Why is the Post Office managing to sneak 5 to 8 Post Office closures per Borough without a word of protest from the Mayor or the GLA ?
"Hundreds of Post Offices face the axe
By Jason Beattie, Evening Standard Political Correspondent
5 July 2004
Royal Mail chiefs stand accused today of seriously depleting London's network of post offices.
Since December 2002, 190 post offices in the capital have either been shut or earmarked for closure. Another 120 may also be at risk.
Critics claim the cutbacks will change permanently the face of London's high streets. They say post offices are crucial to the commercial future of some areas.
The scale of the closures has been masked by the decision to spread the programme over two years, and to announce the closures only on a constituencybyconstituency basis.
The strategy has enabled the Post Office to avoid a public backlash."
Surely Ken Livingstone et al are meant to be concerned with London wide issues ?
Instead, they seem to be wasting time and money on decisions about a statue of Nelson Mandela in Trafalagar Square.
Is there any truth behind rumours that when Ken was working for Croydon council he managed to change the deeds of one of the largest childrens homes in the south east.
Shirley Oaks was bequeathed to the council by a wealthy victorian philantrophist, the deeds stated that it should remain a childrens home for a 100 years.
ken sold (10 years before the deeds were expired) the land to private developers for one tenth of its market value and the developers built around 500 private homes.
The children that were there at the time (around 200) were scattered to the wind and forgotten.
can anyone shed some light on this?
If Ken is so concerned for the people that have died in the recent bombing outrage then why does he not contribute at least one days/years takings from his unwanted congestion tax on Londoners to the relief fund?
How many fire engines, ambulances, police forensic vehicles etc. which strayed into the Confgestion Charge Zone on Thursday, but which do not normally travel there, will have been slapped with penalty notices by Capita ?
Re:Shirley Oaks Children's home
Posted by Stephen Lane
"The children that were there at the time (around 200) were scattered to the wind and forgotten."
We were not scattered to the wind and forgotten. Many of us were fostered into good families. As a long-term resident of this awful place, Ken did us all a favour, if he did sell it 10 years early. Pity he had not done it sooner.
Can anyone shed light on when the children's homes were actually closed and some detail of the names of the actual homes / addresses? I am interested in the recent history of this location. I can be contacted at ian.oldfield (at) ntlworld.com
Thank you.
Sorry, regarding my last posting on the children's home - my conatct email is: oldfield.ian (at) ntlworld.com - sorry, its late :)
i was once a member of shirley oaks childrens home. i recall the names of all houses. i will b glad to give information if you can give any in return it would b great.
please email me personaly on ro015h7270@blueyonder.co.uk
hi
where are the records of Shirley Oaks childrens home kept?
I am helping someone whose mum was in the home in the early part of 1900s
I spent a day at National Archives in Northampton Road, London searching the records for The Shirley Oaks Childrens Home where my father, his two brothers and sister were reported to be resident in the early 1900's. I would appreciate any info for the period 1905 to 1915 please.
Thank you
I was a child resident at Shirley Res. Home(latterly the OAKS) from approx 1929 to 1939. I lived in Acacia cottage and know all the names of the cottages at that time. I have a lot of memories and would be willing to give any information I can recall from that time.I have written a memoir for my children including photographs of the cottages. I still have the name board from outside my cottage
In reply to Gladys Warland comment, my mum Kathleen Eyers was also at Shirley Oaks from 1929 - 1934 and also lived in Acacia Cottage. Would appreciate any info you have.
I was in Shirley Oaks Childrens Home in about 1954. It was a horrible experience. I then went to Beechholme for 7 years. There is a book about Shirley Oaks, published about 2006. I have a copy at home but I am not at home at the moment. This book contains lots of photographs and other information. I remember being marched to the toilet first thing each morning in a crocodile, and they waited while you did your business. I also remember the evening supper where an earthenware pot of dripping was passed round the children for them to spread on a slice of thin white bread. This was all we got for supper. Beechholme was better, despite the beatings and abuse.
Myself + my three brothers and two sister where in Briar cottage for many years. Shirley Oaks gave us a good stable upbringing to what we all had before. There were three good meals and clean clothing which to us was something special, must say we did miss the love of parents which wasn't on hand. The one thing I remember that we all hated was the German dentist that came to the sick bay each Monday, he was a real butcher! It's just a shame that Shirley Oaks had to come to an end as I enjoyed my stay there. I loved also the grounds, and play area, swimming pool, film shows and all after school activities - we all felt very save and secure !!
I was placed in Shirley Oaks at age 7yrs in 1964/65. It was awful!! We all stood up like robots at 8.00pm every night after Corrie, and if we didn't eat Plaice and spinage it was served up cold the next day and we weren't allowed our sweets, usually pearl drops! I was in Ash Cottage and couldn't wait to get out of those awful gates. what a horrible memory for a child to grow up in. Does anyone remeber me?
if anyone remembers me in 1964/65 i was aged 7yrs. and in ash cottage.what a place!
hello,
this is johnson.I spent a day at National Archives in Northampton Road, London searching the records for The Shirley Oaks Childrens Home where my father, his two brothers and sister were reported to be resident in the early 1900's.
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johnson
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