A HISTORY OF FEATHERSTONE
1985
AIR POLLUTION
Dr Michael Peake, consultant physician at Pontefract Infirmary, said the high levels of smoke and sulphur dioxide in the district were a major reason why local deaths from chest disease were 70% higher than the national average.
A report presented to the district council environmental health sub-committee in January said Featherstone was among the local areas at risk in relation to an EEC directive on smoke and sulphur dioxide.
A spokesman for the Yorkshire Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate said the main cause of the pollution was the enormous amount of domestic coal used in the area.
A report presented to the district council environmental health sub-committee in January said Featherstone was among the local areas at risk in relation to an EEC directive on smoke and sulphur dioxide.
A spokesman for the Yorkshire Industrial Air Pollution Inspectorate said the main cause of the pollution was the enormous amount of domestic coal used in the area.
THE MINERS' STRIKE
With the miners' strike continuing, in January a Selby travel company donated a 70 seater coach to take 60 children of striking Featherstone miners and 10 adults to Spain for the last two weeks in April. The organisers of the St Thomas' Church Hall soup kitchen were hoping to raise £3,500 for food and pocket money.
Miners began trickling back to work. By mid-January 21 NUM members had given up the strike .As the strike entered its 12th month in February the total had risen to 32.
Arthur Scargill, the NUM president, spoke at a packed meeting in the Central WMC. He praised the local wives' support groups for their work in the strike. He described the striking miners at Ackton Hall Colliery as absolutely magnificent. He said "All through, the miners here have remained loyal, and theirs is the ultimate achievement". To those considering breaking the strike he told them 4,000 men had been injured during the dispute, and four men were killed. "You ow it to men like Davey Jones and Joe Green not to go back". The photos of Arthur Scargill at the meeting, and later with members of the wives support group (not named) are from the Express.
With men returning to work all over the country, the NUM decided to organise a back to work without an agreement for 5 March. By that time the number of returning miners at Ackton Hall had reached about 150.
More than 800 men marched behind the Ackton Hall union banner through Featherstone to the Ackworth end of the pit. The NUM branch treasurer, Jack Kershaw, said the men had voted to present themselves for work at the pit and then take the day off. Two Kent miners were picketing, but Mr Kershaw said it was not broken because the men did not go to work. The NCB refused to accept us all back at 9am so we decided to go back the next day. Photo - John Welburn.
The returning miners found that 500 of them would have to be transferred to other local collieries. Redundancy was offered to those in their fifties. The Barnsley Bed/Warren House Seam was closed down because of spontaneous heatings, and the Haigh Moor Seam was in poor condition with the one face only having three months life.
The Ackton Hall Miners' Support Group closed down after raising over £6,000 to relieve hardship. The Featherstone Miners' Self-Help Group was formed in the fifth week of the strike and concentrated its efforts on helping about 200 single miners who had received no benefits during the dispute. The 26 members had collected money and distributed £2 vouchers. The organiser, Mrs Rita Laverick said newspaper articles had prompted donations from sympathisers nationwide. She added, we would like to stay together for the good of all residents. After this, you won't find many miners wives restricted to cleaning, cooking and looking after children. They have carved for themselves a new and important role within the community.
The father of David Jones, who died while picketing in Nottinghamshire, wrote a book about his son which described David as "A rebel with a cause"
. The NCB announced in April it could see no future for Ackton Hall Colliery and proposed to close it in July with the loss of the remaining 600 jobs. The pit normally employed 1,100 men, and since the end of the strike 380 had been transferred to other pits and 120 had offered to take voluntary redundancy.
The local MP, Alec Woodall, warned Featherstone faced total desolation unless there were new firms to replace the jobs lost in the mining industry. Geoff Lofthouse, the Pontefract and Castleford MP who was born in Featherstone, said "What is Featherstone without its pit".
The NUM held a meeting in the Green Lane Club, and there was a majority in favour of the closure. NACODS, the deputies union, also accepted it because they could see no future for the pit. Coal production ceased in July. It was expected salvage work would go on until October.
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The end of the last shift. Manager Jack Kirkwood, undermanager Ken Harwood and deputy manager Ken Grimbley. Photo - The Express.
Twenty Ackton Hall miners, all under 50 years old, appealed against a North Yorkshire Area decision to refuse them redundancy and offer them a transfer to another colliery. The official position was they should transfer and older men at the other collieries could retire. They decided to write to the NCB chairman, Ian MacGregor.
The NCB applied in August to Wakefield Council for permission to develop part of the colliery site for manufacturing mining engineering equipment. It was hoped to lease it to a midland equipment firm and provide up to 100 jobs.
FEATHERSTONE HIGH SCHOOL
Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools report on Featherstone High School, issued in January, said it had sound standards of work and excellent teacher/pupil relationships Exam results were good and lessons conducted in a courteous and friendly way. The buildings were clean and well maintained and there was a good match between the expectations of the staff and the abilities of the pupils.
THE ROVERS
In February a night time fire wrecked the main stand. A committee man, Richard Evans, said he had been put in charge of a £100,000 appeal fund, and unless it was raised the club could go out of existence at the end of the season.
He said the club had not received any insurance money for the former social club which had also burnt down, and the watch now pay later scheme for the miners had still not brought in any money because of the continuing strike.
The club was properly insured for the stand, and the cause was almost certainly an electrical fault in the switchroom under the stand. The damage appeared repairable but the heat had weakened the main support girders so the stand had to be demolished. The two photos below are from fevarchive.
At the half yearly meeting a suggestion was made to turn the club into a public company to get the out of their financial difficulties but there was little interest. Bob Ashby, the chairman, said an offer had been received to buy the whole of the club. He admitted that mistakes had been made over the sale of the former Rovers' Social Club.
Five Featherstone men and youths were in court in March charged with offences after last Boxing Day's game against Hull such as causing damage to buses and grievous bodily harm to two Hull supporters. Sentences imposed were nine months youth custody for two, 21 months youth custody for another, four months detention and 12 months imprisonment. Damage totalling £3,500 had been caused to three buses and two Hull supporters had been knocked to the ground and kicked.
In April West Yorkshire County Council agreed to give the Rovers £50,000 towards the cost of a new stand. The club had told the council many different organisations used the club's facilities. More than £20,000 had been raised from other efforts for the appeal fund.
In May the Bradford City FC's wooden stand burnt down with the loss of 52 lives. The Rovers chairman, Bob Ashby, said "Work on our stand will not go ahead until we see the outcome of the Bradford fire inquiry. We are not going on until we see how it affects us, because I am sure it will. The club would like to rebuild in concrete and steel, but the insurance policy said the stand must be rebuilt the way it was ie with wooden decking and seats".
Wakefield District Council said they would press for the stand to be rebuilt in fire resistant material. The insurance company, the Commercial Union, said at this stage discussions were still going on, and there were a lot of things to go through before the outcome was decided.
At the annual meeting in July a profit of £37,540 was announced. A new main stand would cost £250,000. and would have seating for about 800 spectators. It would not include dressing rooms, refreshment rooms or offices as in the old stand. These would be in temporary buildings until permanent buildings were erected.
In July Bob Ashby said the club had now reached agreement with the insurance company. The old stand would be demolished and a new one built with fire resistant materials. Lin Pac donated more than £2,000 to renovate the roof of the Bullock Stand. It was then hoped to install some seats salvaged from the fire damaged stand. It was revealed that under the Safety of Sports Ground Act 1975 the capacity of the Rovers ground had been fixed at 12,000.
THE COUNCILS
MARCH Wakefield Metropolitan District Council decided to use plastic bags for householders' refuse storage which would lead to fewer refuse collectors being required. The refuse collectors did not agree with the change and went on a go slow campaign with the result the weekly collection became every three or four weeks. After a few weeks the council withdrew the plan and the strike was called off.
APRIL The NCB applied to the district council for permission to extent the opencast site. Local MP Alec Woodall said it would swallow up the only potential industrial land in the town. A council representative said it was council policy to extend the Normanton industrial estate and Featherstone people could commute to that. The extension would cover all the land south of Ackton and North Featherstone down to Ackton Hall Colliery..
SEPTEMBER Residents in Railway Terrace and Post Office Road complained to the district council about noise and dust from the Access Engineering factory. The firm agreed to reduce the noise from the fans and said the car park which caused the dust would be tarmac.
The last few houses in Ackworth Road were not connected to the sewage system because they were built after the system was installed and they were too low. They had to have cesspools or septic tanks which were emptied by the district council at a charge of £1.38 per 1,000 gallons. The council informed the owners the cost would rise to £7.50 and would eventually go up to £22.50, the economical rate for the job. The cost of building a pumping station was estimated at £10,000 per house. Eventually it was agreed the residents would pay an annual maximum charge of £150 instead of a rate depending on the capacity and frequency of emptying.
The new library and community centre in Station Lane was opened by Cr Roy Widdowson, leader of Wakefield District Council. Also present was Cr Bob Smith, the Featherstone Town Mayor. The Ackton Hall Colliery NUM banner was presented to be put on display in the community centre. The photo of the library is by Dr J Gatecliff. That of the banner is from the internet.
Wakefield District Council agreed in November to take over as trustee in place of the Coal Industry Social Welfare Organisation for the miners' welfare facilities at Featherstone. It was feared the facilities would fold with the closure of Ackton Hall Colliery. There was a soccer pitch, cricket pitch, rugby pitch with floodlights, two bowling greens, bowls pavilion and a two storey cricket pavilion.
Cr Roy Widdowson of Featherstone, a member of the Labour party, was chairman of the Pontefract Health Authority and when the domestic services in local hospitals was put out to tender he did not oppose the move. This was against Labour Party policy, and the Labour Group on the District Council passed the following resolution. "In the light of the recent decision to privatise the cleaning services in the Pontefract Health Authority Area, the committee calls upon the leader of the Wakefield MDC, Cr Roy Widdowson, to resign leadership of the group and of the council forthwith."
Cr Widdowson said the decision to privatise the cleaning service was because the quote from the private firm, Initial Health Care, was much lower that the "in house" quote, but although he abstained from voting on the decision the local Labour Party removed him from being leader of Wakefield District Council.
ACKTON HOSPITAL
A report by the Pontefract and District Community Health Council in July said Ackton Hospital urgently needed a £500,000 face lift if it was to remain operational. The standard of decoration in some wards was inadequate, and the hospital kitchen was a cause for concern. Too many geriatric patients were being placed in the medical wards putting extra pressure on the nursing staff.
The health authority said improvements were to be made to the kitchen, and environmental health officers made regular checks to ensure adequate health standards. The union's regional secretary said he suspected the hospital was being deliberately run down in order to cut back its services.
1985 NEWS ITEMS
JANUARY There was a Featherstone Fencing Club in the sports centre organised by George Kemp of Ravensmead. he told the Express up to 12 members attended each Wednesday and they would like more. All you need is 70 pence (per week) and yourself. We provide the equipment and instruction. Many people think the sport is dangerous, but it really is quite safe. Photo - The Express.
Girnhill Lane WMC had a concert part called Corra Folies formed in December 1983 from 25 members who dressed up as showbiz personalities and mimed to records on stage. Their latest production, Hooray for Hollywood, gave free previews to schoolchildren and pensioners, and the two shows were sell-outs, so more were planned. The proceeds were for the Five Towns Hospice Fund, and so far they had raised £2,000.
There was concern about the number of children "glue-sniffing", and the deputy head of Featherstone High School, Mr Fred Ruddick, said he agreed that some children dabbled in it and "We must do everything we can to maintain a high standard of care for our young people".
MARCH Philip Wileman age 19 of St Andrew's Drive, North Featherstone, landed a part in the film A Private Function which won three BAFTA awards. He also had a small part in another film plus television's All Creatures Great and Small and adverts. Photo - The Express.
APRIL The adventure playground opposite Ackton Hall Colliery in Station Lane opened. It had cost £3,000 and was financed by West Yorkshire County Council and the Queen's Silver Jubilee Trust.
A "Futurewatch" article in the Express said in the past 14 years the Featherstone population had fallen by 1,290, largely as a result of families moving out in search of work. Cr Keith Wilson pointed out 86 pupils had left Featherstone High School recently and only four found a job. At Ackton Hall Colliery in 1982 there were 1,530 jobs, and in 1985 there will be none.
Sean Poole age 10 of Station Lane was seriously injured in a road accident last December and was unconscious for two weeks. When he had recovered, his parents John and Susan arranged a sponsored bed push to raise funds for the intensive care unit at Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield. Photo - The Express.
MAY Andrew Murray of Ashcroft Road and Sonia Stogden of Lister Close went with a group of friends to catch frogs at a pond off Wakefield Road. They got stuck in the mud and started sinking. Another member of the party, Deborah Worsley, went to get help and a passer-by called the police. Featherstone fire brigade turned out and got the children unstuck by putting a ladder over the pond, climbing over and dragging them out. Station Officer Ian Dransfield said both of them were in quite deeply. There is no doubt if we hadn't been called the youngsters would have gone under and suffocated. Photo - The Express.
JUNE The Featherstone and District Amateur Musical and Dramatic Society's production was Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. It was put on at the Castleford Civic Centre and about 3,000 people attended the week's performances.
Tom Robinson of North Featherstone collected old clocks and renovated them. He had 25 in his collection, with some up to 300 years old. He said it's not like any other hobby - so many hours a week. You start taking a clock to pieces and putting it back together again and you forget what time it is. Photo - The Express.
JULY Old Featherstone WMC celebrated its 75th anniversary. When it opened in 1910 a pint of beer cost one old penny. The photo is from the Wakefield Libraries Collection.
The Gala was held in Purston Park and started with a parade of floats, fancy dress competitors and a display of vintage motorcycles. All the proceeds were to be shared by 18 local charities. Photos - The Express.
AUGUST Two Featherstone sisters, Debbie Walker age 18 and Jackie age 17, were feared to have been swept out to sea off the Filey coast. They were last seen in the sea near the beach in a flimsy inflatable dinghy. A massive sea and air search failed to find any trace of the girls. Photos - The Express.
SEPTEMBER Featherstone butcher's assistant Muriel Oliver and Pontefract Policeman David Hudson were awarded the St John Ambulance Association's Meritorious First Aid Certificate. Their prompt action saved the life of Gordon Kinsey of Kingsley Avenue who had fallen through a conservatory roof and severed an artery in his arm. He ran into the road and was picked up by Mrs Oliver of Green Lane in her van. She set off for Pontefract Infirmary and then flagged down a police car. PC Hudson showed her how to use a towel as a tourniquet. It took three hours of micro surgery and five pints of blood at Pontefract Infirmary to repair the damage.
OCTOBER Revd Stuart Ramsden was re-elected to the Church of England's ruling body, the General Synod. He had been Vicar of Purston for nine years.
Members of Featherstone Miners' Welfare RL team on their annual weekend outing to Blackpool were said to have behaved like animals by their landlady. They were said to have upset other guests with abusive and rowdy behaviour. Team coach Harold Box said the incidents had been blown up out of all proportion.
NOVEMBER Lin Pac Corrugated Cases were having a £6 million expansion plan to increase output by 60%. Mr Don MacMair for the company said "We are coming to the end of a very ambitious project and it should establish this company as one of the foremost manufacturers of corrugated cases in Europe". It was hoped eventually to create another 50 jobs.
Classes for ballroom dancing and Scottish country dancing were held in the community centre in the new library. Community librarian Simon Rice said "Things are really taking off at the centre and the dancing classes are just two of the events and meetings which are regularly being arranged".
The residents of Vicarage Gardens, built about two years ago, complained to the environmental health department about the noise from the Jacquais Kennels in Featherstone Lane. The owners of the kennels said they had been there for 27 years and there had been no previous complaints from nearby residents. The new neighbours in Vicarage Gardens had been told about the kennels before they moved in and should have made their minds up then about the barking dogs.
DECEMBER More than 100 pensioners had to wait for their Christmas pensions when the money ran out at Priory Road Post Office at 11am on December 19. They were entitled to collect two week's pension because of the Christmas break, and it was late afternoon before extra funds arrived. A Post Office spokesman said "We are sorry for the delay, which was caused by an administrative error".
Nathan Shaw age 11 of Willow Lane, North Featherstone, had muscular dystrophy and was confined to a wheelchair. The local residents decided to start a fund to buy him an electric wheelchair to make his life a little smoother. The Bradley Arms pub run by Bernard and Pam Hirst was a focus point for the effort holding raffles and concerts. The Express photo shows Nathan with his father Alex behind, singer Scott Powell (left) and Pam and Bernard Hirst.
