The Skegnessness of Skegness!!

Some months ago I wrote about a grant of £50,000 from the National Lottery to an institution to find the Hullness of Hull. Not surprisingly this generated a lot of interest and that article remains the most-viewed article on this blog. You can find it at http://steveodare.blogspot.com/2011/01/50000-to-identify-hullness-in-hull.html if you would care to have a read.

Without going to the lengths of asking the National Lottery for a similar figure to carry out my own research, although I could do with the cash, let me pose the question to all you readers. What is the Skegnessness of Skegness. What is it about Skegness that makes it, well, Skegness in your eyes?

Either comment below, on facebook, or send your answers to me on the back of a ten pound note!!!!!

Do You Have One? Listen Up!!

You may have heard that the service provided by the BBC Local Radio Network is be reduced in the near future, with less specialist music programmes and much more "area" broadcasting rather than local. For instance here in Lincolnshire, BBC Radio Lincolnshire will be broadcasting more "East Midlands" based programmes during any 24 hour period rather than county specific programmes. This is something that is "not good" to say the least.

What can we do about it? Simple. Tune into your local Community Radio, if you have one locally. These are stations, available over different platforms, internet, FM, AM. DAB etc. that are based in your local communities and which broadcast for them, providing lots of local news, events, sports etc.

Here in the East Lindsey area of Lincolnshire, we have Lindsey Coast Radio which at the moment is only available on the internet and can be accessed at www.lindseycoast.org.uk 24 hours a day. It is planned to widen the availability in the near future by moving to other platforms as well as remaining of the web. The station came into being in February 2011 and is now going from strength to strength. Listener numbers are increasing on a weekly basis with not only local people tuning in but also those people who come to the Lincolnshire Coast for their holidays doing the same and continuing to do so throughout the year, after they have returned home, to enable them to keep in touch with what is happening here!!

At the moment most of the live content happens in the evenings and on Sundays, which is the busiest day. The live content is expanding with Heavy Rock, Grunge, Reggae and Ska, Blues, Country, Folk and general magazine programmes all available. At all other times the station is broadcasting a mix of music to suit all tastes.

With the reduction in service from your "local" BBC radio station soon to become a reality, search out your own local Community Radio station as an alternative. You will be pleasantly surprised I am sure. All are run by vounteers and deserve your support.

20 Million Pounds - We Will Have It!!!

Seems as though the good folks of Scunthorpe are up in arms because somebody wants to build a £20 million shopping centre in their area. This will bring around 300 jobs to the area. They are not in favour of it because it may affect their town centre. Fair enough!!

All I would like to say is that if they don't want it, we in East Lindsey would snap the hands off the developers who have this money to invest.

Skegness would be my preferred location but anywhere in our area would be fine with me!!

Bangers And Mash Anyone?

Now it may have slipped your notice but this week is National Sausage Week. This is being fronted by Noddy Holder from Slade (a pop star from the past - for my younger readers).

As we all know the best sausage in the world, bar none, is Lincolnshire Sausage. The best Lincolnshire Sausage is made in the county by proper, real, artisan butchers, of which there are many dotted about.

So if you do nothing else this week, seek out one of our local butchers and treat yourself to the gourmet delights of the Lincolnshire Sausage, made as it should be and tasting as it should do.

Believe me. You will never want to go back to mass produced bangers again!!!

Enjoy, and if you do as I suggest, then drop the name and location of the butcher either on here or on one of the Facebook pages that this will appear on. Support your local butchers and let others know about them as well!

I can smell them cooking now!!! YUM YUM.

Is There Anything More Shameful?

As we move towards Armistice Day and Rememberance Sunday, can there be anything more shameful than people stealing memorials to fallen heroes from the Cenotaphs around this country of ours?

For a huge number of people the names placed on there "in memoriam" are the only thing that families have left of the fallen. No graves, nowhere else to go to pay their respects and remember.

Those involved in the criminal activity of removing metal names and plaques from the Cenotaphs to raise a few bob, whether they are the criminals that steal and sell them, or the criminals that are buying them, should have the book thrown at them and the key thrown away to the cells they should be locked in.

I didn't think that they could get any lower than desecrating our churches by stealing the lead off the roofs but they have proven me wrong.

For the Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children, England mourns for her dead across the sea. Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit, Fallen in the cause of the free. Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres. There is music in the midst of desolation And a glory that shines upon our tears. They went with songs to the battle, they were young, Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow. They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted, They fell with their faces to the foe. They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them. They mingle not with their laughing comrades again; They sit no more at familiar tables at home; They have no lot in our labour of the day-time; They sleep beyond England's foam. But where our desires are and our hopes profound, Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight, To the innermost heart of their own land they are known As the stars are known to the Night; As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust, Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain, As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness, To the end, to the end, they remain. Read that and weep and be utterly ashamed, those that are desecrating the sacred memorials!!!!! As you can probably see, I feel somewhat strongly on this one.