Dore Festival 2003

Dore Festival this year will be spread over two weeks. It will start on Saturday 28th June with a Village Design Workshop organised by Dore Village Society. The hugely popular Village Gardens Open Day is on Sunday June 29th, a week earlier than usual, so note it in your diaries. On Tuesday 1st July Dore Ladies Group invite everyone to their meeting and talk by Irene Haniewicz on a wartime journey from Poland to England.

Another change to this years programme is the date of the Well Dressing Service on Sunday 6th July, timed to occur as soon as the boards go up and while they are still in pristine condition. The traditional cream teas organised by the Methodist Church ladies will accompany this event.

On Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th July, there will be an exhibition of Dore Village life throughout the 20th Century, based on the recorded memories collected by the Dore Oral History Group. This promises to be a very exciting event.

Festival fortnight will also include, a family Fun Run and Lord Conyers Morris Men, the ever popular concerts and a return of the Sterndale Singers. On Wednesday 9th July we welcome back The Company who will perform their swash-buckling adaptation of the Prisoner of Zenda on the Village Green. Remember the play will go on whatever the weather.

The Committee look forward to your support throughout Festival Fortnight.

Maureen Cope, Syd Crowson, Anne Elsdon

Electoral changes

How many people are aware I wonder, that from the Council elections in 2004, the boundaries and possible name of Dore Ward will change radically?

Proposals, put forward by the Boundary Committee for England, aim to equalise the size of Sheffield electoral wards by redrawing their boundaries. In our case the `ward' will loose Low Edges and Lower Bradway, but gain Whirlow. The name of the ward may also change to reflect that it will be made up of four distinct communities - Dore, Totley, Bradway & Whirlow. The committee's report suggests Totley & Dore but the name Upper Sheaf has been put forward as an alternative by people responding to the proposals.

One important side effect of the changes will be the need to elect new councillors for all the wards in 2004 i.e. three at one go for Dore.

Mr Fisher's Ducks

"Mr Fisher's Ducks" is the title of a new story for children set in Dore Village. Written by Marjorie Dunn and illustrated by David Heslop OBE, all profits from sales of the book will go to Pearson's Holiday Fund for deprived children and other local charities.

Copies of the book, price £4.75 will be on sale from the Dore Village Society stall at the Scout Gala on the 12th July.

Abbey archeology

Excavations by Sheffield University archeologists on part of the adjacent golf course, have revealed remains suggesting that Beauchief Abbey was much larger than thought or suggested by the surviving tower and chapel.

Two medieval walls and foundations have been discovered which are believed to be remains of the Abbey's outer courtyard and boundary of the Abbey precinct. The large complex of buildings are believed to have been dismantled in the 17th and 18th Centuries, providing stone used to build Beauchief Hall.

Letters

Dear Sir,

Collective noun for ducks. Hope the following may be of interest:

There are several collective nouns for ducks:

• a spring (unfortunately this applies to teal and I don't think our ducks qualify)
• a flight (in the air, which they often aren't, even with the best attempts of impatient motorists)
• a team (maybe we should get them a new strip?)
• a paddling (on water - this seems the best one since they're often dabbling in the well by the deli or their home-made puddle by the greengrocers)

Hope this helps the Puppet Lady!

Paula Smith

Dear Sir,

I think that most drivers must be aware of the fact that although overall motoring accident statistics have improved in recent years, Britain still has a poor record with regard to accidents to pedestrians, and especially to children. A major factor of course is speeding in urban areas, as recognised by recent television campaigns, and the proliferation of speed humps.

How does one get through to the arrogant minority to whom speed limits evidently do not apply?

Blacka Moor Road is a wider than average road, and quite straight for a good proportion of its length, ideal in fact for those so inclined to floor the accelerator pedal and see just what speed they can attain before having to brake.

Other roads in Dore such as Church Lane, Dore Road, and Causeway Head Road will of course be used in this way by the same selfish minority.

I should like to appeal via your columns, to the boy/girl racer brigade, to just think about it, and imagine how they would feel if it was their child who was knocked down by someone who couldn't be bothered to observe speed restrictions.

Name and address supplied

Dear Sir,

Whatever the arguments about the 'value for money' side of the PFI schemes, (see Doremouse in the spring issue), if this was the only way we were going to replace the King Ecgbert School buildings, surely it was worth doing? The current buildings are, by anyone's standards, an appalling eyesore and a dreadful place for both pupils and staff to work.

The benefit of a new school to a huge number of village residents now and in the future should surely outweigh the views of a few vociferous individuals who stand to be minorly inconvenienced.

Name & address supplied

Dear Sir,

Re Dore Churchyard Broken Headstones.

I am writing on behalf of my wife's family, many of whom were buried in the village and surrounding area.

The family name was Bishop. Both Alf Willis and their sister, Evelyn were born at High Greave Farm and they ran the farm after their parents died. Many of the family, including the above, are buried in Dore Churchyard in a double space.

The existing family are very upset at this vandalism carried out on the instructions of the City council. The grave was attended to fairly regularly and the headstones appeared to be perfectly stable. No doubt the men involved in this operation considered it to be a safety precaution, but did anyone involved consider the feelings of these relatives before this action was taken.

Sidney Smith

Dear Sir,

In response to Marjorie Dunn's request for a collective term for ducks on the ground, I believe the answer she is seeking may be a 'paddling of ducks'.

However there appears to be a collection of different terms for specific types of ducks.

• Bunch knob or spring of Teal.
• A dopping of Sheldrakes.
• Sord or sute of Mallards.
• Flight, rush, bunch or knob of pochards.
• Team of ducks (in flight).
• Flock or gaggle of geese.
• Gaggle of geese (on the ground)
• Bunch, company or knob of widgeon (in water).
• Flight of widgeon (in the air).
• Herd or bevy of swans.

Hope I haven't ducked the issue.

Joan Beard

Dear Sir,

In a couple of years when the new larger King Ecgbert School is built and the old Mercia building (on the other side of the road) is no longer required, will this land be safe from development?

I attended one of the meetings about the new school and I recall someone saying builders would only be able to use the same area as the Mercia school uses. Is this true and how can we protect the football fields below?

I suppose I'm dreaming, but it would be nice if local residents could somehow buy the land for safekeeping..

Ian Colledge

News in brief

March was the driest in Sheffield since records began 121 years ago, with no rain between the 13th & 30th and only 38.4mm overall compared to an average 68mm.

The recycling site on Blackstock Road has now reopened following refurbishment.

Dore Male Voice Choir won the Mexborough Music Festival in March.

Developers of land taken from the grounds of King Ecgbert School have appealed against the councils refusal of their planning application to build 19 homes.

Michael Vaughan, whose wedding banns were read in Dore church recently, is Look North's Sportsperson of the Year. A more interesting claim to fame is that he will appear on the front of Wisden, the cricketers' bible. Rather like the original Times newspaper, Wisden has only so far carried print on its cover, so Michael's photo is a break with tradition and another feather in his cap. To cap it all he has now been chosen as England's one-day captain.

Well done to two New Open University graduates in Dore, Mark Brooks from Chatsworth Road who gained an MBA and Dr Philip Seagar (age 76) from Blacka Moor Road who gained a BA (Hons) in humanities.

Go to Dore to Door Past Issues