Contents and Excerpts from past Newsletters

May 2007: AGM Agenda and  Editorial by Chris Venables encouraging a good attendance at the AGM; Secretary and Planning group reports; NENG Annual Statement of Accounts; Improvements to Bus Service 10; Journeys by local transport(1); Pot holes and Bumps; letter from Sheffield's Libraries, Archives and Information; Sheffield 50+; the Beekeeper; Local Lives (Helga Hatt and May Walker); Brincliffe Oaks; remember to "101" it; Sharrow Lantern Festival; 122-126 Psalter Lane update.

June 2007: Editorial by Marian Tylecote encouraging us to support our local shops; a trip down memory lane (Nether Edge Rd); report on NENG's 34th AGM; Bomb alert (on Brincliffe Edge Rd); Wayfarer's Walk (2); Nether Edge Wildlife Watch report; Planning Matters; Brentwood Tennis Club and Hunter's Bar Junior School centenary celebrations; thank you letters from Dilys West and Sheffield Archives; plans for a Farmers' Market in Nether Edge; and Sprat's 2nd crossword.

February 2003 issue:-
WHERE ARE ALL THE HOUSES GOING? by Karen Taylor

Why not knock your house down and build lots of flats on the land? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it. BUT……….... This seems to be becoming a recurrent theme at our N.E.N.G. committee meetings at the moment. Barely a month goes by without notification of yet another planning application, to demolish a perfectly good house. We have been notified of applications to demolish houses of all ages and all conditions — and in multiples! Nether Edge, and indeed Sheffield and probably the whole of Britain, is being targeted by developers with designs on making lots of money!! Leaving us with block after block of “exclusive” apartments to blot out our sun, and clog our roads with ever more parked cars and traffic.

The buildings which are being developed (rather than demolished) are definitely smartening up the area but at what cost? We are being treated to an increasing number of heavy lorries, which bring with them heavy vibrations, noise, dirt, and rapidly deteriorating road surfaces. We know that there will not be enough designated parking spaces for all the new apartments, so that means yet more parked cars on all roads. Many mature trees, which are a major part of what makes Nether Edge so attractive, seem to be being needlessly removed.

It appears that we will soon have no areas of underdeveloped land. Every space is being built on, to overflow capacity. Where and when is it going to end? And all of this, is seeming to continue, even after we have been designated a conservation area! Has this fact been a red rag to a bull for the developers? Will this status be sufficient to resist the very great pressures we now find ourselves under? Or will it prove to be merely a gauntlet, thrown down to those who would wish to submerge us under ever more cars and blocks of flats.

Tree lined roads, mature trees, and period stone buildings are what have attracted, and are still attracting, many people to choose Nether Edge as a place to want to live, and are a major factor in making Nether Edge such a pleasant environment. Will our status as a conservation area be strong enough to keep the real character of the neighbourhood ? I truly hope so.

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October 2002 issue:-
PUTTING A GLOSS ON IT ALL, by Alan Hartland

Some weeks ago I noticed the appearance of blue graffiti on our otherwise pristine, white painted gateposts, accompanied by the appearance of similar daubings randomly up the street. I first consulted my wife to confirm that she had not commissioned some unknown street artist down on his luck, but she had not. I subsequently concluded that this must be yet another example of repressed artistic tendencies coming to the fore in some deprived young person, and finding eventual expression on the blank canvas represented by my gate posts. This, at least, is the charitable view. Tough on Art, tough on the causes of Art, I pondered?

Finding the prospect of getting my can of white paint out again unattractive, and being preoccupied with other trivia (like earning a living, worrying about my daughters A-levels and producing the Edge, to name but three), the task of repainting remained undone. Besides, I concluded, I did not wish to encourage the artist by immediately reacting to his latest masterpiece, thus conveniently justifying my master strategy of total inactivity.

I was therefore shocked one morning to find a chap busily painting on my gateposts yet again, and in broad daylight at that. This, I thought, is pushing out the boundaries of tolerance too far. For once, however, my brain operated in advance of my mouth, as I realised that he was a neighbour, and that what he was applying to my gateposts was white gloss paint! Apparently he had noticed the artwork, and as he was painting his porch or whatever that day, thought he’d pop down and slap some on my gateposts as well. It was indeed fortunate that I caught him before he disappeared, or I might well have concluded that the pressure of modern life was becoming too much for me, with visions of graffiti appearing and disappearing willy nilly.

I’m sure there are many examples of this sort of neighbourliness going on all the time — well, I hope so anyway. In a way, that’s precisely what The Neighbourhood Group tries to do. Our objectives state that we wish to: "improve the conditions of life in the community within the areas of Brincliffe, Nether Edge and Sharrow of the City of Sheffield, without distinction of sex or race or of political, religious or other opinions, by associating the local authorities, voluntary organisations and residents in a common effort to advance education, to improve the environment and to provide facilities in the interest of social welfare for recreation and leisure time activities."

Although, regrettably, no specific mention of my gateposts is made in our Constitution, the principle remains the same. It is disappointing therefore that droves of community gloss painters are not emerging from the woodwork. Next May, both our Chairman and Treasurer reach the end of their terms of office, after many years of service in various capacities for the Group. Others of us on the Committee would like a rest. When the Group was founded, over 29 years ago, many of the founder members were relatively young, but are now of course not so young. We regret our inability to attract more active young people in to the Group, as without renewal of this sort it will undoubtedly fold up, which I, in common with many other people would regret.

I have no delusions as to the limits of our influence, but I do believe the neighbourhood would be worse off without us. Neither do I have any startling ideas of my own as to what the solution is (maybe we have a ‘fuddy duddy’ image?), but I do know that if more people do not come forward, more and more work will be done by fewer and fewer people, and eventually it will not get done at all. So, if you feel strongly enough for this not to happen, and want your Edge to continue to drop through your letterbox, please have a word with any Committee member, or write in with any thoughts, ideas or suggestions you may have — they will all be welcomed and seriously considered!

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August/September 2001 issue:-
WHY A WEBSITE?, by John West

"Originally conceived as an up-to-date way of publicising the Neighbourhood Group and its doings, NENG set up a small website last November. But then, like Topsy, it just grew and grew. On it you will find just about everything that might be of interest to members and non-members alike.

Newcomers to Nether Edge now have a resource that tells them about local councillors, police, doctors, dentists, churches and youth organisations. Members get a selection of articles from 'EDGE' as well as advance information about events in the area. You can see reports of meetings and lists of contacts for all our many organisations and subcommittees. And of course you can wonder at the deviousness of Salmon and Tuna and check your crossword answers against theirs!

What about shops, pubs and restaurants, builders, plumbers and electricians? Mere lists would do no more for web-surfers than a brief glance through Yellow Pages or its cyber equivalent, while informative details would most likely open us to a charge of libel. NENG has a policy of being non-political and, since its beginnings, has carefully eschewed commercial advertising. So I think it would be difficult to engage in these areas.

Schools, however, are a possibility. Readers may remember a few 'EDGE's back, when we printed short pieces by the headteachers of several primary schools. Maybe we could extend that — but where does one stop? Secondary schools are city-wide. Even the primary schools used by members' children may reach well beyond the borders of Nether Edge and Sharrow. I would welcome your thoughts on this matter, whether privately, by email (tony.venables@blueyonder.co.uk), phone or by letter for publication in a later edition of 'EDGE'.

When compiling material for the website I have been conscious of the need to avoid unwanted publicity. There is a difference between publishing details of addresses and telephone numbers in 'EDGE', which has only a limited circulation within the area, and splashing the same information in 'cyberspace', where all the world can visit (but probably doesn’t). Please let me know if you have any misgivings about my overdoing the information thing.

Finally, if you are online [as you, dear reader, obviously are!], please look at our website critically and let us know what you think would improve it. It is there for you, not simply to satisfy my delight in web design!"

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August/September 1999 issue:-
EDGE ACTIVITIES, by Tony Venables

"A date to note in your diaries is Saturday 25th September. Many readers will remember the two buffet luncheons held last Autumn for NENG distributors at the Nether Edge Bowling Club. This year the pleasant venue is repeated and opened up to all NENG members. Space is limited, so please contact Joan Flett if you would like a ticket.

I'm sure that most 'EDGE' readers will by now have seen Jason Thompson's carving on the beech tree in Chelsea Park. To celebrate its completion everyone is invited to the unveiling of a small comemorative plaque.
In response to last month's request for views on traffic problems along Brincliffe Edge Road, an article offering a different viewpoint is included. Another reader asks whether traffic calming measures could be introduced in Chelsea Road.

Plans are reaching an interesting stage at both the Nether Edge Hospital site and the new Salvation Army Citadel on Psalter Lane. I notice that preparations for the demolition of the former council-run home for the elderly have just started.

Very many thanks to the many distributors who responded magnificently to last month's pleas for subs. I hope that after delivering this month's 'EDGE' you have a well-earned rest. As you are no doubt aware the 'EDGE' is produced on a PC using various bits of software so it makes it easier for the artworker to have any contributions on computer disk. In fact the article on Cuban dancing was probably the first contribution to be received by email. However, as one respected reader pointed out, her only means of communicating (except dictation) was with pen and paper. So please, correspondence in ANY format is more than welcome.

For a bit of fun this month, as well as "Salmon's" crossword, I have inserted some photos of local spots. How many can you identify? Answers please to me, Tony Venables. NENG are donating two free tickets for the NENG Buffet to the winner.

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October 1999 issue:-
CHRISTMAS IS NEARLY HERE, by John West

We are entering the season of leaf fall and wood smoke, Guy Fawkes and premature Christmas lights. For most of us the summer holidays are but a memory. Ah well, the days pass and it will soon be Spring before we notice!

I have experimented with a new format for the front page to celebrate Autumn. What do you think of it? One of the chief features this month is the proposed plans for the non-NHS part of the Nether Edge Hospital site. These are set out briefly on pages 3-5. Please note that this will be the first of several articles on the subject. There will be an advertised public meeting to discuss these plans in more detail, probably in November. Then on page 6 there is a fascinating piece by Joan Flett on clay pipes and a bit of their history.

There is a wealth of information about Council services but this isn’t always easy to find. On page 7 we have set out some of this information which we hope you will find helpful. There is an advance notice of the Chelsea Park bonfire and fireworks on page 11 — just in case you don’t get November ‘EDGE’ in time.

A number of readers have complained that Salmon’s crosswords are too difficult. I have therefore invited Tuna, Salmon’s quicker sister, to compile an easier one: you will find it overleaf. Please let me know how you get on. If you like it, Salmon and Tuna could alternate. By the way, there’s an older sister called Salmonella: she’s not well.

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November 1999 issue:-
YOUR CHAIRMAN DURING THE
LAST FOUR YEARS OF THIS CENTURY, by Peter Frost

I was very pleased to be elected chairman in September 1995, enjoying the benefit of considerable knowledge and interest in the Nether Edge and Sharrow areas, stretching as far back as 1928. As a local resident of St Andrews Road during the pre- and post-war periods in addition to the experiences of World War 11 when, on the credit side, road traffic was confined to a 15 minute regular bus service and only a very few cars - how different from today!

It soon became evident that a considerable amount of time and energy had to be devoted to carrying out the many diverse activities which the Nether Edge Neighbourhood Group is involved in, from planning applications to tree and woods preservation, to mention only two. During these four years, much has been achieved with the considerable help and patience of our various committee members and others.

Many saw me "Just leaning on a lamp post" in early 1998 when the illumination of the two sewer gas destructor lamps in our area was completed. Also in the same year was the 25th Anniversary of NENG, when a special edition of our EDGE magazine was produced, and two well attended luncheons at the Nether Edge Bowling Club were held to thank the many stalwarts of the Group who had contributed so much since its founding in 1973. Many will also remember the very wet June Fete held in Chelsea Park an experience of fortitude not to be missed on this "Fun-in-the-rain" day.

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December 1999 issue:-
NETHER EDGE PLAYGROUP INTO
THE NEXT MILLENIUM, by Liz Friend

Last year Nether Edge Playgroup celebrated its silver jubilee - this year we can be proud to say we go forward into the next millennium. The Playgroup, which is very much community based, has close links with NENG who founded the original group in 1974. However the transition will mean change: we are in the process of appointing a new Leader and will move to new (improved) premises in 2000/2001.

It has been a difficult year for playgroups nationwide. Many playgroups have been forced to close due to lack of numbers. As new approaches to pre-school care are introduced, including free nursery places for three year olds, this trend looks to continue. At our playgroup we feel our success is being based in the heart of our community: offering parents and carers the chance to get involved in their child's pre-school care and learning together through shared play. Many lasting friendships,of both parents/carers and children, have been forged at Playgroup. We feel we offer a relaxed and friendly place for everyone to come together and most importantly have fun whilst learning new skills.

The playgroup meets at St Andrew's Church Centre adjacent to the church which is now in the process of being demolished. There is no disruption to Playgroup and we will continue to meet there for the foreseeable future. However the good news is that St Andrew's Psalter Lane (the joint Anglican/Methodist church) are This will be a superior venue with the needs of Playgroup and Toddler Group taken into account at the planning stage. We will not need to move out of the Church Centre until the new facilities are available thus providing continuity of care for our children. New beginnings The Committee would also like to take the opportunity to thank Helen linkhorn, our Playgroup Leader for nearly two years. Helen, who is a qualified nursery teacher, has worked very hard over this period and has made playgroup a happy, fun and stimulating place. Helen can no longer act as Leader as she goes off to have her fourth child in the New Year (yes, she really does love children!). Everyone from Playgroup wishes her the very best for the future and we hope she'll continue to be a regular visitor. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the success of Playgroup this year including all those who have been regular helpers. See pages 5 & 6 for some seasonal activities for children. This will t)e a superior venue with the needs of Playgroup and Toddler Group taken into account at the planning stage. We will not need to move out of the Church Centre until the new facilities are available thus providing continuity of care for our children.

The Committee would also like to take the opportunity to thank Helen linkhorn, our Playgroup Leader for nearly two years. Helen, who is a qualified nursery teacher, has worked very hard over this period and has made playgroup a happy, fun and stimulating place. Helen can no longer act as Leader as she goes off to have her fourth child in the New Year (yes, she really does love children!). Everyone from Playgroup wishes her the very best for the future and we hope she'll continue to be a regular visitor. Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the success of Playgroup this year including all those who have been regular helpers.

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February 2000 issue:-
OUR NEW MILLENNIUM, by Margaret Jakubowska

We are now in the year 2000. It was a revelation to be here in Nether Edge as midnight struck. I watched the sky light up all around us with bursts of fireworks as far as the eye could see. Then we watched television reports through the night showing how other countries around the world celebrated the entry of 2000. Of those people I’ve spoken to in Nether Edge who stayed up to see in the New Millennium, each was struck with a sort of wonder. I challenge anyone to point to a time in the history of mankind when one thought has been with the population around the world. One single thought, crossing time zones and circumscribing the globe as it turned on its axis. There was such an enormous build-up to the moment that many of us felt a sense of anti-climax when chaos didn’t take over at the stroke of midnight. Instead there was a general feeling of calm, order, peace and unity. although the threat of computer failure was very real, those who understood the potential for chaos had been dealing with the problem for a long time and had successfully eliminated it — a pretty staggering achievement which has received less acclaim than it deserves. It goes to prove that a non-crisis event is no news at all.

It was a comfort that people throughout the world by and large proved to be in search of peace and unity rather than war, evil and chaos. I don’t suppose there will be another event in my lifetime which will demonstrate that feeling again. We are told that incidents of crime were less than for a normal New Year’s Eve. The hospitals were manned as if for a nuclear holocaust but the evening passed with no greater trauma than any other public holiday.

The entry of 2000 was celebrated by people of many different religions and creeds alongside those of no religion whatsoever, without a thought as to why this should be. Some Christians had the distinct feeling that others were trying to muscle in on their party. I believe that this was not a religious celebration at all: it was a collective triumph for the human species and their development of civilisation, Greenwich meantime and twentieth century communications — but most of all a triumph for world unity.

Before Greenwich meantime was introduced globally, for thousands of years people in all parts of the world marked the passing of the generations beginning from some event relevant to their particular past. They made use of astronomical observation and lunar variation. They marked the passing seasons and noted incidents of disaster and triumph. For many illiterate societies time was still measured from events purely relevant to their local experience. The Julian calendar was begun in the time of Julius Caesar because the old Roman calendar, started ab urbe condita i.e. from the founding of the city of Rome, was becoming inadequate for the needs of a growing empire. Julius Caesar consulted the Alexandrian astronomer Sosogenes in 48 BC following his conquest of Egypt. The calendar he adopted in 709 a.u.c. (now known as 46 BC) was identical to the Alexandrian Aristarchus calendar of 239 BC, consisting of a solar year of 12 months and 365 days with an extra day every fourth year.

The system of numbering AD was instated in about 527 AD by the Roman abbot Dionysus Exiguus on the assumption that Incarnation had occurred on 25th May in the year 754 a.u.c., with the birth of Jesus occurring nine months later. Thus, he designated 754 a.u.c. as year one AD, although it is generally thought his estimate was off by a few years and there is some uncertainty as to whether he identified 1 AD with 754 or 753 a.u.c. From this stems the controversy as to whether the first year of the first Christian millennium should be counted from 1 AD or from the preceding year. The average length of a year in the Julian calendar is 365.25 days. This differs significantly from the ‘real’ length of the solar year, itself a matter for discussion among astronomers. This error accumulates over the years and, after 131 years, the calendar is out of sync by a whole day. By the time of the sixteenth century, Easter was slipping into summer and the Catholic Church was having trouble determining the dates of the various Christian festivals. For that reason it was necessary to make changes. although the change was initiated by Pope Paul III, it was not until Pope Gregory XIII had been elected that the decree was made. In 1582 he decreed the removal of ten days from the calendar, causing a jump from Thursday 4th October to Friday 15th October. The rule for leap year was changed and the first day of the year was set as 1st January. The position of the extra day in leap year was moved from the day before 25 February to the day after 28 February.

The new calendar was adopted by several Catholic countries in 1582 and others followed over the next few years. By the time the Gregorian calendar was adopted in britain and its colonies, in 1752, it has drifted off by one more day and required a correction of eleven days. So Wedneday 2nd September was followed immediately by Thursday 14th September in that year.

It is useful to know that the Julian calendar was used by the general population long after the Gregorian was officially introduced. Events were variously recorded in the 17th and 18th centuries depending on which calendar was used. New Years day was celebrated in different countries on different days: either 1st January, 1st March, 25 March or 25th December. 1st January seems to be the most common but in the colonies it was more usual for 24 March in one year to be followed by 25 March of the next! Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar by 1873, Eastern Europe during 1912-1918 and Turkey as late as 1927. The Eastern Orthodox churches adopted a modified Gregorian calendar in an attempt to achieve greater accuracy: 1st October 1923 (Julian) became 14th October.

The date of Easter is fixed by modern lunar astronomy now but the legacy of Pope Gregory remains with us. For the Christian world, which expanded on the heels of the Roman Empire builders and eventually replaced the Empire in influence, the calendar was important to mark events relevant to the church year. However, it was only through the introduction of Greenwich meantime that the big 2000 exists at all as a world-wide phenomenon. So, if the Christians were celebrating the birth of Christ, it was because England remained a Christian country throughout the time of its scientific development and at the time of the introduction of GMT.

The TV film Longitude made me think. Just as the Julian calendar was devised as an offshoot of the march forward in the Roman conquest, so the Gregorian calendar was intended to unify the Catholic world in its celebration of Christ. Greenwich time was carried round the globe, not because the carriers wanted to bring this news to the rest of the world, but because the navy wanted to pinpoint their position, so that ships might plot their courses predictably, to avoid disaster and loss of life at sea. This gave the King’s Navy the ability to ‘rule the waves’.

The final acceptance of GMT world-wide was not until as late as 1884, at an international conference in Washington. The introduction of the designation CE (Common/Christian Era) rather than AD enables Christians and non-Christians alike to unite in their recognition of a single method of measuring the future.

As with all great events, it was the result of many lesser events that had gone before, each crucial in bringing us to this point in time. It was an undeniable path towards greater unity. But that outcome was never the intended goal of the participants. If Dionysius Exiguus’s calculation had not been accepted for the birth of Christ and ‘year one’ had remained 46 years earlier, we would have been celebrating the second millenium shortly after the second world war at about the time of Stalin’s death! How very different that would have been. like the sailors of the past, let us all be happy to know we have come this far, and even happier that we can tell others how far we have come, in a language they too understand.

July 2004 issue:-
CHANGES IN NETHER EDGE by Chris Venables

Summer is just about here and I hope the good weather continues. The gardens in Nether Edge are looking super. Sue Bolger has asked me to thank everyone who came to her plant sale last month: she raised £242 for SWASS.

Several articles in this month's EDGE refer to our Conservation Area status: one with regard to planning issues and another encouraging us to consider how the Nether Edge shopping centre could be enhanced. The next Area Panel where local issues can be raised is at 7pm on Thursday 1st July at the Salvation Army citadel.

Wildlife in the are is not forgotten, as a report on the first meeting of the Wildlife Group mentions some of our local sightings. Please not that they are organising a walk around Brincliffe Edge Woods and Chelsea Park on Monday 5th July. Talking about Chelsea Park, the latest information from Sheffield Council about the planned development there is that a contractor should be identified within the month and work commence soon after — but don't hold your breath. I'm a celebration will be called for when the project is finally completed.

We will shortly be planning our Autumn buffet lunch at the Nether Edge Bowling Club. This is for all past and present newsletter distributors (please note that more distributors are always needed) and all will be very welcome. It will also give us another opportunity to thank Joan Flett, following her retirement from the Committee.

July 2005 issue:-
OPENING OF CHELSEA PARK PLAYGROUND by Marion Tylecote

Though the weather could have been kinder, there was an excellent turnout to finally see the playground opened. The Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress seemed pleased to be there and, after a short speech, the Lord Mayor cut the ribbon, a crowd of children surged forward and set about making the best of the equipment.

NENG and the Planning Department joined together to provide a folk band for the occasion and free refreshments, brought in by Jillian Missen, were available for all. There is still work to be done on the surround and, as it seems unlikely that the ground will be prepared as promised, some members of NENG will be carrying out their usual sterling work and sorting the area out!

The recent fine weather has brought plenty of families into the Park and the Playground is finally proving to be the asset we all hoped for so long ago. If you want to help in the Park, join the Friends of Chelsea Park; details from Marion Tylecote, 255 7323.