Dore to Door internet edition

Local organisations - Summer 2005

Affiliated Groups - ‘Buy a Brick’ Appeal - Dore Male Voice Choir - Neighbourhood Watch - Whirlow Farm Trust

Affiliated Groups

The Dore Village Society is a member of a number of organisations with shared or overlapping interests and objectives. These include:

Friends of Ecclesall Woods;

Sheffield Wildlife Trust;

The Ramblers Association;

Beauchief Abbey Barns Association;

Open Spaces Society;

Royal Horticultural Society;

CPRE (Council for the Protection of Rural England);

Friends of Whinfell Quarry Gardens.

‘Buy a Brick’ Appeal

Dore Scout Headquarters Refurbishment – The new scout hut (a disused Nissen Hut) on Rushley Road was opened in 1955. This building was replaced by the current sectional concrete building in 1964 but it is more than 20 years since any significant improvements have been made to the 267th Sheffield Scout Group’s headquarters. However, work is about to begin on a programme of refurbishment that will include a new extension and an upgrading of the existing facilities.

To help pay for this work, the Group is launching a ‘Buy a Brick’ Appeal. Posters will be appearing around the Village and we hope to be able to persuade the people of Dore to buy a brick or a foundation stone. When the work is completed we will not only have more room to operate but the building will be in a state that will enable us to offer it to other groups within the community for use during the day, subject of course, to satisfactory insurance arrangements.

If you would like to contribute to this appeal, please pick up a leaflet from any of the shops displaying a poster or contact the appeal co-ordinator, Geoff Cope on 0114 235 0392. Thank you.

Dore Male Voice Choir

The Choir presented its Annual Gala Concert at Eccleshall Church, on 16th April, to a full house. It was a pleasure to welcome the internationally acclaimed Kinder Children's Choir, from the High Peaks as the guest performers and the Lord and Lady Mayoress were present for the occasion.

In July the Choir will be singing at Llangolen International Eisteddford, competing in the Male Voice Choir section. This will be a big occasion and an honour for the Choir. In August the Choir have been invited by the Scarborough Council Tourist Department, to give a concert in the Winter Gardens at Whitby. This is part of the Council's summer entertainment programme.

Then in September 105 Choir members and supporters will be going to Bruges in Belgium for a week. There will be concerts in Bruges Cathedral, Ghent and a special invitation to sing at the ceremony of the playing of the Last Post at the Menin Gate War Memorial at Ypres. This will indeed be a moving event.

As you will have gathered in addition to other concerts, the Choir are having a very busy year.

David Heslop

Neighbourhood Watch

Making a Difference in the Heart of the Community.

What is 'Neighbourhood Watch' all about ? The answer's in the title - Neighbours watching out for each other in their own Neighbourhood.

A Watch can cover a few homes, a few streets, or a local area, each forming part of a wider network of Neighbourhood Watch associations at city, county & national level from whom they can draw support.

The main aim is to assist in reducing crime & anti-social behaviour in their own area by regular contact with local police & similar groups in other areas. Neighbourhoods with an active Watch usually attract less crime & feel more secure than elsewhere, and this can result in lower insurance premiums. Thankfully, crime in this area is below average, but it surprises some to learn how much actually occurs around them, which could escalate if we don't take effective precautions to avoid becoming a soft target.

Neighbourhood Watch is a voluntary organisation, and the level of interest & activity in each area depends on its residents. Some areas have no organised activity, while others have been active for many years taking advantage of opportunities to learn more about home & car security, what is happening to others nearby, and how to react if something bothers them or looks "not quite right". Some have widened their discussions to pool other neighbourhood concerns.

When a Neighbourhood Watch scheme is formed its co-ordinator can register with the local Police to exchange regular information via their 'Speak-easy' telephone system. Local signs can be erected to warn that suspicious behaviour is likely to be observed & reported.

Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinators in Bradway, Totley & Dore meet together regularly to exchange information with local community Police officers. You're welcome to join us if you'd like to know more about how you can participate to widen the active area, or replace long-serving members who'd now like to step down.

Local meetings are usually held in Totley Rise Methodist Church Hall. Jim Trotter (Tel. 236 6444) is area co-ordinator for Dore, and he'd be pleased to give details of our next NHW meeting on Wednesday 18th May.

South Sheffield Neighbourhood Watch Association also arrange combined meetings with more senior Police at their District HQ at Moss Way. At county level, South Yorkshire NHWA can give more general information via John Sturdy at their Community Safety & Advice Centre, 29 Howard Street, Rotherham, S65 IJQ - Tel. 01709 365908.

We can all make a difference if we try.

Whirlow Farm Trust

The Whirlow Hall Farm Trust is the only charity that operates on a working farm complete with education centre, offering local children, of all ages and abilities, a completely new experience.

There is a very real issue in today’s society that many children do not have any idea about where the food on their plate comes from. Whirlow ensures that after a day on the farm they realise that chickens lay eggs, we milk cows and goats for their milk and our Sunday lunch is either beef from a cow or pork from a pig. The team and teachers share the view that it is important for children to understand how the food chain works.

Pigs, sheep, ducks, goats, cows, and many other animals live on the 140 acre farm and children can meet them all! They are also able to handle some, under the watchful eye of the education team, and learn about how they are cared for. Whirlow is not just a petting farm, many of the animals will be sent away for slaughter. However, they are also reassured that this will never take place on the farm itself.

The numerous activities allow the staff at Whirlow to teach all visitors about the importance of farms and how people can influence the farming environment. Groups can spend a whole day on an earth walk that teaches pupils to explore the natural environment using only their senses. Alternatively, there are shorter tours that range from taking care of ponies to discovering the differing habitats that the farm supports. Many of the tours are also suitable for wheelchair users.

There really is something for everyone, whether it is out on the farm or in one of the three fully equipped classrooms. All activities are fun and informative, whatever the season there is something to see and farm tours can be tailored to meet curriculum needs for classes in key stage one, two or three and even nursery/reception.

Two residential units give children an opportunity to stay away, perhaps for the first time. Twelve children and two teachers can stay in The Barn or The Hall. The Barn has been adapted to accommodate wheelchair users and special needs pupils. There is no television or video, which may scare most children away if they knew but it allows for them to assist staff with farm jobs and learn to work as part of a team. Youngsters can develop their social values and gain a new appreciation for the world they live in.

The latest venture is the newly restored 16th Century ‘Help a Hallam Child’ barn that transports visitors back to the nineteenth century. With the help of Jenny Bland, a teacher/actor history advisor, children learn about what life was like in 1851 when the Furness family lived at Whirlow Hall Farm.

The children experience the opportunity to travel back in time, which seems to encourage them to question their surroundings and how things have changed. The period dress helps everyone get into character and really shows the children how different life was in the nineteenth century.

Whirlow Hall Farm Trust was founded in 1979 as an educational trust to help disadvantaged children. Since then over 400,000 children, from all backgrounds, have experienced the fun learning environment. The farm does not receive any government funding so all income must come from sponsorship or fund-raising.

For further information on visiting Whirlow, please call 0114 236 0096 or visit www.whirlowhallfarm.co.uk.

Some forthcoming events in support of the Whirlow Hall Farm Trust are:

London 10k race - Sunday 3rd July 2005

- Get fit and raise money with the Whirlow Hall Farm Trust through the streets of London.

Fruit Picking - July/August 2005

- P.Y.O. Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries etc. Open daily 10am - 6pm.Subject to availability.

Whirlow Hall Farm Fayre - Sunday 18th September 2005

- Giant Craft Marquee, Farmers Market Stalls, Children's Activites, Live entertainment, music and dancing plus much more.