Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Editorial May 2021

I do love the spring – the garden in bloom and everyone seems so much happier. And even the weather is slowly but surely getting warmer Great not to hear the heating boiler roaring away

Lifting of Lockdown Restrictions
The lifting of Lockdown restrictions should also mean the return to normal – i.e., no blockage of pavements and cutting off the highways. Also, a new survey is needed of the cycle lanes and any loss of disabled/loading bays, plus the removal of the advertising boards from pavements – this was illegal before the restrictions – when the council collected them and fined the offenders.

If we are to get back to normal – let us do it properly! The Jewellery Quarter is a ‘destination’ not a giant cycle lane edged by beer gardens!

High Rise City Centre
With the worry about air pollution and carbon footprint how does that compute with the extremely high buildings being built in the city centre, latest one being 49 storeys high – filled with hundreds of small ‘affordable flats’. Just imagine the emissions from masses of central heating boilers, and the enormous amount of waste of all kinds involved – to compensate we would need to plant millions of trees.

There could be hundreds of people living there – what about schools, transport, shopping, deliveries, waste disposal, space for children to play? Are there enough facilities for power points for electric vehicles – and what about emergency vehicle access?

Eventually the listed buildings in the city centre will look like they are in miniature – enough to make Queen Victoria pick up her skirts and run!
Victoria Square is about to have a further ‘restoration’ – not long since the last one.

All That ‘Glitters’
I think the jewellery-makers themselves are great – trying to achieve in a few hours what a jewellery student would be expected to deliver over a period of a whole year. The only way we can recognise that it was filmed in the JQ is a few quick glimpses of buildings and pavements but no mention of the people who provided the space, facilities, materials, etc to make the programme possible. (With the exception of the School of Jewellery).

Many of our readers will remember the annual Jewellery School Student competitions which were so enjoyable to both makers and audience, much of it being due to Gay Penfold! Plus of course the various Assay Masters, Heads of School and the British Jewellers Association at that time and not forgetting Canon Denis Claringbull, vicar of St Paul’s Church.

Marie Haddleton
Editor

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The Hockley Flyer magazine if entirely funded by the advertising, but we could always do with a little bit more funding. The advertising not only pays for the design/printing, but also postage, delivery, all the associated paperwork/accounts, and research for the Heritage section. Our subscribers pay only a bit more then the postage/mailing costs, and the magazines are free - no cover price.



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