Best of British Magazine

A Marathon task for Editor Ian Beacham

EDITOR Ian Beacham achieved his target time of 4 hours 30 minutes, almost to the second, in the Flora London Marathon on April 13^th. He is raising money to help develop a dog trained by Canine Partners, a charity that transforms the lives of people with physical disabilities, most of whom are wheelchair users.

Already, readers have demonstrated their kindness by sending us lots of cash and cheques to sponsor Ian. Our adopted puppy has been named IVOR BOB and has now well into his weekly training classes, which will teach him how to socialise to every environment an assistance dog might work in, such as busy streets, hospitals, supermarkets and workplaces.

See the magazine to follow Ivor Bob’s progress and visit the website www.caninepartners.co.uk to find out more information about the charity.

· Cheques (payable to Canine Partners) should be sent to us here at Best of British, 27a Market Place, Market Deeping, Lincs PE6 8EA. Everyone who sends a donation or a pledge of money will be named (unless you say otherwise) and thanked in the magazine.

Have you visited our Message Board yet? Just click on the link above for the chance to share ideas and thoughts about the magazine and topics relating to life in Britain, past and present. By visiting the Message Board, you can read anything posted by the magazine’s editorial team and other visitors to the website, but to add your own or respond to other messages, you need to register. There are plenty of opportunities to stir the memory by interacting with other Message Board users about your favourite places, events and pastimes, and how we lived through different decades – family life, products, holidays, jobs, travel and transport, life in the forces, those who entertained us, what we once read… or any topic you like to reminisce about.
General correspondence, or Helping Hands requests and Postbag letters that you wish to be considered for publication in the magazine should still be sent either by email (mail@british.fsbusiness.co.uk) or by post to Best of British, 27a Market Place, Market Deeping, Lincs PE6 8EA.

SPECIAL FEATURES

In the
May issue



Practice Made Perfect The preparation that secured the success of the Dambusters Raid.



Guy Gibson The hero who became the pride of the nation.

Mission Accomplished!

Nobody Did it Better

The Stanley Matthews Final

Editor Ian Beacham’s
Marathon success.

Creator of James Bond -
Ian Fleming’s centenary.

One of the most memorable
football matches of all time.

Walking on Water

Land Rover

Skiffle

The ebb and flow of
Britain’s seaside piers.

Six decades of motoring adventure.

‘Do-it-yourself’ music using
a tea chest and a washboard.

Rollin’ Down the Road

The ‘Beat goes on

The Last of The Few

British steam rollers are
still making a big impression.

Life as an extra on TV’s Heartbeat.

Britain’s golden era of jet
test pilots achieved
some spectacular feats.

Brass Bands and Banners

Our Daily Bread

Scenic Railway Back on Track

Gala day in the coal
mining community.

Ancient and traditional
flours give us some tasty choices.

Ecclesbourne Valley
Railway is reborn.

ALSO: Bingo Lingo: When the number calling was almost as good as getting a full house.

Bingo Lingo: When the number calling was almost as good as getting a full house.

In the Name of Justice: James Robertson Justice – the larger than life character who regarded himself as anything but a film star.

ALSO: Hopping Mad: The rare breed of football fan who goes in search of new grounds.
ALSO: A Tiger Roars: The hovercraft that is once again skimming land and sea.


	REGULAR FEATURES

Nostalgia Gallery

Britain’s Great Bandleaders

1940s – The Way We Were

May Day on the Village Green
by Trevor Mitchell.

Jack Payne.

Living in London after war.

Collectors’ Corner

My Favourite Place

Old bottles with their
labels still stuck on!

ALSO:

Sounds Then Britain Now
Bookshelf Traveller’s Tales

ALSO:

Reader Offers
What’s On in May Puzzle Page

Dunstable in Bedfordshire.

Gone… But Not Quite Forgotten

Old adverts from the past.

Card Collectables	Building the Past

Cigarette cards showing British costume through the ages.	Nottingham’s Papplewick Pumping Station.

REGULAR FEATURES FROM OUR READERS

Post Bag

Our May Postbag includes letters on: Polish immigrants; the decline of British pubs; the 1940’s look; National Service at Prestwick Air Traffic Control Centre; Whittle jets; childhood Sundays; traditional pub signs; the Triumph Tigress scooter; Blue Peter; sleepwalking in the big freeze of 1963; and the Ideal Home Exhibition in the 1950s.

Yesterday Remembered

Chatting with Winston Churchill; old school days; steam railway travel in Scotland in the Sixties; remembering VE-Day celebrations; those wartime biplanes; and school swimming lessons in the 1950s are amongst the subjects of this month’s readers’ stories.

Helping Hands

Readers are looking for information about: the Royal Enfield motorcycle; the ship Foudroyant; a postcard of a lighthouse; a recording of The Nudist Camp by Bob Newhart; Don Del Rio & The Melody Makers; a book about Gollies; a song called Little Pansy Faces; a drive belt for an Elmo cine projector and missing issues of ABC Goods Transport Guide, as well as family and friends searches.

Sharing an Interest
Would you like to make new friends with similar interests - perhaps to share memories or travel with to events or places of interest? Send some details about yourself and your interests, and who you would like to meet to: Sharing an Interest, Best of British, 27a Market Place, Market Deeping, Lincs PE6 8EA or email mail@british.fsbusiness.co.uk You are welcome to include a clear head and shoulders photo of yourself.

OFFERS and COMPETITIONS

WIN! Battle of Britain Airfix models and limited edition canvas pictures (See magazine for details)
WIN! War and Peace Show tickets (see magazine for details)
FREE* – four paperback books *you just pay postage