Page 2 - link magazine

2 The Link Magazine • December 2003
Christmas present for town crier
Charles Lucas
Swindon's man with the mouth, sprightly 72 year old Fred Ferris, has
P R I V A T E & Marsha(( --°------ ars
Established over 10 e cars been presented with a new uniform thanks to sponsorship by Swin-
don Town Centre Management.
' • • 'WE COME TO YOU ^J Based on the uniform of a Great on his dress when he represents
• " AT HOME OR WORK' Western Railway station master, it Swindon at calling competitions
has been made by Brenda Dore around the country and was voted
FREE
We re on ° collection & delivery from outfitters Jensons of Gorse best dressed town crier in 2001.
Hill who celebrate their twenty- Brenda said, "I'm used to mak-
,t Servic ing & repairs fifth anniversary in 2004. ing wedding dresses and doing
Embroidered emblems of the occasional alterations to trousers;
BIKE WE ALSO SELL
GWR and Swindon Council have this is my first attempt at a corn-
side * New cycles been donated by John Stevenson. plete suit."
si e
,t Parts & accessories "My previous uniform was made Unveiled in the Mayor's parlour,
by a costume maker and was quite Mayor of Swindon coun Derek
For experienced, practical help call stiff and heavy," said Fred."Brenda Benfield said he was very im-
Swindon 511055 has made an outfit which is just as pressed. "Fred is certainly the best
magnificent but is much easier to dressed town crier I've ever seen.
wear. It allows me to put all my He will be able to shout Swindon's
energies into my calls." good name far and wide even
Fred is regularly complimented louder and clearer than before."
Fred with Brenda and Peter Dore, right, with the Mayor and town centre
manager Bernie McGuire
SEI

CU
• Frg s rialin'g, design and • Poles & curtain tracks
• 100s of stock fabrics f
advice
• Make-up service • Lining from £1.50/me
• Blinds1 pelmets, swags & tails • Headings from 40p/me
• Rail fitting service • Cushion inners from £2
• Home visits b appointment • DOs of trims from 75p/ n,1
I
• Rails &' oards made-up • Ill accessories & holdba
OUR NEW SHOW at 252 CRICK
1
or call Tracey or on 01793 611

Memory tree service cancelled
A project to draw together families who have lost loved ones to
suicide by decorating a Memory Tree of Lights at Kingsdown Crema-
'y
torium in December has become a victim of bureaucracy.
The idea to light a tree, based on lights on the tree because it would
similar projects in the USA, was contravene safety regulations if
r , r! put forward by Jan Anderson from someone were to climb up a ladder
Freshbrook, whose son Kristian and we were not allowed to have
killed himself last November. She any glass on the site such as lan-
J / said the focus of a tree was to pro- terns, nor could we place help and
F
vide comfort to the bereaved, edu- information leaflets beneath the
ii'r i
r0. , 1J cation for others and hope to peo- tree. We could have floodlights
ple whose lives have been im- under the tree - but as there is no
pacted by the loss of someone who electricity supply, it would cost
IL took their own life. over £5,000 to do this."
A.E. Smith and Son have agreed
Unfortunately Swindon Coun-
to host a memorial service for any-
cil's demands for Jan to comply
with a raft of health and safety one who has lost a loved one (in
rules and regulations has made any way, not just to suicide) at
the event too difficult to organise. their Queen's Drive branch on Sat-
w^;:
Jan said funeral directors A.E. urday 6 December, 3.30pm. Be-
± Smith & Son were willing to pay reaved families may bring along a
':, ^^
3
r i ^ L '3-L^ r r r : . ' 3: for a marquee, plus hire of chairs memento of their loved one.
and printing, but a simple idea Jan hopes to form a local suicide
had escalated into something that survivor support group next year.
required huge logistics and major She said, "from speaking to fu-
expenditure. neral directors, the coroner and
"As a mother who wanted to do the police, I know that there are
something with other people sadly many people in the area whose
Closed 25 & 26 December burdened by the loss of someone lives have been touched by the
Closed at 9pm on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve close, I have become overwhelmed tragedy of suicide."
by all the stipulations to hold an Jan can be contacted at:
WEST SWINDON CENTRE, SWINDON
event," said Jan. "We could not put [email protected]