Letters

Dear Sir,

We were recently cycling through Foolow and saw the attached "SLOW DUCKS CROSSING" sign. Ann Elsdon had drawn my attention to it's existence.

Do you think it would be possible to have something similar on the approaches into the centre of Dore Village? The ducks are a very popular feature of the village now. We thought it might be something Dore Village Society could take on board, as you have members who have influence in these matters ?

The sign in Foolow is a "home-made" one, although extremely well done.

Pam and Richard Butterworth
( c/o Dore Service Station )

Dear Sir,

A note to say "thank you" for the work done on the Recreation Ground to make a delightful park for the children and an accessible place for all.

The pathway from the Newfield Crescent is particularly welcomed and makes the route to the playground and on towards Dore Primary School so much more manageable for people like myself, who have young children and pushchairs. It is no longer a struggle negotiating holes and boggy land.

C Symonds

Dear Sir,

To who ever is in charge of the renovation of Dore recreation ground.
What has been achieved so far is marvellous, the facilities for children are excellent the poop bins are well placed and seem to be used by most responsible dog owners however, I feel unable to use these facilities due to the fence around the kiddies play area. I am a mother of two small children and also a dog owner, this seems to be a rare and unwelcome combination in Dore.

The dog fence should make it possible to exercise both the dog and the children at the same time instead it just alienates me with the other parents and children in the park. It doesn't work, the fence is not dog proof, it looks pretty and its concept is great, but having holes at both ends where it joins the hedge renders it useless.
Dogs (even our stupid mut) have realised they just have to wander around the side to gain access to play with the children. All dogs are pack animals and don't like being separated from the pack, so any weakness in the fence is exploited. The introduction of the signs doesn't help either as my dog can't read but other parents can and this creates more friction when my dog enters the playground.

So please finish the job and make the play area secure. The Rec' is for the pleasure of all Dore residents parents and dog owners a like, so lets make it work for everybody, even these weird people who dare to have children and a dog.

Frances Joel

Ed. We have passed this letter to Sheffield Leisure Services for comment and hoped for action.

Dear Sir,

Tom Last (16) a member of the England Freestyle Ski Squad, and current holder of the King Ecgbert School Outstanding Sporting Achievement Award, would like to thank Dore Opticians for their generous sponsorship for another year.

Richard Last

Dear Sir,

When I opened my garden for the Dore Festival on 8 July we raised a record total of £367.13. This year I sent the proceeds to Refuge which is the major national charity raising money to help women and children suffering domestic violence and abuse.

These matters unfortunately occur in all strata of society and as I know from my own experience in Dore as well. 25% of all recorded crime is domestic violence and 2 women are killed each week in England and Wales by a current or former partner. Refuge needs our support to provide Refuges and run its 24 hour National Domestic Violence Help line on 0870 599 5443.

I had a lovely letter from Refuge and they asked me to thank everyone who supported me, so I thought this letter would act as a general thanks to everyone.

I hope to see you all again next year ? I promise not to run out of meringues!

Agnes Grunwald?Spier,
Heath Court, Dore Road.

Dear Sir,

Since, in the run up to the General Election, all political parties claimed to know what voters want by "listening to the people", isn't it high time that local democracy had much more say in local decision-making? I am thinking in particular of planning decisions taken in the face of local opposition, and the impotence of our local planning authority to implement the few restrictions they try to place on developments.

In my neighbourhood, consent has been given to build - overlooking a hard-won recreation ground and children's play area - a three-storey block of flats which will remove trees and disfigure the skyline. Vigorous opposition from local councillors was ignored.

Very recently, a traditional farmhouse and outbuildings on a village green have been converted into several modern dwellings, using materials which are inappropriate to the location and setting in a Conservation Area. Requirements laid down by the Council Planning Department have, so far, been flouted.

The root problem lies with Central Government who currently dictate local planning procedure. This may be convenient but it is not democratic. If local people are not allowed to take an interest in their local area, what hope is there for the environment nationwide? And will not future generations despise us for carelessly squandering their heritage?
In the interests of democracy local councillors must be allowed to speak - AND VOTE - in Local Authority Planning Committee Meetings.

Pat Pryor
Ed. This letter was originally published in the Sheffield Telegraph in June as 'Letter of the week'.

Dore Traffic Schemes

July provided a welcome surprise for Dore, with the news that an area-wide speed management scheme for the village had come top of a new Council priority list.

In the past, deciding which traffic schemes should proceed has been the subject of hot political debate. Now for the first time, all existing requests have been assessed and prioritised using a fixed set of criteria. This includes considering a scheme's effect on such aspects as road safety, the environment, job creation and public transport accessibility.

The result was to put a scheme for trying to improve safety on a number of key Dore roads used by through traffic as top priority. Other schemes effecting Dore are also likely to be acted upon including; speed management and pedestrian facilities on Savage Lane, the High Street and Long Line; improvements to the junctions of Bushey Wood Road and Dore Road with Abbeydale Road South. Improved footway provision from Kings Croft to Furniss Avenue is also under consideration. Schemes already in hand such as that in front of the Causeway Head Road shops are not affected.

The Dore Village Society welcomes this recognition of our traffic safety concerns in the village and the adoption of five of the six danger reduction schemes it submitted earlier this year to the Planning Transport and Highways Department. No decisions have been taken on what action should be taken on each scheme and it is expected that the main one will take a year to adequately consult, develop and implement.

We expect everyone will get a chance to contribute to this process and the society will be keen to ensure that there is a holistic approach to all the schemes and related initiatives, such as encouraging walking to school and designating Whitelow Lane as a 'Quiet Lane' with appropriate speed restrictions.

Did you know?

Dore must be plagued by phantoms. At least how is it that you can never catch some people in the act?
Phantom horse riders in Ecclesall Woods, leaving piles of evidence on footpaths instead of bridleways, having strayed, along with their two wheeled accompanists, from their designated routes. Phantom drinkers, and litter louts, spreading their detritus around the village in the dead of night, having failed the intelligence test on learning how to use a rubbish bin. Phantom cars that speed through Dore during the morning and evening commuting rush, never caught by the phantom police who set their traps at any other time than when they are really needed.

And while we are on the subject of phantoms, perhaps they run the highways department, given the seemingly endless wait for yellow lines at the bottom of Dore Road. These do not seem too much to ask for, but then spending time on a grandiose government funded £350,000 scheme for traffic calming in the village must be much more fulfilling.

Almost unnoticed, we have now acquired a new open space in the form of the old dam site at Abbeydale Hamlet. Now resplendent in lush weeds, the dam floor has all but disappeared. It can only be a matter of time before someone marks out a football pitch. The fish, that supposedly went on a brief holiday, would never recognise the place. And the homeless waterfowl have long since sought asylum elsewhere.

Farmers Markets

The farming industry as a whole has taken a dreadful hammering as a result of the foot and mouth crisis. At the same time we can be less and less sure of where supermarket produce comes from, given their need to purchase in bulk and to supply branches throughout the UK. So any scheme that allows us to buy direct from local suppliers has got to be good for them, for us, and probably for the community as a whole.

Some specialist farm shops now exist, such as the Original Farmer's Market shop on Market Street, Bakewell (01629 735 425), where all produce is guaranteed to come from local farmers and producers, with craft items made from local raw materials were possible.
Sometimes you can buy direct from the farm, Totley Fruit Farm (236 4761) for example or Troway Hall Farm, Troway-just past Coal Aston (01246 410 329), where they butcher their own lamb, pork and beef.

Then there are larger Markets. In Chesterfield Farmers Market (01246 345 999) you can get country crafts and produce on the second Thursday each month or in Bakewell on the last Saturday (01629 813 777).

Finally why not ask in your local shop where their produce comes from and what is locally produced. Several use local suppliers, Liberty Foods Farm Shop in Totley (236 0583) specialise in beef from their own farm in Dore, and aims to buy other locally produced meat where possible.

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