A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE
1997
THE ROVERS
The Rovers came to an arrangement in February with Prince of Wales Hospice fund-raising coordinator Joan Devey that for every person who joined the Rovers Cashline scheme through the hospice, the hospice could keep half of the weekly payment. The Cashline prize money was increased to £100 a day seven days a week.
Before the Wakefield Trinity game on Goof Friday in March the RJB Family Stand was opened by Richard Budge, chief executive of RJB Mining. The cost of the stand was funded by a loan from RJB and a £250,000 grant from the Sports Ground Initiative Trust. The photo of the stand is by sportsDB, and the photo of the plaque at the back of the stand is personal.
FEATHERSTONE GYM CLUB
Coach of Featherstone Gym Club, Grahame Dear, said in January "it was another good year for Featherstone Gym Club during which the girls netted 50 individual and team medals, and their display team had huge success". The photos are from the Express.
Back row: Kate Reeve, Lizzie Newman, Kelly Shaw, Naomi Rothwell, Samantha Dear and Kirsty Boulton. Front: Penny Wood, Stephanie Roberts and Rebecca Addison.
THE COUNCILS
FEBRUARY Wakefield Council had to make budget cuts and there were suggestion some sports centres including Featherstone could close. Newly appointed duty officer at Featherstone, Nick West, said "Lots of people in the local community use it including many of the local rugby and football teams. We are in the dark over what will happen to the centre but if we close it will be a sad loss".
MARCH Featherstone High School headteacher Tony Warden said the sports centre was managed by the school's governing body and was used by pupils throughout the day and by visitors from 6pm to 10pm and at weekends. It was losing £111,000 each year despite 3,000 people using it each week. "As far as this school is concerned I would like to say on behalf of the governing body that this centre will remain open".
Featherstone Town Council said there would be no parade for the Gala this year because they had trouble recruiting marching bands and problems with insurance for the floats. They paid £50 for each float and the schools said this was not enough.
Wakefield Council said Government proposals which would mean the council spending more money on community care in the private sector could lead to the closure of council run old folks homes.
MAY The council decided not to close Featherstone Sports Centre and instead form a steering group of Featherstone High School, local businessmen and other interested parties to report back at regular intervals. It was hoped this would result in the centre breaking even financially in the near future. Cr Graham Isherwood said "Featherstone provides one of the biggest leisure facilities in the district and it was vital it remained open. People from all over West and South Yorkshire already use it. We hope to increase that number by increasing facilities, possible increasing charges and increasing sales of goods and refreshments". Funding would be sought from the Sports Lottery Foundation and the Barclaycard Award Scheme.
The town council had a £1,500 scheme to line Station Lane with hanging baskets. if it was judged a success then next year it was hoped local businesses and individuals would sponsor the baskets.
AUGUST Cr Graham Isherwood wanted to change the tarnished image of Featherstone allotments by those renting them using them for other things such as summer barbecues. David Smith, a secretary for one group of allotment holders, said "Who will want to take on an allotment, full of weeds and the haunts of drug gangs and truants".
Cr Isherwood said Purston Park was in a rundown state and the lake was full of rubbish. Any flowers that were planted were pulled up by vandals. He blamed budget cuts and suggested the lake could be emptied and grassed or left empty until funds became available. The park would remain open, and rumours that part of it would be sold to developers were untrue.
Richard Hunter of Leatham Crescent told the Express "All but a few things have gone: the bowling green, tennis courts, boats and the boat hut, the flower nursery and all the events which used to take place there including the gala". The photo of rubbish in the lake is from the Express.
DECEMBER Wakefield Council installed place name signs sponsored by Lin Pac but omitted Purston. Some residents were dismayed at Purston Jaglin, or even just Purston, not being recognised. A spokesman for the council said "We recognise certain towns have within them suburbs and other communities. While we do not want places to lose their individual identity, it is not always possible to meet local requirements". Photo - The Express.
Town Mayor Len Garbutt switched on the Christmas lights. It signalled the sleigh ride down Station Lane by Santa Claus to his Community Centre grotto. Charity stalls and hundreds of people lined the route. The Express photo shows Jon Trickett MP in the Community Centre with Katie Sheldon and Jemma Evans.
The town council were putting together a funding drive for a new swimming pool to replace the Lister Baths. They hoped to include the business community, the national Lottery and European money. Cr Graham Isherwood said "We have a partnership with Wakefield Council to fund repairs between us. We intend to keep the Lister open for the immediate future but it's about 100 years old and needs replacing".
The town council were compiling a computer package to put on the Internet and advertise the Green Lane industrial site and its easy access to the motorway network. Featherstone High School already had over 70 web pages and had met the council to introduce them to the net.
THE SPORTS CENTRE
Funding of £29,000 a year from Wakefield Council was paid for the Sports Centre to be open after school hours for school sports, heating, lighting, a caretaker, maintenance and other support services. It was in danger of being withdrawn, and Featherstone High school headteacher, Tony Warden, said in July he was not going to dip into the education budget to make up the shortfall and soon the pubic facility would be lost. For Wakefield Council John McLeod said discussions were still ongoing for reducing the service level agreement.
A few weeks later a deal was reached whereby there would be redeployment of some staff, some redundancies and the appointment of three regular coaches who would be available on requests.
For the council Alec Thompson said the centre would be open seven days a week as normal and would still be available to children and the casual user as well as organised sports.
JANUARY St Thomas C of E Junior School received a good inspection report which praised the commitment of staff. It said the head and his staff shared a determination to provide a broad and interesting curriculum, with teachers continuing to raise pupils' standards. More than 100 lessons were scrutinised.
Bill Hollyoak took on allcomers for charity at the pool table in the Featherstone Hotel. His latest challenge was in aid of the wife and three children of Ian Hale, a regular at the pub, who had just died of cancer at the age of 38. Widow Carol of Cedar walk said "I think the fundraiser at the Featherstone Hotel is a brilliant gesture and shows just what the people in this area think of my late husband. I am sure he would be very proud to think something like this was being held in his honour".
FEBRUARY Off-the-Shelf, Featherstone's amateur theatre group, staged Beauty and the Beast in the Community Centre. The group's director, Simon Bond, said "The play is unusual because it tells us more about the back ground to the story of the beast". The group consisted of mainly teenage actors from Featherstone, but was on the lookout for new performers of any age from all over the area, Also Simon said they were looking for a new director because he wanted to spend more time acting.
Amy Wilks age 13 of Bedford Close won two bronze medals at the Harrogate open age group meeting. Although she produced her lifetime best times she was just beaten for the silver medals in the 55 yards and 110 yards events. Photo - The Express.
MAY Arsonists broke into the pavilion on the cricket ground and set fire to cricket gear, practice nets, umpires coats and other items. One changing room was badly damaged and there was smoke damage. President Ken Everson said it would not stop them from playing cricket. Gear was borrowed from Featherstone Sports Centre, and Featherstone Miners Welfare RL team's changing rooms were used.
JULY North Featherstone Junior and Infants School held a fun day to raise funds for a network of 15 computers. There were stalls, bouncy castles and a ducking stool devised and built by governor Ken Still. Photo - The Express.
English Partnerships had taken over British Coal sites including land in the Green Lane area which had been restored after being part of an opencast mine. They had given a contract to Tolent Construction to build estate roads and install electricity, water and gas to the site to be used as a business park. Jon Trickett MP said "Green Lane Business Park will provide the right conditions offering local companies and inward investors fully serviced land on which they can build". The Express photo shows from the left: John Bradley of Tolent Construction, Paul Barber of English Partnerships, Cr Peter Wroe and Jon Trickett MP.
AUGUST Cr Peter Wroe said it was taking longer than expected to develop Green Lane because of problems with ground consolidation, repair and installation of essential services such as gas and electricity. English Partnerships said they were looking at speculative building of factories on the site and they could have about half a dozen of six to 15,000 square feet.
OCTOBER Featherstone's second autumn fayre in Station Lane was opened by Mayor Len Garbutt. There were plenty of stalls plus the Wakefield Morris Dancers and the Gawthorpe Junior Band. In the Community Centre there was a dancing display by Featherstone Youth Dance and the teddy bears' picnic. Photo - The Express.
NOVEMBER A man was clearing out an empty house in Priory Road when he found an anti-tank shell in the garden shed. The police sent for the Army bomb disposal unit from Catterick and evacuated four houses. The unit arrived and discovered the shell was a spent one. They took it away and the emergency was called off.
Lily Scholes age 76 of Leatham Drive had not seen her daughter Maureen since her third birthday in 1950. Lily wasn't married, and it was the done thing in those days to give up the child for adoption. Maureen, who lived in Leeds, told the Express that when her adoptive parents died she had a growing urge to find her real mum. With the help of Walter her husband she tracked her down and they had an emotional reunion. Lily said "I am so proud of her and I am glad she has had a happy life". Photo - The Express.
Jon Trickett MP joined Featherstone Mayor Len Garbutt for the Remembrance Day parade through the town led by Frickley Marching Band. Wreaths were laid at the Ackton Hall Colliery Memorial and the Purston War Memorial.
Dean and Joanne Parker joined in the National Lottery anniversary celebrations in Castleford.They were invited because of their big win in January 1996. Photo - The Express.
Three members of the Jitsu Tae Kwan Do Club at Featherstone Sports Centre received their black belt on the same day. They were Nicholas Bale age 10, Craig Hardy 11 and Ged Thompson 11. Their instructor, John Docherty, received a fourth dan on his black belt. He said "It is a great first for the club to get four black belts at once". Photo - The Express.
DECEMBER Gymnasts Georgina Hall age 10, Claire Robinson 8, Katie Broadbent 12 and Rebecca Denton 12 all won medals at the Yorkshire and Humberside Championships in Dewsbury. They all trained with the Jesters Gym Club at Featherstone Community Centre. Photo - The Express.
