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Collingham Comment
A Bit o’ This, a Bit o’ That…
There’s a danger when working on a parish website like this to become all too parochial and focus solely on the goings on in the immediate environs of the parish. The problem with this of course is that Collingham Parish does not exist in isolation.
An instance of this is the current furore over the proposed, and in my opinion ill conceived, Asda development on Potterdyke in Newark. Although the development itself is unlikely to affect the population in Collingham, the siting of the proposed Bus station most certainly will! The idea of moving it to The Wharf beggars belief! Would that mean that the bus stops on Bargate would be dispensed with? I don’t know, but I fear the worst, and for the elderly and less able in Collingham and the surrounding villages that use the bus service that would be catastrophic.
Happily, public pressure is increasing to avoid this ridiculous idea and hopefully the dog will wag its tail instead of the tail wagging the dog!
At the cost of some personal and embarrassing publicity 
, the halyards for the village flagpole were repaired and it was possible to fly the Union Jack for Remembrance Day. I appreciate that not everyone likes flags to be flown, but I think it’s important that we show respect where it’s due. The vast majority of people who spoke to me said how much they liked it.
There are various days on which specific flags should be flown, not least St Andrew’s, St George’s and St Patrick’s days. Add to that royal birthdays and anniversaries. Other possibilities include the stars and stripes on July 4 and various other notable dates. Unfortunately, most of them would require the purchase of additional flags so don’t hold your breath!
Whilst we’re talking about being embarrassed, I went to see Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth. in the Memorial Hall. The embarrassing bit is that I kept falling asleep and nearly lay my weary head in the lap of the attractive lady sitting next to me! Luckily, she saw the funny side of it, I didn’t snore and I didn’t get slapped for being too familiar either, so all was well that ended well!
As for the film, I have to admit that I started out fairly sceptical about man’s contribution to global warming, but the CO2 figures were pretty convincing. Don’t get me wrong, I firmly believe that we need to be more prudent with our world’s resources and that, “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”, should be a mantra to live by. I think part of the problem is that when considering man’s contribution to global CO2, we tend to focus on emissions and forget about additional factors like deforestation which amplify the effect.
If you have any thoughts on the subject, there’s a Climate Change and Collingham thread in Have Your Say, or you can email me to add a new thread. Use the “Email Moderator” link on the thread.
Following on from my last Comment about Newark hospital, I read in the Newark Advertiser that the East Midland Ambulance Service is failing to reach 75% of category A calls such as heart attacks and strokes, within government guidelines of eight minutes. The actual response to category A calls within 8 minutes was 63% in Newark and Sherwood.
What his means is that people like you and I have less likelihood of surviving a stroke or heart attack than people in other parts of the county. EMAS insists that it is not paid enough by the Nottinghamshire Primary Care Trust to reduce these response times. It was suggested that a new Ambulance control point be built in Lincolnshire, and that stand-by points where crews and paramedics are asked to wait between calls should have better facilities.
Another suggestion was that Community First Responder volunteer schemes, (LIVES or Lincolnshire Integrated Volunteer Service in Lincolnshire) like those operating in Radcliffe, Ollerton, Southwell, Claypole, Farnsfield and Long Bennington be set up in other rural communities.
When I was editor of the Fleet, I suggested that such a scheme should be set up in Collingham and asked for volunteers. I got exactly none, so I’m resigned to the idea that my first heart attack will probably be my last, a slightly better than 60:40 chance. Not that I have a vested interest or anything! 
Well, I think that’s about enough of my rambling, please remember that all opinions in this editorial are solely mine and not those of the website committee. Have a wonderful Yuletide Holiday and enjoy a happy and prosperous New Year.
Terry