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!

 

Music round-up

 

ECHO’s area is very well served for live music, with more than a dozen venues hosting performances to suit many tastes.  Here are some upcoming highlights.

Friday 7 February sees Roddy Radiation and the Skabilly Rebels play at the Arches Music Venue, with old school punk support from the Army of Skanks. Roddy is perhaps best known as guitarist with the Specials but here he takes centre stage with self-penned songs that fuse the driving rhythm of ska with the gritty, hard edge of rockabilly.

Seriouskitchen.
Seriouskitchen.

With the current popularity of Nordic novels and detective dramas, there should be considerable interest in The Whispering Road, a combination of brooding traditional Scandinavian music and dark storytelling.  Vividly brought to life by international touring group seriouskitchen, The Whispering Road promises to lead the audience on a fantastical journey to a land where every bird and beast has power and every encounter a deeper purpose. The three members of seriouskitchen are renowned storyteller and singer Nick Hennessey, Vicky Swann, who is the UK’s leading expert in the Swedish nyckelharpa (keyed fiddle) as well as playing the Swedish bagpipes and willow flute, with arranger and composer Jonny Dyer, who also plays guitar, bouzouki, accordion and kohorn. More information, video and music, can be found at their website, while you can catch the show at the Albany Theatre on 13 February.

Coventry promoters Fargo Tours hold a band night at the Arches on 22 February, with indie, ska, hip-hop and dubstep from Karl Phillips and the Midnight Ramblers, indie-rock rappers the Strangers, hip-rock from Olos and the Jonny Concrete Band’s blend of hip-hop and jazz.

Also at the Arches is infamous punk band the Lurkers, who show that they still ain’t got a clue when they play on 28 February. The Lurkers have played in various line-ups since forming in 1976 and scored five Top Forty hit singles between 1977 and 1979. Although they didn’t quite reach the heady heights of some of their contemporaries, the band built up a huge loyal following and has to date released more than 20 albums.  Support comes from Midlands power-poppers Vincent and the OnePotts, who are currently writing their second album for recording during April. Also on the bill is new punk band Stinkpit, made up of former members of Betty Swollocks and Army of Skanks.

At the quieter end of the musical spectrum, Malc Evans’s regular Ditch the TV! acoustic evening is at the Maudslay on Friday 28 February, featuring the haunting, emotive voice of Jazz Morley, three-part harmony from all-female trio the Pips, Kate Barry and Coventry’s own talented singer/songwriter Kristy Gallacher.

 

Action on gum removal

Earlsdon Councillor Allan Andrews has urged the city council to take more proactive steps to improve the cleanliness of local shopping districts following a rise in the number of complaints received by residents.

Cllr. Andrews has been contacted by a number of residents concerned that nothing is done to remove chewing gum from busy shopping areas, such as Earlsdon Street.

Following discussions with senior council officers, Cllr. Andrews was surprised to learn that the council has no ability to remove chewing gum from pavements. In the city centre, high pressure gum removal equipment is used, but that has been funded by local businesses via the Business Improvement District, which is not applicable in Earlsdon or other areas in the city.

Cllr. Andrews asked officials to contact the BID to see if a solution could be found, and they have agreed that the equipment can be hired at a cost of £70 per hour. The work is extremely labour intensive and it currently completes approximately 20 square metres per hour when removing chewing gum in the city centre.

Commenting, Allan said: “It is surprising that the council does not own the necessary equipment itself to provide this basic service of chewing gum removal given that it can make an area look quite messy and unkempt. Having explored the options available, it would seem that local traders in Earlsdon may be asked to end up footing the bill, on top of the significant business rates they already pay.

“Whilst it is very good of the city centre BID to allow us to hire their equipment, it is not a viable long term solution for the city council to simply say to local communities keep paying your council tax but look after yourself when it comes to basic issues like removing litter from our streets.”

 

Golf open day for ladies and girls

 

Are you interested in giving golf a go or just want to improve your game in a welcoming environment? Then Coventry Hearsall Golf Club is perfect for you.

We are not just a golf club but a friendly network of ladies who enjoy keeping fit, a variety of social activities including theatre and shopping trips, fashion shows, musical evenings and playing golf together, both home and away.

Hearsall is looking to extend the ladies’ section and we are hosting OPEN DAYS on TUESDAY 18 MARCH 1.00-3.30pm and SATURDAY 22 MARCH 2.00-4.30pm. These days are aimed at ladies and girls of all ages, whether new to the game of golf, returning to the sport after a long break or simply wishing to improve their skills.

Golf instruction is not “one-size-fits-all”, which is why at Coventry Hearsall tuition in small groups is tailored to meet individual needs.

Come along to the clubhouse, whatever the weather! Join us for coffee and biscuits, take advantage of some free professional tuition and have a tour of our wonderful facilities right here in Coventry. All equipment will be provided … just remember to wear flat shoes!

Coupled with very successful apprenticeship and mentoring schemes we are currently offering Apprentice Membership at £369 for 12 months. Full details of these will be available on the day, but if you would like more information now or in the future, on this or the Open Day, please contact Rachel or Helen on 7671 3470, email secretary@hearsallgolfclub.co.uk or visit our website: www.hearsallgolfclub.co.uk.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Karen McCracken,

Past Captain.

 

Earlsdon Christmas Tree Festival

Every year, as Christmas approaches, Earlsdon Methodists organise a Christmas Tree competition for local groups and societies to enter. This year 20 groups entered the competition, which is held in the church. The entries are judged by visitors who vote for their favourite adult and children’s tree. Since the introduction of artificial Christmas trees people’s ingenuity has broadened the scope and appearance of the “trees”, and this last Christmas was no different. It’s some time now since a traditional fir/spruce tree has won, and this time cardboard was the winning medium, with St. Barbara’s Cubs assembling a tower of cardboard tubes with projecting cardboard branches decorated with garlands and topped with a star; whilst Canley Ford arranged an escarpment of cardboard boxes decorated with leaves and nets, the boxes, being populated with cuddly and some not-so-cuddly toys – Ratty, Badger, mole, robins, chipmunks, ducks, weasels, etc., and instead of a fairy occupying the top box there was a nativity scene, with a star above.

St. Barbara’s Cubs’ winning tree.
St. Barbara’s Cubs’ winning tree.

The event attracted over 400 visitors who voted for their favourites. This proved difficult for many people, who went round several times before making up their minds, however there were clear winners in both categories. The first, second and third in each group were as follows:

 

Children and Young People’s groups:

1st: St. Barbara’s Cubs

2nd: 51st (Coventry) Brownies

3rd: St. Barbara’s Pre School

 

Adult groups:

1st: Friends of Canley Ford

2nd: Prayer Shawl Ministry

3rd: Earlsdon Gardening Club

The winning adult tree - Friends of Canley Ford.
The winning adult tree – Friends of Canley Ford.

Well done to all entrants and thank you for participating and entertaining local residents. Although not primarily a fundraising venture, the church still managed to collect about £250 for their charity – Zambuko Ra Jehova Trust, which funds the education of 30 children in Zimbabwe who have been orphaned by AIDs.

And well done to Lynda and David Pinks for organising it all.

 

Age UK home library

AGE UK HOME LIBRARY

Do you enjoy reading or listening to audio books? Is it difficult for you to get to your local library to choose new items? Or are you just not able to carry heavy books home? Then a FREE Home Library Service could be just right for you. Working closely with Coventry City Libraries, Age UK Coventry’s team of friendly volunteers will visit you at home each month, bringing a fresh supply of books, audio books or CDs specially chosen for you.

For further information please contact Claire Bullivant, Volunteer Development Officer, Age UK Coventry, 7 Warwick Row, Coventry CV1 1EX, phone 7643 3980,  email: claire@ageukcoventry.org.uk or visit the website.

 

Flats plan for Pails site refused

A planning application to demolish the former Pails Bakery in Craven Street and replace it with student flats has been rejected by Coventry City Council.

Several reasons were cited for this decision which, stripped of the legal details, can be briefly paraphrased as follows:

  1. The existing building makes a positive contribution to the historic character of the Chapelfields Conservation Area and its replacement with a three-storey structure would be out of keeping with the existing character and appearance of the street and of the Conservation Area.
  2. The proposed development did not include any off-road parking provision in an area where various uses compete for the limited on-street parking.
  3. The new building would have been close to windows in adjacent properties, causing the occupants increased overshadowing and visual intrusion.
  4. The plans would cause the whole site to be developed and did not allow for the provision of private amenity space, which would have created substandard living accommodation for future occupiers and is uncharacteristic of an area which is dominated by houses with rear gardens.

Cllr. Bally Singh, who has supported campaigners against the plans, told ECHO “It’s heartening to see the council refuse the application for the demolition of the Pails bakery building and for its proposed replacement with student flats. This decision makes it clear that the Pails building is a positive asset to the local community, and I would like to thank all the people who campaigned to save it.”