Moston now has its own historic flat land…

Hough Hall has been sold for development, bulldozing the hopes of so many that this once beautiful and evocative 500 year old farmhouse could be saved from the trammels of progress and the government’s demand for more and more housing.

This once imposing but now ramshackle and derelict building at the back of a Victorian school in a failing Manchester suburb went at auction for just over quarter of a million. It had an estimate of £150,000.

Yet, thousands of Mostonians last year demanded it was rescued.

More than 6000 residents supported a campaign to stop the Grade 11 listed building vanishing like some awful ghost after decades of neglect.

Nobody with any power listened. And the secretive owner of Hough Hall – a once quite famous and certainly influential artist – was too ill to do anything about it.

The auction details describe it as a “dilapidated Character Building and Site”.

It is dilapidated, yes … but it is much more than that.

It is a Tardis of the history of Moston, once a thriving mill and brick-making area – a place known too for its linen and lace making, dye works, tanneries, print works and breweries.

https://leighgbankspreservationsociety.blog/the-artist-and-the-sadness-behind-the-marie-celeste-mansion/

But Hough Hall was also the home to one of Britain’s unsung heroes of art, the man who helped change the face of modern video, Roger Barnard.

The tragic story of his life and love was played out against the background of this beautiful black and white Tudor farmhouse which stand a few yards away from the bustling Moston Lane and behind an impressive Victorian school.

Last year the campaign caused so much interest in Moston that the original story by journalist Leigh G Banks was banned by Facebook for over-sharing.

Despite the interest though, Manchester City Council said at the time there was nothing they could do to protect near-derelict Hough Hall.

And, shockingly Historic England, which curates the UK’s history, referred the Leigh back to the council when they were approached for help.

The early 17 century hall is listed because of its wood wall panels, its gables and its wattle and daub construction. Yet it has been left to decay and, at some stage, has been used as a drugs den.

Roger Barnard and Heather Mawhinney took on Hough Hall and had grand plans for it, immersing themselves in the local community and holding open days to show off their ancient home.

Less than two years later though, they put the house up for sale for £200,000 and went on their way.

It has been abandoned more or less ever since.

This is what a spokesperson for the city council had to say: “As the property is privately owned, it is out of our jurisdiction.”

However, surprisingly, an Historic England spokesperson said: “Close contact with the local authority is vital at all times.”

She went on the add: “Communities can play an active role in saving their cherished heritage by being the eyes and ears on the ground. This might be through Heritage Watch schemes to prevent vandalism, setting up Friends Groups or launching a campaign. In some cases, local people have even established Trusts, taking ownership of vulnerable buildings and implementing solutions. Contact with the owner is vital too.”

Leigh G Banks, a former national newspaper journalist and now a broadcaster and editor of www.leighgbankspreservationsociety.blog said: “This is the response we’ve come to expect but it is only the opening shot – there are things that can be done to save a building like this and if people are willing to take on the fight our news organisation and the radio station will do all we can to highlight what is happening.

“The man on the street can win in these circumstances!

But in this case the man in the street didn’t. Moston and Manchester, the art world, history, memory and our heritage all lost out.

Hough Hall, one day soon, will be gone in a flash.

Tell us about an ancient ruin in your part of the world that your local council is about to destroy …

#moston #manchester #rogerbarnard #videohistory #grade11 #listed #history #development #houghhall

Boris Johnson has promised to crush online vaccines disinformation that could scupper the chances of beating Covid-19 in the next few months.

His pledge comes as the UK prepares for mass use of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

It is hoped by the government that millions of us will decide to be vaccinated.

Boris said that online “anti-vaxxers” were a problem and promised to deal with them.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has also called for emergency legislation to fine social media firms who keep publishing ‘fake news’ about Covid and vaccination.

In Slovakia, hailed just a few weeks ago as an example to the world for its mass-testing programme, more than a quarter of people questioned said they had no faith in jabs.

Slovakia has ordered 2.44 million shots.

Research published in September showed that a fifth of the UK population would also probably refuse a Covid ‘cure’.

Because of the – sometimes insane – claims on sites like Facebook and twitter, hoards of people around the world believe Covid was created deliberately and has killed far fewer people than reported.

Others say it is a hoax and that the world is run by a secret cabal.

A YouGov-Cambridge Globalism Project and Guardian survey of 26,000 people in 25 countries has found massive scepticism about vaccine safety.

Among the most widely believed conspiracies is that the death rate of the virus has been “deliberately and greatly exaggerated”. For instance 60% of respondents in Nigeria said this was definitely or probably true, along with more than 40% in Greece, South Africa, Poland and Mexico. About 38% of Americans, 36% of Hungarians, 30% of Italians and 28% of Germans feel the same.

An How are you, Slovakia? survey for the MNFORCE, Slovak Academy of Sciences and the Seesame agency, showed vaccine hesitancy was directly linked to trust in the government.

The Health Ministry has said the first Slovak batch will be administered to health care workers. Everyone else should get their turn in spring next year.

Social media is undoubtedly a breeding ground for Fake News promoted by science deniers and conspiracy theorists. And their unfounded claims have spiralled out of control in a world already fearing for the future

He said: “It is not going to help you if you don’t take it. Low uptake will almost certainly mean restrictions will last longer.”

But while Boris almost begged people to get the jab, he stressed that it isn’t mandatory, adding that compulsion was “not part of our culture or ambition”.

So, what are the biggest myths online about Covid and why are they just wrong and dangerous?

The Covid vaccine is another Thalidomide scandal

But Thalidomide was marketed as a treatment for morning sickness in pregnant women in the 1950s and 60s. It later caused birth defects – but experts say it cannot be compared to a vaccine.

Thalidomide went into the bloodstream whereas the Covid vaccine gives antibodies to fight off the virus.

Thalidomide was never properly tested. And a consultant for the Thalidomide Society said the comparisons were “insulting”.

Dr Ruth Blue, consultant for the Thalidomide Society, said: “The outcome of Thalidomide completely changed the way drugs are tested and are passed.”

Regulators cut corners

However, since the virus began circulating, scientists have been working 24/7 to find a treatments.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been able to test the vaccine faster than usual because clinical trials have over-lapped.

Bill Gates is using the vaccine to microchip the world

There is no evidence that Mr Gates or anyone else is trying to microchip people through the use of a vaccine and Mr Gates has denied these claims.

The theory originates from a study that was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which states the team developed an “approach to encode medical history on a patient” by including a small amount of dye with a vaccine.

But it never experimented on humans and did not include any hardware technology, such as microchips.

One of the first participants in a vaccine trial has died

This is false and Dr Elisa Granato is still alive.

The false claims of her death prompted her to tweet that she was “very much alive” and “having a cup of tea”.

Vaccines alter your DNA

The vaccines do not alter your DNA. They comprise mRNA that gives the body instructions on how to make proteins on the surface of the virus.

The Oxford vaccine contains parts of aborted foetus

Facebook has been awash with this myth after a user falsely claimed the vaccine uses MRC-5 cell lines, which were “originally developed from research deriving lung tissue of a 14-week-old aborted Caucasian male foetus”.

AstraZeneca said its vaccine was not developed using MRC-5 cell lines but does use a different cell strain, taken from a female foetus aborted in the 1970s.

The cells do not make it into the final jab – so they would not be injected into a patient. They are cell lines that have been grown in a laboratory from a primary cell culture originally taken from a foetus.

#antivaxxers #vaccines #worldfear #thalidomide #fakenews

By Andrew John Teague

Let’s do this.

Okay, so I never went to school. Never had much of a childhood. Ended up in care.

I am bringing this out because?

Well, out there, how many people are struggling, confused, bewildered and hurting?

And there are many people who struggle with their grammar and with reading the writing in general.

But, this doesn’t mean that we/they don’t have the ability to learn to adapt to change.

One of the things I get attacked about most is my grammar and my literacy.

People say I’m not articulate.

And do you know what? It’s simply just a bullying tactic.

It is no secret that I don’t like bullies – in fact bullies are one of the big reasons I hate family courts.

Bullies can be anyone. More than five years ago i chose to stand up and fight for kids and I’m still doing just that.

I was a kid once.

When i was a child I was physically and sexually abused. No one there to help, no one to listen to you. No one cared.

The reason I’m bringing up my past is because others do it all the time for me anyway. They choose to do it with no care, no remorse, no empathy…

And they do it simply to hurt.

What happened to us in the past never goes away and it’s because of things like these bullies.

I again have nightmares.

And my nightmares are often that I’m being chased, my legs are not strong enough to carry me. But I’m older far stronger than i ever was.

I suppose I have to pity people who feel the need to really bitterly bully others. One of the big reasons is I have contact with our daughter.

Daddy daughter time.

Three years fighting in the family courts. And we are helping our daughter to progress in life.

I never thought for one minute I would end up going through the gruesome grizzly family courts.

Wait! Hang on are my full stops and commas in the right place?

I don’t know, maybe…

Much more important to me is our daughter is in the right place.

I never once contemplated quitting, never once did I back down.

I spent every moment in family courts fighting for what are daughter wanted – her Dad!

So, you know, I may not be articulate – but I’m a damn good dad.

And, oh boy, I learned.

Not only did I learn but I’m pretty sure I educated too.

I’m helping to move forward education, I hope. That’s why with NAAP and D.A.D.s we are dedicated to educating.

A huge part of educating and, indeed raising, the awareness is ensuring all information is correct. Misleading information simply leads to the downfall.

Getting through courts takes resilience and your ability to learn, research, gather and put the things into perspective.

While some of these people who are attacking me about my grammar my literacy were at school. I was being abused in the worst way humanly possible.

No-one can ever comprehend what I felt.

How many times I just wanted to be dead, how many times I attempted suicide.

There is a true saying that people who have been through things are the best teachers, are the best ones to help and the best ones to give advice and are the best shoulders to lean on.

I could have gone through life hating the world for what happened to me.

I could of gone through life carrying on believing it was my fault. But it wasn’t!

I had no control over it.

People who know me know what I went through. People who know me know I would give up my last to help anyone.

Technically this fight is not mine any more.

But it chose me.

https://leighgbankspreservationsociety.blog/how-to-spot-those-lying-cheating-narcissists-who-walk-amongst-us/

And I will not break the vow I made five years ago to fight for every child going through this.

And every child’s parent going through this – I will stand up for them too.

On my own if I have to no fear.

I put my demons to bed a long time ago and I am straight up, weighted and measured, as the saying goes.

So if I missed commas or full stops, remember I went through a life of Hell just like others do. We are not all perfect and I don’t claim to be.

But i will fight with my last breath.

Everyday, 24/7, for every child so they like our daughter can have a relationship with their healthy loving caring parents grandparents and family.

Full Stop.

#bullies #thugs #narcassists #children #families #family courts

Have a listen inside!

#parkingwardens #resettingtheworld #trump #covid #havingalaugh

Yep, it’s a day to celebrate 50 per cent of the world – MEN!

International Men’s Day 2020 is here to appreciate men young old and in-between – and to mark our contribution to the world, society, our communities, marriage AND family life. Too often we are smacked down for being womanising, beer-swilling cheats bullies and liars.

But we are not! International Men’s Day is here to tell the world of the power of goodness in men. The day is to focus on health, gender relations and promoting gender equality.

I am not a number I am a man!

Listen here and have a good laugh – another thing we are quite good at!

https://leighgbankspreservationsociety.blog/648-2/

#Themaninme #Internationalmensday #Dayformen #Manandboy #equality

President Trump has held his first press conference since his election fail to Joe Biden, providing the public with an update on a COVID-19 vaccine. 

And he appears to have lost so much traction with the world the biggest topic of conversation in both social and traditional media, is how he appears to have gone grey almost over night.

Or is it just that he has stopped dyeing it? And if that is true, then is it actually the most honest thing he has done in years?

Has the soon to be ex President of the United States been a liar and a dyer all these years?

The quiz over his hair happened as he made his last briefing – viewers took to Twitter  to say that the 74-year-old businessman’s hair had gone completely grey since he was last seen in public a while ago.

#trumphair #greyday #hairraising