Lancashire UNISON. Newsletter EDITION NO September Retired Members Section. New Social Evening. Diary Dates 2008

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1 1 Lancashire UNISON Retired Members Section David Sergeant - Chairman - davesergeant@yahoo.com Maureen Vass - Secretary - maureen.vass@btinternet.com telephone: Newsletter EDITION NO September 2008 Edited & Produced by: Mrs Christine Shaw Buzon 139, Camino Tossal 5, 03729, Lliber, Alicante, Spain. - casashaw@gmail.com On the web at :- Diary Dates 2008 County Hall The Chapel of Christ the King Annual Service of Remembrance Tuesday 11th November am Christmas Carol Service Tuesday 16th December - 12 noon Talks - 2pm Friday 31st October David Piercy on his experiences as a Coach Driver Friday 28th November Mrs Irene Cottam Twas Christmas Day in the Workhouse Northern Sub-Group Talks at 2pm Elms Hotel Tuesday 14th October Rev Stuart Westley on Henry VI, Patron Saint of Lancashire Tuesday 11th November Gordon Curry an Audio Visual Presentation Walks 2008 Wednesday the 15th October Walk up to trig point on Bowland Knotts As you all know we have been trying to make our Annual Social Evenings less formal. With this in mind next year we are holding our annual social evening at Garstang Golf Club where, although a magnificent building it has a more informal atmosphere than our old favourite of Barton Grange. The date for next year s annual social evening is Friday the 20thMarch and we will be providing more information in later Newsletters. The first County Hall talk of the winter season on 31 st October is by David Piercy talking about his experiences as a coach driver. We all know people can be funny but we are usually at our funniest when we are tourists. Now most of David s coach driving is in the Isle of Man so some of you may have been his passengers. New Social Evening Confessions of a Coach Driver You had better come along just in case he mentions you! Dave Sergeant Chairman Executive Committee News I hope everyone who went on holiday over the summer had an enjoyable time even if our weather was not too good. Now UNISON BRANCH OFFICE - Room D43, County Hall Preston Lancs PR1 OLD Tel or - unison.enquiries@lancashire.gov.uk

2 autumn is with us and the weather, so far, has been even wetter. We had our first committee meeting after our break and we started discussions on a venue for our next Annual Reunion and Dinner which will be held next March. Watch this space for more details as arrangement progress. As you will see from the Diary Dates, our first talk of the winter season will be on the last Friday in October. The Annual Service of Remembrance, this year, will be at am on Tuesday 11 November and the Christmas Carol Service will be at 12 noon on Tuesday 16 December, both will take place in The Chapel of Christ the King at County Hall. We still have one vacancy on our committee, if anyone would like to join us please let me know. Maureen Vass Secretary Adult Social Care Funding The government have postponed the publication of their proposals for changing the way in which the costs of care are shared between the state and the individual. These will now be published in the form of a green paper early next year and we are told that the public w i l l b e consulted on the changes which will need to be fairly radical in view of the rapid growth in the elderly population and the current confusion over access and eligibility. Watch this space. Thought for the day A lot is said about the lack of discipline among children. How surprising is this when they see so many people driving on the motorways at more than 70 mph! Roger Rymer Vice Chairman Northern Sub Group Talks - 2pm Headway Hotel Tuesday 14th October Our Winter Programme 2008/09 commences with a talk by Rev Stuart Wesley Henry VI Patron Saint of Lancashire. This is an intriguing tile which should be of considerable local interest. Please come along, bring your friends and enjoy a free cup of tea/coffee and biscuits. Tuesday 11th November A very welcome return by one of our Members, Gordon Currie, he will give one of his excellent Audio/Visual Presentations. Christmas Lunch Thursday 4th December Our very popular lunch will take place in a private room in the Elms Hotel. With a choice of four starters, four main courses, and four sweets, at an inclusive price, with coffee of a n appli cation is enclosed which should be sent to Ron Clement as indicated. Ray Rudge Treasurer Activities at County Hall I have booked some very interesting speakers for the first half of our winter programme, the first one will commence on the 31 st October and then on every last Friday of the month they are as follows: - We start the new season of talks on Friday 3 1 s t O c t o b e r with a newcomer to County Hall Mr David Piercy he will endeavour to entertain us in a humorous way about the Experiences of a Coach Driver. The second talk on Friday 28 th November is back by popular demand, our very own Irene Cottam will relate her time organising a Xmas Do entitled T was Christmas Day in the Workhouse The last talk of 2008 will take place on Friday 12 th December j u st t o r em ind everyone how near to Christmas it is and to get those pressies wrapped. Mrs Elaine B u r r i d g e w i l l demonstrate Gift wrapping with a difference using everyday things. I hope to see our usual members and friends again this year and hopefully our new members who are joining every month will come along to join us. It is a pleasant way to spend a winters afternoon; you could have a meal or snack in the restaurant beforehand. Again to our loyal members who come along every month to listen to the speakers I thank you, the 2

3 talks couldn t continue without your support. The usual reminder for our new members and friends about the talks, they are held on the last Friday of the month during the winter months, they start at 2:00pm finishing approx. 3:15pm, they are held in one of the Cabinet Rooms in County Hall, (unless directed elsewhere by the security person on the day). The entrance is from the Pitt Street Main Door. Please ensure you sign in and receive a visitor s badge. You are welcome to use the staff cafeteria situated near the main door before the talk begins, for a snack or meal, again the security person will direct you. Derian House Stamp Appeal Please keep sending your stamps to Deri an House, man y envelopes get thrown away, it only takes a minute to tear the stamp off the corner of an envelope (please leave 1 inch around the stamp). Save the stamps in a container till you get a few to send on to the address below this is an on going stamp a p p e a l f o r a worthwhile cause. Derian House Children s Hospice, The Appeals Office, Derian House, Chancery Road, Astley Village, Chorley, Lancs. PR7 1DH. Fran Francis Talk Organiser ( ) Members Walking Group G r o u p Correspondent: Don Windle, contact number Dates for the 2008 programme are: 15th October, 12th November (programme meeting) and in th January. The October walk is on Wednesday the 15th. Walk starts at 11am, walk leader is Tony Ingham, you can contact him on Meet in the car park/picnic site adjacent to the northern quarter of S T O C K S R E S E R V O I R SLAIDBURN, travel north east from Slaidburn village along the B6478 for three miles. Turn left signposted Keasden and following this road for about 2 more miles through Gisburn Forest, ignoring Cocklet Hill car park, and on over the reservoir causeway to Stocks Reservoir car park adjacent to School Lane. Landranger Sheet 103. Grid Reference Outdoor Leisure 41 Forest of Bowland A walk of approximately 8½ miles, with toilets in Slaidburn A walk up to the trig point (430m) on Bowland Knotts, returning via the new bridge over the River Hodder at Copped Hill Clough. A gradual rise from the reservoir to the trig point, but with one fairly short steeper section. Flo & Don Windle Walk Coordinators Gargrave Circular- 16th July On a fine but dull morning Trevor was wondering if he would lose his title of Rain Man today as the weather forecast was not too good and the walk that I led last year was one of the wettest I had ever been on with the Unison group watch this space!- Eventually, after everyone emerged from the various car parks in Gargrave, 14 of us set off out of Gargrave over the Leeds/Liverpool canal and made our way towards the Pennine Way with a slight drizzle falling - or as Peter Kay would say that fine rain that wets you. As we progressed towards Eshton Moor the sky darkened and yes the rain came and so did the wind. We had a quick stop to don our waterproofs and then continued over the moor for our lunch break. Fortunately we found a sheltered spot looking towards Crag Laithe and the rain had stopped. When we were all refreshed we continued on to Bell Busk and followed the field paths to the A65 where I acted as a traffic warden whilst we crossed the busy road. As we reached Pot Haw Farm the rain returned with a vengeance so we all donned our waterproofs once more and had a quick drink before heading to Ingber House and then to Priest Holme Bridge. Here there is a meeting of a railway, a river and a canal. We made our way to the canal and had a yoghurt come cake come coffee stop at a very convenient stone seating crescent before returning to Gargrave along the Leeds/Liverpool canal in lovely weather. Thanks for your company and I 3 The contents of this newsletter are not necessarily the views of your Editor or the Retired Members Executive Committee.

4 am happy to say that Trevor retains his title of the Rain Man! Joan Booth Walk Leader Roy s LongWalk - 23rd July This year the long walk was from Chipping and compared with last year it was an easy walk! The distance proved to be just over 14 miles after comparing three pedometers all of which gave a different reading. Basically the walk comprised of circular walks that the Group have undertaken before of 7/8 mile walks. The long walk linked these walks up to provide a 14 mile circle and my notes suggest it can be extended to 16 and even 20 miles. I was joined by three other hardy walkers and we set off to bright sunshine down through the village passed the War Memorial to the second of the Leagram Park gates. After a steady incline we reached Chipping Lawn Farm and then Park Style Farm on to Lickhurst Farm, which is a very isolate property, but still a working farm. It was then on to Dinkling Green, which is a small group of houses dating back to the 15 th and 16 th centuries. We then headed for the slope of Totridge Fell and soon had in sight Whitmore, an isolated house on the 1,000 ft contour, which seemed to be surrounded by a large number of hen cabins and no doubt proper free range eggs. As we passed through a wood we got our first glimpse of the River Hodder as it follows its winding course to Whitewell, as well as Longridge Fell and the whole bulk of Pendle, Waddington and the Hodder Valley with the flat topped Ingleborough. oon we were on the slope of Mellor Knoll and down to the noisy sheep dog kennels at Hareden. It was then on to the Trough Road for half a mile and then onto a link path to bring us to Dunsop Bridge War Memorial. This was to be the lunch stop, which is reputed to be the nearest village to the centre of the British Isles and is a very popular picnic spot where the ducks are in abundance and enjoyed the crumbs from our snack. At this point we turned south and headed passed the water pipe footbridge to arrive at Burholme Bridge and then headed along the Chipping Road towards New Laund and them up the Hill to overlook Whitewell before descending to Higher Greystones near to what must be one of the remotest telephone boxes I have never seen any one use it! Once over the Ford it was back to Chipping in a fairly straight line with fine views of Jeffrey Hill. The walk was completed in just over six hours and it was congratulations to Tony, who had never walked beyond 10 miles. Thanks also to Keith and Roger for their support and company. Roy Rich Walk Leader WittonParkWalk-13thAugust 17 members arrived at Witton Park and we were blessed with one of the few sunny days of this summer. Eric unfortunately was unable to lead the walk so Don and I scouted it. The Beamers Trail is part of the W i t t o n Weavers Way and begins in W i t t o n Country Park which at one time was owned by the F e i l d e n f a m i l y. Witton House built in 1800 is now demolished and the estate was bought by Blackburn Corporation in We set off along by the Lily Pond and entered Big Cover Wood, over the stream and eventually passing Higher Gardens Plantation. We soon entered Billinge Wood and climbed the rather steep 49 steps to the top. We emerged into fields which in the Spring are covered in gorse and are known as the Yellow Hills. Past Butlers Delph Quarry, which is one of the last freestone quarries. Freestone is an Oolitic limestone, which is easily worked with a chisel and made into ornamental figures etc. for c h u r c h e s a n d p u b l i c buildings.over a couple of fields and we stopped for lunch on a sunny bank with views towards Darwen Tower. Fed and watered we headed towards Close Farm behind which are the remains of a medieval alum mine. We then reached the River Darwen via a boggy patch of land. 4

5 As the signposted route was only six miles I decided to add a further two mile diversion!! After climbing a steep bank to Highfield Farm, the next path disappeared into brambles, so we ended up in a cereal field with no sign of a path. We followed a wheel track made by machinery, trying not to trample on the crops and eventually found the stile and path which led over the railway. Around the bottom of the woodland surrounding Hoghton Tower, over the railway again and down to Hoghton Bottoms. Following a very watery and muddy path we waded through to the bridge over the river. We travelled along by the golf course and eventually into Pleasington village. The Priory on our left looked quite impressive but was only built in the 1800s. We were then back onto Witton Park playing fields, but too late for a longed for cup of tea. Flo & Don Windle Walk Leaders Membership Secretary s Report Since our last report we have had 15 new members. We offer them a warm welcome: Mrs Kathryn Climpson Accrington; Mrs Mary Crawford Thornton; Mrs V Dewhurst New Longton; Mrs V Downing Ormskirk; Mrs J Foster Halton, Lancaster; Mrs K France Duxbury, Chorley; Mrs P Grant Warrington; Mrs C McGlynn Burnley; M/s B Mansley Preston; Mrs S Mosscrop Preston; Mrs VA Pritchard Ormskirk; Mrs M Ray Penwortham; Mrs K Walmsley Accrington; Mrs A Whitside Preston. Transfered In Susannah Wells. Deaths of Members Sadly 4 of our members have died, we offer our condolences to their family and friends. Mrs Evelyn Bryson Education & Cultural Services, Derby Mr Peter J Fishwick; Environment, Charnock Richard Mrs Catherine Sheila Ingle; Education & Cultural Services, Blackpool Mrs Phoebe Pinder-Houghton. Wiltshire, Social Services Our membership is 1884 (including 32 associate members) Available to Rent "Luxury 2 bed pent house apartment on exclusive La Finca championship golf course 10 km inland mid way between Alicante & Murcia, Spain for rental. Sleeps 4. Well equipped and beautifully furnished. Breakfast balcony and spacious roof-terrace with stunning views of the Course and of the surrounding countryside. Within easy drives of beautiful beaches, countryside, walks, cultural sites. Excellent for active or lazy holidays." Around per week. With an additional 20% discount to Unison Members For more information telephone: or Or sirbilltaylor@btinternet.com and to finish. 1. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude And will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants." 2. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if You can light 'em, you can smoke 'em." 3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have." 4. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, alone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!" 5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride." 5

6 STARTERS UNISON RETIRED MEMBERS NORTHERN SUB GROUP CHRISTMAS LUNCH THE ELMS HOTEL BARE MORECAMBE Thursday 4th December for MENU a. VEGETABLE & BASIL BROTH - Freshly prepared and scented with basil b. MELON, ORANGE & KIWI COCKTAIL - Pearls of honeydew melon, orange segments & kiwi fruit macerated in fruit juice and presented in a chilled glass c. EGG & PRAWNS MARIE-ROSE - Chilled Icelandic prawns and cooked egg halves on a crisp salad napped with Marie-Rose sauce. d. CHILLED FRUIT JUICE MAIN COURSES 1. ROAST FYLDE TURKEY - Traditionally roasted and served with bacon, chipolata, seasoning and cranberry sauce 2. BRAISED PORK NORMANDY - Tender pork escalope cooked in a cider, apple and cream sauce scented with tarragon 3. DELICE OF SALMON - Steamed Delice served with wholegrain mustard sauce. 4. MUSHROOM STROGANOFF WITH RICE - Fresh button mushrooms cooked with paprika and shallots finished with cream and accompanied by rice. All served with fresh seasonal vegetables and potatoes SWEETS W. STEAMED CHRISTMAS PUDDING WITH RUM SAUCE X. FRESH FRUIT SALAD Y. PANNA COTTA Z. STRAWBERRY GATEAU Freshly brewed coffee with mint confection Northern Sub Group Christmas Lunch - Thursday 4th December 2008 I/We wish to attend the above I enclose my/our meal selections & cheque for...(at per meal) Name Address Tel No. Enter your Name & Address: Starter letter Main Meal number Sweet letter Signature... Please return bottom part of this sheet with meal requirement's to:- R Clement, 2 Leycester Drive, Lancaster. LA1 5HP. (Telephone: ) Make cheques payable to - Lancashire UNISON Retired Member Section