No longer with us. . .

ONE month to go until the start of a new year, but whilst a load of us our getting ready to celebrate the Christmas cheer, some famous faces are no longer with us.  Here is my tribute to those who sadly will not be around during the festive season. . .

Bill McLaren (Rugby Union commentator)           (Died on January 19, aged 86)

BILL McLaren was the voice of rugby union, commentating on some of the classic moments in the code’s history for over fifty years.  McLaren retired in 2003, and was awarded the CBE, OBE and MBE awards for his services to sport.

Alexander McQueen (British fashion designer)          (Died on February 11, aged 40)

HAILED as a modern-day genius, McQueen won the CBE and was names British Designer of the Year on four separate occasions.  His presence in the fashion industry has been greatly missed ever since.

Dick Francis (Thriller writer)                       (Died on Valentine’s Day, aged 89)

FRANCIS was the jockey who famously was onboard Devon Loach, when the horse collapsed yards from the finish line and victory in the 1956 Grand National.  Dick Francis went onto to write 42 novels, mainly of the horse racing genre and was acclaimed by many, as one of the greatest thriller writers of the world.

Kristian Digby (TV presenter)                     (Died on March 1, aged 32)

DIRECTED a number of TV programmes and won a junior BAFTA award in 1997 for his short film Words of Deception.  Digby was a property expert and he worked on a number of property developer shows, including House Swap and Living in the Sun.

Keith Alexander (Football manager)      (Died on March 3, aged 53)

ALEXANDER collapsed and died from a brain tumour shortly after managing Macclesfield in a League Two match at Notts County.  The popular manager was in charge of the Silkmen for two years, and also had management spells at Peterborough United and Lincoln City.

Michael Foot (Former Labour leader)    (Died on March 3, aged 96)

IN CHARGE of the Labour party for three years, Foot was a charismatic and funny politician, who liked to crack a few jokes.  He lost the 1983 General Election contest by a landslide to Margaret Thatcher.

Harry Carpenter (Former Boxing commentator)                (Died on March 20, aged 84)

Best known as the ‘voice of boxing,’ for BBC and ITV, Harry Carpenter carried a special torch for the British boxers, particularly Frank Bruno.  Who can forget; ‘He’s hurt Tyson, GET IN THERE FRANK!’  Boxing is a poorer place without Harry’s knowledge and love for the sport.

Malcolm McLaren (Punk rock pioneer)                  (Died on April 8, aged 64)

THE manager of the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren co-owned a Sex shop in Chelsea and had a fun and spectacular attitude towards lifestyle.  His life was never dull, going about with the punk rock behaviour that dominated music for a time in the UK.

Gerry Ryan (Broadcaster)                             (Died on April 30, aged 53)

HUGELY popular in his homeland, Gerry Ryan was often referred to being the individual who created talk radio in Ireland.  His controversial opinions on a variety of topics might land him in hot water, but he had his own show for two decades and was one of the most established figures on Irish TV.

Lynn Redgrave (Actress)                               (Died on May 2, aged 67)

AFTER a brave seven year battle against breast cancer, Lynn Redgrave succumbed to the illness in early May this year.  In a career that stretched over four decades, Redgrave’s acting career was a massive success, being nominated for two Emmys, two Oscars and a Grammy in her time.

Gary Coleman (Actor)                                    (Died on May 28, aged 42)

GARY Coleman achieved huge fame as a child actor on the US show Diff’rent Strokes for eight years.  When he left in 1986, his career started to slowly go downhill, but his impact will always remain.

Stuart Cable (Drummer)                               (Died on June 7, aged 40)

GROWING up in Wales, Cable was part of Welsh rock band the Stereophonics from their formation in 1992 until 2001.  Before his death, he presented a rock show on BBC Radio Wales.

Alex Higgins (Snooker player)                   (Died on July 24, aged 61)

ALEX ‘the Hurricane’ Higgins was one of the finest snooker players of his generation.  He won two world championships, but his problems with smoking and alcohol limited his overall success.  Higgins was banned in 1990 for threatening to have Dennis Taylor shot, and criticised the Snooker governing body on several separate occasions.  He passed away after a ten year battle with throat cancer.

Sir Cyril Smith (Politician)                            (Died on September 3, aged 82)

THE former Liberal Democrat MP for Rochdale, Sir Cyril Smith was another character who always had a lot of fun, both in his work and away from the House of Commons.  His outspoken manner made him one of the most well-known faces in British politics, winning a knighthood in 1988.

Sir Norman Wisdom (Comedian)             (Died on October 4, aged 95)

STARRING in 32 sitcoms and 19 films, Sir Norman Wisdom was a popular figure in England and in Albania, where he spent his later life.  Friends described Sir Norman as “a beloved comic genius,” passing away peacefully in a nursing home in the Isle of Man.

Solomon Burke (Soul singer)                      (Died on October 10, aged 70)

HE WAS described as the “best soul singer of all time, Burke started his soul career in 1960 and spent the next decade producing many classic hits.  Some of his music went onto star in movies, which made the former Grammy award winner even more of a household name.

Bernard Matthews (Multi-millionaire farmer)   (Died on November 25, aged 80)

BERNARD Matthews passed away last Thursday, having had a distinguished and largely successful career, despite some harder times in recent years.  Matthews became famous for his “bootiful” catchphrases in his TV advertising the 1980’s, and is credited for bringing cheap turkey masses to the public.

Gavin Blyth (TV Producer)                           (Died on November 27, aged 41)

GAVIN Blyth’s tragic death last week came after a short illness and was totally unexpected.  Having grown up as a journalist in Liverpool, Blyth moved into TV and had been the man responsible for turning around the fortunes of ITV soap Emmerdale since his appointment in the role last January.

ALL OF YOU WILL BE MISSED, RIP!

Bernard Matthews passes away

HIS empire began with a humble £2.50 investment and it turned into a multi-million empire, but on November 25, Bernard Matthews died at the age of 80.

DISTINGUISHED: Bernard Matthews has passed away

He passed away on Thursday afternoon, as America was celebrating ‘Thanksgiving.’  His passing was confirmed in a statement by the chief executive of Bernard Matthews Farms, Noel Bertrand;

“It is with a great deal of personal sadness that I confirm Bernard Matthews passed away on the afternoon of 25^th November.  I have personally known Bernard Matthews for well over 30 years, and on behalf of myself and my fellow colleagues, I wish to express our great sorrow and extend our sympathies to his family.”

Born in 1930, Matthews left school at 16 and began his investments as a twenty-year old.  By 1952, he has moved into poultry full-time and three years later, bought the Great Witchingham Hall in Norwich, which still remains the headquarters of Bernard Matthews today.  He has enjoyed a rise of fame and prominence through the 1970s and 1980s, but in recent times, his name has taken some damaging credibility. 

ADDICTIVE: The Turkey Twizzler took stick

When Sainsbury’s campaigner and Chef Jamie Oliver launched a campaign to improve the healthy eating habits of children in schools, it was Matthews’s controversial product, the ‘Turkey Twizzlers,’ that took the big hits.  He was criticised severely by animal rights movements, when all the ingredients of the dangerously addictive Twizzlers were revealed in the press.  Less than a year later, video footage on YouTube showed two of Mr. Matthews’s employees playing “baseball” with two live turkeys.  It was a disgusting act caught on film and the men involved admitted to animal cruelty at a magistrate’s court case in Norwich.

Desperate to restore faith in consumer, Bernard Matthews ran several advertising campaigns, telling customers that their employees were hard-working people.  In February 2007, a strain of the deadly bird flu hit one of the Matthews plants in Suffolk, which led to the slaughtering of 160,000 birds, who might have contracted the disease.

Although there has been a slump in sales in recent times, Bernard Matthews has left a very distinguished legacy in the food industry and his presence will be missed.  

Oliver Fury As Junk Food Looks Set To Return Into Schools

Reports suggest that schools look set to start serving junk food again as an alternative option, which have infuriated Chef Jamie Oliver.  The education minister for the new coalition government, Maurice Gibb has told some of his close allies that the limited amount of content in fat, salt and sugar will be eliminated.

Although there is still encouragement from many independent school bodies that they will follow the recommended nutritional levels, they won’t be obliged to stick to these levels by the ConDems government.  Many heads will probably stick to the healthy option, but Labour are furious at these plans, especially as they worked very hard with Oliver to dismiss the unhealthy primary school stereotype of junk food culture and hyperactive vending machine products. 

Some experts feel that this change in food culture could be down to the necessary cuts required to reduce the growing deficit levels, but others think that it is abuse of the healthy eating campaign.  Since the 2004 Feed Me Better Campaign, which was set-up by Oliver and backed by the Labour government, supermarket giant Sainsbury’s and the Daily Mirror, there have been significant rises in the amount of children passing English, Maths and Science exams over the last five years.  This unhealthy culture could therefore spearhead the return of the unhealthy Turkey Twizzlers – which was made by Bernard Matthews but was removed by the company in January 2005 after it was revealed that it contained just 34% of turkey levels, yet a dangerously high 21.2% amount of salt.

I am not the healthiest person around when it comes to food, I do like my fizzy drinks and snacks, but I think it is essential that the healthy option remains as a compulsory option, especially for younger children, who need to stay fit and healthy in their growing up years.  Let’s hope that Maurice Gibb has a change in heart.