Harry and the Jobsworths Obituary


Widower Harry Burton joined Viva! when we formed 17 years ago. We spoke occasionally on the phone and he was disarmingly forthright in his views but we knew nothing about this dedicated supporter other than he was a bit of a character. When he died last year aged 86 we discovered just how much of one he was. Harry was a street sweeper – or


‘lengthsman’ to give him his proper title – employed by the Surrey County Council (SCC) to sweep the streets of Lightwater and Windlesham. And boy, did he sweep the streets, and cut the grass verges and remove litter blown into hedges and take away unsightly paper from people’s front gardens. Local residents were glowing in their praise of Harry and his dedication to perfection. And then it all came to end. In 1982, street sweeping responsibility


passed from SCC to Surrey Heath local council and the interference began. Directions from his new employers were that he should stop picking up litter from people’s gardens and that the grass should be given just one cut and if any clumps remained, he should ignore them. But there was worse to come. In the name of efficiency and cost


cutting, Harry’s job was changed because he was an “anachronism and out of date”, according to a local councillor. “He will join a gang of sweepers on a lorry and cover the whole area, whether he likes it or not.” Harry had the answer to that and decided to take care of Windlesham’s


streets in his own time and spent £155 on a mower. “Even though I was using my own


mower and my own petrol in my own time, they banned me from doing it saying it was their grass and I was cutting it out of season,” Harry is reported as saying. The Council response was: “We stopped


Harry hated his new job but felt he had


to accept it in order to protect his pension, having worked for the Council since 1939. “I’ve had this particular job for 11 years, eight months and one week but now it’s shattered. I enjoyed it so much I would do it for nothing if I could. I’m homesick having to work away.” In fact he was so unhappy he resigned. Local residents were also deeply upset


and submitted a 1,071 signature petition to reinstate Harry as their local sweeper and the story – Harry Goes for a Burton– received local and national press coverage. But it changed nothing. “No exception to Council policy can be made”, said another councillor. “It’s got to be run in accordance with the practices of the Council as a whole.” Windlesham’s tidy streets became


unkempt and littered – a disgrace some residents called it – so local traders came up with an answer. Thirty of them paid a


levy and formed the Lightwater Business Association, which had just one employee – Harry Burton. He was back in his old job! You could almost see the smile in his words: “It’s like a nightmare looking back at the


past months. Now I’ve lost complete track of time, I’m enjoying myself so much”. Brilliant, Harry, and your generosity of


Harry from cutting the grass because we could not accept responsibility for his safety. He would not have been insured.”


spirit was matched by your generosity to Viva!. You might like to know that we sold your house and used the proceeds for the animals, which is what you wanted. We cannot thank you enough. Tony Wardle


Morevegan products hit the market


Swedish Crisp Bread with Vegusto Dill Cold-Cuts


Linda McCartney Foods are launching two new vegans products – Rosemary and Red Onion Sausages and Mini Snack Vegetarian Sausages, which is great news! We also have it on good


authority that they are working on removing all milk and eggs from their entire range – meaning everything they make could soon be vegan. Watch this space. If you haven’t heard the hype


about the latest vegan cheese on the market we’d be surprised. Swiss company


www.vegusto.co.uk have now launched their UK online shop, selling a range of ‘cheeses’ and other delightful delicacies, that are amongst the nicest we have ever tasted. Cheese alternatives include No-Moo Classic, No-Moo Herb, No- Moo Walnut and our current favourites, No-Moo Piquant and Mild-Aromatic. Read our reviews on the Vegetarian Recipe Club blog www.vegetarianrecipeclub. org.uk/blog and see their advert on page 19.


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