Duggie’s Ramblings October 2022
Buses
Have buses ever run on time? Well, yes, but some don’t. The ones that do run reliably on time are the school drop off in the morning and collect in the afternoon, so I hear.
I suppose some measure of gratitude should be given. We have bus services through the villages, x3, x7 and 44, And, if you are of a certain age, free transport after 9.30am. Some villages in Leicestershire have no public transport. So, we can count ourselves fortunate.
Should it be the responsibility of the government to provide public transport nationwide? Was it a poet who wrote,
“Men are like buses, you wait and wait, then three arrive together?”
Leonard Cheshire was a brave pilot in command of 617 Squadron during part of the Second World War. He and his wife, Sue Ryder, were practising Roman Catholics. This motivated them to found the Cheshire Homes, later renamed the Ryder Homes. There is one such Home in Leicestershire at Staunton Harold.
Before 1939, when he was a student, Leonard decided, as a wager, to drive his car round and round a roundabout until he ran out of petrol. Crazy? Maybe. This is the character of someone who later, as Cheshire did, went on to be awarded the Victoria Cross from the pilot’s seat in a plane not a car. Did he win the wager? I don’t know. Are there young people today who set out to do such crazy things? Answers on a postcard to the Chief Scout!
Warm Welcome
The Warm Welcome campaign is a new kid on the block. It was inspired into being by the needs consequent upon the increase in fuel prices coming into force this month as winter approaches.
It is the creation of churches around the country. They are, as always, in the vanguard of social awareness and are taking the initiative. Community venues are also involved. Both are accessible to all, but particularly to the old and those who will struggle to meet the increase in fuel prices
Although churches are also facing rising gas and electricity prices, they will open their doors so that people can come inside to a warm church out of the cold of home. They will know there is somewhere to go this autumn and winter, warm and free, and there may be a cup of tea and biscuits!
What about food? There are 3,000 food banks within the United Kingdom. Yes, there is one in Kibworth Beauchamp run through ‘The Well’.
Those who volunteer there are willing to go the extra mile for people living in local villages. You would be surprised to know how many food provisions are distributed each week. Yet, this is a prosperous area in a prosperous county within a prosperous country.
Donald Hirsch of Loughborough University has estimated, all other factors considered, that those on Universal Credit will be £28 a week worse off.
There is no financial allowance made for families with more than two children. Are we a broken society? It would seem so. However, coming together as a community to meet the needs of our fellow human beings will make us stronger as a nation.
There was a rainbow over Balmoral on 8 September. Symbolic? Yes. What a cheering, optimistic sight on an otherwise sad day. An earlier rainbow, also symbolic, appeared over 4,000 years ago when the waters had receded and a dove was sent out.
County Councillor for Gartree – October 2022
