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Opinions
Welcome to our opinons page, here you will find columns from well known locals such as Chrissy Dawson, MP Dan Jarvis, Ian McMillan, Milly Johnson, Ronnie Steele, MP Stephanie Peacock and Jenson Young.
As always we like to encourage our readers to get in touch with issues that matter to them.
If you'd like to send in a letter to our Editor based on something you have read today, or on another topic you can do so via email here.
Chrissy Dawson: Spring’s sprung and I couldn’t be happier
Spring is such a lovely time - to be able to lay in bed and listen to the birds singing…
No, I do not mean flaming pigeons, I mean the lovely little tweety birds that sing sweetly.
The spring makes everywhere look bright and new somehow. Flowers are shooting up and the daffodils are in abundance; everything in the earth is waking up after its winter sleep.
It’s not just the plants that...
Ian McMillan: Prog rock’ days did not progress that well after all
PICTURE the scene: the Casa Disco, Barnsley’s legendary record shop, in early 1971.
There I am, with my long hair and my feeble wispy attempt at a beard. I’m looking through the stacks of albums in the section marked ‘progressive’ because that’s the kind of music I like.
I like music that progresses with pomp and style and, yes, pretension, and, yes, bombast and, yes, symphonic grandeur and yes, a fiery drum solo...
MP Dan Jarvis: Sign up and take part in the town’s big clean-up...
From our historic town hall to our award-winning parks and green spaces, Barnsley is a beautiful place to live and visit.
Nearly everybody I speak to as a local MP shares my pride in the beauty of our borough. Barnsley folk are a proud bunch and we have a lot to be proud about.
Unfortunately, a small minority of people don’t seem to share this pride. I’m talking about litterers and fly-tippers, a selfish...
Ian McMillan: Sing-alongs bring back nostalgic memories…
I’ll tell you a story ‘bout a man named Jed, a poor mountaineer but he kept his family fed.
Then one day he was hunting for some food when up from the ground came a’bubblin’ crude. Oil, that is. Black gold. Texas tea.
I can guarantee that several Barnsley Chronicle readers are now singing those words, those glorious words. And I bet a few of those people have now moved on to the second...
Chrissy Dawson: Cellulite-zapping cream shopping is a minefield…
DID you know that 90 per cent of women have cellulite and yet very few men suffer from it at all?
This only proves to me that God must be a man and that he somehow has persuaded nature to be on his side.
I mean let’s be honest, obviously nature didn’t think that a monthly cycle, pregnancy, giving birth, breast-feeding, stretch marks and saggy boobs were enough for us women.
No, Mother...
Ian McMillan: Visiting your brilliant libraries is a must
Last Saturday it was my enormous pleasure to introduce the wonderful poet and performer Michael Rosen to a packed room of children and adults at the Lightbox in Barnsley town centre.
I said in my introduction that the first thing Michael said when he recovered from the Covid that almost killed him in 2020 was ‘I need to go to Barnsley and perform at their book festival!’
I was joking, of course, partly because...
MP Stephanie Peacock: Dental reform is key
It is vital that we can access good quality dentistry services when we need to.
Over the past 15 years, access to dentistry services across the country has become increasingly difficult.
In South Yorkshire, there are communities that have levels of tooth decay which are more than four times higher than other parts of the country.
From 2023/24 in Barnsley alone, more than 370 hospital admissions were made for children’s tooth extractions, and...
Ronnie Steele: The Carlton Belles and the Barnsley Buskers
A NUMBER of years ago I came across the Carlton Belles and the Barnsley Buskers. The Belles are a group of mature women who adore music, dancing and demand a social life. They are a unique group, determined to have fun and become a central feature of the community.
The Buskers are a group of talented vocalists who act as a learning academy for budding professional singers.
These two groups still exist today...
MP Stephanie Peacock: Kids’ breakfast clubs are key for so many
This Labour government has tripled investment in breakfast clubs across the country.
As a former teacher, I know how important it is that children do not start the day hungry.
Having a good breakfast has been proven to improve attendance, attainment, and chances in life.
I know that this measure will be really important for lots of families across Barnsley South.
In fact, research has shown that over 19,800 children in Barnsley could benefit...
Chrissy Dawson: Gunfight at the Coughs and Sneezes Corral
THERE seems to be some very nasty viruses going around at the moment.I only know a couple of people that have been lucky enough to not have had the cough.
Pete seems to have had it forever.
Not feeling well for a week is one thing – and to tell you the truth that’s a week too long for me.
You could not begin to imagine how bored I get when I’m not well....
Chrissy Dawson: Sunday stroll gave me such a beautiful view of my world
I AWOKE early one morning recently.
One of my daughters, whispering so as not to wake my husband who slept deeply after a bad night of coughing, said: “I know it’s early, but do you want to go out for a walk before everyone else goes out?”
I didn’t need to be asked twice; I knew all too well that the glorious snow had settled outside and the world was sleeping under a...
Ian McMillan: Were you at The Empire’s final show?
Over the Christmas period I managed to Sellotape myself to the settee for long enough to watch one of my favourite films, White Christmas.
People say, with some justification, that’s it’s a shallow and sentimental film which is fine because I’m a shallow and sentimental man and I would argue that it has more emotional depth than is at first apparent.
It’s packed with reflections on love and loyalty and the passing of...
Milly Johnson: Looking back at my highs and lows of 2024
I HOPE you had the most wonderful Christmas and that your sprouts weren’t overcooked and your roast done to perfection. As a bit of fun, here’s a little round up from me about some of the best and worst I’ve found in 2024.
Discovery of the Year: Without a doubt it’s The Northern Belle train. Pullman carriages that take you on a wonderful ride for the day, departing from stations as close as Wakefield....
MP Dan Jarvis: ‘Christmas festivities are going on all around the town...’
THE festive season is upon us, and Barnsley is once again brimming with Christmas spirit.
From light switch-ons to Christmas markets to exceptional choir performances, there’s been a fantastic array of activities across the borough and many more still to come.
We’ve already enjoyed highlights like the Barnsley Christmas Market while the weather allowed us to, the Christmas Lights Switch-On, and Christmas at the Town Hall. These events have set the stage for a...
MP Stephanie Peacock: Small businesses are vital for our economy
Successful small businesses are essential for both our local community and economy.
From cafes and pubs to small shops and newsagents, Barnsley is gifted with local businesses that are loved by many.
I know how hard the owners of these businesses work to ensure they stay open.
However, after 14 years of Conservative government, too many high street shops and local businesses have been forced to close.
Indeed, in 2023 alone over 6,000...
Ronnie Steele: It's time the super-rich paid their fair share
ON our way out of the supermarket, last week, we passed a charity stall for a local hospice that cares for children with terminal cancer.
Is there a greater cause in the whole world than helping children dying of this awful disease?
“I’ll make a contribution,” said Janet, searching her bag for her purse.
“Okay,” I replied. “In that case I’ll give a bit to that homeless young woman outside.”
As Janet scanned the...
Chrissy Dawson: The customer service just isn’t there anymore…
Do you know, I can remember years ago when we bought items such as washing machines, cookers and fridges and they lasted forever.
I once gave my mum a washing machine that I’d had a couple of years, nothing wrong with it, but I’d moved house and it didn’t fit in the space.
I swear she must have had it 30 years, if not more, and it was still going strong. Things were...
Milly Johnson: Inheritance tax a scourge even for working folk…
SO let me get this right. I pay a whopping chunk on my wage, and I’ve been banging away as much as I can into a pension fund for my old age – because I was too skint until I was in my 50s to be able to put anything away in a pension pot.
And the greedy bleeders in power are now going to put their hands on that, as if they haven’t...
Milly Johnson: Animal cruelty sentence should have been tougher
When is society going to get tough on people who cause animals to suffer and then blame their ‘poor mental health’ - the new ‘get out of jail free’ card?
Yes, it’s a real debilitating condition, but I bet it’s less than half of those who say they have it actually do, the others just use the convenience of it to escape consequences - a joke.
Kimberley Grant, 33, of Royston, let her dogs...
Ronnie Steele: Bowling with Arnie Sidebottom
I’VE known Keith Elvin since I was at junior school, and particularly remember him and John, his older brother, when they lived on Clarendon Street.
They often played football with me, the Mills twins and Barry Thornton, on the Nursery Field on Racecommon Road.
Keith spent a lot of time mating about with the England cricketer and Manchester United footballer, Arnie Sidebottom, who lived on the same street.
This is the true...