April 2012

Friend to Friend

May Day traditions

Inside this issue:
May Day Traditions Denby Dale Group April Craft Fayre Honley Group Holmfirth Project Northlight Gallery Mosaic Dementia Awareness cafes Marsden Group Meltham Lunch Netherton Group Meltham Mens Group Riddles Trip to Skipton Answers to last quiz 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

The first day of the month of

May is known as May Day. It is the time of year when warmer weather begins and flowers and trees start to blossom. It is said to be a time of love and romance. It is when people celebrate the coming of summer with lots of different customs that are expressions of joy and hope after a long winter. Traditional English May Day celebrations include Morris dancing, crowning a May Queen and dancing around a Maypole. The beginning of Summer Although summer does not officially begin until June, May Day marks its beginning. May Day celebrations have been carried out in England for over 2000 years. The Romans celebrated the festival of Flora, goddess of fruit and flowers, which marked the beginning of summer. It was held annu-

ally from April 28th to May 3rd. How was May Day Celebrated in the past? It was custom for every one to go a-Maying early on May Day. Herrick, a 17th century English poet wrote: Theres not a budding boy, or girl, this day, But is got up, and gone to bring in May. Decorating Houses May Day began early in the morning. People would go out before sunrise in order to gather flowers and greenery to decorate their houses and villages with in the belief that the vegetation spirits would bring good fortune. Washing in the early morning dew Girls would make a special point of washing their faces in the dew of the early morning. They believed this made them very beautiful for the following year.

The May Queen The rest of the day was given over to various festivities. There was dancing on the village green, archery contest and exhibitions of strength. The highlight of the day was the crowning of the May Queen, the human replica of Flora. By tradition she took no part in the games or dancing, but sat like a queen in a flowerdecked chair to watch her subjects. May Day Garlands Young girls would make May Garlands. They covered two hoops, one at right angles inside the other, with leaves and flowers, and sometimes they put a doll inside to represent the goddess of Spring.

Denby Dale Group

This month, Linda Reilly, who works for Mencap in Kirklees, came to explain to us the problems of being a mentally handicapped person. Mentally handicapped is where the name for the charity came from. She started by explaining that most handicaps start at birth, some children can recover from them, but others with Downs Syndrome are stuck with it throughout their lives. Mencap have residential homes and run respite care clubs and organise activities which their members like, such as sports and music. Mencap was started in 1946 by Maude Cooper (who is now 106 years old and counting) and her friend. They had Downs Syndrome children, but did not want them to have to go to Storthes Hall. It was not until 1969 that mentally handicapped children could attend ordinary schools. Linda then asked us to write a list of our favourite things such as the colours we like to wear and holiday destinations and then explained how frustrating it would be if we could not tell our friends and family what and why we like those things. The homes try to treat their residents as individuals and let them eat when they want and go to bed when they are ready, not when The Matron says. She also gave us hints on how to choose a residential home - not that we are interested 1. Go and see lots of them 2. Take a deep breath as you go in and smell it! 3. Speak to the boss - Do you like her/him? 4. Ask lots of Questions 5. Ask your grandchild to look the Care Quality Commission Report up on the Internet or ask for a report at the home Then we had to show that our own brains are still working as Jean tested us with a Crossword with all the vowels missing. Marjorie Brown, Joan Noble, Greta Hinchliffe and Dorethea Tarbett can all apply to be on Countdown now. After a bit of juggling with the tickets the raffle was won by, Olive Turnbull, Joan Noble, Dorethea Tarbett and Greta Hinchliffe Julie Barber

Hints on how to choose a residential home!

April Craft Fayre in Holmfirth Market

Please can you support the Craft Fayre. HOLMFIRTH MARKET SUNDAY APRIL 29TH 10.004.00 Hope to see you there!

Honley Group
On a very wet and rather cold day, the Honley group turned out in full with about 15 ladies attending. It was good to see so many there. First of all, we had a bit of a chat over our cups of tea and biscuits and Shirley caught up with some information which needed to be passed on. We also discussed where we might go on our next trip out. Janet had brought along a Radio Times front covers quiz and we worked our way through with much Oh I know that face but just cant remember who it is comments! After that, we played Suzannes mime game which caused much hilarity but which ended in a suitable 12-12 draw for the 2 teams. We ended the session discussing what we would rescue if there was a house fire and could just get one thing out with us. Apart from handbags etc, it was agreed that something irreplaceable like family photographs or personal, sentimental objects would definitely be our main priority. It was a good afternoon in good company! Suzanne
Boardman to tell the group about the Huddersfield Examiner Community Awards. We volunteers nominated Shirley S and she has reached the next stage a dinner at the Galpharm where the winners are announced. Soon after this a photographer came from the Examiner to take photos for both the Heritage Lottery award and Shirley Simmonds nomination. The lottery application was Shirley Ss idea. We all got in the pictures! Many thanks to Jean , a Netherton group volunteer who stepped in to help as our volunteer numbers were down and to Janice who helped with washing up.

Holmfirth Project Group

Holmfirth Project 20th April 2012 Today saw the start of our exciting new Diamond Years project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Shirley Simmonds started us off with a brief outline of what the year ahead holds. Then David Cockman showed a DVD of his photographs of the area accompanied by a spirited rendition of the Holmfirth anthem Pratty Flowers. David is going to guide us in photography of the district and will take photos of the members at work. We shall end up with DVDs for our members and for reference by the wider public. David is also a local history expert. Janice and Katrina who joined us today will also be spending time with us, helping with oral history interviewing We welcomed Jill who is going to help us with producing artefacts to commemorate Coronation Year. She showed us a video from the 1950s to generate some ideas and discussed these with the members over lunch. Based on these we shall start work on this part of the project on May 18th. After a lovely lunch Shirley S expanded on the project and in particular the folders people will be working on to create a record of their experience of the 1950s and what they might include. We then got Shirley

Northlight Gallery Mosaic Exhibition We all have a story to tell

The Holmfirth, Honley, Netherton and Marsden Friend to Friend Groups have been working on a Mosaic entitled We all have a story to tell. This will be on display at the Northlight Gallery from May 4th onwards for the groups involved and to family members and members of the public from May 5th onwards. For more information, you can contact the Friend to Friend office on: 01484 687773 Northlight Gallery Armitage Bridge Huddersfield West Yorkshire HD4 7NR

Tea and Company Dementia Awareness Cafes

For more information, please contact: Dementia is a hard thing to deal with. To have a loved one with Dementia or be living with Dementia yourself can be difficult and a painful thing if you are on your own. The Dementia Awareness Cafes aim to make life manageable and more enjoyable for people living with dementia and their carers. They are a place to meet other people in similar circumstances, spend quality time together in a welcoming environment and get information about wider support available. Nisah Imtiaz 07969 339 435 Brian Garbett 0113 270 8673

HOLMFIRTH METHODIST HALL School Street HD9 7EQ Every 3rd Tuesday DENBY DALE METHODIST HALL Cumberworth Lane HD8 8QS Every 1st Thursday

All cafes run from 1.30pm until 3.30pm

Marsden Group
Marsden Friend to Friend sends best wishes to all the Groups and would like to say how much we enjoy reading the Newsletters. The new format is very good, it includes something for everyone and we do enjoy reading about what the other Groups are doing. Well done Suzanne! Our March activities session was both interesting and good fun. We again talked about monologues. In this session we read about Albert Ramsbottom the Evacuee, written in 1940. It is an amusing monologue about Albert and his mother being evacuated and starts as follows: Have you heard how young Albert Ramsbottom, Was evacuated from home With his mother, clean socks and a toothbrush, Some Syrup of Figs and a comb. The antics of Albert and his mother proved to be very funny indeed but also evocative of the 1940s both in terms of the phrases used in the verses and war-time conditions, for example Albert breaks the rules of the blackout. We all laughed throughout the reading and commented on several things that were mentioned in the verses. We also did a 1950s television quiz. Members had to read the clues to titles of television shows that were popular in that decade. This quiz took quite some time to complete, after all the 1950s were a long time ago! However, after much memory searching and deliberation the members completed the questions. Well done ladies, you did very well! We also read an article entitled When we were brung up proper. This was also very amusing; it related to conditions and attitudes of the 1950s and stirred up many memories of those days. It was a good session enjoyed by all. At our next session we concentrated on our scrapbooks. These will be completed over the next two dedicated sessions. Members enjoyed creating their own designs from our scrapbook materials. Some of the designs had pictures of country and coastal scenes while others featured animals, birds and dolphins. Our members have proved to be very creative during the scrapbook sessions and have produced some excellent pages. The books are very attractive indeed and I am sure that our members will enjoy looking at them in the future and remembering the times that they created each page. it has been a good, fulfilling and interesting project. Our best wishes go to our members who have not been able to attend the sessions due to illness, we are thinking of you and wish you well. Cynthia Phillips

Meltham Lunch
After a very satisfying lunch, we all settled for a poetry session and very good it was too! Mrs Foster was the poet and most of the poems were her own. She was very interesting and amusing. Some were quite professional and one was very appropriate for the coming Jubilee. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped on the day. Mrs Foster was thanked by Richard to a grand ovation.

Poem by Mrs Dorothy Foster

The opening of the 2012 Olympics, must have a British theme. Maybe 1000 Morris men, waving hankies, on a simulated village green. There could be an equestrian display, Tetley's dray horses would impress I'm sure. Followed by uniformed men, synchronised buckets, collecting manure. One man and his dog could feature. With whistle and massed band. The obedient flock of sheep, marching on command. How about a giant Maypole? That will impress the crowd. Mrs Jones will iron out the ribbons, The Floral Dance could blast out loud. Another idea occurred to me. Why not a jolly sequence dance? Over 60s only, it may be their last chance. Bring them into the arena, on a Kirklees bus, waving their Metro passes aloft, they'd be a credit to us. We could choreograph umbrellas, to open and close together. Britain can equal China's show, if we can only defeat the weather.

Netherton Group
Maureen Hirst
We had a go at making Easter boxes. We had box templates already cut out so these just needed folding and sticking in place. The boxes were then finished with paper flowers and a filling of straw and a chocolate egg added. We had some fabulous results which can be seen in the photo of Maureen Hirst. We finished the meeting with an Easter quiz. Our next meeting was creative as well as we were busy knitting dishcloths to sell on the Friend to Friend stall being held this Sunday the 29th of April at the Holmfirth Charity Market. To finish our meeting we had fun with a game called Porky Pies, where you have to guess the true meaning of an old phrase. For example: "TO BE TAKEN ABACK" This phrase, meaning surprised, is believed to be derived from: (A) American saloons in the Gold Rush era where pretty young girls would lure gentlemen travellers to the back of the bar. The girls would have accomplices there who would mug the gentlemen for their money and valuables. (B) Military encounters where one army distracts another and then sneaks around the back of them to launch a surprise attack from behind. (C) Sailing boats, where a shift in the wind would cause the sails to fill from the wrong side and blow the boat backwards

The answer can be found at the back of the newsletter.

Meltham Mens Group

After one of Micks fine lunches, ham salad followed by trifle, its down to a game of dominoes whilst being regaled by Pam Ayres on CD. David C.

Can you solve these riddles?

1.

A man builds a four-walled house. Each of the walls, on the outside, face due south. The man looks out the window and sees a bear. What colour is the bear? Which is greater - half of quarter or quarter of half? How do you write 1000 with eight 8s? I have a tail, and I have a head, but I have no body. I am NOT a snake. What am I? There's an electric train travelling south. The wind is from the north-west. In which direction would the smoke from the train be blowing? While driving a father and his son had a car accident and then were rushed to two different hospitals. The son was about to be operated on when the surgeon said "I can't operate... This is my son!' Who is the surgeon? What does an Island and the letter T have in common? What falls, but does not break, and what breaks but does not fall? What's the missing letter? J?MAMJJASOND

2. 3. 4. 5.

6.

7. 8. 9.

10. If you drop a 10 kg iron bar and a 10 kg bag of cotton from a height of 50 meters which will reach the ground first?

Answers in the next issue!

Annual trip to Skipton Meltham

On Friday 6thJuly, the Meltham group will be making their annual trip to Skipton. This year, there are spare places available to any other groups who may be interested in going along. A 51 seater bus needs to be filled! The trip leaves from Meltham and anyone joining will have to make their own way to Meltham for the coach. The total cost of the trip is 17-00 and this includes:

Narrow boat ride Fish n Chips Raffle number Tips for the bus driver, caf and boat.

If anyone is interested and would like to book a place, please call the Friend to Friend office on 01484 687773 for a booking form.

Suzanne would like to say a BIG THANK YOU for all the messages about the new format of the newsletter. It makes it all worth while when I receive such lovely compliments and I certainly enjoy producing it! I love reading about all the various group activities and there are some splendid poems and articles. Keep them coming!

Friend to Friend
Answers to the March General Knowledge Quiz: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. An orange swift is a MOTH. Poirot was BELGIAN. A Rhode Island Red is CHICKEN. The highest point on Earth is at the top of MOUNT EVEREST. Purple is made up of RED and BLUE. Jesus was betrayed by JUDAS. The Italian city with a leaning tower is PISA. The square root of 9 is 3. The Grand National is held at AINTREE. The fruit most commonly used to make wine GRAPES. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. From an acorn grows an OAK TREE. The Spanish flag consists of RED and YELLOW. SEAN CONNERY played Bond in You Only Live Twice. Ginger wine is made from ginger and RAISINS. A gosling is a young GOOSE. Jesus was trained as a CARPENTER. Picassos first name was PABLO. The Good Ship Lollipop was an AIRCRAFT. The largest island in the Mediterranean is SICILY. The snail in the Magic Roundabout is BRIAN.

TO BE TAKEN ABACK (See page 6) The answer is C

Friend to Friend Unit 8 Bridge Mills Huddersfield Road Holmfirth HD9 3TW Tel: 01484 687773 Www.friendtofriend.org.uk Email: rachel.friendtofriend@virginmedia.com Registered Charity Number 1092163