6

SCUNTHORPE TELEGRAPH SPECIAL PUBLICATION Saturday, September 8, 2007

visit our website www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk

PASSIONATE
FRONT PAGE NEWS

Battle to axe toll continues

L
ONG-RUNNING Telegraph campaign Axe the Toll on Health has been a well-supported and emotional battle against the Government.
The campaign to scrap tolls for Hull Royal Infirmary hospital patients and visitors crossing the Humber Bridge was launched in March 2002. That year, Goxhill widower Barbara Peach (73) spent 200 in toll fees, parking and petrol costs visiting her sick husband over just one month. Travelling over the bridge currently costs 5 for every journey to and from the hospital. Liz Redfern, local Tory party leader, who has been in full support of the campaign for years, said: We have to keep the issue in the public domain and keep going year on year. We have to keep focused and keep highlighting the unfairness of this tax people are having to pay . People shouldnt have to pay to access healthcare or visit people in hospital, and they shouldnt have to pay to go to work. Further insult was added when the Telegraph revealed prison visitors on a low income were entitled to assistance. At the start of the campaign bridgemaster Roger Evans refused to consider lifting the toll. He said: If some other agency, such as the NHS, wanted to buy tickets from us then they are welcome, but hospital patients are only one group in the queue. But after mounting pressure from 3,000 readers and the local council, bridge officials were forced to listen. In November 2002, they voted to review their concessionary fares policy . An investigation was also launched by the council, but by April had failed to pin down who would be responsible for lifting the unfair charges. Bridge board officials said they were not responsible for concessions and it was up to health authority chiefs. But the health bosses said they had neither the legal remit nor the funds to be able to do this. And the Government washed its hands of the issue. The campaign has recently been picked up by Labour MP for Cleethorpes, whose constituency includes Barton-Upon-Humber, Shona McIsaac, and Brigg and Goole MP Ian Cawsey . Both launched Private Members Bills in Parliament, but then ran out of debating time in March this year. However, with new backing from the Minister of State for Transport Steve Ladyman and from charity Macmillan Cancer Relief, the battle continues. 2006: Grimsby Telegraph news editor Lucy Wood and then Scunthorpe Telegraph news editor Damien Brook (left) hand over dossiers of articles and letters to bridgemaster and engineer from the Humber Bridge, Peter Hill.

2002: Scunthorpe Telegraph reporter Julie Curtis hands over thousands of coupons for the Axe the Toll on Health Campaign to Humber Bridge master Roger Evans.

One of most successful campaigns to date

THE Scunthorpe Telegraph has been involved in dozens of campaigns over the past 70 years helping our readers solve problems and pushing to help local people. The Pink Rose Appeal, to raise money for a new state-of-the-art breast cancer unit, has been one of those and is the Telegraphs most recent success. Started in November last year, by July generous readers had raised more than 5,000 for the unit at Grimsbys Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital. Fundraisers included a fashion show, where women with breast cancer took to the catwalk, and a threshing display organised by Epworths Leslie Killick, whose wife Christine has the disease. Mr Killick sold about 30 birds one for 260 and raised a whopping 1,900, which was split between the Pink Rose Appeal and the oncology amenity fund at Hulls Princess Royal Hospital. The Pink Rose Appeal, which was also supported by sister paper the Grimsby Telegraph, contributed 250,000 in total to the cost of the 1-million breast cancer unit. Pink Rose Appeal chairman Ian Phillips, of Church Lane, Bradley, said: We couldnt possibly have hoped to raise that amount of money in such a short space of time without the support we have had from the Scunthorpe Telegraph. The whole community got involved it has been absolutely, unbelievably marvellous. I am very proud to have been involved in what must be one of the most successful campaigns for a long time. The unit has been named the Pink Rose suite in gratitude to fundraisers. Hospital staff believe the additional space and improved facilities will mean women breast cancer sufferers will receive the best service available in the UK. They will be able to treat 5,000 patients and hope to see 100 per cent of referrals in two weeks instead of the current 60 per cent rate.

Festival of the Plough Committee. The most unusual was an online pigeon auction set up by Barton-Upon-Humber resident

 Continued from page 5.

1958: January work expected to start on 2-million new dock at Immingham; February 21 Star Inn, Ashby, opened; May Scunthorpe Civic Theatre in Laneham Street opened; North Axholme School opened in Crowle; June 27 Model Traffic Area in Laneham Street, Scunthorpe, opened by HM the Queen. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh also visited Appleby-Frodingham Steelworks and North Lindsey Technical College; Co-op store opened in Ashby Broadway; North Axholme School opened; Winterton Ironworks opened up to supply ironstone to the Redbourn steelworks; 500,000 steel plate rolling mill opened at Appleby-Frodingham and a 1-million oxygen plant was completed by the British Oxygen Co, near Winterton Road; Hull City Council in 1958 took a major step towards the construction of a bridge by presenting a Bill for the building of a bridge to Parliament; December 4 Princess Margaret visited the Cherry Grove development at The Screeds, Ashby, and Lincoln Gardens Community Centre, and the new 10,000 headquarters of the St John Ambulance in Collum Lane, Ashby. She also visited the school in Lincoln Gardens;

December Scunthorpe Borough revealed plans for 1-million housing estate with 500 to 600 homes on land between West Common Lane and Burringham Road. 1959: Foundations laid for building of Scunthorpe Civic Centre in Ashby Road; Lincolnshire County Council bought Scawby Grove from the Oxtoby family; The Humber Act received Royal Assent and established the Humber Bridge Board; The Royal Cinema in Gilliatt Street, Scunthorpe, was closed. 1960: Trinity Methodist Church at the corner of Wells Street and High Street, Scunthorpe, demolished. The site was then occupied by British Home Stores; Restoration work starts on Wrawby Mill; St Chads School in Waterside Road, Barton, closes; Scunthorpe Borough is twinned with the German town of Luneburg. 1961: Laying of four foundation stones for St Marks Methodist Church, Old Brumby; January opening of New South Axholme School in Epworth; Fred Gough School opened on March 2; Work starts on the Westcliff Housing Estate; Opening of new school at Eastoft.

IT HAPPENED IN... 1962

March 31 Queen Mother paid visit to Willoughton and chatted with schoolchildren. Also in this year: January Goxhill Airfield sold to John Faulding; May 24 official opening of St Marks Methodist Church, Brumby; Demolition of Kendall Memorial Chapel, Ashby; Bar tons Salvation Army Corps moved to the former Primitive Methodist Chapel on Queen Street; August 8 The steeple for the Church of the Holy Spirit, Willoughby Road, Riddings, is moved from Appleby-Frodingham steelworks, along Brigg Road, Queensway, Grange Lane South, Ashby High Street, Burringham Road and Willoughby Road. Electrical wires along Ashby High Street had to be moved to accommodate the move; Star Cinema closed.

1963: New fire station built in Laneham Steet, Scunthorpe; Scunthorpe Civic Centre, now Pittwood House, opened by AJ Peech; Closure of Blyborough school opened in 1871; Completion of Trent View House (initially called Langland House), Westcliff, the towns first tower block with 79 flats; John Leggott Grammar School opened in educational premises in Cole Street, Scunthorpe; Scunthorpe Borough acquires lease on Normanby Hall and Parkland. 1964: New fire station in Crowle opened by Coun F Brown; John Leggott Grammar School in Cole Street, Scunthorpe, moved to a site in West Common Lane, Scunthorpe; Scunthorpe United relegated to Division Three; Woodlands Crematorium in Scunthorpe opened; May Normanby Hall and Park leased from the Sheffield family and opened to the public; November 12 Woodlands Crematorium, Scunthorpe, dedicated by the Bishop of Lincoln, the Rt Rev Kenneth Riches; The Humber Bridge Board received a report indicating a bridge over the Humber could be built for less than previously thought; Dec 5 Coronation Streets Elsie Tanner opened the Arrow Park Bowling Alley, Scunthorpe.

1965: Work started on building the new Roman Catholic Church of St Marys in Barnard Avenue, Brigg; Grand Cinema, Brigg, closes; April 1 Closure of Axholme Joint Railway; April 29 opening of new Kirton in Lindsey fire station; Methodist Church built in Cottage Beck Road, Scunthorpe; May 25 Scunthorpe Museum extensions opened; June 12 official opening of Quibell Athletic and Cycling Stadium, Scunthorpe. 1966: April 29 official opening of Market Hill Estate, Scunthorpe; June 1 30 butchers from the Scunthorpe area contributed to making the Worlds longest Lincolnshire Sausage; Demolition of Primitive Methodist Chapel in Ashby High Street; Demolition of United Methodist Church in Bigby Street, Brigg; Extension built to the Co-op emporium in High Street, Scunthorpe, and the complex was renamed Ashton House; The Rev Edward Ellis, Bishop of Nottingham dedicated St Marys RC Church, Brigg; Barbara Castle in a by-election speech in Hull referred to the development potential of Humberside and promised local people they would have their bridge. Continued A page 7.