Doncaster news and holiday with Welsh's

Hi again

Just got back from Switzerland had a fantastic time in the lakes and the mountains that face of the Eiger is awesome will include some pictures here .

Any way it looks as if the council has at last got a grip on the lake it is being kept tidy with rubbish being picked up on a regular basis.

STILL NO SIGN OF THE WORK THAT IS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE AROUND THERE BUT WE WILL WAIT AND SEE.

I have had a reply from D, M, B, C. and it states that there has been no approach for planning permission on the miners welfare site, I am still waiting for replies from the prime minister, the local council and the C, I, S, W, O. group also the local labour party.

It looks like there is to be a vote of no confidence in the mayor of Doncaster today I hope that it is successful as he now thinks he can do just what he wants and the people did not vote for this.

Here are a few more old photos for you to look at along with some new ones all the best for now

Hi Again

Hi again

Its official the Miners Welfare is to change its name to and wait for this The Askern Sports and Pastime Limited in other words they are to become a limited company with the committee men attaining directorship status all this happens on Friday 27^th of June 2008 at the A.G.M. Spoke with committee and they say it will be for the best we shall see. They are dropping the miners tag, as they want to be seen as a progressive club. I myself am quite proud of being an ex miner and why they can not see there way to keeping the word in the name of the new building is beyond me and one or two people were disgruntled about this matter also.

The shakers building has hit a problem with the builder going bankrupt it is 95 percent completed and I am sure that the people at N.D.R.T. will see it through to completion shame it is not ready yet but watch this space.

More on the lakeside it is now in need of draining off this is D.M.B.C. responsibility

And I hope to speak with them soon it is quite appalling that people cannot walk around the perimeter of the lake they have to walk on the muddy grass banks to get round, how someone in a wheelchair would manage I don’t know but hopefully it will soon be put right.

Lookout for a name change very soon as we shall be altering the name of the blog in the near future, if any one reading this has any suggestion for a new name then please let me know.

That’s all for now folks so here are some pictures of miners and of the old Askern Main Colliery will update next week

UPDATE

Hi-again Sid Roe here with an update,

Well they finally got to clean out the lake some three weeks after asking for it to be done did a good job too lets hope they keep it up.

Sorry about not being able to update for such a long time but this was due to me having a new central heating system installed this has now been done so were back.

It looks like the miners welfare is going to be knocked down to make way for a new and smaller club the old one is just too big and it is uneconomical so the committee have submitted plans to the council for a new club to be built.

The lakeside have some new inhabitants in the form of cygnets and ducklings no report on when the work is to start but I have been told that the new bridge and the other work will be completed by the end of September which September remains to be seen.

The 61/62 Reunion are to hold a jumble sale on the 28^th of June round at the spa club.

I am giving a talk along with a slide show on old Askern on the 23 and 24^th of June 2008 this will be in the Askerne center which is lakeside.

Permission for the car show and hog roast have not been given this was due to the council not fully understanding what it was about they had some idea it was to be a car boot sale where they got that from I do not know anyway that’s it for now folks will update again at the weekend in the meantime here are some more photos

Sorry

Sorry for the lack of updates as I am currently having central heating fitted

Update to Blog

Hi again Sid Roe here

Many thanks for your comments Kim out in Australia nice to know that the Askernites are getting about if you know any more English people out there get em on so we can have a chat abut where they are from, maybe I can get some old pictures for them to look at hope to hear from you soon.
Any way on with the update the local elections round here were pretty dire for the first time in my recollection a Conservative candidate came within 66 votes of the Labour candidate for the Askern Ward, the elected person then refused to shake hands with the two Independent candidates talk about spiting the dummy out.

Also it was nice to hear that the Bevan Boys [these were men used in the pits during the second world war] have been awarded a medal, one of the famous Bevan Boys who worked at Askern Colliery was Brian Rix who was knighted in June 1986, all the very best to all of the men who received medals for working down a mine at this time it was no picnic as we can tell you.
Also the lake side has been left looking rather dirty of late. I have spoken to the council person in charge of generating interest in reviving the lake some Ten days ago and after telling me that someone would be out to clean it up I can report that no one has been out disgraceful.
Also read about the development of the Askern sawmills area where they want to build more houses for the first time buyers, they also want to put up a hotel /motel type building alongside a spa treatment place and a heritage place so things might start to look up in Askern.

Kim you asked about the Swan development and some pictures of it appear at the end but suffice to say that some of the residents in Askern are pretty angry about this particular development and the way it has turned out.

Anyway that’s all for now so here are some more pictures for you all to look at will update real soon all the best.

Blog Update for Askern May 18th

Hi again sorry about not updating the blog for a couple of weeks but the computer has been down any way hope you are all ok.

A jumble sale has been organized for the 26th of June 2008 it will be held at the Spa Club, outside if it is a fine day, inside if it is raining so please all come along, all proceeds will be going towards the next reunion.



Also an American car rally is to be held on the lakeside in July along with a Hog Roast, again this is subject to council permission as soon as we get the go ahead you will know.




As you are no doubt aware the birds on the lakeside will be hatching their chicks very soon so please keep a lookout for them .I have reported the state of the lake to Doncaster Council and they have said they will clean it up as soon as possible at the time of writing this update no one has been yet. [18-5-2008]



Also an elderly gentleman called Joe Prowitt is to go to see the Ricky Hatton fight as part of a prize he has won called A Dream Come True and this is certainly true for Joe. I am hoping to take some pictures of Joe this week and post them on the blog.



Here are a few more photos for you to look at and I shall be updating around a weeks time

SCOOP FOR BARNSCAN

I was at a meeting with the local history group on Tuesday the 29^th of May 2008 when Mr George Gracey local independent councillor came in and told that they had found something over at the new doctors site.

He told us that the people had found what they thought was the front of a boat or a part of an old seat, on investigation with the local group a young lady said that we could not go in and have a look due to health and safety I asked if she would take some photos for me and she dually obliged the photos are as follows

One shows the piece of wood found in the hole also a second piece of wood that is round. The second photo shows them both from a different angle.

The next photo shows a mollusc, which they were guessing at 500,0000 years old the girl also mentioned that a river once ran through askern and this fossil had come from the riverbed.

The next photo shows where the wood was found

The next four photos show the hole where the find was made from different angles.
The next photo shows a piece of pottery found on the site it is brightly coloured.


The final photo shows some more of the old riverbed with the pottery in the top of the picture

On speaking with the young lady onsite she said the people in charge thought the hole could have been a plunge pool going back to when askern was a spa, the piece of wood was most likely a seat that was used before they plunged into the pool or it could maybe a piece off an old boat, we at barnscan are the first to report this find and I shall keep you informed as to what it really is.
Sid roe

Blog update

Hi again just a few more photos for the update the first is of the high street in and around 1909 the Lupton shop is now a Indian restaurant and very nice it is too.
Next up something we can all remember the whit walks here you can see how the horse and cart were dressed up to parade around the streets of askern this photo is opposite the Methodist chapel.
Next is a place I remember well as will most of the people viewing this Blog it is of course the swan hotel notice the flag pole where people used to gather for the may queen also the gas light on the right this was taken when the swan had a bowling green at the rear one of the landlords was Ronnie Clayton a famous boxer, when I used to drink in here with the lads it was run by Arthur Duran’s a good landlord who became a friend.
Another view this time of Bennett’s the butcher on the high street again notice the gas light on the left fixed to the building, the meat hung outside the butchers shop this shop is still there but is used today for beauty treatments.
Another view of the lake looking down towards the a 19 it is the back of the charity baths an early photo notice the lake entrance the place where the swans are was the boat house when I was a nipper.
Here is a photo of the floods in askern taken in 1932 the young lads are sailing paper boats, the car is struggling to get through and the little girl in her Wellingtons strolls on as though it was nothing to worry about.
The next photo shows a bungalow on the high street again an early photo notice the way the people are dressed this is just of the lakeside.
Didn’t mean to frighten any of you old villians but here is a photo of the police that used to patrol askern the one sat front left is the infamous bobby savile had a few clips of him in my time but it taught me some respect. There was a little tale going round that where kings road is it used to be called the darnels and the police would never patrol this area on their own as fighting was the normal run of the mill occurrence.
Finally a photo once again of the firemen’s Christmas party do you recognise anybody. See you soon on the next update

Sid roe