Funeral tributes to popular inspector
HUNDREDS turned out for the funeral of popular police officer Michael Fogarty last week.
Around 500 mourners paid their last respects at the Chilterns Crematorium in Amersham on Friday, including his widow Tracey and daughters Aimee, 19, and Beth, 17.
Inspector Fogarty died suddenly, aged 48, at his home in Tring after collapsing in the early hours of November 1.
He had been an officer with Hertfordshire Constabulary for 25 years.
During his police career he worked in road policing, on response and at police headquarters.
Before his death Insp Fogarty was working as an Intervention Inspector managing a team responding to emergency calls based at St Albans. He had previously been a dedicated Community Inspector at Hemel Hempstead working with partner agencies to tackle quality of life issues.
He later joined a department at headquarters where he spearheaded the promotion of community policing. Central Area Commander Chief Superintendent Alison Roome-Gifford said: “Mick's loss is felt acutely by so many friends and colleagues because he was one of life's good people. He had passion for policing.”
Festive fun for Institute
AN early start for Christmas shopping can be made at Tring Women's Institute's Christmas Fair at the Red Cross Hall on Saturday.
The fair runs from 10am to 12.30pm and stalls include gifts, cards, preserves, jewellery, homemade cakes, videos, tapes and DVDs.
Competitions include guess the weight of the cake, and there is a raffle - the proceeds of which are going to the Tring Scout Roof Fund.
Riders are back in the saddle
by Victoria West
victoria.west@ccnltd.com
TOURISTS and villagers enjoyed the spectacle of horses and hounds when the hunt met in Aldbury last Thursday.
There were no protestors as the riders moved off into the Hertfordshire country side, led by Joint Master Emma Pearse.
The meet was at The Greyhound public house, where the publican, Mr Tim O'Gorman was delighted to see the turn out.
“This is a good event for people to see what goes on in a village” he said.
“We don't make revenue out of it, but they come every year around this particular weekend.” He was happy there had been no trouble.
Emma Pearse said that the Vale of Aylesbury with Garth and South Berkshire Hunt held meets in the area surrounding Hemel Hempstead on about seven days per year.
Thursday had been a lovely day with about 25 riders taking part and about 50 people on foot.
No objectors had been met on the route across local farmland.
She said: “We lay a trail with a fox-based scent and the hounds hunt the trail.
”The day had been “a lot of fun” she said.
The hunt was a combination of four hunts with the Hertfordshire part dating back to the 18th century when it was founded by the Marchioness of Salisbury.
Ancient and modern have place in pageant
by Daphne Hughes
editorial@hemelgazette.co.uk
LOCAL PEOPLE packed their parish church on Friday and Saturday evening for a major event in the town's calendar, the presentation of Tring Pageant.
More than 800 people saw a production that traced development going back to prehistoric times and projecting forward to the year 2050.
It involved a major input from the schools, with about 95 children taking part, from individuals, the Arts Educational School and Tring's singers of the Choral Society and the Church Choir. A huge amount of variety was packed into an entertainment spread over two and three quarter hours.
Educational information was turned into fun with characters like a young Bruce Forsyth as a mediaeval game host with contestants who were knocked out by the plague, and light entertainment provided by appearances throughout the performances of humorists John Bly and Michael Bernstein.
The script for the pageant was written by Grahame Senior who was also narrator, Vivianne Child was the producer and choirs were directed by the choral society musical director Colin Stevens.
Schools also contributed by creating and writing scenes and young children from Sunday Schools enjoyed their appearances as the rats scampering through the church.
This was Tring's second pageant and was based on the Friends of Tring Church Heritage body's, Book of Life, published in 2005, that sold over 1200 copies and is still selling.
Paw show from town's youth
A CONCERNED dog owner is calling for more provision for teenagers in Tring after her dog's foot was ripped open by shards of glass smashed by teenagers.
Kate Atkinson, of Duckmore Lane, says there is not enough for youths to do in the town, which leads to them hanging around on the streets.
She says groups of teenagers often congregate under a bridge in Duckmore Lane drinking alcopops. This can be intimidating for elderly residents.
On Sunday, November 5, Ms Atkinson was walking her two-year-old dog Rufus when he ran through glass left from the smashed drink bottles.
Because the wound would not stop bleeding she had to take the Airedale Terrier to the vet.
Rufus's leg was bandaged up and Ms Atkinson will not be able to walk him for several weeks.
She said: "The thing he enjoys most in life is going for a walk. He is being punished for something that's not his fault."
Rufus is still limping badly and this is not the first time he has cut his paws on glass in the area. Ms Atkinson says this is the third time it has happened but previously it has not been so serious.
Despite the injuries to her dog Ms Atkinson still has sympathy for the teenagers. She said: "Really I feel for them because they haven't got anywhere to go.
"I want the kids to have some idea of the consequences of smashing glass.
"People have asked them to leave the glass and we will pick it up in the morning. It's easy to pick up a bottle and put it in the recycling bin."
She thinks the police need to do more and that the general community should also take responsibility.
"I think as a community we need to do more. These kids aren't able to go to a pub, but they're old enough to want to go out in the evening and there is nowhere for them to go.
"As a society we do a disservice when every time kids do something we call the police. As long as they're just being silly teenagers I don't really have a problem with it. It's when they start being really loutish."
Trust grants help spruce up memorials
LONG Marston and Wilstone have received grants from English Heritage for repairs to their war memorials.
Long Marston received £530 and £380 went to Wilstone under a scheme run jointly with the War Memorials Trust which allocated £100,000 across the country this year .
The local work was jointly funded by the Tring Rural Parish Council, Dacorum Borough Council and the War Memorials Trust, said parish clerk of Tring Rural, Dawn Slade.
The work of cleaning, repairing and repainting of the two memorials was done in time for last weekend's commemorations, although the grant money had not yet been received.
There are 70,000 war memorials across the country all needing maintenance.
Hundreds gather and show our fallen heroes will never be forgotten
Honoured for their sacrifice
Generations of the Hemel Hempstead public turned out to honour the town's war dead.
And in these troubled and fearful times, the crowds were much larger than in recent years.
The Royal British Legion, MP Mike Penning, Dacorum Mayor Councillor Catherine Appleby, local councillors and many other organisations joined in the march from the Civic Centre along Marlowes and through the Riverside shopping centre to the memorial at Boxmoor for the laying of wreaths and to the service at St John's Church.
Grandads explained to grandchildren the parts they had played in the hostilities and the new generation joined in the marching and the wreath laying.
Naval man, Ian McPhee, pictured above, talked about the day's proceedings with his granddaughter Amber, 8, a pupil at Tudor School, Hemel Hempstead.
He served for 22 years through the Falklands conflict and the Gulf War.
Ian is a former chairman of the Hemel Hempstead branch of the Royal British Legion, and currently the treasurer.
Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate Dr Richard Grayson, marched and laid a wreath for the fifth time. “It is always a moving occasion and an honour to do so,” he said.
Branch chairman Peter Gibbons said: “It was a thoroughly successful day.”
The new route worked well and more organisations took part. At the memorial there had been a far bigger crowd than normal. “St John‘s Church was absolutely full, I was very pleased to see that,” he said.
“My thanks go to all who made it so successful and to those who marshalled the routes,” he added.
The wreath carried and re-laid by Amber McPhee had originally been placed earlier in the week, when a class from Amber's school had gone to see the memorial. But as the Mayor's wreath had to be the first on Sunday, the school wreath was temporarily removed so that Amber could then repeat the honour.
At the memorial, music was provided by the Salvation Army Band, who are now finding marching and playing at the same time very strenuous. “We are looking for a new band for the future,” Mr Gibbons said.
AT Berkhamsted, The parade was “excellent” said RBL chairman Mr Bill Buckland. There had been a much bigger contribution than normal from the organisations taking part and many more onlookers.
The parade included both the Men's and Women's Sections of the Royal British Legion, Royal Naval Association, Royal Artillery, RAF Halton, Army Cadet Force, Air Training Corps, the Fire Service, St John Ambulance, British Red Cross, Rotary Clubs, Round Table and Lions, Scouts and Guides, a total of at least 350 on parade.
Mr Buckland also attended the morning service at Berkhamsted Collegiate School Chapel. The school lost some 300 young school leavers in World War I and around 170 in the Second World War.
Former Mayor, Councillor Geraldine Corry was impressed to see a contingent of young recruits from RAF Halton for the first time - previously officers only had attended.
“It was really good to see and the contingent from the Army - so many marching on this important day,” she said.
Sadly Second World War veteran, ex-paratrooper, Len Allen, 78, was taken ill during the parade and had to be rushed to hospital. On Tuesday, his condition was described as ‘stable'.
At Tring, wreaths were laid at the cenotaph before a service in the Church of St Peter and St Paul.
An ATC member carried the standard for the Royal British Legion, who at present have no bearer and a pupil from Tring School sounded the Last Post. Poppies were laid by two pupils of Grove Road School, Tring - Chester Williams, 7, and Lucy Scott, 9.
Many more people than usual were at the ceremonies but only three veterans.
A parade was also held at Little Gaddesden and special church services and ceremonies took place in other Dacorum's villages.
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