THE FEATHERSTONE ........CHRONICLE....... ...........the 1990s..........: 1992

A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE

1992

THE ROVERS

At the Rovers half-yearly meeting in January chairman Eric Gardner said they were planning to build nine executive boxes at the railway end of the ground if finance could be arranged. The club had been in touch with the Home Office to increase the ground capacity from 6,125, but had been told without further safety work they could not appeal against the current figure. They were still in negotiations to buy back the ground.

The club received a grant of £50,000 in July from the Foundation for Sport and Arts. .
Coach Allan Agar resigned in August for personal reasons. He was replaced by John Dorahy, assistant coach at Newcastle Knights in Australia.
At the annual general meeting a profit of £46,468 was reported. Eric Gardner, chairman, highlighted the cost of players wages which last season cost £372,987. He said in his opinion players should be paid when they played, instead of the current contract system. The club was going to get all the players contract to finish at the same time and then consider changing them. He admitted the club had met a group of business men interested in turning the club into a limited company, but only the members could approve such a move.

Terry Mullaney, who ran the cashline scheme said it has raised nearly £500,000 since it started and the club could not do without it. Steve Wagner was in charge of sponsorship which had raised £100,000 in the past two years.

Rachael Timpson age 18 was crowned the supporters' club RL Queen at the club house on the ground in September. She lived at Hillam and was chosen from seven entrants. Photo - The Express.

THE COUNCILS

FEBRUARY The town council fixed a poll tax of £2.99 for the next financial year which would bring in £32,240. The Crime Prevention Panel would received £5,000 to provide locks and chains for elderly persons houses. They would do all in their power to keep the Lister Baths open although it was the responsibility of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council.
MARCH The town council decided to support calls for a referendum on whether Pontefract General Infirmary should apply to become a self-governing trust hospital.
The town council agreed to put £30,000 towards the cost of repairs to the Lister Baths. The district council was to spend £70,000 on top of the annual running costs of £164,000. Cr Dick Belfield said "The pool has deteriorated over the years due to a lack of maintenance. It got so bad it was an eyesore, and two years ago we had to have a new roof. The town council were concerned over the district council wanting the town council to pay part of the cost. We can't keep subsidising the district council every time things need doing".

The town council set up a working party on how to commemorate the 1893 riots. A centenary march and a memorial were suggested.

The disused adventure playground in Station Lane was being considered as a car park for the new station. The town council said it would be a great benefit for users of the new trains.

APRIL None of the people in 32 houses in Allison Street and Clayton Court could vote in the general election because the canvassers for the electoral register left them out. One disgusted resident said if the council didn't know where they were for the register how did they all receive their poll tax bills.

The Chamber of Trade were at odds with the town council after the council ignored their offer to provide trophies for the gala. The council said Lin Pac were providing most of the trophies, and sponsorship was needed from Lin Pac because the district council had stopped making a grant for the gala.
The district council had plans to build 28 houses for rent between the old Ackton Hall Colliery railway bridge and Cedar Walk. When built they would be sold to Ebor Housing Association but the council had the right to place tenants from their waiting list.
The three Featherstone district councillors said they were going to speak against the proposed bypass at the forthcoming public inquiry. They said the proposed Western Relief Road would cut across four public footpaths, used by Featherstone people, and green belt land, and there would be a bottle neck at the Queen's Hotel. Pontefract, forcing drivers through Featherstone.

MAY The district council election result was:

Steve Vickers (Labour) 2,203
Thomas Steele (Conservative) 344

Dick Belfield was elected Town Mayor to succeed Roy Beckett. The Express photo shows him being congratulated by the retiring mayor.

Parents at St Thomas Junior School, George Street, numbering 320, signed a petition complaining of dog fouling on the playing field which had to be cleared before games could be played. The outcome was British Coal Opencast agreed to donate 500 yards of chain link fencing and fence posts, Wakefield Council agreed to pay £1,700 towards the cost of building it, the school paid £500, and Featherstone Town Council paid the remaining £1,200. Cr Steve Vickers said "We are not looking for confrontation with dog owners, we are looking for co-operation to make Featherstone a cleaner and safer place to live in". His remarks also referred to Purston Park.

JULY The district council and Featherstone traders agreed a compromise over the proposed pelican crossing in Station Lane. it was to be opposite the library and three traders were concerned it would affect loading and unloading because of the zig- zag lines. it was agreed to shorten the length of the zig-zag. It was said 400 persons crossed the road every hour, and there had been 12 accidents in five years. The photo showing the proposed site is by Dr J Gatecliff.

The district council were having second thoughts about the Ackworth/Pontefract bypass after many objections. The Port Wakefield project at Whitwood now needed to be considered.
DECEMBER A dog loo was opened in Purston Park by Town Councillor Charles Keith. It was hoped dog owners would use it to dispose of their dog's faeces. It would be cleared every two weeks by someone carrying out a community order from the law courts as part of their sentence.

CLAYTON ENTERPRISES

Ian Clayton, a member of Yorkshire Arts Circus, had two ideas in February. The first was to open an art gallery in the back bedroom of his home in Harris Yard, Station Lane. The first exhibition would be of his own paintings plus pictures and sculpture of miners by Harry Malkin. He said There is an increasing awareness among people towards art, and i thought it was about time we had a gallery. He added, it would only be available to the public by appointment because of his other commitments. The Express photo shows Ian with Harry Malkin.

The second was, with the impending centenary of the riot at Ackton Hall Colliery, to stage a dramatic account of the riot. He said "My ambition is to close off Station Lane and use laser and video technology with an orchestra on a raised platform above the actors".

He was appealing for sponsors and said the BBC had already expressed an interest in his production. If he could not raise the money he would press on with a smaller production. He wanted to do something people would talk about for the next 100 years.

He applied to Featherstone Town Council for a grant of £33,000 for his street play, or £5,000 for a smaller play in the library and community centre, but he was turned down. In March Cr Dick Belfield said the council could not afford it because of the cost of refurbishing Lister Baths. They would offer the facilities of the library and community centre free of charge.

THE GALA

Cr Charles Keith told members of the Featherstone Chamber of Trade in April the Gala would be running for a full week. He said the gala had been built up from a simple afternoon event to a weekend event and now a full 10 days programme was arrainged including cricket matches, swimming galas, a St Wilfrid's Catholic School gala, a teddy bears' picnic for children in the precinct, an OAP concert and free bingo with prizes donated by Lin Pac Plastics, and a play on the environment and droughts also in the Community Centre.

On Gala day in July it was raining but 2,000 people turned up to see the floats arrive after their journey from North Featherstone. They did not drive onto the grass in the park because of the fear they might get stuck. Cr Dick Belfield crowned the Gala Queen, Emma Wilstrop age 16 of Featherstone High School.

The falconry display was scaled down, and the Fleur-De-Lys majorettes postponed their performance until Sunday when the sunshine brought out a good crowd to watch them.

The Express photos show spectators in Station Lane with umbrellas and rainwear, pirates in the parade, and Tweedledum and Tweedledee aka sisters Mrs Margaret Townend and Mrs Wendy Rowlinson who won the open age fancy dress competition.

Gala Queen photo - Emma Louise Varley (Featherstone Bygone Days)

A NEW STATION

The new stations at Tanshelf, Featherstone and Streethouse were officially opened in May. The ceremonies were performed by Cr Brian Bullock, vice-chairman of the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority, the Mayor of Wakefield Cr Gerry Andrews, and Featherstone councillors Graham Isherwood, Peter Wroe and Steve Vickers who arrived at Tanshelf by train. Schoolchildren boarded the train at Tanshelf for the round trip to Featherstone and Streethouse. They were joined by more at Featherstone. Photo - The Express.

The following photos by Betty Longbottom (Geograph) show the north platform and the south platform. Unlike the original station they were placed one each side of the level crossing.

THE BYPASS

The Ackworth and Pontefract proposed bypass cropped up again in November. Featherstone councillors had objected because they claimed the Pontefract end would be a bottleneck and force traffic through Featherstone to the motorway. Now it was proposed to add a leg from Went Lane to Commonside Lane and the Ackton bypass which it was claimed would solve the problem and provide a link to the new Wakefield Europort.

Cr Wayne Jenkins, chairman of the transportation and highways committee, said "I appreciate any major new road scheme causes concern but I firmly believe the new branch road addresses the fears of Featherstone people that former bypass plans would lead to traffic short-cutting through the village to the westbound M62".

Cr Graham Isherwood resigned as chairman of the housing committee. He said "I no longer feel I can be a front bench member of the council and continue to vote against the Labour group and council on the issue of the bypass. There has been no public consultation over the stretch of road bypassing Featherstone and we have been offered no alternatives. Surely the people of Ackton might want to be considered before the Ackton link is approved?",

1992 NEWS ITEMS

JANUARY Violet Stogden of Huntwick Drive bought an eight weeks old Vietnamese pot bellied piglet. It grew to be a four stone pig and the council said she couldn't keep it because it didn't qualify as a pet. It was taken away to Wakefield City farm. She said "I miss him very much. He was better than a dog, more intelligent and really lovely. He lived in an outhouse and would come in and out of the house when he felt like it". Photo - The Express.

Mr Stan Hartley, owner of the Miners' Welfare building, said now the two top floors had been demolished he was considering putting a concrete floor over what remained and building a new floor above. He said "Everyone in Featherstone is asking what I will do with it. The whole town has a soft spot for the Welfare".

Pontefract Health Authority put up the whole of the Ackton Hospital site for sale. There were ten buildings in nine acres of land. Planning regulation stated the site could only be used for a hotel, school, private nursing home conference centre, leisure park or college.

Richard and Peggy Oldfield of Throstle Crest, Ackton, had saved for two years to book a 12 days trip to North Africa and the Canary Isles to celebrate their golden wedding. Days before they were due to leave, Peggy slipped on black ice when returning home from a ladies social evening at Old Featherstone WMC. She broke her ankle so the holiday had to be postponed. Photo - The Express.

FEBRUARY Pontefract Police put up notice boards at all the high schools, including Featherstone and St Wilfrid's as part of a new safety awareness programme. There were leaflets on driving licences, juvenile offenders, assaults on women, domestic violence, calling the police and other matters. Photo - The Express.

MARCH Featherstone High School workshops won the contract to supply Midlands firm Java Jewellery with display stands for Harrods in London. The technology pupils made £9 profit on each stand.

Mrs Roseanne Eaton age 40 of Wellgarth Road was a lollipop lady outside Featherstone High School. She was on the footpath with four schoolgirls when a car swerved and ran into them. Mrs Eaton had a leg broken and all the girls had minor injuries. The car driver, Wayne Shepherd of Crofton suffered serious cuts to his forehead.

A new firm, Corporate CMT, had taken over the Gaunsons premises in Featherstone Lane with the aid of the Yorkshire Small Firms Fund. They had contracts with the Boy Scouts Association, Wallace Arnold, British Gas and London Underground, and employed 90 staff. The Express photo shows Arthur Finch production director (the same job he had with Gaunsons) and a Wallace Arnold jacket.

A Featherstone team of young gymnasts won the gold medal at the White Rose Competition in York. They were seven-year-olds Kate Reeve, Rachel Pickin, Naomi Rothwell, Lyndsay Adams and six-year-old Penny Wood. The Express photo shows Kate Reeves, Rachel Pickin, Penny Wood, Naomi Rothwell and Lyndsey Adams.

APRIL Donald Whitcombe, a garage owner on Pontefract Road, offered a £500 reward after a weekend raid in which £25,000 of tuning equipment and tools were taken.

The general election result was:
Derek Enright (Labour) 29,942
Garnet Harrison (Conservative) 7,867
Valerie Megan (Liberal) 4,459

Pontefract District Crime Prevention Panel donated a caravan to Ackton Hospital Radio because their old caravan was almost dropping to pieces. Presenter John Else said Radio Ackton was in great demand at summer fairs and other events. I've got fond memories of Ackton, but now the hospital it up for sale and the patients have been transferred to PGI there is no reason to stay". They were about to move from Ackton Hospital after 25 years to temporary accommodation at Pontefract General Infirmary.

The Gospel Hall was about to start centenary celebrations with afternoon tea on Easter Sunday and an open day on Easter Monday followed by a children's day. Photo - personal.

MAY Gerry Windmill age 64 retired as manager of Lister Baths after nearly 40 years. Photo - The Express.

Half of the members of Featherstone and District Male Voice Choir went to Cardiff Arms Park to take part in a charity concert attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Regent Street School buildings were refurbished and opened as a resourse centre to aid new businesses by South West Yorkshire Euro VIP Tom Megahy.

Laura Sunderland age three was suffering from leukaemia and undergoing chemotherapy. Friends and neighbours organised fund raising and collected over £3,000 to send the family of six to Disneyworld in Florida for two weeks. The Express shows parents Mark and Julie with children Donna 12, Joanne nine, Lee five, and Laura.

JUNE A 24 hours pool marathon at the Railway Hotel raised another £1,510 for the Laura Sunderland appeal. Landlady Tracy Smith said "Everyone really put their hearts into it and they deserve a big thank you for that". Photo - The Express.

AUGUST Raiders reversed a stolen pick-up truck through a glass and wooden frontage at Old Featherstone Working Men's Club and stole a fruit machine containing more than £200. The police were hunting for a gang of about five youths.

Pupils at Featherstone High School were given two days to invent anything they wanted from sheets of a new plastic called Plastazote. The winners, who invented a can cooler, were Paula Bonson, Samantha Waring, Elizabeth Northern, Neil Smith, Michael Hickey and Michael Sambrook.

The judges were from British Petroleum Chemicals, Lin Pac, RHP Bearings and Trebor Bassett. The Express photo shows Elizabeth Northern and Samantha Waring with a poster advertising their can cooler.

Yorkshire Art Circus was given £18,500 to fund a book about the role rugby league played in northern towns. Ian Clayton said "I have heard there are over 100 applications a day for these grants so we have been extremely lucky to get one". Photo - The Express.

SEPTEMBER Yorkshire Water were fined £4,000 after admitting causing sewage to be discharged into the Went Beck which killed 46 fish. The alarm system at South Featherstone pumping station failed.

Alison and Richard Ingram, 17 year old twins of Leatham Crescent, used to play tennis and badminton together and went swimming and fishing together. Then they went their separate ways on different education courses. Now they were back together to share their love of music. Alison was principal cornet player with Sharlston Colliery Band, and Richard had played keyboards and piano for many years. Photo - The Express.

Mrs Rose Nock of Lea Lane was presented with a cheque for £3,998 by Diamond Seal windows firm. Her name had been put in a draw in which the winner got their money back for an installation. Photo - The Express.

OCTOBER Bill Auty of Priory Road and Brian Skidmore of Pontefract spent months restoring a 1950s tricycle which they now showed off at vintage transport rallies. Photo - The Express.

Mrs Joyce Settle of St Martins Close was making three-dimensional greetings cards and selling them for the scanner appeal.. In a fortnight she had raised £26 and hoped to raise it to £50, She said "Each card takes about half an hour. It is a bit laborious but it's for a worthwhile appeal. Each card costs 30p to make and I charge 60p.It's a slow job but I feel that I have done something to help". Photo - The Express.

NOVEMBER Barclays Bank in Station Lane closed.

More than 100 youngsters from six to 13 attended a day long football training session at Featherstone Sports Centre. Qualified FA coaches gave a series of sessions aimed at developing and improving basic skills. Photo - The Express.

Featherstone and District Male Voice Choir gave two sold-out concerts in the Methodist Church Hall. John Heys, publicity officer, said despite the general decline in male voice choirs, Featherstone's was growing and now had 60 members. He thanked the newly formed friends of Featherstone MVC who had donated £500.

DECEMBER Five Featherstone friends ran in the Great North Run in Newcastle to raise money for the Pontefract General Infirmary's CAT scanner appeal. They were Lynn Lund, Angela Dibb, Christine Herrington and husband Steve and Graham Cardwell. Family, friends and workmates contributed £440. The Express photo shows from the left Graham Cardwell, Angela Dibb, Christine Herrington, Lynn Lund and Peter Ellway, fund trustee.

Sarah Taylor age four, a pupil at North Featherstone School nursery, appeared on the BBC's Children in Need programme as one of the youngsters who benefitted from the 1991 grants. She had muscle and limb weaknesses in her legs and he physiotherapist suggested a specially adapted bike would be an excellent device for strengthening purposes and enable her to mingle with others in the playground. Shropshire firm Quest 88 made the bike and provided a safety helmet and saddle bag. The Express photo shows Sarah getting a push from Carly Bowman.

Tony Lumb of Albert Street used the pen name Anthony Albert, hence his book Anthony Albert's Irreverent History of Featherstone. He said "It was never my intention to write an in depth study of Featherstone. It's people and what they do that makes history and not the bare bones of what happened". Photo - The Express.

The children at Featherstone All Saints C of E Junior School put on the pantomime Aladdin for four sell-out nights and raised £300 for the children's charity Candlelighters. Photo - The Express.