Week beginning October 27th 2003

Bowing to the inevitable : Paull Parish Council have at last had to concede defeat in their long-running struggle against the closure of the village’s only public conveniences.
It all began when the county council decided to close the toilets as part of a cost-cutting exercise, despite pleas for them to remain open to serve the large numbers of visitors to the village. The Parish Council held a referendum, agreeing to abide by the majority decision, and when the vote went in favour of retaining the toilets at the village’s expense they began the fight to save the toilets. The Parish Council agreed, on behalf of the village, to lease and take over the running of the toilets and budgeted for the annual costs of cleaning, maintenance and even improvements to conform with the Disability Act due to be enforced in 2004, but now an insurmountable obstacle has been put in their way. The toilets – as small brick building hardly the size of a domestic garage – have been allocated a Rateable Value of £3,650! Despite repeated appeals, the rating department will not budge and the Parish Council of a village the size of Paull simply cannot afford this extra annual expense. So it was with great regret that the Parish Council has had to give up their struggle to keep the toilets open, and the County Council – with remarkable alacrity – have notified them of their intention to demolish the toilet block in the near future.

Party for “Mr. Hedon” : the Mayor, Cllr. Ann Suggit, and Hedon Town Council came together in the Town Hall last week to throw a surprise party for one of Hedon’s most well-known residents, Mr. Doug Goulsbra. Over the past forty years he has served variously as Mace Bearer, Town Crier, Beadle and Toastmaster, so not for nothing is he known locally as “Mr. Hedon.” Although originally intended as a farewell party, as Cllr. Suggit pointed out – he isn’t going anywhere! So it became more of a “Thank you” event, and took the form of a This Is Your Life, hosted by Cllr. Frank Norman. Hedon celebrities who had figured in Mr. Goulsbra’s life included the present Mayor as well as past Mayor Mrs. Hilda Ives MBE, and at the end of the proceedings he was presented with the familiar “Red Book!”

Book launch in Hedon : local writer Martin Craven launched his latest publication to a full house in the upstairs gallery of the Hedon Museum : the book, entitled “A Very Troublesome Woman” tells the true story of Agnes Sharp, born in 1776 in Hedon, and her struggle against the authorities and Poor Law of the day. I won’t spoil the plot but I will just say that it’s an enjoyable read, made all the more so by the fact that all the people, places and events are real.
The book is the result of five years’ intensive research, triggered off by a chance encounter with two visitors who came into the museum and asked whether anyone knew where the could find out about an ancestor of theirs, one Agnes Sharp – and the rest, as they say, is history….!
After the official launch the guests were treated (if that’s the right word!) to a “Pauper’s lunch” of bread and cheese - which was considerably better than a real pauper’s meal of the period, as details in the book of an actual menu from the Hedon Workhouse show! Copies can be bought from the Hedon Museum shop, on the ground floor of the Museum, which is open every Wednesday and Saturday from 10.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m.

Creative Collections in Hedon : The Upstairs Gallery at Hedon Museum is staging ‘Collections’, an exhibition of contemporary art work by Martin Waters.
Martin Waters was educated at Hull College of Art and St. Albans College of Art & Design. For the last twenty years he has been Head of Art Therapy for the Older Persons Service of Hull East Riding Community NHS Trust. A childhood in Paull gave Martin a love of the Humber bank and his work is concerned with the form of natural and manufactured objects. A lifelong preoccupation with collecting and the nature of sequence and repetition cannot be separated from his work. He places importance with the elemental effects on natural and man-made materials from exposure to the sea. The objects in this exhibition were all gathered from one particular stretch of coastline, Spurn Head, a fast-disappearing peninsula.
Since 1990, Martin has had many one man shows including those at Hull, Beverley, Whitby, Harrogate and Goole, as well as exhibiting in group shows in Goole, York and Beverley. “Collections” was opened by well known Hull artist Jill Carter last Saturday, and the show will be open every Wednesday and Saturday from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. until Wednesday, November 19th.

Holderness Lions Club – School competitions : Members of The Holderness Lions Club would like to congratulate and thank all the year 6 pupils from Hedon, Inmans, Preston and Paull Primary Schools for their super poems on "Sight". These were done to recognise "Lions World Sight Day", and once again the talent of some of these young people was amazing. The Lions would also like to congratulate and thank all the year 7 (now year 8) pupils from South Holderness School for taking part in The Lions Peace Poster Competition. Again it was a hard choice picking a winner, but eventually it was decided that the poster done by Charlotte Harrison will go through to the District Final on the 20th November. I’m sure we all join with the Lions in wishing Charlotte the very best of luck.
It goes without saying that none of this work would have been achieved without the co-operation of the Staff at the schools - thanks go to all the staff involved.
For further information on any of the above matters please contact Lion Eileen on 01482 890197 or Lion Janet on 01482 897518.

Have they got the bottle in Preston? A special message to the people of Preston – “Have you got the bottle?” If not then go along to the Post Office or Alan Jones Butcher and pick one up.
They are FREE and the information stored in the bottle could save a life.

Speed limits in Hedon : The East Riding of Yorkshire Council are proposing to introduce a 20mph speed limit in certain streets in the centre of Hedon : St. Augustine’s Gate, Souttergate, Baxtergate, Magdalen Lane, Iveson Close, George Street and Church Gate (for a map see the Hedon Town Council website, http://www.hedon.gov.uk). The proposals are still at the discussion stage, so if you wish to have your say on the matter you should contact any member of the Town Council.

Bought your Christmas party frock yet? Hedon Red Cross Shop has a fresh display of “Glitz and Glitter” all ready for Christmas, and I heartily recommend that you check through their rails of Christmas party wear before spending a fortune going shopping in Hull – the quality is excellent and all sorted by size and colour and there is a fitting room where you can try before you buy. The shop is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10.00 a.m. until 4.00 p.m., and can be found on St. Augustine’s Gate in the centre of Hedon.

Church Services for Sunday November 2nd
Hedon : St. Augustine’s Parish Church : Sung Eucharist at 9.30 a.m., All Souls Service at 6.30 p.m.
Hedon Methodist Church, Church Lane : morning service at 10.30 a.m., Holy Communion service at 6.30 p.m.
Saints Mary & Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Baxtergate, Hedon : Daily Mass times : Sunday 10.30 a.m., Monday 9.15 a.m., Tuesday 9.15 a.m., Wednesday 7.30 p.m., Thursday 9.15 a.m., Friday 7.30 p.m., Saturday 6 p.m.
Hedon Pentecostal Church meets every Sunday at 10.30 a.m. in the Jubilee Room of the Alexandra Hall, St. Augustine’s Gate; a Sunday School is also held at 10.30 a.m. every Sunday.
Paull : St Andrew’s Parish Church : Holy Communion at 11.15 a.m.
Paull Methodist Church, Main Street : no service this week – the next service will be a United Remembrance Day service on November 9th at Paull War Memorial
Preston: All Saint’s Parish Church : Parish Communion at 11.00 a.m.
Preston Methodist Church : morning service at 10.30 a.m