Foxy mex

FOXY MEX

FREE TO A FOXY HOME

YOUR GUIDE TO SOUTH YORKSHIRE’S BEST KEPT SECRET - FEATURING: A New Manifesto for Mexborough, Another Side to Schofield Street, Generation Mex and all your Mexborough favourites.

We see things a little

DIFFERENTLY

A Guide to FOXY MEX 4

- A Manifesto for Mexborough: Keep the Faith

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- Just a Kid from Cortonwood

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- The Boy from Cortonwood - From Hoody to Hero

MICK PETTINGER

10 - Another Side of Schofield Street 15 - The Joy of Making

LESLEY MERRIN

BARRY GRIFFITHS

IRV BOLYARD

16 - Support Mexborough, Shop Local 18 - Links for Youth - Kidz Du Care 20 - 30 Mexborough

DOMINIC SOMERS

LESLEY MERRIN & BARRY GRIFFITHS JILL ARKLEY-JEVONS

HELEN McCABE

22 - Mexborough Remembers - A Town Honours It’s Fallen Heroes 26 - Get Arty at Dolcliffe Hall

LESLEY MERRIN

28 - Mexborough’s Other Poet: Harrold Massingham

IAN PARKS

30 - Brewing Beer in the 20th Century - Mexborough Style

PAUL DYSON

32 - Giving Young People a Second Chance - Dearne Valley PDC 34 - Mexborough’s Free Larder 36 - Cosy Cinema

JOHN BEAL

CLAIR HIBBERT

37 - Ted Hughes Poetry Festival 38 - Generation Mex - Our Young ‘Uns Done Good 40 - From Saxon to Ceramics - Foxy Mex Chats to Graham Oliver 44 - 20 FREE Things to Do in Mexborough

STEVE HAMILTION

Illustrations by Al Heigton.

Photography by Dominic Somers, Rachel Horne, Graeme Oxby, Scott Pritchard, Frank Schwichtenberg, John Fuller and Lesley Merrin.

horne&draper Everyday Audacity.

Printed by Expert Print, Unit 1a Churchill Business Park, Churchill Road, Doncaster, DN1 2TF. Designed by

horne&draper art - design - publishing www.horneanddraper.com

A Manifesto for Mexborough: KEEP THE FAITH DOMINIC SOMERS

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yup cockers. Welcome to Foxy Mex, a free publication about Mexborough and its creative side, aiming to expose its northern soul to a wider audience.

When I first started working in Mexborough a couple of years ago, people would say to me: ‘Nothing is happening here. It’s a ****hole.’

Negativity seemed to be endemic within people’s mindset towards their hometown. It was all about what Mexborough used to be, what it used to have.

This was the town my mam was born in and the place where my grandparents had fallen in love. Was this really what had become of modern-day Mexborough? The place that had always punched above its weight, like Iron Hague and Tommy Joyce - was this town now nothing but a shadow of its former self? I wanted to find the truth of what Mexborough is now, not just what it was then.

All this and more has only been achieved because people gave their time, support and ideas to make Mexborough a more creative place where things happen. I feel a deep pride in all that we have achieved together, and it will be with sadness that I step away when my role comes to an end in the New Year. In many ways, this is just the beginning. Foundations have been laid and projects have been built with the idea that they can move forward. So get involved, put forward new ideas and create events that will add to the rich creative ecology of Mexborough.

With a Sheffield postcode, a Rotherham phone number and Doncaster collecting the bins, you could be forgiven for thinking Mexborough is a bit mixed up, but this town has got a very unique identity. It is the place that inspired Ted Hughes and many others, like Harold Massingham, to start writing poetry. It is home to the first ever British F1 World Champion, Mike Hawthorn. War hero William Hackett, who had made Mexborough his home, displayed bravery and a caring spirit, for which he was awarded the Victoria Cross.

Lastly, I would like to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everybody who has made me feel at home in Mexborough and given huge support to make all our creative adventures come alive. Mexborough is not a shadow of itself anymore - it is a creative beacon that others are starting to notice.

Look under the surface of Mexborough and you will be amazed at the heritage it has to offer and the stories it has to tell. We all have a duty to share them and shift negative perceptions into wonder and pride.

Dominic Somers is an Arts Supporter for Mexborough

Only a couple of years ago, I had no knowledge of the rich history of the potteries and the ceramics industry within this locality, predating its rich mining heritage. I have listened in awe to the ceramics expertise of Graham Oliver (yes, that’s right, the Saxon guitar legend), opening up this fascinating world. Hidden passions like Graham’s seem to be common when we open our eyes and gain the confidence to share with others. This is beautifully demonstrated in Mick Pettinger’s poem, The Kid from Cortonwood (p7). So ask yourself, what can I do and what can I share?

The Mexborough Manifesto bags and artwork were made to share and celebrate some of the characteristics that make Mexborough what it is now. They are also a call to arms to support your local Mexborough, your local businesses, your local groups, your neighbours and to craft the community you desire. Like the fine micro-breweries that exist in Mexborough, you can create awardwinning quality if you start making stuff happen. It was this approach I took in my role as a Right Up Our Street Arts Supporter.

From day one, I found Mexborough to be a warm, friendly place with a cheeky sense of humour.

So what have we done? Well, with a proactive community group and over a hundred volunteers, we have managed to engage over 8,500 participants with our events over the past couple of years. We have staged large outdoor cinema events and a Christmas music

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bash. We have set up dance, drama, craft and writing groups, made short films, started the now monthly Cosy Cinema, given away hundreds of pieces of free street art, made creative manifestos, put on exhibitions of local artwork, supported book launches and open mic events, and established the first Ted Hughes Poetry Festival in South Yorkshire.

The people, united, will never be defeated.

End

This magazine has been creatively produced working in partnership with the talented Doncopolitan team (www.doncopolitan.com) and the Right Up Our Street Mexborough community.

For information about how you can get involved and make a difference, email h e llo @ r ig h t u p o u r s t re e t. o rg. u k or visit w w w. r ig h t u p o u r s t re e t. o rg. u k

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e kick things off with a poem from a local lad done good. His story shows that there are no limits to what Mexborough’s fine foxy folk can achieve if they set their mind to it.

Lesley Merrin gives us the full details of Mick’s inspiring life story on page 8, but first lets here it from the man himself in his own well-crafted words...

Just A Kid From Cortonwood Mick Pettinger Just a kid from Cortonwood Lost so much and couldn’t hide away because at that time we didn’t have hoods.

Isolated and afraid of the people that misunderstood that when he died, at five, I misunderstood.

In to adulthood, I misunderstood so much more and ruined mi life on beer, class A’s and draw.

You know about our childhoods, we all know the score.

Until one day an epiphany dawned, a new man spawned and longed to be more than what was before.

A shallow nervous kid, turned to a messed up drug addicted adult, then turned from the short term fix to the long term learning of new tricks.

I’d lost so much that I knew I couldn’t lose anymore.

I lost so much I got used to being a loser left beat and bloody on the floor.

I lost so much I was reborn at the core to do something, ‘anything’ to become more, than just a kid from Cortonwood who couldn’t hide because back then there were no hoods.

“ You know about our childhoods, we all know the score.”

Portrait of Mick Pettinger by Scott Pritchard

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Now I’d got hoods but I chose not to hide.

I realized it didn’t matter what I looked like outside, or how much money I had or how unpopular I was.

I understood that I didn’t choose to make the mistakes I’d made or to feel how I had inside.

I had something to improve that nobody could take away unless I died.

And with the amount of times I’d tried and failed to die, I realized I can do something other than just whimper, whither, cry and die.

So there I was seeking to improve this vestige, attempting to channel it in to prestige, and not caring if I failed to do so.

Learning new languages, musical instruments and things of social importance without a care of getting famous, becoming rich or even slightly being noticed.

“Want to learn to act?” I saw in a shop window and a took a drunken step back.

Could I? Should I? Do I want to learn that?

F*** yeah!

Put me in a place where I’ll turn out bright red, shake like a s****ing dog and probably need dutch courage by the keg!

If I don’t face my fears and push myself out of my comfort zone, then all I’ll ever hear is jeers and I’ll always be alone.

Hiding in hoods like that kid from Cortonwood.

So I arrive on set and it’s not quite what I expect.

Straight away I’m having a laugh, I’m meeting new people, I’m helping out and feeding like a vampire on the atmosphere.

It’s cool.

I fed like a vampire on the free food too!

We’re here to do something together, that might one day carry our names, to where we don’t even care.

Because at the end of four days of filming, we were a unit that didn’t want to separate.

At the end it was like breaking up a bunch of orphans that had built something out of nothing, together that might last forever.

There was a kid from Cortonwood, he was misunderstood, afraid of everybody and couldn’t hide, not even in hoods.

Now there’s an adult who’s happy with his inside, not caring about his outside or his downsides because he was given an opportunity to do something fun with his community and create something from nothing whilst feeling in unity.

Ambition drives me, but not towards a career of diluted creativity like the mainstream musicians of today succumb to.

But towards a future where I have a head full of knowledge and body full of passion to teach to a future son or daughter.

Towards a future in which I might one day make something, even if only a fleeting note, worthy of history.

Towards a future that might see the things I talk about today planting seeds to effect society a fair few days after tomorrow.

I can’t say I’m heading to stardom or anything of significance.

I can’t say I’m even any good at any of the things that I’ve done.

But I can say it’s worth while aspiring to be ‘something’ rather than moping and whining about ‘having’ nothing.

We slowly became a family of strangers from all walks of life, all ages on differing wages in four days worth of chasing collaboration.

I can say to people I’m no longer just a face hidden in a hood in the crowd.

Different experiences and races sharing our memories and ideas and right there,

Because I tried and even if I failed at acting, I made friends, I had a laugh, I did something different, but most of all that kid from Cortonwood stepped out of his comfort zone

right there! was no division, no fear, we were all the same.

Not fighting for money, not stressing over who’s doing the most work and not worrying about local fame because nobody knows our names.

I can say I’m not just a rat in the race, I can even be a little bit proud.

without a hood.

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The Boy from CORTONWOOD LESLEY MERRIN

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his an inspiring story of a young man, Mick, who lost his older brother in a road traffic accident when he was only five years old. This sudden, tragic loss caused him immeasurable grief and a feeling of abandonment which lasted all the way through his teenage years. Only now, 25 years later, is he coming to terms with the loss. Part of the problem was that his parents were unable to explain to him in terms he understood that his brother was dead.

He grew up feeling as if part of him was missing, a deep loneliness that he couldn’t understand.

He looked to his father for guidance on how to react. But this father, wanting to protect him and his family, didn’t show his emotions and continued to act normally. This led Mick to believe his brother was still alive.

“Obviously, he felt bad. He just kept things inside. I decided I would do the same as I had done before Steven died. I thought that I’d have fun, like Steven hadn’t died. I’d pretend he didn’t matter or never existed. I can only guess that this may have led to some of my brother’s friends or onlookers believing I didn’t care about him or miss him.”

After Mick’s brother’s death, he found himself being bullied and couldn’t cope with the cruelty of it all. Some of the bullying was verbal, with kids saying that they knew who had killed his brother.

Some of it was physical. So he hid himself away and stopped going out to protect himself from their cruel jibes.

“When Steven was alive, I was really cocky and acted like I was invincible, because Steven was always there to protect me. I think now my protection had gone it was easier for people to give me a good hiding or bully me. This led to me only leaving the house in the company of my brother’s best friend, who looked after me and took me under his wing, teaching me football. But if he wasn’t around, I would make sure no one saw me. I’d go out and try to find dens where I could hide and imagine it was my own little world. Children can be harsh and I think it desensitised me a little towards death.”

Mick found out in his early teens that drinking helped him to feel better and forget his problems.

“There wasn’t much to do, growing up where I lived. Drinking beer, getting stoned and having BBQs in the summer of 1999 was one of the best years of my life. All the loneliness had gone. I laughed a lot and had so much fun. I also learned a lot, because I was hanging out with older kids. They seemed to take me under their wings and looked after me. I felt safe, happy and loved.”

But this was the beginning of a downward spiral and led to Mick experimenting with Class A drugs. This feeling of abandonment led to him trying to commit suicide several times.

“I tried to kill myself a few times. I think there were a few reasons.

Firstly, I wanted to know what happened after death. I wanted to find Steven, so I could speak to him or see him, if only to say ‘sorry’ that I’d wished he’d died the night before he was hit by the car.”

He treated his girlfriend, and first love, really badly, blaming her for things that were going wrong in his life. She had seen him through two suicide attempts and could not cope with his possessiveness, so broke up their relationship.

As his life grew darker and darker, Mick hit rock bottom. But something remarkable happened. He experienced an epiphany.

He no longer wanted this life of drugs and devastation. He realised that only he could do something about it. With the help of counselling he was able to come to terms and in some way understand his feelings, and inside him grew a zest for life.

“I had split up with the girlfriend and attempted suicide for the last time. I felt that I was no good at taking my life and that maybe I ought to try harder at living. I used to read Wikipedia at work and found myself inspired by all the famous people that had come from nowhere but created such inspirational music, martial arts, films, books. I also began learning the drums. Then I found myself addicted to learning things. It seemed to take my mind away from the heartache, having something to focus on.

“I seemed to realise slowly that drinking and taking drugs wasn’t as fulfilling or satisfying in the long term as learning things, so I have carried on to this day learning as much as possible. The more I learn about the world, the wider my vision seems, especially learning about human behaviour, motivation and languages. So I would say that if I have the option, I will never stop learning.”

Mick saw an advert from Right Up Our Street for people wanting to become involved in making a film. Wanting to broaden his horizons, he answered the ad and was accepted. This helped to change his life completely. He realised that there are worthwhile projects that he could get involved with and prove to be successful at.

“That was the catalyst for getting me into everything else. I started going to the Pitman Poets, enjoyed helping in the recording of the film - I couldn’t have asked for a better role! - and writing groups in the area, as well as helping out with cinema events, getting dressed up and generally having fun at the same time as feeling helpful to the general public and the new people I’d met.

“Not only was I meeting new people that were awe-inspiring, but I was having fun, and each of these people seemed to connect me to different poetry nights and writing groups, which just sent me into a frenzy of creativity. I feel I’ve grown a lot in confidence, even if I’m not always so confident of my work. I’m not scared of people or life anymore. I think back to an interview I saw of Brandon Lee when he was filming The Crow. He said, ‘It’s so much more interesting and usually illuminating to put yourself in a situation where you don’t know what’s going to happen.’ And I like that idea.”

I asked Mick what his advice would be to young people in a similar situation. He said, “It would be, ‘Learn everything you are interested in and don’t be afraid to question everything you currently believe.”

End

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Mick Pettinger by Dominic Somers

“Not only was I meeting new people that were awe-inspiring, but I was having fun, and each of these people seemed to connect me to different poetry nights and writing groups, which just sent me into a frenzy of creativity. I feel I’ve grown a lot in confidence, even if I’m not always so confident of my work. I’m not scared of people or life anymore. I think back to an interview I saw of Brandon Lee when he was filming The Crow. He said, ‘It’s so much more interesting and usually illuminating to put yourself in a situation where you don’t know what’s going to happen.’ And I like that idea.”

Mick Pettinger

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Another Side of SCHOFIELD STREET BARRY GRIFFITHS

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chofield Street has gone through a turbulent period in the last 30 years. With the closure of the pits and the decline of heavy industry, there has been a movement of families out of Schofield Street. The strong community spirit of the neighborhood in the past seems to have disappeared.

As I walked up the long street, I had conversations with both old and new residents. There was a general consensus that they had been abandoned by the authorities, in terms of neglect and deprivation in this small community. The terraced houses were built in the late 19th century to house workers’ families in industries associated with Mexborough; railways, the extraction of coal and the steel industry. There were no modern utilities in the houses, no bathrooms or inside toilets. In the latter half of the 20th century, they were adapted to provide these facilities as a basis for civilised living.

As families have left the street, private landlords have bought these properties up. Many of them are badly maintained, but they are let out, in some cases to disreputable tenants. Thus in the last few years, Schofield Street has changed from being regarded as a respectable community to being vilified, demonised and accused by some (particularly on social media) of being a ghetto, a ‘no go area’ full of misfits and degenerates.

In the last six months there has been a sea change. Firstly, there has been a substantial police presence in the street, which has included a police helicopter hovering in the sky for many hours of the day. This has caused disquiet and consternation amongst the inhabitants. Warring gangs in the street have been eradicated by the police and drug dealing has been dramatically reduced.

Obnoxious graffiti has been removed and Doncaster Council is cleaning up the street and surrounding area by getting rid of rubbish and making improvements to the park area.

As a result of these measures, there is some optimism. As a resident of the street for over 30 years, I have seen a rollercoaster of decline from a solid working class community to one of deprivation. As long-time residents have left, a transient community has replaced the backbone of the street. The values of a strong, working class environment have disappeared and there is no cohesion or community spirit. Bar exceptions, many on the street do not know their neighbours and thus the old comradeship and sense of mutual help is fading out.

Families are still hard up, and they’re depressed. The drugs and alcohol don’t help. But I’ll tell you straight, there’s people down here with hearts of gold.”

Maureen is also one of the founders of Mex Craft, which brings together over 30 people each week to take part in arts and crafts.

It costs £3.50, but all materials are free and everyone gets a free lunch, made by Maureen and volunteers.

“I used to stay in a lot, not really go out. One day I was looking at the notice board at the Resource Centre and thought I could do something.

I started out doing a card making class and then Helen McCabe joined doing sewing. There were five of us at the start. Now there are over 30 people. Some of us are isolated, live alone or suffer with depression.

We all really enjoy it. It’s something positive for the community. There’s so much we could do in Mexborough if we really started to work together - more shops, community evenings, tea dancing parties, playing cards, board games. We’d get to know each other again.”

Mexborough is regarded as a ‘deprived’ town, with problems of unemployment, health, education and inequality. At present economic resources are not being ploughed into it because of the economic crisis. But talking to residents, there is an indomitable spirit that things are improving and that the street is not a ghetto.

We can all do our bit to make Mexborough a better place to live.

Myself, I am proud of the street. It has undergone many traumas in the last 120 years. It has adapted through war and peace, and provided homes for Mexborough people throughout these years.

On my walk through Schofield Street, I passed a board outside a shop with a message scrawled ‘Prayers at 3.00pm’ and a cross. God is indeed on our side.

End

The residents who have stayed in the street feel isolated and neglected and they fear some of the activities going on there. New residents feel alienated. The housing stock is not well maintained by some landlords, jobs are scarce and poorly paid. It’s a sad time for our street, but there is hope.

Maureen Booth, another resident of Schofield Street, had felt isolated in the past. But, despite admitting there have been problems, she feels that people are harsh towards the families on the street.

“There’s been so much bad press, and if you say you live here people sometimes look down on you, but that doesn’t change anything.

Barry Griffiths by Rachel Horne

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Mexcraft’s Helen McCabe, Denise Thompson, Maureen Booth and Dawn Noble by Dominic Somers

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Fifty Shades of MEX CRAFT

Mex Craft THE JOY OF MAKING IRV BOLYARD

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hat is Mexcraft? Let me tell you. Mexcraft is a craft group that meet once a week, every Tuesday at Mexborough Library to create, make and chat.

If you ever find yourself with some spare time on Tuesday between 10am and 2pm, then come down to the Mexborough Library; you will be greeted with a warm welcome and a smile.

I have seen Mexcraft grow from just a handful of women wanting something to do in their spare time, who became friends. Their initiative and tenacity to see their little group prosper to what it is today, is what makes it such a popular place to meet up once a week.

Mexcraft was kickstarted with a small amount of funding from Right Up Our Street, now in its third year. Right Up Our Street is aimed at supporting, developing and showcasing brilliant art across Doncaster.

This group has taken off and has grown from 5 ladies to over 30 – and some gentlemen – in just one year. They share their enjoyment of crafting, whether it’s crocheting, knitting, sewing, card making, découpage, shabby chic or just to come and have a chat and enjoy being out for the day. The atmosphere at Mexcraft is amazing; the ladies all seem to enjoy the relaxed group setting and no one is excluded.

Mexcraft was, is and always will be, open to anyone. There are people with disabilities, that are treated the same as everyone else.

Everyone is given the opportunity to do what ever they want and to explore new horizons of crafting. If anyone wants or needs help, there is always someone there to lend a hand.

Guests are asked to contribute small fee of £3.50, which includes all the materials and a free meal too. To support Mexcraft and the volunteers working hard to make the project possible. You can purchase a Mexcraft calendar for only £3.50.

End Mexcraft meets every Tuesday from 10.00am - 2.00pm at Mexborough Library. For more information find them on Facebook or Twitter or visit their blog at: m e x b o r o u g h c r a f t g r o u p. w o r d p r e s s. c o m

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Support Mexborough SHOP LOCAL LESLEY MERRIN & BARRY GRIFFITHS

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exborough was left reeling after the closure of the local pits.

Many small local shops had to close and never reopened.

The whole feeling of community was being destroyed as residents looked on helplessly.

They saw a multitude of shops being taken over by building societies, charity shops and service industries. The first major store to go was Woolworths, a victim of the recession, which was a central focus for Mexborough. Smaller shops which had been in the town for years were to follow; Potters and Madame Florence.

Both small, family-run businesses, which attracted many visitors, closed and were not replaced with similar outlets.

The lowest point was when Tesco decided to pull out of the town.

Along with the market traders’ unhappiness over recent changes, many people feared the worst and looked back to the halcyon days of small enterprises and knowing the shop owners and traders personally. There was an all-time low, with the empty premises of Tesco and the outside market almost non-existent because of work being carried out there. Some people were quick to take the negative view that Mexborough was finished and would never be the same again. There is no doubt that businesses have suffered and are struggling because of the closure of the supermarket, because it means less footfall.

But let’s take a realistic view of Mexborough. A new store has opened in the vacancy left by Tesco, now Poundland. There has been a lot of negativity about the store and there is no doubt that local businesses have suffered. Maybe it is not what a lot of people want and need, which is another supermarket, but it has lifted the town because we are no longer seeing a big closed up shop. The shop is always packed with customers, which wasn’t the case with Tesco.

During this time, whatever the naysayers want us to believe, there has continued to be many small local businesses which have survived over the years and faithfully fulfilled our needs, and who must feel downhearted when they hear people saying there are no nice shops in Mexborough. Alongside these stalwarts are the relatively new businesses. When talking to shop owners in Bank Street, they are disappointed with the negativity and believe that Bank Street businesses are often ignored.

Let’s take a walk along Bank Street and see for ourselves what this part of Mexborough has to offer. We can’t mention all the businesses in this part of town, but there is a varied collection of high-quality small businesses.

We start with the Roundabout Café, which provides wholesome food to the community and will even deliver meals on a daily basis, a good service for older people who can’t get out or people living on their own. They also arrange catering for special occasions.

Other businesses include Edwardian Bedding, Bank Street DIY, Mac Metal Crafts, Fire Parts, VIP Hairdressers to name a few, a varied collection of shops which meet the needs of the people of Mexborough.

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We look first at Fire Parts, which has existed as part of Mac Metal Crafts for 25 years. It offers many different designs for fireplaces and fires. Tony Hatfield, who works there, said: “I have seen many changes in Mexborough, but don’t feel that the closing of Tesco has had any noticeable effect on this business.” He continued, “we need to see the closing of Tesco from a different perspective. The sales now will be distributed more evenly on smaller shops.” Part of the problem has been that people want a one-stop shop. With Tesco gone, people have to go to different shops to get their goods.

Further down Bank Street on our walk we come to Interiors, which was established in 1999. It is owned and run by a friendly and welcoming couple, Kevin and Sue Scott. Kevin’s background in architecture and Sue’s marketing experience and love of good design have been the perfect combination for the sourcing, displaying and supplying of cards and a range of gifts, as well as home accessories with a design focus. If you are looking for original handmade cards, this is the place to look. Sue said: “It’s easy to find good design at premium prices, but the difference is that what we have in our shop is good design at realistic prices.”

Sue and Kevin welcome anyone and there is no sales pressure.

They are happy for you to come and browse. You are even offered a sweet while perusing a labyrinth of beautiful things. If you want some design tips, coordination or gift advice, that comes free too.

The shop also has a small coffee bar with an easy-going atmosphere. You can forget that you are in a coffee bar, because it feels like you’re in their front room, with comfortable chairs and sofas and interesting conversation.

Continuing down the road, we have Mavis B Alterations. Mavis is a talented lady who makes alterations to garments at reasonable prices. A few doors down we see Jacksons Herbalists, a business which has been running in town for as long as most people can remember and caters for all our health needs. Alongside this they also sell fancy goods, and let’s not forget the perfumery. It’s wonderful to be able to get a range of perfume without having to travel into Doncaster or Meadowhall.

Walk a little further and we find a relatively new business, Buttercup Tea Rooms, which has been open just over a year. These tea rooms provide an old world charm, with china cups, saucers, homemade fayre and cream teas for a special occasion or just a treat. It is owned by two female business partners. One of them said: “I’ve always lived in Mexborough, so when I decided to open my tea rooms, it was the natural choice of location. Although there are several eateries well established in the town, I could see a need for good, old fashioned food set in traditional surroundings. My business partner, Gail, has the same vision.”

They only use locally sourced ingredients, with everything cooked fresh on the premises. They have created a menu to delight every palate, whether a full lunch, afternoon tea or just coffee and cake.

She said: “We like all our customers to feel at home enough to stop and chat, so we offer free top ups for tea and coffee.”

The couple also work with the local community and employ only

local staff, most of whom have been unemployed for some time, with the aim of getting them back into full-time employment. She said: “Mexborough has seen many problems, with mass unemployment and the closing of many established industries, but we are hoping that with the redevelopment of the market and the opening of some new shops Mexborough sees an improvement over the next few years.”

Buttercup Tea Rooms also support local artists by allowing them to use their premises to display and sell their goods.

No smart dress shops? Well, consider Vesey Valentine, which opened in June 2014. Here you will find beautiful designer clothes sourced from Europe and the UK. They are quality clothes at prices similar to most large chain stores. You can find a completely different outfit from any available at high street outlets here. The shop is owned by Andrea Mason-Waterhouse and Shelley Edwards.

Andrea said: “Many people seem unaware that we are located here and we have definitely seen the difference in sales since Tesco closed down.”

Now we enter the Montague Arcade and the hidden gem that is Beau Chic, owned by Tracy Woolley. The shop sells handbags, hats and costume jewellery, as well as accessories for every occasion.

Tracy has been hit by the closure of Tesco and her business has dropped by around two-thirds. She says that if this situation continues she will have to close. Tracy says, “this has been a passion of mine for a number of years, then last year I decided now was the time for me to set up the business. I am very thankful for all the customers that have supported me throughout my journey.”

Bank Street traders are feeling the change since Tesco closed.

Shoppers will tell you there is no longer any reason to come to Mexborough, but they are missing out, because as you can see there are some good small businesses in Mexborough. The message to shoppers is simple - make the effort and use the shops that still exist or they too will be lost, which would be a great shame.

I haven’t mentioned all the good shops in Mexborough or any market traders, but who can genuinely say there are no nice shops in Mexborough? The evidence is here if you want to look for it.

End

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Links 4 Youth KIDZ DU CARE JILL ARKLEY-JEVONS

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hen two teenagers from Highwoods Community Base said they would like to do a fashion show for charity, the result was impressive. Fifty young people ended up performing on stage and raised almost £2,000 for local charity Aurora, which supports people with cancer.

That was in 2006. Since then my group, Kidz du Care and Links 4 Youth Dearne Valley, have raised over £21,000 for local charities, local people and to help fund some of their own trips. These young people give up hours of their spare time to co-ordinate, rehearse and look for small pots of money to help with costumes and other expenses. It needs to be realised how very difficult it is for all the young people involved. They are all local and find it extremely hard to ‘strut their stuff’ and put on performances within their own community and at local venues.

But by drawing strength and support from each other, they have now gained the confidence to use their newfound abilities, not only to perform together, but to do solo performances. They have to date created and starred in 15 shows. They are not professionals but their shows are unique. We actually beat comedy legend, children’s author and Britain’s Got Talent judge, David Walliams at the Third Sector Awards for Best Fundraising Event, and have supported events in Mexborough for ten years, dancing at galas and Christmas events. This is just one of the activities that Links 4 Youth provides for the young people of Mexborough.

We meet four nights a week at Highwoods Community Base. Ages range from 10 to 18. We have: • • • • • • • • • • • •

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Arts and crafts Pool competitions and tournaments Dancing and sport (weather permitting) Healthy cooking and eating Popcorn cinema nights Just Dance on XBox Games and quizzes Dressing up Sewing and crotchet Box craft Trips to the coast, theatre and bowling Or simple chill-out sessions

Links 4 Youth began during my time as Millennium Volunteers Co-ordinator for Dearne Valley, which only dealt with 16 to 25 year olds. I was asked numerous times by younger children if we could find something for them to be part of. Many, especially from Highwoods estate in Mexborough, complained of having nothing to do on an evening. We hired the base and a hugely successful project started.

Links 4 Youth staff work in partnership with local police officers, neighbourhood teams, Council officers, Positive Activities Group and any other like-minded organisation. Our story is too long to set out in 600 words, so to sum up...

“We from the Safer Neighbourhood Team at Mexborough Police Station fully support Links 4 Youth and the aims of the project. It has had superb results and has been a turning point for many young people,” Annette Flavell PCSO, Mellissa Gill SGT. “I come to the base for many things, because if the base was not here there would be nothing to do. When my nannan died the people at the base gave me lots of help. They helped me take my mind off it. I think they are caring people,” One of our young members.

End Jill Arkley-Jevons is Project Co-ordinator

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MEXBOROUGH HELEN McCABE

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elcome to 30mexborough, my little shop of happiness. I have tried to fill the shop with all the things I and hopefully you like. Vintage, Retro, craft, Pottery, Jewellery, Fabric and Yarn.

Things are either new, pre-owned or hand made. I like to showcase work from local artists and suppliers, almost all of the shabby-chic in the shop is done by my very good friend Sandra, without her giving me a gentle kick now and again I’d still be just thinking about opening the shop. In fact without the support and encouragement from family and all my friends at MEXcraft I wouldn’t have taken the first step.

30Mexborough was born out of my lifelong passion for arts and crafts; I have always loved vintage and retro anything, handmade delights and one off creations. I suppose it’s in my DNA, one grandfather was a tailor the other a shoe maker and my great grandfather was a mosaic artist. I could knit sew crochet and embroider from being a child, following my passion through school, and college. I like to joke about my A level in Embroidery.

So now in my dotage I have finally (we have lived here for over 25 years) opened my little shop. I still have a long way to go before it’s how I want it to be, lots of ideas in the pipeline. I hope to have the craft room open by Christmas offering lessons and craft sessions, my favourite thing is sewing and I want to spread the word that sewing machines aren’t scary!

So come in and look around and have a chat l’ll look forward to meeting you, and if I don’t bore you too much I’ll explain how I got the name 30Mexborough.

End 30Mexborough, 63 Wath Road, Mexborough, S64 9QZ

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All aboard, we’re off dahn Swinton

Ryan Madin at the Right Up Our Street showing of ‘Paddington’ by Dominic Somers

Mexborough REMEMBERS 22

Roy Thomas McCabe by Dominic Somers

Head of Humanities, Roy Huggins & Students remembering Mexborough’s Fallen Heroes by Rachel Horne

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Nah then flower x

©Al Heighton

FOXY MEX

Get Arty at DOLCLIFFE HALL LESLEY MERRIN

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C

This year they have had several well-known professional artists, including Terry Chipp, Michael Fowler and Mick Danes, giving workshops on diverse subjects such as portraiture, landscapes and caricatures in varied mediums, such as charcoal, oils and acrylic.

The highlight this year were the glass paintings introduced to the group by one of its own members, Deanna Atkin.

Creative Wellbeing was the brainchild of local Mexborough resident and disabled artist, Brian Nelson. Brian runs his own successful art business, Encaustic Art Plus. As part of this Brian delivers workshops to other community groups. He discovered that no matter how much he tried to find groups within his own area to offer its services, these groups were disappearing, meaning less services and support for the people of the Mexborough and Dearne Valley area. With that in mind, Brian contacted various local community organisations and local doctors’ surgeries with his idea, and Creative Wellbeing was formed. Lots of research was undertaken, including the policies and procedures which have been put in place for your protection.

OLCLIFFE ROAD ART GROUP Dolcliffe Road Art Group has gone from strength to strength since it first began in 2002. The group has its roots in a small circle of six friends, who first met at Mexborough library on a course run by the local authority, but decided to move on when they found that the course did not meet their needs. The group has grown and grown over the years, with a closed membership of over 30. It has become so popular because of its reputation that it now has a waiting list. One member said, “We have much to thank these friends for, especially Janet Haigh, who leads the group and was a founding member, as well as Jean and Mick Johnson, who are invaluable for their hard work and commitment to ensuring everything runs smoothly.”

Deanna, an accomplished amateur artist, gave workshops to the group and helped to produce some innovative work with glass paints on canvas, the results of which were on show at November’s successful art exhibition at the hall. Deanna said, “I’m absolutely delighted with the glass paintings, because every one of them is unique. None of them are the same.”

Although the members are serious about their art, the group offers a strong feeling of friendship. Asking members what the group meant to them, the overwhelming consensus was not only the chance to work in many different mediums and create their own style of artistry, but also the companionship of other members.

Lynne Briggs, who has been a member for five years, said: “It gives us a chance to explore our creativity, as well as the opportunity to join the social aspect of the group, and fosters our emotional wellbeing.”

Pam Chambers, a relatively new member, said: “I come to the group to feel involved and learn new things, and for companionship.” Glenys Sinnot told me the group provided friendship, relaxation and creativity. She also said that it helped to create an inner peace in a very busy life.

The art group were involved in the exhibition at the Ted Hughes Festival, exhibiting over 90 paintings with an animal theme.

So if you missed this year’s exhibition and can’t wait until next November, catch the exhibits at next year’s Ted Hughes Festival in June, 2016.

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REATIVE WELLBEING Creative Wellbeing is a constituted group operating within the Dearne Valley, with a particular focus on Mexborough and its surrounding areas. Creative Wellbeing offers a variety of quality art and craft based activities which are tutor-led. We work primarily with people who have long-term health conditions or disabilities and their predominant carer.

At present, the group is funded, but donations are welcome and Creative Wellbeing depends heavily on its volunteers to keep the group going. Currently the main focus is on a weekly meeting at Dolcliffe Hall on Tuesdays, 2-4pm. You do not have to have great artistic ability to be able to attend these sessions. A willingness to attend is all that is needed. The aim of the group, along with the artistic activity itself, is to reduce social isolation, to increase participants’ self-esteem, introduce new people to each other and bring the community together.

If you feel that you would benefit from attending a Creative Wellbeing session, or you know somebody who will, please contact Brian Nelson on 07824 813003 or find Creative Wellbeing on Facebook, ‘like’ the page and send us a message.

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Mexborough’s Other Poet HAROLD MASSINGHAM IAN PARKS

working class. Born in the town in 1932, Massingham was proud of his Mexborough roots, always stating in his biography that he was the son of a collier. He attended Mexborough Grammar School, where he was a contemporary of Ted Hughes, although he was two years younger. The two knew each other during their time at the school, both were taught by the inspirational English teacher John Fisher, and they went on to correspond in later years. It’s fair to say, however, that despite their shared interest in poetry, they were never friends.

More than Hughes, Mexborough and the surrounding landscape featured prominently in the poetry of Massingham. In Frost-Gods, for example, he describes the experience of leaving the smoking chimneys of the industrial town and walking out to the ‘hump’ of Old Denaby. In his memoir of a Mexborough childhood, he depicts vividly the life of the mining community, especially in the area of Herbert Street, where he grew up. In many ways, Massingham is the true poet of Mexborough, writing from and about the closeknit community in which he grew up, and although he left the town to lecture in Manchester and then to retire to Spain, his connections remained deep and significant. I met Harold in the 1980s, when he was back to give a poetry reading, and we kept up a correspondence until his death in 2011. He was always keen to know what was happening in his hometown.

H

arold who? That’s the question I get asked most often when I mention the Mexborough poet Harold Massingham. Of course, Ted Hughes is much better known, and the recent publicity surrounding the publication of Ted Hughes: The Unauthorised Life

by Jonathan Bate has served, once again, to place Hughes firmly in the public consciousness as the only important poet to have strong Mexborough connections.

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Apart from his calling as a poet, Massingham was a professional setter of crosswords and chess puzzles for national magazines and newspapers, something he did under the pseudonym of ‘Mass’ for over 30 years. His first collection of poems, Black Bull Guarding Apples, was published in 1965 to wide critical acclaim, Frost-Gods followed in 1972, and his final collection, Sonatas and Dreams, appeared in 1992, although a full collection was left unpublished at the time of his death. All of Massingham’s poetry is now out of print . There are several reasons for this neglect, the main one being to do with the poet himself, who shunned the limelight, seeing poetry as a vocation rather than a profession, preferring to concentrate on the writing of good poems rather than following the path of a career poet. The other reason is intellectual snobbery in the literary establishment. Poets aren’t supposed to come from Mexborough.

Bate, however, is a ‘sir’, and pays scant regard to Hughes’s years in the town, preferring to get the poet from Mytholmroyd to Cambridge with as little fuss as possible. The brilliant Made in Mexborough: Ted Hughes’s South Yorkshire by Steve Ely redresses the balance, emphasising the importance of the formative years the poet spent in the town and the close connections between his time growing up in Mexborough and the forging of his poetic identity. Last year saw the first Ted Hughes Poetry Festival taking place in the town, an event which attracted over 300 people and looks set to become an annual attraction. All of this is good, reclaiming Hughes as a poet from the town. But what about Harold Massingham, who was a close contemporary of Hughes and has even stronger claims to being recognised as the poet Mexborough should be proud of?

But they do. And, with the example of Massingham firmly in mind, Mexborough is once again becoming proud of its literary heritage. John Beal is working hard to raise the profile of the Mexborough-born fantasy fiction writer Saban, and both the Write On Mexborough and Read To Write groups are active and thriving, open to the community and making links with groups beyond the town. Suddenly literature and poetry in particular is taking centrestage again after years of neglect.

While it’s true that Massingham has suffered at the expense of Hughes’s monumental talent, I would suggest there are other reasons too. Unlike Hughes, Massingham was born and bred in Mexborough, didn’t go to a prestigious university and was firmly

End

Poetry is a way of reclaiming our language and emphasising the uniqueness of our experience, individually and collectively.

Reading and enjoying the work of our own poet, Harold Massingham, is part of that process.

Ian Parks is currently editing The Collected Poems of Harold Massingham

Black Bull Guarding Apples From Black Bull Guarding Apples (Longman, 1965)

Artwork by Paul Dyson

Harold Massingam That cobbling foreleg means bull-business: Eyes beady, magnified of hungry cockerel, Intemperate, waiting for any presumptuous Enough (butcher or maiden) to tantalise His bluff. Who’ll cross his orchard now, Without frisking under the fruit, Heart capers, cat-feet on glowing bricks, Terrible comedy sanctioned by brute.

I’m frightened by bulls at best of times, Lacking the matador’s elegant courage, His reputation’s nerve, his several pins; Am not that bullying Hercules born of great dreams.

A QUICK GUIDE TO THE MEXBOROUGH WRITING SCENE: Write On Mexborough -Steve Ely hosts bi weekly meetups at Mexborough Resource Centre.

Read to Write - with Ian Parks every Wednesday 1.00pm at Interiors Cafe.

Ted Hughes Festival - returning to Mexborough in the summer of 2016.

So here’s an animal to look at. His Mug, ugly to any glad-eyes, his head Hardly shoulders, ridge back, black everything So satanical, betokening black blood, Brains blacker than blackberries, bellow and eyes Blackening in defence of apples: he stands A watch-bull squarely on four black feet; Enough to make handsome any paradise.

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Brewing Beer in the 21st Century MEXBOROUGH STYLE B

PAUL DYSON

eer making, and the act of drinking it, has been considered a social, pleasurable experience for many years. In fact, 5,000 years ago the Babylonians were making a variety of beers using a similar process to that of today. Whilst the science has moved on, and you now don’t need a straw to avoid the sludge at the bottom of the glass, the basic principle of brewing remains the same.

Mexborough boasts many drinking establishments and is proud to host two very successful independent breweries in its township, the Concertina Club and the Imperial Brewery Tap. The Concertina Club on Dolcliffe Road is owned by Andy Pickering. Built in 1923 by Samuel Smiths, the premises were originally built for the local concertina band. Like brass bands, concertina bands were popular pastimes for the working classes in the last century.

Andy told me his ambition to brew beer began in the 1970s. He’d realised that for a brewery to survive, an outlet of your own was needed.

In 1987, when the Concertina Club came up for sale following a period of closure, Andy and his father, Ken, purchased the deeds. The next four years saw them acquiring equipment and beginning a series of test brews to find that special beer. It took 35 careful and progressive brews before they settled on the perfect recipe for what is now their Club Bitter. Andy tells me the Concertina Club is the second oldest brewery still in existence in South Yorkshire.

Being a novice in these matters, I asked Andy about the brewing process and the list of ingredients. He explained that his malted barley is sourced from the Castleford area, the hops are from Kent and Worcester, and the yeast he uses is from a Yorkshire brewer. Water is “Yorkshire’s finest” too – moderately hard, “perfect for brewing”.

Firstly, the barley is steamed to begin the germination process. Grain is full of starch, which is then mashed with hot water, converting the starch into brewing sugars. The mashing process releases the sugars into the water, which is then drained off to make a sweet liquid called the wort.

Hops are then boiled up in the wort to provide the flavour. Then, when this mixture cools, yeast is added to complete the fermentation stage, converting the sugars into alcohol. The whole process takes around 12 to 14 days. Commercial multinational brewers turn a brew around in four to five days using advanced scientific methods and chemicals.

Andy usually has three or four brews on the go at various stages. His beer goes to wholesalers all over the UK, the only downside of this being, he told me, that “you don’t get your empty casks back”.

Other popular brews created at the Concertina Club include Bengal Tiger, One Eyed Jack, Ariel 4 Square and Old Dark Attic.

The concertina band no longer exists, but in addition to weekly social activities and games, the club hosts a number of events, including the monthly Cosy Cinema and the Pitman Poets open mic.

The Imperial Brewery Tap is situated on Cliff Street. Formerly the Imperial Club, the premises were purchased by Matt and Ben Brettell in 2014. It’s one of the only live music and entertainment venues in the UK which brews its own beer.

Originally, the building known as Arcadia Hall had been a private club for the well-heeled side of town, a place where landlords and shop owners

could indulge in social intercourse with their peers on an evening out in Mexborough. The building has gone through many changes and uses since then, but still retains its beautifully sprung dance floor.

Matt and brewer Dale Palmer gave me an informative tour of the premises. Dale is passionate about brewing and has been at the Imperial for the last three years. He took me down into the bowels of the club, where the serious business of brewing takes place. The brewery covers the full length of the building below.

The mashing process was underway, the malted barley and wheat mashed at 66°C prior to the addition of the hops in the latter stage.

Dale told me the hops are not just sourced from here in the UK, but also from further afield, from Australia, Slovenia and Germany. Standing before us was a giant ‘copper’, a vessel for brewing 32 barrels of beer.

That’s over 2,000 pints.

The brewery also adopts a lagering process for their Imperial Blonde, which uses a lighter yeast and matures at a colder temperature than beer. Imperial Blonde is a popular drink for customers wanting to progress from lager to real ale.

Dale uses an experimental kit to try out new recipes on a smaller scale.

From this he is making a special brew to accompany the launch of this magazine. He let me choose the hops; Chinook, Target, Topaz and Belma. Fingers crossed for the tasting of this on 28th November.

In a cooler area is the cask conditioning room, where scores of casks sit, slowly maturing. Casks are mainly stainless steel or plastic these days.

Aluminium casks have been phased out because they corrode and can contaminate the contents. Dale showed me a cask prepared for the Doncaster Beer Festival. It was a vanilla, bourbon and honey flavour beer. Toasted English oak chips are added to the cask at a late stage to bring out the vanilla flavour. I asked him about the delicate and perhaps secret process of coming up with his award-winning recipes. All I can reveal is that it is quite scientific and involves a number of empty fag packets.

The brewery produces around 3,000 pints of beer a week, which travel to the four corners of the UK. I queried why the barrels were colour coded. “Many breweries have their own livery,” Dale advised, “It makes barrel identification easier. Matt and Ben are Aston Villa fans, hence the claret, blue and white!”

The locals’ favourite brews here at the Imperial are the Imperial Bitter and Imperial Blonde. I sampled the Black Velvet; a tasty caramelised stout, one I’m sure I will need to revisit later.

Matt told me how the family vision here is to keep music live and free for Mexborough, and how they are working to make the Imperial Brewery Tap the number one music venue in South Yorkshire. Live bands regularly play weekends, Friday through to Sunday, with acoustic and jam sessions held during the week. Their website, ImpBreweryandBar. co.uk, will be online soon, bursting with information about the brewery and entertainment calendar.

So if you fancy a beer or two, leave the car at home and sample some of the quality ales these two independent breweries have on tap. You will be supporting a local business and you will not be disappointed.

End

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Giving Young People a SECOND CHANCE

oxy Mex takes a look at a local charity which has been helping young people get back on track.

We all know and love Mexborough’s historic The Empress Ballroom - now turned super gym for fitness freaks and the region’s best boxing athletes and local young people. However, you might be surprised to learn that the building is home to an exceptional charity, working hard to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people in the area.

Dearne Valley Personal Development Centre (DVPDC), was founded by husband and wife team John and Jackie Irwin.

JonJo Irwin is widely known local as a British Boxing Champion, who also struggled at school and left with no qualifications. With the help of Ernie Oxer, a well know boxing coach in Denaby Main, he trained hard, learnt self-discipline and became a world class boxer, even receiving a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in 1990.

Jon has a lot of empathy for young people who don’t fit in at school, he wanted to start the centre to give young people a second chance and help them back on track.

Jackie has been working as a teacher and art and design lecturer for the last fifteen years. Jackie uses her creative skills, as well as managing the day to day running of the centre, making sure that

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the kids get a chance to gain qualifications in a wide range of subjects. After a recent assessment from NCFE they were informed their “Art and Design” work was “exceptional”.

One of the highlights of the project, for a lot of people that attend, is that the young people get to train with other professional and aspiring professional boxers at the Ernie Oxer Boxing School; this has included Jason Bantam, Commonwealth Champion.

The centre is also supported by local business JP Walton and the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation.

End For more info visit: de ar neval l ey p dc. co. uk

Mexborough’s FREE LARDER JOHN BEAL

M

exborough is a town surrounded by wonderful countryside where various wild or feral items can be foraged. However, the common and wasteland can also be a source of various items throughout the year.

Even the garden may harbour an unexpected item able to be used to add an extra dimension to a meal. For example, in my own yard I have found dandelions and wall mustard, both of which can add texture and flavour to salads. So prior to pulling that weed, consider if it is something that can be used rather than destroyed.

Prior to foraging in the countryside I would recommend buying books on wild food, and, if interested, home-made wine and preserve making. Also please observe the countryside code, and never pick more than you require of any item. If fungi foraging, make sure you are 100% certain of the species, this can be extremely difficult with some; so the rule is, if unsure, leave it.

There are a wide range of species of edible fungi in the UK and a number can be found around Mexborough, not just in the countryside, but also in parks and on wasteground. For example I have found Shaggy Inkcap and Morels in the parks of Mexborough, both of which are very good to eat, (Shaggy Inkcap is particularly good as an extra addition to Bolognese, and Morels are wonderful in omelettes). A little further afield, there are also such delicacies as Giant Puffballs, Wood Blewitts (Bluestalks), Orange Birch Bolette, Sulphur Polypore, Oyster Fungi and Beef-Steak Fungi, all of which are easily identified, and very good eating. Other fungi I have tried, which are not as pleasant are, Brown Birch Bolette (rather peppery), Jew’s Ear which when dried makes a pleasant mushroom flavouring for gravy, and least successfully of all Velvet Shank, a bright orange winter fungi, which is not pleasant at all.

Other edible items on offer when in season include, apples, pears, cherries, plums, damsons, mint, chervil, horse-radish, sweet chestnuts, hazelnuts, blackberries and raspberries. Many of these items can be eaten raw, being an added bonus on a country walk. They can also be used in preserves and meals, making jams and jellies, (Rowan particularly makes a pleasing alternative to cranberry jelly – but be sure to strain the juice through a hessian bag).

In their season many of these items may be used for the production of homemade wine, something which I have been making since helping my father in my early ‘teens. The initial outlay may be a little off-putting, but the results can be very worthwhile.

This year I tried something a little different. Normally you would use various yeasts dependent on the type of wine and the ingredients, for example Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy and Hock. However, as an experiment I decided to use the same general yeast for all my wines.

Starting in February with Coltsfoot and Dandelion ( a recipe for this appears later), I made a gallon of Coltsfoot and three of Dandelion.

The majority of flower wines are quite subtle in flavour. Dandelion is a particularly easy wine to make, and can be very rewarding with

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its bright yellow to golden colour, pleasant bouquet and flavour. I can vouch for a noticeable difference from the early flowers to the later, these being more robust and fragrant.

The next wine on the agenda was Elderflower, with its strong aroma, and pungent flavour. This may not be to everyone’s taste, but if not making wine, then making Elderflower lemonade (a weak version of elderflower Champagne) can be rewarding. In previous years I have made Hawthorn Blossom wine, but picking the flowers can be laborious, and the resultant wine may not be to everyone’s palette since it does have a slight taste of formaldehyde.

The final flower wine this year was Wild Rose-Petal, a subtle wine with a pleasant but mild scent.

It was soon time to start collecting fruit for the purpose of producing further bottles. The first fruit wine of the year was Cherry, a fruit which grows in abundance around Mexborough in various varieties.

This is an excellent wine, in the style of a Bordeaux. After the Cherry I decided not to make Hawthornberry, or Rowan, both of which I have produced previously, but picked Blackberries and Elderberries to make wine from these. I whole-heartedly recommend both wines, the ingredients being readily available and the resultant wine being particularly good. Both provide a rich deep wine, with a wonderful flavour. The final wines of the year were Rosehip, Sloe (which are also good in Gin), Crab-Apple and Medlar.

End RECOMMENDED READING: FORAGING Roger Philips – Wild Food Richad Mabey – Food For Free John Lewis Stempel – Foraging Fungi Patrick Harding & Tony Lyon – How to Identify Edible Mushrooms Jane Gigson – Mushroom Feast Roger Philips – Mushrooms Arthur W Hill – Edible and Poisonous Fungi WINE MAKING B C A Turner - The Boots Book of Home Wine Making Terry A Garey – Joy of Home Wine Making Brian Cook – Making Wine PRESERVES John Harrison & Val Harrison – Easy Jams, Chutneys and Preserves Midge Thomas – Jams, Pickles and Chutneys

DANDELION RECIPE • Pick half a carrier bag of flowers, free of stem (most flower

recipes give volume rather than weight) • Dried Yeast (use as directed) • 500g White Grapes (blended) • 800g White Sugar • 3.5 Litres Water • 2 teaspoons Citric Acid • 0.5 teaspoons Tannin • 1 Campden Tablet • Yeast Nutrient (use as directed) Pour 2 litres of hot water on to the flowers in a bucket and macerate with a large spoon. When cool, stir in the Citric Acid, Tannin and 1 crushed Campden Tablet.

Cover and leave in a warm place.

Macerate daily for 4-5 days.

Add the blended grapes and sugar into a demijohn.

Strain the liquor from the dandelions into the demijohn and add the nutrient and yeast.

Top up with cold-boiled water and fit an airlock. Use a hydrometer to check the specific gravity until at the desired level for your palette (sweet to dry).

Rack off (siphon into) into a clean jar once ready and add 2 crushed Campden tablets to halt fermentation.

Filter and bottle.

Drink!

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Cosy CINEMA CLAIR HIBBERT

B

eing a girl of simple needs, hearing the words, ‘its free and they brew their own ale on site,’ were initially all it took to persuade me to make the 20 minute car journey from Doncaster to Mexborough one gloomy November night last year, to attend the mysterious sounding ‘Cosy Cinema’ at the even more mysterious sounding ‘Concertina Club’ for a showing of the 1961 classic, Whistle Down the Wind.

Stepping into the Concertina Club is like stepping back in time. In the best possible way. If, like me, you like a more traditional pub setting then this is certainly the place for you! After buying a £2.20 pint of the famous, brewed on site Bengal Tiger, and purchasing a tin of snuff (for no other reason other than you could buy it behind the bar for 50p), I walked into the main room, which is not set up as a cinema, more a pub, with chairs set around small table throughout the room. Watching a film there is unlike watching a film in the cinema, people come and go, fetch drinks and snacks from the bar, greet each other etc which all adds to the ‘cosy’ atmosphere of the place.

Since my initial visit, I have returned many times to the ‘tina club to attend Cosy Cinema screenings as well enjoying the poetic readings of the ‘Pitmans Poets’ group which also use the space.

But the Cosy Cinema isn’t just a cinema. It is an experience. Aside from getting to watch a cult classic or less mainstream film that you may have missed on its first release, Dom and his team arrange for ‘something extra’ either at the start or end of the film to make the experience more memorable, be that a violinist playing Mozart as we arrived to watch Stanley Kubrick’s classic A Clockwork Orange, a member of the local LGBT community talking about their involvement in the miners strike before we watched the brilliant (and moving) Pride or my personal favourite the slightly anarchic jam session with homemade ‘instruments’ (and I use the term loosely) after the showing of the quite frankly, bonkersly hilarious Frank, complete with Papier Mâché Frank Sidebottom head we got to try on. Certainly a memorable night for all the right reasons.

All too often the cinema can be a sterile environment with no real engagement in the shared experience of watching a film. Cosy Cinema is not like this. Cosy Cinema is more like going to watch

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a film at a friends house, one where you wont get shushed for opening your sweets too loudly, or tutted at for getting up to go the bar. One where people will talk to you when they sit at the table next to you and one where no one minds if you laugh (sometimes very) loudly at bits in the film that no one else finds funny, which I am all too often guilty of.

Cosy Cinema really is a local gem of a night, and one which I have enjoyed introducing friends to over the past year. None of whom had heard of the cinema before, but all of whom agree that the cinema really is one of a kind and have since made return visits. I guess the main crux of the Cosy Cinema is that it is YOUR cinema.

It was set up to provide a cinema for the local community without having to travel to Doncaster or Sheffield. It works because of the amazing local support it receives, as well as the hard work Dom, Ryan and the rest of the Right Up Our Street team put into securing funding, helping to ensure that Cosy Cinema will continue for some time to come.

So if fantastic film choices, a unique environment, friendly people and anarchic jam sessions cannot persuade you to head down to the Concertina Club this month, why not do as I first did and go because its free and serves pretty good ale! And who knows, you too may end up becoming a regular!

End

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Ted Hughes POETRY FESTIVAL

uly 2015 saw the first ever Ted Hughes Poetry Festival take place in Mexborough.

Hughes moved to Mexborough in 1938 when his parents bought a newsagents shop. Hughes attended Mexborough Grammar School, where teachers like Miss McLeod and Pauline Mayne introduced him to the poets Hopkins and Eliot. At home Hughes was mentored by his sister Olwyn, who was also well versed in poetry. After leaving Mexborough for university Hughes went on to become one of the greatest poets of the English language, and became Poet Laureate from 1984-1998. The landscape of Mexborough and the surrounding area influenced the themes of Hughes’ poetry for the rest of his life; his poems are rich with nature, animals, folklore and mythology which was directly inspired by the stunning Dearne Valley.

Fittingly the festival’s main venue was Ted Hughes’s old grammar school. This event gave us a chance to explore Hughes’s formative years in Mexborough while also engaging us with performances from some of the best contemporary poets around.

Don’t worry if you missed the ground-breaking 2015 festival, we’ll be doing it all again in 2016!

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Generation MEX

oxy Mex asks three young people about their life, dreams and experiences as kids growing up in Mexborough.

COUNCILLOR KEVIN RODGERS

What has been your proudest achievement in your live so far?

Proudest achievement... being elected to Doncaster Council to represent my local community in 2010. But being a Councillor is a privilege and as you have to put yourself back to the electoral test once every four years it does keep you grounded.

If you had a magic wand what would you make happen in Mexborough?

I think Mexborough could do with its town centre being re-imagined and this needs to be done by the people of Mexborough instead of being something that’s done to them.

There are great things in Mexborough; independent breweries, some top rate shops like Petits, a lively cultural life which could do with a proper theatre to perform in. I think it’s easy to take a old Hackneyed line of Doncaster MBC not caring about the town, or reminiscing about the old Urban District Council. The civic leadership of Mexborough can challenge the Borough Council to run things like the Market Hall. I have confidence in Mexborough people that they can do things if they work together.

MATTHEW SPENCER

Councillor Kev before he got into local politics, on a family holiday in Cornwall.

Born and bred Mexborough lad, now 31, he’s a local Councillor of the Great North Road ward. We interviewed him to find out how growing up after the miners strike inspired him to want to help people in local government as an adult.

So, Councillor Kev, what was life like growing up as a ‘strike baby’ in Foxy Mex in 1984?

I was very young when the strike happened but I remember how it affected my family and the community. I always remember the kindness of neighbours who always made sure that my mum had some food for her three children. My mum told me a story that she got to the point where she was feeding us and was left with only jelly cubes for her to eat as there was nothing in the cupboards. Very hard times - but the community pulled together with whatever they had.

Matthew Spencer was a whizz on wheels before he became a social media wizard.

Aged 30 Matthew grew up in Highwoods in Mexborough, he is one of the founders and administrators for the Facebook group Mexborough Then And Now. This social media page is watched by hundreds of Mexborough residents and is an asset to the community.

What was it like for you growing up in Mexborough as a kid?

Do you think your background inspired you to get into politics as a way of making a difference to people’s lives?

Absolutely, both my grandfathers took an active interest in politics, and in particular the Labour Movement. The run down of the coal industry with no consideration for communities in the Dearne Valley informed my politics.

The need for intervention by the state to make people’s lives better largely comes from seeing how few opportunities there were available for the postThatcher generation.

How did school help you on your path to follow your dreams?

Mexborough Comp did great things to nurture people’s talents. I remember fantastic teachers such as Ms Dunn who taught me Music, and Mr Huggins who taught me History. They had a real passion for their subject and they just wanted you to be the best you could be. In truth, I was a so-so musician, but Roy Huggins inspired me to go on to study History at University which has opened up so many doors to me.

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I remember playing out on the streets with all my brothers and lots of other kids. We used to play in and out of each other’s gardens and houses while our parents talked over the walls or called in for cups of tea.

Mums stayed at home while dads went out to work. Neighbours all looked out for each other and took care of anyone’s kids if they needed anything. I loved growing up in Mexborough. We didnt have phones or game consoles, we just played out ‘til it got dark. As we got older we went to The Base where I used to do the discos twice a week and I used to go window cleaning with my grandad on a weekend to pay for my disco equipment. I carried on then to DJ in pubs for a few years.

What inspired you as a kid?

My grandad inspired me as a child; he was very hard working and still cleaned windows up until he became ill at the age of 78. He was the one that showed me a different side to the life I knew. He went on holidays abroad, he taught me how to work hard for what you want in life. He told me about his upbringing and how hard that had been, but he worked hard and had a very good life.

How did Mexborough Then And Now come about? Do you think it has a role to play in helping Mexborough become a better place to live for young and old people alike?

My mum gave me a book a few years ago with lots of old photos of Mexborough in it and she said “I wonder what this old picture looks like now”.

I could see very easily exactly where the photos were, so I went and took pictures of the exact same spot to compare them. I started to buy lots of pictures and asked lots of people like my nannan and everyone I could get talking to about Mexborough in years gone by. I find it fascinating! I then decided to share them on my Facebook. That’s how Mexborough Then And Now came about.

push and the confidence to pursue art.

I learnt all sorts on the foundation course. It was one of the most amazing times in my life, I found an outlet to express who I was, discovered what made me feel excited and I started to develop my own style of drawing/ illustration.

I learnt skills such as working with Photoshop, thinking about what media I liked to use - which was sometimes just pencil on paper, and sometimes it was embroidery - but I got a real buzz with mixing all of this media together and compiling artwork on Photoshop. I met people from various backgrounds with amazing talents, and then I became inspired by classmates What did you go on to learn?

I’ve been running the page now for over two years and have 5,255 members from all over the world! It has helped people to find family members, friends that haven’t seen each other for years, lost pets have been reunited with their owners.

If there is anything happening in the town people put it on here so everyone knows about it but mostly people share their memories with us all. Young people find it really good to learn about the past and older people just enjoy coming on the site to catch up with friends from near and far.

If you had a limitless budget to spend on Mexborough what ONE thing would you do and why?

I would buy a building for young and old to use, for activities such as dancing, movies, sharing memories and interacting together. Somewhere I could display all photos and memorabilia about Mexborough, like a museum and café too.

LUCY DIANA BOWES

I went to Manchester Metropolitan University for six months, and missed Mexborough, especially my home comforts. The course there was very technical; it was fashion and technology. After the six months I came home and more or less went on to the University Centre Doncaster Fashion and Textiles degree course and then the Postgraduate in Pattern Cutting.

Who is your favourite designer?

I love John Galliano, I loved his work for Dior at the time I was studying the Foundation course. I am always in awe when I look back at his collections because so much of his inspiration is historical, and they have a story and design direction that’s so specific it takes you into another world - from his fashion shows to the actual garments, to the make-up on the models, I admire his imagination and skill so much.

What do you think Mexborough needs?

I think we need a place where the community can be more connected, and we need more support for local businesses. My favorite shops in Mexborough include Petits, which has being going for 100 years at least, and Interiors which sell unusual little gifts and also the herbalists which has this amazing smell every time you walk in, like talc and Parma Violets.

So local business needs to have a cash injection and we need MORE shops, because Mex is a great town, and its got such a good vibe and sense of community.

End

Some of Lucy Diana Bowes’ amazing drawings and sketch books.

A 26 year old sassy Mexborough lass and creative super talent. With a degree and postgraduate under her belt she tells Foxy Mex why she still loves her home town.

First things first, when did you discover your passion for art and creativity?

I’ve always been creative. However, it would be at Mexborough Sixth Form when I started on the A level art course. I found that my teachers on the course gave me the confidence and the same thing from Doncaster College, which was the next stage for me after Mex Comp.

That’s great, so what happened next?

I went onto the Foundation course at Doncaster College - the hub. It was the first year that the new building was up, so it was a massive change, the building had elevators and coffee stalls, nothing like Mexborough sixth form at that time, but it was the teachers and the support that helped give me the

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From Saxon to CERAMICS I

n many circles across South Yorkshire, Graham Oliver is in good company and needs no introduction. But to kids of the 1990s and 2000s you may not know that a rock legend lives right on your doorstep here in Foxy Mex.

Most memorable was doing Top of the Pops the first time and watching it with my family – I had to pinch myself – to be on it was amazing. That’s the point when my mum realised I didn’t need to get a proper job.

If you have spent time at Leeds Festival or Download, moshing to American Nu Metal bands, such as Slipknot and Deftones, you may not be aware of the fact that only a generation earlier “the kids of America” (as Kim Wilde put it) were rocking out to New Wave British Heavy Metal which was quite literally forged in our northern industrial towns by the likes of British bands Def Leppard and Saxon.

Do you think the “metal genre” was a direct response to the industrial way of life in northern towns in the 1960s and 1970s?

The founding fathers of this movement grew up in northern working-class industry towns inspired by punk and blues, rebelling against the cradle-to-grave factory or pit life they’d been born into.

This story is about Graham Oliver, a creative Mexborough lad who became adored all over the world as a heavy metal guru, ranked by VH1 Music as one of the Top Ten “Most Epic Guitar Smashes In Rock History”. He’s worked with everyone in the industry: Black Sabbath, AC/DC and Mötley Crüe, to name just a few.

As these stories tend to pan out, in 1967 when a young Graham Oliver was just 12 years old, he attended a concert in Sheffield to see a band called the Rolling Stones. This would be a life changing moment he was only 12 years old and a bit young for Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Fast forward a few years and we are sat in Buffcups Café on Main Street, Mexborough chatting about Graham’s role in the New Wave British Heavy Metal movement and his love of local pottery. We learned how his life was propelled from being a “Little Lad From Mexborough” to the rock and roll hall of fame.

Graham, how did this all begin for you? Do you think, becoming a musician was a way of escaping a life working down the pit or working in a factory?

Definitely. Every time I clocked on at my job I thought, Mick Jagger won’t be doing this. Don’t get me wrong, I had laughs at work – it was just that music was what I wanted to do.

How hard did you you have to work to make it so big?

We wanted to do our own music. It would have been easy to do covers in the Working Men’s Clubs across Yorkshire, but we didn’t want that. I’d work 10 hour shifts at the washing machine factory at Kilnhurst, then we’d be driving down to London on Friday night in the van. We’d play places like the Speak Easy, where the likes of Jimmy Hendrix had played. Then we’d sleep in the van all night for £20. You’ve got to do that to make it happen. You’ve got to give it 100% .

I think so, we all came out of factories and pits – we were all young men and we had a similar backgrounds – we weren’t like Queen who were all University educated. We were a bunch of scruffs from up Yorkshire – belting it out.

We had the energy of punk. We were heavy metal kids and we were different – I hated the spitting in the punk scene. We had more musical ability, you could get away with looking cool and not playing well in London. You couldn’t get a way with it up here. You had to play well up here, people expect a quality performance and you’ve got to step up to the mark.

To be honest we were as unfashionable as you could get at the time – The Clash didn’t know what to make of us when we first met them, but when we started playing we won them over.

It’s rebellious music; was it a rebellious way of life on the road?

It was all about the music, sleeping rough on the road. We were a bunch of louts, playing loud music.

How and when did you meet Al Hendrix (Jimmy Hendrix’s dad)?

We were on tour in America – we flew to Dallas back to UK to do Donington – then New York. Then we played Seattle. I knew a journalist there, who said their friend knew Al Hendrix. I’ve always been massively into Hendrix.

I remember going to Doncaster on the bus to buy his record and clutching it close to my chest. I saw him in concert at Sheffield City Hall. He was my hero and at that time I had a painting of him on my guitar. Meeting Al Hendrix was incredible, I spent the entire afternoon with him. Looked through his son’s school books, found out about where he went to school – what was his first guitar – he was a nice elderly man, who was just proud of his son. He was happy to share his life him me.

When I went to Al’s house I also met Nora, Jimmy’s grandmother who was 101! I remember her saying “all this electricity is all foolishness”. She’d seen the world change so much. Could you imagine how that must have felt seeing her grandson play on stage, on TV to millions of people?

So, how does it feel to be in the top 10 guitar smashers?

What was your biggest hit and tour? Most memorable moment?

Our album Wheels of Steel reached no. 5 in the album chart and we’d regularly sell out City Hall across the country; there’d be 13,000 at our shows. We also did the first Donnington and played to 50,000.

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At first I thought it’s not very musical! But I’m in good company: Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Peter Townshend. I only did it because I felt like it. It felt so natural to do it. Like some gladiator.

Pete Townsend was said to be the first in June 1967, but I think it was something that just felt right to do. It was rebellious of course, but when I saw Jimmy Hendrix in Sheffield – dressed all in purple –

in the 1800s, the people that have handled it, that something so delicate survived and has been transported.

They would work from 6.00am–6.00pm for little money. You can sometimes even see the thumb prints of the people that made them. I couldn’t bare to break them.

What advice would give to young people in the Dearne Valley growing up today?

People seem to think that people who are successful are somehow “lucky” – it’s not like that really, you have to work hard for years.

If there’s something you’d like to do, do it. Dreams come true. No matter where you’re from in the world you can still dream and make things happen.

You can also have a good life without being famous. I would say be inspired by what you’re passionate about and just go for it.

End On the 14th January 2016 Graham will be performing at the Concertina Club as part the Cosy Cinema screening of Spinal Tap. For more information visit: rightupourstreet.org.uk

take off his guitar and throw it into the pit – I almost lifted out of my seat. Stage craft and being a good showman is all part of it. That’s what we wanted to give our audience.

On to ceramics, when did you first fall in love with the local potteries of the Dearne Valley?

When I started getting into ceramics my band mates almost disowned me! But I’ve always liked ceramics. I had a small cup as a child and I really liked it. It was in the 90s when I bought my first piece from Doncaster Antiques market, it was made in Swinton and was only a fiver.

The more I looked at it the more it intrigued me. I discovered that these potteries were all over South Yorkshire, employing whole families who were exporting ceramics all over the world. Much to my wife’s disappointment we’ve ended up with a house full of ceramics.

When did you discover your family descendants worked at the local Potteries?

I’ve been a member of Mexborough Heritage for quite a few years and have written several articles on the history of the local potteries. I attended local lectures whereby I was introduced to a news article written in 1915, celebrating their Golden Wedding anniversary and their lives working in the local pottery industry.

When looking up my family tree it turned out George and Jane were my great, great grandparents!

It was scary to find out my ancestors worked in the pottery industries and I’d been collecting their work.

We know you like smashing up guitars, have you ever felt like smashing up your ceramics?

Funnily enough, I was photographing a really rare Rockingham piece and I dropped my camera on it! It was a 200 year old piece.

But I’d never smash anything on purpose.

To think that piece had survived all those years from being made

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I learned tattooing on Tatooine

20 FREE Things to Do in MEXBOROUGH G

STEVE HAMILTION

et involved in your local community. There’s more to life than staying indoors, even if it is turning a bit nippy. Make new friends. Reconnect with old ones. Get your hands dirty. Join a class or a club. Meet with volunteers. Plan for the future. Dream big.

Work hard. Pretend you’re living in the best place on earth, ‘cos let’s face it, Foxy Mex is just that.

materials are free and lunch is also provided.

Here are 20 FREE things (or things under a fiver) that you can do in Mexborough…

14. Go ‘twitching’ at Denaby Ings and enjoy the stunning countryside we have on our doorstep. The Ings is home to an array of wildlife, from kingfishers to sparrow hawks. Perfect place to head out for a walk or cycle.

1. Join acclaimed poet Ian Parks for free poetry workshop sessions at Interiors Cafe every Wednesday. Join ‘Read to Write’ from 1pm to 2.30pm, every week.

2. Pop down to Cosy Cinema at the Concertina Band Club. YES Foxy Mexborough has it’s own independent cinema experience! Why haven’t you been yet? It’s funded by the British Film Institute and will bring an array of brilliant films to Mexborough. Screenings are every first Thursday at the Concertina Band Club.

3. Join the Pitman Poets at the Concertina Band Club every Thursday from 8.30pm. You’ll hear amazing words from local and regional poets hosted by word smith Tony “Gooders” Goodwin.

4. Partake in The Ted Hughes Paper Round – maps can be picked up at Mexborough Library and will take you a journey across Mexborough from Ted’s former home on Hope Street, to Ted’s Grammar School. Then off to the Ferryboat slipway where Ted crossed the river on his way to admire the Old Denaby countryside, fish ponds, farms and fields. Learn about Mexborough’s Poet Laureate and burn some calories whilst you’re at it.

5. Pop down to Mexborough Library, it’s free to join if you are not already a member. Chill-out, read the paper, graze the internet.

Have a read. It’s free and you might bump into a friendly face whilst you’re there.

6. Visit mexboroughheritage.com - this is a fabulous resource for all things Mexborough where you can find out how to get more involved or attend one of the groups many events.

7. Sign-up to Facebook and join Mexborough Then and Now. It’s a great place to find out about local news and see photography from by gone Foxy Mex and view comments made by fellow Mexborites.

8. Join the Mexborough Ferryboat Association. Get involved with a team of local volunteers to transform the old ferryboat slipway.

9. Help local legend “Lord” Shaun Gibbons with a litter pick, help make the streets of Mex look spick and span.

10. Take part in a charity fun run with FoxyMex legend, Tommy “Thumbs-up” Joyce. Help raise money for a great cause and learn from one of the best fund raisers there is.

11. Join the Right-Up-Our-Street Steering Group. Help make creative things happen in Mexborough, meetings are held at Mexborough library every month.

12. Get crafting with Mexcraft. Join this fun rabble every Tuesday from 10.00am–2.00pm, although it costs £3.50 to attend, all

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13. Pop down to the Imperial Club for Open Mic. Stop playing guitar in your bedroom and play to a live audience. Or just enjoy a pint of real ale, brewed on-site, and listen to the local talent. Entry is free but the pints – well, you have to pay for them.

15. Get creative at Dolcliffe Hall. Featured in this issue of Foxy Mex, this community hall is a hub of creativity with the Dolcliffe Arts group meeting regularly and hosting exhibitions too. Creative Wellbeing is also at the centre every Tuesday from 1.00pm onwards.

The aimed at creating a positive and creative environment for anyone suffering with a disability.

16. Volunteer at Ava Lunch. This wonderful project creates cheap meals for those in need. Why not volunteer some free-time to support the good work done by this organisation and make sure no one goes without a decent meal in Mexborough.

17. Walk to where the local pits once stood. The life blood of Mexborough was the local mining industry, road, rail networks and homes were all built to serve the local pits that were in the area for over 100 years. Find out were your own families may have worked mining “black gold”.

18. Do the Trans Pennine Way and start from Mexborough.

Our neck of the woods has to be some of the most beautiful on the whole trail. Starting in Mexborough, head to Denaby Ings, pass Conisbrough Castle and head towards the viaducts and Sprotborough. Heck, why not just do the entire route and head for the seaside? The trail finishes in Hornsea and is a route enjoyed by walkers across the world.

19. Join Steve Ely’s Monthly writing group ‘Write On Mexborough’.

A creative writing group for the Don & Dearne Valley’s beginners and more experienced writers of novels, poetry, short-stories, script – any form of creative writing is welcome. Meets fortnightly (Thursdays) at Mexborough Resource Centre.

20. For any young Mexborites looking for something to do in the evening, ‘Kidz Du Care’ runs every week at the Highwoods Community Base and is free of charge. For 14-19 year old’s, you can attend Mexborough Youth Centre were there are lots of activities young people can take part in.

What’s next for Mexborough?

What are your dreams and desires? What do you love or hate about your town?

Foxy Mex isn’t just a magazine, it is a call to arms. We believe that Mexborough is already a great place and that it could be even better if we pull together and fight for real and positive change. Up for it? Then why not join us?

Call in at Mexborough Library with your thoughts, ideas and dreams. Attend a Right Up Our Street Steering Group meeting and help turn those dreams into reality.

MEET THE TEAM Contributors

Editorial Team

DOMINIC SOMERS

RACHEL HORNE

MICK PETTINGER

SAM WALBY

JILL ARKLEY-JEVONS

SAM COOPER

MEXBOROUGH ACADEMY

LINDA JONES

LESLEY MERRIN

DOMINIC SOMERS

BARRY GRIFFITHS

FRAN BIBBY

HELEN McCABE

WARREN DRAPER

BRIAN NELSON

STEVE BATES

IAN PARKS

PAUL DYSON JOHN BEAL

Design

CLAIR HIBBERT

WARREN DRAPER

STEVE HAMILTION

RACHEL HORNE

Photography

Illustration

DOMINIC SOMERS

AL HEIGHTON

RACHEL HORNE GRAEME OXBY JOHN FULLER

FRANK SCHWICHTENBERG SCOTT PRITCHARD

Manifesto Design LYDIA CAPRANI

LESLEY MERRIN

Right Up Our Street is led by a consortium of Doncaster arts organisations and supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England until 2016.

horne&draper Everyday Audacity.

FOXY MEX Š2015