Rare post card found
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lkeston memorabilia collector Ged Munro couldn’t believe his eyes when he came across a black and white picture postcard at an antiques fair in Nottingham recently. The photograph shows a busy scene outside a shop which turned out to be ‘The Radio Shop’, 2 Station Road, Ilkeston. On the reverse is written ‘First wireless in Ilkeston’ and the date 1921 with a question mark after it. Also handwritten is ‘Mrs D Eminson, 5 Essex Street, Ilk’, which was presumably the shop keeper’s home address. Ged checked an old Ilkeston Trade Directory and found there was indeed an ‘Emminson R. Wm.’ listed under Electricians at number 2 Station Road, Ilkeston. (Was that her husband, father or brother?) And that a Dora B Eminson or Emminson lived at 5 Essex Street, Ilkeston. See the card inside, along with another rarity from Ged’s collection: a Turner of Ilkeston sepia picture of a bike race taking place in the town. In spite of numerous enquiries, Ged had not been able to find out anything about it. ——————
New manager installed at Ilkeston FC Ilkeston Football Club have appointed Shaun Goater as the new manager following the mutually agreed departure of Paul Holland. The Robins are struggling at the foot of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League following a long run of poor results. A club statement says: “Shaun [ex Manchester City] is excited about the difficult challenge over the next ten weeks or so, stating he is a great believer in helping young talent to develop. He is confident he can step in and help the Robins youngsters get a little more organised and push on from the excellent performance against Coalville Town. [That game ended 0-0 but the Robins had shown great fighting spirit and were applauded off.] “Like he says, it’s a tough ask to get to safety, but there are still a lot of points still to play for and games against teams around the bottom of the NPL Premier division.” Goater has watched Ilkeston’s progress over the last few seasons, and sees this as an excellent opportunity get into football management.
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Louise remains cheerful T
he plight of Louise Freeman, an Ilkeston crafter who has been written about before in this paper, has been featured in several others now. ‘Tragedy-hit family make DIY SOS plea’ was the headline in a recent Sleaford Standard. Louise and her husband Ian moved to the Lincolnshire town with their two young children Daisy (7) and Joshua (5) after getting married in May last year. Following a fall in the bathroom in September 2016, Louise suffered a broken neck and is paralysed from the break downwards. She was taken to the QMC in Nottingham and then moved to the Princess Royal Spinal Injuries Unit in Sheffield, where she is now recovering. The district council has agreed to carry out significant adaptations to their home, including levelling floors and installing a lift. But there is still a lot more work to be done before the property can become usable by Louise, who remains incredibly positive despite her hardship. Doctors have said Louise should regain partial movement in her arms. An appeal has been made to local folk to help the family with a DIY SOS style makeover. A lot of adjustments and remodelling need to be completed to enable Louise to get around in her wheelchair when she comes out of hospital. Ian said: “The kids have been amazingly resilient despite all the upheaval and redecorating. When we went to see Father Christmas a while back, Daisy asked for her mum to come home and Joshua asked for his mum not to have to go back into hospital ever.” This is the second tragedy to hit Ian, who was a computer science teacher. He lost his first wife in a car crash leaving him with the two children to look after. He has now given up his job to care for them, as well as Louise. He said: “Louise is cheerful and getting stronger every day. Neither of us is the sort of person who thinks ’why me?’ I’m grateful that she’s still here. Hopefully she will be discharged from hospital at the end of March.” Burnt wood craft items and hand made cards by Louise are still available to buy in the U Choose Smoothie Bar and there is a collection box for anyone who would like to make a donation to help them. Members of Nottingham Road Methodist Church in Ilkeston, where Louise used to attend, are supporting the family through visiting and regular gifts and prayers.
MARCH 2017 www.ilkestonlife.com
Gates give park a new look Stylish new gates at the entrance of Victoria Park have been welcomed by local people, describing them as beautiful, regal and stunning on social media. The park, which enjoys Green Flag status, has recently been hit by vandal attacks, including damage to the newly restored bandstand. Photo: Kerry Wheatley