Issue 86, 26 October - Barking & Dagenham

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6 NOSTALGIA / HAVE YOUR SAY New bins make the area look more untidy than it was before I Do not believe it! After complaining to all and sundry about the state of Dagenham with so many dustbins outside every house, making this borough look like a sight for very sore eyes, I have just been informed by a council employee that we will soon be receiving yet another bin, to put our waste paper in. I would like to know who is responsible. Don’t they realise that any pride the residents might have had in the past because they lived in Dagenham is being eradicated at the speed of sound? What would be the point of trying to make an effort to improve the area, when it would seem that the council is working against this principle? There is no way that, with at least three rubbish bins outside every house, pride will be restored while the council continues to drag down the appearance of this borough. There’s more to life than just money – with the money spent on buying more bins, the council could have put a decent and safe pavement in Cornshaw Road. Neglect can be seen all around Dagenham as the council spend our money on rubbish bins, while telling us they cannot do the things that are really needed because they haven’t got the funds. With this borough looking so rough as rubbish bins litter every highway and byway, it would appear an open invitation to fly-tippers. I think it’s only right that the name of the borough reflects what type of area it is. With this in mind, I suggest that the council rename Dagenham to Bin City – a true reflection of what it’s doing for our area. NormaN SampSoN Dagenham THE CoUNCIL SaYS: one of the main reasons we are bringing in the brown wheelie bins is to make the streets tidier. The orange bags had a tendency to split and blow around, which could cause an eyesore. Investing in a third wheelie bin 26 October 2012 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Write to: Letters, thenews, Civic Centre, Dagenham RM10 7BN or email thenews@lbbd.gov.uk – please include your full name and address, along with a daytime telephone number for verification purposes. We cannot guarantee publication, and if your letter does not include your contact details, we will not print it at all (although we will consider withholding names in some circumstances). Letters may be edited. i AM writing to complain about the front page from the previous issue of thenews. i was very offended by the piece titled “Lots to do for people over 50”. i am 51 and am not, in my opinion, old. i work full time and have two children who live at home. My daughter is 15 and takes up a great deal of my time. Although it is good that the borough is trying to do things for ‘older’ people, i have neither the time nor inclination to take will actually save money because the scheme will be much cheaper to run than the orange bags, which cost around £300,000 a year. The brown bins aren’t just for waste paper, but also for plastic bottles, tin cans, thin cardboard, telephone directories and catalogues. Help to give families affected by cancer a better festive season MY name is Lin Mathieson and I’m a trustee of the Mark McCarthy charity, which provides help for patients in the area terminally ill with cancer. We urgently need people to help provide non-perishable goods for these patients. This year, we are expecting a high demand due to the economic downturn, and these people are really struggling. We make up Christmas hampers for the families of people we help. For the children in these families, we provide a small gift, as in many cases it will be their last Christmas as a family together. We will pick up these goods ourselves from anyone who is able to donate. our contact number is 07821 840063, or you can email us on markmccarthysmagicmoments@live. co.uk Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. You can find out Those were The days THE previous issue of thenews mentioned the planned closure of king george’s maternity unit. That took me back a bit – not because any of my Lynchlings were born there, but because i once worked in the place. This was back in the late 50s. The hospital was then on Eastern Avenue, in ilford, and i was between ships. Engineer After national service in the Royal Navy, i went to sea in the merchant one as an engineer, sailing to New Zealand and along America and Canada’s eastern seaboard. it was after leaving a ship in New York, having done a year as its fifth engineer, that I came home to find a shipping slump, making new berths hard to find. I was upset by your ‘over 50s’ headline So i took a job at the king george and its neighbouring maternity hospital until things improved. i was the assistant engineer. it meant helping to mend the odd trolley, but mainly keeping the central heating system going. i had to clean boilers and keep an eye on their workings generally, but i also spent a lot of time touring the hospitals in my grease-stained boiler suit, bleeding radiators. That meant going onto the wards – and on them were a lot of young nurses. There were a lot of older ones, too, though. Apart from keeping an eye on their patients, they also tended to keep a maternal one on their colleagues. It’s very difficult to chat up a young probationer who’s trying to take someone’s temperature while a stern- up arts, crafts or ballroom dancing. As for computer lessons, they are useful for older people, but most of the 50 year olds i know need computer skills for their place of work. i thought we lived in a world where ageism is unacceptable, and i quote from www.ageuk.org.uk: “Ageism is discrimination that can impact on someone’s confidence and more about us by visiting our website, www.markmccarthysmagicmoments. webs.com LIN maTHIESoN Dagenham ANNUAL GIFTS: How thenews has covered past donations from Mark McCarthy’s Magic Moments We’re grateful for everyone’s help at William Bellamy fete DESPITE the bad weather over the summer, William Bellamy Primary School held their annual fete and managed to raise £3,172. The event quality of life. it can also affect the way that older people are represented in the media, which can have a wider impact on the public’s attitude.” Even if i did have time to take up any of the above activities, they are mostly during the daytime. Considering i cannot retire until i am at least 67, i don’t was organised by the Voice, who are the parents’ forum at the school. We would like to say a very big thank you to all the school staff who came in and helped on the day. And thanks to the parents for their support, and to everyone who made a big effect to come to the fete and support the school. We’re also grateful to Mr Hartt from the Tang Soo Do martial arts club and all the members who attended. And a very big thank you goes to all the shopping centres who donated prizes for the raffle, as well as Barclays Bank for all their support . Finally, thank you to John O’Toole, Tony Lewis and Ruth Sheppard for their support and organisation of the event. We will be having further events this year. For further information, please contact me on 020 8270 6506. JamES STErLING Dagenham Time for action on pavement dog mess near Henry Green I LIVE in Valence Avenue, between Kemp Road and Green Lane. I walk in the area every day, and there are always two or three piles of dog poo left by irresponsible, uncaring owners who don’t pick up what their dog has left. The council doesn’t seem to faced ward sister charges towards you. “What are you doing?” one of them once demanded. “Bleeding radiators, sister!” i replied. Whereupon she told me to mind my language and leave her nurses alone. Hinges Another regular job of mine was wandering around with an oilcan, making sure hinges on doors and trolleys were in good order. it was on one of these forays into the maternity hospital when it happened. i had been oiling and greasing merrily for about an hour when i opened a door by backing into it. Then, hearing voices, I turned to find it full of women in sparkling white overalls – and other lying on a table with the think i will be joining in any time soon. if i want to do any of these activities, i have to pay for them, whereas the story made it sound like they were all free of charge. My mother-in-law has taken up the offer of free computer lessons – but she is 74 years old. Just for the record, i am a borough resident and have been all of my life. CaRoL TayLoR Dagenham touch it, so it is left until someone walks in it and spreads it over the pavement. Henry Green Primary School is only 50 yards away and young children and, particularly for mums with pushchairs going to school, it is not a very nice place to walk. In all the years I have lived in Dagenham, I have never seen a dog warden. Do we still have them, or have they gone the way of the dodo? I have also never heard of anyone being prosecuted or fined for leaving their dog’s poo on the ground. Please can we put a stop to this unsightly mess? pETEr pEarCE Dagenham THE CoUNCIL SaYS: Unfortunately, there are some irresponsible dog owners who do not clean up after their pets. We do clean up dog mess as part of our regular street cleaning rounds, but if you know an area that’s particularly bad, please report it to us by calling 020 8215 3000. The council does have a dog warden service, although its role is dealing with stray animals rather than targeting dog fouling. Finally, fining people for dog fouling is difficult because the owner has to be caught in the act. However, we do take action where we can, and we welcome information from the public that could help us to identify those responsible. My memories of King George maternity wards others telling her to “bear down”. They weren’t exactly overjoyed to see a young bloke in a greasy boiler suit with an oilcan in one hand and a spanner in the other! Those were the days... BRIAN LYNCH Brian grew up in Dagenham. He has been a local journalist specialising in regional government and business. Brian has written books including Naked Knees and Blakey’d Boots, an account of his childhood, murder mystery He Had It Coming and The Road from Gloster Hill, the true story of a ‘true Brit’. All are on sale at Amazon.co.uk – and new fantasy Sherlock and Holmes is now available for the Kindle e-reader.
26 October 2012 You and your health Flu danger ANY of us can catch flu, at any time of the year, but it’s especially common in winter, which is why it’s also known as ‘seasonal flu’. It’s caused by a different group of viruses from the common cold. Symptoms tend to be more severe and last for longer. Flu causes a sudden high temperature and headache along with general aches and pains, tiredness and a sore throat. You can also lose your appetite, feel nauseous and have a cough. The symptoms can make you feel so exhausted and unwell that you have to stay in bed and rest until you feel better. Flu is highly infectious and spreads through spit in the air when someone with the bug coughs or sneezes. If you’re standing close and breathe in these droplets, you could catch it, too. It can also spread if someone infected touches something with unwashed hands and you then touch the same thing, like a door handles or table. one of the best ways of stopping the spread of PLANET perfume flu is to avoid touching your mouth or nose, as you may have touched a surface already contaminated with the germs. And remember to wash your hands frequently. Always use a tissue to sneeze or cough into and throw the tissue away once you’ve used it. Infectious People with flu can pass on the virus a day before they have any signs of it, and for five or six days afterwards, so you should try to avoid contact with other people while you’re infectious. If you’re generally fit and healthy, you won’t usually need to see a doctor if you have flu-like symptoms. The best thing to do is rest at home, keep warm and drink plenty of water. You can take paracetamol or ibuprofen to lower a high temperature and relieve aches. But you should see a doctor if you have flu-like symptoms and you: Who should get the flu jab? DESPiTE popular belief, the flu vaccine cannot give you the disease, as it doesn’t contain the active virus needed for that to happen. The flu jab is recommended – and free – for those who are: n aged 65 or over n living with a serious medical condition such as heart, kidney or respiratory disease n living in a residential or nursing home n the main carers for an elderly or disabled person who may be at risk if the carer becomes ill n pregnant women n healthcare or social care professionals directly involved in patient care. if you think you need it, talk to your gP or practice nurse. � Huge discount on designer fragrances � Guaranteed to beat all major perfumery shop prices, find it cheaper and we will beat the price Planet Perfume Ltd, 9 Tudor Parade, High Road Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex RM6 6PS 020 8590 0007 www.planetperfume.co.uk 7 Dr Waseem Mohi chairs the Barking GPs’ Clinical Commissioning Group and has his practice at Abbey Medical Centre in Harpour Road, Barking n are 65 or over n are pregnant n have a long-term medical condition such as diabetes, severe asthma, heart disease, lung disease, kidney or neurological disease n have a weakened immune system. This is because having the bug can be more serious for you, and your doctor might want to prescribe antiviral medication. FROM BARKING & DAGENHAM REDBRIDGE ROMFORD NEWHAM AIRPORT TRANSFERS HEATHROW 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5 We provide a professional, reliable service. We have the latest GPRS tracking system in all our vehicles. ALPHA CARS 24-hour minicab service Accounts Welcome u Airports u Stations u Theatres u Clubs School Run u Local and Long Distance u Supermarket Pickup Special Discount for the Elderly and Disabled u 5/6/7 Seaters TEL: 020 8591 8000 / 020 3288 2044 EMAIL: alpha-cars@live.co.uk u We aim to provide cars within 10 minutes Student Finance options available to eligible students Maintenance Loan (up to £9,000)* Maintenance Grant (up to £3,350)* Get a career based qualification through HND/HNC in business BUILD YOUR TRANSFERABLE SKILLS Want to open your own business in future? Or work for a company in a managerial position? Our business course can help you to achieve your goals and lead you to build a better career with solid prospects � Tuition Fee Loan (covering the full amount of your tuition fees)* � Disabled Student Allowance, Childcare Grant, Parents’ Learning Allowance, Adult Dependants’ Grant and other Bursaries* � Entitlements will vary depending on individual circumstances* *Terms and Conditions apply GATWICK LUTON STANSTED CITY £40 £40 £55 £30 £10 £40 £40 £55 £30 £10 £40 £40 £55 £30 £10 £40 £40 £55 £30 £10 Terms and conditions apply to pricing
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Issue 86, 26 October - Barking & Dagenham

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