Page 23 - link magazine

23
NEWS & VIEWS
A tribute to Introducing the local fire crew There's No Place
Lollipops Founder by Leading Fireman Like Home...
Greta Hodkin, organiser of the Andrew Hargreaves but could your house do
Lollipops Toddler Group, Shaw Welcome to the first of a series of with a little extra care and
writes: quarterly articles written by attention?
We want to pay tribute to our some of the members of If you dream of having your
Founder and mainstay these past Wiltshire Fire Brigade appointed home completely spring-
two years, Mrs Debbie Griffiths. to serve at Westlea Fire Station cleaned or if you need regular
She's moving onto 'pastures new' when it opens later this year. help with chores like ironing or
to continue work with the Pre- As you may have seen from would just like someone to come
SchoolPlaygmups Associ-ation as the last issue of The Link and clean your oven Les Daniels
an Area Organiser. Her skills in magazine the brigade are could have the solution.
working with children and already maintaining afire engine Les worked as Operations
parents, will now reach the wider at the Link Centre every night Manager for a large cleaning
community. and at weekends, and this has services company and was
Lollipops was founded in
January 1988, Debbie's in- generated some excellent responsible for cleaning
Carrefour for five years. "I
novation, dedication and feedback from residents in West
enthusiasm for children to learn Swindon and from the firemen started thinking how marvellous
and develop through con- serving there. it would be if householders
structive play has meant that from All of us who are to serve at Andrew Hargreaves could have the same service -
a group of approximately 12 the new station already live in someone they could phone when
children, it has now grown to 3 Westlea and this gives us a variety of tasks undertaken by they needed help with cleaning
groups of approximately 75 special sense of responsibility to firemen in the course of their or maintenance." So Les started
children, with ever increasing our local community. Those of duty. The first half of January Homelovers in 1987 to bring
numbers on the waiting list. us new to Westlea like myself, alone has seen us attend house domestic help to the house-
This growth has meant ever having moved from five miles fires, chimney fires and car fires holders of Thamesdown.
increasing fund raising efforts by down the road in Wootton as well as road traffic accidents Homelovers will tackle any
the group and the continual Bassett, have been spending and petrol spillages. cleaning job but it is not just a
support of members families and some of our time getting to know It is the sheer diversity of a house-cleaning service. Les and
friends. We would like to express the area thoroughly so that we fireman's job that makes it so his team will also handle small
our special thanks to David will be ready to go when the interesting to him, and as the DIY jobs including painting or
Griffiths, Debbie's husband, who station opens. year progresses we hope to use putting up shelves, or mowing
has given his continual support Since the beginning ofthe year these pages to keep you lawns.
throughout. Westlea firemen have already informed about the role of You can give Les and his ladies
From past members it has been a ring on 727926.
apparent that her direct work in responded to nearly 40 calls and Wiltshire Fire Brigade in Westlea
motivating all member has eased these have been fairly
the step for both the child and representative of the wide
parent, from Toddlers to
Playgroup. This can be a traumatic
time as mothers do not stay at Greendown HOMEL 0 VERS
playgroup as they do in Toddler
Groups. If both have been used to Playgroup Does your home need
doing more activities, as we do in
Lollipops, the change is not so Jumble Sale a little more care and attention?
noticeable.
Debbie's introduction of an Fresh brook From a once-a-year spring clean to regular
effective rota system of jobs within Community Centre
the Group means that the pressure domestic help, Homelovers has the answer.
was off the original dedicated Saturday 24th
helpers and onto the Group as a February All aspects of domestic help are
whole, making growth viable.
Many similar groups find the ever 10.30a.m. - covered by this service - ironing, window
increasing demand on the few a 12. 30pm. cleaning, oven cleaning, etc.
great problem.
We all wish Debbie and her Refreshments
family well for the future and our Call Les Daniels on 727926
loss will be the wider community's
gain.
Debbie was presented with a bracelet and a cake by members of Lollipops at her
last visit on 22 January Vi Stevens (Electrical)
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