JANUARY 2024 HERALD ONLINE

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THE HERALD • MID-JANUARY 2024 • Tel: 01530 244069 • Email: info@markfieldherald.co.uk
Minister’s Pause
for Thought
Global Warming
CHRISTMAS is now behind
us and I hope you enjoyed
your gatherings, whether in
families, churches or friends
or workmates. The year
2024 is now before us and
we are glad God Immanuel
will continue to lead us.
I took quite an interest in the
COP28 meeting and the resolutions
passed. I come from Fiji where
the effects of Global Warming is
happening right before your eyes.
I shared with a Fellowship group
in my Church about an island next
to mine. When it is high tide the level of water rises and the whole village
green is covered in sea water. The village green is where we always play
on Christmas Day, but now it is no longer possible. There are many islands
in the Pacific facing similar situations.
Many of our Churches are going for eco – friendly status. I am glad that
we are aware as Christians and individuals about the effects of Global
warming. I think 10 years from now, a lot of the smaller islands will be
under water because of the rise in water levels.
Let us make 2024 a year that we take extra steps in trying to slow down
the effects of global warming so that when I return to Fiji, I am still able to
live on my island which God gave to our forefathers.
We are also seeing the effects here in England and so let us join hands
and do our bit in trying to slow down this global catastrophe.
Wishing you all a happy new year.
Rev Jimi Kaci
Markfield Methodist Church
MARKFIELD LOCAL HISTORY GROUP
16th Jan - AGM AND SOCIAL
at Markfield Library
*MEMBERS ONLY* This is our Annual general meeting, social and buffet.
This is for members only, and is a good opportunity
for new members to get to know the group. Annual
membership is currently £8 for individuals and £14 for
couples/ families. This includes all the talks during the
year, so no extra to pay. Please call 07976 752007 if
you would like to arrange to become a member before
the AGM so we know catering numbers!
Non-members are asked to pay £3 on the door at each
talk. Please note these fees are subject to change at
the AGM in January.
All meetings are at Markfield Methodist Church, Main
Street (Opposite The Green) at 7.30 unless otherwise
stated.
Website – www.markfieldhistory.org
FACEBOOK – Bygone Markfield
BOOK You May LIKE
THE GREAT POST OFFICE SCANDAL
The story of the fight to expose a multimillion pound IT
disaster which put innocent people in jail.
By Nick Wallis
On 23rd April 2021, the Court of Appeal quashed
the convictions of 39 former SubPostmasters
and ruled their prosecutions were an affront to
the public conscience. For some it was the end
of a 20 year battle for justice – and tragically
three of them did not live long enough to
see their reputations restored. It is a scandal
that has been described as one of the most
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justice in UK legal history.
The 39 were just a few of the 736 people who,
between 2000 and 2013, had been prosecuted
by the Post Office for theft, false accounting
and fraud. The prosecutions were based largely
on evidence drawn from Horizon, the Post
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lost transactions and made erroneous calculations. If these errors resulted
in apparent losses, SubPostmasters were forced to settle the discrepancies
from their own pockets, sometimes for tens or hundreds of thousands of
pounds. Those who could not pay were sacked and taken to court. Proud
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Nick Wallis, an acclaimed freelance journalist and broadcaster, has been
following the story since 2010 when he met a taxi driver who told him his
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experts, uncovering hundreds of documents to build up an unparalleled
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Using these sources, he has been instrumental in bringing the scandal into
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the same year that he took the story to Private Eye. He has subsequently
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crowdfund his own court reporting for the Post Office Trial website.
Nick has now written the first definitive account of the scandal. He takes us
from the ill-fated deal that brought Horizon into existence, through years of
half-truths and obstruction, to the tearful scenes at the Court of Appeal this
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impact that had on the victims. He also chronicles how this story’s hero, Alan
Bates, started as a lone public voice of dissent but went on to beat the Post
Office - against overwhelming odds – at two of the highest courts in the land
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With cries for a full public inquiry into the affair still ringing in the government’s
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impact of this shameful episode, as it continues to unravel.
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Be in front of THOUSANDS of local readers as they find out
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Email: info@markfieldherald.co.uk or call 01530 244069
I’m a hard act to follow, because when I’m done, I take the microphone with me.