SoFA Christmas Tree
SoFA Christmas Tree
Confessions of a Probation Officer – Ray O’Brien
On Friday 27th November, 78 members were entertained by Ray O’Brien a retired Probation Officer. Ray recounted that at the beginning of his training to become a Probation Officer the trainees were sent out in pairs to various venues in Liverpool. One of the places was Yate’s Wine Lodge, where the trainees were to people watch for three hours and later write a report. The whole point of the exercise was to highlight how no two people see a situation in exactly the same way.
Toxteth was Ray’s first posting, he was reassured by Senior Officers that people in the area were friendly and as long as you accepted their offers of cups of tea you couldn’t really go wrong. On one occasion after accepting umpteenth cuppa that day Ray watched as the man went into the kitchen. He took a mug out of the cupboard, put his hand in the mug and withdrew a set of false teeth then proceeded to make Ray’s tea and top it up with sterilised milk. All part of the Probation Officers experience! Ray said those first 6 years in Toxteth were his happiest.
Ray went on to work in Walton prison ‘The Big House’ as most of the criminal fraternity refer to it. The prison had a dedicated Nun, Sister Marina who regularly visited. Ray said the Sister was the most respected person in the prison, all inmates and staff revered her. Ray also met Paul O’Grady when Paul was a young trainee in the Magisterial Service – how life changed for Paul eventually taking him on the route to stardom.
Ray, an avid Liverpool supporter, was once attending in Court and the Chairman of the Bench happened to be Billy Liddell his footballing hero. On leaving the court Ray found Billy in the car park locked out of his car. The RAC arrived but were unable to help. Eventually a police officer arrived handcuffed to a youth that Billy had earlier ‘sent down’ for numerous car thefts. The boy gained access to Billy’s car within minutes and of course Billy ended up thanking the youth for his help. Ray was very disappointed because he was hoping to run Billy home to get his spare key!
The Star that ‘got away’ was of course Ken Dodd. He was found not guilty of tax fraud by a jury not of Liverpudlians, but made up of people from Manchester and Preston. The prison staff had a cell ready for Doddy following the Judge’s directive to find him guilty. There was a Diddy man and a banner saying ‘tax free zone’
Ray took early retirement nearly 30 years ago when cuts were made to the Justice System. He was not unhappy to be retiring. When Ray began work as a Probation Officer he estimated he spent 80% of his time face to face with clients and 20% on paper work. When he retired it was 20% face to face and 80% on clerical work.
An excellent presentation.
If you are interested in any of our events or wish to join our Association please fill out our Contact Form.
Article provided by Carol Hitchmough, with thanks.
Outing to Lytham Hall
Our penultimate outing for this year was to Lytham Hall on 27th September. The Hall is situated one mile from Lytham St Annes on the Fylde coast.
Lytham Hall is considered the finest Georgian House in Lancashire. It is a Grade 1 listed building and is surrounded by 80 acres of parkland. The site dates back to a 12th Century Benedictine Monastery. Sir Cuthbert Clifton built a Jacobean Manor House on the site in 1606 which was remodelled by Thomas Clifton in 1752 into the Palladium House that stands today. The Heritage Trust for the North West took over the management of Lytham Hall in 1998 on a 99 year lease. In 2022 Lytham Hall was crowned winner of the Historic Houses restoration award.
On arrival we were greeted by two enthusiastic volunteer House guides. We were taken to the upstairs area of the West wing for refreshments of coffee and biscuits. Denise a very knowledgeable guide explained the history of Lytham Hall and of its past owners. We were then able to explore the house on a free flow basis. Several hardy members explored the gardens in the rain. The Paradise Garden was particularly lovely despite the wet weather.
At 13:30 we all returned to the West wing for an excellent lunch of hotpot or vegetable lasagne. Later several members visited the cafe, shop and well stocked garden centre. Everyone agreed that our day out was interesting, relaxed and very enjoyable.
Our next outing will be to Blackpool Illuminations on October 19th. If you are interested in any of our events or wish to join our Association please fill out our Contact Form. Article by Lois Hughes and photo’s courtesy of Michael Rofe,
Planting Autumn Containers – Alan Foxall
Alan Foxall has enjoyed a passion for gardening and for growing top quality flowers since an early age, a passion he has retained all his life. Alan worked as the nursery manager at the Botanic Gardens in Churchtown for an incredible 46 years. He joined Southport Chrysanthemum Society when he was 18 years old. Alan has won a huge amount of trophies and awards at Southport Flower Show and in many other competitions.
On Friday 22nd September we were all treated to a great demonstration by Alan on how to plant attractive Autumn containers. He also gave us tips on how to keep the containers looking bright and fresh throughout the Winter. We were all delighted with the demonstration and lovely tub arrangement that Alan produced.
If you are not a member but would like to attend any of our events or are interested in joining our Association, please complete our Contact Form. Article and photos by Lois Hughes
Arley Hall Gardens, Cheshire
The advert in our Spring Magazine invited members to come and enjoy a summer’s day in Arley Hall Gardens. The visit on 17th August was planned last October and so we were thankful that 50 of our members were able to take in the splendour of The Gardens in bright summer sunshine. The work to design and preserve the Arley estate took almost 300 years. This gave us the opportunity to wander through eight acres of formal gardens. These included walled, flag, and kitchen gardens, sculptured Ilex columns, a meandering rootery followed by a cool woodland walk.
The imposing red brick hall contrasted with the green lawns alongside the Furlong Walk. The famous double herbaceous border was a riot of colour. Members were able to begin and end their visit in the friendly atmosphere of the Garden Kitchen Cafe. There was ample time together for friends and new members to be able to share their experiences in this special place of colour and interest. And home by teatime!
If you are not a member but would like to attend any of our events or are interested in joining our Association, please complete our Contact Form.
With thanks to Frank Hyland for the article and to Michael Rofe for providing the photographs.
SoFA Summer Lunch
In a climate of heat and rainfall records, the members who attended our summer lunch came on a cool, cloudy August day but departed on a warm, bright afternoon. Between these changes of weather, 67 of our members including first timers and new members, enjoyed a great Summer Lunch at Southport Old Links Golf Club. Our host Jeanette, provided a varied choice of excellent food which was well prepared and presented.
The lunch is a twice yearly event on our calendar. It provides an opportunity for members to meet in pleasant surroundings, hear the latest group news and enjoy a catch-up with friends. Commenting on the lunch, a new member noted especially the friendly atmosphere. Many are looking forward to our Christmas Lunch on 30th November at the same venue.
If you are not a member but would like to attend any of our events or are interested in joining our Association, please complete our Contact Form.
With thanks to Frank Hyland for writing the article.
