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www.ilkestonlife.com                                                                                   ILKESTON LIFE                                                                                     December 2021    9

      A Conversation long ago

      By Cath Haywood

      “Ey up mi duck, Ow yer bin?”
      “Awreet mi duck, how’s yersen?”
      “Ee, mi gums are geeing me jip,
      Ah canna gerrany kip.
      It’s sorta gerrin’ mi dahn,
      But the missis sez the dentist at top o’ taarn
      ’ll sort me aart and I’ll be rayt.
      I ’ope so cuz ah’m gerrin’ in a state.”
      “I ain’t seen your Gert for nigh on years.  Ayergorrerweeyer?”
      “Aye, she’s ovver there, gone inta pub gerrin us a beer.
      She’s a good’un is my Gert, never bin a bother.
      Ay, look up there be’ind yer, duck. It’s reet black ovver Bill’s mother.”
      “So it is, it’s gonna rain.  I’d better get back to wok.”
      “Well, when yer dun, cum rernd an’ giz a knock.”
      “Ar will mi duck, ta-ra for naar. An’ get some tea int’ pot.
      Ah’ll see ya later and dunner fuss, cuz fost ah’ll change mi shot.”  Erewash Sound presenters were out and about captur-
      “Come as ya are, mi duck, ya know it mecks no odds to us.”   ing the atmosphere at the Christmas Lights Switch-ons
                                                                   in the borough.  Above: Amelia Salmons and Lewis All-
      “Okay, will do, I’ve gotta run, else look, ah’ll miss mi bus.”  sop in Long Eaton; top right: Kerry and Derek Wheatley
      “Tarra mi duck, ah’ll sithee then sum time later on.”        with the Erewash Sound Bear in Ilkeston;  bottom right;
      “Aye, say ta-ra to Gert from me, mi duck, Tell her yerve just sayn John.”  the lit-up Ilkeston Town Hall and some of the crowd
                                                                   enjoying the attractions on the Market Place.
       Christmas Mayhem               With trolleys fully laden with food  were no longer plenty.  By the time your food has been
                                      they’ll never use
                                                                                                  quickly packed away
       by Thomas Hosker               A squabble then broke out be-  Around the beers, wines and spir-  You start to realise some items
                                                                    its congestion quickly grew
                                      tween two late shoppers       At this time of year looking for   have been missed on the way.
       It was Christmas Eve in the super-  Fighting over the last turkey   their favourite brew   Pushing through the crowds to the
       market                         amazed by onlookers.          Ready for Christmas cheer and   awaiting car outside
       The place looked like the start of   Taking stock for a moment as full   New Year celebrations ahead  Your thoughts keep saying never
       World War Three                trolleys passed by            Indulging in their favourite tipple   never again
       People pushing and barging by   I watched the mayhem unfold   and probably a sore head.    Until the following Christmas
       one another
       To get the last minute bargains   before my very eyes        The sound of busy checkouts   comes around
                                      The vegetable racks were virtually
       they could see.                all empty                     came quickly into view        And the same thing happens all
                                                                                                  over again.
                                                                    As every busy outlet trails long
       People jostle looking stressed in   And the last Christmas puddings   impatient queues
                                                                                     Family engineering company celebrating
                                                                                                  a bumper year of business


                                                                                    A specialist welding and engineering   Other major schemes include:
                                                                                    company based in Ilkeston, Derbyshire is   A design and build scheme for Uniper UK
                                                                                    enjoying a record year with a number of   to enable the construction of a new power
                                                                                    high-value orders.                    generation unit at Cottam Power Station in
                                                                                    Rayden Engineering Limited has continued   Lincolnshire.
                                                                                    to work through the Covid-19 pandemic   Providing a new gas pipeline and two
                                                                                    nationally on projects worth many millions   above ground installations (AGIs) for a
                                                                                    of pounds, because the projects in question   new power generation unit at Carrickfergus
                                                                                    are considered to be essential works.  in Northern Ireland, for EP UK.
                                                                                    Established in 1979, the family company   Enabling works for National Grid Gas at
                                                                                    specialises in manufacturing and installing   various sites in the Midlands, by providing
                                                                                    high pressure pipework systems. It operates   support to its specialist team on inline in-
                                                                                    in specific market sectors such as the gas,   spections of the high-pressure transmission
                                                                                    oil, petrochemical and water industries.  system.
                                                                                    Rayden is experienced at working through-  All this is on top of an already full order
                                                                                    out the UK and abroad to extremely high   book at its base and engineering works at
                                                                                    standards for businesses that are big name   Wentworth St, Ilkeston.
                                                                                    market leaders in their fields, some of them   To help support its workload, Rayden has
                                                                                    being household names such as National   made heavy investments in new HGVs and
                                                                                    Grid Gas.                             specialist equipment.
                                                                                    The year started off in style with the award   In addition, it has recently refurbished the
                                                                                    of a major contract for Northern Gas   one remaining British Rail building on the
                                                                                    Networks for a pipeline diversion and a   former British Rail site at Wentworth Street
                                                                                    new above ground installation (AGI) in the   to create high-tech workspace for 18 extra
                                                                                    North East of England, which involves the   staff.
                                                                                    diversion of various gas pipelines and also   Managing director Richard Hayden is
                                                                                    includes a micro tunnel 24 metres deep and   delighted that the company has won major
                                                                                    160 metres in length.                 contracts during difficult times caused by
                                                                                    This is part of a Highways England scheme   the coronavirus crisis which hit so many
                                                                                    to widen and re-structure a four-mile   industries and projects.
                                                                                    section of the A1dual carriageway near the   “Despite the pandemic we carried on in the
                                                                                    Angel of the North statue in Gateshead.   face of adversity in 2020 and this year also,
                                                                                    The £220m scheme when completed will   because these critical contracts are crucial
                                                                                    ease congestion and cut journey times.   as essential infrastructure work,” he said.
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