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SEE PAGE 3

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MAN HIT ROAD FACE FIRST, HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS, HIS NECK COULD HAVE BEEN BROKEN, THERE WAS BLOOD EVERYWHERE - YET STILL HE HAD TO WAIT AN HOUR FOR AN AMBULANCE

Gun law again‘VM’ READERS spoke of their alarm at seeing armed police in the cen-tre of Tamworth. They said two offic-ers wielding 9mm sub-machine guns arrested an apparently unarmed man near the town cen-tre, on April 24.

In January three offic-ers with guns detained a man in Whittington.

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VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk 3

‘VM’-area resi-dents are appa l led

that a badly hurt man had to wait an hour for an ambulance.

There is also serious concern at the West Midlands Ambulance Service’s (WMAS) explanation.

The man in his late 50s was cycling through Whittington when he lost control and hit the kerb, on Back Lane.

Wheel lostHis front wheel fell off, the

bike pitched forward and he went face first into the tarmac.

Motorists and local residents rushed to help him.

They found the cyclist uncon-scious and badly injured.

He had a severe laceration to his chin. Blood was pouring from his mouth and nose.

A local resident was driving towards him when it happened.

She said: “I was about 30 feet away. He dropped like a stone - his head hit the ground first.

“I feared he had broken his neck. When I got to the man he was unconscious.

“He was still breathing, but there was a huge amount of blood.

Severe laceration“He had a horrible wound on

his chin. The bridge of his nose was cut too, where his sunglass-es had smashed into his face.”

A cordon of cars with hazard lights on was quickly put around the man lying in the road.

Residents also kept watch to keep the traffic away.

A resident quickly rang 999 for an emergency ambulance.

People were astonished that af-ter 20 minutes no one had come.

They were later appalled that it was a full hour after the accident before an ambulance arrived.

No need to hurryA WMAS spokesperson, said:

“Based on information provided by the (999) caller in response to the triage questions, the call was assessed as not being immediate-ly life threatening and required a response within 30 minutes.

“The patient was described as having facial injuries and was con-scious, breathing and sitting up.

“The nearest paramedic avail-able was responding in a rapid response vehicle and was dis-patched from Lichfield Ambu-lance Station and arrived at the scene within 21 minutes.

“The paramedic assessed and provided treatment to the pa-tient and requested a further

ambulance resource to assist with the conveyance of the pa-tient to hospital.

“The back-up request was stated as ‘amber’, highlighting that the patient’s condition was not immediately life-threatening at that time.

“The ambulance arrived on scene at 7.01pm.”

It is understood that WMAS “call takers” are medically un-trained and simply ask questions from a script.

No medical trainingThe process is supposed to

give an accurate assessment of a person’s condition.

The ‘VM’ asked qualified medi-cal professionals experienced in dealing with emergencies how they would have responded to the information given by the 999 caller to the WMAS.

They all said they would have suspected serious concussion and potential spinal injuries.

They added that they would have told the caller that under no circumstances should they move the injured man.

And they said they would have treated the injuries as potentially life-threatening and dispatched an ambulance immediately.

Two 999 calls were made to the WMAS.

The resident who made the first call has some knowledge of first aid.

She said: “I couldn’t under-stand it.

“The call taker kept insisting we move the cyclist off the road.

“It seemed to me that was that very last thing we should be doing with someone who might have broken their neck.

“I made it absolutely clear that the man had head injuries.

“I told the call taker how seri-ous it looked.”

When help had still not arrived after 20 minutes another resi-dent dialled 999.

He confirmed WMAS’ call tak-ers were told the man had head injuries and was drifting in and

out of consciousness.The paramedics arrived just

as his 999 call ended.A crew member rang his con-

trol centre after checking the cyclist.

Not downgradedBut the householder said the

medic did not downgrade the case, as WMAS claimed.

“The paramedic upgraded the urgency,” he said.

“He also told them that an ambulance should be sent im-mediately.

“I asked him what the control centre’s response was.

No more ambulances“They told him there were sim-

ply no ambulances available.”“One eventually arrived an

hour after the first 999 call.”No one had anything but the

highest praise for the paramedics and ambulance crew.

But the safety of the service is now seriously questioned.

See page 4

A ‘999’ call taker thought to be medically untrained told residents to move a man feared to have a broken neck. Bureaucrats blamed for lack of ambulances

Hour wait for ‘999’ ambulance

Life savers: the West Midlands Ambulances Service’s vehicles are useless when parked up for hours outside hospital accident and emergency departments.


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Hour wait for ambulance

There is also increasing con-cern about WMAS’ openness and honesty.

One ‘VM’ reader said he had been in a hospital accident and emergency unit the day before the cyclist’s accident.

He said: The situation was crazy. Ambulances with casual-ties in them were queuing up outside A&E.

“I was told the crews couldn’t leave until someone from the hospital came out to officially accept their patients.

“The A&E department couldn’t cope with their work-load as it was.

“So the ambulances were hanging around for hours.

“No wonder the cyclist had to wait so long.

Systemic death trap“People could be dying for

the want of ambulances health service managers are keeping parked up and useless.”

The NHS says patients should not be kept in ambulances for more than 15 minutes.

If they have to wait more than 30 minutes those respon-sible can face fines.

It has been revealed that a patient in Wales was stuck in an ambulance for 6hrs 22mins.

WMAS chief executive, An-thony Marsh was given the Queen’s Ambulance Medal in the New Year’s Honours List.

Yet the service he runs has

been branded, “unacceptable”.In some rural areas almost

80 per cent of his ambulances fail to reach their patients with-in eight minutes.

He is supposed to ensure that least 75 per cent of them get there in under that time.

Had the cyclist been hurt in Whittington before October 2012, a trained Whittington ‘Community First Responder’ (CFR) would have been with him in a couple of minutes.

On occasions, members of the team reached a patient before the person dialling 999 had even put down the phone.

‘VM’ asked WMAS why a First Responder had not attended April’s incident - its spokesper-son would not answer.

Training cutBut the reason was that

Marsh downgraded the train-ing CFRs received from an ‘en-hanced’ to ‘intermediate’ level.

That meant the team was no longer being taught some vital medical techniques.

Frank Bartlett, who ran the group, said: “An intermediate trained person might have had to attend someone with a life-threatening condition without having the means to do any-thing about it.

“It was an unacceptable position for a volunteer to be placed in.”

Whittington’s CFRs all decid-ed to cease ‘responding’.

The village’s then parish council chairman, John Smith, said at the time: “On numer-ous occasions I have shared with Mr. Bartlett his frustrations over the obstacles presented to him by, ‘higher authority’.

“For the older generation just knowing of its (the CFR group) existence has been a great comfort.

“The news of this closure is

causing concern and outrage.”In response to the CFRs’

decision to stand down WMAS seemed to try to discredit Mr. Bartlett on BBC radio.

Found it funnyCommunications director,

Murray McGreggor, laughed at his concerns, saying: “Rather a lot of what Mr. Bartlett said wasn’t quite as accurate as, y’know, we’d have liked.”

McGreggor said Mr. Bartlett had been the only Whittington CFR to stop, ‘responding’.

But that was not true and it is alleged that McGreggor would have known it.

He also denied claims that WMAS bureaucracy was creating problems with CFR recruitment.

He claimed to know noth-ing about one person who had waited 11 months to start training.

He also claimed someone from Whittington was at the time in training to join the village CFR group.

In fact the woman McGreggor was talking about was not from Whittington, she was from Dudley.

Nor was she going to do any ‘responding’ in Whittington.

She was also the person who had been made to wait 11 months to start training.

In fact, the woman McGreggor referred to was a member of his own Stafford control centre staff.

It is hard to see how he could have been unaware of the facts.

WMAS Chief Executive Anthony Marsh: he was honoured in the Queen’s New Year list even though it is claimed his service is failing people in some rural areas.

Queuing: management rules keep ambulances standing idle for hours.

From page 3

The ‘day one’ destina-tion for two men step-ping out to raise cash

for St. Giles Hospice was an ice bath.

The first leg of their trek from John O’ Groats to Lands End saw them struggling through a wall of thick fog and hail.

UndauntedSeventeen miles after setting

out, Paul Ainger and Tim West had to seek out the soothing sanctuary of some cold water in which to sink their tortured feet.

It is 847 miles from the top of Scotland to the end of England.

But the two friends from Bur-ton intend to walk a total of more than 1,100 miles.

On the way they will be taking detours to walk with people want-ing to support their campaign.

The two men hope to maintain an average distance of around

22 miles a day.If they can keep up the pace

they estimate that it will take them two months to complete the course.

They are hoping to bring in more than £20,000 for the Whit-tington-based medical centre.

The two men picked St. Giles to raise money for in recognition of the incredible work it does helping people with cancer and other serious illnesses and their families.

RecognitionThe hospice receives massive

support from individuals and busi-nesses throughout the ‘VM’ area.

Brian Carruthers, of Lichfield’s Tempest Ford car dealership, spoke for everyone when he said that what Paul and Tim were do-ing was: “absolutely amazing.” To donate go to:www.justgiving.com/45degswest

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And they are off!Two men taking the scenic route top to bottom

And a fine farewell at the beginning

Alrewas outrageFury erupted in Alrewas

over the destruction of precious wildlife habitats.

It happened on land where devel-opers aim to put a housing estate.

Last month one resident re-turned home to find terrified foxes running up and down Dark Lane.

Nearby a tractor was deep ploughing ground near where their cubs were thought to be.

A year-old female badger that had apparently been in good con-dition with no obvious signs of in-jury was found lying dead nearby.

Trees alleged to have contained nesting birds were torn down.

Death and destructionResidents said they had found

dead birds and voles around the areas of destruction.

An ancient water meadow had been turned under along with the rare plants it supported.

Paths local people had used for generations were obliterated.

An ancient ridge and furrow field system thought to date back to 1740 was allegedly destroyed.

April’s incident followed another last year when a farm building on the same land was demolished.

It is alleged that a colony of pipistrelle bats was destroyed and barn owls which nested in the building were driven out.

Turn to page 27

Pipistrelle bats:a colony was alleg-edly wiped out last year when a farm building was demolished.

Barn owls: they were allegedly living in the same building as the bats.

Fox cubs: it is feared they were aban-doned to die by their terrified parents.


Shiel be comin’ ‘roundthe mountain

The bit of North Vietnam Whittington’s Lyn Shiel trekked across last year

was not the end of the earth.Although you could certainly

see it from there.And the £1,800 her epic adven-

ture raised for the village-based St. Giles Hospice made it all worth every sore foot, ache and blister she picked up along the way.

Lyn told the ‘VM’: “If I got the chance to do it again I’m not sure if I’d rush into it.”

But that does not mean she left her fund raising zeal overseas.

And anyone who loves a garden party is going to have a ball next month.

It was last year’s summer event that helped Lyn join her ten-day trek through Vietnam.

And she said she could hardly wait for the 2014 garden party, on June 7 (noon to 4pm).

There will be fabulous food, strawberry teas and a feast of en-tertainments.

There will be some superb chil-dren’s activities, including face-painting, two musical groups, morris men, some clog dancers and, maybe, even a belly dancer!

Whittington’s ambassador to South EastAsia came back from her trekking in NorthVietnam with lots of money

Walking legend: Lyn Shiel.

(top left) Hats fantastic: Whittington’s walking legend Lyn Shiel helped bring in £1,800 for St. Giles’ Hospice. (above) North Vietnam: the jungles team with extraordinary wildlife. (bottom left) Breathtaking: some of the mountains Lyn came around overlooking the beautiful and fertile valleys below.(below) Travelling companions: 21 people went on the ten-day trek. Pic-tured are (left) Paul Wright and the trek leader, ‘Kenny’, from Skyline.


Payments developers have to make are be-ing set low to draw yet

more housing into the ‘VM’-area, it is claimed.

Under the new Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL), con-struction companies will have to pay a set amount to local au-thorities for every square metre of property they build.

Birmingham is setting its CIL for Sutton Coldfield at £115 per square metre.

District made vulnerableRight next door, in Little As-

ton, Lichfield District Council (LDC) aims to set a bargain basement rate of just £50 psm.

Boley Park resident Les Bache, a chartered surveyor who worked for the Valuation Office Agency, told the ‘VM’: “Land val-ues for residential development in Little Aston are very compara-ble to those in Sutton Coldfield.

“Little Aston Park is consid-ered by some property experts to be superior to the Four Oaks estate.

“Any developer given the choice between a CIL of £115 psm and of £50 psm is going to choose the cheaper option.

“LDC’s decision is bound to in-crease pressure for development on the land in Little Aston.”

With homes fetching roughly the same prices both sides of the boundary, builders stand to make a lot more profit on the Li-chfield side.

A four-bed house with a 150-square-metre floor area

would earn them £9,750 more than on Birmingham’s side.

Mr. Bache was also concerned that there was no incentive in LDC’s CIL schedule to encourage the development of brown field sites.

He also told the ‘VM’: “Under the proposed Birmingham De-velopment Plan, 10,000 homes were due to be put on Sutton Coldfield green belt land.

“But that figure has now been reduced to 6,000.

“The worry for people our side of the border is, where are the extra 4,000 houses going to go?”

Lichfield district is already drowning under the 10,330 new homes the government is forcing it to accept.

Much of it is overspill housing from local authorities on LDC’s borders.

Some of it has been allocated to precious ‘green belt’ areas and land prone to flooding.

But none of it comes from Bir-mingham.

Secret talks warningHighly placed county politi-

cians raised the alarm with the ‘VM’ in 2011 about secret talks on housing LDC’s leader was al-legedly having with Birmingham.

Councillor Michael Wilcox was sent a message saying: “Mike, a planning strategy that is ‘right for business and right for com-munities’ is important if we are to hold a competitive advantage in attracting companies and sus-tainable development to Staf-fordshire.

“Politically, however, I do wor-ry how people in Lichfield will react if they think the policy of their local planning authority is being influenced by neighbour-ing authorities that they haven’t voted for and who may have very different interests to our own.

Told to, ‘take care’“Working across borders to

attract business is one thing but housing and development policy is quite another, particularly given the huge reaction to the

Local Development Framework consultation, so take care.”

At a meeting last January, LDC members were given details about the housing that has been foisted on the district.

Boley Park’s Councillor Janet Eagland demanded to know why they were having to take Bir-mingham’s overspill, adding: “It is not legal, I’m sure.”

Planning officer Neil Cox told her: “We have not agreed to take Birmingham houses.

“We have to work with the West Midlands’ authorities to consider the housing need of the Greater Birmingham area.

“We do not know if Lichfield forms part of the consideration.

“There is no agreement to take Birmingham housing.”

Alrewas and Fradley’s Coun. Paul Hogan, asked: “What dis-cussion has taken place with Bir-mingham?”

Refused to answerHe was brusquely put down

by the chairman, Coun. Rich-ard Cox, who told him: “No we cannot ask - it will be dealt with elsewhere.”

In 2011, a senior county poli-tician told the ‘VM’: “The ambi-tion of Birmingham to engulf Lichfield, which they tried many years ago by seeking to take over the green belt for devel-opment this side of Mere Green up to Shenstone, has not gone away. If anything, it has grown.”

Wilcox’s council’s official poli-cy is never to answer press en-quiries from the ‘VM’.

Low ‘CIL’ - an open window for overspill development?Concern is growing that Michael Wilcox’scouncil is busy paving the way to urbanise the open areas between Sutton Coldfield and Shenstone.

Michael Wilcox looking over his shoulder: insiders say that amid the bitter in-fighting within crisis-hit Lich-field District Council there is growing disquiet about his leadership.

Lichfield Civic Society is also worried Birmingham’s overspill housing will be foisted on the ‘VM’ area.

In a report, the organisation said there was a, “strong pos-sibility”, a study by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) would say more housing would be needed outside the conur-bation to meet Birmingham’s needs.

It also said Lichfield District Council (LDC) had agreed to review its Local Plan if Birming-ham wanted its overspill hous-ing to be built in LDC’s area.

The involvement of the LEP in planning issues concerns many people because it is an unelected quango.

LDC’s leader, Michael Wilcox, who is a member of the LEP,

has drawn criticism over secret meetings he allegedly took part in to do with development issues in Lichfield district.

The LEP is chaired by John Lewis’ managing director, Andy Street, a close friend of ‘VM’-area MP, Michael Fabricant.

Mr. Street’s business is set to be a major beneficiary of HS2.

His flagship Birmingham

store will have a prime posi-tion in the heart of the city’s purpose-built station.

Mr. Fabricant, who was last month sacked as Tory party vice-chairman, has a long record of support for HS2, despite the negative impact it will have on thousands of his constituents.

He told a packed meeting in Boley Park that they were, “mugs” if they thought they could stop it.

Society concerned about Birmingham too

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Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commission-er (PCC) had a surprise

when he read his April ‘VM’.He was baffled as to why nei-

ther Shenstone’s MP, the po-lice or the local authorities had consulted him over the village’s parking crisis.

Matthew Ellis, said he was al-ready working on a county-wide solution that would see a perma-nent end to the problem.

Driven to distractionLast month the micronews-

paper revealed how it seemed ‘buck-passing’ politicians, police and officials had been running residents ragged.

People living in the area around Greysbrooke Primary School were at their wits end with parents jamming up their roads, blocking in their cars and being rude to householders.

Incidents kept happening de-spite ample parking being made available for people in the Bull’s Head public house car park

A purpose built footpath lead-ing straight to the school had been put in too.

Yet mums and dads on the daily school run were still insist-ing on parking illegally on the streets.

Medics blockedAmbulances had been pre-

vented from reaching patients.Motorists had been caught up

in clashes in the street that had seen the police brought in.

Drivers were parking across pavements blocking off foot-paths to an area where many elderly residents lived.

Lazy motorists were break-ing the law by reversing out of streets onto major roads.

Pushed into the roadParents with prams were be-

ing forced into the traffic to get around illegally parked cars.

And into the melee excited youngsters were emerging from school and trying to cross the roads amid the traffic snarl-ups.

Residents feared it could all easily result in children being killed, or a patient dying be-cause an ambulance could not get through.

Everyone in authority, it seems, knew exactly what was at stake.

The local Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) knew about it too.

Powerless PCSOBut all they would do was look

on while the parents broke the law with apparent impunity.

Residents were in touch with the police, who were in touch with the parish council, who were in touch with the county council, who were in touch with MP Christopher Pincher.

And he told the residents that the pen-pushers would: “Under-take a feasibility study for the prioritised issues and recom-mend suitable action, or other-wise.”

It seemed officialdom was playing a game of pass-the-par-cel with children’s lives.

Pass the parcelAfter months of going around

in circles it ended with the police telling residents’ spokesman, Brian Hartley: “I would suggest that the issue of parking should be raised with the appropri-ate authority, which will be the council rather than the police.”

Mr. Hartley, said: “It is just like banging your head against a brick wall.”

After reading of the Shenstone residents’ plight, PCC Matthew Ellis told the ‘VM’ he was already four months into the process of giving PCSO’s the power to issue parking tickets.

No one rangWhat he could not understand

was why no one in authority had contacted him on the issue.

They could then have re-assured people that effective measures were being put in place to get the problem off their streets.

He said that, currently, PCSOs were not allowed to issue park-ing tickets.

It seems changes in the law around six years ago put the re-sponsibilty for enforcement into the hands of the county council.

It then devolved the power to the district council.

See page 12

Powerless inShenstone: the blue car is parked half on the pavement and half across a single ‘no parking’ yellow line.The yellow-jacketed PCSO is currently powerless to do any-thing about it.Soon drivers doing the same thing look set to feel the pinch.

Illegal parkers to feel the pinch when PCSOs pound the streets

‘Ten times the number of boots on the ground” says ‘VM’-area’s former county councillor Ellis.

Unbelievable inWhittington: vil-lagers had to pinch themselves to make sure they were not dreaming when they came across the parked car in the foreground. The driver had left it in the middle of a junction while he went off to the nearby shops.

History of problems in Whittington: villagers have campaigned to stop delivery drivers double parking outside the local Tamworth Co-operative Society shop, creating a traffic pinch point. When they do traffic meets head-on on the apex of a blind bend.

Bad neighbours in Fradley: people parking outside the Faurecia factory have wrecked the grass verges. They park on the pavements too.In January last year people were putting the pinch on district councillor Janet Eagland to put an end to it.So far nothing has happened.

In June, last year Faurecia’s spokesper-son, Karen Umpleby, said:”Faurecia are aware of the current issues pertaining to the parking of employee vehicles and we are working with the relevant organisations and our employees to resolve the matter.”So far nothing has happened.

The pride of WhittingtonPrimarySchool

Four young ladies from Whittington Primary School stunned onlookers at the na-tional schools trampoline championships.

Massive talentCaitlin Kilgallen (11), Romany

Ryan (10), Niamh Kilgallen (10) and Ella Crane (10), took second place in the 2014 girls ‘elite’ un-der-11s competition at the British Schools Gymnastics Association

competition, in Gateshead.All four girls are naturally very

gifted athletes.But it has been the superb

coaching they have received that has honed them into such a co-herent, consistent and highly competitive team.

Teacher supportTheir self-belief, confidence

and the massive fun they get out of their sport is due in large part


Brilliant national showing by ‘VM’ area’s new sportingsuperstar trampolinists.

Effortless poise: (left) Caitlin Kilgallen, was introduced to ‘VM’ readers in 2012. Then she was picked out by her dance tutor as an exemplary ballet student. Now she is bringing the same point-winning grace, form and style to her gymnastics. She and her sister, Niamh benefit fromthe huge support theyreceive from theirproud mother, Kerry Kilgallen.

Reliability: Romany Ryan provided the essential ingredient every successful team must have. The consistency of her performance at both the regional and the national competitions gave the girls the anchor they needed to secure their superb placing at Gateshead.

to the un-stinting support

they receive from their teachers.

They must all eventu-ally graduate to their senior schools and go on to even greater athletic achievement.

Behind them they will leave a primary school increasingly confi-dent in its sporting prowess.

Pride in her pupilsSchool deputy Emma Taylor told

the ‘VM’ their girl and boy cross country teams were excelling.

She said the cycling team was showing great promise. As were the hockey, tag rugby, athletics and netball teams.


Team star: Niamh Kilgallen is Caitlin’s younger sister and the powerhouse of the Whittington quartet.

She led the team in both the regional competition, at Stockland Green, and the nationals.

At Gateshead she collected an excellent score of 47.80 points.

Provided the basis for success: (right) Ella Crane’s score was only 0.7 of a point behind Niamh Kilgallen at the Stockland Green regional heat and gave the school a great foundation for reaching the national competition. The pure joy she so clearly takes from the sport is an inspiration to others.


I read with interest Trevor White’s letter about high-speed rail (page 22).

To answer his question, voting UKIP into power next year is the only hope of salvation for people ‘blighted’ by HS2.

A poll organised by former Tory chairman Lord Ashcroft has revealed striking differenc-es between the leaders of the three main parties.

The survey saidDavid Cameron was declared

to be, ‘posh, smug and out of touch’.

By contrast, Edward Mil-liband was said to be, ‘weak, slimy and an idiot’.

Meanwhile Nicholas Clegg carved his own unique niche by being called a, ‘useless and un-trustworthy liar’.

Yet all three have one thing very much in common.

They are all ardent support-ers of high-speed rail.

He stands aloneIt is true that UKIP’s Nigel

Farage has been branded a, ‘swivel-eyed looney’.

Yet he alone sees the merit in binning HS2 and upgrading the existing transport infra-structure instead.

Of course, putting Farage in charge of anything is an insane idea. But then so is HS2.

Mr. Ellis explained that it was the district council’s job to contract out parking enforcement to an appro-priate company.

The problem, he went on, was that they only covered the main centres.

Situation uncontrolledAnd so there was no one to ‘po-

lice’ parking in the ‘VM’ circulation area.

Mr. Ellis said there had been a very positive reaction to his move to, “repatriate power”, to the PC-SOs.

Once the legal details had been taken care of, he added, they

would be able to issue tickets along with the existing traffic wardens.

“There will be ten times the number of boots on the ground,” he said.

The PCC, always as a councillor a staunch campaigner for ‘VM’-area residents, was confident the problem of illegal and danger-ous parking throughout ru-ral Staffordshire would be dealt with effectively.

Universal problemShenstone is not alone

in being blighted by in-considerate motorists.

There are also chronic problems with parking in Alrewas, Whitting-ton and Fradley. New housing developments will make it worse.

From page 8

Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner: Matthew Ellis wanted the ‘VM’s readers to know that he was taking positive action to rid their villages of the traffic chaos caused by illegal and dangerous parking.

Local MP: people parking il-legally and putting school pupils’ in peril will not be pinched thanks to anything Chris Pincher has done. The local MP admitted that residents and the parish council clerk had been on to him about the dangers caused by the Greysbrooke parents even before local spokes-man Brian Hartley wrote to him last year. He claimed to have, “no influ-ence” over such matters and had to, “tread carefully”. He told Mr. Hartley: “Your concerns will be considered by the

Council after discussions. Officers will then undertake a feasibility study for the prioritised issues and recommend a suitable actions or otherwise.” Since nothing was ever done, Pincher’s ‘officialese’ appears to have been nothing but hot air.

He did not think to explain why PCSOs took no action as they watched while as drivers parked illegally and dangerously. Nor did he contact the Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Ellis, who he should have known was already working on the problem.

Shenstone’s Member of Parliament: Christopher Pincher.

Taking action: Matthew Ellis.

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

Whittington e-smokers are outraged by a threat to make them

‘vape’ outside.Welsh MPs want to ban the

use of electronic cigarettes in en-closed public spaces.

English parliamentarians are jumping onto the same bandwag-on. So too are many provincial councillors.

Cheap gestureBut ‘VM’ readers condemn the

move as gesture politics from ‘nanny state’ politicians who have nothing better to do than need-lessly interfere in people’s lives.

Former head teacher, Frank Bartlett, said they were simply trying to, “justify their existence”.

The Justice of the Peace and ex-parish council chairman said British MPs were losing their influ-ence.

He argued that the power to rule over British citizens lay in-

creasingly with the EU.Even international businesses

were gaining more influence over people’s lives than the House of Commons, he said.

He added: “Our MPs’ response is to intervene increasingly in matters that in any really free so-ciety would be the responsibility of individuals.”

He accused the politicians of, “producing the over regulated nan-ny state we are sleepwalking into.”

He added: “A prime example is the present move towards ban-ning the use of e-cigarettes in public places.

Less danger “Containing no tobacco, they

represent a significantly smaller risk of smoking related illness among the millions of former smokers who have moved to their use and a consequent reduction in pressure on our hard pressed NHS, together with no health risk

to non-users.“There is a clear need for regu-

lation to ensure the standard of the ingredients e-cigarettes con-tain, as there is with any product sold to the public.

Old habit“But it makes little sense to

drive former smokers back to to-bacco use simply to satisfy the wishes of our emasculated rulers.”

E-cigaretts produce vapour, not smoke, hence “vaping”, not, “smoking”.

The smoke effect is caused by the propylene glycol they contain.

Suspended in the substance is the nicotine that delivers the drug ‘hit’ to the user’s lungs.

Nicotine is addictive. It can also adversely effect the vascular system.

But e-cigs do not produce the tars and toxins tobacco products do.

The politicians claim the devic-es are “re-normalising” conven-

tional smoking.But Mr. Bartlett, a local farmer

with a fine nose for fertilizer, dis-counted the argument.

Claims are being made that e-cigs are a, “gateway product”, leading to conventional smoking.

Yet no data has been produced showing that young people who try them would not simply have started using tobacco products had there not been a less harmful alternative available.

There is no evidence suggest-ing that people near an e-smoker in an enclosed space suffer any ill effects.

Lives savedBut there is good evidence that

the £193m UK market in these devices is helping thousands of smokers quit using the much more lethal alternative.

Tobacco products currently kill around 100,000 people in the UK every year.

E-fag row ignites Smoke without fire: villagers are fuming over ‘nanny state’ politicians who they accuse of having nothing better to do than rob them of yet another pleasure just because they want to show they still have influence.A far less lethal alternative

15VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

PETS ... petcare ... petfoods ... pet love ... PETS ... petcare ... petfoods ... pet lovPETS ... petcare ... petfoods ... pet love ... PETS ... petcare ... petfoods ... pet love ... PETS ... petcare ... petfoods ... pet l

When your pet is a much-loved family member, it may go

with you wherever you go: shopping, days out, holidays.

And every year, there are increasing reports of thoughtless pet owners leaving their animals, particularly dogs, to suffer and, in some cases, die through being left unattended to over-heat in cars.

Helpful adviceThe Kennel Club has issued

advice about road travel with your dog. And it applies equally to other travelling pets too.

It says:• Always consider the weather

and your journey in advance, especially if you don’t have air conditioning in your car. Think about whether the journey for your dog is absolutely necessary.

• Make sure your dog has plenty of space in the car and isn’t squashed or forced to sit in direct sunlight.

• Always make sure there is shade provided,even in an air conditioned car a dog can become too hot if in full sun.

• Make sure plenty of stops are taken with lots of water available to drink.

• Take cold water in a thermos rather than a plastic bottle so it stays cold rather than being luke warm. Ice cubes are helpful in a thermos for cooling too.

• Always remember to clean up after your dog in a public place.

• Ensure your dog is kept on a lead in all public places.

• Never leave a dog unattended in a car, even with the window open and water available. Take them out of the car and leave them in a secure, cool place with access to shade and water.

• Never let your dog take part in unnecessary exertion or stand in exposed sunlight for extended lengths of time.

• Never pass by a dog if you see one suffering in a car. Whether it be in a supermarket car park or at a show, make sure you let some-one in authority know and if in doubt call the police or the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

Where to goTo help avoid the need to leave

dogs unattended in cars, the Ken-nel Club ‘Open for Dogs’ campaign encourages more businesses and services to welcome dogs. Thou-sands of dog-friendly attractions are listed on the website www.openfordogs.org.uk, making it the ideal way to plan for trips for the whole family including your dog over the forthcoming holiday season.

Don’t Cook Your PetsSafe in the sun:

dogs can only pant or sweat through their paws to cool

down to they over-heat much faster

than a person does.

Summer is approaching, temperatures are rising & more folk are taking their dogs out and about

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PARASITE CONTROL in our pets is important for their health as well as ours.

That is because certain types of infestation can cross over to humans.

But these conditions can be very difficult to spot.

The difficulty with diagnoses arises because in most cases parasites do not kill the animas they live on.

In fact it is vital that the host stays alive.

Can be a surpriseParasitic infestations are usu-

ally discovered by vets when people bring their pets in for a completely different condition.

This is why it is so critical to highlight the importance of this issue.

Parasites fall into two groups.

First are the ectoparasities. These are the ones that confine themselves to the outside of the animals they infest. Examples include mites, fleas and ticks.

Most of the members of this group can cause hosts severe discomfort.

The second group comprises the endoparasites.

These are usually found inside the host animal. The organs they infect include the lungs and liver.

Some, like flukes and worms, infest the intestines and stomach.

Members of this group can badly affect the host’s growth rates and health.

In the openParasites need to spend a time

in the outside environment be-fore completing their life cycles.

This ‘intermediate’ stage can involve living for a while in the soil, a pond, or undergrowth.

Or it can mean the parasite spending time in another host, such as a bird, or snail.

These external habitats and hosts are not important to the parasite’s development.

But they do provide the route by which it gets from one of the hosts that are crucial to its development to another.

These target hosts become infected either by picking up the parasite on their skin, or swal-lowing it.

In either case it is the means by which the parasite can then go on to complete its lifecycle.

There are a number of prod-

ucts used to control infestations.Many of them can be bought

without prescription.Sound advice

But it is always strongly recommended that pet own-ers should get them from their veterinary surgeons.

They then can be sure of receiving proper professional-guidance on how and when the products should be applied.

And there is much to take into consideration.

Parasite infestations place a burden on the host’s body.

The degree of stress that causes depends on the degree of the infes-tation and that can fluctuate with chang-ing environmental conditions.

Other factors that need taking into consideration when tackling a problem include the health of

the host animal.The heavier the parasite bur-

den, the heavier the stress the parasite control will cause.

Most healthy pets cope well with veterinary products.

But that may not be the case with a sick or weak animal.

It is also possible for a pet to suffer an adverse reaction to a control product.

In a few cases there may even be a rare ‘anaphylactic’ response.

These are some of the reasons why it is so important to seek advice from a vet on the condi-tion of the animal and the nature of the parasite before tackling infestations.

Climate change is adding to the need for people to seek pro-fessional advice.

Shifting weather patterns are producing a change in the chal-lenge of parasite control.

Winter killerFrost has always played a key

role in suppressing parasites whose numbers are dramatically decreased during the winter.

But in recent years this has not been the case and the warm-ing climate has brought with it increasing problems with parasite infestations.

The one thing that has not changed is the love we have for our pets.

That is why it is more impor-tant than ever to seek guidance from your vet when tackling the increasing problem of parasitic infestation.

The challenge ofparasite control

Unwanted visitors.


by Don Lesolle, Swinfen Veterinary Centre

17

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VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

Winning Oscars!Dog owner Jane Adams is a

firm believer that the saying ‘you are what you eat’ applies to pets just as much as it does humans.

She is the owner of the Lich-field franchise of Oscars Pet Foods and is regularly seen at local events or deliver-ing the company’s products to people’s homes.

Jane said: “As a Nutritional Advisor, I am often asked what makes a quality food, so here are a few tips.

“Natural sup-plement content is important - the higher the vitamin levels the better. Look for food

with a joint care supplement eg. glucosamine, especially for senior pets. Check the cereal content too. Pet foods that limit wheat and use high quality alternatives such as rice, maize and potato will not only increase nutritional

content but reduce the chances of problems such as gluten intoler-ance. Look out for quality meat content. Be wary of foods containing meat and animal derivatives.

Most important of all - check your pet is happy. Quality food

can make a huge difference to the well-being of your furry friend.

Owned by Pets?New business owner, Daran

Caulkin, says he and his wife, Adele, have been owned by a variety of pets over the years.

He said: “Our oldest friends currently are 15-year-old Megan and 14-year-old Stanley, two cats we adopted - or perhaps that should be the other way round!

“We’ve also two adorable rescued Basset Hounds, Bebe (12) and Amber (3), and five ex-

battery hens.“It was our love of animals that

prompted us to start our business as franchisees for Husse, known as the ‘Super Heathy Swedish Petfood’.

“After more than 20 years spent teaching in clsssrooms, we’re really looking forward to growing our business and meeting all our fellow animal-lovers in and around the ‘VM-area.

A good team: Jane and Smudge.

18 VISIT our new website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

19VISIT our new website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

Picking paving from a catalogue, website, or even a sample stone can be dif-ficult.

So local family firms Tippers and Beautiful Gardens have teamed up to create a new display of paving products.

The newly completed project sits outside the front doors to Tippers Lichfield showroom, on Britannia Enterprise Park.

Designed by Beautiful Gardens’ owner, Simon Rob-erts, and built by his team of landscapers, the display shows Tippers’ customers what the paving and walling products look like ‘on the ground’. Sev-eral different styles are used so people can compare them easily.

Pop along and get some inspiration for your garden.

Fresh inspiration for your outdoor spaces

Simon’s design: using Bradstone’s

contemporary ranges.

20 VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

Parents face disappointmentNearly ten per cent of primary aged children miss out on ‘1st choice’ school

Seven hundred out of 8,867 county youngsters will not go to their first choice

of school this September. Almost 300 of them will not even

be going to their parents’ second or third choice.

Staffordshire County Council (SCC) cabinet member for ‘learn-ing and skills’, Ben Adams, said: “A large number of parents now have very good reason to be pleased.”

That ignores the very large num-ber of parents entitled to be ex-tremely displeased.

And it seems the Tory drive to open the floodgates on house build-ing will make matters even worse.

Lichfield District Council is being compelled to allow development on green belt land and floodplains to accommodate the 10,330 new homes it is being forced to accept.

Much of the development is over-spill from neighbouring authorities.

The district has not as yet had to accommodate any overspill from Birmingham.

But political insiders say it is com-ing and they fear the worst.

There will be key pressure points for primary school places including in ‘VM’-area villages.

SCC’s Ben Adams claims extra provision has already been made in Fradley.

But that will not satisfy the de-mand once the planned more than 1,000 new homes have been built there.

Whittington’s primary school is already set to come under pressure from developments at the local mili-tary medical centre, which will in ef-fect double the local population.

Plans have also been submitted to the local planning authority for another 180 homes on a brown field site on the other side of the village.

SCC says the shortage of school places has been caused by an 11 per cent increase in the birth rate over the past decade.

And the authority says birth rates are set to rise yet again.

It says it has already has received £81 million from the government’s ‘basic need’ allocation up to 2017 to increase educational capacity across Staffordshire.

SCC’s target for spending on primary and secondary schools is around £120 million.

Some of the money is expected to come from contributions made by property developers.


‘VM’ letters to the editor

Dear Sir,

Re: Planning Application 14/00394/OUTM

I WISH TO REGISTER my op-position to the above planning application on the basis of its size, isolated position, location on an area prone to flooding, inadequate and dangerous ve-hicular access, the absence of safe pedestrian access and the additional pressures that would be placed on an already inad-equate local infrastructure.

It is simply wrong on so many levels:

1: The development would be an isolated enclave totally

divorced from the community whilst being almost a fifth of the size of the existing village.

2: It is situated in an area prone to flooding. As recently as this year swans were swim-ming in an adjacent field. We are told the likelihood is that flooding will increase over the coming years and we have been assured by Government that developments at risk will not be permitted.

3: Access is limited to a single track lane which joins the exist-ing public highway on a rise, on a bend, on a bridge. This poses real safety issues.

4: Given the development’s isolation and the absence of al-

ternative transport, it is likely that the majority of houses will be served by at least two cars. Traffic generated by these, to-gether with service vehicle traf-fic, would be greatly in excess of what the limited access could support.

5: All traffic generated, fo-cused heavily at particular times of the day, would inevitably pass either through the crowded village centre, or across a sin-gle-track road at Elford.

6: There would be no sepa-rate pedestrian access to the village. The only pedestrian route available is a narrow and winding road used by heavy vehicles which has no separate

pedestrian facility. This is ex-tremely dangerous.

7: No mains drainage or mains gas is envisaged, result-ing in more service vehicle ac-cess.

8: The local school is already heavily subscribed and is likely to come under even greater pressure with the completion of current developments at Whit-tington Barracks.

9: Use of the limited village shops by the new residents in their vehicles would increase the already severe traffic and park-ing problems in the village.Yours faithfully,F. Bartlett.Whittington.

Nine reasons to refuse Lyalvale Property’s housing estate proposals

Dear Sir,

THANK YOU for the recent edi-torial relating to the above pro-posed white elephant/scheme in which Michael Fabricant MP did Whittington no favours by instigating a route change that brought the line closer to our vil-lage.

Hopefully this buffoon, after letting his constituents down so badly, will get his just desserts in the next election.

Then maybe he will have to get a counter job with his mate (managing director, Andy Street) at John Lewis.

The compensation packages announced do go some way to help those blighted in very close proximity to the line and I am

pleased about this as it will take enormous pressure off their shoulders.

However, what relief is there for those who live in the village of Whittington, facing a reduc-tion in the value of their prop-erties? What is happening to them is totally unforgivable.

I am sure there will be people along the entire route who are suffering and will suffer as a re-sult of this hair brained scheme.

I have received comments from people who say that they would not move to Whittington because of HS2.

Prime Minister David Camer-on does not give a damn about those who will suffer as a result of this project.

Nor does he give a damn

about the damage it will cause to the environment.

It was stated that train speed was to be reduced (from 250mph) to 180mph to protect the environment.

What about the damage that will be caused during construc-tion, all to save a miserable 25 minutes journey time (from Lon-don to Birmingham) at a cost of £50 to £100 billion and possibly more?

What happened to Labour, who stated that they would op-pose the scheme if it went over £50 billion? Promises, promises.

Really, it is time for the poli-ticians to think again and listen to the public instead of them-selves.

Especially since Sir Richard

Branson could almost achieve the same journey times now (using lines and trains already in service).

Updating the existing lines and services would be by far the best option.

Sir, can you advise of any ac-tion that can be taken for those who live outside of the pub-lished compensation distances?

Keep in mind that compensa-tion owed to those affected by Network Rail’s upgrading of the line running parallel with the canal and Dyott Avenue remains out-standing after four years or so.

Kind Regards,

Trevor White,Whittington.

HS2 - what can be done to help people blighted by Cameron’s plans?

Lyalvale Property Ltd’s consultant said the devel-opment site, “would be considered sustainable”, in terms of the flood risk and the management of surface water run-off.

Safeguard neededHe also said that a soakaway

ditch associated with the site had on occasion filled to capac-ity and that a second had to be constructed as, “a safeguard”.

Lyalvale’s managing direc-tor, Roger Hurley, declined to deny that there had been prob-lems with flooding on the site in the past.

His planning proposals will be assessed under the new, ‘National Planning Policy Framework’.

National Flood Forum chair-man, Charles Tucker, said the ‘framework’, “has at a stroke scrapped the carefully con-structed raft of technical guid-ance built up over years”, for flood protection.

FloodplainLyalvale’s housing estate will

sit within the Tame floodplain.The Environment Agency

said that 3,100 homes and small businesses were at risk of being flooded by the river.

It predicted that number would rise to 5,400 properties due to climate change.

A small corner of the Ly-alvale land comes within the agency’s Zone 2, described as having a “medium” risk of flooding.

Question over insuranceNo one who buys a proposed

Lyalvale house will be eligible for support from ‘Flood Re’.

The Government scheme designed to help people with homes at risk of flooding ob-tain affordable insurance does not apply to any properties built after 2009.


A social media site lit up with angry comments after what looked like

yet another grounds mainte-nance foul-up in Fradley.

One person called for those re-sponsible to be sacked.

Workmen had left large ugly brown patches of dead grass scorched by powerful chemicals dotted throughout the village.

People were furious about un-collected litter and overflowing dog-mess bins.

Foot-tall weedsSome grassed areas had been

cut while right next to them weeds and tussocks grew on unchecked.

A spokesman for a Fradley South residents group told the ‘VM’: “It’s a farce. First we learn that our parish councillors have increased the local tax by 18 per cent - the biggest parish hike in the district.

“Next we discover they still can’t even cut the grass properly!”

Contractor goneFradley and Streethay Parish

Council (FSPC) ditched its old maintenance provider, Lichfield District Council (LDC).

The man who claimed ultimate responsibility for the contract was LDC leader Michael Wilcox, who is also a member of FSPC.

The change followed a row go-ing back several years over alle-gations that LDC had been paid for work it did not carry out.

There was anger too over the district council being given extra work without members of FSPC being told of the cost.

Distress and damagePeople living next to an FSPC

play area have suffered criminal damage to their property and se-vere distress due to an anti-social behaviour problem their parish councillors caused through their grounds maintenance policy.

Anger erupted when FSPC vice-chairman Simon Lee had a hedge ripped out residents were prom-ised would be left alone.

Now FSPC has taken on a new grounds maintenance supplier.

How could it happen?But it seems the councillors

signed the contract without actu-ally knowing which areas of land they were responsible for.

That raises questions over who has being paying for what in the past and whether local council tax payers have been ripped off.

Development work finished in Fradley South in around 2006.

The construction company, Bo-vis, gave FSPC more than £71,000 to look after all the open spaces.

It included £11,000 to take care of the grass verges until the roads were ‘adopted’ by Staffordshire County Council (SCC).

After December, 2011, the open areas in Fradley South fell into three parts.

FSPC owned the large areas and had to pay to look after them.

SCC owned the grass running alongside the roads and should have paid to look after it.

There was also an area of grass off Common Lane that no one owned.

Who has paid?Up until this year, LDC was

maintaining all three areas.But it is alleged that SCC was

not paying its share.Instead, it seems the villagers

were paying for the lot.Meanwhile, the £71,000-plus

Bovis paid was never used for the purpose it was intended.

It was put in FSPC’s capital re-serves and has since been gradu-ally frittered away.

It seems the reason FSPC’s new contractors let SCC’s grass grow wild was because no one was pay-ing them to cut it.

Streethay councillor, Andy Cope, told a member of the resi-dents’ group: “We are liaising with LDC regarding the grass cutting on County (SCC) land.

“Currently they are only con-tracted to cut once a month.

“We are trying to get them to cut on or near our new contrac-tor’s dates.

“Also, it appears that a number of pieces of land do not belong to the county or parish council.

“We are arranging to hold a meeting with County (SCC) to clarify ownership.”

Councillor Cope recently re-turned to FSPC after several years absence.

Residents held in contemptA spokesperson for the resi-

dents group told the ‘VM’: “We are delighted that Coun. Cope is serv-ing on our parish authority again.

“Since he left it has been all but impossible to get any responses from the councillors.

“Correspondence and com-plaints been ignored and a num-ber of residents have been treated with the utmost contempt.

“But it remains very worrying indeed that any local authority should sign a grounds mainte-nance contract while not knowing which ‘grounds’ it was responsible for and had to pay to look after.

“Our councillors have had many months to ensure there was prop-er provision in place.

“Yet here we are again. Instead

of managing properly, they creat-ed yet another crisis and are caus-ing considerable anger among the residents.

Show us proof!“Their chairman, Harold War-

burton, should now provide writ-ten proof that SCC has, since 2011, been paying its share for the grass cutting in Fradley South and that the money has not been taken out of our pockets instead.

“We are sure this matter will be of great concern to people throughout the village.”

Best kept village?Anger in Fradley as new maintenance row erupts

(above) Councillor Simon Lee: he had the hedge in front of the MUGA games facility ripped out in order to ‘tidy up’ the area. It has been neglected ever since - now the weeds stand taller than a man. (below) Foot-high weeds in unkempt Fradley South.

Scorched earth - vandalised bus timetable : FSPC is hoping to win the ‘Best Kept Village’ award.

Smashed fencing - exposed nails: it is nothing new in Fradley South.

Ugly scars: residents want workmen to use strimmers, not poison.


‘Selfie’-obsessed MP is sackedClown Prince of Parliament defiantly claims, “I ain’t dead!” But his career now appears to be mortally wounded

It seems David Cameron was fed up with the ‘VM’-area’s ‘selfie’-obsessed

MP even before he was sacked as a vice-chairman, in April.

It was yet more puerile on-line nonsense from Michael Fab-ricant that sealed his fate.

Tweeting, “about time,” when Maria Miller was forced to quit as culture secretary was bound to get a reaction.

PM looked stupidDavid Cameron had invested

his own political capital in try-ing to protect her when it was revealed the woman branded, “arrogant”, by Norman Tebbit had wrongly claimed thousands of pounds in expenses.

But even after Fabricant was kicked out of his party post he went on behaving like a petulant school boy.

He is reported to have put his dismissal down to David Cam-eron having had a bad time at prime minister’s questions in the Commons.

That off-coloured comment seemingly bolstered the allega-tion reportedly made in ‘Number 10’ that the Staffordshire MP was, “uncontrollable”.

As Fabricant’s record of self-inflicted public humiliation gets ever longer, it appears that he has no self-control either.

Foul languageQuite apart from his ‘tweet-

ing’, he had descended to calling people, “tw*ts”, on-air, branding Tory MPs, “closet racists”, pos-ing for photographs with men with their genitals exposed and claiming on national TV to be, “very hunky”.

He seems to take equal de-light in going about dressed up like Barbara Cartland, one of the

Village People, and Goldilocks.His most humiliating public-

ity stunt in 2013 was his cata-strophic appearance on the BBC’s ‘Have I Got News For You’.

Racist on TVHis began by making what

came across as a racist crack about ‘Rising Damp’ star, black actor Don Warrington MBE.

What had seemingly been the

MP’s attempt to salvage his own popularity produced from him a cringe-making series of hope-lessly unfunny and embarrass-ing remarks that earned him de-served ridicule from Ian Hislop, Jo Brand and Paul Merton.

After that even staunch Tory supporters were telling the ‘VM’ of their anger at Fabricant turn-ing himself and the constituency into a laughing stock.

Reason to be rid of himBut the issue that has aroused

most fury is what many see as Fabricant’s blatant hypocrisy over HS2.

With the next general election looming, he is making a great play of opposing the project.

Yet in reality he is doing noth-ing of the sort.

He is simply calling for the route to be moved out of his constituency and into someone else’s. And he knows that it is something that is never going to happen.

Nor is it likely that he will ever be forgiven for the harm he has already done to people in the ‘VM’ area.

He began by insulting hun-dreds of residents worried sick at the devastating impact HS2 would have on their lives by tell-ing them they were, “mugs”, if they thought they could stop it.

He has since repeatedly told the House of Commons he is all for high speed rail.

Gloating over harmHe crowed in the press about

his cleverness in getting the route moved away from Lich-field at Whittington’s expense.

He refused to talk to the vil-lagers about the catastrophe he had brought down on them.

The man Fabricant holidayed

with in their shared Snowdonia hideaway with the heart-shaped pond will be one of the greatest beneficiaries of high-speed rail.

John Lewis’ managing direc-tor Andy Street’s new Birming-ham outlet will be the flagship store in a giant new station to be built for rich Londoners look-ing to shave 20 minutes off their travel time when they go there on a shopping spree.

MPs have complained about Fabricant repeatedly and shamelessly plugging Street’s company in Parliament.

His critics claim it is further evidence that his interests are not those of his constituents.

The dilemma for them is, ‘who is there to replace him?’

Public’s preferenceThe preferred Tory substitute

most often mentioned in the ‘VM’ area is a former county councillor.

But Matthew Ellis, now Staf-fordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, rules it out.

Labour said its candidate for Lichfield already had Fabricant, ‘trembling in his boots’.

But the sitting MP’s only re-action to Christopher Worsey’s candidacy seems to be mild contempt.

Although he did credit his young rival with having shorter hair than him.

Swept under rugYet the underlying truth of

even that statement is highly questionable.

Worsey, or as he is better known in the ‘VM’ area, ‘Who?’, is a bit of a mystery.

A brief survey revealed that no one seemed to have ever seen or heard of him.

Repeated attempts to find

Monster Raving Looney: and the chap with him is not a member of the Conservative party.

You HS2 opponents, “are mugs”: “Whatever we might think about the principle of high-speed rail, I am actu-ally for it,” Michael Fabricant, House of Commons, May 16, 2013.

He is the face of politics in the ‘VM’ area: Fabricant plays the fool while Lichfield District Council implodes. He snaps ‘selfies’ while folk who really do care open a foodbank.

If you ignore Lichfield Dis-trict Council’s (LDC) notice

on Whittington’s Main Street it could cost you a £1,000 fine.

But if you spotted it you must be around 7ft 3ins tall.

If you could read it you must have eyes like a bird of prey.

If you understood it you must have done ‘Ye Olde English’ at uni.

And if you are a 7ft 3ins-tall Ox-ford graduate with eyes like a hawk and you needed to be told not to mow down people taking part in a road race, you ought not be driving.

One imagines LDC’s legal eagle plucking a quill from his nethers,

jabbing the inkwell and scratching out his ‘notice’ in tiny letters by the guttering light of a candle at Bob Cratchit’s Dickensian accounting desk to tell us, in 488 words: ‘Lich-field half-marathon, Sunday, May 4. Road closed 10.30am to 11.30am.’


out what the young politician’s plans were for the constituency all went unanswered.

There is no evidence to sug-gest he even knows where plac-es like Whittington and Harlas-ton are.

Mr. Worsey has been branded on one ‘troll’-like blog site, “Mr. Whereishe?”

Mercurial candidateA call to Labour’s regional of-

fice for help in contacting Worsey was at first met with: “Ummm, Mr. Worthy? . . . Eeerm.”

Unless Worsey makes at least some effort to reach the voters it will not be ‘Worthy’ his while bothering to stand.

UKIP’s 2015 candidate, Derek Bennett, has the unenviable prospect of Fabricant wanting to climb into bed with him.

In 2006, David Cameron fa-mously called Nigel Farage and his colleagues, “fruitcakes, loo-nies and closet racists.”

In 2012, Lichfield’s MP made a fabulously ill-judged call for a

Tory/UKIP pact.He then followed that up with

the apparently suicidal claim that there were, “closet racists”, in the Tory party too.

The Prime Minister has since had to eat his words with UKIP now well positioned to make Nicholas Clegg’s Liberal Demo-crats an electoral irrelevance.

The Conservatives held Li-chfield, in 2010, with a 17,683 majority.

Yet in 1997, Labour only missed out by 238 votes.

Since the last election Fabri-cant’s catastrophic performance has seen him score twice in the sacking stakes. First he was kicked out as a senior whip and then as a party vice-chairman.

Goal wide openMore and more people, Tory

supporters included, are hoping he makes it a hat-trick in 2015.

So there is every chance that a competent challenger who is prepared to put the constituents interests first will take the prize.

Worsey got to?No one seemed to have ever heard of or seen Labour’s candidate for the Lichfield seat, Mr. Christopher Worsey

UKIP’s hopeful:Tory Michael Fabricant wanted the PM to cosy up to UKIP to stop the likes of Derek Bennett (right) challenging him.

Unnoticeable

Words lots -point little:“Whereas during certain hours the street known as Common Lane will be thronged and liable to be obstructed.”

Alrewas’ security guru wants homeowners to do

their bit for the planet.Nic Collins is encouraging his

customers to switch to LED exterior floodlighting.

He is offering them new 20 watt (£36) and 50 watt (£68) lamps.

The first type emits around as much light as a 120 watt halogen unit.

The second one is roughly the equivalent of a 300 watt lamp.

More and more householders are now protecting their properties with security lighting.

Mr. Collins, of AES Radionic, says

the LEDs can be used as replace-ments for 300w or 500w halogen flood lights.

He says, they can cut people’s energy usage on security by 80 per cent.

He also points out that, while halogens have to be replaced every few years, the new lights are de-signed to last for ten years.

Mr. Collins estimates that a 300 watt halogen running from dusk to dawn for 12 months would cost £200 to run. An LED would cost £20.

He says his flood lights will oper-ate with all types of time switches and passive infra red sensors.

‘Green’ light for home security

PADDY O’NEILL (our group’s biggest daredevil) came up with a great idea.

Auld Buckley at the end of the road had all these wooden, slatted fence things in his front garden,

There was thin wire strung all around them so some kind of plants or flowers could grow up them.

“That’s it”, we all agreed. “That’s the answer to our prayers.”

Built for speedSince I was the smallest and

fastest I was the obvious choice to take on this dangerous mis-sion (again!).

So in I went, the others squat-ting down on sentry duty just outside the garden hedge.

You would never believe how auld Buckley, being such a big giant of a man, could move so quietly.

It was only when I felt the aw-ful pain in the back of my head, and saw the bright stars shoot-ing across my eyes, that I ap-preciated just how silent he was.

It occurred to me that in my young life so far, my poor old head was being used as a punch ball on a very regular ba-sis, whether I was at home, in school, in church, or at play.

Knocked sillyI knew for sure that I’d never

have enough brains left to write a book or even write a letter by the time I grew up. I was won-dering if I would get to grow up.

When we all ran off up the street to get away from auld Buckley (and it’s not easy to run fast when you are trying to avoid millions of flashing bright stars coming at you) the recrimina-tions started.

“Ye feckin’ bastards,” I ob-served.

“Why didn’t ye warn me he was creepin’ up on me?

“Are ye all feckin’ blind or sumptin?”

“Aw sure!” They cried indig-nantly.

“We were looking up and down the street to make sure we could warn you if anyone came along.”

‘But I wasn’t robbin’ the feck-in’ wire from the road or the footpath,” I protested.

“I was robbin’ auld Buckley, so

ye should have been watchin’ the house, ye feckin’ gobshites.”

Without auld Buckley’s wire, we had to make do with several pieces of string of different thick-nesses, which we tied together.

They were all we could find with which to make a line long enough to reach right across the road.

It worked brilliantly . . . up to a point.

One of us would be behind the hedge, just behind where Nelly Brown was meant to fall.

He would also to observe and then enlighten the rest of us as to the real and substantiated truth about whether or not she felt the draught up her bum.

Tension buildsAs the string rose up and

tightened, Nelly’s leg was in just the perfect position to tip her forward.

But just as her shin touched the string, disaster! It immedi-ately broke.

She must have felt something because she bent down to give her leg a little rub.

But she never saw the string. And to this day she does not know how near she came to go-ing sprawling.

And as I write this in my pre-sent mature years, I know she will be well dead now anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.

But back to Nelly. And it was back to the drawing board in our attempt to discover the truth about red hats and, ‘did the la-dies who wore them wear knick-ers, or not?’

As it was foretoldWe had it on very good au-

thority that they did not.Our next plan entailed an ele-

ment of risk.The idea was to walk quietly

up behind her.When we thought the time

was right, one of us (being me, as I was the smallest and fastest - again!) would come up behind her, drop the little tadpole fish-hook we had fastened to a short piece of string, lift the back of her dress to give the lads behind an eyeful, then run like blazes.

This system did not

work out entirely success-

fully.The fish hook got stuck

in her stocking, eliciting a great scream from her as it pierced her leg.

Nelly then caught me with the toe of her well pointed left shoe right in the goolies, Oh my God!

All these years later I can feel the pain.

She also managed to wallop me across the back of my head as I was scrambling to my feet to run away.

But were we now beaten? No way Jose!

One more timeWe started work on, plan “C”.

This was a tricky one.It took about a week to organ-

ise since I had to recover from the bashing I had received on our earlier attempt.

We had to follow Nelly down the hilly streets to the centre of the town, keeping far enough back so she wouldn’t spot us.

It was also tricky, because all of us had been warned not to go down to the town centre.

We managed the first part fine, but we had to wait outside a run-down pub that Nelly had entered.

Stake outWe hid behind some pillars for

over an hour - it seemed like ten.

Eventually Nelly came back out with a sailor.

It was now dusk and getting darker by the minute.

Nelly and the uniform went hand in hand across the road to where there were loads of crates and containers as big as a house stacked up in great rows by the side of the docks.

As they disappeared into this labyrinth, big Quinny (Tommy Quinn) was democratically voted into the job of following them by being kicked in the behind by the rest of our brave group until he succumbed to the inevitable.

Reporting backHe came running back to us

with great excitement some 15 minutes later.

“He’s right, he’s right. My brother is right. She don’t wear no drawers so she don’t - I told yea!”

“How da ya know boy?” We enquired.

“I followed ‘em by the sounds they were making,” said Quinny.

“She was kinda sighin’ and squealin’ a bit.

The truth is out!“But he was roarin’ like a bull

and pantin’ like an auld dog af-ter we’ve run the arse off of him down the street with tin cans tied to his tail.

“His trousers were around his feckin’ ankles an’ his arse was going like a hammer!”

Then Quinny’s tale got even naughtier.

VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk26

‘Dare To Recall’ by Martin Ryan Part 15

Martin Ryan.

The right of passage involving the under garments and the lady in the red hat Martin Ryan’s youthful self embarked on last month comes to a climax, so to speak, as he gets handbagged and a surprise in his burgeoning manhood to go with it, she gets hooked in her fishnets and says, ‘ello sailor!’

Barton’s Friends of St. Giles Hospice are offering eve-ryone a refreshing cup-

pa... and scones.Their ‘open garden & tea’ event

is due to be held on Sunday, May 25, at Needwoodside, Rangemore.

It will be pouringThe pouring will start at 2pm and

go on until 6pm.Saxaphonica will be providing the

musical entertainment.There will also be stall holders sell-

ing cakes, produce and plants.Admission will only be £3 per per-

son. Entry will be free for children. There will be ample free off-road parking as well.

Delightful way to raise cash


People spoke of their anger during the Alrewas parish meet-ing, on April 29, at the ploughing up of the land north of Dark Lane.

Field after field had been turned in an area incorporating the site of a proposed housing estate.

The meeting heard that work-men claimed the land was being made ready for barley.

Yet it seems that if that was so the work should have been done several months earlier to produce a spring crop.

Nothing can be doneParish Council chairman John

Pegg, said: “We have had peo-ple from Lichfield District Council out who have stated that there is nothing that can be done about it because the landowners are act-ing within their powers.

“We do not know why they have done it. It could even be down to new regulations for agricultural grants.

“If you have not ploughed the land for five years you cease to get the grant.”

Residents felt paths crossing the land and used by villagers for at least 60 years should not have been obliterated.

Pull on your bootsCouncillor Pegg urged them to

put on their boots and reinstate them.

There was doubt as to the legal status of the paths.

One resident called for action to have them designated as public rights of way.

Chairman of the Alrewas Neigh-bourhood Plan steering group, Dave Crump, warned that even if that happened the paths would

not stop the housing estate.Although he said they would

have to be recognised by the de-velopers who would have to ac-commodate them in their plans.

The paths were, “not a silver bullet”, he added.

Silver bullet“Maybe not be a silver bullet,”

responded one resident, “but it might be a nail in their coffin.”

Worcester-based Lioncourt Homes Ltd. have submitted a planning application to build 150 homes on the site.

Residents claim the develop-ment will create chaos and safety hazards on the already congested village road network.

They also fear the influx of fam-ilies will stretch to breaking point local services.

People are also at a loss to understand why any developer would think of building homes on the River Trent floodplain.

A large part of the land that has just been ploughed was recently under water.

People on the edge of the devel-opment site have already had dif-ficulties obtaining flood insurance.

A government deal, ‘Flood Re’, aimed at helping home owners in flood risk areas get cover will not be available to anyone with a property built after 2009.

Who will buy them?Would-be home buyers trying

to purchase homes built since then on areas at risk of flooding may find it impossible to obtain mortgages.

The developers, Lioncourt Homes Ltd. did not respond to the ‘VM’s press inquiries.

Alrewas outrageArial photographs clearly showed people at the parish meeting where village folk had walked the land uninterupted for generations until the paths were obliterated. Villagers are urged to put on their boots and reinstate them.

From page 5

(right) Tree dam-age: large boughs were cut from some trees while others were removed com-pletely.The RSPB says the bird nesting season runs from March to August.

(below) Habitat loss: the ground was deep ploughed right up to the canalside.

Voles and birds found dead: the fields had been left untilled for scores of years.Places where lo-cal residents took their children to watch fox cubs and badgers play were destroyed.Paths leading to the River Trent people had enjoyed for more than 50 years were obliterated. Moves are being taken to restore them.

VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk28


Rugby ‘stars’ starting young

Crikey, it’s ‘CrikFest’ALREWAS CRICKET CLUB is putting on a plethora of outstand-ing events this month.

Friday, May 23, (5.30pm to 9pm): ‘Crikfest’ starts with the ‘Six O’clock Club’, featuring the Jake Henry Duo.

Saturday, May 24 (8pm to 11pm): ‘Strictly Garbage Garage’ Jimmy Needle and The Drug Push-ers on stage. There will also be live Champions League football on the big screen.

Sunday, May 25 (2pm to 6pm): ‘Alrewas Food & Drink Show’. Browse, buy and consume. details: [email protected].

Sunday (8pm to 11pm): ‘Quiz Night’. Teams of four welcome. Contact [email protected] to book a table.

Monday, May 26 (11am): ‘In-ternational Cricket’, Staffordshire Women v Ireland Women.

Monday (judging 3.30pm): ‘The Great Alrewas Bake Off’. For details [email protected], or, [email protected].

The festival marks the end of the alrewasinspired fundraising.

There is free admission to all at the event as a thank you to the members and friends who have supported the project.

‘VM’- a r e a y o u n g -sters will

get to run with the ‘Tigers’ - how good is that!

Leicester’s legendary side will bring a massive boost to the local sporting talent when their train-ing team comes to Lichfield Rugby Union Football Club.

The home side already has 330 youngsters between the ages of four and 16 learning the sport.

And this summer’s two Leices-ter ‘Tiger’ training camps will give a chance for even more children

to get involved.Then one day they too will have

a chance to try out for places in Li-chfield’s superbly successful adult teams.

Incredibly, the women’s XV now boasts five England international players, including the captain, Sa-rah Hunter.

Meanwhile, the mens 1st XV have won the Midlands One West league and are promoted to a national league for the next season. They won the Staffordshire Cup too.

Lichfield’s strength is built on and fuelled by the people it trains.

Elford’s volunteers looked west for inspi-

ration for their special anniversary celebration.

When they set about cre-ating a playground for the village children they pro-duced a facility that most communities could only dream about.

And next month they will be marking the tenth anniver-sary of its completion at the sight of another extraordinary triumph.

The marquee venue for their wild west-themed hoedown will be the Elford Hall Garden.

A place of peaceThe Georgian Grade II list-

ed jewel was heading for ruin when the team led by Mr. Rich-ard Cowley poured their hearts and souls into restoring it.

HRH Sophie Countess of Wessex officially opened the walled garden, in 2011.

And now it is a haven of gen-tle horticultural endeavour and a place for peaceful meditation.

But it ain’t gonna be on June 7 when Wild Dick Cowley and the Elford Playgroup let rip.

And they will be out to dry gulch anyone who comes near to raise cash for their project.

But folk caught up in the fun are certain to get value for their money.

Let your hair downThere will be real western

beer flowing from the bar to a background of music from the Slippery Hill Boys.

A Deadwood-style casino will be luring in the punters too.

Roulette, raffles and cards

will also be among the games of chance on offer to folk who feel lucky.

Fishnet-clad saloon gals will be sashaying among the tables to add an aura of western authenticity.

And since winning mon-ey at gambling is such hard work, there will be plenty of wonderful food too.

Grab a plateThe walled garden’s new hog

roast machine will be given its first outing - the pork will hit the platter at around 8pm.

There will be some fine burg-ers and sausages too, from Pe-ter Coates’ Alrewas emporium.

The hosts will throw open the saloon doors at 6.30pm.

Tickets are just £7 each. Under 16s only have to pay half that.

They are available from Tamworth and Lichfield’s tour-ist information offices, and Whittington sub-Post Office.

Ring 07986 804289 for info.

30 VISIT our website www.villagemarketnews.co.uk

Elford’s fund raisers were hoping for another bonan-za on May 2.

The latest in the social club’s charity auctions was due to be held to raise money for the Soldiers, Sail-ors and Airmen Family Association.

The organisers will also be hold-ing their regular Monday auctions throughout May.

Ever popularBallroom and sequence dancing

will take place as usual every Sat-urday evening, from 8pm to 11pm.

Bingo sessions will take place on every Tuesday evening, beginning at 8.15.

Whist sessions will be held on the Thursdays of May 8 and 22.

The first cards will be dealt at 7.30pm sharp.

Charity event

Organisers aiming to bring in yet more money for the forces

10 AnniversaryChuck wagons, chaps, gamblin’ chips, the chewin’ type too, some chick’n-pick’n tunes and derned perty gals will be there next month

Take a bow: just some of the people who have made an extraordinary contribution to their village.

th

‘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.

the village market may 2014

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