Pig farmers and prima donnas?

Diane greyscaleMany readers will remember Diane Cox, a popular and much missed therapist who offered a memorably firm massage at her Samadhi business in Earlsdon Street for 22 years, and inspiring Egyptian dance teacher who kept many Earlsdon women on their toes (and laughing!) every week.  Diane moved to South Africa last August to be with her new partner, though still keeps in touch and comes back every so often.

Since settling in Cape Town, Diane has turned her creative energies to the arts of painting and writing.  Her many Facebook friends have been awed by her growing painting skills, and now, with the (very practical) help of her partner Shawn, Diane has finally published a book she first wrote some years ago, and which we review below.  The book is a salute to Diane’s experience in the world of complementary therapy and spas, and the lessons each client brought to her.

Diane’s 30 years in the spa industry saw her working in exclusive health spas and travelling to Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan teaching massage and aromatherapy.  Locally she taught at Coventry Technical, North Warwickshire and Henley Colleges.  She was also employed by drug rehabilitation establishments, high street banks, Coventry University and Myton Hospice, and went on to set up her own workshops, meditation and spiritual awareness groups whilst also running Samadhi.

In addition to painting and writing, Diane now writes a blog containing a variety of pieces written about all facets of life she feels demand attention, and this year she is launching a new online meditation class, for those of you who fancy curling up on a Sunday evening, tuning in and floating away into a peaceful Monday morning.

Diane’s blog and links to her book can be found here.

Artwork, meditation class and other delights can be found at moonfiremagic.

 

Pig Farmers greyscaleReview of Pig Farmers and Prima Donnas – Tales from the Health Spa by Diane Cox, published through and available from Amazon.

Diane’s book is a series of amusing anecdotes from throughout the duration of her career as a beauty therapist. There are tales from the early days at college where she learnt (the hard way) that men are VERY different from women when it comes to massage as well as some inspiring stories about how she handled challenging experiences such as the first time she massaged an amputee, and being shouted at by angry naked men.

The stories jump about, but mostly it’s a chronological journey through a career that has seen Diane deal with people from all walks of life including, but not limited to, the aforementioned Pig Farmers and Prima Donnas. Diane writes in such a way that you feel as though you’re experiencing each tale with her; you feel her embarrassment as she tackles some truly hideous sounding wax jobs, her pain as she deals with other people’s losses and her anger as she defends herself against countless unwanted advances from male clients. The style is mostly chatty and light but where there are more sensitive subjects to tackle, Diane has a way of giving the reader just enough detail without pulling the mood down. If you’re anything like our ECHO reviewer, you’ll find yourself lost in her world of awkward encounters, enlightening experiences and woolly mammoth taming sessions.

ECHO survey

As some of you may be aware, we recently ran a survey asking local groups about how they prefer to receive local news, including their views and opinions about ECHO.  We sent the survey to members of NENA, SENA and CARTA and we also posted a link on our Facebook page. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey, we had a very positive response and can now reveal the results.

66% of people who completed the survey buy ECHO every month and 94% of them either read it cover to cover or read most of it. We also discovered that 87% of people share their copy with 2 or more people and that the most common age group amongst our readers is 41-65.

Out of all of the features and articles included in ECHO, general local news, news from local community groups and coverage of seasonal / special events were the most popular. Features on local individuals / groups and news about local shops and businesses also came out well as did theatre/drama news and the diary of events.

As well as asking specific questions about the current content of ECHO, we also asked for comments and suggestions on any improvements we could make or additional topics we could cover. We received lots of suggestions and we are currently looking into implementing a number of them including:

  • Additional information on other local groups / organisations – we always welcome contributions from local groups and would be more than happy to include information about others in the area
  • Change in layout and order – We are aware that ECHO has looked the same for a number of years and we agree that the month-to-month layout could be clearer in terms of regular pages for regular features so we will look into this
  • Classified section – we have had a classified section before and we are happy to look into re-introducing it but we would need to see about popularity

Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. We hope you continue to enjoy reading ECHO. A more detailed summary of the results can be found on the website.

 

Criterion’s three angels appreciated

My Three Angels, December’s Criterion Theatre production, was a great choice to round off another successful year for the local theatre company. Sam and Bella Spewack’s Broadway play, based on Albert Husson’s French original, La Cuisine des Anges, was a delightful comedy, played with verve and obvious enjoyment by a cast comprising both seasoned regulars and relative newcomers.

Though Martin Willis’s late 19th century bourgeois set played it safe, the audience had little difficulty believing itself transported to the living room behind Felix Dulay’s failing general store in Cayenne, French Guiana, around the year 1910. Pete Bagley’s genial but unworldly Felix made it clear from the outset why his business was in trouble, as the redoubtable Madame Parole (Christine Ingall in a gloriously “grande dame” cameo role) swept in, demanding – and getting – yet more credit. But danger threatens. Felix’s domineering, coldly calculating cousin Gaston Lemare (John Fenner) has arrived in Cayenne by ship, and the news from the docks is that he’s angling to take over the business. With him is his nephew Paul (Callum Adey), former suitor of Felix’s daughter Marie-Louise (excellently played by the teenaged Daisy Bloor), but now engaged to another, in what appears to be an arrangement more financially advantageous to Gaston than amorous on Paul’s part.

Into this sticky series of situations descend – literally, as they are repairing the roof – three convicts from the local prison. Never did a more winsome trio set foot on earth on Christmas Eve. In no time, smooth talking author of a crime passionel Jules (an assured performance by Brian Emeney), fast talking conman Joseph (energetically played by Mark Wiszowaty) and young man-of-action Alfred (Jack Hawker, who shed a certain early awkwardness as the action developed) have cooked dinner and the books, as well as ringing up some unlikely sales – strictly cash only – in the shop.

But when the comic atmosphere takes a darker turn with the arrival of Gaston and Paul at the house, the “angels” have to work a bit harder to steer things financial and amatory to a successful conclusion. If the script, despite some excellent comic lines, was occasionally a bit clunky, director Nicole Firth hardly let it show – using the angels’ verve to keep things moving at a lively pace. Alfred managed to exude enough menace, ably assisted by his pet snake Adolphe, to suggest that a sticky end beckoned for Gaston. And so it eventually proved.

But in the long night while they wait to see whether the unscrupulous businessman will emerge from his bedroom or not, there’s space for reflection, too. On whether seeming virtue may merely cloak a secret criminality more cold-hearted than that for which the “angels” have been convicted in open court; and whether there is hope for them in life ? There’s just a hint, too, that Felix’s respectable wife Emilie (a nuanced performance from Annie Gay) might hanker after the suave Jules. In the end, with the prim and self-righteous Paul having met a – frankly – timely end after an unexpected appointment with Adolphe, it is left to the dashing lieutenant Espoir (Alexander Mushore) to suggest that Marie-Louise’s future may be about to get brighter. A comedy after all, then – and one the audience seems warmly to have appreciated.

 

Forrest Medical Centre closure consultation

As a result of the 700-signature petition last year, a meeting was held in January with the Forrest Medical Centre practice manager, NHS managers and Cllr. Bally Singh regarding the closure of the Mount Street surgery planned for later this year. This will result in patients based there having either to attend the practice’s Canley site or registering with another practice.

Cllr. Singh argued that the consultation efforts had not been good enough to date and more needs to be done to find out about patients who will be disadvantaged by the move.

The NHS agreed to send out a mailshot to all Mount Street patients advising them of the changes, letting them know of alternative GP surgeries in the area and how to register if people decide to do so. The information will also allow residents to provide some feedback and possibly attend drop in sessions at the surgery. The NHS agreed councillors would be able to review this information before it is delivered to patients. A report will be compiled from this exercise and the move in general, which will ultimately be subject to council scrutiny.

Cllr. Singh told ECHO “The meeting with NHS officials was quite positive, considering the lack of consultation efforts so far by the Mount Street surgery. I urge the practice and the NHS to deliver on their commitment to engage more proactively with their patients, in order to identify those people who will be most disadvantaged by the surgery’s move to the Canley site.”

 

New residents’ association to be formed?

 

Residents in the Hearsall/Earlsdon area (that part which falls into Whoberley Ward, rather than Earlsdon
Ward, i.e. north of the main railway line) are planning to set up their own residents group so that the quality of life, amenity, and security can be improved. There is concern that the area, which has a high proportion of rented accommodation, needs more attention from council services and residents to ensure it becomes an even better place to live.

A leaflet that has been circulated in the area states: “Hearsall – Earlsdon is a beautiful, historic neighbourhood but it is deteriorating due to inattention and a handful of negligent landlords.

Our group would have some simple aims:

  • improve the appearance of the area and the quality of life for residents
  • promote community spirit and enjoy ourselves”.

A meeting has been arranged for Monday 3 February at 6.45pm, at the Spencer Club, Albany Road at which it is intended to agree the most urgent concerns and how to proceed. If you attend you will not be committing yourself to anything, just going along to find out. Children are welcome.

Residents can contact the organiser by email to: hearlsdon@yahoo.co.uk or leave their own contacts details at The Popping Cork, Melbourne Road.

A petition, placed in local shops, calls for efforts to improve the area and support measures for better security, such as gating etc.

 

The wording of the petition is as follows:

“Improve and secure the Hearsall – Earlsdon Area.

We, the undersigned residents, urge the council to improve and help secure the Hearsall – Earlsdon area in the council ward of Whoberley.

Many local roads and pavements are in need of repair. Powers available to local authorities are not being used by the council to enforce against estate/letting agent signs that constantly remain displayed, or deal with wheelie bins that repeatedly obstruct the pavements.

This area is identified by the local police as a burglary “hot spot”. The police have produced a report calling for better gating. We urge the council to use funding available to invest in a programme of gating repairs and new gates in liaison with residents and the police”.

Cllr. Bally Singh commented “I’m so impressed by the local residents working together to help make the Hearsall Earlsdon neighbourhood an even better place to live.”

 

Local author’s city history talk

As featured in the last issue of ECHO, Earlsdon writer and former Evening Telegraph journalist Pete Walters has written a history of the city, The Story of Coventry.  Unsurprisingly, given its cast of memorable characters drawn from the city’s eventful history, Pete’s work has excited a great deal of local interest.  And while he’s not on the literary festival circuit yet, Pete has nevertheless been snapped up by the talent-spotters at Earlsdon Library to talk about his book.

He will be speaking at the library on Saturday 15 February at 2pm. He tells ECHO that his talk will last about 45 minutes, with an opportunity for questions afterwards. If you haven’t already bought a copy, Pete’s story of the city whose common people regularly rose against their local overlords, and which added the “canary girls” to its population during the First World War, will have you enthralled. If you haven’t yet got a copy, you can buy one on the day (priced £17.99), which Pete will gladly sign for you.  (And if you’ve bought a copy already, you can take that along for him to sign).  The book is also available from Earlsdon Post Office, Waterstone’s, WH Smith and the Herbert Art Gallery.

 

Bike right for free

ECHO’s resident fitness freak has been back out in the area again looking for more people and places offering health and fitness alternatives for you. This time, they’ve been learning about a new scheme offering free cycling lessons to anyone in the Midlands over the age of 16 who wants to develop their skills and technique.

I’ve never been a keen cyclist; other road users (mainly drivers) scare me. But, it being the New Year and all, I thought I’d try and find out whether there was anything in the area for new or inexperienced cyclists to boost my confidence a bit and see if I could find that “joy of cycling” I hear so much about.

I did a quick search online and found a number of initiatives but there were two that caught my eye and, luckily for me, there was a strong link. The Earlsdon Wheelers is a local group for enthusiastic cyclists of varying degrees of ability and BikeRight West Midlands is a new scheme aimed at giving cyclists a better understanding of the skills and techniques required to ride in a safe and responsible manner. The link? George Matthew.

Earlsdon resident George Matthew is a keen cyclist. He started the Earlsdon Wheelers with two friends about five years ago as a way for local cyclists to enjoy leisure rides and to extend their knowledge of suitable routes to avoid busy traffic. He is now also a qualified BikeRight instructor.

“I love cycling and I do it a lot in my spare time so I got involved with BikeRight because it’s really rewarding to help cyclists progress through the different training courses,” he explains. “It’s great to see their confidence improving so they can use their bike for short journeys, commuting to work and cycling with Earlsdon Wheelers on a weekend leisure ride.” Seeing that I was a little sceptical, George put me in touch with Ian Halsey, a local cyclist who had discovered BikeRight when he wanted to get back out on his bike after an accident.

He explains: “Back in August 2012 I went back to cycling after a 30+ years gap at the age of 56. Things were going fine until June 2013 when I fell off and broke my collarbone. By November 2013 I had decided to give it another go but my confidence had been knocked so I started to look around for some training. I found out about the BikeRight scheme through the Coventry City Council website, applied online and the communication with BikeRight was quick and easy. I was offered a choice of dates and venues in Coventry.

“I did both the intermediate and advanced courses. One was held at Moathouse Leisure Centre in Bell Green and the second one at XCel Leisure Centre in Canley. Both courses were on a one to one basis and, over the 3 hour duration, consisted of a series of rides on roads introducing junctions and traffic conditions of varying complexity. The instructor would ride behind you and every now and then he would ask you to pull up so you could discuss how you were coping. I certainly learned a lot, especially about how to position myself on the road for maximum safety and smooth progress. The course did my confidence no end of good and I tackled roads that previously I may have avoided.”

So, if you feel like you could do with a bit of a confidence boost to get you back out on the roads, you can call the BikeRight team on 0121 200 2266, email them or visit the website.

If you are already a confident cyclist and you’re looking for a group to share your passion with, why not get yourself to the City Arms one Saturday morning and join the Wheelers on one of their leisure rides. “Any cyclist who is fairly fit can join Earlsdon Wheelers, starting with short rides and then progressing to longer rides once they have developed their cycling legs. First timers shouldn’t be worried about keeping up with the group because someone will always stay with them” George said.

 

HSBC Bank closure

Sadly there has been no last minute change of heart by HSBC about their controversial decision to close their Earlsdon Street branch.

As ECHO went to press the bank was due to close on 31 January and the staff had been allocated to other branches in the area.

Customers had reacted angrily to the closure plans and a petition calling for the branch to be retained was signed by over 600 people. They said that the bank has been well used and that closure makes a mockery of HSBC styling themselves as the “world’s local bank”. They also feel that HSBC is undermining the community and particularly the viability of Earlsdon Street as a shopping centre.  Customers were supported by Earlsdon Ward councillors who in turn received unanimous backing from the full council to endorse and forward the petition to bosses at HSBC.

 

Christmas competition winners

(Left to right) Meghan Tiplady (ECHO), Molly Whorlow, Steven Vates and Jeremy Bevan (ECHO).
(Left to right) Meghan Tiplady (ECHO), Molly Whorlow, Steven Vates and Jeremy Bevan (ECHO).

The winners of the Wordsearch and Quiz of the Year Competitions in our last issue were Steven Vates from Duke Street (Wordsearch) and Molly Whorlow from Whoberley Avenue (Quiz).  Congratulations to them and thanks to all those who entered.

The answers were as follows:

Wordsearch: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 

Quiz: 1. The Craven Arms. 2.Vic was ECHO’s printer. 3. Craven Crusts. 4. Love and Marriage. 5. The former City College Site in Albany Road, now known as Earlsdon Park. 6. Kendall’s Delicatessen. 7. The Cycle Speedway Britsh Final. 8. The Bethel. 9. Earlsdon Library and Lloyd’s Bank in Earlsdon Street. 10. Houses in Multiple Occupation.

 

Dear ECHO

Letter From Cumbria

I lived in Coventry for 73 years and a friend sends me your paper to read, knowing how I miss the old city.

My mother lived in Earlsdon Avenue and I lived in Broad Lane for a lot of that time.  Saturday mornings or an evening after school was library day in Earlsdon.  As I married and had two children who were educated there I began to look for charity work and often had a stall in the Church Hall for Cats Protection or Canine Defence League.

When I finished at Priory High I started work in the shop on the corner of Moor Street, selling confectionery, newspapers, magazines and cigarettes – not forgetting snuff.  Well I remember the old Street and variety of shops – better variety than the city centre.

My son went to Henry Vlll and now works in a computing job with websites, in Manchester.  My daughter still lives in Eastern Green.

Well, I’m 78 now and so enjoy reading ECHO.  So many good, happy memories.  Thank you all who are part of it and many thanks to my long time friend, Edwina, for thinking of me.

Cynthia Anson

Walney Island, Barrow In Furness

Cumbria

 

Parking Problems

I recently received a Christmas card from our local Tory councillors wishing me season’s greetings.

What I would like, however, is a solution to the horrendous parking problems near Spencer Park. I pay the second highest council tax in Coventry, yet my lovely little road has become a long stay car park. Every day cars turn up from 7am and stay there all day. Being a narrow road they park over the pavement both sides. I thought it was an offence to park over the pavement.

Road junctions at Dalton Road/Spencer Road and Broadway/Belvedere Road are both dangerous with poor visibility due to parked cars.

Friends and relatives who live near the railway station and areas of Cannon Park had their parking problems sorted out quickly. Why not us?

Name etc supplied

ECHO invited local councillor Allan Andrews to reply to this letter and he explains the position below:

I am very pleased your reader received the Christmas card from the Earlsdon Ward Councillors and trust that they had a good Christmas.

With regard to parking problems in Earlsdon, I am of course very familiar with them and can assure your readers that much work has been going on with trying to find a solution to the issue. However, there is much background to this issue which I will try to summarise briefly.

The councillors for Earlsdon have been constantly monitoring developments related to the Friargate Development and we have been able to secure a couple of quick successes for the community, particularly the north Earlsdon area. This includes securing two places for representatives from the North Earlsdon Neighbourhood Association (NENA) to sit on the Friargate Residents’ Liaison Group. When this group was originally proposed, there were no places to allow Earlsdon residents to have their say on this key issue for our area.

In addition, the developers and the city council had planned to create a No Parking Zone on Spencer Road, which would have been used as a formal “drop off” zone for King Henry VIII School, potentially pushing traffic problems further onto Spencer Avenue, Dalton Road, Morningside and Broadway. Following close working with NENA, we made representations and were able to convince the developers and the council to delay any commencement of the No Parking Zone until money is available for a local Residents’ Permit Parking Scheme.

We believe that there is no “one size fits all” approach that can be successfully implemented in the north Earlsdon area, so we are determined to find a parking solution that works for individual roads. We remain of the view that the needs and views of residents living in the area must be paramount in any decisions made. We can assure you that we will continue to work closely with NENA and local residents to ensure that the voice of the local community is heard throughout the course of the Friargate Development and discussions about residents’ parking.

It is worth mentioning that the Cannon Park scheme was funded by the University and that schemes closer to the railway station were funded by Friargate developers. Earlsdon has not secured this funding as the developers did not feel it was their responsibility to resolve an existing problem. We also had political obstacles to overcome which have now been resolved, so there are a number of reasons as to why other areas have been able to have parking schemes introduced and that we are yet to have implemented a solution. I am of course happy to respond to any queries via email, at allan.andrews@coventry.gov.uk or via post at: Cllr Allan Andrews, Council House, Earl Street, Coventry, CV1 5RR.

 

Who Remembers Private Library?

I wonder if anyone can help me? In the 1950s I used to go with my mother to Earlsdon Library and whilst on the No. 1 bus I can vaguely remember passing a house in Earlsdon Avenue which was a privately owned library.

I have asked many people about this and nobody seems to know of it.  Is it a figment of my imagination?  It would be nice if someone could confirm if I am right and any details they know of it.

Mrs A D Atkin

Armorial Road

Styvechale

 

No Mrs Atkin, you were not imagining it!  Members of the ECHO team remember the library being there in the 1970s but have no details. If anyone can help please contact us as shown on page 2 and we will share with everybody!