Digest – November 2020
SOUTHEND & DISTRICT PENSIONER’S CAMPAIGN
November 2020
The best part of living is to know how to grow old gracefully!
Barbara Armitage
Our congratulations to her on nomination as a “Good for Leigh Winner”. Mentioned is her working life as a social worker for SBC and ECC, her work for the Pier Museum and running the Belfairs Residents Association. Also as an active member of the OPA and Bus Users Group.
Missing is her involvement with our group and being Lady Mayoress in 1989/90.
Now the Sun has gone marque 1
According to my newspaper the government is shortly to put its money where its mouth is and next month send those resident’s in Care homes and those medically shielding a 4 months’ supply of Vitamin D. Bad luck for those who acted on my note last month.
Now the Sun has gone marque 2
Balmoral Community Centre is closed for November’s Lockdown so our scheduled meeting for 18th November cannot take place.
This is how we felt when we heard the news.
No sun – no moon!
No morn – no noon –
No dawn – no dusk – no proper time of day –
No sky – no earthly view –
No distance looking blue –
No road – no street – no ‘t’other side the way’ –
No end to any Row –
No indications where the Crescents go –
No top to any steeple –
No recognitions of familiar people –
No courtesies for showing ’em –
No knowing ’em –
No travelling at all – no locomotion,
No inkling of the way – no notion –
‘No go’ – by land or ocean –
No mail – no post –
No news from any foreign coast –
No Park – no Ring – no afternoon gentility –
No company – no nobility –
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member –
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds, –
No wonder…November
Thomas Hood
Two sides of the Food Coin
Anyone who shops at a supermarket will have noticed large trolleys stuffed full leaving the building. Thanks to Brian this is what would have fitted in a handbag during WW2:
Food Rationing.
(Quantities are per person per week)
29th September 1939 – National Register set up & Identity cards issued.
8 January 1940 – Food rationing begins. Bacon, ham, sugar and butter now rationed.
January 1940 – 4oz. Butter, 12oz. Sugar & 4 oz. bacon allowed a week for each person.
March 1940 – 1s.10d worth of meat (9p today). Sausages were not rationed but difficult to get; offal (liver, kidneys, tripe) was originally un-rationed but sometimes formed part of the meat ration.
July 1940 – Tea 2oz 1s 10d (9p). Butter, margarine, cooking fats and cheese rationed. Sugar cut to 8 oz 1s 10d (9p).
March 1941 – Jam, marmalade, treacle and syrup rationed. 8 oz per person per week.
May 1941- Cheese ration increased to 2 oz’s per person per week.
June 1941- Eggs: 1 fresh egg but often only one every two weeks. Meat ration cut to 1s 6d (7½p) per person per week then to 1s 2d (6p): by June 1941 it was down to 1s (5p).
July 1941- Sugar ration doubled to encourage people to make their own jam during the fruit season.
December 1941 – Points scheme for food introduced. National dried milk introduced
December 1941 – Milk went on ration 3 pints per person per week (1800ml) occasionally dropping to 2 pints (1200ml). This amount also varied for young children and expectant mothers.
Expectant mothers, children and invalids were allowed 7 pints of milk per week. Expectant mothers and children were also allowed up to 18 eggs per month. Children were allowed orange and rosehip syrup as well as cod liver oil. Household milk (skimmed or dried) was available : 1 packet per four weeks.
January 1942 Rice & dried fruit added to points system. Tea ration for under fives was withdrawn. Sweets 2 oz per person per week.
April 1942 breakfast cereals and condensed milk added to points system.
June 1942 – American dried egg powder on sale. 1s 9d (9p) per packet (equivalent to 12 eggs)
Sausages contained less and less real pork or beef , Horsemeat commonly available (later whale meat was also available)
July 1942 – Sweets and chocolate 2 oz per person per week.
August 1942 – Biscuits added to points system.
August 1942 – Cheese ration was increased to 8 oz per person per week.
December 1942 Oat flakes added to points system.
December 1944 – Extra tea allowance for 70 year olds and over introduced.
January 1945 – Whale meat and snoek fish available.
Safety First (protecting your identity)
If criminals find out your personal details, they can use them to open bank accounts and get credit cards, loans and state benefits in your name.
Criminals may also attempt to obtain documents in your name, eg driving licence and passport. What they want are your name, DOB, address, NI number, bank and credit card details.
Here are some tips:
Destroy unwanted documents that contain personal details before you dispose of them. Use a shredder.
If your passport, driving licence or credit card has been lost or stolen, report it to the issuer immediately.
Get a copy of your personal credit file from one of the three credit reference agencies. This will help you to find out if someone else is applying for credit in your name.
If you move house, tell your bank, credit card companies and all other organisations with which you do business. The Royal Mail’s redirection service can ensure that your post arrives at your new address.
Check bank and credit card statements as soon as they arrive. Report any unfamiliar transactions to your bank or credit card companies.
Never give personal or account details to anyone who contacts you unexpectedly, either by phone, post, email or in person.
If you use the internet, always use a different password for each account. Do not use family names or dates of birth as passwords.
This is taken from the, Be Safe, Be Sure given to us by PCSOs Angela Westall and Kirsty at the October members meeting.
The lighter side
What did the ocean say to the shore? Nothing it just waved……. Did you hear the one about the two people who stole a calendar? They each got six months. ……What is the difference between a cat and a comma, a cat has claws at the end of its paws, a comma is a pause at the end of a clause…….If you get cold, stand in a corner. They are normally about 90 degrees….
Scams
NPC sent a big email on phone scams. Two caught my eye:
Missed call scams
Your phone registers a missed call. You don’t recognise the number so you call it back. Most of the time the call will be perfectly above board, but you may be redirected to a premium rate service which can cost up to £15 per call.
Recorded message scams
The number you’re asked to call back may be a recorded message telling you that you’ve won a prize, and giving you another number to call to ‘claim’ it. But this second number may be a premium rate one. Also, your prize may be nothing more than a ring tone subscription – which can also be a fraud.
For emailers I can send the whole thing.
Dates for your Diary
16th December: Members meeting, 1st Floor Balmoral Centre. 2pm. Colin Beaumont “My experiences as a Toast Master ” Balmoral is a “Covid-19 secure Community Facility”. So do attend.
21st January: Members meeting, Bob Howes “My musical life”
© JDS/ November 2020. Tel 01702 472670