Keith Scantlebury

A little bit of information would not go amiss though Malcolm, it would be nice to at least know something about who we dealing with. I do understand that some people are a little slow/shy about giving information about themselves, but a rough age group and wether they are male or female is not a lot to ask is it?

Should that not be getting a ride up the stairs or falling down them? Considering your age that is :dribble:

AHEM, I will have you know I am in perfect health on parr with someone 20 years my senior. Anyhow that statement is rich coming from someone who portrays himself to be a doddery old fart with long wiskers , a crooked stick and a pointy hat

I mentioned in the Cafe at the Oval thread, the new houses Wansbeck Homes built to replace the old Airey houses. I lived in one of the Airey houses from about 1964 and my parents lived there till approx 1980. As far as I can remember those houses were built just after WW2 and were only designed to last 25 - 30 years. They were modernised in the late 70's and heating put in and the old iron window frames replaced etc. The people that lived in them did not complain too much about the fact that those homes were still there well beyond their shelf life. This may have been largely due to the fact that they were good sized family homes with large gardens [some people liked to look after a garden] and the rent was relatavely low in comparison to other council owned properties at the time. Not everybody could live in the Hartlands or Grangepark. I have not been in any of the new houses but I would imagine that they would have the same footprint as the houses they replaced. Good big family homes. I have noticed that they all have off road parking, they all seem to have french windows leading into the gardens. Wansbeck Homes have provided a shed for each house [as the old wash houses were knocked down]. A lawn was laid at the front of each property and I presume the back gardens were left tidy for each tenant. All in all I think the people living in them would be pleased with what they have been given and that they would want to look after their homes. NOT SO. I was talking to an employee of the landlord today. He told me some of the lads had been in to do repairs to properties that have been damaged already, one of the properties had £5000 worth of damage to the internal doors, walls and work surfaces. The tenants responsable for that damage should have been thrown out immediately and made to pay for the repairs before being rehoused elsewhere after paying a bond for to pay for any future repairs, as they would have to if renting privately. Where I live is in desperate need of modernisation but you make the best of what you have, for the time being at least. A lot of people I know would move Heaven and Earth for one of those new houses and I know they would feel totaly pxxxxd off by the fact that some undeserving people would take the aquisition of a new rented property as a right and not a privelage and then proceed to wreck the said property. This in less than a year after some of those houses were completed.

Did he have any family and is their any left in Bedlington ?

If there are Brian it would be nice to hear from them.

Just one thing though, Linzibinzi has asked an opinion of the regulars to this forum. Could she not in turn have the decency to tell us a little about herself, by introducing herself to her fellow members or adding a little to her profile. It is good manners after all to show a little courtesy to those who's opinion she seems to value

Keith,

I wasn't really replying to the initial 'Café at the Oval', that was always going to be done to death, but more the last sentence on the post I highlighted, 'if not a café then what?'

It shows a willingness to at least enter into the process and consider opening and running a business as a serious career option. With horrendous failure rates, for some of the reason's GGG highlights, someone might have to try half a dozen start up's before they hit on one which will stand the test of time. Much better to do the market research first!

I agree with everything you say Malcolm and GGG has more or less echoed what I said [he just used posha words coz he's cleva and I'm fick] The very fact that Linzibinzi has posted the idea on bedlington.co.uk is proof in itself that she [i presume "she"]is trying to find out if the idea is a "goer" before she moves any further with it . I just have an opinion on most things and will always voice it, while trying not to sit on the fence. You and GGG are far more switched on, it seems, in these matters than I am and Linzibinzi would do well to listen to what advice you and GGG have given her

Just incase you don't, here's a memory jogger:

Foxy, that is brilliant, I have said on a few different posts what a smashing fella Peter Bacci was. Obviously because we lived in the market place we saw Peter every day, he was often at our house. Looking at the prices on the jars and the weight on the bars of chocolate, this photo was taken in the 70's and [looking at Peter] just before he retired.

Linzibinzi,

Nothing wrong with a bit of entrepreneurial flair, in fact it is exactly what is needed! If you are thinking about opening a small business with wide market appeal you need to get out and ask people on the street what they think is missing and what they would support in terms of them actually using it with their cash! If you are talking about doing it with a target clientele, like teenagers, you have to go and ask them what they want and think about just how much disposable income this group might have. You can't underestimate the location neither, what works in one place might not in another.

Do your market research, write a realistic business plan, include an honest SWOT analysis and then get someone independent to look it over for you,

and genuinely best of luck to you.

Malcolm, I do not doubt for one moment this young lady's enthusiasm to make a success of running a cafe. The question asked was " Do you think having a cafe at the Oval is a good idea " My answer to that question is "no", then I continued with my reasons. A cafe needs to be situated in a place where people frequent for other reasons, ie. shopping centre/town centre, leisure centre, public parks or beach front and so on etc. A cafe/coffee shop operates on passing trade , people "taking the weight off" for 10 minutes ,nipping in for a quick coffee and a sandwich .A restraunt, on the other hand, is a different matter. You could set up and run a restraunt almost anywhere. A restraunt relies on reputation. People will travel miles to a good restraunt and unlike a cafe its situation is not as important. Linzi should take your advice and ask all the right questions of all the right people , because if she gets it wrong it will be as I said, another failed, boarded up business in the Oval. I know of, for instance, a cafe in the north of the county, close to a town centre. It does a roaring trade through the day, and at night, "the good stuff" comes out and it becomes a restraunt with an excellent reputation. I really do wish Linzi all the luck with her ideas and applaude her nouse and determination to do something for herself, just not in the Oval eh, after all the business does need a chance to succeed

How, pray, does a piano repair shop exist there? I mean, it's not as if the town has a surfeit of Baby Grands needing fixing.....

I would have thought anyone having a piano repair/tuning business most of their work would be in situ ie onsite The shop in the Oval would mainly be a base/small workshop.

Is that the front door or the back door?

Was I going up the stairs or coming down

No sooner said...............

Scroll down and then click on 'View 2009/10 Councillor Allowances Summary here' to get the page.

http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=5916

Now justify it . That is the same list as was in the council comic Malcolm. Go to job center for travelling expenses and it is a different story, as I said in an earlier post £6 to Carlisle and back

the place that was open two yrs ago was an italian sandwich shop and the guy was an idiot. I think there may be the market for a small cafe. nothing too fancy tho. i live near the oval and all we have there is a corner convenience store,indian takeaway, small sandwich shop, piano repair shop and a hairdressers. to be honest its crap. maybe something for the teens would be better but we have been trying for years to gt a leisure centre or similar and all we got was a pile of soil which was then shaped for a bmx track. If not a cafe then what??

Who would use use a cafe at the oval ? there is nothing at the oval to attract anyone there to use a cafe!! You cannot tell me people are going to go to the oval specially for a coffee and a bun, a cafe needs to be in a place which brimming with activity already. You ask, "if not a cafe, then what??" may I suggest a bulldozer. Before you suggest otherwise I grew up near the oval and remember how it was throughout the 60's and 70's. You say maybe something for the teens, The old clinic at the Oval, is that not a youth club? my 15 and 13 year old daughters go there 3 or 4 times a week. The Oval used to be a vibrant little community [Pete will certainly confirm that], the bulldozer that I suggested earlier is not a bad idea, either knock the place down and build a communty hall / leisure center or build more homes in keeping with the ones that have replaced the airey houses. The last thing that is needed at the Oval is another failed ,boarded up buisness that was started by someone with all the right intentions, as I believe you genuinely do. I could not begin to tell you how many different businesses have operated in the Oval since it was built in the 50's Is it not time for it to have a complete re-vamp?

If you look in this weeks local rag you will see NCC have increased the allowances paid to six post holders by approx £10,000. This is despite them telling other workers they will be SACKED to save money. However the people responsible are actually very professional in the way they conduct themselves at the council and forum meetings,they can look you in the eye without getting embarrased.When asked a question they can wriggle around,not answer or if they do reply the favourite is "WELL THAT WAS THE OLD WANSBECK COUNCIL,IT DOES'NT EXIST NOW"

Skills honed in the shaving/make up mirror every morning, they practice by convincing themselves that what they are doing is decent and honourable and then after a hard day at the at the county palace, sacking the lesser minnions, taking money away from those who really need it and giving it to those who don't they sit down to a meal provided by someone who needs a favour and then off to bed with a conscience as clear as a slurry pit knowing some paid lacky somewhere at county hall has already prepared a statement in their defence, justifying their actions for when the crap hits the proverbial fan.

did anybody read about the payments in the free council magazine to all our local councilers.

I did , good reading was'nt it. I suppose those are the good figures that they wanted to make public[ in a low profile sort of way via the free council mag that most people shove in the bin without reading] Wonder what the real ones look like ?

Whatever they are doing someone else must be paying for it. According to look north the other night NCC is skint [again] they cant afford to spend money on essential things like roads yet they managed to pull out £500,000 for consultantcy fees in December.

Goodun Brian

tony adams was a drink driver! unlike joey barton who was done for assault!

Monsta, Barton has paid his pennance for his crime. If he is playing well for his club why cant he represent his country if there is no one better in that position. If at anytime in the future N.U.F.C qualified for europe, would you then say Joey Barton should not play in those matches, after all the players as well as the clubs are representatives of english football. Joey Barton seems to be making a concerted effort to clean up his act [ I hope I have not spoken too soon ] so Cappello has a duty to pick him rather than ignore the lad because of his behaviour in the past. After all, only a third of players in the premier league qualify to play for England

Lesley Dinsmore was in my class at westridge and his Dad ran the farm back then, we used to stop in for tea when we ran cross country, I worked one time topping snaggies at the farm, it seemed to be more than 7 acres though, does Les still have the land??

Mickey, you are just a couple of years older than I am so we are thinking along the same lines. The old man was called Les too and he was a good friend of my dads. I think he was a little older than my dad [he would have been 88 this year] so I would imagine old Les would be long gone. The house is still there [i think] but I dont think anything else is ie. greenhouses etc. It may have been a little more than 7 acres but not much I would have thought. I do know one thing though, the bizzies like to sit in the entrance skiving,...... oops sorry, watching for naughty drivers.

Showing your age there foxy............

Careful Malcolm, don't mention Foxy's age, he's a bit sensetive about it

The POLICE walked on the moon in 80s but nobody can get them to walk along Ridge Terrace at school drop off times!!!!!!

I detect a bit of a STING in that statement Foxy.

Not wanting to throw water on your fire Monsta but Tony Adams went on to captain England in 1994 after being in nick in 1990, Joey Barton may still be in with a chance if he continues playing the way he is capable of, I think he atleast deserves a chance.

Was it not the same with Paul Merson? Some England players need locking up...... going by some of their performances in the last world cup.

Merlin,

NCC have already thought of that one, and it's probably still on the cards, but it had to be pointed out that if they make traffic wardens self-funding, their pay has to be relative to their ticket issuances, any warden doing a good job will make himself or herself redundant! (Or is the whole exercise just another stealth tax?) Also making 'Lollipop men' traffic wardens wouldn't actually tackle one of the main problems, inconsiderate parking at school times, as they would be already doing a job of work which necessitates their fulltime attention.

BTW, just been informed that of the people who registered an interest in taking up Lollipop duties, none turned up for interviews so one of the worst school crossings in the county remains unmanned!

I could help the little darlings to cross the road. A well aimed brick , rather than a ticket, would be better to deter inconsiderate parking........ there you go, problem solved.

They are both replicas OWEN

Its a quote keith you will never guess who by.........

Dave Cam? ..... or possibly Merlin

which ones you on about Keith the ones you have a good time in, or, the ones you just think you had a good time in? :dribble:

Both of course, one stop satisfies all, that way all bases are covered. But if the latter is any good, you could be tricked into thinking you have enjoyed the former

I would just like to take this oppotunity to state that I do not condone the use of any recreational substances [legally or otherwise] nor would I enter a house of ill repute, without the permission of the Mrs that is. All knowledge of the aforesaid activities is purely the result of hearsay.