July sees so many local events from our Church Fete, Woolsery Show and Bradworthy Fair to list just a few which we enjoy supporting. It is time for the summer holidays with the children home from school. In recent years, in Holsworthy, many children and young people have taken part in a number of events, mainly sporting, which have been run by local councils and youth workers. Swimming is also on offer at the pools in Holsworthy, Torrington, Northam and Bude where moderate charges are made.
David Quance of Sutcombe. David is a farmer, local Methodist preacher and a JP. He is very much concerned about the people and the community and a member of Sutcombe Methodist Church. Over the years his service as a JP has been of a very high order where he sees at first hand people who are in trouble and have problems which bring them before him at Bideford County Court. As a Christian, David continues to relate the Christian life in all he undertakes to do.
I eat modified food products - Tony Blair MP Prime Minister. Psychopaths are a danger to the public - Jack Straw MP Home Secretary. I am a real bookworm - USA President Bill Clinton. Some chat shows are faked - Vanessa Feltz. I may want to be the people's choice - footballer, Kevin Keegan. I want children - TV presenter Jill Dando.
Ex BBC reporter and now newspaper editor Polly Toynbee recently wrote that farmers are holding out their hands for subsidies and special treatment at the cost of the public. Farmers views please. The Road Haulage Association feel that there is too high a tax on fuel. The cost of a new studio set for BBC TV Spotlight programme was over £60,000. Racist attacks are 20 times higher than reported to the Police. Some national Banks are failing to give top jobs to the ethnic minorities. The NHS has recently had a £17 billion pay shake up for its workers.
The T&GWU have put a claim for a minimum wage rate of £5 per hour for farm workers and a 35 hour week. The cost of the TB cattle testing service is around £20 million a year. The NFU is concerned about the evidence about cattle and TB and badgers as reported to a Commons Select Committee in the enquiry into badgers and bovine TB. Yet more south west and some local farmers are giving up milk production. There are a lot more rats on some farms. A job for the Ratcatcher!!
Christchurch in Barnstaple is often used for short mat bowling. Christian Aid is the official agency of 40 sponsoring churches representing most denominations in the UK and Ireland. A number of services helping to deal with farmer's problems have been held in the south west with one in Bradworthy and a county wide one in Truro in Cornwall.
The drug users favourite is heroin which the users had an increase of 48% in 1998. Over £3 million of drugs were netted in the south west one weekend. More than 40% of schoolchildren aged 15 and 16 have been found smoking cannabis. For the coming millennium over 140,000 licensed premises are asking for extended drinking hours.
What do you do if the dishwasher stops - slap him. Three boys were talking about how much money their fathers got. The first boy said my father works for a newspaper and gets over £500 a week, the second boy said his father worked in the City and got £1000 a week, the third boy said that his father preached on Sundays and it took two boys to bring in the collection. Why keep a cow when you can buy a bottle of milk?
Do Banks charge far too much? For many years I have held a Barclaycard, which I seldom use, so I have to pay a card fee of £12 each year when other bank cards are free. Recently I drew out £20 from the 'hole in the wall' at Barclays Bank in Holsworthy on which the Bank charged me a handling charge of £1.50. I rang the Bank HQ, saying this was not right only to be told this was the charge for this service. So now it will be for me transactions on another free bank card with no charge.
The demand for Council Housing and low cost houses to buy is much needed for those who live in our Parish. There is a shortage of such houses to meet our local needs. If you need such a house to rent contact TDC Housing Department or a local Councillor. To buy see adverts and have details from a local Estate Agent or Builder.