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Opinions
Welcome to our opinons page, here you will find columns from well known locals such as Chrissy Dawson, Dan Jarvis, Ian McMillan, Milly Johnson, Ronnie Steele, Shelly Diprose and Stephanie Peacock.
As always we like to encourage our readers to get in touch with issues that matter to them.
If you'd like to send in a letter to our Editor based on something you have read today, or on another topic you can do so via email here.
Dan Jarvis: Football club's community trust is a vital asset
Barnsley FC Community Trust’s Premier League Kicks programme is a shining example of how the power of football can be harnessed to build a safer and healthier Barnsley.
The initiative provides a range of activities for young people aged eight to 18, helping steer them away from antisocial behaviour while offering them a sense of belonging, purpose and hope.
The programme is built on strong partnerships with South Yorkshire Police, South Yorkshire Fire...
Ian McMillan: Porridge is just the tonic in this weather
I reckon Goldilocks would like it at my house, and not because the bed is comfortable and not because the chair doesn’t shatter into kindling when you sit on it.
No, I reckon she’d like it because the porridge is just right – and it hasn’t got the bits of shattered chair in it that have flown across the room.
When I was a sulky teenager I thought that porridge for your breakfast was...
Ronnie Steele: Janet and I love to recycle
JANET and I love to recycle, but we can’t quite agree on which items are most important in the process.
She’s a traditionalist who diligently deposits plastic, paper, glass, garden waste, etc, in the appropriate bins. Furthermore, she gets a terrific buzz out of cleaning up the environment around Wombwell Lane.
Me? I’m always too busy to pick up other people’s garbage. Janet says, “Look how pleasant the weather is. Let’s walk on...
Ronnie Steele: THINGS aren’t what they used to be
It’s 1965, I’m 10 years old, and I’m standing with my dad, at the front of the uncovered Spion Kop at Oakwell. Today, the Reds take on the mighty Manchester United in the fifth round of the FA Cup. We’ve been in the ground for over an hour, to ensure I get my own little space at the low wall that borders the pitch. Entrance for juveniles is ticket only, at only two-bob (10 pence...
Ian McMillan: Bus services still aren’t up to scratch
I was buoyed up by that optimistic piece in the Chronicle last week headlined ‘Control Over Bus Services Edging Closer’ as the long journey towards the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority running the buses takes another step forward because, let’s face it, the buses can’t continue as they are.
As you know, I live in Darfield and we’ve just had our 218 service filleted, to use a polite term. The bus used to be...
Milly Johnson: ‘Find someone who cares about the small things’
ON my dog walk in the mornings, I started to see a crow always in the same place.
I noticed after a couple of days that he couldn’t get off the ground because he didn’t have enough feathers to his wings.
I looked up what to do about that and the advice was: catch it and take it to the vet. Maybe, I thought, it might be as well to let nature take its...
Chrissy Dawson: Putting on a duvet is the least of my many worries…
I CAN quite easily get very confused by things and it can take a long time – if I ever do manage it – to get my head around these confusing things.
Let me explain. Early last year, I bought an apple tree. Looked just like any other apple tree but this one was, I was informed, a ‘self-pollinating’ tree.
“What! Don’t be daft,” I told the shop assistant. “So, how does that work?”...
Dan Jarvis: Sporting success has hopefully just started
From the freshly mown Wimbledon grass to the roar of engines at Silverstone, and the greatest show on earth in Paris – 2024 has seen a spectacular summer of sport so far – and Barnsley has certainly played its part!
For Gareth Southgate and his team, it wasn’t to be, but just look how far they have come since being dumped out of the competition by Iceland just eight years ago.
That journey to...
Dan Jarvis: Summertime’s precious for families
With the summer holidays upon us and the sun having finally made a welcome appearance here in Barnsley, I hope these next few weeks will offer a welcome break for folk to spend precious quality time together.
I know for many families the summer holidays mean balancing childcare with work and keeping the kids entertained. Fortunately, there are lots of affordable events and activities taking place on our doorstep for all to enjoy.
...
Milly Johnson: My son's degree was a proud moment
LAST weekend when it looked as if summer had landed, I spent a glorious day watching my son get his degree.
I’ve seen plenty of girls and boys in his class get theirs over the past couple of weeks and realised that they aren’t girls and boys any more, they’re men and women and my son is, himself, a man now.
Somehow I blinked and he grew. He has studied very hard for...
Chrissy Dawson: Fitting tributes to one-of-a-kind Malc
Last Friday we said goodbye to Mr Malcolm Wainwright, as many will know him, for he was the headteacher at Churchfield Primary School in Cudworth for 31 years.
To his friends, which Pete and I had the great pleasure to know him as, he was Malc.
He saw and helped generations of families go through the school doors and his door was always open, not only to pupils and parents, but also to the...
Josh Timlin: Brave Carol finally receives her apology
CAROL Higgins’ story shocked the nation in 2019 when – finally – her despicable ‘dad’, Elliott Appleyard, was jailed for raping her countless times under a reign of terror which started when she was just 12.
He denied multiple counts of rape and indecent assault which happened between April 1982 and April 1985, forcing his daughter to once again re-live the shocking ordeal she had been put through.
I remember covering that two-week...
Dan Jarvis: 24.05.24
As the weather starts to warm and the days draw out, I’m reminded of the excellent local events that celebrate the great outdoors and make the most of our town’s natural beauty.
The Barnsley Boundary Relay, which returns on June 15, is a perfect example of this.
Following on from the Barnsley Walking Festival, which still has many exciting events to come in its final week, the relay is a great excuse, not that...
Stephanie Peacock: 03.05.24
Hospices support families at the most difficult time in their lives as their loved ones receive end of life care.
Every year, 300,000 patients across over 200 adult and children’s hospice sites access hospice care. In Barnsley, I know how important Barnsley Hospice is to local people. I visited again a few weeks ago for their Spring Fayre, and whenever I visit, I am struck by their kindness and dedication.
Like hospices across...
Chrissy Dawson: 19.04.24
NOWADAYS, there are gadgets everywhere...
In shops, there are the handheld price scanners that you carry around with you to add up your shopping as you troddle around.
And don’t even get me started on the self-serve checkouts because I absolutely refuse to use one of those.
No, I like to see a person in front of me so I can have a little conversation about this and that.
A flipping machine...
Stephanie Peacock: 12.04.24
Across England in 2023, raw sewage was discharged into rivers and seas for more than 3.6 million hours, 105 percent more than in 2022. Meanwhile, water bosses have earned £25 million in bonuses since the last election.
Water companies across all regions in the UK have been dumping raw sewage into our waterways without any consequences, putting the nation’s health and environment at risk.
Since 2019, the water bosses responsible for this mess...
Ian McMillan: 29.03.24
I’ve long been fascinated by the fact that for many thousands of years nobody really knew what time it was. People got up when it got light and went to bed when it got dark. In Jube they got up early and in December they went to bed early, and their lives were ruled by light and weather.
When clocks were invented and stuck up on church towers (I realise I’m simplifying things here,...
Milly Johnson: 15.03.2
I was surprised as many others to hear that there are plans afoot to make Townend roundabout more ‘Dutch’ and bicycle friendly. It might sound a bit awful to say but the only people I ever see on bicycles on that roundabout are dodgy types that look as if they’re on a quick getaway from something. Thinking of the disruption that will cause to build makes me want to lie down in a dark...
Dan Jarvis: 08.03.24
Easter is just around the corner and images of eggs – those laid by hens as well as the chocolate variety – already surround us in schools, churches and shops.
It seems a good time then to share a few thoughts about my experience of keeping chickens!
I’ve kept chickens for as long as I can remember, and I guess I always will. There’s just something so relaxing and peaceful about the way that...
Chrissy Dawson: 23.02.24
I really don’t like January and February - I tend to get the blues.
Not depressed, but blue. It’s the constant grey skies, the icy wind and the bloody rain. I mean, just how much rain do we seem to have?
It’s around this time that I begin to find things to do. Now I’m not doing as much acting work this year so this should be the perfect opportunity for me to relax,...