Barbara gets set of wheels
Friday was a red letter day for Barbara Fletcher, of Oakhampton Close, Friern Park, North Finchley.
For she was presented with a much longed for electric scooter mobility aid by the trustees of the Finchley and Whetstone Chamber of Commerce Benevolent Fund and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was on hand to witness the test drive.
Barbara had been wanting a BEC Mobility Ltd Scoota for some time, but at £745 it was out of the question.
However, the Benevolent Fund stepped into the breach with the offer of a £600 grant.
Barbara said: “This is going to make an enormous difference to my life. It means I can go shopping now which I couldn't before so it gives me more independence.”
The Scoota, which has a range of 12 miles before its batteries need recharging is only 23in wide so Barbara, 63, who worked for the Open University and then for local government, will be able to go in and out of shops without difficulty.
And Mrs Thatcher who is the president of the Finchley and Whetstone Chamber of Commerce, was fascinated by the Scoota and said she was very pleased it was British made.
Earlier in the afternoon Mrs Thatcher had officially opened the new offices of the North Finchley branch of Crown Financial Management at Solar House, Ballards Lane.
Finchley branch manager Michael Green took her on a guided tour of the offices where she chatted with members of staff and asked them about their work.
And at a reception afterwards Mrs Thatcher said she had loved learning about the company's work and wished it every success.
“It is always a great pleasure to me to see a firm which has started and continues to be successful for the one reason only that it is producing for the consumer and customer something they want.
“I hope you will grow in success. The fact is, your success is my success and I try to run the kind of system which enables you to be successful and you are,” she said. [end p1] Picture caption:
Aboard T.S. Tartar in Long Lane, Finchley, final checks were made to see that everything was shipshape.
It was and there was not a rope out of place as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was piped aboard on Friday afternoon.
She was welcomed by Lieutenant (SCC) Peter Cripps RNR and then watched the immaculately turned out crew perform the colour ceremony.
Afterwards she was taken on a tour of the gleaming vessel, examining every aspect of life aboard the good ship Tartar including boat maintenance, chart work, communications, rigging and knots and orienteering.
She chatted to the young crew members and watched a sheer legs display put on by the agile junior seamen.
Mrs Thatcher wanted to know all about the corps' history and was particularly interested in its association with the borough's ship HMS Tartar with which the corps was closely connected until the ship was taken out of service last year.
In particular she was fascinated by the bell which the corps managed to acquire from under the noses of other interested parties and bring back in triumph to the Finchley “ship.”
Her final stop was the wardroom where she talked to the officers of T.S. Tartar, praising them for running such a well-ordered ship and paying tribute to the commitment and enthusiasm of the youngsters.