Margaret Ashby has sadly died aged 80
- Credit: Friends of Forster Country
Historian, charity founder and fierce protector of our countryside, Margaret Ashby, sadly died on Monday, March 8, aged 80.
Tributes have poured in for the community stalwart who lived in Stevenage her entire life, dedicating herself to a huge number of causes.
IN 1989, Margaret co-founded Friends of Forster Country - alongside Dr John Hepworth - and later campaigned hard against the development which will see 800 homes and a primary school built on the land between North Road and Weston Road.
Forster Country campaigners, Anne Conchie, John Alabaster, Angela Hepworth, James Green, Margaret Ashby, and John Spiers.
As a “consequence”, Stevenage must now consider planning applications under a “presumption in favour of sustainable development”.
The change means councillors must give more weight to national housing needs than local considerations.
The MHCLG said the council “should approve applications for housing unless there are clear reasons not to”.
What are the consequences?
Labour council leader Sharon Taylor OBE compared the intervention to another government planning policy, “permitted development”, which came into force in 2015.
It entitled developers to turn office blocks into flats without council permission.
“We have seen some horrendous examples of that,” said Cllr Taylor. You end up with appalling quality housing. Not all developers do that. But at its worst, that is what it can mean.
Death and funeral notices in Coventry - week commencing February 1
We re bidding a fond farewell to a number of Coventry residents
We have gathered the messages posted over the week commencing February 1 in one place here.
The messages are submitted by friends, family and loved ones as a way of saying goodbye to those they have lost.
These provide comfort to the nearest and dearest of those who have passed away.
You can also post your own announcements and notices to us through this website.
Monday, February 1
Chris Coleman
Dearly loved Father, Grandfather and Husband, sadly passed away at home on January 14th. The funeral will be held at Corpus Christi Church on 19th February at 10.30, sadly due to COVID restrictions the Church will be invite only. We will miss our amazing Dad who will forever live in our hearts Paul, Kerry, Victoria, Natalie, Philomena & family xx Floral tributes welcome. Enquiries to Henry Ison & Sons, 76-78 Binley Road, Coventry CV3 1FQ Tel. 02476 458665
Published:
8:30 AM February 6, 2021
From the Royal Free Supermarket to rest and relaxation areas for staff, the Royal Free Charity has worked hard to support frontline workers this year during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Credit: Royal Free Charity
The Royal Free Charity (RFC) has raised more than £2.5m for the hospital trust s staff in the 12 months since the pandemic began in the UK.
The charity is marking a year since the first Covid-19 positive case was admitted to the Royal Free - which happened on February 9 2020 - by recapping the work it s been doing and reiterating its appeal for support.
Jon Spiers, the RFC s chief exec, said: “Our hospital colleagues, with no time to recover from the first wave, have seen more patients than ever in the second wave.
The Rec Club s Covid hub is run by GPs and volunteers
- Credit: Royal Free Charity
The Recreation Club in Hampstead has turned into a Covid-19 vaccination centre as it aims to provide 1,000 jabs per day.
The repurposed Royal Free Charity facility in Fleet Road opened on January 15 and is being run by local GPs amid a nationwide push to ramp up the speed of the vaccine rollout.
Operating out of the sports hall, the centre is open three days a week from 8am-6pm, vaccinating patients according to their clinical priority.
The facility at the rear of the Royal Free is supported by volunteers and it will open every day once its supply of vaccine is guaranteed.