alirosdan

Speeder, I don't apologise for parking on Jenkin - I don't park on the double yellows, so I'm doing nothing illegal (except maybe going on the pavement to give people more room to race up the hill). The cars parked just where they do on Jenkin actually serve to slow traffic down. During the day when there are fewer cars there, people are driving at ridiculous speeds because they can get a run at the hill. What happened the other night wasn't as a result of someone speeding from Wincobank Avenue, it was a drunk trying to get away from someone he had just rear ended on the junction of Newman road. I'm not convinced that traffic lights are the answer as they would cause a build up of noisy traffic and pollution along Newman and Jenkin Roads, and people would lose places to park their cars. All it takes is a little consideration from people to drive within the speed limit in a residential area.

Even with all the new arrangements in place, there are still accidents happening. On Saturday night, a car smashed into another at the junction on Newman Road, then in his rush to escape, he screeched up Jenkin and smashed into our car which was parked on the hill. He has written our little car off He was 4 times over the legal limit for alcohol at the time. Unfortunately, even in this age of Health & Safety, you can't legislate for idiots. You can have all the correct systems in place and someone will come along and prove it's not actually that safe after all! I am still witnessing people driving at high speed up and down Jenkin, and although Newman seems much safer now, Jenkin is becoming the death trap.

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Under direct payments (Personalisation) a choice of either is available to carers and children. Some will go down the direct payments route but others will prefer to stay at Rushey. That's the whole point here. Carers thought that the Rushey option was being taken away from them completely which limited their choices.

This isn't about how YOU adapt to change go4it. We are talking about children with learning disabilities here, some of whom may have severe autism. They don't adapt well to change, and need the safe environment that Rushey offers them. Great news by the way!

Good luck with your fight.

Ted, with all the best intentions, people have happily Googled for alternatives for carers. What they really don't understand is the emotional ties that all these families have with Rushey. It isn't as easy as discarding an old pair of shoes and replacing them. Rushey and other places like it are as essential to family security as breathing. Please don't patronise people by offering alternatives (that last paragraph wasn't aimed at you Ted).

When you say more places due to 'come on stream' do you mean new builds, more funding for the Homefinding unit, or relocation to a different unit? It all sounds a bit vague to me.

Direct payments can be fantastic, but they aren't for everyone. I have seen them work for people who don't want to access day services and have a 'PA' on a one to one basis during the day to go on outings, bowling, cinema etc. For these people it is a great idea. When someone wants overnight care, then the options are more limited. Whilst respite care can't always provide one to one care, it can offer overnight care to people in a small homely environment, with people who become friends. Skills for more independent living are taught, and individual care plans are devised which enables staff to provide a person centered care package. Respite also offers support to carers on a 24 hour basis - there is always someone at the other end of a telephone even when their child isn't in respite at that time. For many people, respite is a lifeline, and it should not be taken away from these families.

Absolutely spot on EmeraldEye. I don't know how many families Rushey support but it could be as many as 60. Sixty families without their much needed respite could cause more than 2 or 3 to go into crisis. What the hell are the council thinking about here? It certainly isn't the most vulnerable people in our society.

I have lived just across from the estate for almost 18 years. During the first 3 years there we were the victims of crimes (mostly car theft/damage) 10 times. Since the flower estate went, we have had nothing apart from rowdy behaviour outside Little Scoffs a few years ago. Amaranthus isn't the most attractive estate but as far as I know, there is no more crime than any other 'deprived' area.

Like anywhere, I think the wards are as good as the people managing them. My dad had the best care whilst in hospital for the last week of his life - the staff were fantastic, and the ward sisters were excellent. My mum was in the same hospital for several days before Christmas and had a shocking time. The last ward she was on (she was moved twice during her stay) was awful. She was told that she hadn't been written up for her painkilling patch, which she had been given 3 days earlier, the nurses had a blazing argument at midnight one night, keeping everyone awake, some of the nursing staff were great but a few were at best, unkind. We have been back today for a follow-up visit and everyone (with the exception of the lovely receptionist and the Consultant) has spoken to me as though Mum couldn't answer for herself - one of my pet hates, as Mum is very intelligent and independent and perfectly able to talk for herself. Again, similar positive and negative experiences at the Hallamshire as an observer with mum and dad. I think some staff need training in customer care, and if they treated people the way they would want to be treated themselves then they wouldn't go far wrong.

Sorry I can't help you. Our team is in a similar position and the parents are furious because their boys were really looking forward to their match. I agree that there should be penalties for this, especially when other matches are actually being played at their ground today! The team we should have been playing are obnoxious from the manager to some of the parents and children and they don't play in the true spirit of the game.

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girl actually!

I agree with you 100% Planner, but your post will be totally ignored because this is a thread about useless councils, their work shirking staff and lousy policies.

But what will I have to moan about if I move?

Thanks for your concern lady of steel but I have actually been able to cross a road unaided for many years now.

Kitty she is beautiful, and almost identical to the girl we found. The girls in the kennels said that the male was almost definitely pit bull type, but because the girl was so thin, she might get away with being Staffy cross. Unfortunately once she fills out, then the pit bull look would probably become more apparent. My arms are covered in bruises because she kept jumping up at me so that I would stroke her. I can't get them out of my mind, and just keep hoping that they do manage to get re-homed as I am sure they would make lovely pets.

That's right Dongle, and there will be a zebra crossing near little scoffs soon. That should slow down the idiots who are speeding up Newman Road as normal, then slamming their brakes on when they see the give way sign. Mummysaz21, it's not actually much of an exaggeration saying there has been an accient on that corner every week. I've lived there for 17 years and have lost count of the accidents I've witnessed.

Grimesthorpe I would say. Why? Do the dogs sound familiar to you Nikki?

You are right pets@home. What shocked me is that apparently if the owner comes along, and can prove they are the owner, they will be prosecuted, but will then have a case to claim their dog back. If this is successful, then the dogs would have to be micro-chipped, neutered, tattoo'd, registered and muzzled in public. What makes me sick is that potentially, these dogs could be returned to the owner that neglected them (judging by the visible ribs and hip bones) and threw them onto the street. If they could be returned to the scum that did this to them, then why couldn't they be re-homed with responsible owners?

.......to my friend, my 12 year old son and myself. Last night, on my way home from collecting my son, he noticed a skinny stray dog and insisted on stopping the car. I watched the dog for a little while as she apprached a man who pushed her away, then she tried to get into a fast food shop. My son then noticed a similar looking dog zig zagging across the road towards us. He was also underweight but not as thin as the bitch. At this point, he was yelling at me to put them in the car! When I approached the dogs, they made a big fuss of me and happily jumped into the car. I collected my friend, and a couple of leads and we drove the dogs to Spring Street. The dogs were so trusting, the boy was very calm and laid back, and the girl just sat on my friend's knee and wanted stroking. The girls at Spring Street were lovely. They told us that the dogs are 'pit bull types' and as such, would go for adoption and would probably be put to sleep in 10 days. The dogs weren't micro-chipped. We were all distraught as we left the pound. My son blames me for taking the dogs to their certain death, although we had no other option that I can think of. I am so angry about the situation - those dogs are beautiful, and would have probably made lovely pets to the right owners. I totally understand the arguments about pit bull terriers being dangerous and unpredictable but it wasn't their fault that their idiot owners bred them in the first place. Why on earth is this still going on almost 20 years after the Dangerous Dogs Act was introduced?

Not having lights there any more as the residents objected. You won't be able to turn right down Whinmoor for much longer as that is going to be one way to stop people doing exactly what you do. Oh, and I don't think there are going to be any roundabouts either.

Finally the work on the corner of Newman/Jenkin has started. It's making me laugh though, watching the people coming off Wincobank Avenue to up Jenkin still stopping despite the obvious change of road markings. I suspect we are still going to see some accidents until people get used to the idea. Maybe the zebra crossing going up will slow traffic down enough on Newman Road for them to realise they now have to stop!