Bonnie is pictured with his 1948 A7 500cc BSA, his 1954 350cc Royal Enfield Bullet (“the comfiest one”), and a 1961 250cc Matchless
A sixteen year-old would not be allowed to jump on a 500cc motor bike and take to the roads today, but things used to be different and Bonnie Jackson passed his test on a 500cc Vincent HRD. That would begin a love affair with motor bikes that would last to the present day, leaving him with a wealth of memories and photographs and three classic bikes he owns currently. [click to continue…]
Excitement follows Helpston girl, Ellie Davies wherever she goes at the moment as she is part of a music group that is in fighting mood to win the TV show ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
A former pupil of John Clare School, King’s School and a musician with Helpston Church Band, Ellie has been playing the cello since she was ten years old. Now at eighteen, and studying for A-levels at Cambridge, she has got together with some fellow students to form ‘The Arrangement’ - a band that might be termed ‘crossover’ as they offer sound musicianship as a backing to upbeat, popular songs.
Ellie Davies; outside her home in Helpston
To a backing of Ellie on cello, three violins, a pianist, drums and bass, singer Jono Miles ( a Boris Johnson look-alike) sang modern songs including Lady Gaga’s ‘Pokerface’ while executing some rather odd and jerky dance moves - all very unusual - which may be exactly what the judges are looking for!
Describing their feelings as ‘excited’ rather than nervous when they were due to perform before the Mighty Simon Cowell and panel, the group of eighteen year-olds were thrilled to get the vital three ‘Yeses’ to go on to the next round of the competition. If they are successful here, we shall see them on our screens again in the semi-final, due to be televised on the evening of 31st May, or shortly after.
The group have appeared with Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby on ‘This Morning’, on National news and several radio stations. The Sun newspaper characteristically billed them as ‘The Sex-Tion’.
Asked about her opinion of singer Susan Boyle and her success, Ellie described her as ’something to aspire to’ and was glad that she “had got her dream”.
In reply to our question about her own dreams, Ellie said she was “taking each day as it comes,” but agreed that she would find it thrilling to go on tour and appear at the O2 Arena if the group made it to the final.
All the students have decided that they will take a year off as a GAP year from their studies if they are successful. Ellie would be delaying her plans to study French, Spanish and possibly music at Durham University where she hopes to gain a place. After that she says that she is not the kind of person who could sit behind a desk all day but might work in marketing of be a manager in the music industry (Has she seen the £ signs in Simon Cowell’s eyes?)
The families have been ‘very supportive’ and attended the auditions. However, “My sisters were a bit worried about watching the show in case we were rubbish,” said Ellie. Thankfully Hettie, Annie, Jemima, and brother Leo did not have to worry on that score.
When the ‘Tribune’ called at Ellie’s home, she was just as excited about the four pairs of shoes she had just bought - a sale treat for her, who ‘hadn’t bought shoes for ages’.
She is the lovely unspoilt girl we all know and love. We wish her and her friends every success with ‘The Arrangement’ and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’.
Note: The show is on ITV on Saturday evenings. If you missed Ellie you can see her on the internet Youtube site. Sue Young
When John Conder was lucky enough to drive an Austin 7 around Westwood airfield at the age of 10 it was the start of a passion that would continue to the present day, involve many hours work, but many more hours of fun.
John Conder in his 1919 Standard - looking forward to the next rally
John’s father, Joe, who for many years owned Conder’s Garage, Lincoln Road, (which later passed to John until his retirement in 2000), bought the Austin for John, giving it the nickname ‘Rum & Pep’, “because”, says John, “I think he’d had one or two before he bought it.”
Together with his wife, Kate, who shares his enthusiasm, he has taken part in rallies in various countries for many years including the 1998 Gordon Bennett Rally travelling around the Wicklow Mountains and Curragh area in Ireland and the ‘Norman Conquest’ Rally through Normandy. The latter is an event for British cars only and John and Kate travelled in the 1919 Standard SLS (pictured), which was the oldest car present.
Asked about what happens in the event of breakdowns, John replied: “We never break down!”
However these events are not totally without mishap. The radiator on the Standard gets extremely hot after only a few miles. During the Normandy Rally, when John had stopped the Standard for a cool down after about 30 miles, a passing local put his thumb up in admiration, said: “Good! British!” looking at the Union Flag which tops the rad and slapped his hand down onto the metal. “You could see the print of his hand,” said John. Luckily the man’s friend had a bottle of wine handy which he poured onto the burnt hand!
The Standard has now been in the Conder household for 15 years. The cherry red and black bodywork is gleaming and the leather hood in tip-top condition. Although it was purchased like this, “the mechanics were shot to pieces” so John had to carry out repairs. He explained that the 11 _ Horse Power Standard is “really a pre-war car”, being built in Coventry after the Standard factory resumed making cars following the war years when production stopped and the workforce turned out aeroplane parts instead. With no front brakes, cart springing and no shock absorbers, the car was the first with an electric starter, and boasts electric lights and pneumatic tyres. Safety features include a bulb horn and a claxon horn. There is a ‘Dicky’ seat at the back, sometimes known as a ‘mother-in-law’ seat. With three gears, the Standard is capable of reaching 40mph and cruises happily at 35mph.
Kate and John have been members of a group which organises The Standard Register Annual Rally for pre 1930’s Standard cars for 12 years and have missed only one of the annual events in that time. They also belong to the Ford Model A Club of Gt Britain and the 20/49 Club, based in Stamford.
Recalling other cars they have owned, Kate remembers with fondness their black and red Austin Healey, which, like with so many young couples, had to be sacrificed to find the mortgage for their first house.
“It took us 30 years to get another one,” she said ruefully. Kate also remembers a 1934 Morris 10/4 (10 HP, 4 cylinder), where she had to put her handbag on the choke to keep it out and also taking the children to school in a 1927 Clyno when the family lived in Broadway before their move to Helpston in 1999. A 1917 Buick was a favourite and so big that “the kids could walk about in the back!”
The Conders took a little break from old cars and went sailing for a time but in 1998 Kate says she ‘jumped ship’ after a particularly stormy trip and it was back to cars.
With many ‘motoring miles’ behind them, the Conders looks forward to many more, the next rally being in June, taking them over the Yorkshire Moors to Morpeth.
We know that there are many readers in the Tribune area with vintage and classic vehicles. If you would like your vehicle to be featured, please contact Sue Young on 01733 252223.
We are now into the fourth year of this project and we are seeing enormous differences in the families taking part.
Many families who were struggling to feed and clothe their children and to cope emotionally, show huge signs of improved health and self-esteem, FOCC is there to help, suddenly there are enough clothes to keep warm with, vitamins for all the children, seeds to grow food for the winter and life is better.
Seven-year-old Galya will be making her first visit to Helpston, staying with the Henthorn’s who have agreed to be her host family
Now it is time to wave the FOCC wand for yet more children.
This year we have three new children joining the project, An eight-year-old boy, who lives with his mum in a single room in a city hostel. They share one shower, one cooker and one sink with eight other families, on the sixth floor. This little boy, who loves to play football and run around, is like a caged lion. He is to go to one of our new host families, with a big garden – fresh air and exercise for this small boy! Seven year old girl, Galya is to stay with our editor’s family. She lives with her parents, and three little brothers.Their home is terrible – no indoor toilet or running water, every drop of water has to be drawn from the well and a home which is no better than a garden shed. Her mum does her absolute best to cope, but it is difficult. She is just so grateful not to be on her own anymore, now she has the help and support of the charity.
Our final new child is ten-year-old Anya. Anya has spent many months in the orphanage but has now returned to the dubious care of her granny. I have visited Anya regularly over the last few years and the two of us are friends. For me it has been a painful journey, in fact I feel emotional writing about it. She is a lovely, bright, enthusiastic child, who works hard at school. Twice I have invited her to England and twice she has been unable to come. Last October, Alison Henthorn and I visited Anya in the orphanage. She climbed on to my lap and put her head on my shoulder as if she never wanted to get up, however, when the matron arrived she quickly lifted her head. Anya doesn’t like the orphanage and was often hungry, indeed she is horribly underweight. She finally came to England to spend Christmas with my family, arriving at Gatwick looking all too like Orphan Annie. For the two weeks of her visit Anya proceeded to eat everything, to play with the dogs, accompany Neil on every walk, and go to the swimming pool – she never stopped smiling. After two weeks she was looking forward to seeing her granny again. She returned with a huge suitcase stuffed with arts and crafts sets and warm clothing, dried fruit and nuts, chocolate (well, it was Christmas), lentils, pasta, soap, shampoo, school shoes etc. Now, she and I, wait hopefully for her arrival in June.
This winter ten-year-old Marina has had a family crisis, resulting in there simply not being enough for her to eat - something unknown to most British children. I was very worried about this little girl when we last saw her; she had lost weight and looked gaunt. Thankfully Yuliya, one of our interpreters, has been visiting her regularly throughout the winter, taking her foodstuffs. Soon Marina will be back in Helpston for some fun and a chance to improve her health and, no doubt, her host mum will once more be cramming her suitcase with dried food when she returns home.
Of course, all this costs money so fund-raising must continue. The young members of FOCC and their friends and relatives are taking part in sponsored events.
If you would like to sponsor them, just get in touch or use the Just Giving page: http://www.justgiving.co.uk/FOCC-helpstonanddistrict, the Chernobyl Children will be very grateful for your support.
Sometimes the responsibility for these children, so far away, feels heavy on our shoulders. Without our support many of these families would flounder, or in Marina’s case, simply starve. Thankfully there is support from many people in our community, people who help wave the FOCC wand, helping these children to gain in health following the terrible nuclear disaster of 1986. People who help make life worth living again.
Without our host families and sponsors, none of this could happen. Would you like to join the FOCC family? I do hope so! Please contact me on 01733 252118 / 07779 264591/ focc_helpston@msn.com
Article author, Kim Bachl (left) pictured around 1977, with her sister
My family hold the proud accolade of being the first ever family to move into Websters close Glinton. The development was brand new and the year was 1976.
These were the first houses to be built in the tiny village of Glinton for years. The fields to the back of our house were later to become Saddlers Close, but throughout my formative years Glinton Park was my back garden (despite what kid’s from elsewhere in the village had to say on the subject !)
The Park only had a swing, a slide and a climbing frame, but I don’t ever remember being bored, In the summer we were out until dusk and I recall games of ‘tag’ and ‘kiss chase’ (my personal favourite)
Later we were far too cool for games and hung out in ra ra skirts and Frankie says relax T. Shirts… Kiss Chase progressed to just kissing.
There is one particular day however that will stay with me forever . It was 1977 and council workmen had kindly ‘left’ some enormous concrete pipes for local children to play in, ( the sort that are usually buried underground during construction. ) We had a fine time rolling them around the park with several children inside them.
After several days of general wear and tear the unthinkable happened and when it was my turn to be ‘rolled around’ with two other friends, the concrete collapsed on top of us.
I can remember hearing my sister screaming my name over and over. Then, I was later told, she tried to lift a piece of concrete and unable to hold it dropped it back on top of me… I think I must have passed out after that as the next thing I remember was waking up in an ambulance.
I was very lucky, a broken shoulder, cuts and bruises, stitches to my head and arms. The injuries sustained by one other friend were much more serious and she was rushed straight to Addenbrokes.
In the aftermath I got my first taste of what it really is to feel part of a community… presents, cards, even a knitted doll (well it was 1977.)
Lots of visitors to my sick bed all regaling me with details of what happened. There were people everywhere, thank goodness a doctor arrived on scene, they drove the ambulance right into the park!’
Of course life soon went back to normal… Council officials removed the pipes, (health and safety was still in it’s infancy.)
I had to go back to school (right arm in a sling for several more weeks, what a blow that I happen to be left handed )
If you have any memories of events or ‘incidents’ in our Tribune villages we would love to hear your story. Simply email your recollections (and photographs if possible) to: villagetribuneeditor@mac.com or type and post them to: Tony Henthorn, Editor, Village Tribune, Golden Drop, Helpston, Peterborough PE6 7DW. All efforts will be made to return photographs to their owners after publication.
Mat Warn
I was going to entitle this article ‘Matthew Warn – teacher to us all’. I then realised that this would be doing him, and those who knew him outside his professional life, a great disservice. There were many, many facets to Mat and as such, the following can only serve as a brief sketch of the life of a man who was loved so well by so many people. [click to continue…]
For the Lowe-Lauri’s of Glinton, it was a double celebration as eldest son, Richard, attended St James’s Palace, with mum Sue on Thursday 26th March, to receive his Gold Duke of Edinburgh award in the presence of the Duke of Edinburgh. [click to continue…]
Simon Hoppe grew up in Glinton and enjoyed a happy childhood with lots of friends and activities in and around the village. To many local people, he will be known or remembered as the boy often seen running or cycling around Glinton and surrounding villages, usually with some of his trusted border collie dogs in tow.
For those of you that know Simon now, you may ask what has changed - not much except that he now lives in Deeping and often has his children in tow! [click to continue…]
When Ron Cook came down to Maxey, seven years ago - following the death of Ron’s brother Adrian, who was landlord of the Blue Bell at the time, he was thinking about how he might leave the Sheffield area, where he was in the butchery trade and how he might persuade his hairdresser wife, Kathleen, to start a whole new life together running the pub. [click to continue…]
The Tribune welcomes Mike Sandeman as the new Head of AMVC. The college commands a great deal of affection and respect within the Benefice and Heads of College last a long time at Arthur Mellows, so there is always a great deal of interest when we see a change of leadership. Senior students, Daniel, Sarah, Alice and Tom interviewed Mr Sandeman on behalf of the Tribune. [click to continue…]
