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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.
Chrissy Dawson: The stress of holidays…
We all like to go on holidays, of course we do.
The build up to going, the counting down of the days, the preparing for it, the shopping, the packing,… whoa!
Did I just say the packing? No, no, no! If there is one thing other than all the washing, drying and putting away of clothes that could easily put me off going away, it’s the packing.
Right, we all understand that going away...
Milly Johnson ‘Meet the new boss, same as the old boss...’
OUR dog loves to run at the side of our fence barking obscenities at the dog on the other side of the fence. ‘I’m going to kill you if I get my paws on you’, ‘Yeah and I’m going to get you’. ‘Not if I get you first, loser’. It’s what a psychologist might call ‘willy-waving’. It’s his prime spot in the garden and our little gentle rescue dog isn’t allowed in it. She’s not...
Milly Johnson: ‘We’re on high speed trip out of the frying pan...’
IMAGINE having come through breast cancer. Imagine then a few years later finding pre-cancerous cells were back and you take the option to have your whole breast removed, which is a massive operation for a woman.
I cannot begin to think of the stress leading up to that day.
Imagine then turning up for the op at the crack of dawn ready to face the knife… to be told: ‘you’re not on the list...
Stephanie Peacock: Urology awareness is key
September marks Urology Awareness Month.
The Urology Foundation uses this opportunity to bring the community together to raise awareness of urology diseases.
Urology diseases refer to conditions affecting the bladder, kidney, or prostate and cover lots of conditions including male reproductive cancers, incontinence, urinary tract infections, erectile dysfunction and kidney stones.
Plenty of urological diseases are simple to treat with the right medical help, for example, urina
Stephanie Peacock: Push to highlight ‘silent killer’ danger
This summer I am raising awareness of the #Safe4Summer campaign, which aims to highlight the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning and how to prevent them.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is incredibly dangerous. It is known as ‘the silent killer’, as it has no colour, smell or taste.
Low levels of exposure to the gas over a long period of time can cause brain and neurological damage. High levels of carbon monoxide can kill.
...
Ronnie Steele: 23.08.24
I FIRST introduced myself to Dave Cherry at Carlton WMC, at our initial Barry Hines’ Statue fundraiser.
I don’t know why, but I’ve always felt slightly awkward with introductions – concerned that I might slip-up and drop a clanger.
“Hiya Dave,” I said, extending my right hand. “I’m Ronnie Steele and it feels good to shake your hand at last,” (so far, so good).
“It must be 10 years since I last saw...
Chrissy Dawson: My garden’s my sanctuary
I love my garden.
Admittedly it’s not like the gardens that we see in the Gardeners’ World magazines, or anything like the Chelsea Flower Show, but it’s still my little piece of paradise and I have nurtured each plant, lovingly tendering to all their needs.
I even talk to them, telling them how beautiful they are and how they’ve grown.
I stroke their tender leaves so they can feel me and yes,...
Ian McMillan: Southerners just dunt get it reyt…
I think the main reason that lots of people round here love the film Kes and the book it came from, A Kestrel For A Knave by Barry Hines, is that it’s about us and it takes us seriously and it doesn’t just use us and the way we speak to get cheap laughs at our expense.
These days there are more works of fiction set in the north in general and Yorkshire in...
Ronnie Steele: Passenger power wins the day
It’s mid-December 2023 and I’m recovering from a major operation. After a fortnight’s stay in the Northern General and three weeks’ recovery at my partner’s in Wombwell, I’m heading back home to check that the old place is still standing.
“You can get a taxi for Broadway for less than £20 return,” says Janet.
“£20? You serious?” I reply. “I can use my bus pass to get into town and then jump on the...
Josh Timlin: Officers deserve better protection
ANOTHER week and another example of judges letting the public and more importantly a criminal’s victim - or victims in this case - down once again…
Bradley Burgin became the latest cop attacker to be jailed last week having evaded police for months following an assault on two female officers in Cudworth on November 3 of last year.
He was stopped for driving a vehicle that had no MOT but when in the...
Josh Timlin: 07.06.24
LOCAL council meetings are something I regularly attended – and enjoyed – in my early days at the Chronicle.
The late nights were always worth it for the material they yielded for the newspaper that followed. Sift through the clear cliques, the catty jibes and political point-scoring and they were a treasure trove.
I caught the final days of Brierley Town Council before its abolition, watching on as the clock struck 8.30pm as...
Milly Johnson: 24.05.24
I have had a tattoo. And I’m as surprised as anyone about that because I’m not a tattoo sort of person, especially because I’ve seen some horrors and somehow the awful ones look worse on women. Then again, there can be little to beat the nine-legged octopus and the words ‘Crazy Horse’ scrawled over the whole back of one of my ex-husband’s friends. It still gives me nightmares to think about it.
I always...
Chrissy Dawson: 03.05.24
Oh dear. Last week I had a mad - or maybe a senior - moment.
I’m not too sure if there’s much difference, really. Anyway, I had a moment.
Whilst rummaging in a second-hand shop, I believe that they are referred to as charity shops now, but whatever they’re called I had a moment inside one of them.
I bought some knitting needles, a crochet hook and some wool. Now many years ago, in...
Milly Johnson: 19.04.24
A lady from Staincross wrote to me, after reading my piece about my missing bracelet presumably and how kind someone was to hand it in. The lady found a good quality cream coat in her garden which may have blown off a washing line and she’s been trying to relocate the owner of it for weeks. So if you’re reading this and thinking ‘that’s where it went’ and you can prove it’s yours, can you...
Dan Jarvis: 05.04.24
When speaking with local residents, too often, I find myself consoling grieving families who have lost loved ones in road traffic accidents.
I sadly know what this feels like as, many years ago, a family member of mine died in a road accident. Their death cast the longest and saddest shadow and ever since I have been acutely conscious of the human misery associated with road deaths.
The recent tragedy in Barugh...
Stephanie Peacock: 29.03.24
Last week we marked English Tourism week. This is a chance to commemorate our local history, and appreciate all the important cultural places that make our community what it is.
In Barnsley, we are lucky to have so many important cultural sites available to us, such as Elsecar Heritage Centre, Old Moor Nature Reserve and Worsborough Mill amongst many others.
I was pleased to pop in to the Goldthorpe Railway Embankment Spring Fair,...
Ian McMillan: 15.03.24
ME and my artist mate Iain Nicholls decided to go on one of our arty/poety strolls recently; we wander round bits of the borough taking photographs and writing notes and maybe, just maybe, these images and words will become a joint piece of creative work. Or we might just get some steps in, which is good for us.
The French would call us flaneurs; people who wander aimlessly to get a better view of...
Stephanie Peacock: 01.03.24
World Book Day 2024 will be taking place on 7th March, and is a chance for children to engage in reading, and find out what books interest them.
The National Literacy Trust and World Book Day work together every year to organise this event for children across the UK. They want to ensure that every child has the opportunity to have a book of their own, and are able to read for pleasure.
A big part...
Dan Jarvis: 23.02.24
As we approach the General Election, it is a statement of fact to say there are a range of malign forces seeking to interfere and undermine our democratic process. Be under no illusion that our democracy is under attack and we need to ensure we are prepared to counter the threats to the integrity of the election process.
The right to vote is a precious one, earned over centuries of struggle, and allows us...
Chrissy Dawson: 09.02.24
Well, I don’t know about anyone else but I really hate these dark days we’re having.
Waking up on a morning and it’s still dark and it doesn’t get any brighter as the day goes along.
I think I suffer from ‘SAD’ - seasonal affective disorder. In January and February, I always start feeling a bit down. I don’t want to go out for my daily walk because it’s usually wet, cold and dark....